It's now official: Akshay Kumar has not been conferred honorary Canadian citizenship

By Our Representative
It is now official. Super-star Akshay Kumar has not been conferred any honorary citizenship by Canadian authorities, as claimed by him ahead of the 2019 elections. In reply to a query by Roshan Shah, who is a Canadian citizen living in Waterloo, Ontario, and belongs to Ahmedabad, the country’s authorities dealing with issues related with immigration, refugees and citizenship in Canada have said that only six persons have so far been granted honorary citizenship.
An IT expert, Shah said, the answer that he has received has put in question the top actor’s claim of honorary citizenship. Akshay Kumar must now come clean on what kind of Canadian citizenship he has, as to get the citizenship, one must continuously stay in Canada for about three years after getting permanent residency. The actor, known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may have bought the citizenship, as he has been living in India for the last seven years, added Shah.
Those who have been granted honorary citizenship are: Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat noted for his actions during the Holocaust (1985, granted posthumously); Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa (2001); Tenzin Gyatso, the current and 14th Dalai Lama (2006); Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese democracy advocate and Nobel laureate (2007); Karim Aga Khan, Imam of the world's 15 million Shia Ismali Muslims and champion of development, pluralism and tolerance around the world (2010); and Malala Yousafzai, human rights and girls' education advocate and youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (2017).
Honorary citizenship is a political status or statement, not a legal status, the Canadian authorities have told Shah, adding, rescinding that honour is likewise a political statement for which there is no process described in the Citizenship Act. Thus, In September 2018, members of Parliament unanimously passed a motion to strip Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship, over her complicity in the Myanmar military's genocide committed against the minority Rohingiya population and other ethnic minorities.“
Honorary Canadian citizenship is traditionally conferred by a joint resolution of the House of Commons and the Senate. However, the decision to make someone an honorary citizen is a political one and the Government is not bound to use a motion to confer or rescind honorary citizenship. The Government may wish to proceed by way of a motion, or by simply making a declaration to that effect, or by holding a press conference to declare a person to be or to no longer be an honorary citizen.
Further, Shah has been told, the Canadian citizenship legislation does not govern honorary citizenship, which is no more than a symbolic gesture that has no particular legal significance under the Citizenship Act and does not accord any rights or require any responsibilities. For example, recipients do not take the Oath of Citizenship, hold a Canadian passport, vote in Canadian elections, enter and remain in Canada without going through the normal immigration processes, or run in provincial or federal elections.

Roshan Shah

Shah -- who holds Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card, yet was able to fought as an independent candidate in 2014 Lok Sabha polls just to show how careless Indian election machinery is as it did not even check his citizenship status -- has also been told that since honorary citizenship does not cover legal status under the Act, recipients are required to follow normal immigration processes to come to Canada.
Based on the information he has received, Shah has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs, that since the Canadian Immigration Department has "confirmed” that Akshay Kumar Bhatia (also known as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia) who is a Bollywood filmstar has not been awarded any honorary citizenship, as he has claimed to be having and holding Canadian passport, his status should be investigated.
Shah contends, Akshay Kumar’s Canadian citizenship statement had caused alarm in Indian public. I request that Home Department file FIR against Akshay Kumar u/s 505 of IPC. If he has Canadian citizenship, the Government of India could provide his SIN number, date of citizenship and under what class he has got the citizenship, adding, the home department needs to investigate if Akshay Kumar indeed holds Canadian passport and whether he has got any OCI or has registered under FRRO.

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Bharat Ratna nominee ‘joined hands’ with British masters to 'crush' Quit India

By Shamsul Islam*
The Quit India Movement (QIM), also known as ‘August Kranti' (August Revolution), was a nation-wide Civil Disobedience Movement for which a call was given on August 7, 1942 by the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee. It was to begin on August 9 as per Gandhi's call to 'Do or Die' in his Quit India speech delivered in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan on August 8. Since then August 9 is celebrated as August Kranti Divas.

