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India set to approve historic women’s quota bill

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Sonia Gandhi called for the bill's immediate implementation (pic BBC)

The lower house of the Indian parliament has passed a bill guaranteeing a third of seats for women in the parliament and state assemblies.

First proposed in 1996, the bill had been pending for decades amid opposition from some political parties.

On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha passed it with near unanimity after hours of fierce debate. The bill will now require the approval of lawmakers in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. If passed here, it will be sent to the Indian president for approval and become law.

But it is still some way from being implemented as that would depend on the completion of India’s census. The exercise, conducted every 10 years, was set to be held in 2021 but was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and is now expected to take place in 2025. Reported plans to redraw boundaries of assembly seats to increase the overall number of constituencies, known as delimitation, could further complicate the bill’s implementation.

The passing of the bill is expected to boost the fortunes of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the general elections next year.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked MPs who voted for the bill in Lok Sabha. He called it a “historic legislation” that will enable greater participation of women in the political process. The bill was passed after 454 MPs from across party lines voted in its favour with only two against it.

The Lok Sabha debated the legislation for nearly eight hours, with several members of the Opposition raising concerns about its implementation even as they voiced their support. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the party supported the proposed legislation but demanded its immediate implementation. “How many years will they have to wait, two, four, eight?” Ms Gandhi asked. “Delaying this would be doing gross injustice to women.”

Several opposition MPs have also demanded a separate quota for women belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Hinduism’s caste system puts Brahmins or priests at the top, and Dalits (formerly untouchables) and Adivasis (tribespeople) at the bottom. In between are a multitude of lower and intermediate castes, which are roughly believed to constitute about 52% of the population, and are recognised as Other Backward Classes or OBCs. While India’s census has always recorded the population of Dalits and Adivasis, it has never counted the OBCs.

The proposed bill provides for one-third of the seats, which are already reserved for Dalits and tribespeople, to be reserved for women. But it excludes a similar sub-quota for women who belong to OBCs.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Ms Gandhi said the government should conduct a caste census – or a count of OBCs – and extend the benefits of the proposed law to women from those groups as well. Some other opposition MPs called the move an eyewash by the ruling party.

MP Asaduddin Owaisi, one of the two votes against the bill, said the current bill would only benefit upper caste women.

(BBC)



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Firearms and ammunition provided to civilians for personal protection should be returned / submitted for inspection before 20th January

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The Ministry of Defence through electronic and print media announced that all firearms and ammunition issued to civilians for personal protection must be returned to the government by 21 November 2024 for a quantitative review.

In response to the notice, about 85% of the licensees have returned their firearms.  Furthermore, the licensees were informed to submit appeals to the Ministry of Defence before October 30, 2024 explaining the requirement if they wish to retain their firearms. The licensees who have submitted appeals were informed to submit relevant documents along with their firearms to the Ministry of Defence for inspection and review.

The Ministry of Defence decided to issue only one firearm per person for personal protection and it will be issued after considering intelligence reports.

The review of all appeals for firearms and firearm inspections will be completed on January 20, 2025 and licensees are requested to submit their firearms for inspection before that date.

Furthermore, it has been observed that a significant amount of firearms and ammunition have been issued by the Sri Lanka Army and the Police in the past. Therefore, the Ministry of Defence has instructed that these firearms and ammunition be returned to the government before December 31, 2024.

Accordingly, the licenses are informed to follow the directives and hand over these firearms and ammunition to the nearest police stations.
It is also informed that legal action will be taken against licensees who fail to return their firearms for inspection before the stipulated date under the Firearm Ordinance No. 33 of 1916.

In line with this decision taken by the Ministry of Defence to ensure a safe society by minimizing the use and misuse of firearms in the civil society and by implementing proper regulation, the licensees are informed to return all licensed firearms that have not been returned and submitted for inspection, before January 20, 2025.

It is also emphasized that legal action will be taken against those who fail to do so.

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Bangladesh pull off maiden T20I series sweep vs West Indies

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[File photo] Jaker Ali smashed 72 off just 41 balls in his team's victory [Cricbuzz]

On a record-breaking day in Kingstown, Bangladesh completed a 3-0 sweep of the hosts West Indies with a massive 80-run win powered by Jaker Ali’s sensational 72* and a clinical bowling effort. Jaker’s 41-ball essay was built on the rapid start provided by the top-order, to help Bangladesh to their highest ever T20I total in West Indies – 189/7.The bowlers then combined to shoot down the hosts for just 109 inside 17overs to script the visitors’ biggest win in terms of runs.

Leading 2-0 in the series, Bangladesh opted to bat first and were served well by a brisk 44-run opening stand where Parvez Hossain Emon (39 off 21) did the bulk of the damage. Bangladesh lost both the openers in quick succession by the end of PowerPlay, but had a solid base of 54/2 to work with. Tanzid Hasan couldn’t capitalise, but Jaker led the charge well thereafter.

Joining hands with Mehidy Hasan Miraz at 65/3, the Bangladesh No. 5 helped stabalise with a 37-run stand. Roston Chase got his team a timely breakthrough that triggered a mini collapse as both Shamim Hossain and Mahedi Hasan were run out in the space of three balls. In a moment of confusion, it was indeed Jaker who walked back to the pavilion after the first run-out but was recalled promptly after the replays.

With Bangladesh having slipped to 114/6 in the 15th over, Jaker switched gears and combined with Tanzin Hasan Sakib for a fifty partnership to help his side finish strong. He was himself on 17 off 16 at the time of the callback, and went on to punish the West Indies attack as he fetched 55 runs in 25 balls from thereon. Alzarri Joseph particularly came in the firing line and leaked 12 and 25 runs in his final two overs with Jaker hitting four sixes and two boundaries off the pacer.

Having defended 147 and 129 previously, Bangladesh bowlers had plenty to work with in their bid for maiden T20I series sweep against the West Indies. Taskin Ahmed took just two balls to make an impact when he trapped Brandon King LBW in the opening over of the chase. Despite some fireworks from Nicholas Pooran, the hosts managed only 45 from their powerplay and lost two more wickets in the phase. That included Mahedi Hasan completed a series-wide hat-trick of Pooran’s wicket.

Only Romario Shepherd put up a brief fight, but none of the other West Indies batters showed any application in the big chase. The asking rate mounted the pressure, and Bangladesh bowlers sustained their dominance. All five bowlers deployed bagged at least a wicket each, while Rishad Hossain was the pick of the lot with figures of 3 for 21 from his four overs.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 189/7 in 20 overs (Jaker Ali 72*, Parvez Hossain Emon 39; Romario Shepherd 2-30) beat West Indies 109 in 16.4 overs (Romario Shepherd 33; Rishad hossain 3-21, Mahedi Hasan 2-13) by 80 runs

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Sri Lanka Cricket implements historic amendment to constitution

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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced that at an Extraordinary General Meeting held today (20), its membership has approved significant amendments to the SLC constitution, reaffirming its commitment to fostering good governance,  transparency,  inclusivity and efficiency in its management structure.

Among the notable changes is a reduction in the number of voting members from 147 to 60. The new voting structure ensures that voting rights are determined solely based on the level of cricket played by each member club,  with all qualified clubs and associations being entitled to only one vote.

The media release by Sri Lanka Cricket:

 

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