Vivek launches toll-free helpline for reporting bonded labour cases
The Minister said the govt will prioritise allocation of Indiramma houses to survivors of bonded labour. The State will observe February 9 as Bonded Labour Abolition Day and different state-level events and activities will be organised to mark the day and generate awareness.
Over 200 survivors of bonded labour from across Telangana came together on Wednesday at the State Conference titled 'The Way to Freedom' to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The event brought powerful survivor testimonies to the forefront, urging immediate and sustained government action to end bonded labour in the state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
India, Pakistan Independence Day celebrations: As different as chalk and cheese
Except the colour of the flags, the Islamic motifs and a 24-hour time lag, Independence Day across the Radcliffe Line in Pakistan is not much different from India's very own celebrations. Declared a national holiday, Pakistan's Independence Day – or Yaum-i-Azadi - on August 14 takes place in capital Islamabad, where the national flag is hoisted at the Presidential and Parliament buildings. It is followed by the national anthem and live televised speeches by leaders. The usual celebratory events and festivities for the day include flag-raising ceremonies, parades, cultural events, and the playing of patriotic songs, combined with several award-giving ceremonies. As in India, Pakistanis hoist the national flag atop their homes or display it prominently on their vehicles and their attires, amid much joy and fanfare. Might as well be India's own Swantantra Divas, in the eyes of a casual observer, except for the flavour. "Things are pretty much the same, but unlike India, in Pakistan, it is a feeling of otherness. It is not so much about getting independence from colonial rule as it is about the victory of partition and the greatness of the Pakistan movement,' says Vijay Nambiar, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. India does not celebrate Independence Day under Pakistan's shadow. For us, it is freedom from colonial rule, he told this reporter. The founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, said as much in his first broadcast to the nation: "August 15 is the birthday of the independent and sovereign state of Pakistan. It marks the fulfilment of the destiny of the Muslim nation, which made great sacrifices in the past few years to have its homeland." The date of Pakistan's Independence Day was not always sacrosanct. The first commemorative postage stamps of the country, released in July 1948, give August 15, 1947, as Pakistan's Independence Day. However, in subsequent years August 14 was adopted as Independence Day. Early in 1947, Britain's Labour government appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten as the last Viceroy of India. He was charged with the responsibility of overseeing the transfer of power from British control to Indian hands. This transfer was initially fixed for not later than June 1948. But increasing communal violence and worsening law and order compelled Mountbatten to advance the date to August 1947 with a view to hastening the British withdrawal. According to Partition Studies, Mountbatten noted Jinnah's adamant refusal to accept anything less than a separate Pakistan, even with loose or firm ties to India, making the break inevitable. Mountbatten administered the independence oath to Jinnah on August 14, before leaving for India where the oath was scheduled on the midnight of the 15th. In addition, the night of August 14–15, 1947, coincided with 27 Ramadan 1366 of the Islamic calendar, regarded as sacred by Muslims. Mountbatten - or Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma - later revealed that he selected August 15 in part simply because it happened to be the second anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, a date which represented the conclusion of imperial conflict and not nationalist jubilation. Naturally, in the circumstances leading up to the Independence and vivisection, Pakistan could not have observed August 15 as the most important day in the country's life.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 hours ago
- Business Standard
Tourist tax on cards? Why London may mimic Paris in charging visitors
Taxes have always been as inevitable as death. In Rachel Reeves' Britain, it's looking like tax increases are now as unavoidable as the grim reaper. The chancellor must find billions of pounds to fill a black hole in the public finances before the autumn budget. So far, she has proven unable to cut public spending thanks to a series of rebellions by Labour MPs. And Keir Starmer's 'defining mission' of making the sums add up by turbocharging growth has also been stymied, partly by Reeves' move to hike national insurance for employers in her last budget. GDP figures out Thursday came in at a relatively anemic 0.3% increase for the second quarter of 2025. That leaves taxes and, having ruled out increasing the burden on 'working people,' Reeves and her team are spending the summer eying other sources of cash. One idea being pushed by some in Westminster is a tourist tax. It's worth taking seriously, both for the potential to raise some much-needed revenue and as a driver of growth. A stroll around the center of London on a warm August day this week confirms there's plenty of scope. Crowds were 10 deep outside Buckingham Palace and, inside, visitors of various ages and nationalities were glued to audio guides as they gawped at the King's riches before stopping off for a cream tea in the cafe. London was the third most popular destination in the world in terms of international arrivals last year and third for tourist dollars spent in 2023. An estimated 43 million foreign visitors are expected this year and are anticipated to collectively spend £33.7 billion ($45.7 billion), according to VisitBritain. That's not including business travelers and domestic visitors, who may or may not be caught by a potential tax, depending on how it's levied. Among the most world's most popular tourist destinations, London is rare in not already levying a tax on hotel stays. From Tokyo to Barcelona, New York to Amsterdam, the additional nightly charge is a familiar, if mildly irritating, sight on hotel bills. As Sadiq Khan, London's mayor who favors a tourist tax, put it, most travelers: 'don't really mind paying the few extra euros' when they visit cities such as Paris and Berlin. Reeves is said to disagree, reportedly squashing proposals by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to introduce measures in the Devolution Bill, currently going through Parliament, that would allow local authorities to impose a tourist tax. She should reconsider. There are different ways of imposing levies on tourism, but the most common is a nightly charge, often with varying