HM Amit Shah's efforts ushered in new era of peace in J-K, Northeast: NHRC chief Arun Kumar Mishra
New Delhi, Oct 12: NHRC chairperson and former Supreme Court judge justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra Tuesday praised Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying his "untiring efforts" have ushered in a "new era" of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
In his address at the 28th foundation day of the National Human Rights Commission here, the former judge also underlined that "external forces" levelling "false" allegations of human rights violations against India has become very common, "which should be opposed".
"I am pleased to greet Union Minister Amit Shah ji. Your untiring efforts have ushered in a new era of peace, and law and order in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast," the NHRC chief said.
In early August 2019, the Union government had abrogated operative provisions of Article 370 that gave Jammu & Kashmir a special status, and divided the state into two UTs -- J&K and Ladakh.
After the abrogation, curfew was imposed and internet services were suspended for a long time, amid protests from several quarters, with a few human rights groups expressing apprehensions over the issue.
In his address, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been relentlessly working for the welfare of poor, backwards and deprived sections of society, thus protecting their human rights.
On August 5, 2019, when Rajya Sabha had approved a resolution abrogating Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir and a bill to bifurcate the state into two union territories, the minister had said, "Article 370 is biggest hurdle to normalcy in the state".
Allaying the Opposition's fears of a law and order situation after the move, Shah had then said, nothing will happen and the region wouldn't be allowed to turn into another battle-torn Kosovo.
Prime Minister Modi was the chief guest on the occasion and joined the ceremony held at the Vigyan Bhawan via a video-conference link.
Modi in his address slammed those who engage in "selective interpretation" of human rights with an eye on political gains and loss, saying such conduct harms human rights as well as democracy.
The NHRC chief in his address on Tuesday also asserted that India has emerged as a powerful entity on a global level, and it has got recognition as a new power, and it is to be "credited to people of India, the country's constitutional system and the leadership".
The former apex court judge had taken charge as the new chairperson of the NHRC on June 2 this year.
In February 2020, during his tenure as a judge of the Supreme Court, justice Mishra had created a flutter after praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking at the International Judicial Conference 2020, he had termed Modi as an "internationally acclaimed visionary" and a "versatile genius, who thinks globally and acts locally".
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh alleged that the democratic space in India continued to "shrink".
"The PM & HM have made a mockery of human rights since their Gujarat days. Now they are joined in the jugalbandi by Chairman of NHRC no less, a judge who sat in judgment on his own earlier order and claimed no conflict of interest. The democratic space in India continues to shrink," he alleged in his tweet.
The PM & HM have made a mockery of human rights since their Gujarat days. Now they are joined in the jugalbandi by Chairman of NHRC no less, a judge who sat in judgment on his own earlier order and claimed no conflict of interest. The democratic space in India continues to shrink
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 12, 2021
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Melinda French Gates resigns as Gates Foundation co-chair, 3 years after her divorce from Bill Gates
New York, May 13: Melinda French Gates will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the nonprofit she and her ex-husband Bill Gates founded and built into one of the world's largest philanthropic organisations over the past 20 years.
“This is not a decision I came to lightly,” French Gates posted on the X platform on Monday. “I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world.”
She praised the foundation's CEO, Mark Suzman, and the foundation's board of trustees, which was significantly expanded after the couple announced their divorce in May 2021.
“The time is right for me to move forward into the next chapter of my philanthropy,” French Gates wrote in her statement. She organises some of her investments and philanthropic gifts through her organisation, Pivotal Ventures, which is not a nonprofit.
Bill Gates thanked French Gates for her “critical” contributions to the foundations in a statement, saying, “I am sorry to see her leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.”
French Gates will receive $12.5 billion as part of her agreement with Gates, which she said would commit to future work focused on women and families.
The Gates Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment about whether those assets would come from the foundation itself. In an emailed statement, the foundation said that Suzman announced the decision to employees on Monday.
“After a difficult few years watching women's rights rolled back in the US and around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on altering that trajectory,” Suzman said of French Gates.
Suzman said he knew many had joined the foundation in part because of their admiration for her advocacy, especially around gender equity.
“I know how beloved Melinda is here,” Suzman wrote.
The Gates Foundation holds $75.2 billion in its endowment as of December 2023, and announced in January, it planned to spend $8.6 billion through the course of its work in 2024.
The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce from Pivotal Ventures.
