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Why Not Mother’s Name?: SC LOBS QUESTION TO STATES, By Insaf, 17 July, 2014 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 17 July 2014

Why Not Mother’s Name?

SC LOBS QUESTION TO STATES

By Insaf

 

The Supreme Court is breaking new grounds on two vital issues: Legality of active and passive euthanasia and ushering in gender equality by admitting a plea for inclusion of the mother’s name in documents. Towards that end, it has sought the views of States and Union Territories. Notably, the debate on allowing relatives to pull the plug of life support machines in passive euthanasia and a doctor injecting medicine to trigger cardiac arrest has been debated for decades. Till date the courts have treaded cautiously on this highly emotional and legally complicated issue. However, with the emerging concept of ‘living will’ the world over, the Apex Court has now thrown the ball in the States court to discuss the issue threadbare along-with throwing open discussions to the public and collectively decide on whether termination of  a life was the right way. Terminal patients with no hope of recovery have their fingers crossed of release from the pain and discomfiture! 

 

Why should a mother who gives birth not get her due recognition in a document? Wondered the Apex Court. Arguing forcefully for women rights, it has sought responses from all States and Union Territories on a petition seeking that a child be identified by the name of his/her mother in all official documents and affidavits. Presently, the mandatory practice is of appending the father's name in official papers given our male-dominated society. The Court raised a moot point: While a mother’s identity is certain and definite, a father’s is based on hear-say basis, therefore his name should be made optional in a document and replaced by the mother’s name. Moreover,
it sought replies on cases of matrimonial disputes or mother’s remarriage whereby writing the father's name could spoil the child’s future. A toss between the basic law of nature or following the ancient Manu Smriti: The father is all.

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Rajasthan’s ‘Gujarat’ Model

Gujarat seems to be the flavour in other States. With its former Chief Minister Modi’s ascendency as Prime Minister various State Governments are busy replicating his State’s model in their Administration. First of the block is Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who intends revamping her State’s social and economic infrastructure and adopt investment-friendly measures. For starters, Rajasthan is all set to draft a Town Planning and Urban Development Bill based on a similar Gujarat Bill along-with setting up a Skills University for Skill Development. There is no gainsaying Raje surprised her supporters and detractors alike given her ‘annoyance’ with Modi for not making her three-time MP son a Union Minister and her measured public statements. Pertinently, with the Prime Minister frowning on Raje’s assertiveness and the consolidation of BJP power behind Modi, the Chief Minister was left with no option but to bury the hatchet and make peace with the BJP-led Centre. Change of image and approach to people, what next?

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South More Urbanised

Northern States are green with envy. As their four southern counterparts- Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh (undivided) and five Union Territories are more urbanized than the rest of the country. According to the Central Government, against the national urbanisation average of 33 per cent between 2001-11, in Kerala the urban population rose by 21.7 per cent, 6.1% in Andhra, 4.7% in Karnataka and 4.4% in Tamil Nadu. Astounding all was the massive jump in
Daman & Diu (39%), Lakshadweep (33.6%), Dadra and Nagar-Haveli (23.8%), Chandigarh (7.5%), Delhi (4.3%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (5.1%) while Puducherry reported an increase of only 1.7%. 
It is not surprising that the laggards were UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Himachal and Assam. Will this give impetus to Modi’s “Rurban”? 

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Punjab-Haryana Spat on SGPC

An ugly spat has broken out between Akali-ruled Punjab and Congress’ Haryana. Wherein, the former’s Chief Minister Badal has accused his counterpart Hooda for hatching a conspiracy to create a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC) in Haryana, which is not only unconstitutional but in violation of the 1925 Sikh Gurdwara Act.  Notably, Badal has taken the fight to the Centre wherein ally BJP heads the NDA Government asking for it to intervene in the religious matter and stop the Congress Government from going ahead. It remains to be seen whether the Modi Sarkar will oblige and annul the Act passed by the Haryana Assembly and initialed by the State Governor. New age religion feuds, what?

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Central Pay For Telengana

Spanking new State Telengana has got a bonanza vis-à-vis TRS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao largesse, announcing Central scales pay parity for State employees, farm loan waiver up to Rs. one lakh, service regularization of contract employees and distribution of farmland to the landless Dalits. This is not all. Rao’s bag of goodies includes old age pension of Rs 1,000, alongside giving widows and the physically-challenged Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 a month respectively. But this was punctuated with a dose of not-so-good news. In a significant departure, the State Government scrapped the fee reimbursement scheme for poor students and in its place announced FAST (financial assistance to Telengana students) which envisages taking care of the financial needs of poor and OBC students. Will Seemandhra follow suit?

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Clubbing In Vesthi

Clubs suffering from the ‘Brown Saheb’ complex will either have to shut down or change their rules. Following Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s diktat: They would have to allow traditional Indian attire. In a shocking incident, Chennai’s famous Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Club denied entry to a sitting High Court judge as he was dressed in the traditional Tamil outfit Vesthi. According to the State Government the rules framed since British times disfavours anything Indian need an urgent overhaul. Astonishingly, the AAIDMK supremo has found support in arch rival DMK’s Karunanidhi along-with Congress and BJP who are busy lauding her for upholding Tamil pride.  All eyes are riveted to on whether clubs in the State will bow to her wishes or the Assembly would need to enact a new legislation putting an end to the practice of denying dhoti-clad people entry in to clubs. Three cheers for the Vesthi! ----- INFA

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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