Latest news with #Dilawar
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Start classes in new bldgs without waiting for inaugurations: Dilawar
1 2 Jaipur: School education minister Madan Dilawar Tuesday ordered immediate start of classes in newly constructed school buildings across the state without waiting for inaugurations. In a directive, issued to district education officers, Dilawar said officials should not be in any kind of confusion regarding the safety of children. "The govt is surveying the school buildings across the state, and in schools which are in dilapidated or dangerous conditions, classes should not be held. With immediate effect, classes should be held in newly constructed school buildings. The safety of children at every level is the priority of the govt." Dilawar said school heads should be extra cautious in view of the monsoon season. "The school head should also be sensitive about the safety of children at their own level. They should not be negligent in any manner." The minister announced plans for constructing toilet facilities in 2,746 schools throughout the state. These toilets will be constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin initiative. In the state, 5,840 toilets need to be constructed in 4,283 govt schools.
India Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Rajasthan school deaths Bhajan Lal Sharma's litmus test: What he must do
A crumbling school classroom roof in Piplodi village, in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, crushing seven young lives has shattered all illusions about the upkeep and development of the governmental education set-up in the state. The July 25 tragedy, triggered by monsoon rains, has again highlighted how state-run schools continue to turn death traps year after year and pleas and warnings from parents, teachers and the local media go the ill-fated school is located in Harauti region, under which education minister Madan Dilawar's assembly constituency falls, makes the failure all the more glaring. Dilawar hails from this very region where, under the previous Congress government, thousands of crores were spent on creating an ornamental riverfront in Kota while critical infrastructure, such as school buildings, decayed. Critics say this misplaced priority continues despite a regime change to the BJP in Rajasthan, the story repeats: dilapidated schools, ignored pleas, absent accountability. Within four days since July 25, dozens of schools have witnessed minor to major collapses. Most glaring has been the collapse of a school gate on July 28, which led to the death of a seven-year-old student who was waiting for his sister. The acting principal of the school in Jaisalmer had informed authorities about damaged pillars and the gate in April, warning that things could turn fatal. Even as children learn in school buildings on the brink of collapse, crores of rupees are sanctioned and sought in donations for 'world-class' stadiums. Deputy chief minister Diya Kumari's allocation of Rs 250 crore this year to repair 750 schools sounds impressive until you realise the requirement exceeds Rs 5,000 minister Bhajan Lal Sharma responded to the tragedy with directive of a state-wide school audit. He asked MLAs to earmark a fifth of their constituency development funds for school repairs and also ordered the immediate closure of schools whose buildings were see these as knee-jerk reactions that, unless followed by stringent implementation, risk becoming just another pile of unfulfilled directives caught in bureaucratic red was the speed at which the Piplodi school building was bulldozed—within hours of the bodies being pulled out. For any serious probe, the site should have been preserved for forensic examination so that blame could be of officials have followed and Dilawar has also offered to resign, but is that enough? As education minister, his focus is seen to have been more on moral policing of teachers and ideological introductions to the curricula rather than attention to the crumbling rot runs deep. Rajasthan's fractured education policy swings wildly between the BJP's government school merger plan and, earlier, the Congress's populist push for hyper-local schools, what if without adequate staff or buildings. The result: a state riddled with broken schools, many run under conflicting schemes wherein even funding for repairs becomes a bureaucratic role of panchayati raj institutions in the construction of schools has also proven to be disastrous—marked by corruption, incompetence and lack of expertise. State agencies haven't fared better. Whether schools or hospitals, civic roads or drainage, Rajasthan's public infrastructure is in systemic irony is that once the Piplodi outrage dies down, directives will lose steam, funds will stall, tenders will be delayed and cosmetic repairs will be passed off as tragedy has galvanised public anger. There have been instances of parents locking 'unsafe' schools, refusing to gamble with their children's lives. The outrage is all over. Social media has exploded with grief and fury. Hashtags demanding accountability from ministers and officials trended for days. The mainstream media, too, slammed the government for allowing state-run schools to fall into such dangerous disrepair while prioritising cosmetic blot is a damning reflection of decay. If chief minister Sharma wants to prove his leadership is different, this is his moment. He must strike at the bureaucratic rot, scrap vanity projects and put every rupee of funds where it matters. Anything less would mean more broken buildings and fearfully perhaps more bodies under their to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Deccan Herald
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Rajasthan govt announces closure of unsafe school buildings
Two days after a portion of the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed, killing seven children, the state government on Sunday announced a series of urgent measures, including closure and demolition of unsafe school buildings, GIS-mapping of all vulnerable structures, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor structural safety. School Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar, who chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials from both the departments, said a proposal of Rs 150 crore under the disaster management fund has been prepared for repair works in 7,500 schools across 170 tehsils, officials said. The move comes amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of school infrastructure, especially during the monsoon season in southeastern Rajasthan. Dilawar said a statewide survey is being conducted by the district collectors to identify the dilapidated school buildings. 'Buildings found to be structurally unsafe will be marked with a red cross and shut down immediately. These will be demolished on priority, and temporary classrooms using container units will be arranged as an interim solution," Dilawar said. In a statement, the minister said the state will create a GIS-based application linked to the Shala Darpan portal to catalogue all dilapidated and repairable buildings. The platform will also integrate AI-based monitoring to assess building safety and guide budget allocations.
