GENRE: Explainers

Is junk food as hazardous as tobacco? The country’s regulator FSSAI seems to think so. In a draft regulation published by FSSAI dated October 30 2019, FSSAI has proposed that no person shall offer or expose for sale of pre-packaged foods which are referred to as foods high in fat, salt and sugar within 50m of a school campus, in addition to ensuring that the food served within the school campus be healthy. While this may be a timely move, when India has been ranked 2nd on child obesity, second only to China, the key lies in the implementation and…

How many domestic workers know that they are entitled to a monthly pension of Rs 1000 a month once they turn 58? Or, that the state government’s schemes to financially support the marriage and education of their children could be a real life saver for them? Forget the workers, even many employers, are not informed about it. “Unfortunately, the state government does not promote these schemes enough and a lot of domestic workers are ignorant about them,” said S Palaniammal, Organising Secretary of Pen tholilalar Sangam (Women Workers Union). The union with 30,000 workers fights for the social and financial…

Since 1954, November 20th has been observed as World Children's Day. It marks the anniversary of the UN adopting the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. But are our children well-protected from violence and abuse? The recently-released NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) report, 2017, showed that over a quarter of the crimes against children were sexual offences. These were cases filed under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. In Bengaluru alone, 414 POCSO cases were filed in 2017. So just how do we keep our children safe? And what are the legal options in case a…

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made FASTag mandatory for all vehicles that currently pay toll, starting December 1, 2019. The nation-wide introduction of FASTag is part of the National Electronic Toll Collection Programme which aims to achieve cashless toll collection, fast movement of vehicles across toll plazas and reduction in congestion. The rollout of FASTags will be limited to National Highways  and select state highways in the initial stage with all state highways expected to follow suit by March 2020. What is FASTag and how will it work? FASTag is a rechargeable prepaid vehicle tag that is…

Translated by Krishna Kumar கடந்த அக்டோபர் மாதம் 29ஆம் தேதி ஒரு இரு வயது சிறுவன் ஆழ்குழாய் கிணற்றில் விழுந்து இறந்த சம்பவம் தமிழ்நாட்டையே உலுக்கி சோகத்தில் ஆழ்த்தியது. அரசின் சார்பில் அடுத்து தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள அனைத்து திறந்த கிணறுகள், மற்றும் ஆழ்குழாய்களை ஆவண படுத்தும் வேலைகள் நடந்து  வருகிறது. இதையொட்டி சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரியம், சென்னை வாசிகள் அனைவரையும் தங்கள் திறந்த கிணறுகள் மற்றும் ஆழ்குழாய்களை நவம்பர் மாத இறுதிக்குள் தங்களிடம் பதிவிடுமாறு கேட்டுக்கொண்டுள்ளது  நவம்பர் 1 அன்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்ட இந்த கணக்கெடுப்பு, மாநகரத்தில் எத்தனை ஆழ்குழாய்கள் தற்போது புழக்கத்தில் மற்றும் பழுது நிலையில் உள்ளன என்பதை பற்றிய அறிய உதவும். தற்போது இத்தகவல் அதிகாரிகளிடம் இல்லை. நீங்கள் திறந்த கிணறோ, அல்லது  ஆழ்குழாயோ வைத்திருக்கும் சென்னை  வாசியாக இருந்தால் சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரியத்தில் அதை பதிவிடுவது அவசியம். இதற்கான படிவம் இணையத்திலும், உங்கள் அருகில் உள்ள குடிநீர்…

Karnataka government just amended the Karnataka Industrial Employment Standing orders, giving itself power to invoke the law so that Kannadigas are prioritised for employment even in the private sector. For some time, BBMP has mandated that the display boards of establishments in Bengaluru should have at least 60 percent Kannada. And thus, the outsider vs insider debate continues. The general perception is that increasing numbers of Bengaluru residents don’t know Kannada. But in the 2011 Census, nearly half of Bengalureans listed Kannada as their mother tongue while only less than five percent mentioned Hindi as their first language. In fact,…

Introducing our new series with Raaghav Ranganathan that deals with common problems faced by citizens and ways to solve them. Each video will address a frequently faced issue and provide step by step solutions to address them. How to file a consumer complaint Have you ever been sold a faulty or broken product? How has your experience been in trying to get a refund? Have you had to approach the consumer court to address your grievance? For many consumers, being saddled with a bad product and cursing their luck is the end of the road. But there are ways to…

Following the tragic demise of a two-year-old who fell into an unused borewell on October 29th, efforts are underway to document and secure open wells and borewells. To this end, the Metro Water department has called for all Chennai residents to register their open wells and borewells with the authority by November 10th. The exercise, which was announced on November 1st, is also a way for Metro Water to enumerate the number of functioning borewells in the city, for which up-to-date information is not available. How to register your borewell and open well If you are a resident of Chennai…

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Chennai saw 543 registered cases of dengue till October, the highest across all districts in Tamil Nadu in this calendar year. The civic body has promised to undertake more preventive measures such as fumigation and conduct awareness drives to educate citizens on dos and don’ts, to arrest the spread of dengue. Citizens in their individual capacity can be prepared to prevent the spread of the disease by undertaking certain preemptive measures.  Here are a few key pointers from the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital on how dengue spreads, the symptoms, course of treatment and what you can do to avoid…