PM Modi to gift 200 local cows to Rwanda President
New Delhi : When Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Rwanda for the first-ever Prime Minister-level visit on Monday, he will have an interesting gift for his hosts — 200 cows, all sourced locally in the small, land-locked east African country. Modi will travel to Rweru model village in Rwanda’s eastern province and gift the cows as India’s contribution to Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s flagship “Girinka” programme. Officials said the cattle will be sourced locally since they are adapted to the natural surroundings of the region.
Girinka is the Rwandan government’s “one cow for one poor family” programme, launched in 2006. The government claims the scheme has benefitted nearly 3.5 lakh families so far. The social protection scheme is personally overseen by Kagame — as part of the programme, the poorest families are gifted dairy cows by the government and the first female calf born of that cow is gifted to the neighbour, aimed at promoting brotherhood and solidarity in the community.
Ministry of External Affairs’ Secretary (Economic Relations) T S Tirumurti, who worked on the specifics of the Rwanda visit, called this an “important element” of the PM’s programme. The word Girinka can be translated as “have a cow” and describes a centuries-old cultural practice in Rwanda, whereby a cow was gifted by one person to another, either as a sign of respect or as marriage dowry.
Modi, who will also visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, will express India’s gratitude to the Rwandan people, and acknowledge that during the genocide of 1994, no Indian was killed or injured. “The gifting of cows is not just an economic contribution, but also an expression of India’s gratitude to Rwanda for treating Indian community well,” an official said.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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Badlapur accused Akshay Shinde shot dead: Lawyer of minor girls calls it 'killing of justice'
Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.
Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.
After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.
"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.
"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.
Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.
"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.