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Rajasthan govt announces closure, demolition of unsafe school buildings
Jaipur, Jul 27 (PTI) Two days after a portion of the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed, killing seven children, the state government on Sunday announced a series of urgent measures, including closure and demolition of unsafe school buildings, GIS-mapping of all vulnerable structures, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor structural safety. School Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar, who chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials from both the departments, said a proposal of Rs 150 crore under the disaster management fund has been prepared for repair works in 7,500 schools across 170 tehsils, officials said. The move comes amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of school infrastructure, especially during the monsoon season in southeastern Rajasthan. Dilawar said a statewide survey is being conducted by the district collectors to identify the dilapidated school buildings. 'Buildings found to be structurally unsafe will be marked with a red cross and shut down immediately. These will be demolished on priority, and temporary classrooms using container units will be arranged as an interim solution," Dilawar said. In a statement, the minister said the state will create a GIS-based application linked to the Shala Darpan portal to catalogue all dilapidated and repairable buildings. The platform will also integrate AI-based monitoring to assess building safety and guide budget allocations. The minister also announced the creation of a quality control unit within the Samagra Shiksha scheme to supervise school construction, and ordered that all construction materials and workmanship be tested through PWD-certified labs. In case of substandard construction, the contractor and engineers will be held financially liable, he said. In a move extending beyond government institutions, Dilawar said that private schools across the state will also be surveyed for safety compliance. Checks will also include fitness and medical status of school vehicles and drivers, while first-aid and fire safety training will be provided to the school management committees. To bridge funding gaps, Dilawar said all MLAs and MPs in the state will be asked to contribute 20 per cent of their development fund towards school safety measures. Additionally, a demand will be placed with the concerned ministers to use 20 per cent of funds from Dang, Magra and Mewat development schemes for the same purpose. Meanwhile, in anticipation of heavy rainfall in southeastern Rajasthan, the district collectors have been authorised to declare school holidays in the vulnerable districts. The minister also instructed Panchayati Raj officials to conduct a review of pink toilet construction, ensure uncompromised quality in all ongoing projects, and enforce regular maintenance of public toilets. PTI AG ARI ARI view comments First Published: July 27, 2025, 23:00 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.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
7 kids die, 21 injured as classroom roof collapses in Jhalawar village
Kota/Jaipur: Seven children were killed and at least 21 injured when a classroom ceiling collapsed on them at Piplodi Govt Upper Primary School in Jhalawar district Friday morning, moments after a teacher who had been alerted to "falling brick pieces" allegedly asked them to "sit quietly". Ten of the injured students were hospitalised in a critical condition, officials said. Principal Meena Garg and four teachers were suspended for alleged negligence pending a high-level inquiry, while state school education minister Madan Dilawar owned moral responsibility for the 7.40am tragedy. "I won't engage in a blame game. Being the education minister, I am responsible for this…We will conduct a fair investigation and strict action will be taken against those found guilty. We allocated funds for the maintenance of 2,000 dilapidated govt schools in phases," Dilawar said. Late night, minister Dilawar announced that families of the deceased children will be given Rs 10 lakh each and one family member each will be given a contractual govt job. He also announced that classrooms in the new school building that would be built at the same place will be named after the deceased children. Outrage over the ceiling collapse triggered violence in Jhalawar in the evening, prompting police to baton charge groups of protesters blocking roads and pelting them with stones at Guradi Circle and outside SRG Hospital. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The victims, between 10 and 15, were among 31 students of different classes inside the classroom when cracks in the ceiling suspected to have been caused by rainwater seepage purportedly opened up before their eyes. "We told sir that pieces of the ceiling were falling on us but he ignored it," said a teary-eyed girl. Within seconds, screams of children drowned in the ominous noise of brick and mortar coming down in a heap. Villagers who had sprinted towards the school compound on seeing clouds of dust spiralling into the air were the first rescuers, sources said. Witnesses said parents frantically searched for their children in the mounds of debris. "At least 13 kids were pulled out within 20 minutes of the ceiling collapse," said village sarpanch Ram Prasad Lodha, who drove his payloader to the site to assist in the rescue. Lodha alleged that an ambulance reached the village 45 minutes after being informed of the accident. Most of the injured students were taken to hospital on motorcycles, he said. While the education minister's office said 21 students were injured, Jhalawar district education officer Narso Meena's official report mentions injuries to 24 people. Preliminary reports suggested the students had been made to wait in their classrooms instead of going to the ground for morning prayers, as usual, because it was raining at the time. The classroom's rear wall collapsed first, causing the stone-slab roof to fall on the students. The classroom whose ceiling collapsed was one of two built in 1994 with funds from the gram panchayat. "Funds were released recently for repairs. We aren't sure if the rooms built by the gram panchayat were renovated or not," said an official. Collector Ajay Singh Rathore said the district administration recently instructed the education department to draw up a list of dilapidated school buildings. Piplodi Govt Upper Primary School, whose building is three decades old, didn't figure in that list, he said. Education secretary Krishna Kunal said the school's roof had been repaired in 2023. "If a little caution were exercised, such a tragedy wouldn't have occurred. We are appealing not only to teachers but also to parents and village representatives that children should not be sent to schools with dilapidated rooms." The district administration has already razed other rundown portions of the school to avoid another potential disaster during the monsoon. Jhalawar adjoins Kota district, which school education minister Dilawar represents in the assembly. Congress demanded Dilawar's resignation, saying the tragedy occurred in the minister's backyard and on his watch. People took to social media to question the accountability of ex-CM Vasundhara Raje and her parliamentarian son Dushyant Singh also, as the family has been representing Jhalawar for nearly four decades.
