New Delhi To keep a check on the sweet quality in the national capital, the Delhi government will encourage more number of sweets sellers for registration and will also issue more licences ahead of the festive season.

“As the festive season is coming, a number of sweets shops will come up and the chances of selling of substandard sweets will also go up. To keep a check, we will be issuing more licences,” an official from the Delhi Food and Safety Department’s Licencing unit told IANS.

The Food Department will also run a special campaign under which teams will be formed to raid and collect samples from shops across the city.

To create awareness among the people, the Department will publish advertisements regarding food safety.

“The demand for sweets products go up tremendously during this time of the year as the festivals are approaching. To meet the demands, sweetmeat shops will be mushrooming in the city,” he said.

In the past three years, the Department has also done various raids to check the food qualities.

“In the past three years, 884 samples were collected from different parts of the city, of which 148 samples failed to match the standards. Actions were taken against those found guilty under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the official said.

The registration and licensing of the street food vendors is also being done, he said.

“We are encouraging more street food vendors for licensing. The Department also checks sample of these foods from time to time,” he added.

Thiruvananthapuram, With the state government cancelling the Onam celebrations, it is unlikely that Kerala households within the country or overseas will witness any festivities this year ignoring the huge loss of life and property in the devastating floods.

The Kerala government has already diverted the Rs 30 crore earmarked for state-sponsored celebrations to extend relief to the survivors of the worst floods in the state in nearly a century.

Similarly, reports of cancellation of the Onam celebrations by Kerala expatriates have come from the Middle East and even Canada.

Around 370 persons have lost their lives since the monsoon rains began on May 29, with widespread destruction to public and private property, which the state has pegged at more than Rs 20,000 crore. More than one million people have taken shelter in relief camps in Kerala.

Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was overseeing the Onam festivities, said that he too failed to recollect any instance when the celebrations were called off.

“This tragedy has damaged our state immensely as lakhs of people continue to suffer. Many people have lost their life-long savings… thus, the celebration of Onam by the state is out of the question.”

Cardinal Moran Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the city-headquartered Syro Malankara Catholic Church, told IANS that this could be the first Onam with no festivities in the state.

“Onam provides a sense of unity as everyone celebrates the festival. However, this time too there is ‘unity’ but it is about people coming out in huge numbers to help those affected by floods,” he remarked.

Celebrations of Onam start on ‘Atham’ day, 10 days before ‘Thiruvonam’ (which falls on August 25). However, on that day, the state was grappling with torrential rains and their aftermath as a red alert was issued in several areas after dams overflowed and rivers were swollen.

Onam, the harvest festival, is marked by three important days — First Onam that falls on Friday (today), followed by Thiruonam on Saturday, and third Onam on Sunday.

According to a legend, the state witnessed its golden period during the reign of King Mahabali. Onam is celebrated to mark King Mahabali’s annual visit to see his subjects.

A traditional 26-dish ‘Onam Sadya’, often dubbed the ‘mother of all vegetarian meals’, is served in every household on the three Onam days.

Onam falls in the month of ‘Chingam’, the first month according to the Malayalee calendar. On that day (August 17), thousands of Kerala residents in several districts were fleeing their homes to find shelter in relief camps.

As many as 12 of the 14 districts in the state have been devastated by floods, with Kasargode and Thiruvananthapuram the exception on this count.

“I am 93… I cannot recall any year when the Onam festivities were called off. I also cannot recall any tragedy of this magnitude ever hitting Kerala in my lifetime,” a retired teacher told IANS.

However, a few old-timers recall the Vypeen hooch tragedy in 1982, in which 77 persons were killed near Kochi on Onam day. The victims were mostly fisherfolk and labourers.

Sarala Devi, a retired government official residing near Thiruvalla, which was badly affected, also sounded gloomy over Onam celebrations this year.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to savour a sumptuous Onam Sadya, as one or the other you know has been affected by floods. Besides, one has been witnessing on TV channels the huge loss of lives and destruction caused by floods. I doubt if anyone will be able to enjoy the Onam lunch after all this,” she said.

The business of sellers of flowers in various places on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, has been clearly affected. “Even in the state capital, which has not been much affected by floods, people are not coming out to buy flowers,” a retailer in the city pointed out.

However, amid the gloom, there are many trying to cheer up the survivors. Those managing the relief camps plan to serve at least a decent Onam lunch to nearly a million persons still lodged in relief camps.

