India observes World Consumer Rights Day

     New Delhi: India's Department of Posts has decided to release a commemorative stamp today to mark World Consumer's Right Day. According to official sources, the commemorative stamp will be in the denomination of Rupees five. World Consumer Rights Day 2006 will see consumer groups worldwide take action on Energy - sustainable access for all. The world consumer movement has long recognised that energy is of fundamental importance to public welfare and the well being of consumers worldwide. World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on March 15,1983 by Consumer International, and since then, it has become an occasion for mobilizing citizens into action. It was on this day that a historic declaration was made of four consumer rights by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in the year 1962. It covers the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard. However, four more rights have been added to these in recent years, through consumers movement that are - the right to satisfaction of basic needs, the right to redress, the right to education and the right to a healthy environment. Together these eight rights form the basis for ongoing work by Consumers International and consumer groups worldwide. In India, it started from 1988 onwards by the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is the nodal Department for the protection and welfare of consumers. This year's theme for the World Consumer Rights Day is consumer health and safety.

   The enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is considered to be one of the most significant achievements in the Consumer Movement in India. The Act provides for separate three-tier quasi-judicial consumer dispute redressal machinery at the national, states and districts level. Following the amendment made to the Act in 2002, it brought spurious goods and services within its ambit thereby enlarging the scope of unsafe goods and services, which are hazardous to life and safety. Though a number of legal and penal provisions, enactments, legislations and regulations exist but it is most important to create and spread the awareness among the consumers regarding those provisions and the scope for legal remedy.

Nepal Maoist strike hits Indo-Nepal traffic (Go To Top)

     Siddharthnagar (UP): Hundreds of trucks remained stranded on the Indo-Nepal border as an indefinite road blockade called by Nepal's Maoist rebels crippled transport across the mountainous nation for a second day on Wednesday, triggering a rise in food prices. The rebels, who want to topple the monarchy and set up a Communist State, have ordered the closure of all roads to Kathmandu, district headquarters and other cities to try and end the absolute rule of King Gyanendra who seized power last year. In the past, rebels have largely relied on fear and intimidation to enforce their blockades but have also set up roadblocks and attacked vehicles. Truck drivers stranded at the international border have said they uncertain about their onward journey to the other side. "There is a blockade ahead. We don't know when our trucks will load or unload. Where will we live or eat," said Mohan, a truck driver. Khusubuddin, another truck driver, added, "we are always scared of going to Nepal, anything can happen there anytime". Nepal gets supplies of consumer and industrial goods from India thorough land routes, while construction material like crushed stones come from Nepal side. Authorities said Kathmandu, home to 1.5 million people, had enough food grains for two months and enough petrol, kerosene and diesel for two weeks. The Maoists have called for a nationwide strike from April 3. On Tuesday, Maoist chief Prachanda expelled two senior rebel leaders after they accused him and another top rebel leader, Baburam Bhattarai, of deviating from the Maoist path and being soft on the monarchy. Nepal has been in turmoil since King Gyanendra seized executive power last February. King Gyanendra said he was forced to take over because politicians had failed to quell the decade-old Maoist conflict that has resulted in the death of more than 13,000 people.

Music director Devarajan is dead  (Go To Top)
by Jai Krishna

     Chennai: Malayalam music director G Devarajan died of heart attack early on Wednesday morning. He was 78 and is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Devarajan had been unwell for some time and was discharged from hospital yesterday after a week's stay. Due to some complications he was again rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead, family sources said. In his five-decades-long career as a music director, Devarajan, rendered music for over 350 Malayalam movies, including for popular ones like 'Nadhi', 'Oru Penninde Katha', 'Swamy Ayyappan' and 'Chemparathi'. Devarajan won the Kerala State Film award for music five times and for drama three times and was also the recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Fellowship. The mortal remains would be taken to Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow for the funeral.

     At a very young age Devarajan carved a niche in Kerala's cultural sphere through the tunes he rendered for the plays of a pro- Communist theatre company Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC). Teaming up with lyricist and poet O N V Kurup and later with lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma, Devarajan made the songs of KPAC dramas all-time hits. Born in 1927 in Paravur, Devarajan graduated in music and rendered his first classical concert at the age of 18. He was soon attracted to the Communist movement and decided to spend his creative energy for popular music by joining KPAC. He entered the movie world in 1955 with his debut in the film "Kaalam Marunnu". He ventured into Tamil films with the dubbed "Kumara Sambhavam" (1969) and followed it up with "Kaaval Deivam", and topped with his haunting score for "Thulabaram", all in the same year. The 'Vayalar-Devarajan' combine proved the most successful team till the death of Vayalar in the late 1970s. He also rendered music for some hits penned by eminent poet and lyricist, P Bhaskaran. Even today, the tunes of "Balikudeerangale" - the tribute to martyred revolutionaries - or the call of the lovelorn maiden - "Chakkarapandalil" remain popular with the masses. Besides Malayalam, he composed music for 20 Tamil and four Kannada movies.

Commonwealth Games begin in Melbourne (Go To Top)

     Melbourne (Australia): The 18th Commonwealth Games was declared open by Queen Elizabeth II amid a spectacular ceremony in the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. The two-hour glittering ceremony, estimated to cost pound 20 million kicked off with the arrival of a 'flying' Melbourne tram and was attended by 81 thousand strong crowd. The 12 days of competition featuring 4,500 athletes will have its competition begin from tomorrow. Declaring the game open the Queen said: "We celebrate the value of sport as a means of bringing together people from 71 nations and territories and from a wide range of cultures, traditions and beliefs". The athletes of the 71 participating nations marched into the stadium with the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, United Kingdom leading the group. The Indian contingent led by R S Rathore, received loud cheers and applause. Rathore is the lone silver medallist shooter from India in the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Indian men athletes were attired in white sherwanis with yellow turbans while the women were dressed in sarees. They will be participating in ten disciplines of the game and is expected to improve its last tally of 69 medals in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be held in New Delhi.

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