Use of loudspeakers not crucial for any religion: Bombay HC

Use of loudspeakers is not an essential part of any religion, the Bombay High Court said, directing the law enforcement agencies to take prompt action against loud-speakers that violate the noise pollution norms and rules. A Division Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and S.C. Chandak said noise was a major health hazard and no one can claim that their rights are affected in any manner if he or she is denied permission to use loudspeakers.The petitioners contended that the use of loud-speakers for religious purposes, including the recitation of azaan (Islamic call to prayer) disturbed the peace and violated the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, as well as provisions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Bench in its order said Mumbai was a cosmopolitan city and obviously there are persons of different religions in every part of the city. 

Rumour has it

Panic and confusion seem to have triggered the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express accident in Maharashtra that killed 12 people and injured at least 10 others. Auto doors that can be opened and closed only by railway personnel a feature of the Vande Bharat and Rajdhani trains may need to be fitted in general trains as well. Such doors come with their own logistical challenges such as a requirement that the door locking system of each bogie matches with the rest, but it may well be worth the cost. While those accidents, at first glance, were caused by human errors or local faults, they were actually a result of a long-term and unaddressed need for enhancing railway safety. Brake binding happens when a brake is applied by the driver but after its release the brake does not disengage in one or more bogies. The wheels, instead of rolling, would only slide when speed picks up, leading to the emission of sparks and smoke. Brake binding is a case of poor maintenance. 

WHO is right

He accused the organisation of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, and of being partisan towards China, though the U.S. contributed more to its coffers. The U.S., which is a founding member of WHO, is also its biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. Withdrawal of these funds will seriously impact health programmes being implemented across the world, including interventions for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and the eradication of certain infectious diseases. 

Is poverty being underestimated in India?

The government released a factsheet on the 2023-24 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), which recorded a decline in poverty in urban and rural areas. Over the last few years, policymakers and academics have debated the issues of incomparable data sets, the unavailability of data, and the definition of an adequate consumption basket to determine a poverty line. We started with the expenditure required for sustaining a minimum calorie diet and that used to be updated every five years using the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data.

Then, the government appointed the Tendulkar Committee. After 2011-12, the government neither had official poverty estimates nor conducted a survey. People started using alternative estimates of expenditure and later, the multidimensional poverty index was used. 

MDL-TKMS bid for P-751 submarine tender clears technical evaluation

The multi-billion-dollar deal for six advanced conventional submarines under project-751 has crossed a major milestone with the bid by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, and Germany's TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) having cleared the technical evaluation conducted by the Defence Ministry. The benchmarked price of ₹43,000 crore for the deal was set a decade ago, and given the technological upgrades since and factoring in the inflation and currency fluctuations, the final cost is expected to see a major upward revision. 

States yet to use ₹70,744-cr. funds for welfare of workers

The Union Labour Ministry said in a Right to Information (RTI) reply that the welfare Boards for building and other construction workers of various States have not yet used the cess of ₹70,744.16 crore they collected from the employers for the welfare of the workers. Since the implementation of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act in 2005, the Boards have collected ₹1,17,507.22 crore as cess from the employers and allocated ₹67,669.92 crore with the workers. The Act, passed in 1996, empowers the Construction Workers' Welfare Board constituted by State governments to levy cess from employers "at such rate not exceeding 2%, but not less than 1%" of the cost of construction incurred by an employer.