Latest news with #Chowdhary
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Call for creating extensive awareness on child marriage, teenage pregnancy, rape
Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Chowdhary has directed officials to hold extensive awareness programmes in all colleges on preventing child marriage, teenage pregnancy and rape. Chairing a review meeting in Haveri on Thursday, she said that it is a matter of concern that child marriage and child pregnancy have been reported in the district and directed the officials to take necessary steps immediately to prevent recurrence. Dr. Chowdhary told the officials to ensure that internal grievances redressal committees to prevent sexual exploitation are constituted in government offices, schools and colleges and such information is displayed on notice boards. 'Cooperation from everyone is required in providing justice to the aggrieved people. The officials should discharge their duties responsibly,' she said. In order to make people develop trust towards the police, the department should effectively implement the Mane Manege Police programme effectively. The police personnel should behave politely with the public who come to the police station. And, they should feel that they will get justice by approaching the police, she said. Taking strong exception to a complaint regarding food not being given to pregnant women and women with newborn babies and the ICU ward remained locked, she asked the District Health and Family Welfare Officer to immediately take remedial measures and appoint doctors to vacant posts. Regarding the problems of members of a nomadic tribe who are residing on the banks of the village tank in Haunsbhavi for the past 30 years, she asked the authorities to take steps immediately to provide alternative land and provide them with Aadhaar cards and other documents. Responding to it, Deputy Commissioner Vijaymahanthesh Danammanavar said that steps will be taken to convert habitats with more than 10 houses into revenue villages and provide all basic amenities to them. Earlier, students, women, the aged and representatives of various organisations brought to the notice of the chairperson their complaints regarding wage irregularities, harassment by money lenders, lack of amenities for workers, ration cards, pension, bus stops, additional buses and such other issues. Dr. Chowdhary, who heard public grievances for nearly two hours, directed the officials to redress the complaints. Chairman of Haveri Urban Development Authority S.F. Gajigoudra, Superintendent of Police Yashodha Vantagodi, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Ruchi Bindal, Deputy Director of Women and Child Development Revati Hosamath and others were present. On Thursday, Dr. Chowdhary also visited the women and child wing of the District Hospital and Sakhi One Stop Centre and sought information from the inmates regarding healthcare services provided. She visited the surgery and maternity wing and enquired about the health of women with newborns. She directed the officials to ensure adequate facilities. Subsequently, she visited Shakti Sadan, a shelter for aggrieved women, and encouraged them to build their lives with confidence and fight injustice. District Health and Family Welfare Officer Jayanand, District Surgeon P.R. Havanur and others were present.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
Zara Chowdhary's The Lucky Ones revisits the uncomfortable realities of the 2002 Gujarat riots
'But here this morning, I still believe the state. My family has always worked for this state. How can I not?' Imagine growing up in a family where your father has served the government; and one of your grandparents, the army. Imagine knowing and loving no other country but the one you were born in, a state that you were born in. Now, imagine everything you have loved and called your own turning against you. Imagine a horrible incident taking place several kilometres away and you being held responsible because you shared one thing in common with the perpetrators — your faith. In a riveting debut, The Lucky Ones, Zara Chowdhary makes us confront uncomfortable questions against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The book opens with the events of February 27, 2002, the day of the Godhra train burning. A sense of menace envelops the Chowdhary household on the top floor of a middle-class, mid-rise apartment building in Ahmedabad's Khanpur. The mother has been missing for two hours. While people being incommunicado for a couple of hours is normal — mobile phones are yet to become a permanent appendage — February 27, in Gujarat, was not a normal day. The mother returns after some time but you know that it will take a long, long time before normalcy returns to this home, and state, if at all. Chowdhary is not your typical victim, in the sense that her family members were, as the title goes, The Lucky Ones; spared the worst that the riots threw up, although by a whisker. Despite that, it is a telling commentary on the state of affairs in Gujarat at the time — the crippling fear among the minorities, the apathy of the authorities, the fight to stay alive and the kindness of strangers piercing through like a single ray of sunlight from behind the darkest of clouds. The book is written in an easy and engaging tone. Reading it is anything but. Turning each page is akin to revisiting every single act of horror that was reported at the time (Gulberg society massacre, Naroda Patiya case, Bilkis Bano case) but also learning about tragedies from different nooks and corners that never made it to the television bulletin — a family preparing for a wedding but now fending off an angry mob, residents of a slum gearing up to go down fighting. The description is graphic, enough to make you put down the book, take a moment and reflect. 'How do you count the dead when the dying happens on the run…?' But saying that the book is only about the riots would be incorrect. It is also the story of Gujarat. Its history, culture, Sufi saints, bureaucracy, bridges and the ever-growing chasm between old Ahmedabad and the new city. 'But none of this happens in a day, does it?' says the author and you are drawn in. It is also the story of a family: an angst-filled teenaged girl in a household that has only one man but patriarchy in abundance; a mother who spreads herself thin to keep the family nourished but is never acknowledged; a man who suffers harassment and discrimination at work but thinks nothing of inflicting the same on his wife. It reminds you that the war with patriarchy doesn't stop, even in the middle of riots. Chowdhary's way of writing makes the reader feel like they are right in the middle of the action — at the gleeful Garba night, at the adrenaline-infused patangbaazi session, in front of the television as each member of the household starts to fear the worst but won't share with each other ('No sounds tonight. All of us are pretending to sleep'), peering through the French window to see what fresh hell the day has brought in its wake. Sitting 'helpless in our homes waiting for the mob to find us…' This is a shocking, numbing book that does not hold its punches but is also heartwarming and comforting when it narrates the little acts of joy snatched from the jaws of frenzy all around. And then through conversations in the family, you get principles to live your life by. 'Where you grow up doesn't have to be who you become'. This one deserves to be read in one go. And then, re-read.
Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Did Indian money in Swiss banks grow more than three times in 2024? Govt responds
A Swiss National Bank report seemed to suggest that Indian money in Swiss banks had grown over three times in 2024 to Rs 37,600 crore, after declining by 71 per cent in the previous year. Now, the Indian government has responded to the claim, saying the data in the report shouldn't be 'used for analysing deposits held by residents of India in Switzerland'. 'There are some media reports based on Swiss National Bank (SNB) statistics which mention that Indian linked funds in Swiss banks have risen in 2024 as compared to previous year's amount,' Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chowdhary said on Wednesday in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. 'The media reports also mention that as per Swiss authorities, the data in respect of SNB statistics includes, inter alia, amounts due in respect of customer deposits (including in foreign branches of Swiss Banks located in any country), other liabilities as well as amounts due to banks,' he said, pointing out that 'Swiss authorities have clarified that the SNB annual banking statistics should not be used for analysing deposits held by residents of India in Switzerland'. Switzerland sharing info with India: Govt The minister went on to state that Switzerland has been providing annual financial information about Indian residents since 2018 under the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) framework. The first such data transmission occurred in September 2019, and has continued since. 'India receives information about foreign assets and income from 100+ foreign tax jurisdictions. Whenever any instance of tax evasion is detected, appropriate action under Direct Tax Laws, including searches, surveys, enquiries, assessment of income, levy of taxes, penalties etc and filing of prosecution complaints in criminal court, wherever applicable, is taken,' Chowdhary said. The government said it has conducted 1,021 assessments under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 (BMA), till March 31, 2025. This has led to tax and penalty demands worth over Rs 35,105 crore and 163 prosecution complaints. 'The tax demand gets crystallized conclusively when appeals, if any, preferred before CIT(A), ITAT, Hon'ble High Court and Hon'ble Supreme Court are decided,' Chowdhary said. The minister said that Rs 338 crore has been recovered against tax/ penalty/interest demand raised under the BMA, between July 1, 2015 and March 31, 2025. What was the response to 3-month compliance window? Since the BMA came into force on July 1, 2015, 684 disclosures involving undisclosed foreign assets worth Rs 4,164 crore were made in the one-time compliance window under BMA from July 1, 2015 to September 30, 2015. The government mopped up Rs 2,476 crore by way of tax and penalty in such cases, he said.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Time of India
Minor's testimony results in 3-year jail for culprit in Pocso case
(AI image) HYDERABAD: A minor girl's determination to bring her perpetrator to justice resulted in a 41-year-old man being sentenced to three years in jail under the Pocso Act in Medak district. The incident happened in June 2019 when the girl was six years old. The perpetrator, Koneti Raju, had called her to his room promising to give her a chocolate. But when he undressed and came towards her, the girl thought he was trying to scare her and began to scream. Hearing her cries, her family members and neighbours rushed in and caught the naked man before he could assault her. He was later handed over to police. Over time, the girl came to understand the crime committed by the 'uncle'. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad During the trial which began six years later in 2025 due to the girl's age, it was ensured that the atmosphere in the court was conducive for her to talk about the crime, said Sweta Chowdhary, legal advisor at the Bharosa Centre, Medak. The testimony of the girl, now 12, was taken on Jan 3. As per rules for Pocso cases, the culprit was not present in the court and no one else was allowed into the courtroom. Only the judge, girl, public prosecutor and defence lawyer were present. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "The child was made to feel comfortable and was given all the liberty to take her time and explain .," Chowdhary told TOI on Friday. Medak SP DV Srinivas Rao and additional SP S Mahendar appreciated the work done by Chowdhary and Bharosa team. The culprit, who was sentenced on June 18, was also fined 1,000. (The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
Hans India
03-07-2025
- Hans India
2007 Hyderabad blast convict produced before Mangaluru court
Mangaluru: Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chowdhary, one of the convicts in the 2007 twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad and the 2008 Mumbai serial blasts, was produced before a Mangaluru court on Monday in connection with a separate case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act at Ullal police station. Chowdhary, currently lodged in Cherlapally Central Jail in Telangana, was brought to the Third JMFC Court in Mangaluru by Ullal police on a body warrant and in the presence of Telangana police. The judge adjourned the case to July 23, allowing time for legal representation. The accused was subsequently taken back to Telangana. Chowdhary and co-accused Anique Shafique Syed have already been sentenced to death by a Hyderabad metropolitan court for their role in the 2007 bombings. A third accused, Mohammed Tareeq Anjum, was sentenced to life imprisonment. All three were alleged members of the banned Indian Mujahideen outfit. Chowdhary, originally from Mithanagar in Kondhwa Khurd, Pune, had links to terrorist operations in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Mangaluru. He reportedly operated through Yasin Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, key figures in the Indian Mujahideen network. According to police sources, Chowdhary was active in the Chembugudde-Mukkacheri area of Ullal, and explosives used in the Hyderabad blasts are suspected to have been sourced from there.
