NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 26, 2017 (Indian Express): Animal markets — pashu haat or pashu mela as they are popularly known in many parts of the country — can no longer be used to sell or buy cattle for purposes of slaughtering them for meat. The Environment Ministry today issued new rules to regulate these animal markets with the stated objective of preventing cruelty to animals and streamlining trade in cattle. The new rules would apply to bulls, cows, buffalos and camels.
The rules are likely to make it difficult for the slaughter houses, even legal ones, to source cattle for meat, especially since the definition of animal markets includes lairage as well. Lairage is a place where cattle rest while being transported to markets or slaughterhouses. The rules require the seller as well as purchaser to give an undertaking that the cattle being sold or bought was not meant for slaughter. ”…no person shall bring a cattle to an animal market unless upon arrival he has furnished a written declaration signed by the owner of the cattle or his duly authorised agent….stating that the cattle has not been brought to the market for sale for slaughter,” says one of the provisions.
More at ”source” above.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, May 18, 2017 (Hindu Education Foundation):
HPI ADDITION: The public hearing described in the news item below included public comments on the just released proposed programs of study for History-Social Science for grades K-8 in California schools. The programs, some of which will be printed books, but most or which are entirely web based, can be viewed here:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/im/hsssubmittedprograms.asp.
Those testifying at this May 18 hearing found the proposed programs of study little or no improvement over the texts approved in the last adoption process, in 2005, which was very contentious and led to two lawsuits. The programs are now under review with a final decision on what will be recommended for use in the schools coming later this year.
Original article:
Indian-American students and parents from across the state gathered at the California Department of Education (CDE) today to oppose the negative portrayal of Hinduism and India in proposed school textbooks. At the public hearing conducted by the Department, they expressed anguish at the recurring problem of adverse reflection of Hinduism and India, pointing out factual inaccuracies and demeaning portrayals in the textbook drafts by key publishers.
”It is disappointing to see that even after a decade of building awareness by the Hindu-American community, textbooks especially by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), McGraw-Hill, Discovery and National Geographic continue to use orientalist narratives to portray Indian civilization” said Shantharam Nekkar, Director of Hindu Education Foundation USA (HEF). ”Some textbooks continue to depict Hinduism and ancient India using pictures such as cows eating trash, slums and poverty stricken people” he said.
California mandates the textbooks to be based on the framework laid down by the Department of Education. The framework was revised last year amidst many controversies. Over the past two years, the Department had made several updates to the framework based on inputs by scholars, students and community members, mentioning Hindu concepts like Yoga and Dharma, Sages Vyasa and Valmiki, and Indian achievements in science and technology. Hindu groups pointed out that many of these changes have not been reflected in the textbook drafts.
It is the unique and all-encompassing nature of Hinduism that one devotee may be worshiping Ganesha while his friend worships Subramaniam or Vishnu, and yet both honor the other’s choice and feel no sense of conflict.
— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
