Only 5-10% of sexual assault victims get compensation: SC
New Delhi, May 8: Hardly 5-10 percent of sexual assault victims across the country were able to get compensation under the relevant schemes in various states, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta was told that maximum 10 per cent victims were getting compensation under the schemes.
NALSA said as per the data of Andhra Pradesh, of the 901 cases lodged in 2017, only one victim has received compensation.
In 2016, 840 such cases were lodged in Andhra Pradesh but only eight victims got compensation, said the NALSA data, adding that of the 1,028 cases registered in 2017 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the state, only 11 victims were compensated.
In Rajasthan, 3,305 such cases were registered in 2017 and 140 victims received compensation.
In Bihar, 1,199 FIRs of sexual assault were lodged in 2017 but only 82 victims were compensated, revealed the data.
After the December 16, 2012 gang-rape and murder case in Delhi, the Central government in 2013 announced a Nirbhaya Fund scheme to support the initiatives of the governments and the NGOs working for women's safety.
The court was hearing petitions filed after the gangrape case in 2012, raising concerns over the safety and security of women.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Centre doubles fines for stubble burning
New Delhi, Nov 7: The Centre has doubled the fine for farmers burning crop residue in view of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, the penalty going up to Rs 30,000 for those with more than five acres of farmland.
According to the notification, which was published on Wednesday and comes following the Supreme Court's tough stance on the issue, farmers with less than two acres of land will now have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 2,500. And those with land between two and five acres will be fined Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000.
Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during late autumn and winters.
According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.
Major factors behind stubble burning include the paddy-wheat cropping system, cultivation of long-duration paddy varieties, mechanised harvesting that leaves standing crop stubble in the field, labour scarcity, and the lack of a viable market for crop residue.
Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 per cent of PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.
However, according to senior environmentalist Sunita Narain, the episodic burning of crop residue by farmers in winter is not the primary concern for poor air quality in Delhi-NCR. Instead, the persistent and major sources of pollution within the city, including transport and industries, are more worrisome.
