Women's rights activist, SEWA founder Ela Bhatt passes away
Ahmedabad, Nov 2: Renowned women's rights activist Ela Bhatt, the founder of SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association), died here on Wednesday due to age-related issues, her associates said.
Bhatt, 89, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was a pioneer in the field of women empowerment and had received international recognition due to her work.
"It is with profound grief that we announce the passing away of our beloved and respected founder, Smt. Elaben Bhatt, a pioneer in advocating for women workers' rights, we strive to carry her legacy forward," SEWA Bharat tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled her death.
"Sad to know about the death of Elaben Bhatt. She will be remembered long for her work for the promotion of women empowerment, social service and education among the youth. Condolences to her family members and admirers," Modi tweeted in Gujarati.
Bhatt is mainly known for her work through the Self-Employed Women's Association or SEWA, a trade union of women working in the unorganized sector, which now has two million members.
Bhatt was born in Ahmedabad on September 7, 1933. After a short stint as a college teacher, she joined the legal department of the Textile Labour Association (TLA), one of the oldest unions of textile workers in Ahmedabad, in the 1960s.
Her association with the TLA led her to organise self-employed women who worked in textile markets. In 1972 SEWA was established with Bhatt as its general-secretary.
SEWA's work gradually expanded to cover the poor women working in other unorganized sectors too. It also started a cooperative bank and pioneered the microfinance movement.
Bhatt, who was inspired by Gandhian ideals, also served as Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, a university founded by Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad, till October this year before resigning on health grounds.
She had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha and also served on the Planning Commission.
Bhatt was also one of the founders of Women's World Banking, Women in Informal Economy: Globalising, Organising (WIEGO) and International Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet).
Besides Padma Bhushan and Ramon Magsaysay award, she had also received the Right Livelihood Award, Niwano Peace Prize and Indira Gandhi International Prize for Peace.
Bhatt had also been a member of The Elders, a group of global leaders including Nelson Mandela and former US president Jimmy Carter which aimed to promote peace.
She is survived by her two children, Amimayi Potter and Mihir Bhatt, and four grandchildren.
"One fails to not only put her in a category to address, but one also fails to find words potent and pithy enough to describe and approximate her work and thoughts," her grandson Rameshwar Bhatt said.
She lived by Gandhian principles all her life, he said.
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Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
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“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
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The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
