Priyanka questions U.P. school merger decision, calls it directed against Dalits, backwards
'The Uttar Pradesh government is going to close about 5,000 government schools in the name of merger. According to teacher organizations, the government intends to close about 27,000 schools. The UPA government had introduced the Right to Education Act in the country, under which a school was arranged in every village so that education could be made accessible to children from poor families. If schools are located far from homes, how will small children, especially girls, walk several kilometers to reach school? Obviously, their studies will be disrupted. Why is this right being snatched away from children,' wrote the Congress leader on X.
She added, 'this order of the BJP government is not only against the right to education but is also against the Dalit, backward, tribal, minority, poor and deprived sections,'.
Uttar Pradesh government initiated a plan to merge schools having enrolment of less than 50 students, with nearby educational facility to make the education system more functional and viable. As part of the consolidation plan, students from these schools will be accommodated in nearby facilities to ensure their continued education.
The decision faced pushback from many teachers and opposition political parties who dubbed the decision as anti-poor.
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The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Drift in India's foreign policy a matter of serious concern; time for course correction: Congress
The Congress on Thursday (July 17, 2025) accused the government of departing from India's traditional position on foreign policy matters without consulting Parliament and said it was time for recalibration, honest introspection and course correction to reclaim the country's stature globally. The main Opposition party also alleged that the government was weakening national consensus on the country's foreign policy, claiming that it had lowered and weakened the country's position globally, and demanded a comprehensive discussion on the issue in both houses of Parliament. The party also took strong exception to India abstaining on the UN Resolution on Gaza ceasefire, claiming this was not just unfortunate, but a painful and unacceptable decision. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that the 'drift' in India's foreign policy was a matter of serious concern as it had weakened India's voice in the comity of nations and suggested the government recalibrate its policy, do honest introspection and course correction in the country's foreign policy approach. He also said the Indo-U.S. trade agreement, talks for which were continuing, should be done keeping national interest foremost and no trade pact should be done under pressure. 'There's a matter of serious concern: that is a drift in our foreign policy — a visible decline of India's influence in the world and the very fact that there had been fundamental departures to the detriment of India's standing in the comity of nations at the United Nations,' Mr. Sharma said at a press conference. The Congress leader called for a comprehensive debate on India's foreign policy matters in Parliament and said no country in a democracy avoids or evades a discussion on its foreign policy. '...more damage is done by being non-transparent or opaque and not communicating with their own country first in a correct manner, so that we retain the strength of our voice in global affairs. Today, the multilateral world order of governance is under siege,' he said. 'Foreign policy of a country and in case of India, historically, is meant to promote India's national interest and also to take our worldview to our strategic partner countries to mobilise in support of what we feel is right and what would serve the larger cause of peace and humanity,' Mr. Sharma, a former Union Minister who handled key ministries including commerce and external affairs, said. Foreign policy, as it had evolved since Independence, always had the backing of a broad-based national consensus, he said, adding that it had never been captive or hostage to partisan politics. The Congress leader said the government of the day had the mandate to make decisions, but when it came to foreign policy, it involved everyone, and that's why consensus was important. 'Unfortunately, that national consensus has been weakened in recent years, if not completely broken many occasions the government has arbitrarily chosen to depart from India's traditional positions without consulting either the Parliament or informing it,' he alleged. Mr. Sharma said India commanded an authority and respect in the world not because 'we were a major economic or military power, but because we had the moral authority'. 'We were acknowledged as a voice of humanity. And that's why wherever the crisis came in the world, those affected countries looked up to India. Unfortunately, that's no more the case,' he noted, adding that it was up to the government that how it retrieves India's standing and rebuilds national consensus. 'Looking at the situation as it is, it's time for recalibration, honest introspection, and course correction in our foreign policy approach,' the former Union Minister asserted. Stressing that equally important and integral to this was the neighbourhood policy, he said India was acknowledged as the pre-eminent power of South Asia. 'Nobody can say that today. It's for us to rethink our strategy, to engage in a manner that despite the challenges and complexities of the neighbourhood, India regains its strength and standing in its own region.' 'Our advice to the government will also be that while engaging with the neighbourhood, we have to be cautious. A foreign policy is meant to engage with other sovereign countries. It must not be linked to the furtherance of any domestic, partisan or political agendas,' he stressed, cautioning 'that would be not only a mistake but a blunder'. 'Our purpose is not to just criticise or score points. It is to caution, to share our concerns,' he said. Mr. Sharma also said that on June 12, when the UN General Assembly discussed the issue of Israeli attacks on Gaza and a resolution for immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities was brought on the matter and voted upon, 149 countries voted for the resolution, while India, the land of Gandhi, chose to abstain and didn't vote for peace and ceasefire. 'That's painful and unacceptable. This one action diminished India's credibility as the leader of the Global South. All the countries of the Global South voted for peace. How come the leader did not?' he asked. Mr. Sharma claimed that not just the Global South, major European countries, including two permanent UN members, as well as 'our traditional partners in BRICS, all four', voted in favour of a ceasefire. 'These countries in Europe also have good relations with Israel and the U.S., yet they voted for humanity, but we did not,' he said, adding that this was a fundamental departure from India's traditional position. 'We would urge the government that they should, as we wish to be, reclaim our moral standing as the voice of the Global South by speaking on this and prevail on our strategic and traditional partners to work for bringing peace in Gaza and the region,' the Congress leader said.
