The HRD Ministry has asked the states to provide data about vacant seats under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in entry-level classes in private schools.
The move comes in the wake of a report by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) according to which around 13,000 nursery seats reserved for children from economically disadvantaged households in private schools in the 2018-19 academic session remain unfilled in the national capital.
“I have asked the states to provide data about vacant EWS seats and then we will analyse what can be done to ensure the candidates under the category can make best use of the available provisions,” Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, 25 per cent of the seats are to be reserved for the EWS and Disadvantaged Group (DG) categories in entry-level classes nursery, KG and I in all private schools.
While those belonging to families with annual income less than Rs 1 lakh can seek admission under the EWS category, the DG category applicants include the SC, ST, OBC, non-creamy layer, differently-abled, and transgender.
The DCPCR also pointed out that as many as 74 private schools in Delhi did not admit even a single student under the EWS category in the last two academic sessions.
Supporting India’s #MeToo movement, Raveena Tandon says even though she has not been a victim of sexual harassment, the countless stories of ill-treatment of women anger her.
The 43-year-old actor said she has been through “professional harassment” in the film industry and hence understands the trauma.
“I was never sexually harassed as I was not the one to just take it. I would give it back. But I can imagine the trauma that the young girls go through. It is so sad and disheartening to hear these stories. It angers me.
“I have been through professional harassment. I did lose out on couple of films. There were few women journalists, who would tarnish our reputation in their magazines or newspapers. Like, from being called a liar to delusional liar, etc. They helped the heroes,” Raveena told agencies.
Talking about her harassment experience, the actor said it was a disturbing phase as her reputation was maligned.
“They work in tandem to ruin an actress’s life,” she added, without taking any names.
In a cryptic tweet, recently, Raveena had said, “What defines harassment in a workplace? The fact that many industry wives and girlfriends are silent observers or instigators, when actor husbands destroy the careers of actresses after the chase and flirtation is over or have them replaced with other potential targets.”
When asked about the same, the National Award-winning actor, said, “Sometimes it is women also who are complacent because of insecurity or professional jealousy and have got other actresses removed from a project using their hero boyfriend or husband. And this is not fair.
“It might not be sexual harassment but it is professional harassment. The clauses in the contracts need to be strong. If certain people have problem working with the actress then they should step away. Why ruin the girl’s career?”
Raveena said in the past, whenever female actors opened up about the issues they faced on a film’s set, they were branded “trouble makers”.
“…There used to be an entire camp that used to work against the women including the entertainment media, the editors used to be hand-in-glove with the hero or director or producer. They (media) were either offered a lot more money or a bigger cover.
“Women would have the entire system working against them. This happens not just in the film industry but other professions as well,” she said.
Raveena said she is happy that women are finally being heard and is hopeful that the moment will bring the much-needed change in gender dynamics.
“We lost the opportunity. And it feels good that today women are getting support from everyone. It is a movement here to stay and I see it making a positive change in the workplace environment.
“Earlier there used to be an entire nexus, the producers guild and others would be scared to take action against the hero. Today action is being taken in the open.”
Last week, Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) said, they will be setting up an advisory committee to deal with sexual harassment in the industry, which will have actors Swara Bhasker and Raveena among others as members.
Raveena’s advice to women, is to take the legal action, besides approaching the film bodies and associations.
“I believe innocent until proven guilty. After the investigations are carried out, if the person is found guilty, then there also has to be legal action against them.
India never eyes anyone else’s territory but will hit back with “double the force” if its sovereignty is ever challenged, Prime Minister Modi said Sunday at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of proclamation of the Azad Hind government by Subhas Chandra Bose.
He also said his government is working towards providing the armed fores with better technology and latest weapons even as efforts are underway to make the lives of soldiers easier by extending them with better facilities.
Modi said his government took decisions such as carrying out surgical strikes across the Line of Control and providing benefits of ‘one rank, one pension’ to ex-servicemen.
The Prime Minister hoisted the national flag at the historic Red Fort to mark the event.
