India

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Former Supreme Court judge Justice V. Ramasubramanian on Monday took charge as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Apart from Justice Ramasubramanian, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi also took charge as the member of the NHRC.

Born on June 30, 1958, in Tamil Nadu's Mannargudi, Justice Ramasubramanian completed his B.Sc. (Chemistry) from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, and later pursued law at the Madras Law College.

He was enrolled as a member of the Bar on February 16, 1983, and practised for 23 years in the Madras High Court.

Justice Ramasubramanian served as an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court in 2006 and was made a permanent judge in 2009. In 2019, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and, later that year, became an apex court judge.

Justice Ramasubramanian retired from the Supreme Court on June 29, 2023, after authoring 102 judgments, including in landmark cases such as the 2016 demonetisation policy and matters involving the validity of circumstantial evidence in bribery cases.

In his address, Justice Ramasubramanian highlighted India’s ancient tradition of valuing and practising human rights, even before the concept became globally recognised.

Citing Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, he emphasised that human rights are deeply embedded in India's cultural fabric and stressed on promoting and protecting human rights.

Acting Chairperson Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, Secretary General Bharat Lal and other senior officers and staff of the NHRC were present on the occasion.

After being without a regular designated head for over six months, the Centre last week cleared the appointment of Justice Ramasubramanian as the NHRC Chairperson.

The President also appointed Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi and Priyank Kanoongo, former Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), as the members of the NHRC.

Under the Protection of Human Rights (PHR) Act, 1993, the apex human rights body consists of a Chairperson, five full-time members and seven deemed members.

As per Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the PHR Act, the Chairman and other members are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister (who serves as the committee’s Chairperson), Home Minister, Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of the Parliament, the Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The qualification of the NHRC Chairperson is that he should either have been a Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court.

Besides Chairperson, NHRC consists of five other members other than the ex-officio members. One member is, or has been a judge of the apex court and one member is, or has been the Chief Justice of a High Court. Out of the remaining three members selected for their professional experience in matters centred on human rights, at least one must be a woman.

The ex-officio members include the Chairpersons of National Commissions -- National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; as well as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

The sitting Judge of the Supreme Court or sitting Chief Justice of any High Court can be appointed to the post only after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

The tenure of the NHRC Chairman is five years or until the Chairman turns 70 years -- whichever is earlier.

The statutory body of NHRC came into being on October 12, 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of September 28, 1993.

The NHRC is entrusted with the protection and promotion of human rights, which the Act defines as "rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India".

--IANS

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Patna, Dec 30 (IANS) Following a meeting between 10 BPSC candidates supported by Prashant Kishor and Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, Purnea MP Pappu Yadav, along with a delegation of five candidates, also met with the Chief Secretary on Monday.

The delegation, which included BPSC candidates Sandeep Giri, Anjali Verma, Gautam Kumar, Ravish Kumar and Anand Kumar, presented detailed evidence highlighting irregularities in the recent BPSC examination.

They urged Chief Secretary Meena to address these issues in the interest of the students and demanded a re-examination.

During the meeting, MP Pappu Yadav criticised the BPSC for mishandling the examination process, stating, “The BPSC is playing with the future of students. They are being subjected to lathi charges and legal cases. The government must withdraw these cases, cancel the examination, and conduct it afresh.”

The delegation expressed hope that the Chief Secretary would take their concerns seriously and work towards a resolution.

Earlier on Monday, 10 BPSC candidates supported by Prashant Kishor met with Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, presenting a five-point charter of demands.

The day also witnessed a clash between two prominent figures, Prashant Kishor and MP Pappu Yadav. Both leaders took potshots at each other, showcasing a sharp divide in their approaches to addressing the ongoing BPSC examination controversy.

While both leaders claim to support the students’ cause, their rivalry has become a focal point of political discourse in Bihar, adding another layer of complexity to the protests.

The ongoing protests over the BPSC examination took a dramatic turn as Pappu Yadav accused Prashant Kishor of threatening candidates at Gardanibagh.

In a sharp and aggressive tone, Pappu Yadav indirectly referred to Prashant Kishor, convenor of Jan Suraj, as a "fraud Kishor." Without naming him directly, Yadav alleged, “This person is not from Jan Suraj but represents the Daulat Swaraj Party.”

