Hindustan Times, Delhi Wed, 18 May 2016, Page 14 Width: 10.30 cms, Height: 20.94 cms, a4, Ref: 36.2016-05-18.93

Dainik Bhaskar, Faridabad Wed, 18 May 2016, Page 9 Width: 12.66 cms, Height: 10.88 cms, a4, Ref: 48.2016-05-18.133

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One toothbrush for 49 disabled kids: State of govt homes

May 17, 2016, 03.12 AM IST

NEW DELHI: At a government-aided home for the disabled, 49 children were using a single toothbrush and had just one tube of toothpaste. That picture continues to hurt National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice H L Dattu, though he witnessed the pitiable sight over two years ago as a judge of the Supreme Court. "It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot," Justice Dattu told TOI. "There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at the homes for disabled and senior citizens," he said, citing the experience he gained after visiting old-age homes daily and spending time with the inmates to give them hope and confidence to lead a cheerful life. "What we need to stop is pilferage of the money, and (instead) use it to improve the basic facilities for senior citizens and disabled persons," the NHRC chief said. After his retirement as Chief Justice of India in December and before his appointment as NHRC chairperson in February, Justice Dattu spent time every day in old-age homes near Bengaluru. "An inmate of one of the old-age homes told me that his two sons were very well placed and earning a lot, but neither was keen on keeping him with their family. This is the story in many well-to-do families. What that person needed in old age was a confidence-booster given daily by an expert counsellor. We need to have such experts in every old-age home, who will listen to them and give them hope and confidence to live the sunset years of their life with equal vigour," he said. Since assuming charge at NHRC, Justice Dattu has held several meetings with other members — justices Cyriac Joseph and D Murugesan and former IPS officer S C Sinha — on these issues. The NHRC has written to its special rapporteurs across states to visit homes for senior citizens and disabled children, and give a report on the basic facilities available there. "Prima facie the living conditions in these homes are pitiable," Justice Dattu said. The

NHRC chief has also activated the core group of experts attached with the apex human rights body for suggestions to improve the condition of these homes. "It will be one of the happiest moments in my life if the NHRC makes a difference to the living conditions in old-age homes and the homes for disabled children," he said. The Centre, under Deendayal Rehabilitation Scheme, gives aid to 421 NGOs which run 502 projects, including special and residential schools for physically challenged children. The number of old-age homes has been steadily declining. From 269 homes

getting assistance in 2012-13, the number came down to 137 in 2014-15.

Tue, 17 May 2016-02:30pm , New Delhi , dna webdesk ngle toothbrush

Justice HL Dattu spoke about the pitiable state of govt run homes for the aged and disabled.

The condition of government-run homes for the disabled and senior citizens have often been found to be far from perfect. Chairman of National Human Rights Commission Justice HL Dattu told theTimes of India that he once visited a government home for the disabled where 49 children were using one toothbrush. Dattu said he has witnessed the sad conditions at various old-age homes and government run facilities.

Justice H L Dattu | Chairman of NHRC

There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at homes for disabled and senior citizens. What we need to stop is pilferage of money and use it to improve basic facilities for senior citizens and disabled persons." Justice Dattu also commented on the sorry state of affairs that prevail in the country where well-to-do families send their aged parens to old age homes. He spoke about the need for counsellors in these homes where the residents can have someone to talk to and boost their confidence levels to live a fruitful life. Since becoming the chairperson of NHRC, he said he has conducted meetings with Justices Cyriac Joseph and D Murugesan and IPS officer S C Sinha about these issues. After appointing rapporteurs to do field visits at various homes, the chief has a core group of experts attached to NHRC for suggestions towards improvement of conditions at these homes. Under the Deendayal Rehabilitation Scheme, 421 NGOs running 502 projects including residential programmes for the visually handicapped or hearing impaired as well as physically challenged, are given aid by the Centre. However, the number of old-age homes receiving support from the Government is declining and has gone down from 269 in 2012-12 to 137 in 2014-15.

At a govt-run home for disabled NHRC chairman witnessed 49

children using a single toothbrush

17 May, 2016

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice H.L.

