Sec 144 around schools, colleges extended till Mar 5 in Dakshina Kannada

Belagavi: Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said that the issue of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah resigning with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot permitting his prosecution does not arise. All ministers and MLAs of Congress were with the chief minister.

Hebbalkar told reporters here on Saturday that Siddaramaiah has not done any wrong and has been accused of the MUDA 'scam' by the BJP. "The saffron party is known to misuse the office of Governor and Raj Bhavan for political gains," the minister said.

"They are making conspiracies for dislodging governments led by opposition parties," the Congress leader further alleged.

She said Siddaramaiah was in politics for over four decades and does not have any stigma attached to him. Investigations into the MUDA 'scam' were in progress, and before the report coming out, the governor gave permission for prosecution, the minister noted, adding that it has made things clear that this move is a 'political witchunt'.

The permission to prosecute the CM will not have any bearing on the government and Siddaramaiah will complete his tenure, she added.

Launched on March 1, 2024, an insurance scheme for Indian workers in the UAE provides compensation of up to Dh75,000 for families in the event of the employee’s death, whether due to accidents or natural causes.

Over 5,500 workers have already benefited from the new welfare scheme, the Indian Consulate in Dubai said on Tuesday.

Known as the Life Protection Plan (LPP), this policy was introduced to address a gap in employment benefits for the 2.27 million blue-collar workers in the UAE.

Although many companies offer health insurance and compensation for work-related injuries and deaths, there was previously no mandatory coverage for natural deaths.

As a result, families could face financial difficulties, including repatriation costs, if their primary breadwinner passed away.

To tackle this issue, the Indian Consulate arranged a meeting between major UAE companies employing blue-collar workers and two insurance providers.

Recently, these insurance providers, namely, Extra Co Group of Companies and Gargash Insurance, completed formalities – at the Consulate – for workers to subscribe to the scheme.

However, this plan has to be opted by the employers or companies for their employees and is currently not available for individual subscribers.

What do the benefits entail?

The Life Protection Plan for workers offers extensive coverage, including worldwide protection, for employees with a UAE employment visa.

It provides benefits for death from any cause, whether natural or accidental, and includes coverage for permanent total or partial disability due to an accident.

Additionally, the plan covers repatriation expenses up to Dh12,000 per person in the event of death. The coverage is available for individuals aged 18 to 70 years.

How much does the plan cost?

•    Dh72 per year – Dh75,000 compensation
•    Dh50 per year – Dh50,000 compensation
•    Dh37 per year – Dh35,000 compensation

Notably, around 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, with about 65 per cent employed in blue-collar jobs, according to the Indian Consulate.

In 2022, the mission reported 1,750 deaths in Dubai, with 1,100 being workers. A similar pattern was observed in 2023, with 1,000 worker deaths out of a total of 1,513. Over 90 percent of these deaths were due to natural causes.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday flayed the NDA government over its plan to amend the law governing Waqf boards, saying the move shows that it's against minorities.

The Bill has proposed far-reaching changes in the present Act, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill also seeks to rename the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.

"The NDA government is totally against the minorities in this country, they are not for secularism, they are not for social justice. We have been telling the people of the country that they are communal parties, they are casteists, that's why they are doing like that," Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question.

The Bill was circulated among Lok Sabha members on Tuesday night ahead of its introduction.

According to its statement of objects and reasons, the Bill seeks to omit Section 40 of the current law relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is waqf property.

It provides for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards and ensures the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies. The Bill also proposes the establishment of a separate board of Auqaf for the Bohras and Aghakhanis.

The draft law provides for the representation of Shias, Sunnis, Bohras, Agakhanis and other backward classes among Muslim communities.