132 Gujarat citizens, including IIM-A faculty, others declare solidarity with Kashmiris

Counterview Desk
A week after it was floated, 132 activists, academics, students, artists and other concerned citizens of Gujarat, backed by 118 living in different parts of India and the world, have signed a "solidarity letter" supporting the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), who, it claims, have been silenced and held captive in their own land. The signatories include faculty members and scholars of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

Plebiscite in J&K? Delhi meet demands implementation of UN 'commitment'

Counterview Desk
A citizens’ protest, organised on October 19 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, to protest against the 75 days of “oppression” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) saw over 200 activists, academics, intellectuals, prominent citizens, students, citizens from a large number of groups controversially appeared to suggest holding plebiscite in order to decide the future of the state.

Without tribal consent? 1,000 of 1,700 acres 'acquired' off Statue of Unity, Narmada dam

By Our Representative
The Gujarat government has already acquired 1,100 acres out of 1,700 acres of the tribal land of six villages – Navagam, Limdi, Gora, Vagadia, Kevadia and Mithi – for developing tourism next to the 182-metre high Statue of Unity, the world's tallest, putting at risk the livelihood option of their 8,000 residents, and is all set to acquire rest of the land, representatives of the villagers have alleged in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat's incomplete canals: Narmada dam filled up, yet benefits 'won't reach' farmers

By Our Representative
Even as the Gujarat government is making all out efforts to fill up the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river up to the full reservoir level (FRL), a senior farmer rights leader has said the huge reservoir, as of today, remains a “mirage for the farmers of Gujarat”.
In a statement, Sagar Rabari of the Khedut Ekta Manch (KEM), has said that though the dam’s reservoir is being filled up, the canal network remains complete. Quoting latest government figures, he says, meanwhile, the command area of the dam has been reduced from 18,45,000 hectares (ha) to 17,92,000 ha.
“According to the website of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, which was last updated on Friday, while the main canal, of 458 km long, has been completed, 144 km of ranch canals out of the proposed length of 2731 km remain incomplete.
Then, as against the targeted 4,569 km distributaries, 4,347 km have been constructed, suggesting work for 222 km is still pending. And of the 15,670 km of minor canal…

Ceramic worker dies: 20,000 workers in Thangadh, Gujarat, 'risk' deadly silicosis

By Our Representative
Even as the country was busy preparing for the Janmashtami festival on Saturday, Hareshbhai, a 46-year-old ceramic worker from suffering from the fatal lung disease silicosis, passed away. He worked in a ceramic unit in Thangadh in Surendranagar district of Gujarat from 2000 to 2016.
Hareshbhai was diagnosed with the disease by the GCS Medical College, Naroda Road, Ahmedabad in 2014. He was found to be suffering from progressive massive fibrosis. He is left behind by his wife Rekha sister and two sons Deepak (18) and Umesh (12),
The death of Hareshbhai, says Jagdish Patel of the health rights group Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), suggests that silicosis, an occupational disease, can be prevented but not cured, and the Factory Act has sufficient provisions to prevent this.
According to Patel, the pottery industry in the industrial town of Thangadh has evolved for a long time and locals as well as migrant workers are employed here. There are abou…

Cess for Gujarat construction workers: Spending less than 10%; no 'direct help' to beneficiaries

By Our Representative
While the Gujarat government’s Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, set up in 2004, as of March 31, 2019, has collected a total cess of Rs 2,097.62 crore from the the builders, it has spent less than 10% -- Rs 197.17 crore. And, as on May 31, 2019, the total cess collection has reached Rs 2,583.16 crore, said a statement issued by Bandhkam Majur Sagathan general secretary Vipul Pandya.
Pointing out that just about 6.5 lakh out of 20 lakh workers have been registered under the board, Pandya said, vis-à-vis other states, Gujarat ranks No 13th in the amount spent on the welfare of the construction workers, while 11th in the amount collected.
And while the builders are obliged to pay just about 1% of the total cost of their project, the calculation of the cess is flawed: It is Rs 3,000 per square yard; accordingly, Rs 30 per square yard is collected. “Had the cess been collected on the real construction cost, it would have been at least Rs 7,000 cr…

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