RTI Act a weapon for Adivasi women
Speaking at a virtual awareness programme, she noted that women in tribal regions often face challenges due to illiteracy and lack of awareness and access to information. However, by identifying and training active and enthusiastic tribal women, it is possible to cultivate a culture of questioning and creating awareness.
She explained that once equipped with knowledge of the RTI Act, these women could play a key role in solving local issues by helping others access critical information.
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News18
an hour ago
- News18
Task force formed to find out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Tripura: CM
Agartala, Jul 20 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said his government has constituted a special task force to find out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the northeastern state. His comment comes a day after Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma revealed the formation of a special task force by the West Tripura district police to 'detect and deport' the illegal immigrants staying in the state, to their country of origin. 'The Centre has already decided to accept those people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have taken refuge in India before 2014 due to religious persecution, he told the reporters. He was referring to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which paves the way for granting Indian nationality to undocumented non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who came to India before December 31, 2014. 'There are attempts to create confusion on the issue. We have already constituted a special task force to identify if there is any influx or infiltration after December 2014. We will not accept those who came after December 2014 as per the Centre's decision and have been staying here illegally," he said. Notably, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited a delegation of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) for a meeting on July 23 to discuss the concerns raised by it about the possible enrolment of illegal immigrants in Tripura's electoral rolls. Debbarma, in a social media post on Saturday, said, 'After we raised our concerns about possible enrolment of illegal immigrants in Tripura's voter roll and demanded a Bihar-like Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India has called us for a meeting on July 23 to discuss these issues." PTI PS BDC (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 20:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
How Trinamool Congress keeps a tight grip on colleges in West Bengal
The alleged rape of a student at a law college in Kolkata last month brought into focus a well-known West Bengal secret: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders' control of colleges in the state, largely through their governing bodies (GBs). In his latest visit to the state, which goes to the polls next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday raised 'the state of the education sector' in Bengal, specifically the school jobs scam. 'What is happening in West Bengal is worrying. Be it primary education or higher education, the situation is the same everywhere. Thousands of teachers have lost their jobs because of grassroots corruption … Trinamool has put both the present and future of Bengal in crisis,' he said at a rally in Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district. The Indian Express looked at several colleges in and around Kolkata, some of which are affiliated to the University of Calcutta (CU), where TMC leaders wield influence in the governing bodies. Following the case of alleged rape at the law college, it emerged that the main accused, Monojit Mishra, is a member of the TMC's student wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and was appointed a 'casual' clerical staffer after he graduated. A TMC MLA heads the college's governing body. Some MLAs and ministers, in fact, are the governing body presidents of multiple colleges. To questions about how this affects academic and administrative freedom in these institutions, the TMC points out that the appointments are well within the rules. The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017, which sets out the rules on governing bodies, says in Article 5(3) that their tenure will be 'determined by the State Government from time to time'. As a result, many of these GBs have remained unchanged for over half a decade, with the government routinely extending their tenure every six months. The structure of these 10-member bodies is also such that it allows the government to stack them with people whom it either directly nominates or those who are closely linked to the TMC. Only four elected members make it to the governing bodies — three teachers and one non-teaching staff representative — and often, they too have links to the ruling party. Since student union elections have not been held in colleges for the past several years, the post of student representative continues to remain vacant. Some TMC leaders and the college governing bodies they are presidents of are: The Indian Express reached out to all of them but received no response. 'Principals are now sandwiched between politics and college administration. There is no freedom to work,' said a college principal who refused to be identified. A recurring complaint among principals is the lack of change in the governing bodies. 'The GB in my college was last officially formed in 2018. Every six months, the government sends an extension order,' said Dr Satya Upadhyay, principal of Calcutta Girls' College. However, he added, that despite TMC MP Haque heading the college governing body, he didn't face any pressure. 