City roadside vendors’ protest FDI

--agitators burnt PM, Sonia’s effigies 

BHUBANESWAR: Opposing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector, members of All Odisha Roadside Vendors’ Association (AORVA) burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here on Thursday.

To add strong voice with other retail business establishments of the country, hundreds of roadside vendors’ organised a protest meeting at Unit-2 Vending Zone in the capital demanding rollback the decision of FDI investment in retail business by the Union Government.

President of AORVA Pratap Sahu said around 30 crore people in the country depends directly or indirectly on this sector. Similarly, 4 lakh people live life by this small retail business, upon which 16 lakh people are depending directly and 8 lakh indirectly will be affected.

 “If the Government allows FDI in this sector, most of the vendors’ and retail businessmen will be affected and they may choose wrong way to live the life. Self-independence of the small retail businessmen will be lost,” he added.

‘Awareness among youth can end violence against women’

BHUBANESWAR: “Youth are the best instruments to bring change in the society, moreover an apt message of human rights, equality and equal relationship can be taken into a wider discourse through regular engagement of the youth,” said social activists at the workshop organised by National Alliance of Women (NAWO) Odisha chapter on the occasion of South Asian Women’s Day on Wednesday at Jaydev Vihar Utkalmani Sabha Kakhya here.

Around 100 college students participated in the discussion on “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women”, with the women social activists of the NAWO and other organisations. On the observance of South Asian Women’s Day, State coordinator of NAWO Lalita Missal said women are the vulnerable group of human rights violence in the world, especially in the South-Asian countries, which is one of the most violent regions for women, as proven by its shockingly low sex-ratios. Besides, democracy covers little ground in the region at the LPG era. To check the violence against women, awareness among the youth is the need of the hour.

“Women trafficking, bride burning for dowry, domestic violence, violence at the workplace, rape and molestation, eve-teasing, sex selective abortion, acid attack, kidnapping, witch hunting, black mailing through MMS scandals are rising in the State, which is not a healthy trend, down the freedom of women in the society,” said the members of NAWO while addressing the youth in the meeting.

The meeting was the part of International campaign fortnight or the 16 days of activism against gender violence is an international campaign starts from November 25 which is ‘International Day against Violence against Women’ and ends with December 10, the International Human Rights Day.

Among others, State convener of NAWO Pramila Swain, Vice-president of AIDWA Tapasi Praharaj, Nibedita Acharya the first woman who traveled through seaway from Odisha to Java, Odia Athlete Anuradha Biswal and members of NAWO expressed their valuable views and shared their experiences with the youth mass pledging them to protest different types of violence against women in the society.   

                 

Three minors among 5 girls rescued from BBSR rly station

BHUBANESWAR: RPF police rescued five girls; including three minors from Bhubaneswar railway station here on Tuesday as the inter-state trafficker was taking them to Madurai to engage them in an unorganised sector.

Railway police rescued after getting information from a passenger regarding trafficking of five women by Bhadrak-Baripada Intercity Express train. They were going to Madurai to work in a factory. But police is suspecting that the trafficker had another plan besides factory work.  A youth also arrested by railway police who was coming with the girls.  

Programme Manager of Bhubaneswar Childline Rameswari Prasad Dwibedi informed that they have produced five girls before CWC and all were from Tihidi block of Bhadrak district. Regarding the incident Bhubaneswar Labour Officer contacted with Bhadrak Labour Officer for the safe return of the girls to their home.

When we contacted with the State Convenor of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) and Director of Berhampur Childline Sudhir Sabat, he said that it was the second time the Railway police rescued minor girls from the same district. Before, Berhampur Childline with the help of GRP had rescued four minors among eight girls from Dhamnagar and the rural areas of Bhadrak district. “If the same incident happens regularly, administration should keep eye on the vulnerable areas where trafficking occurs and plan out accordingly. It should give stress on Self Help Groups for self reliance of the women along with proper implementation of MGNREGA, which would stop rural migration,” Sabat said to The Pioneer.

“Traffickers should be booked under Immoral Trafficking Act (ITC) and the rescued girls should be counseled properly. After the counseling by CWC, they should handover the girls to the Ujjawal home, but immediate handover of the girls to the parents is not the way,” said Sabat.

Samajwadi Party demands railway negligence to Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Demanding special attention towards the development of railway routes in Odisha, team members of Samajwadi Party on Monday met speaker of Odisha legislative assembly and the ‘House Committee’ chairman Pradip Amat discussed at length about railway negligence to Odisha at his residence here.  

It may be noted that, a ‘House Committee’ of Odisha assembly is going to meet the Union Railway Minister on December 1 under the leadership of the speaker of Odisha Assembly. Before that, the party handed over a memorandum to the speaker consisting of three point-charter demands on the issue of railway negligence to Odisha.

The party in its memorandum stated the ‘House Committee’ should give stress on development of railway line in Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonepur and Kendrapada districts. They pointed out that the tourism depends on developed rail route, which attracts the tourists as it is easier path to travel. The party said the renowned tourists spots like Konark, Bhitarkanika and religious shrine Biraja temple are to be connected to the railway links.

The party also demanded to name Sambalpur-New Delhi train as Gangadhar Express as it is the 150^th year of the poet Gangadhar Meher like naming the train by Union Railway Ministry in the name of Rabindranath Tagore on his 150^th year of birth anniversary. Similarly, Puri-Hatia Express should be named as Birsa Munda Express, the party added.

President of Odisha Samajwadi Party Rabi Behera, General Secretary Arun Jena, Secretary Surendra Bhanja, Bijoy Behera and youth leader Tarunkanti Das were in the delegation meet.    

YAC holds 3 day massive dharna against corruption

BHUBANESWAR: Opposing rampant corruption in the country and black money stashed at the foreign bank, Youth against Corruption (YAC) of Odisha chapter staged a massive dharna at PMG Square on Wednesday here to support its all India movement organised in all State headquarters across the country.

Hundreds of youth from all quarters have joined in the dharna lead by the State Convener of YAC Bibhu Prasad Nayak. They demanded a strong anti-corruption law, resignation of Prime Minister who remains silent spectator to corruption and corrupt, bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks and to make the coming parliamentary elections corruption free.

Three day massive dharnas have started from November 30 to add a strong voice against corruption. YAC convener Sunil Bansal said that demonstration will pull public participation in large number mainly youths and public in general from all sections of the society. “To create awareness among the people of the country, YAC is organising around 200 Janajagaran Yatras against corruption and black money throughout India,” he informed.

Priti files petition against Dushmanta

BHUBANESWAR: The triangle love story of the reel life hero Dushmanta is taking new angle. In a twist in the story, Priti, the girl, who is claiming as actor Dushmanta’s wife, filed two petitions at the Family Court in the city on Tuesday against her lover Dushmanta.

After filing the petition, her advocate said the intimate photographs of the duo would be submitted at the court as evidence of the relation. The court hearing on the case will be on December 7. On the day of filing the petition, Priti showed the marriage ring.