He further accused Kishor of creating the unrest during Sunday’s protests.

“If anyone is responsible for the chaos that unfolded, it is that leader. He has misled the students and conspired to undermine the movement. The students will never forgive him, and he must be driven out of Bihar,” Yadav said.

In response, Prashant Kishor launched a sharp attack on Pappu Yadav, dismissing him as a “freelancer” in politics.

“Pappu Yadav has no ideology or party. He jumps from one place to another, always appearing wherever an event occurs just to maintain his media presence,” Kishor remarked.

--IANS

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Jaipur, Dec 30 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma emphasised the critical role of MLAs in achieving the vision of a "Developed India, Developed Rajasthan" during a meeting with MLAs from Ajmer and Bikaner divisions.

He highlighted the government's commitment to implementing budgetary announcements on the ground to ensure public welfare and development.

The Chief Minister reiterated the state’s dedication to achieving the goal of a developed Rajasthan by 2047 through timely and effective execution of these announcements.

Addressing the MLAs at his residence on Monday, CM Sharma urged them to conduct regular meetings with district administrations to monitor the progress of budgetary projects.

He assured them of adequate resources and stressed the importance of aligning development initiatives with the aspirations of the people.

The Chief Minister reaffirmed the government's focus on Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's principle of Antyodaya, ensuring the upliftment of society’s most disadvantaged.

He called on MLAs to connect with their constituencies and ensure that youth, women, farmers, and workers benefit from welfare schemes.

Highlighting the achievements of the past year, CM Sharma cited key initiatives such as the revised PKC-ERCP, the Yamuna Water Agreement, government job creation for youth, and the successful Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for transformative changes in the country since 2014 and urged MLAs to prioritise essential needs like electricity and water in their constituencies.

The Chief Minister announced the establishment of Atal Gyan Kendras in every Gram Panchayat to mark the birth centenary of late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

These centres will house libraries and e-libraries and offer public services through Atal Preraks.

Additionally, the Panch Gaurav programme will promote district-specific specialties, including crops, products, tourist destinations, and sports.

CM Sharma emphasised the government’s target to make Rajasthan self-reliant in the energy sector by 2027, with significant MoUs signed during the Rising Rajasthan Summit.

He encouraged MLAs to collaborate with district collectors to attract investments and support the implementation of new policies aimed at economic growth.

The Chief Minister called for early preparations for the Khelo India event, which Rajasthan will host in 2026. He highlighted the importance of promoting the state’s capabilities in sports and tourism.

During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on budgetary approvals, land allocation, and ongoing projects in Ajmer and Bikaner divisions. MLAs expressed appreciation for the government’s developmental initiatives and congratulated the Chief Minister on the district reorganisation decision.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) A special court in Bengaluru on Monday sentenced a Bangladeshi terrorist to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI).

The convict Jahidul Islam aka Kausar has also been fined Rs 57,000 in the cases connected with offences of dacoity, conspiracy and raising funds, as well as procurement of ammunition.

The investigation has revealed that the accused had sneaked into India after carrying out the serial bomb blasts in Bangladesh.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court passed the order following the investigations proving his role in the Bodhgaya bomb blast in 2018 and the Burdwan bomb blast case in 2014 and also in a series of cases relating to the promotion of the activities of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh India (JMB - India).

With this, a total of 11 accused have been convicted in these cases, the NIA said in a statement.

The initial case was registered by Bengaluru City police in June 2019, based on the information generated by NIA during the investigation of the Burdwan Blast case of the agency’s Kolkata Branch Office.

NIA subsequently registered the case and initiated a probe into the matter, along with the connected dacoity cases.

As per NIA investigations, Jahidul Islam, the JMB Amir of India, along with absconding JMB head Salauddin Salehin had illegally crossed over into India in 2014 after escaping the custody of Bangladesh police in connection with the 2005 serial blasts in Bangladesh.

During the hiding, he and his associates were involved in the October 2014 Burdwan blast case.

After the blast, Jahidul and his aides fled to Bengaluru, where he radicalised and recruited gullible Muslim youth from West Bengal and Assam for furthering the anti-India activities of JMB.

The accused and his associates had also committed the blast in Bodhgaya in January 2018.

