Udupi: Prayers held for speedy recovery of Oscar Fernandes
Udupi, Jul 23: A special prayer service was held at the Mother of Sorrows Church in Udupi on Friday for the recovery of Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who is under treatment at a private hospital here following a head injury.
Udupi diocese bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo conducted the prayer service.
Addressing the gathering, former minister Vinay Kumaar Sorake said doctors are providing the best treatment to Frenandes.
He had the opportunity to serve at the national level for a very long period.Though the doctors are putting their efforts, prayers are also needed at this juncture, he said.
"We have offered prayers in mosques, church and also in temples. Let us pray for his speedy recovery," he added.
Prayers were also held at various religious centres in Udupi.
Special prayers were held in St Francis Xavier Church Udyavar, Polipu Jamia Masjid, Kapu Janardhan Temple and Sri Vishwanath Kshetra.
The 80-year-old leader was hospitalised after suffering a fall while practicing yoga at his apartment in the city on Sunday.
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Organisation urges Centre to set up National Widows' Rights Commission
Mumbai (PTI): A Maharashtra-based voluntary organisation has appealed to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to establish an independent National Widows' Rights Commission to address "systemic and lifelong injustices".
Mahatma Phule Samaj Seva Mandal (MPSSM) said widowed women in India face social ostracisation, denial of property and inheritance rights, economic insecurity, psychological trauma, and heightened sexual vulnerability.
These issues are not adequately addressed by existing institutional mechanisms, it said.
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In its representation to the ministry, the organisation stated that despite Constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity under Articles 14, 15 and 21, there is no exclusive statutory body that focuses specifically on the unique and long-term vulnerabilities of widows.
The proposal notes that while women's commissions function at the national and state levels, their broad mandate limits focused attention on widows' issues, leading to gaps in grievance redressal, monitoring and accountability.
Calling widowed women a "structurally vulnerable group" comparable to other constitutionally recognised categories, MPSSM has proposed the creation of National and State Widows' Rights Commissions with the power to inquire into complaints, summon reports from police and administrative authorities, and make time-bound recommendations, including registration of FIRs and legal action where required.
It demanded that the commission be empowered to suggest rehabilitation measures, financial assistance schemes and amendments to existing laws, and submit annual reports to Parliament or state legislatures.
MPSSM president Pramod Zinjade said the establishment of a dedicated Widows' Rights Commission was a "constitutional necessity and moral obligation" to restore dignity, security and human rights of widowed women and to eliminate regressive social practices.
Zinjade said he has also written to the United Nations seeking the establishment of an International Widows' Rights Commission (IWRC).
He has been leading a campaign in rural Maharashtra to eradicate evil customs related to widows. Several villages have passed unanimous resolutions banning such customs.