Dattu while sharing a deplorable incident, which he had witnessed two years

back as a Supreme Court judge, said that during a visit to a government-run

home for the disabled he saw 49 kids using a single toothbrush. He added that

there was just one tube of toothpaste for those children.

"It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one

toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-

run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot," said

Justice Dattu according to a Times of India report.

In Focus

He said that there was no shortage of government funding for aged and

disabled, but, the issue is misuse of the fund meant for people in need. The

sight continues to haunt Justice Dattu. Now, ever since he has taken over the

charge as the head of the NHRC, he is trying his level best to improve the

things at government homes.

NHRC's special rapporteurs across the states have been told to visit

government-run homes for senior citizens and disabled kids, and provide a

report of basic facilities accessible to them.

Now, let's just hope Justice Dattu and his team at NHRC get success in making

a difference and enhance the conditions of people living in those homes.

49 Disabled Kids Were Made To Use The Same Toothbrush In A Government Funded Home 18 May, 2016

When former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu took charge as the new National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson earlier this year, he decided to use the rather disturbing knowledge he gathered during his tenure as a judge to shape his work here. In an interview with The Times of India, Justice Dattu described some extremely disturbing incidents that he became aware of during the tenure of his former job. One of them was how a government-funded home for disabled children made about 50 children share one toothbrush. "That is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected of the lot," Justice Dattu told TOI, refusing to name the state where he came across the neglected 'shelter'. After his retirement as the CJI in December and before his appointment as NHRC chairperson in February, Justice Dattu spent time in old-age homes near Bengaluru almost every day. "There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at the homes for disabled and senior citizens. We need to stop the pilferage of money, and [instead] use it to improve the basic facilities for them," he said. Justice Dattu has always been a champion of human rights and children's welfare. In 2014, as the CJI, he had set up a two-judge 'Social Justice Bench' which met every Friday afternoon and handled the petitions on issues linked to malnutrition among children, women's safety, night shelters for the homeless and welfare schemes for poor families.

Plight of Government-aided homes ? 49 disabled children 1 toothbrush

WEDNESDAY , MAY 18 2016

What else can we call them by, but say that they are children of a lesser God! They are forced to live a life devoid of dignity and are shrouded in the cover of misfortune. But why this discrimination and lack of amenities in the Government aided homes for the disabled people? We can call these unfortunate people as a target of corrupt practices followed by certain officials. We all deserve a life of dignity and respect says the Constitution, but this is not how it is in reality. To bring this fact home we take up the case of the disabled children who are living an “undignified” life behind the four walls of the Government-aided homes that have been opened for the disabled. Justice H L Dattu, chairperson of has brought to light hoe he witnessed a shocking sight about two years ago when he was judge of Supreme Court. He had gone for a visit to one of these government-aided disabled homes and he had been taken back at the pitiable condition of about 49 children sharing the same toothpaste and only one tube of toothpaste for their dental hygiene. Justice Dattu quoted to The Times of India saying: “It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot.” He has explained that there is no scarcity of funds that are allocated for the elderly and disabled homes by the Government but it seems that there is some money pilferage going on and the cash is not reaching the people who desperately require it. Justice Dattu who is the head of NHRC , has been working on setting things right and has contacted special authorized personnel across different States and has implored them to visit these homes hosting disabled children and senior citizens and give a report about the basic facilities that have been provided to the inmates here. It’s a must to take care of these people who have already faced the harsh brunt of destiny and we wish the NHRC and Justice Dattu the best!

