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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
State-appointed Language Advisory Committee opposes imposition of Hindi in primary schools
MUMBAI: In an exceptional move, a government-appointed committee has opposed the state's own language education policy, urging chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to roll back the decision to introduce Hindi as a compulsory third language in primary school. The Language Advisory Committee, which gives recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language, passed a resolution on Friday demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class 5. State-appointed Language Advisory Committee opposes imposition of Hindi in primary schools The resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 members of the committee. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department was also present during the meeting. 'This is the first time a government-backed body has taken such a stand against a government decision,' said committee chairman Laxmikant Deshmukh. 'We are not against Hindi or any other language, but imposing it in early schooling is neither educationally sound nor culturally appropriate. Language learning in the early years must focus on the mother tongue for strong foundational skills.' Deshmukh added that the committee had previously flagged concerns after the government's decision to make Hindi a part of the primary school curriculum but its objections were brushed aside. 'The government attempted to bypass this by presenting misleading interpretations,' he said. 'We want the government resolution on this matter to be cancelled outright.' Committee members, including renowned language expert Prakash Parab and senior Marathi writer Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi raised the issue during the meeting and received unanimous support. Joshi, a scholar and educationist, warned of deeper consequences. 'After English was introduced as a compulsory subject in primary classes in non-English-medium schools in 1999 and Marathi was introduced seven years later, children neither learned English properly nor did they master Marathi. Now, by adding Hindi or another third language early on, children's linguistic abilities will only get weaker. This is a systematic attempt to dilute Maharashtra's intellectual strength,' he said. The main functions of the Language Advisory Committee are to advise the government on the development and preservation of the Marathi language. This includes preparing new dictionaries, selecting standardised words, preparing guidelines for the use of the language and determining language policies among other things. The resolution also states that the idea of introducing a third language should only be considered after Class 5, and even then, it should remain optional. 'As an advisory committee, we strongly recommend that the government avoid introducing a third language in primary schools,' said Deshmukh. 'Doing so could negatively affect students' psychological development and undermine the cultural identity of the state. To express our concerns, we have also decided to take part in the morcha being held on July 5.'
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt's Language Advisory Committee to oppose introduction of Hindi in primary education
The Language Advisory Committee, appointed by the state government, which has been against imposition of Hindi as a third language in state schools, has now passed a resolution to oppose its introduction from Class 1. The committee members believe that it is not academically sound to introduce a third language at such a young age, when formal education of two languages just starts for children. The committee, which comprises language experts and teachers among others, passed the resolution in a meeting held in Pune on Friday. Chairman of the committee Laxmikant Deshmukh, said, 'It is unjust to put the burden of a third language on children. Ideally, there should be only one language at the beginning. But English has been made compulsory, realising its global importance and parents' demand. There is neither any justified reason nor any demand to add a third language.' Further highlighting that it is worse to make Hindi as the default third language in schools, Deshmukh said, 'Imposition of Hindi is not only confusing to children but is also a cultural onslaught. Even though they use the same script, there are major variations in the way these two languages are written. Starting from grammar rules, use of punctuation marks, sentence structures and even meanings of words, there are major differences. For example, the word 'shiksha' in Hindi means education, but in Marathi, it means punishment. This confusion at the early stage of learning a language can impact the quality of language education.' Deshmukh stated that the committee has also decided to take part in the protest against Hindi as a third language, called by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on July 5. 'The government is citing National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for these changes, which actually emphasizes the importance of education in the mother tongue. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) brings third language only from Class 6, raising questions on the state's purpose to bring third language from Class 1,' said Deshmukh while adding that the government should rather work on improving the quality of language education in state-run schools.
NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
Marriage Proposal, Rs 3.6 Crore Fraud: Indian-Origin Man Cheats Pune Woman
Pune: An Indian-origin man based in Australia has been arrested by Pune Police for allegedly creating a fake profile on a matrimonial website and cheating a woman here of Rs 3.6 crore after promising to marry her. Police on Thursday also appealed other women who might have fallen prey to a similar fraud by the conman, who posed as 'Dr Rohit Oberoi', to come forward and file a complaint. The accused, whose real name is Abhishek Shukla and who hails from Lucknow but holds an Australian passport, was arrested at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. "The woman, originally from Delhi and currently living in Pune, had created a profile on a matrimonial portal, seeking a life partner. The accused contacted her sometime in 2023, befriended her, and won her trust by promising marriage," said Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Commissioner of Police (crime). The two stayed together at various locations in Pune and other parts of India. "The woman had received Rs 5 crore as alimony from her previous marriage and was in the process of setting up a business focused on mindfulness and spirituality programs for children. Learning about her financial status, the accused lured her into a fake business proposal, claiming he would help take her venture to the international level and arrange funding," Mr Deshmukh said. Mr Shukla allegedly introduced the woman to two of his 'associates', 'Yvonne Handayani' and 'Vincent Kuan' who purportedly lived in Singapore, and convinced her to transfer money to various accounts in India and Singapore. Over a period, the woman transferred Rs 3,60,18,540, said the police official. Later, the accused claimed to have developed oral cancer, and gradually cut off contact with her. "In September 2024, the woman received an email from 'Vincent Kuan' stating that 'Dr Rohit Oberoi' had died. Suspecting wrong doing, she informed a friend, who alerted her to the possibility of a found out that she had been conned, and approached the Pune cyber police station in November 2024," additional commissioner Deshmukh said. The police ascertained that the accused's real name was Abhishek Shukla, and he was a resident of Perth, Australia. A case of cheating was registered and a Look-Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him. On Wednesday, police received information that he was arriving in Mumbai from Singapore. A team led by sub-inspector Sushil Damre apprehended Mr Shukla at the Mumbai airport and put him under arrest. "Technical analysis of the accused's digital activity showed he had messaged at least 3,194 women using the fake identity 'Dr Rohit Oberoi' through the matrimonial site. The scope of the fraud may be much larger, and further investigations are underway," Deshmukh said. Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune Cyber Police, who is investigating the case, appealed to the women who might have been conned by the accused to contact police through email ID and phone number 7058719371/75.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Australia-based IOC card holder arrested from Mumbai international airport in Rs 3.6cr matrimonial fraud
