1. Lion Found Dead in Dalkhaniya Range of Gir Forest
A lion was found dead in Dalkhaniya range of Gir forest in Gujarat, an official said on Wednesday, 15 May.
The carcass of the lion was found in a forest patch of Dalkhaniya range under the Gir-East division, an official said, adding that reason of death was not known immediately.
"We have not found any visible injury marks on the carcass during our primary investigation. It appeared that the lion died a few days ago. We will conduct its post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause," said Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Junagadh, D T Vasavada.
Notably, this is the same range of Gir forest where at least 10 lions had died last year due to a deadly combination of canine distemper virus and protozoal infection.
With Wednesday's death, as many as four cubs, three lions, and two lionesses have been found dead in the Gir forest since February.
(Source: PTI)
2. Video Showing Man Dragging Carcass Behind His Bike and Followed by Asiatic Lion Goes Viral
A video showing a man dragging an animal carcass behind his motorbike and an Asiatic lion following the trail went viral on Wednesday, 15 May. While forest officers said that an enquiry had been initiated in the matter, sources said that the man in the video was a lion tracker and that he was removing the carcass from the public gaze.
In the 15 second long-video, a man riding a motorbike is seen emerging from a dirt track. A carcass tied to his motorbike and being dragged leaves a plume of dust in its wake.
Just a few seconds later, a male Asiatic lion emerges from the dust plume, apparently following the carcass even as bystanders are heard saying, “There comes the lion!”
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Rising Cases of Atrocities on Dalits: Govt Assures ‘Stern Action’, Congress Calls It ‘Hollow Promise’
In the wake of rising incidents of Dalit wedding processions being stopped by upper castes in parts of Gujarat, the BJP government in the state on Wednesday assured to take stern action against such elements. The Congress, however, said that such “hollow promises” by the government fails to provide “justice” to the Dalits.
Speaking to reporters, Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, said, “The Gujarat government is always with the Dalits. They also have the right to take out wedding processions like others. Our government is also concerned about some recent incidents. I want to assure you that stern action will be taken against those who were behind these incidents.”
He, however, accused Opposition Congress of “creating a rift between Dalits and other communities”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Violence Against Dalits See a 35% Surge Since 2014 in Gujarat
Incidents of violence against Dalits have seen a 35% rise in the four years since 2014. Data from the government shows that against 1,122 cases in 2014, the number of cases rose to 1,517 in the year 2017.
Till 2016, Kutch topped among districts where serious incidents of violence were reported against Dalits followed by Mehsana. It should be noted that the recent incident of an Dalit community being boycotted by villagers after a family decided to carry out a wedding procession on a horse was reported from Kadi taluka, which is part of Mehsana.
Naushad Solanki, Congress MLA from Dasada and chairman of the party's SC department in the party said that there are two main reasons - conviction rate and the message that leaders send when such incidents happen.
(Source: DNA)
5. AMC Issues Showcause Notice to Apple Hospital After Fire
Two days after the canteen of the Apple Multi Speciality Pediatric Hospital caught fire, the estate department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued a showcause notice to the hospital. According to AMC officials, on the day of the incident itself, they sealed the canteen and even the electrical supply of the hospital and the canteen were cut off.
While investigating, AMC officials found out that the canteen had been illegally constructed on the terrace of the building, without any kind of permission or approval taken from the authorities to construct it.
On Wednesday, 15 May, Rajendra Jadav, deputy estate officer of west zone confirmed the issuance of a notice to the hospital authorities and said that they had been given three days' time to submit an explanation regarding the illegal construction of the canteen.
(Source: DNA)
6. Eligibility for Pharmacy Degree Reduced From 45% to Pass Marks
The eligibility criteria for entry to degree pharmacy courses has been reduced from 45% to minimum passing marks in Class 12 boards. The Admissions Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) on Wednesday announced the changes made to the admission process for various courses.
While the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) reduced the criteria for admissions to degree pharmacy programme, the same for engineering has not been changed. A student who has scored 45% marks in Science theory subjects (Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry) is eligible for admission to engineering.
(Source: DNA)
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