Jammu, Aug 21 (IANS) Twelve people were killed and two injured on Tuesday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, police said.

A vehicle carrying Machail Yatra pilgrims fell into a deep gorge in the Dool area, the police sources said. The driver apparently lost control over it.

While 12 were killed on the spot, two who sustained critical injuries were shifted to a hospital.

[IANS]

Thiruvananthapuram As rescue operations in Kerala on Monday entered its final stages, the biggest challenge before the authorities in the flood after

math turned into managing the over 5,500 relief camps housing more than 7,00,000 people across the state.

The weather looked promising with no major rainfall expected in the state. Many people though continued to wait for rescue to arrive in several parts of Ernakulam district and interior Chengannur in Alappuzha district.

The death toll stands at 370, from May 29 when Kerala got the first of the monsoon rains, with the bulk of the fatalities being reported after August 9.

A tragedy of unprecedented proportion gripped the state after sluice gates of several rain-filled dams had to be opened.

On Monday, helicopters started their rescue operations in places where people still remained marooned. Several of the other helicopters transported food and relief materials from here.

Chengannur legislator Saji Cherian said: “We have despatched 70 rescue teams in boats who have reached 60 places where people are still trapped. We are confident that by Monday evening all will be rescued.”

In Ernakulam, Paravur legislator V.D. Sateeshan said while a huge majority of those stranded have been rescued, at least 1,500 are still trapped in very remote areas. Accessibility is the biggest problem.

“We are sending individual rescue teams to these places and hopefully we will be able to save them,” said Sateeshan.

Some people trapped in water-logged Kuttanadu in Alappuzha had refused to board the rescue boats. A lot of persuasion was required from the police teams to bring them to relief cam

Congress leader P.C. Vishnunath told the media in Chengannur: “Bio-toilets have to be set up. In many camps they are overflowing. Engaging in basic needs has become a problem.”

Waters at the Cochin International Airport also receded on Monday. The airport was shut since August 15, after water entered the operational area. Authorities have started the cleaning up process.

On Monday, small aircrafts started operating from the Cochin Naval Airbase.

Rains in the catchment areas of the big dams in Idukki district have also subsided. The outflow of water from both the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams have been reduced.

As a result, the water flow into the Periyar and its tributaries that flow through Ernakulam and Thrissur has come down considerably.

The railways started operations in the Kottayam sector and also to other sectors to Shornur.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation also began operations frommany depots and it was expected to be fully functional in a day or two.

Kerala faced the heaviest rains and consequent floods and destruction since 1924, and the state government estimates the loss to be around Rs 19,500 crore.

[IANS]

Greeting India on its 72nd Independence Day, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Wednesday said a “fellow democracy and a friend” was taking its rightful place as a leading global power with its democratic values and inclusiveness.

“On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes to the people and government of India on their Independence Day. Since gaining its independence 71 years ago today, India has set an example for South Asia and the world by supporting democracy, diversity, and the rule of law-values shared by the US,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“As members of the oldest and largest democracies, the people of the US and India have always enjoyed strong bonds of friendship. We are grateful for the vibrant Indian-American diaspora and the growing number of young people strengthening ties between our countries as exchange students.”

He said the values shared by the two countries contribute to inspiring collaboration in health, energy, environment, science, and high technology that will fuel the jobs and prosperity of the future.

“On this Indian Independence Day, we congratulate India – a unique civilization, fellow democracy, and a friend – on taking its rightful place as a leading global power and continuing our shared efforts to sustain the rules-based order.”

“Matched!”, a digital short film collaboration between India and Pakistan, celebrates the Independence Day of both the nations.

Indian digital platform Arre joined hands with Pakistan’s digital entertainment brand Teeli to co-produce, co-write and co-create the short, filmed across New Delhi and Karachi.

The idea was an experiment to engage with shared cultural values like food, language, and social relationships, rather than the politics that has shaped the current narrative.

“Matched!” captures the unlikely friendship between an Indian girl from Amritsar and a Pakistani boy from Lahore, made possible through a dating app. What happens when two people who only associate India with Bollywood and Pakistan with Coke Studio, strike a conversation, is what the movie explores.

From script, production, and post-production, teams on either side worked on Skype over a period of two months, with the purpose of exploring how to overcome barriers with digital content. The attempt was to deliver a joint expression of two neighbouring nations.

Sharan Saikumar, Creative Director, Arre, said in a statement:”‘Matched!’ is a product of the digital age. It suggests that even though our countries and politics may falter, as people we can always be true.”

