Naheman News

highlight their role in the city’s circular economy, celebrating the skills and expertise they bring to the
profession of waste picking”.

Musician Vasu Dixit (@dixitvasu) who composed the Happy Number song said, “We as citizens have a
responsibility towards the informal waste pickers of Bengaluru – of treating them with the respect and
dignity they deserve for protecting our environment. And most importantly, ensuring that the waste we
give them remains recyclable. The Happy Number song was a great opportunity for me to celebrate them
and their work. It would be a dream come true if Bengalureans sing along and recognise waste pickers for
what they do.”

BBC Media Action’s research in Bengaluru showed that even though waste on the streets is visible, and
is of concern, informal waste pickers remain virtually ‘invisible’ to most people. Nearly 55% of
respondents said that informal waste pickers are dirty in appearance while 56% believed that they
shouldn’t be allowed in building complexes and societies.

Shraddha Jain (@AiyyoShraddha), a popular comic, and actor who also collaborated in the previous
phase of the campaign said, “I consider it a privilege to amplify this Happy Number song. What waste
pickers do for Bengaluru is important and there’s no question that their skilled work makes our lives livable.
Happy Number and the #InvaluableReclyers campaign underline their role, and the people of Bengaluru
need to recognise their contribution.
For plastic to be recycled effectively, materials are sorted by waste pickers into over 35 to 70
categories depending upon the type of Godown. Sorters are skilled and experienced in identifying
materials based on appearance, touch sound and thickness.

Vani Murthy (@WormRani), an environmentalist who is passionate about composting and urban
farming said, “Informal waste pickers play a vital role in collecting and recycling plastic and PET waste
generated from the city. If we take simple actions, like washing plastic food containers before discarding
them as waste, this not only keeps the plastic fit for recycling but also makes the job of waste pickers easier
and protects them from the risk of contamination rotting food or waste. Together, let us acknowledge and
respect people who know the value of the waste we discard”

InvaluableRecyclers by BBC Media Action is the second phase of the #Invaluables social media

campaign to shift perceptions about waste picking and informal waste pickers in the city of Bengaluru.
Research after the previous phase of the campaign showed an increase of nearly 6% among
respondents in awareness of informal waste pickers, and their contribution in helping the environment
through waste picking and sorting.
BBC Media Action’s work is part of the H&M Foundation funded Saamuhika Shakti initiative, to improve
the lives of informal waste pickers in Bengaluru. Partners of this collaborative include CARE India,
Hasiru Dala, LabourNet, Save the Children, Social Alpha and WaterAid, along with The Nudge
Foundation serving as the backbone organisation for the intervention.

About BBC Media Action:
BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international charity, and we believe in media and communication for
good. We reach more than 100 million people each year in some of the world’s poorest and most fragile
countries. Our projects and programmes save lives, protect livelihoods, counter misinformation,
challenge prejudice and build democracy. Using a human-centred design approach, our work is rooted
in evidence, powered by insights, and leverages impact-tested, scalable, big ideas to create social and
behaviour change. In India, over the past two decades, we have delivered impact in health (HIV
prevention, tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health),
sanitation, gender equity, climate change and the prevention of bonded labour.

Gangtok: The Army on Wednesday carried out a rescue mission evacuating eight people buried under debris, following a landslide in East Sikkim, officials said.

The troops of the Black Cat Division’ swung into action and rescued the people at 17th Mile, they said, adding, one of them died in hospital.

All the evacuees were admitted to the nearest military hospital, the officials said.

Patna: Army aspirants disrupted rail and road traffic in several parts of Bihar on Wednesday in protest against the Agnipath scheme which proposes recruitment of jawans on a contractual basis for a four-year-period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.

In Buxar district, more than 100 young men stormed the railway station and squatted on the tracks, blocking the onward journey of Patna-bound Janshatabdi Express for nearly 30 minutes.

They raised slogans against the scheme, unveiled the previous day by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, until security personnel led by RPF inspector Deepak Kumar and GRP SHO Ramashish Prasad, arrived at the spot and warned them against disruption of rail traffic.

There were reports in a section of the regional media that the protesters had hurled stones at Pataliputra Express, which passed through the station, though both Kumar and Prasad denied such an occurrence.

In Muzaffarpur town, a large number of Army aspirants vented their ire by placing burning tyres on the roads around the sprawling Chakkar Maidan where they turn up in large numbers for physical tests which are mandatory for recruitment of jawans.

They said they were exasperated to learn about the new job rules which has come after two years of no recruitment by the armed forces despite their having passed the requisite physical tests.

Many Army aspirants also marched towards the Collectorate where they submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate.

