Monsoon begins retreat from flood-ravaged Punjab, neighbouring Haryana
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Chandigarh (PTI): The southwest monsoon on Tuesday withdrew from some parts of flood-ravaged Punjab and neighbouring Haryana.
According to the Meteorological (Met) Department, "Today, the southwest monsoon has further withdrawn from some more parts of Rajasthan, some parts of Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana... The line of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon now passes through Bathinda, Fatehabad, Pilani, Ajmer..."
The Met bulletin further said that the conditions are favourable for further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from some more parts of Punjab and Haryana during the next two to three days.
Light to moderate rain is likely to occur at isolated places on September 17 and 19 and at a few places on September 18, says the Met forecast for the two states.
Notably, flood-ravaged Punjab had received 253.7 mm of rain in August, which was not only 74 per cent in excess of normal but also the highest the state had witnessed in the past 25 years.
Neighbouring Haryana received 194.5 mm of rain in August against an average of 147.7 mm for the month, marking a 32 per cent increase.
According to Met data, Punjab and Haryana had received excess rain in August only five times in the past 25 years, which included the previous month.
Notably, Punjab faced one of its worst flood disasters in decades.
The floods were a result of swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Besides, heavy rains in Punjab had also intensified the flooding situation.
The death toll because of the floods presently stands at 56 while crops on 1.98 lakh hectares were damaged.
Recently, heavy rains and some rivers flowing in spate also led to flooding in some parts of Haryana.
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'Sarke Chunar' row: Sanjay Dutt apologises; to sponsor education of 50 tribal girls
New Delhi (PTI): Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy over the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke' and submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any "unintended" harm caused to society.
During the hearing, held under NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and indecent representation of women in the song from the movie "KD The Devil" and questioned issues of intent, awareness and accountability.
The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence was undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting objectification of women, while also underlining the responsibility of senior and influential public figures in ensuring that their work remains within the bounds of legal and societal standards.
As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women's empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.
He also assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, could not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.
On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam and representatives of KVN Production Company Gautam K M and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.
The NCW underscored that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, drew public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics.
After the outrage, the makers deleted the Hindi version of the song from YouTube, although it was widely played and shared across various platforms.
Fatehi, in a video later, distanced herself from the song, saying she shot the video for the Kannada version and her permission was not taken to use it in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer and the director also apologised.
The issue was brought up in Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria last month.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song was already banned and the government was ready to take action against such vulgarity.
"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.