Digital content has made borders irrelevant, according to Gul Zaib Shakeel, Head Writer, Teeli.

“It has shown and shared the thrilling, mundane and honest things that our regular lives are all about. The fact that content from either side of the border resonates with the other is testament to how truly similar we are at the core. This is what the video is about,” Shakeel said.

At a time when the world is battling one of its biggest refugee crises, India has its own share of the problem — thousands of Hindu migrants from Pakistan remain stranded at this Rajasthan transit hub. They have been awaiting their citizenship papers for years, despite submitting their passports, documents and hard-earned money too.

Although the world observed International Refugee Day in June, these migrants continue to run from pillar to post to check their status as a callous Indian bureaucracy works at its own inefficient pace unmoved by their plight.

Wandering like a nomad, one of these migrants, Anumaal, told IANS: “Our lives have become deplorable since the time we came to India. The longing to be a part of this country forced me to come here. But since then, from the year 2000 in April, we have been making untiring efforts to get citizenship, but to no avail.”

“My son has completed his 12th, but he couldn’t get admission in any college as the authorities demand domicile certificates and other identity proof. Eventually, he started working as a labourer to ensure we don’t die of hunger. His future has become dark and the same will be the case with my other son who is pursuing his 12th. Eighteen years of running from here to there has failed to bring any result for us,” he lamented.

“In a camp organised in the year 2005, we missed submitting our certificate by a day. The officials asked us to come with a certificate but it being a Saturday, we reached on Monday and since then, our grievances remain unheard,” Anumaal added.

“We surrendered our passports, our forms were duly filled, and they asked us to come along with a certificate. However, when we reached on Monday, we were informed that we can’t be given citizenship as they had received fresh instructions from the government. Since then, we have been meeting district collectors… the home secretary too, but to no avail. We have exhausted all our savings to pay these officials. We have even borrowed money, which has now exhausted. Now we are asked to fill in fresh forms and deposit fresh fees. When asked about the money we had already deposited, the officials said its gone, so forget about it and make a fresh start.

“There are many people like me who are running around in distress. We were doing agriculture in Pakistan but here we are forced to work as labourers. Initially, during partition, we lost our ancestral land which was seized by residents of Pakistan. Most of the Hindus lost their lands at that time. Now this is the second time we are losing a lot. We were initially in Jaisalmer. However, we left the place a long time back because of the water crisis. It is an irony that people consider us as Pakistanis now, which is quite sad to hear,” he added.

Then there is Dr Rajkumar Sharma, who practises medicine and was whose citizenship was confirmed on June 17. He said, “We came to Jodhpur in 2004. Since then, we have been working hard to make a decent living. There are thousands like me who have come here, their passports have been submitted, but they are yet to get their citizenship. The major challenge for them is getting a long-term visa (LTV) which gets stuck in red tapism,” he added.

Sharma said that he, being educated, managed to earn his bread and butter. “But when I think of other people like me who have migrated, I have tears in my eyes. They are really suffering. People refuse to give them a house on rent or a job to earn considering them as Pakistanis. More than 1,000 people are awaiting their long-term visas,” he informed.

“I belonged to Sindh and came here as Muslims were not so kind to Hindus in Pakistan. Radicalism was growing and so was their influence. Although we had land there, we preferred coming here leaving everything as we knew that things might become challenging in the coming days for Hindus,” he said, adding: “Now, when I have got citizenship, I will try to clear the Medical Council of India examination so that I can start my practice here.”

Dr Hindu Singh Soda, an activist for Pakistani minorities living in India, said that the number of Total Registered Migrants (TRMs) at various FROs in Rajasthan is 13,623. Of them, 12,253 are at FRO Jodhpur alone. Of them, 3,408 were granted LTVs in 2017 while rest of the applications are still under process.

On paper, an LTV is supposed to be granted within 120 days of applying; but in almost all cases, these are not granted for many years, he said, adding that 965 migrants were permanently sent back to Pakistan in 2016 and 2017.

Soda said red-tapism is to be blamed for this situation. Also, the processing of LTVs needs to be hastened to ensure the migrants get justice in India — a land for which they have left everything in Pakistan, he added.

An elderly Sikh man was viciously attacked in California, leading to fears among the community that he may have been a victim of hate crime, the media reported.

On Wednesday, two teenagers aged 16 and 18, were arrested in connection with the assault on Sahib Singh Natt, 71, in Manteca which took place on Monday morning, reports CNN.

