Women to drive Kerala govt vehicles
Thiruvananthapuram: Gone are the days when the post of a driver in Kerala state government departments and state owned public sector undertakings could be filled only by a male. The state cabinet, on Wednesday, decided to open this post for women also. After the weekly cabinet meeting held here, the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan intimated that it’s no longer a male domain. “Directions have been given to see that new laws are framed to make drivers’ posts in Kerala government and state PSUs gender neutral. This has been done based on the government’s policy of following gender neutrality in all sectors,” said the statement. Incidentally, in Kerala women do drive private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and ambulances but this is the first time women will be appointed to drive government vehicles. (IANS)
3 Ambedkar idols vandalised
Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh): Three statues of Baba Saheb Ambedkar were vandalised by some miscreants at three different places in Deogaon area of Azamgarh district, police said on Wednesday. The damage is said to have been done on Tuesday. Azamgarh Superintendent of Police (SP), Pawan Pandey said: “We got the information about the vandalised idols of Ambedkar from three villages. We are investigating the matter and we will replace the idols at the earliest.” The idols have been vandalised in Mirza Adampur, Sirkantpur and Barmanpur villages. The police said that they have asked the local intelligence units to trace the absconding accused. According to locals, the idols in Mirza Adampur and Barmanpur villages were installed 20 years back. (IANS)
Yamuna flowing over danger mark
New Delhi: The Yamuna continued to flow above the danger mark with the water level at 206.60 metres. The river breached the danger mark of 205.33m on Monday night, and the authorities are expecting the level to go up to 207m by Wednesday. However, the river has been showing a steady trend since the wee hours of Wednesday, the Flood Control Department official told IANS. “Although the river is showing a steady trend, the situation is critical and we are keeping a close eye on it,” the official said. The water level was rising due to rains in northern India and discharge of water from Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana. “Water is being released from the barrage every hour since Saturday,” the official said, adding Haryana released 8.28 lakh cusecs of water on Sunday evening. The water discharged from the barrage — which provides drinking water to Delhi — normally takes 72 hours to reach the capital, the official said. (IANS)
Onam celebrations in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: Onam celebrations in Kerala will be a low key affair as the state is recovering from devastating floods, the state Cabinet decided at its weekly meeting here on Wednesday. Heavy rains have battered several districts of the state since the past fortnight leaving 125 people dead and destroying property worth crores. Over 6,000 people are still staying in 86 relief camps set up in the state. Last year, the state government was forced to cancel Onam celebrations after the state witnessed similar floods and devastation. Onam is the harvest festival of the state. (IANS)
Annoyed by daughter’s crying, man ‘gives triple talaq’ to wife
Indore: Days after Parliament passed the law penalising instant triple talaq, a 25-year-old Muslim man here allegedly divorced his wife on the spot following an argument over his one-year-old daughter disturbing his sleep. The talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq has been banned under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019. Uzma Ansari (21), resident of Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, has lodged a complaint against her husband Akbar who lives in Indore. “My daughter was not well on August 4. She got up at night and started crying. It disturbed my husband’s sleep. He told me to kill the daughter, resulting in an argument between us,” the woman said in the complaint registered at Sendhwa police station. “After hearing the argument, my father-in-law and brother-in-law also came into the room and all started beating me up and threw down my daughter from the bed,” the woman alleged. “My husband gave me instant triple talaq in the presence of in-laws and called my mother, asking her to take me back. My daughter and I were thrown out of the house,” she claimed. The woman also accused her husband and in-laws of harassing her for dowry. (PTI)