NIA investigations had further revealed that the accused and his associates had also conspired to raise funds through dacoity for furthering the activities of JMB. During 2018, they had committed four dacoities in Bengaluru as part of this agenda and had used the looted money for procuring ammunition and arranging hideouts and training to carry out terrorist activities.

Further efforts to arrest absconding accused are on, the NIA stated.

--IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Dec 30 (IANS) Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said the state government will provide adequate compensation to the farmers for the damages caused to crops by the recent untimely rainfall in the state.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Pujari said that the damages assessment reports from affected districts are expected to be received on Monday.

He said that all the affected farmers including those engaged in vegetables, groundnut and cotton crops farming, who are not insured under the PMFBY, will be provided with assistance as per the existing procedures.

The Revenue Minister also stated that massive damages were caused by the low pressure -induced untimely rainfall that occurred in two phases in the state recently. The state government as well as the district administration have been vigilant since the untimely rainfall started in various parts of the state.

"Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and I visited three districts - Nayagarh, Gajapati and Ganjam - and undertook ground zero assessment of the damages caused by unseasonal rainfall. Both the Deputy CMs and other ministers also toured the affected areas and reviewed the situation. They will also present their report on damages later today. We observed during the visit that not only paddy crops but vegetables, cotton and groundnut crops were also damaged in the untimely rainfall,” said Pujari.

Suresh Pujari revealed that the government is studying all the aspects to bring untimely rainfall under the purview of natural disasters, which will be helpful whenever such a situation arises in the future.

Pujari also took a dig at the previous BJD government for not taking any step on the issue during their rule. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare

The Revenue Minister further added that around 2 lakh paddy farmers have so far reported about the damages at right platform to avail compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

The farmers under the PMFBY are required to report about the losses within72 hours of the damage. However, there are several farmers who are yet to report the damages.

Meanwhile, the Central government has extended the last date for reporting the damages under PMFBY till January 1, 2025 in place of the earlier date of December 29.

As per a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s office, following the instructions of the CM Mahi, the state government had earlier requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare to extend the last date. It further added that the central government keeping in view the interests of farmers has extended the last date for three more days.

CM Majhi on Monday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for being empathetic towards the farmers of Odisha.

The Chief Minister in his statement asserted that all the farmers including those not insured under the PMFBY will be provided with the compensation for the damages caused by the unseasonal rainfall.

As per reports, the ministers level committee will hold discussions over the damages and compensation amount during a meeting on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday visited various places in his home district of Ganjam to assess the loss of crops due to the untimely rainfall that occurred at several places in the state recently.

Patnaik first went to Takarada gram panchayat in Sheragada block to review the damages to crops. He later also visited Gobindpur of the same block, Podingi village of Hinjili block, Baragaon of Aska block, Ambasikharpur of Kabisuryanagar block and Bharasagaon of Khallikote block to assess the situation on the ground.

BJD sources claimed that farmers during discussions with Patnaik alleged that government officials have not yet visited their areas for assessment of the damages caused by the untimely rainfall.

They also accused that had the state government alerted them ahead of the impending unseasonal rainfall, the losses could have been averted.

"I have been looking at the crop damage which is very bad. The farmers must be compensated very quickly as they were in the time of my government," said Patnaik.

The veteran leader is likely to visit four more coastal districts including Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Cuttack to review the crop losses and hold discussion with the farmers.

--IANS

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New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 30 (IANS) With the Centre on Monday informing the Kerala government that they have declared the Wayanad landslide as a disaster of severe nature as requested by the Kerala government, local MP Priyanka Gandhi expressed her thanks for the decision.

"I am glad @AmitShah has finally taken the decision to declare the Wayanad tragedy as a “Disaster of Severe Nature”. This will greatly help those in need of rehabilitation and is definitely a step in the right direction. We will all be grateful if adequate funds for the same can also be allocated at the earliest,” Priyanka Gandhi wrote on X, tagging Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

It was in July that the worst-ever landslide hit the state, washing away four villages, leaving 231 dead while 47 people continue to be missing.

As many as 145 homes were fully destroyed, 170 homes were partially destroyed, 240 homes were declared uninhabitable, and 183 homes were washed away.

Incidentally, this step from the Centre has come after five months the Pinarayi Vijayan government made the request.