Tawang firing:National Alliance of People's Movement asks NHRC to set up probe panel

May 18, 2016, 07.36 AM IST

Itanagar: The National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM) has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on alleged violation of human rights in Tawang firing by police on May 2, leaving two persons dead, including one young monk, and over 10 people injured. NAPM, in a letter dated May 6, requested the commission's chairperson to constitute an independent expert committee and send it to Tawang valley for investigating the incident and the role of police officials and politicians. The civil society organization has called for a permanent commission to monitor the alleged violation of human rights in setting up hydropower projects across the country. They want the commission to be party to all meetings held to assess social and environmental impact of various projects. On May 2, two persons were killed and many injured while protesting against the arrest of lama Lobsang Gyatso, one of the most vocal opponents of hydropower projects in Tawang. "Our experience from agitations against big dams have shown that when the whole world is trying to do away with the structures, it is extremely unfortunate that we still are trying to install hydro power in the most environmentally sensitive regions, earthquake prone zones or densely populated areas, displacing massive populations," it said. "In the northeast, public hearings have been a complete hogwash and based on half-baked and unscientifically conducted environmental impact assessment, keeping communities often in the dark," the letter to the NHRC read. The signatories include Medha Patkar, Madhuresh Kumar, Bilal Khan, Vimal Bhai and Amit Kumar.

NAPM writes to NHRC, seeks independent panel 18th May, 2016

ITANAGAR, May 17: The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on alleged violation of human rights in the case of Tawang firing by police personnel on May 2, leaving two people dead including one young Monk and around 10 injured. The letter, dated May 6 requested the Chairperson to constitute an independent expert committee and send them to Tawang valley for investigation of the whole incident including role of police officials and politicians. It further called for a permanent commission to monitor the alleged violation of human rights in hydro power projects throughout the country and be a mandatory party of all the public hearings held to do social and environmental impact assessment required for these projects. On May 2, two people were killed and many injured, while protesting against the arrest of Lama Lobsang Gyatso, one of the most vocal opponents of hydropower projects in Tawang. “Our experience from struggles against the big dams have shown that, when world over the big dams are being done away with, it is extremely unfortunate that we are still trying to harness the hydro power in the most environmentally sensitive regions, earthquake prone regions or in densely populated areas, displacing massive populations” it said. “In North East public hearings have been a complete hogwash and based on half-baked and unscientifically conducted environmental Impact assessment keeping communities often in the dark. The overall planning of hydro development in the State and Himalayan region needs a thorough examination keeping in mind the people’s interest first, until then put a moratorium on the planned projects”, the letter to the NHRC read. The signatories include Medha Patkar, Madhuresh Kumar, Bilal Khan, Vimal Bhai and Amit Kumar.

One toothbrush for 49 disabled kids: State of govt homes

May 17, 2016, 03.12 AM IST

NEW DELHI: At a government-aided home for the disabled, 49 children were using a single toothbrush and had just one tube of toothpaste. That picture continues to hurt National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice H L Dattu, though he witnessed the pitiable sight over two years ago as a judge of the Supreme Court. "It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot," Justice Dattu told TOI. "There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at the homes for disabled and senior citizens," he said, citing the experience he gained after visiting old-age homes daily and spending time with the inmates to give them hope and confidence to lead a cheerful life. "What we need to stop is pilferage of the money, and (instead) use it to improve the basic facilities for senior citizens and disabled persons," the NHRC chief said. After his retirement as Chief Justice of India in December and before his appointment as NHRC chairperson in February, Justice Dattu spent time every day in old-age homes near Bengaluru. "An inmate of one of the old-age homes told me that his two sons were very well placed and earning a lot, but neither was keen on keeping him with their family. This is the story in many well-to-do families. What that person needed in old age was a confidence-booster given daily by an expert counsellor. We need to have such experts in every old-age home, who will listen to them and give them hope and confidence to live the sunset years of their life with equal vigour," he said. Since assuming charge at NHRC, Justice Dattu has held several meetings with other members — justices Cyriac Joseph and D Murugesan and former IPS officer S C Sinha — on these issues. The NHRC has written to its special rapporteurs across states to visit homes for senior citizens and disabled children, and give a report on the basic facilities available there. "Prima facie the living conditions in these homes are pitiable," Justice Dattu said. The

NHRC chief has also activated the core group of experts attached with the apex human rights body for suggestions to improve the condition of these homes. "It will be one of the happiest moments in my life if the NHRC makes a difference to the living conditions in old-age homes and the homes for disabled children," he said. The Centre, under Deendayal Rehabilitation Scheme, gives aid to 421 NGOs which run 502 projects, including special and residential schools for physically challenged children. The number of old-age homes has been steadily declining. From 269 homes

getting assistance in 2012-13, the number came down to 137 in 2014-15.