Donning the cap of the Indian National Army presented to him by one of the close aides of Bose, Modi said it has been the Indian tradition not to eye someone else’s territory, “but when our sovereignty is challenged, we will hit back with double the force.”
He also cautioned people against forces inside and outside India which are working against the country by targeting it and its constitutional values.
He said a feeling of nationalism and “Indianness” is must to counter such designs.
Referring to the opposition faced by Bose when he decided to establish the Rani Jhansi Regiment — an all women unit of the INA, Modi said the regiment would complete 75 years of its establishment on Monday.
He said, the present government is trying to fulfil the dreams of Bose even as he recalled the decision to alow women in the Army to opt for permanent commission from short service commission following a transparent procedure.
The Prime Minister said the air force is set to have the first batch of women fighter pilots.
He said arrears worth Rs 11,000 crore have been released for ex-servicemen under the ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP) scheme. OROP, coupled by recommendations of the seventh pay commission, have given “double bonanza” to former servicemen, he said.
Modi also said the work on the National War Memorial is in its last stages.
It seems like Prince Harry cannot get the thought of his soon-to-be-born baby out of his mind.
The Duke of Sussex, on Monday, finally announced that he and his wife Meghan Markle are expecting their first child. While the couple initially broke the news on Twitter, Harry decided to mention the same at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony on Saturday.
According to reports, Harry began the speech by saying, “First of all, thank you for the welcome you have given Meghan and I over the last few days. I have been so proud to be able to introduce my wife to you and we have been so happy to be able to celebrate the personal joy of our newest addition with you all.”
Invictus Games is an international adaptive multi-sport event, in which wounded and recovering services personnel participate in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing.
The official Twitter handle of Kensington Palace, on Monday, made the announcement that the couple is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.
Prince Harry, sixth in line to the British throne, and Markle got married on May 19 at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel.
American actor Selma Blair on Sunday, revealed that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
Taking to her Instagram, the 46-year-old posted a selfie and detailed why she came forward with the “profound” story.
“I have #multiplesclerosis. I am in an exacerbation,” she wrote. “By the grace of the lord, and willpower and the understanding producers at Netflix, I have a job. A wonderful job. I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from broken gaps. But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.”
Blair also thanked celebrity friends Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze and Jaime King for their support.
The ‘Cruel Intentions’ star praised her costume designer Allisa Swanson, who is working on her upcoming show ‘Another Life’. She explained that Swanson designs her wardrobe on the show but also “carefully gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my coats and offers her shoulder to steady myself.
Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth says he did not expect parenting to be so difficult but it has taught him the real meaning of love.
The “Thor” star, who has six-year-old daughter India and four-year-old twin sons Sacha and Tristan with wife Elsa Pataky, said having kids changed his outlook towards life.
“Having children it’s much more difficult than you think it’s going to be. You have to change your thinking and be completely there for them. But they have also taught me what real love is and what true responsibility means. Your life becomes more focused and you don’t have time to get distracted by unimportant things any more. You become a lot less selfish.
“But I don’t feel as though I’m giving up anything or making any sacrifices. I had my share of wild times when I was younger and that kind of stuff was never that interesting to me anyway. When I met Elsa, I was very comfortable with the idea that she was someone I wanted to share my life with and build something for the future,” Hemsworth said.
The 35-year-old actor said though he loves his work, he is also ”very conscious” of his family responsibilities and tries to take good breaks between projects in order to be there for them.
”When I was younger, I dreamed about having this kind of life and that’s exactly what I’m living now… I am more mindful of leaving enough time between projects to be at home with my wife and our children.
“… I am very conscious of my responsibilities as a father and I love my wife and children more than I can possibly describe,” he added.
Veteran actor Michael Douglas has revealed that Quantum Realm will play an important part in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies.
Douglas physicist Dr Hank Pym in MCU movies and the concept of Quantum Realm was first teased in “Ant-Man”, which featured Paul Rudd as the titular character.
As described by Dr Pym, the Quantum Realm is “a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity”.