The letter also mentions that the State Disaster Response Fund has already received financial assistance for immediate relief efforts.

However, there is no response regarding the state’s request for debt waivers or additional funds for relief operations.

Kerala had put forward four main demands: declaring the landslide an extremely severe disaster, providing more funds for relief operations, writing off the debts of affected individuals, and allocating a special financial aid package for reconstruction.

This fresh development comes at a time when the Kerala High Court gave the green signal to the Pinarayi Vijayan government to acquire two estates for the construction of townships to fully rehabilitate the affected from the four villages in Wayanad.

The sites that were identified by the Wayanad district authorities included the Harrison Malayalam Estate (65.41 acres ) in Nedumbala, Meppadi Gram Panchayat, and Elston Estate ( 78.73 acres) in Kalpetta.

The High Court issued this directive under the Disaster Management Act, allowing the government to proceed with the land acquisition and also directed that fair compensation must be provided to the landowners.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully launched the SpaDeX mission, achieving a historic space docking feat.

The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission, lifted off aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket, from Sriharikota on December 30.

The SpaDeX mission is working to dock two satellites in space.

"LIFTOFF! PSLV-C60 successfully launches SpaDeX and 24 payloads," ISRO said in a post on social media platform X.

"SpaDeX Deployed! Successful separation of SpaDeX satellites marks another milestone in India's space journey," it added.

India is now the fourth country, after the US, Russia, and China, to master the docking technology.

"India becomes the fourth to join the select league of nations to seek Space docking, through its own indigenously developed ‘Bharatiya Docking System’," said Union Minister Jitendra Singh on X.

The technology will “pave the way for journey beyond the skies for “Gaganyaan” and “Bharatiya Antriksha Station”, Singh said.

SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) is a pioneering mission to establish India's capability in orbital docking, a key technology for future human spaceflight and satellite servicing missions, ISRO said.

The PSLV lifted off with two small spacecraft -- SDX01, the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target -- weighing about 220 kg each. The satellites merged or joined for docking in a low-Earth circular orbit.

ISRO is to wait for four days for docking orientation to evaluate the software process

The Bharatiya Docking System includes a docking mechanism, a suite of four rendezvous and docking sensors, power transfer technology, indigenous novel autonomous rendezvous and docking strategy, and an inter-satellite communication link (ISL) for autonomous communication between spacecraft, incorporated with inbuilt intelligence to know the states of the other spacecraft, among others.

Mastering the space docking technology may not only propel India into the elite club of spacefaring nations. It is also key for India's impending space missions including the Moon mission, setting up the Indian space station, and lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4 without the support of GNSS from Earth.

According to ISRO, it will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics -- composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking.

SpaDEX will also use PSLV's fourth stage, POEM-4, for experiments. The stage also carries 24 payloads from academic institutions and startups.

--IANS

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Aizawl, Dec 30 (IANS) New Mizoram Governor, General Vijay Kumar Singh (retd), would assume office on January 9, replacing Hari Babu Kambhampati, who was appointed as Governor of Odisha by President Droupadi Murmu on December 24, officials said here on Monday.

A senior Mizoram government official said that the Mizoram Governor-designate would arrive in Aizawl on December 8 and the swearing-in Ceremony is expected to be held at Circular Lawn, Raj Bhawan, on the next day,

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma earlier expressed thanks to both the outgoing Governor Kambhampati and Governor-designate General V.K. Singh (retd).

In a post on X, the Chief Minister said: "I sincerely thank Hari Babu Kambhampati for his dedicated service as Governor of Mizoram and wish him success as the Governor of Odisha. A warm welcome to General (retd.) VK Singh on his appointment as Mizoram's new Governor. We look forward to his leadership ahead."

Kambhampati, a former teacher at Andhra University Engineering College for 24 years, was appointed as the Mizoram Governor in 2021.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has stepped down as Odisha Governor and President Murmu has accepted his resignation.

The newly appointed Mizoram Governor, General V.K. Singh served as the 24th Chief of Army Staff and after retiring from the army, entered politics and was elected as a Member of Parliament from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on a BJP ticket in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first term, he served as the Minister of State for External Affairs, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), and Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation.