'We sometimes have differences of opinion, but we end up finding a solution. You cannot take politics out of campuses,' Upadhyay said. Last month, after the principal of Kolkata's Rani Birla Girls' College, Srabanti Bhatacharya, initiated the election of teaching and non-teaching staff representatives to the GB — which has been unchanged for seven years — a government nominee dropped in a day before voting was to take place. The election was subsequently cancelled, with Bhattacharya hospitalised on complaint of acute chest discomfort. In a letter, the faculty and other staff members alleged that the government nominee had put pressure on the principal to halt the election. 'Those who don't listen to orders face consequences. Many principals have been suspended because of differences. For instance, it happened in Purulia Raghunathpur College because the principal didn't listen to the GB,' claimed former All Bengal Principals' Council president and retired AJC Bose College principal Purna Chandra Maity. Alleged political interference in colleges also extends beyond GB appointments, with instances of former leaders and general secretaries of TMCP getting appointed to non-teaching positions. In one instance, a powerful TMCP leader became the head clerk at Ashutosh College and a former general secretary was appointed the college accountant, said a source. This shows an 'urgent need for comprehensive reforms to restore academic autonomy and ensure transparent, democratic governance in colleges', said a college principal, who did not wish to be identified. Another feature of the political limbo on college campuses is the absence of regular student union elections. 'Non-functional student unions give the TMCP all the advantage,' said a CU official. 'College authorities also treat the TMCP unit as the students' union. Every college used to have a separate fund for these unions, and that now goes to the outfit.' Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president Indranil Khan alleged that 'over-politicisation of campuses' by the TMC had 'ruined the academic atmosphere'. 'Such people control colleges, admissions, and examinations. They would never nominate a fair academic to the governing body, as then they will not be able to rig elections,' he said. CPI(M) student wing SFI's All India Joint Secretary Dipsita Dhar accused the TMC of running a monopoly in colleges. 'The whole idea of having a governing body without a student in it is antithetical to internal democracy. Sadly, in Bengal, colleges have turned into a source of income for the Trinamool nexus,' she said. The institutional control of universities and educational institutions, however, is not exclusive to the TMC years. It was a source of consternation for the middle classes during the three-decade Left rule, too. In Economic and Political Weekly in June 2011, economist Pranab Bardhan, analysing the fall of the CPI(M), mentioned its all-pervasive control of institutions, including colleges and universities, and the damage it caused. 'The appointments and promotions in colleges and universities, directly orchestrated from the party office in Alimuddin Street and screened for party loyalty, decimated Bengal's long-enjoyed advantage in academic, intellectual and professional pursuits,' he wrote. TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya defended the extended term of the general bodies, saying it was within the rules. 'I do not understand the problem if the GB president is a political person and is efficient. For example, Dr Shashi Panja is so efficient. Also, not all college GBs are in the party's control,' he said.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
CPI Idukki passes motion on ailing public health sector
Party district conference held in Kattappana, Idukki on Sunday re-elects K. Salim Kumar as the new district secretary Amid the perception that Kerala's public health sector is number one in the country, the Communist Party of India (CPI), an ally of the ruling party, has stated that the public health sector in the district is in a deplorable condition. A resolution was passed at the district conference of the CPI in Kattappana, Idukki on Sunday, stating that the lack of doctors across primary health centres and the Idukki Medical College poses a serious issue for the health sector. 'Most of the hospitals in the district are suffering from a lack of basic amenities. Due to the absence of a better health care system in the hilly district, the people are forced to depend on other districts. The government should take immediate steps to appoint more doctors and paramedical staff in the government hospitals in the district,' said the memorandum. The conference also demanded the State government's immediate intervention to solve the issues in the Cardamom Hills Reserve (CHR) in the district. Meanwhile, talking to the media, Revenue Minister K. Rajan said that the rules of the Land Assignment (Amendment) Act will be applicable from the first week of August. 'A joint verification for the distribution of title deeds will begin from the first week of August. The government will take strict action against encroachers of public land. The government will not consider settled farmers and encroachers at the same level,' said Mr. Rajan. Commenting on the Thrissur Pooram disruption issue, Mr. Rajan reiterated his stance that the government's purported defense of ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar will not dampen his morale. 'We are the communists born in fire,' said Mr. Rajan. Meanwhile, the party re-elected K. Salim Kumar as the new district secretary. The announcement was made by CPI National Executive member K.P. Rajendran while addressing the elected representatives at the conference. A 51-member district council and 32 representatives to the upcoming CPI State conference were also elected during the meeting. K. Salim Kumar was first elected as the CPI district secretary during the CPI district conference, which was held at Adimaly in August 2022. During the secretary election, Salim Kumar defeated former Peerumade MLA E.S. Bijimol.
