MONTH THAT WAS

SEC permits eunuchs to contest civic polls

Nagpur: In a major decision, the state election commission has permitted hundreds of eunuchs residing in the city to enter the fray in the civic elections as per their gender listed in voters’ list or in the open category. In a letter to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), SEC’s additional secretary DM Kaned stated that eunuchs are demanding reservation in the civic elections. The SEC received many letters in this regard. There is no provision in the Act to reserve any ward for eunuchs. They may contest the elections as per their gender listed in the voters’ list or in the wards reserved as open for all, the letter said. SEC issued the letter to all collectors and municipal commissioners. Accordingly, NMC also issued a press release to make the SEC communication known to citizens. "If a eunuch has listed the gender as male in voters list then he can contest in the wards open for men. Almost all eunuchs register their gender as male. Besides, they can also contest from open wards. They have the opportunity to contest from many wards," said an official.


School principals to get course in management

New Delhi: Principals and headmasters of government schools across the country will soon get a course in management studies to evolve leadership qualities in them.
The Human Resource Development Ministry has decided to ask vice chancellors of central universities to create specialized management courses for principals and headmasters and enroll heads of all schools located near their campuses.
A brainchild of Union HRD minister Kapil sibal, the move is expected to help schools overcome several shortcomings and ensure better school system by improving quality leadership at the top. The proposal is expected to be put forth at the next meeting of vice chancellors of central universities. Sources stated that once the proposal is cleared by the vice chancellors, the HRD ministry hopes to put it into place in the next academic year.
The HRD Ministry is also expected to seek the help of IIMs in the creation of a specialized management and leadership programme for principals.
The programme is expected to aid the principals and headmasters of government schools in better management of human and financial resources. The principals are also expected to be taught new-age management techniques and to help them evolve ideas for development of their schools.


Jaya doles out freebies to check school dropouts

Chennai: In a bid to increase enrolment and check dropouts at school level, particularly in villages, the Tamil Nadu government announced a slew of measures, including free footwear and bags to students, and allocated about Rs 491 crore for the purpose.
Students of Class 1 to 8 would receive two more sets of uniforms in addition to the existing two sets from the coming academic year, Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha said.
Besides, nearly 92 lakh students would also receive school bags, geometry boxes and colour pencil boxes, she said.


To pay tuition fees Brits turn to ?

London: Rising tuition fees have forced British students into the sex industry. IANS reports quoting an article in the ‘Daily Telegraph’.
The National Union of Students said students were taking on the "dangerous" work to cope with the cost of going to university, with fees going up to 9,000 pounds from 2012, the ‘Daily Telegraph’ reported.
The union said many others turned to gambling or were taking part in medical experiments to earn money.
"In an economic climate where there are very few jobs, where student support has been massively cut, people are taking more work in the informal economy such as sex work," the union’s national women’s officer Estelle Hart told BBC Radio 5.
Government reforms have also meant the education – maintenance allowance (EMA), which offered bursaries to 16 to 19-years-olds, has been scrapped.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and skills told ‘Daily Telegraph’. Under the current university funding system, no student has to pay in advance for tuition and there is a generous package of financial support to help with living costs in the form of loans and non-repayable grants.
"Our reforms will make the system even fairer, with more financial support and lower monthly repayments once you are in well-paid work."
A Department for Education spokesman said: "We are targeting £ 180 million a year financial support at the most vulnerable 16 to 19-year-olds to help them continue their studies – with transitional funding for the students who were getting the top rate of EMA and part-way through their studies.
"It is down to schools and colleges themselves to award bursaries to young people who need the most help.
"If students are really struggling financially, they need to speak directly to their tutors."

Israel UAVs track naxals in Bastar

Raipur: The Israel-made unmanned Aerial vehicle (UAV) Heron is proving effective in tracking down movements of Naxals in Bastar jungles, leading to sharp decline in Maoist violence in the past three months in Chhattisgarh, sources in CRPF, which is in charge of its operation said. The UAV, which has been on trial operations in Bastar since October, has sent live pictures showing Naxal movements in some parts of south Bastar.


Metro Man rides into the sunset!

New Delhi: After 15 years of eventful tenure as Delhi Metro chief, E Sreedharan handed over the baton to his colleague Mangu Singh, who oversaw the 31st Dec.2011 construction of the swanky Airport Express Metro Line. The 79-year-old Sreedharan, who joined the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 1997, formally handed over the charge to Singh, a civil engineer, at a brief ceremony at the Metro Bhawan at Barakhamba Road here. "Singh, 56, a civil engineer from Roorkee University, will assume charge as the new DMRC chief" a DMRC spokesman said. Singh was selected by a three-member panel consisting of union Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna, Delhi Chief Secretary P K Tripathi and outgoing DMRC chief Sreedharan.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FOCUS : APRIL- 2023 K. K MUHAMMED & SINU JOSEPH THEIR RELEVANCE TO INDIAN SOCIETY

Month-in-Perspective for October 2022

Focus for October 2022