In PM Modi's second term, he held the portfolios of Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 30 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is the richest Chief Minister in India with assets worth over Rs. 931 crore while Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has the highest number of declared criminal cases, according to a report.

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) released the report on Monday after analysing the self-sworn affidavits of all 31 current Chief Ministers across the nation.

According to the data, extracted from affidavits filed by the Chief Ministers prior to contesting their last elections, Chandrababu Naidu is the richest with assets of Rs 931 crore while West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee is the poorest with just Rs 15 lakh.

The total assets of 31 Chief Ministers are worth Rs. 1,630 crore. The average assets per Chief Minister of states and Union Territories is Rs. 52.59 crore.

While India's per capita net national income or NNI was approximately Rs 1,85,854 for 2023-2024, the average self-income of a Chief Minister is Rs 13,64,310, around 7.3 times the average per capita income of India, says the report.

Two of the Chief Ministers are billionaires. Arunachal Pradesh's Pema Khandu is the second richest Chief Minister with total assets worth over Rs 332 crore, while Karnataka's Siddaramaiah is the third on the list with assets worth more than Rs. 51 crore.

The report also shows that Khandu also has the highest liabilities to the tune of Rs. 180 crore. Siddaramaiah has liabilities worth Rs 23 crore. Chandrababu Naidu’s liabilities stood at Rs 10 crore.

With assets worth Rs 55 lakh, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is the second poorest while Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is third on the list with assets of Rs 1.18 crore.

According to the report, out of 31 Chief Ministers, 13 have declared criminal cases against themselves. Ten Chief Ministers have declared serious criminal cases including those related to attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, criminal intimidation etc.

Revanth Reddy has 89 cases against him. According to the report, 72 of these cases are of serious nature.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin is second on the list with 47 cases including 11 serious IPC counts. Chandrababu Naidu has 19 criminal cases against him.

Out of the 31 Chief Ministers, only two are women — West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee and Delhi's Atishi.

The analysis on the basis of age group shows, 12 Chief Ministers are in the age group of 51-60. Seven are aged between 41 and 50 years. Six are in the age group of 71-80 and five in 61-70. There is only one in the 31-40 age group.

The education analysis shows 10 Chief Ministers are graduates while nine are post-graduate. One CM has passed Class 10 while three are Class 12 pass.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) The government inked 72 MoUs with startups and organisations this year across multiple disability sectors, demonstrating a commitment to collaboration and innovation, it was announced on Monday.

The year 2024 witnessed a concerted effort by the Central government and various stakeholders to create a more inclusive and equitable society for persons with disabilities.

Projects worth over Rs 100 crore were inaugurated to enhance rehabilitation facilities and promote inclusivity. The newly constructed Service Block of the National Institute of Mental Health and Rehabilitation (NIMHR) was also unveiled this year, according to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The initiatives launched this year lay a strong foundation for continued progress in empowering and integrating persons with disabilities (Divyangjan) in India for years to come.

“The transformative journey of ‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan’ marks nine years of fostering accessibility and inclusivity in India. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this pioneering initiative has been instrumental in empowering Divyangjan, enabling them to lead lives of dignity, equality, and opportunity,” said the ministry.

A centrally maintained, user-friendly short code helpline number, 14456, was launched, simplifying access to assistance. This initiative streamlines support systems and ensures efficient service delivery.

The collaboration with the National Association for the Blind aimed to make approximately 10,000 pages of documents, including government schemes and legal reliefs, accessible to persons with visual disabilities. In an effort to enhance accessibility, the ISL dictionary is now available in 10 regional languages, ensuring broader reach and understanding across India's diverse linguistic landscape, informed the ministry.

At least 2,500 new terms were introduced in the Indian Sign Language (ISL).

The new terms cover a wide range of subjects, including mathematics, science, and higher education, as well as fields like sports and infrastructure. The ISL dictionary is now available in 10 regional languages.

This year, the government also conducted multiple Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes on employability skills for PwDs, ensuring effective training delivery across the country.

About 35 new district disability rehabilitation centres (DDRC) were established across the country, expanding access to vital rehabilitation services.

“A historic celebration of diversity and unity was held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, bringing together over 10,000 Divyangjan and their escorts. Key launches at the event included the ‘India Neurodiversity Platform’ and a handbook on disability-sensitive language,” said the ministry.

--IANS

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