Tue, 17 May 2016-02:30pm , New Delhi , dna webdesk ngle toothbrush

Justice HL Dattu spoke about the pitiable state of govt run homes for the aged and disabled.

The condition of government-run homes for the disabled and senior citizens have often been found to be far from perfect. Chairman of National Human Rights Commission Justice HL Dattu told theTimes of India that he once visited a government home for the disabled where 49 children were using one toothbrush. Dattu said he has witnessed the sad conditions at various old-age homes and government run facilities.

Justice H L Dattu | Chairman of NHRC

There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at homes for disabled and senior citizens. What we need to stop is pilferage of money and use it to improve basic facilities for senior citizens and disabled persons." Justice Dattu also commented on the sorry state of affairs that prevail in the country where well-to-do families send their aged parens to old age homes. He spoke about the need for counsellors in these homes where the residents can have someone to talk to and boost their confidence levels to live a fruitful life. Since becoming the chairperson of NHRC, he said he has conducted meetings with Justices Cyriac Joseph and D Murugesan and IPS officer S C Sinha about these issues. After appointing rapporteurs to do field visits at various homes, the chief has a core group of experts attached to NHRC for suggestions towards improvement of conditions at these homes. Under the Deendayal Rehabilitation Scheme, 421 NGOs running 502 projects including residential programmes for the visually handicapped or hearing impaired as well as physically challenged, are given aid by the Centre. However, the number of old-age homes receiving support from the Government is declining and has gone down from 269 in 2012-12 to 137 in 2014-15.

At a govt-run home for disabled NHRC chairman witnessed 49

children using a single toothbrush

17 May, 2016

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice H.L.

Dattu while sharing a deplorable incident, which he had witnessed two years

back as a Supreme Court judge, said that during a visit to a government-run

home for the disabled he saw 49 kids using a single toothbrush. He added that

there was just one tube of toothpaste for those children.

"It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one

toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-

run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot," said

Justice Dattu according to a Times of India report.

In Focus

He said that there was no shortage of government funding for aged and

disabled, but, the issue is misuse of the fund meant for people in need. The

sight continues to haunt Justice Dattu. Now, ever since he has taken over the

charge as the head of the NHRC, he is trying his level best to improve the

things at government homes.

NHRC's special rapporteurs across the states have been told to visit

government-run homes for senior citizens and disabled kids, and provide a

report of basic facilities accessible to them.

Now, let's just hope Justice Dattu and his team at NHRC get success in making

a difference and enhance the conditions of people living in those homes.

49 Disabled Kids Were Made To Use The Same Toothbrush In A Government Funded Home 18 May, 2016

When former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu took charge as the new National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson earlier this year, he decided to use the rather disturbing knowledge he gathered during his tenure as a judge to shape his work here. In an interview with The Times of India, Justice Dattu described some extremely disturbing incidents that he became aware of during the tenure of his former job. One of them was how a government-funded home for disabled children made about 50 children share one toothbrush. "That is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected of the lot," Justice Dattu told TOI, refusing to name the state where he came across the neglected 'shelter'. After his retirement as the CJI in December and before his appointment as NHRC chairperson in February, Justice Dattu spent time in old-age homes near Bengaluru almost every day. "There is no dearth of government grant for upkeep of facilities at the homes for disabled and senior citizens. We need to stop the pilferage of money, and [instead] use it to improve the basic facilities for them," he said. Justice Dattu has always been a champion of human rights and children's welfare. In 2014, as the CJI, he had set up a two-judge 'Social Justice Bench' which met every Friday afternoon and handled the petitions on issues linked to malnutrition among children, women's safety, night shelters for the homeless and welfare schemes for poor families.

