We stand by Muslim women in quest for social justice: Modi
New Delhi, Aug 26: Ruing that the triple talaq bill could not be passed by Parliament in the last monsoon session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "whole country" stands by the Muslim women to ensure them social justice.
"Economic growth will be incomplete without social transformation. The triple talaq bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha although it could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha. I assure the Muslim women that the whole country stands by them to provide them social justice," Modi said in his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat'.
Riding on its overwhelming majority, the government succeeded in getting the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill passed in the Lok Sabha on December 28, 2017 - the day it was introduced in the lower House of Parliament - despite opposition's reservation on some of its provisions.
However, in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP is not in majority, the opposition demanded the bill be sent to a Select Committee of the House comprising members from all parties for a closer scrutiny. The government has not agreed to this demand.
The bill proposes a three-year jail term for men who divorce their wives through instant triple talaq. The Supreme Court has already declared triple talaq invalid.
Dwelling on justice for women, Modi also mentioned how his government had ensured stricter punishment for rapists.
"No civil society can tolerate any kind of injustice towards its women. The nation will not tolerate those committing rapes. With this point in view, Parliament has made a provision of strictest punishment by passing the Criminal Act Amendment Bill. Those guilty of rape will get a minimum sentence of 10 years and those found guilty of raping girls below the age of 12 years will be awarded the death sentence," Modi said.
The Prime Minister cited the recent example from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh where a court, after a brief hearing of two months, pronounced death sentence on two criminals found guilty of raping a minor girl.
Earlier, a court in Katni in Madhya Pradesh awarded the death sentence to the guilty after a hearing of just five days.
"This Act will play an effective role in curbing crimes against women and girls," he said.
Modi also expressed his "heartfelt gratitude" to all the MPs for the smooth conduct of the monsoon session of Parliament.
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.
Karnataka govt formulating civil aviation policy: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil on Friday said that the state government is formulating a civil aviation policy of its own, covering various aspects of the sector.
He also said that a meeting of public representatives from Ballari, Vijayanagara and Koppal districts will be held soon under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's chairmanship, regarding the airport in the region, as he stressed that both feasibility and viability should be considered while determining the location for airports.
The minister was replying to a question about Ballari airport, raised by Gangavathi MLA G Janardhana Reddy in the Legislative Assembly.
"We build airports, but after three years they get shut down. The situation is not only in our state, but it is across the country. We don't know the future of district airports. So I met the Union Civil Aviation Minister along with the Chief Minister with a request that the UDAN scheme be extended from three years to five years, and that for the subsequent five years the Centre and the state should jointly support operations in a 50:50 ratio," Patil said.
"The issue is there across the country and they (Centre) are also thinking on these lines...We are also bringing a policy on civil aviation from the Infrastructure Development Department (IDD). Two other states have done it --Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. That policy will have things like state's share, bulk amount sought by international airlines, among other things," he said, adding that work is on regarding this policy.
Noting that the proposed Ballari airport should benefit not only Ballari district but also the people of Koppal and Vijayanagara districts, the minister said in this regard, a meeting of public representatives from the three districts will soon be convened under the chairmanship of the chief minister to deliberate on the merits and challenges of the project.
There is little use if an airport becomes inactive after construction. "Keeping this in mind, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has identified two new sites in Ballari district measuring about 800 acres and 1,200 acres for the proposed airport," he said.
If the airport were to be constructed at the previously identified site in Ballari, it would require the construction of an eight-lane greenfield highway and involve several other issues, the minister said.
"Land acquisition and compensation alone would cost nearly as much as the airport project itself. Therefore, that option is not practically feasible. The matter will ultimately be finalised at the meeting to be held under the chairmanship of the CM," he added.
Stating that airports must be planned with foresight, otherwise, the same mistakes seen in Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura would be repeated, Patil pointed out that the distance between Belagavi and Hubballi airports is only about 70 km.
"If an airport had been constructed at a location between the two districts to serve both regions, it might have been declared an international airport based on passenger traffic," he said.
A similar mistake has been made in Vijayapura as well. "The airport that is now ready for inauguration has been constructed on the Kalaburagi road. If it had been located towards Almatti instead, it would have benefited places such as Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Bagalkote, all of which have tourist attractions," he said.
Highlighting that airports located in district and divisional headquarters across the country are facing challenges, the minister said Bidar and Kalaburagi airports are also experiencing difficulties.
"At present, Bidar airport is functioning with the support of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB). There has also been a demand to resume operations at Kalaburagi airport, and steps will be taken in that direction," he added.
