Dalai Lama regrets remarks on Nehru, thanks him for sheltering Tibetans
Bengaluru, Aug 10: The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Friday regretted blaming former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and thanked him for sheltering thousands of exiled Tibetans after they fled from their motherland.
"My statements (on Nehru) have created a controversy. I apologise if I said something wrong," the 83-year-old Nobel laureate told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
Speaking to the students at the Goa Institute of Management at Sanquelim in north Goa on August 8, the Dalai Lama had said: "Mahatma Gandhi wanted to give the prime ministership to (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah. But Nehru refused. He was self-centred. He said, 'I wanted to be Prime Minister'. India and Pakistan would have been united (had Jinnah been made Prime Minister at the time)".
The Dalai Lama, however, apologised for the remarks on Friday and thanked Nehru for supporting the Tibetans' cause when thousands of them, including monks, fled their motherland after China annexed the mountain country in 1950.
"I had a close relationship with Nehru, who suggested to have separate schools to preserve the Tibetan thought. He (Nehru) supported the Tibetans' cause," the 14th Dalai Lama said.
He was addressing "Thank You Karnataka" event here, a part of "Thank You India - 2018", organised by the Central Tibetan Administration to mark its community's 60 years of exile in the country.
The Dalai Lama, who was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso, fled to India from Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959.
Since then, India has been home to over 100,000 Tibetans majorly settled in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh among other states.
The Tibetans, who were demoralised after turning into refugees in India, grew confident over the years with the help they got from the country to make their living, the Dalai Lama said.
Eventually, Tibetans found support from other countries like the US, Canada and others, he added.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
