Latest news with #ZillaParishad
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
How a Maharashtra village is using tax waivers to woo children to its Zilla Parishad school
Addressing the issue of the declining number of enrolments in village government schools has been a cause of concern for authorities. A panchayat in Maharashtra's Amravati district has offered a new carrot — Send your child to the local Zilla Parishad (ZP) school, and waive your property tax and water tax for the year. Sayat panchayat has come up with the exciting offer as the strength of its primary school, which once used to be the heart of the village's educational system with 90 children until three years ago, today has shrunk to just 38 students. 'It's quite disheartening to see empty classes,' said Amol Akhade, the Sayat ZP school's headmaster. 'Private English medium schools, often called 'convent schools' locally, have become the new aspiration for parents. Even families with modest incomes are willing to stretch their budgets, believing these schools offer their children a better future, and this is one of the main reasons for reduced enrollments in public schools,' added Akhade. The response was immediate. 'Within days of announcing the tax waiver scheme on June 24, six families enrolled their children. It may seem like a small number, but for a school fighting for survival, every child matters,' said Annapurna Mankar, the Sayat village sarpanch. When admissions for the 2024-25 academic year showed only five children enrolling in the first grade, the village knew something had to be done. 'After seeing the abysmally low admissions this year, the villagers and gram panchayat members together decided to take this decision,' said Mankar. 'So we came up with this simple yet unprecedented initiative to reward families who choose the government school,' she added. Nasir Shah, one of the parents who enrolled their daughter after the decision told The Indian Express, 'Being a mason, a low-paying job, my wife and I both need to be at work for the whole day to make up the month's financial needs and are not able to take care of our daughter's studies. The ZP school provides free and quality education, along with mid-day meals. Now, considering the gram panchayat's new initiative to waive taxes, we decided to drop the private school option.' The tax waiver is just one part of a larger transformation happening at Sayat ZP School. Recognising that parents want English education for their children, the school has become 'semi-English,' Mankar said. 'We are a team of three faculty members, and to retain students, we are giving our best by paying special attention to each child. The school also runs a regular mid-day meal programme and carries out extracurricular activities like meditation, cultural programmes, dance, and others to make learning enjoyable,' said Prashant Bhakre, assistant teacher. The village panchayat is also investing in better infrastructure, with fresh paint, and focusing on regular maintenance to make the school more attractive and be able to compete with private schools. Beyond the statistics lies another aspect of the issue. Akhade pointed out that family problems often affect children's education. 'In most cases, a fight between husband and wife usually affects their children, where either of the partners leaves the village and takes their children away. This contributes to both low enrollment and increasing dropout rates,' the headmaster said. 'So the school staff has learned to be more than just teachers. We're counsellors, mentors, and sometimes the stable presence in children's lives when everything else seems uncertain. From convincing parents for admissions to opening their bank accounts for scholarship-eligible students, we try to make their experience hassle-free,' added Bhakre. Akhade said it will take at least a year before the real impact becomes visible. But already, there are signs of hope. 'Now that parents are opting for ZP schools, we feel energised, and it has given us more energy to teach,' he remarked. 'The village is now running awareness campaigns to spread the word about both the tax benefits and the improvements being made to the school. A detailed list of eligible families has been prepared, and the tax waivers for the previous financial year are being processed,' said Mankar.
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
From 'heroine' to 'we gave you everything': MLA Lonikar not new to controversies
JALNA: BJP MLA and former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Lonikar, under flak for his "we gave you everything" remark, is no stranger to controversies, landing himself in legal trouble and BJP in a tight spot. He had not spared his political opponents as well as government officials. The latest row erupted after Lonkiar told a gathering of farmers in his assembly constituency Partur in Jalna district that "people who criticise his party and government should know they are getting clothes, shoes, mobile, monetary benefits of schemes and money for sowing because of us". Amid backlash, the former minister said he was ready to say sorry "100 times". In February 2020, Lonikar allegedly termed the local tehsildar a "heroine" at a public event. "If farmers want aid of Rs 25,000 from the government, we can organise the biggest rally in Marathwada with 25,000 to 50,000 people. If Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members agree, we can even call Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrakant Patil, and Sudhir Mungantiwar. You name it, even a heroine. If not, we have our tehsildar madam as the heroine," he had said. He had also allegedly abused an MSEDCL engineer after power supply to his bungalow in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was cut off over purported unpaid dues.