rates depending on the standard of the hotel or as a percentage of the final bill. Assuming a stay at a 4-star accommodation, analysis by the Telegraph suggests the most expensive popular European tourist destination is Amsterdam, at the equivalent of £16 a night, down to £3.40 for Lisbon, with Venice, Paris and Rome coming in at just over £8. Given the sums I saw being handed over for Buckingham Palace-branded merch, including a £10 jar of honey and £17 socks, a similar tax in London seems unlikely to break the bank of the average overseas visitor. The fear for a hospitality industry with fresh memories of Covid is that any tax would inhibit visitor numbers and make alternative, cheaper destinations more attractive. But given most major cities already have a tax, that argument doesn't stack up. In any case, a recent report by the House of Commons Library into the potential impact of a tourist tax pointed out that currency fluctuations and the strength of the pound appear to have little impact on arrival numbers, suggesting that so long as the rate is set at a comparable figure to other cities, it's unlike to put travelers off. What about the effect on destinations that may prove less of a lure for visitors? England's beleaguered seaside resorts would be particularly loathe to adopt any measure that would further put off holiday makers. The solution to that is to make a tax optional, with local authorities choosing whether one might suit their particular local circumstances. That's the model favored by mayors including Manchester's Andy Burnham, who I discussed tourist taxes with recently, as well as Khan and Steve Rotheram in Liverpool. Local councils across London are supportive, along with the Institute for Government and the County Councils Network, although the trade body UK Hospitality described such a move as 'deeply misguided,' pointing out that Britain charges a higher rate of VAT than most countries, which is included in hotel bills. Maybe so. But Manchester and Liverpool have already taken advantage of a loophole in the law to introduce hotel charges as part of scheme allowing hotels to band together in 'Business Improvement Districts' to raise levies, without any impact on visitor numbers, according to analysis by the journal Tourism Management. Manchester's £1 nightly fee is estimated to have raised around £2.8 million in its first year, but the scheme is voluntary for hotels and limited in geographical scope and the mayors want to go further. Scotland has adopted similar powers and Wales is expected to follow suit next year. Given how skewed international travel is toward the capital, which attracts more than half of all visitors to the UK, a tourist tax would have to be be introduced in London to have a significant impact on the nation's finances. That seems fair. Londoners love tourists — but visitors shouldn't get a free ride. As protests in cities around the world highlight, locals suffer from the impact of tourism, in terms of congestion and the added strain on services. Buckingham Palace's coffers may benefit, but Londoners go uncompensated for tourists drinking their water supply, walking their well-lit streets, leaving litter or slowing down their commute. A recent YouGov poll found 45% of Londoners would support a tourist tax compared with 37% who opposed — this feels more tolerant than the Barceloni, who have taken to shooting visitors with water pistols. Many taxes, including those in Manchester, are designed to be reinvested in the tourist industry, making them a potential driver of the precious growth Reeves is seeking. A broad definition of what constitutes the industry, such as allowing spending on transport that tourists also utilize, would free the chancellor up to divert money elsewhere. And here's another idea. Unusually for a global city, most of London's leading tourist attractions (although not Buckingham Palace) are free. That means tourists get to glory in the treasures of the British Museum, the National Gallery, the National History Museum and the rest without paying a penny. How about introducing fees for non-residents, as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art does, with locals allowed to 'pay as you wish' (they must produce a credit card with a New York billing address to qualify)? The savings could be pocketed by the Treasury in terms of reduced grants to the nation's cultural institutions — the British Museum alone received £43.2 million in government funding last year. Reeves is right to be leery of imposing any more pain on a hospitality industry already struggling with the national insurance and minimum wage increases. But by being smart about how a levy is introduced — limiting it to areas such as London and the wealthy tourists who can afford it — estimates are that she could raise £500 million a year (on a nightly bed tax of £12). That won't fill her budgetary black hole — but it would be a start.
New Indian Express
8 hours ago
- New Indian Express
CM Revanth Reddy asks officials to prepare plans for allocation of Bhudhaar numbers
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday instructed officials to prepare a detailed plan for allocation of Bhudhaar numbers for lands across the state. During a review meeting he held with the officials of the Revenue and Housing departments at the Command Control Centre here, the chief minister enquired about the status of the applications received during the recently held revenue meetings and instructed the officials to develop a mechanism for speedy completion of mutations and registration of inherited properties. The surveys conducted by the licensed surveyors and the scrutiny of reports was also discussed at the meeting. The officials were ordered to complete the scrutiny process expeditiously with the help of regular surveys. The officials briefed the chief minister about the plans to construct integrated sub-registrar offices. Revanth reviewed the design of the 10 new sub-registrar offices to be constructed soon in the Core Urban Areas. He suggested that facilities like parking, canteen and other basic infrastructure be provided at these offices for the convenience of visitors. The CM stressed that these offices should be people-friendly. Indiramma houses inauguration soon When officials informed him about the completion of Indiramma houses in several districts across the state, the CM instructed the authorities concerned to make arrangements for their inauguration by the end of August. He also asked officials to resolve the problems in the joint venture projects taken up by the Housing Board in Hyderabad. Revenue & Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Principal Secretaries to the CM V Seshadri, KS Srinivasa Raju, Secretary to CM Manik Raj, CCLA Secretary DS Lokesh Kumar, Special Secretary for Registrations & Stamps Rajiv Gandhi Hanumanthu, Special Secretary for Housing VP Gautam and others were present on the occasion.
