| 
Visually-impaired Haryana man all set to become IAS officer
- At the age of five, he lost his vision due to acute diarrhoea but that did not stop him from living his dream of becoming an IAS officer.
- 32-year-old gritty Ajit Kumar from nondescript Kheri village in south Haryana's Mahendergarh district
- “I am very happy today. My dream has been fulfilled. I am packing my bags and will be off to Mussorie this week where I will undergo training from February 19,” Kumar, who is only the second in the country with total loss of vision to get into IAS
- His life-journey bears striking resemblance with 26-year-old Sukhsohit Singh, a Panchkula resident who became the first thalassemic in the country to make it to the UPSC examinations in 2008.
Election Commission sniffs out 42 ‘paid news' cases in U.P.
- Even as “money-chasing” media persons and news organisations are coming up with innovative ways to hoodwink the Election Commission (EC) in its drive to seek out “paid news”, the authority has so far detected as many as 42 instances of alleged paid news in Uttar Pradesh
- Similarly, in Punjab, where elections have been completed, 134 alleged instances of “paid news” have been detected
- Similarly, during the Assembly elections held in April/May last year, 41 cases were detected in Kerala, 23 in West Bengal, 147 in Tamil Nadu and 4 in Puducherry and they were being processed.
- In the November 2010 Bihar polls, 121 instances of paid news were detected
- While the EC will take on the candidates who had suppressed the alleged advertisement expenditure in the post-poll election accounts submitted by them, complaints against 12 media organisations were forwarded to the Press Council of India (PCI) for “appropriate action”.
- Sources alleged that some print media organisations — mostly regional ones — were generally found to be more involved in paid news than the electronic media.
Decriminalisation judgment boosts morale of gay community, says study
- Even as the Supreme Court has begun hearings on the legality of the decriminalisation of consensual gay sex, a study report has found that the 2009 Delhi High Court judgment has significantly enhanced the social acceptance and self-esteem of Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Queers (LGBTQ).
- The High Court's landmark decision (in the case between the Naz Foundation and the Union of India) of revoking the archaic Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code has led to a gradual but steady acceptance of sexual minorities by society, concludes the study. This shows that attitudes can be moulded and mindsets transformed by even subtle but progressive changes in the law.
- Ensuring greater self-confidence for the community, it has already brought them one step closer to living with dignity, states the report.
- ‘Unnatural sex'? The meaning of the word has never been constant. We have travelled a distance of 60 years. Now it is test-tube babies, surrogate mothers. They are called discoveries. Is it in the order of nature? Is there carnal intercourse?”
- “There is a difference. There is a lot of change. Now we feel braver and can speak up for our rights, even against police. We are not scared of police like before,” said a respondent.
- While some felt harassment had substantially reduced among MSM (men who have sex with men) outreach workers, they pointed out that it had only to some extent reduced amongst Hijras and Kothis.
- Wide media coverage of the Naz Foundation judgment and the queer pride march and movies like Dostana have also helped in changing societal perception of homosexuals, according to some respondents. People are treating them with respect and there has been a change in thinking also, said one.
- One of them said, “I cannot even go home as my sister has to get married. I feel that there should be an environment in which we can live more openly. Parents play a huge role in discriminating. Even they tease. Why should I be blamed because I do not get attracted to girls? There has to be anti-discrimination laws to protect us and then families will be more accepting.”
- “Studies in the past in countries like Australia and South Africa have observed that jurisdiction with anti-sodomy laws have seen lower self-esteem amongst homosexuals, while jurisdiction with decriminalisation of homosexuality has observed greater self-acceptance and confidence. This was confirmed through the interviews,” said lead author of the study
