Sign language elective subject in Class XI
Assam has introduced Indian Sign Language as an elective subject for Class XI students, the first state to do so. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hopes it will benefit students with hearing issues. Seventy students have already selected that subject this year. Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta described the step as a forward-thinking move. He stated that under the guidance of Sarma and Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, the National Education Policy 2020 aims to promote inclusive education, equipping students with future-ready skills while integrating empathy and real-world connections.
Eye on polls, political focus on Bodoland
The autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will face elections later this year, and it's no wonder that the political focus has shifted to the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) that the BTC administers. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who recently inaugurated several projects in BTR, plans to spend the first week of July in the region. The visit is 'less political, more development-oriented', he assures. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also visited Kokrajhar, the Bodo heartland, to address a rally. The BJP and the United People's Party Liberal, which are jointly in power in the BTC, and the Congress will contest separately.
Proposed hydel project met with stiff opposition
A 55 MW hydropower project, conceived by Assam and Meghalaya on the Kulsi River at the interstate border, is facing opposition. Thousands of people from both states took out a march two days ago to oppose it. They are concerned about the environmental implications following reports that the project involves constructing a mega dam, which would result in the eviction of the area's residents. The decision on the project was taken by the two chief ministers in June's first week. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma then stated, 'Assam and Meghalaya will develop the Kulsi Irrigation project to benefit our farmers, which Assam will fund.'
Prasanta Mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com
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News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
MP Congress Chief Jitendra Patwari Booked For 'Bribing' Man To Claim He Was Fed Faeces
Last Updated: According to Madhya Pradesh Police, the claim of being fed human excreta turned out to be fake as they were made on "Jitu Patwari's demand." Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitendra Patwari is facing legal trouble after being accused of bribing a villager to falsely claim he was forced to eat human excreta. State police have filed a case based on an affidavit in which the villager alleged that some Congress leaders took him to Patwari, who then, offering a bribe, persuaded him to make the claim against the sarpanch of Mungaoli village. Earlier on June 25, Patwari posted a video on social media platform X showing him sitting with two brothers who alleged one of them was fed human excreta. 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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Preamble not changeable yet changed during Emergency: V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar amid RSS call row
The Preamble of a Constitution is not changeable, but it was changed in 1976, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday. His remark came amid an ongoing controversy over the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) seeking removal of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble. "We must reflect", said Jagdeep Dhankhar as he reminded people that the Preamble of the Constitution was changed in 1976. (PTI) While Dhankhar agreed that the Preamble is the "seed" on which the Constitution grows, he also reminded people that it was changed during Emergency in 1976, and the the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added to it. "We must reflect," Dhankhar said, underscoring that when B R Ambedkar formulated the Constitution, he must have "surely focused on it". He also said that India is the only country that has seen the Preamble of its Constitution undergo a change. What is the Preamble row? RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has objected to the use of words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, and has sought their removal. The demand has sparked a controversy, with the BJP defending it and the Opposition calling it an insult to the Constitution and its framers. Hosabale argues that these terms were forcibly added to the Constitution and need to be reconsidered in the present times. 'Those who did such things are today moving around with the Constitution's copy. They have still not apologised... Apologise,' he said, in a veiled dig at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi. This is not the first such call seeking removal of these terms. In November last year, the Supreme Court dismissed a series of petitions challenging the 1976 amendment. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment used to bring about these modifications in the Constitution was introduced by the erstwhile Indira Gandhi-led government during Emergency, from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977. 'Mask of RSS has come off' Congress says the RSS is calling for modifications to the Preamble as it is upset that the document is not "inspired by Manusmriti". Rahul Gandhi also joined in the criticism for this call. "The mask of RSS has come off again," he said. "RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda," the Congress leader posted on X. Meanwhile, several BJP leaders have echoed the call raised by the RSS general secretary, saying secularism has been imported from the West and and does not represent Indian culture. "The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture," former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan told news agency ANI. Many other BJP leaders believe that any citizen would amplify RSS's demand as the modifications made during Emergency were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr B R Ambedkar. (With PTI, ANI inputs)