“I mean, all of them I mean, the Quantum Realm, that’s the key. That’s the key. The Quantum Realm plays an important part in all the next chapters, I think, of the Marvel films,” Douglas said during an appearance on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest”.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had earlier said that the “Ant-Man” cast will be “very important going forward”.
In a veiled attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that to keep “one family” above the rest, efforts were made to forget the contributions leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose made in the Independence struggle.
“But now our government is changing all that,” he said while addressing an event at the historic Red Fort to mark the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the ‘Azad Hind Sarkar’ by Bose.
Donning the famous Azad Hind Fauj cap, the Prime Minister hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort and unveiled a plaque to mark the anniversary.
The plaque will be placed at barrack number three at the Red Fort where members of the Azad Hind Fauj faced trial. A museum will be also set up in the barrack.
Modi lamented that post Independence, India’s policies were based on the British system as “things were seen through British glasses”.
“Policies, including those related to education had to suffer because of this,” he said.
Modi said had India benefited from the guidance of Patel and Bose, things would have been much better. He said his government is changing that now.
“In an effort to highlight the role of one family, efforts were made to deliberately ignore and forget contributions made by others in the independence struggle, and later in creating a new India,” he said. These leaders included Sardar Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose, the Prime Minister added.
He said while Bose focused on the East and Northeast India, the two regions did not get due recognition.
Now, he said, his government is working to make the Northeast the “engine of growth”.
Hailing Bose’s spirit of nationalism, Modi said as a 16-year old, he was aggrieved at the plight of India under the British rule.
“His ideology was nationalism, he lived by nationalism,” the PM said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid homage to the martyrs on ‘Police Memorial’ at Reserve Police Lines here on Sunday on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.
“On the occasion of Police Memorial Day, I pay homage to all the martyred policemen in the country, including 67 brave policemen from Uttar Pradesh,” Adtiyanath said.
“On this day, I would like to urge these brave police personnel to implement their duties with complete honesty and dedication. The state government is expediting the recruitment process in order to deal with manpower issues,” he added.
The Police Commemoration Day is observed on this day every year in memory of the policemen martyred at Hot Springs in Ladakh by Chinese troops on October 21, 1959.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured the survivors of 1959 Ladakh’s Hot Spring attack, on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.
Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani paid tributes to the policemen killed in an ambush by Chinese troops, who had violated Indian Territory in Aksai Chin area, on this day in 1959.
The Prime Minister, marking the National Police Commemoration Day also inaugurated a 30-feet-tall and 238-tonne heavy black granite central sculpture honouring the slain troopers, a museum and a wall of valour bearing the names of over 34,800 martyred personnel.
More than 56 years after India’s war with China, villagers of Arunachal Pradesh have received nearly Rs 38 crore as compensation for the land acquired by the Army to set up its bases, bunkers and barracks.
At a special function held here, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu distributed the cheques to the villagers of West Kameng district on Friday.
“A total of Rs 37.73 crore has been given to the villagers. Those were community land. So the huge amount they received will be distributed amongst the villagers,” Rijiju told agencies.
Among those who received the cheques include Prem Dorjee Khrimey, who received Rs 6.31 crore, while Phuntso Khawa got Rs 6.21 crore andKhandu Glow received Rs 5.98crore.
After the 1962 India-China war, the Army had acquired huge tracks of land to set up its bases, bunkers, barracks, construct roads, build bridges and other installations.
However, no compensation was given to the land owners till last year.
Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, had persuaded with the Defence Ministry and got the compensation amounts sanctioned.
“Lands acquired by the Army were done innational interest, but no government has bothered to pay the compensation to the villagers of Arunachal Pradesh since the 1960s. I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharamanfor clearing it finally. Total cheques of Rs 37.73 crore were handed over,” he said.
In April 2017, Rs 54 crore was distributed among 152 families of three villages of West Kameng district. In September that year, another instalment of Rs 158 crore was distributed among the villagers for the private land taken over by the Army.
In February 2018, Rs 40.80 crore was handed over to 31 families in Tawang district.
The pending cases of land acquisition related to the districts of Tawang, West Kameng, Upper Subansiri, Dibang Valley and West Siang in Arunachal Pradesh.
