Karnataka film fraternity urges CM to form panel to address sexual harassment in industry
Bengaluru, Sep 4: Over 100 film professionals on Wednesday urged the Karnataka government to appoint a committee led by a retired judge to address the sexual harassment issue in the Kannada film industry.
In a letter addressed to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, sent on behalf of Film Industry for Rights & Equality (FIRE), 153 film professionals, including actors Kiccha Sudeep and Ramya, demanded the government to "conduct a thorough investigation into the systematic issues faced by women in KFI, including sexual harassment".
The letter, dated September 4, comes in the wake of the Justice K Hema Committee report that is taking the Malayalam film industry by storm with many survivors coming forward to name the preparators.
FIRE, led by film director, screenwriter and lyricist Kavita Lankesh, has been pushing for reform in the Kannada film industry following the #metoo wave as well.
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FIRE also urged the government to "develop and recommend policies to ensure a healthy and equitable work environment for all women in the industry."
It wanted a retired judge of the High Court or Supreme Court "who has demonstrated a strong commitment to gender justice over her/his years of service be appointed to head the committee."
Incidentally, FIRE has been instrumental in establishing India’s first-ever film industry Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), advocating for survivors of sexual harassment.
"We recognise that more comprehensive measures are needed to create a safe and equitable working environment for all women in the industry," said the letter.
Despite many attempts to reach Lankesh over the phone, she was unavailable for comment.
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Dhyan Chand lifetime award to be replaced by Arjuna lifetime
New Delhi, Oct 24: The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country.
Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others.
In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj.
"The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement.
"The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for life time contribution to sports development.
"Further, to recognize the Khelo India scheme, the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy will be given to the University for Overall Top Performance in Khelo India University Games," it added.
The last date for applying for the national sports awards for 2024 is November 14.
