100 Passengers Onboard Gujarat-Bound Train Robbed In Uttar Pradesh

100 Passengers Onboard Gujarat-Bound Train Robbed In Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW:  Over 100 passengers travelling on the Sultanpur Express were robbed of their money and other valuables by a gang of robbers in Rampur early morning today, 290 km from here, police said.

Over a dozen heavily-armed robbers barged into the general coaches of the train moving from Sultanpur to Ahmedabad in Gujarat and looted the passengers at gunpoint before and escaped, an official said.

Government Railway Police teams in Moradabad and other stations en route have been put on alert, an official told news agency IANS.

India Generates 18.5 Lakh Tonnes E-Waste, Mumbai Worst Offender: Study

India Generates 18.5 Lakh Tonnes E-Waste, Mumbai Worst Offender: Study

BENGALURU:  India generates about 18.5 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of electronic waste every year, with Mumbai and Delhi-NCR accounting for the biggest chunk, a study says.

Also, the figure is likely to reach up to 30 lakh MT per year by 2018, growing at the rate of 25 per cent, it said.

Mumbai, with 1,20,000 MT has topped the list in generating e-waste followed by Delhi-NCR producing 98,000 MT and Bengaluru producing 92,000 MT, the joint-study by Assocham and Frost and Sullivan said.

Besides, Chennai with 67,000 MT of e-waste, Kolkata 55,000 MT, Ahemdabad 36,000 MT, Hyderabad 32,000 MT and Pune 26,000 MT have made to the list, it said.

Just 2.5 per cent of India's total e-waste gets recycled due to poor infrastructure, legislation and framework, the study said that this has lead to a waste of diminishing natural resources, irreparable damage of environment and health of the people working in industry, the study said.

Over 95 per cent of e-waste generated is managed by the unorganised sector and scrap dealers in this market, dismantle the disposed products instead of recycling it, it added.

In India, about 5 lakhs child labourers between the age group of 10-14 are observed to be engaged in various e-waste (electronic waste) activities, without adequate protection and safeguards in various yards and recycling workshops, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat noted.

"It is a matter of concern that most of our e-waste is handled in the most unscientific way by scrap dealers, who may be inadvertently handling radioactive material, as was brought to light in the past in Mayapuri (west Delhi) case," he added.

Further, the study strongly advocates legislation to prevent a child's entry into this kind of labour which includes collection, segregation and distribution.

E-waste comprises computer equipment (about 70 per cent), followed by telecommunication equipment (12), electrical equipment (8) and medical equipment (7).

Other equipment, including household e-crap account for the remaining, it said.

The government, public and private industries contribute over 70 per cent of e-waste, while 15 per cent comes from households, the study said.

Televisions, refrigerators and washing machines make up the majority of e-waste generated, while computers make up to 20 per cent and mobile phones 2 per cent.

JNU Students March To Parliament, Demand Repeal Of Sedition Law

JNU Students March To Parliament, Demand Repeal Of Sedition Law

NEW DELHI:  Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students today marched to Parliament demanding repeal of the sedition law and enactment of a 'Rohith Act' to end caste based discrimination in educational institutions.

The students began their march from Mandi House around noon. They shouted slogans against the government over handling of the row at JNU and were stopped by police near Parliament Street police station where they camped for rest of the evening.

"Sedition is a very archaic law and imposing them upon students for a campus debate is just splitting the hair too much. Academicians across the globe believe that there is no place for such laws in a democracy, this should go. We appeal the government to repeal it," JNUSU vice president Shehla Rashid Shora said, while addressing the agitating students.

"We also demand that the government formulates a Rohith Vemula Act to end caste based discrimination in educational institutions," she added.

The march was joined by students and teachers from universities across Delhi including DU, Jamia and Ambedkar University.

Families of Mr Vemula, who was found hanging in Hyderabad University hostel as well as JNU
student Umar Khalid who is in custody in a sedition case, were also present at the march.

Addressing the gathering Umar Khalid's father Syed Qasim Ilyas said, "Our kind of nationalism teaches human beings to love each other. They will not understand our idea of nationalism".

Umar Khalid's sister Kulsum Fatima narrated how she is sick of hiding ever since the incident happened and how government "chose to target him" considering his "popularity" among JNU students.

CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, said, "Sedition is like a badge of honour if the charge is applicable to those who raise their voices of dissent. Our leaders have been threatened, allegations have been raised on our party being 'seditious' but we take it all with pride if that is what costs to not accept their definition of nationalism".

The agitators keenly waited for the Delhi High Court's order on Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea.

Kanhaiya Kumar, was arrested on February 12 in a sedition case in connection with an event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

He was today granted interim bail for six months by the Delhi High Court which said that he has to cooperate in the ongoing investigation and has to present himself before the investigators as and when required. Story First Published:March 02, 2016 22:55 IST