Plight of Government-aided homes ? 49 disabled children 1 toothbrush

WEDNESDAY , MAY 18 2016

What else can we call them by, but say that they are children of a lesser God! They are forced to live a life devoid of dignity and are shrouded in the cover of misfortune. But why this discrimination and lack of amenities in the Government aided homes for the disabled people? We can call these unfortunate people as a target of corrupt practices followed by certain officials. We all deserve a life of dignity and respect says the Constitution, but this is not how it is in reality. To bring this fact home we take up the case of the disabled children who are living an “undignified” life behind the four walls of the Government-aided homes that have been opened for the disabled. Justice H L Dattu, chairperson of has brought to light hoe he witnessed a shocking sight about two years ago when he was judge of Supreme Court. He had gone for a visit to one of these government-aided disabled homes and he had been taken back at the pitiable condition of about 49 children sharing the same toothpaste and only one tube of toothpaste for their dental hygiene. Justice Dattu quoted to The Times of India saying: “It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot.” He has explained that there is no scarcity of funds that are allocated for the elderly and disabled homes by the Government but it seems that there is some money pilferage going on and the cash is not reaching the people who desperately require it. Justice Dattu who is the head of NHRC , has been working on setting things right and has contacted special authorized personnel across different States and has implored them to visit these homes hosting disabled children and senior citizens and give a report about the basic facilities that have been provided to the inmates here. It’s a must to take care of these people who have already faced the harsh brunt of destiny and we wish the NHRC and Justice Dattu the best!

Tawang firing:National Alliance of People's Movement asks NHRC to set up probe panel

May 18, 2016, 07.36 AM IST

Itanagar: The National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM) has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on alleged violation of human rights in Tawang firing by police on May 2, leaving two persons dead, including one young monk, and over 10 people injured. NAPM, in a letter dated May 6, requested the commission's chairperson to constitute an independent expert committee and send it to Tawang valley for investigating the incident and the role of police officials and politicians. The civil society organization has called for a permanent commission to monitor the alleged violation of human rights in setting up hydropower projects across the country. They want the commission to be party to all meetings held to assess social and environmental impact of various projects. On May 2, two persons were killed and many injured while protesting against the arrest of lama Lobsang Gyatso, one of the most vocal opponents of hydropower projects in Tawang. "Our experience from agitations against big dams have shown that when the whole world is trying to do away with the structures, it is extremely unfortunate that we still are trying to install hydro power in the most environmentally sensitive regions, earthquake prone zones or densely populated areas, displacing massive populations," it said. "In the northeast, public hearings have been a complete hogwash and based on half-baked and unscientifically conducted environmental impact assessment, keeping communities often in the dark," the letter to the NHRC read. The signatories include Medha Patkar, Madhuresh Kumar, Bilal Khan, Vimal Bhai and Amit Kumar.

NAPM writes to NHRC, seeks independent panel 18th May, 2016

ITANAGAR, May 17: The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on alleged violation of human rights in the case of Tawang firing by police personnel on May 2, leaving two people dead including one young Monk and around 10 injured. The letter, dated May 6 requested the Chairperson to constitute an independent expert committee and send them to Tawang valley for investigation of the whole incident including role of police officials and politicians. It further called for a permanent commission to monitor the alleged violation of human rights in hydro power projects throughout the country and be a mandatory party of all the public hearings held to do social and environmental impact assessment required for these projects. On May 2, two people were killed and many injured, while protesting against the arrest of Lama Lobsang Gyatso, one of the most vocal opponents of hydropower projects in Tawang. “Our experience from struggles against the big dams have shown that, when world over the big dams are being done away with, it is extremely unfortunate that we are still trying to harness the hydro power in the most environmentally sensitive regions, earthquake prone regions or in densely populated areas, displacing massive populations” it said. “In North East public hearings have been a complete hogwash and based on half-baked and unscientifically conducted environmental Impact assessment keeping communities often in the dark. The overall planning of hydro development in the State and Himalayan region needs a thorough examination keeping in mind the people’s interest first, until then put a moratorium on the planned projects”, the letter to the NHRC read. The signatories include Medha Patkar, Madhuresh Kumar, Bilal Khan, Vimal Bhai and Amit Kumar.