Mint
17 minutes ago
- Mint
Direct tax law simplification to set stage for fresh reforms
New Delhi: The Income Tax Bill 2025, set to be moved in the monsoon session of Parliament to simplify the direct tax law, will set the stage for another round of reforms which will be more substantive in nature in subsequent years, said two people informed about the discussions in the government The finance ministry is of the view that once the over-six-decade-old Income Tax Act, 1961 is simplified and made more readable, targeted reforms can be achieved in taxation of personal and corporate income. This will be done through the annual Finance Acts, said one of the persons quoted above. Key tax disputes await reform Major areas of dispute set to be ironed out in the future include how multinational corporations value their cross-border transactions with group entities, which in turn has an impact on the profits offered for taxation in India. Reforms may also target disputes on whether certain income is to be classified as capital gain or as business income; eligibility of tax exemptions; and existence of a business presence or 'permanent establishment' in India by offshore companies which make profits attributable to them taxable in India, according to experts. 'The new Income Tax law has to be implemented from 1 April 2026, not from 'a date to be notified,' – the usual language used in framing laws. Once the new law is in place, further reforms can be considered but it has to be weighed against the need for not further complicating the law," said the person quoted above, who spoke on condition of not being named. Read more: Simplify GST: It's time for a single all-India identification mandate The government has received suggestions for reforms not just for simplifying the income tax law, but on more substantive issues as well, said the person. 'The current legislative effort is restricted to just rewriting and renumbering of the direct tax law while emerging tax challenges have to be addressed separately in future," explained Ved Jain, former President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Jain gave an example from the arena of digital economy – specifically, the virtual delivery of services from across the border and its taxation. 'This is increasingly becoming relevant as physical presence is becoming less relevant for delivery of services," said Jain. Select committee report finalized A third person, who also spoke on condition of not being named said that the Lok Sabha select committee formed to examine the income tax bill, led by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Baijayant Panda, met on Wednesday to finalize its report. 'The committee unanimously approved the report, which is tentatively scheduled for tabling in Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session," the person said, adding that the report entails about 285 suggestions. The monsoon session is set to begin on Monday. The select committee's recommendations for modification cover sections dealing with undisclosed income as well as definitions of beneficial owner, capital asset, associated enterprise and investment funds but retains the other concepts and provisions in the draft bill as tabled by the government, said a fourth person, who also spoke on condition of not being named. The Select Committee left provisions relating to taxes deducted at source (TDS) and income deemed to arise in India largely untouched with only marginal changes, this person said. The concept of tax year is left unchanged in the committee's report, this person said. The draft bill introduced the concept of tax year to specify the year of earning income for which the tax liability is computed. Read more: Tax rules for F&O, intraday, and stock trading—what you must know Queries emailed to the finance ministry, the Central Board of Direct Taxes and to the Select Committee on Wednesday seeking comments for the story remained unanswered at the time of publishing. Jain said one issue that should ideally be addressed by the Select Committee is the concern around the power of tax officials to access the computer systems of assesses by overriding the access code in certain circumstances, as was provided in the draft bill. The draft bill explicitly allowed officials to gain access to any computer system or virtual digital space by overriding the access code to get information, with permission from superiors. The select committee approved the government's proposal on such access to information, with minor change in wordings. The committee also sought to remove ambiguity in drafting the bill across sections, including on the issue of securing tax refunds. Experts have several suggestions for further reforms. 'The New Income-tax Bill, 2025, while being positioned as a simplification and modernization of India's tax code, has not addressed several expectations and long-standing demands raised by industry bodies, tax professionals, and taxpayers," said Amit Maheshwari, Tax Partner AKM Global, a tax and consulting firm. These expectations include rationalization and simplification of the capital gains tax regime—unifying holding periods, tax rates, and treatment across asset classes, explicit exclusions or clearer thresholds for General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), especially in cases involving commercial substance, liberalized and clearer rules for non-resident status and mandatory time limits for disposal of appeals, said Maheshwari. 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News18
20 minutes ago
- News18
'Insult': Rahul Gandhi's Photo On Sanitary Pad Packets Sparks Row In Bihar, Congress Reacts
Last Updated: Congress will distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women in Bihar with Rahul Gandhi's photo under the Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana. Chirag Paswan condemned it. Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress announced on Friday that it will distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women. The sanitary pads will have a picture of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The initiative, called Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana, aims to raise menstrual hygiene awareness and is part of the Congress's broader women-centric outreach. While addressing a press conference in Patna, Congress State President Rajesh Ram said that the party will launch a campaign through the Mahila Congress to distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women, while also promoting awareness about health issues among them. 'We are going to launch a campaign through Mahila Congress to distribute sanitary pads to women, and our target is to reach 5 lakh women. Mahila Congress members will also spread awareness about health issues," he said. What seemed to be a key election strategy by the Congress in Bihar, inspired by the film 'Padman', to woo women voters by distributing sanitary pads, has triggered a full-fledged controversy in the state. BJP Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called the decision to have Rahul Gandhi's photo on the sanitary pad 'an insult to women", emphasising that 'Congress is an anti-women party, and the women of the state will teach Congress and RJD a lesson." 'It is a good thing that the Congress party is distributing sanitary pads, but having Rahul Gandhi's photo on them is completely inappropriate. I condemn this," he said. Meanwhile, Congress leader Alka Lamba responded to the controversy, emphasising the real issue of menstrual hygiene in Bihar. She criticises the BJP's stance as anti-women, highlighting the need to address the root problem of women using cloth during menstruation and facing health risks. 'In the modern era, the question should not be why Rahul ji's photo was put on the sanitary napkin box—the real question is why our daughters in Bihar are still forced to use cloth during menstruation, becoming victims of serious diseases? BJP's thinking has always been anti-women," she posted on X. The Assembly elections in the state are expected to take place in October or November this year. view comments First Published: July 04, 2025, 16:59 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.