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Make all arrangements for Brahmotsavam: MP
Anantapur: MP Ambika Lakshminarayana on Friday visited Googudu village in Narpala mandal in connection with the Googudu Kullai Swamy Brahmotsavam. He inspected the traffic parking areas and the mineral water plant being constructed with the funds of the MP. He also inspected the drainage facility, newly laid borewell and pipeline works being constructed with the funds of the Zilla Parishad. He toured the entire village and issued appropriate instructions to the officials regarding sanitation. He asked the DSP about the steps to be taken for traffic control. He instructed the temple EO Shobha to make arrangements so that the devotees do not face any inconvenience. The MPDO and AE RWS have been instructed to take up the sanitation work intensively from Saturdat and complete the work within two days. The AE Electricity has been instructed to provide uninterrupted power supply during the Brahmotsavam period. Senior TDP leaders Alam Venkata Narasa Naidu, Akula Anjaneyulu, Jaffer Vali, Narasimhulu, Rajanna, Obulesu and others participated in this programme.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam to issue Aadhaar Cards for adults only through District Commissioners: CM Sarma
To ensure that no illegal immigrant obtains an Aadhaar card, the Assam government has decided to implement a rule where Aadhaar cards for adults will only be issued by the District Commissioners (DCs), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday. The move comes as part of the government's ongoing efforts to tighten security and prevent illegal infiltration in the state. CM Sarma made the announcement following a state cabinet meeting that discussed the new measures. He further said that the decision to tighten Aadhaar issuance rules would aid the state government's efforts to safeguard its demographic profile. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You will never turn off your computer again. Undo "Last night, we pushed back 20 more Bangladeshis as part of our ongoing efforts to detect and push back illegal infiltrators. Very soon, we will implement a decision where Aadhaar cards for adult citizens will be issued only by DCs. This will ensure that no illegal immigrant can get an Aadhaar made and we can track and push them back easily," Himanta Biswa Sarma said. "We will make a decision on it in the next cabinet meeting," the Assam Chief Minister added. Live Events The Assam Cabinet, chaired by CM Sarma, also approved the allotment of government land for 942 infrastructure projects across urban areas in 11 districts under Mission Basundhara 3.0 . "The state cabinet also approved the allotment of government land to be followed by settlement in favour of 1,977 non-government educational, religious, and socio-cultural institutions across 12 districts under Mission Basundhara 3.0. The state cabinet has approved the amendment of certain provisions of the Assam Panchayat (Constitution) Rules,1995," CM Sarma said. "It is proposed that the reservation of the offices of President/Vice President of Zilla Parishad for SC, ST and women shall be done by way of lottery and rotation after excluding the Zilla Parishad in which the office of the President/Vice President has already been reserved for SC and ST by way of lottery and rotation. The process of the lottery shall be conducted in a public and open manner, in the presence of representatives from political parties, administrative officials, and all concerned stakeholders. This will bring equitable opportunity for all the Zilla Parishad Constituencies having Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes representation," he added. The State Cabinet also approved the Moran Autonomous Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, to amend the Preamble and key provisions of the Moran Autonomous Council Act, 2020, for effective governance and uplift of the Moran community. The State Cabinet approved the Matak Autonomous Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, to amend the Matak Autonomous Council Act, 2020, for the development of the Matak community.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP MLA Bamb alleges Rs 4.7-cr irregularities in ZP works in Gangapur
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: BJP MLA Prashant Bamb, who represents the Gangapur assembly constituency, on Friday accused officials from the Zilla Parishad's construction and finance departments of being involved in financial irregularities worth Rs 4.7 crore in govt-funded development works. The MLA alleged that bills were raised for road and school building works that were either incomplete or never started on the ground. He demanded registration of FIRs against all govt officials involved in the alleged siphoning of development funds. Bamb, in the morning, reached out to ZP CEO Ankit and made a representation, while expressing serious displeasure over turning a blind eye to his complaint against the alleged irregularities. Later, he addressed the press and alleged that records showed completion of eight road projects and several school buildings across the Gangapur-Khultabad constituency. "On site, many of these works haven't even begun. In some cases, bills for entire work amounts were cleared without executing a single rupee worth of work," he alleged. The MLA shared documents, GPS-tagged site photos and other material to substantiate his claims and said said important documents like GPS photos, site measurements, vouchers and asphalt invoices were not verified before approving payments. Bamb said certain officers were now attempting to dispose of properties in a bid to destroy evidence. "This matter involves senior ZP officials. I will pursue this in court," he said, adding that bills for school compound walls were passed using old photographs. "I repeatedly complained to the then ZP CEO about these issues, but no action was taken," Bamb alleged. In response, ZP executive engineer (construction) Sukhadev Kakad said, "An inquiry is already under way into the complaints. A report will be submitted within eight days. Our department randomly checks 5% of the works. If any errors occurred inadvertently, we accept that."