In Begusarai, Army aspirants, many of them NCC cadets, staged a demonstration at Mahadev Chowk where they carried a huge poster inscribed with the demand rollback of the Agnipath scheme.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the state, Tejashwi Yadav, came out with a flurry of tweets sharing his misgivings about the much touted move by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The RJD leader expressed apprehensions that like contractual hiring in Railways and lateral entry in other government departments, Agnipath will be used to do away with the constitutionally sanctioned reservation benefits .

The former Bihar Deputy CM also alleged BJP and Sangh Parivar may use the scheme for providing arms training, at government expense, to its hate-filled supporters and fringe elements .

As a result of the Agnipath scheme, many young men with military training will be rendered jobless at a tender age of 22. Will it not result in a major law and order problem in the country? , he asked.

He also asked, with rhetorical flourish, whether the government expected youngsters recruited under the Agnipath scheme to spend rest of their lives working as security guards of big capitalists friendly to the BJP .

He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of 10 lakh government jobs till the end of next year and asked if the number takes into account the 19 lakh jobs promised in Bihar ahead of the 2020 assembly polls.

MUMBAI:  Goa is abuzz that ahead of the presidential polls, 10 Congress MLAs may move to the BJP.
In the 40-member Assembly, BJP has 20 MLAs, while there are 11 MLAs of the Congress, two each of AAP and MGP, and five independent MLAs.

According to sources, the disgruntled Congress MLAs are in touch with the BJP leadership. “They are ready to join. But the leadership has decided not to hurry but induct them as per the party’s requirement,” a BJP leader said.

“The BJP’s plan is to ask the Congress MLAs to cross-vote in the presidential poll and later take them into the party. Former chief minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat has already spoken with the leadership.”  BJP Goa president Sadananda Tabawade said no final decision has been taken yet.

A Congress leader said the main reason is harassment by the BJP-led government. “Most MLAs own hotels. BJP has been issuing notices to them, asking them to pull down the structures. The other businesses are also targeted,” he said.

According to Goa-based mediaperson Kishor Naik Gaonkar, chances are weak that 10 MLAs will make a move together. “A few of them may join now. By 2024, most Congress MLAs will be with BJP.” 

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday dubbed the Enforcement Directorate as “Examination in Democracy” and said in politics the Opposition is required to clear “this exam” when the government fails.

He said those who are “prepared” need not be afraid of any examination. “The meaning of ED is now ‘Examination in Democracy’.

“In politics, the Opposition is required to clear this exam. When the government fails, it announces this exam. Those who have prepared well are neither afraid of written-reading exams nor verbal exams. And you should never be afraid,” Yadav tweeted in Hindi.

His reaction comes amid the ongoing questioning of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by the ED in the National Herald case.

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has quashed the criminal proceedings against Reverend Prasanna Kumar Samuel in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Prasanna Kumar Samuel is a Bishop of Church of South India (CSI) Karnataka Central Diocese, Bengaluru.

The case was registered against five people, including Prasanna Kumar Samuel under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO in 2015 in relation to alleged sexual assault on some girls at the premises of a school in the the city.

Though the police had dropped the charges against Prasanna Kumar, during the trial, he was summoned on an application filed by the public prosecutor in December 2017.

This was challenged before the HC. Justice Hemant Chandanagoudar, while quashing the proceedings against Kumar on May 25, said, “The charge sheet material does not disclose that the petitioner has committed the aforesaid offences and also the investigating officer has specifically stated before this Court on November 19, 2019 there are no material available against the petitioner.

However, the Magistrate without perusing the charge sheet material, without application of mind, has issued the summons and the same is impermissible and is an abuse of process of law.”

JANJGIR CHAMPA: Rahul Sahu, an 11-year-old boy who had fallen into a borewell in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir Champa district, was rescued after a 104-hour-long operation on Tuesday night, officials said.

Over 500 personnel, including officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, local police and the administration, were involved in the massive rescue operation that was underway since Friday evening.

Sahu fell into the unused 80-feet-deep borewell, located in the backyard of his house in Pihrid village in Malkharoda development block, around 2 pm on Friday while playing.

He was stuck at the depth of around 60 feet and a pipeline was installed for the oxygen supply. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tweeted,  with everyone’s prayers and relentless and dedicated efforts of the rescue team, Rahul Sahu has been evacuated safely.

“I wish that he recovers completely as soon as possible.” Television visuals showed the boy being taken in a stretcher. “His condition is stable and he will recover soon. He is being shifted to Apollo hospital in Bilaspur district in an ambulance under the observation of specialist doctors, for which a green corridor has been created for about 100 km to facilitate speedy movement,” Bilaspur Collector Jitendra Shukla said.