The incident caught on a resident’s surveillance camera shows Natt walking around a park, when two men confronted him, kicked him several times and spat on him, police in Manteca said.

In the video, the suspects appear to walk away, and then one of them returns, kicking the man several more times while he is still on the ground, reports ABC News.

Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday night at Greystone Park in Manteca, just feet away from where Natt was beaten.

Supporters, community leaders and neighbours of the victim voiced their concerns about the attacks.

“It’s not an attack on an individual, it’s an attack on an entire community,” said one speaker.

Natt was at the community event with his family by his side. His daughter, Rupinder Kaur, told the media that Natt is paralysed on the left side of his body because of previous medical issues and could barely speak.

The assault on Natt was the second recent attack on a member of the Sikh community, reports CNN.

On July 31, Surjit Singh Malhi, 50, was attacked as he was putting out political signs in Stanislaus County, 25 miles south of Manteca.

Malhi said the two attackers yelled, “Go back to your country”, and then began beating him.

The Sikh Coalition released a statement on Wednesday for others to remain vigilant.

“This is the second violent assault of a Sikh man in California’s Central Valley within the last week and we strongly encourage the Sikh sangat in California to remain vigilant.”

India’s public was in shock on Thursday as authorities confirmed three children starved to death in the national capital of the fastest-growing economy in the world.

Mansi, 8, Shikha, 4, and two-year-old Parul were declared dead in a New Delhi hospital on Tuesday, bringing malnourishment and hunger within India into sharp focus.

The disbelief was so great that authorities opted for a second postmortem to confirm the children had indeed died of starvation.

Police accounts said the children were left to fend for themselves because their father, Mangal Singh, was missing and their mother, Beena, struggled with “mental health issues”.

Reports confirmed the minors died of “gross malnutrition”.

“The forensic test that was done at our hospital clearly suggests the children who were looking marasmic died of hunger. The pictures depicted gross malnutrition, there was no hint of fat anywhere on their bodies,” Dr Amita Saxena, medical superintendent at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera.

“When we opened their bodies up, the stomach was empty, the bladder and the rectum were empty, as well. There were no signs to show that the kids had eaten anything in the past eight to nine days,” she added.

The children’s mother Beena, 29, is struggling to answer police queries, Constable Sateesh at Mandawali police station, where a case has been registered, told Al Jazeera.

Nikhil Dey from Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, a peasant and workers’ organisation in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, described the case as a “tragedy beyond words”.

“Starvation deaths are happening under the radar in many villages across India. But these Delhi deaths are glaring because they took place in the national capital, where people have so much in terms of wealth, money and availability of resources,” Dey told Al Jazeera.

“The parents of the kids – a rickshaw puller and a mentally unstable person – these are double, triple-vulnerable Indians with young children in a big city.”

According to 2011 government data, 65 million Indians live in slums that lack basic facilities. Multiple starvation deaths were reported this year in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states.

Dey said the crisis is caused by rising inequality and a failure of the implementation of public distribution systems.

“Wealth is increasing in the hands of the one percent and is flowing less and less to those at the bottom. Our public distribution systems need to worry about the terrible tragedies that result out of these exclusions,” he said.

Up to 670 million Indians, who comprise the poorest half of the population, saw just one percent increase in their wealth while the richest one percent cornered 73 percent of the national income generated in the country last year, according to a 2018 report by anti-poverty charity Oxfam.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today said it will hear on July 16 a plea seeking removal of certain scenes from the Netflix series ‘Sacred Games’, claiming that some of its content was derogatory to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The matter came up before a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar which said it will go through the petition and CD and listed it for Monday.

The plea, which alleged that certain scenes and dialogues in the show defamed the late Congress leader, yesterday came up before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which said it be listed before another bench. The acting chief justice had recused from hearing it without assigning any reason.

Petitioner advocate Nikhil Bhalla, in the petition filed through advocate Shashank Garg, contended that the show, starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, “incorrectly depicts historical events of the country like Bofors case, Shah Bano case, Babri Masjid case and communal riots”.

The plea has sought directions to Netflix Entertainment, the show’s producer — Phantom Films Production Ltd — and the Centre to ensure “in toto” removal of the allegedly offensive scenes and derogatory remarks made directly or indirectly against the former prime minister or his family.

The first season of the show, comprising eight episodes, was released on July 6 and is available in 190 countries in four languages, the petition has said.

(PTI)