1 2 Pune: The Pune Cyber police on Wednesday arrested Abhishek Shukla (42), an Australia-based Indian Overseas Citizen (IOC) card holder, at Mumbai international airport for allegedly duping a 40-year-old divorcee and software firm employee from Kharadi of Rs 3.6 crore in a matrimonial fraud in 2023-24. According to the police, the two came in contact with each other after the woman, a mother of two hailing from Delhi, uploaded her profile on a matrimonial website in 2023. She lodged a complaint with the police last Nov. "Our team arrested Shukla from the Mumbai international airport early Wednesday morning after receiving information from the immigration officers there. Earlier, we had opened a look out circular (LOC) against him, and he travelled to Mumbai from Singapore," additional commissioner of police (crime) Pankaj Deshmukh said. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The officer said, "Shukla holds Australian citizenship, has a PhD in business management and is married to an Australian woman. His interrogation revealed that he used a fake matrimonial profile to contact 3,194 women on the website. We suspect the number of women cheated by him will go up, and more victims may approach us with their complaints as we continue our investigation." Shukla was produced before a city court, which ordered his custodial remand till June 29. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Worst Home Items That People Own, Ranked CleverClassic Undo The victim had stated in her complaint that after she uploaded her profile on the matrimonial website, a man claiming to be "Dr Rohit Oberoi" contacted her, expressing interest in marriage. They started chatting and he later visited India, telling her he was a doctor based in Perth, Australia. As they discussed marriage plans, he gained access to her personal and financial information, the police said. "The man promised to invest her money in startup firms with assured high returns, convincing her that he could scale her business to an international level. He arranged for alleged investors, identified as Ivon Handayani and Vincent Kuan, claiming they were based in Singapore. It was, however, a fake and manipulated setup," Deshmukh said. The victim trusted him and transferred money to the bank accounts he provided, which turned out to be mule bank accounts used to facilitate the fraud, Deshmukh said. The victim had received Rs 5 crore in alimony from her first husband. "Of this money, she invested Rs 3.6 crore," Deshmukh said. "After receiving the money, 'Oberoi' stopped communicating with her, citing oral cancer. A few days later, the victim received emails from Handayani and Kuan, who claimed to be Oberoi's partners. The email stated that Oberoi died of cancer," the officer said. The victim then discussed her 'investment' and cheating with her friend, who found it fishy and asked her to approach the police. Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde, sub-inspector Sushil Damare and others studied the online profile of the suspect carefully and wrote emails to the firm operating the matrimony website. The firm provided details, including the registered email ID and cellphone phone details used by the suspect to handle the profile. The police team also studied the bank account details and realised that the suspect's name was not Oberoi. "Our team realised that the suspect was based in Perth, Australia, and he was not Oberoi. His real name was Abhishek Shukla, originally from Lucknow. After obtaining these details, we opened the LOC, leading to his arrest" Deshmukh said.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
'Won trust with marriage promise': Australian PIO held for duping Pune woman of Rs 3.6cr; may have conned many
NEW DELHI: Pune police have arrested an Indian-origin man from Australia for duping a woman of Rs 3.6 crore by promising to marry her. The accused, Abhishek Shukla, who holds an Australian passport, was arrested at Mumbai airport on Wednesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to officials, Shukla created a fake matrimonial website and posed as Dr Ronit Oberoi. The police have appealed to other women who may have fallen prey to similar fraud by the conman to come forward and file a complaint. Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune Cyber Police, who is investigating the case, urged any other victims to contact the police via email at [ (mailto: or by calling 7058719371 / 7058719375. "The woman, originally from Delhi and currently residing in Pune, had created a profile on a matrimonial portal seeking a life partner. The accused contacted her sometime in 2023, befriended her, and won her trust by promising marriage," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pankaj Deshmukh. The two reportedly stayed together at various locations in Pune and other parts of India, he added. "The woman had received Rs 5 crore as alimony from her previous marriage and was in the process of setting up a business focused on mindfulness and spirituality programs for children. Learning about her financial status, the accused lured her into a fake business proposal, claiming he could help take her venture to the international level and arrange funding," Deshmukh said. According to police, Shukla allegedly introduced the woman to two of his so-called 'associates,' *Yvonne Handayani* and *Vincent Kuan*, who purportedly lived in Singapore. He convinced her to transfer money to various accounts in India and Singapore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Over time, the woman transferred Rs 3,60,18,540. Later, the accused claimed he had developed oral cancer and gradually cut off contact. "In September 2024, the woman received an email from 'Vincent Kuan' stating that 'Dr. Ronit Oberoi' had died. Suspecting foul play, she informed a friend, who alerted her to the possibility of fraud. She then realised she had been conned and approached the Pune Cyber Police Station in November 2024," Deshmukh said. Police confirmed the accused was a resident of Perth, Australia. A case of cheating was registered, and a Look-Out Circular was issued against him. Police received information that he was arriving in Mumbai from Singapore. A team led by Sub-Inspector Sushil Damre apprehended Shukla at Mumbai airport and placed him under arrest. "Technical analysis of the accused's digital activity revealed he had messaged at least 3,194 women using the fake identity 'Dr. Ronit Oberoi' through the matrimonial site. The scope of the fraud may be much larger, and further investigations are underway," Deshmukh said.
