Delhi govt to build 21,000 smart classrooms in four years: Education Minister
He said that as part of reforms in the education sector, AI-based language labs and attendance systems using facial recognition will also be implemented in Delhi government schools.
Chairing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Modern School, Vasant Vihar, Sood said AI will be utilised more and more for complex and important tasks like paper checking.
'The Chromebook model will equip schools with technology,' he said, adding that under the guidance of PM Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi Government is bringing about major changes in the field of education.
Sood extended his best wishes to Modern School's Principal, Trustees, President, Secretary, parents, and students on the eve of Independence Day.
Addressing the students present, the Education Minister said that this 50-year journey of Modern School is not just a number, but a half-century-long voyage filled with their hard work, dreams, and values, which has shaped thousands of students into responsible citizens.
He described the 79th Independence Day and the school's 50th year as an opportunity for introspection, saying, "We must think about what we will give back to the country and to Delhi when we complete our education from school."
Today, India faces formidable challenges such as climate change, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, the geopolitics of semiconductors, and shortages of water and energy. To tackle these, the new generation must come forward as a confluence of Indian values and modernity, he said.
Sood further said that patriotism is not limited to just hoisting the tricolour but should also be reflected in everyday habits and discipline, such as the habit of cleanliness, following traffic rules, and respecting the rights of others.
He also mentioned that on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the "Each One Clean One" cleanliness campaign has been launched in Delhi and making it a habit is the real contribution.
The Minister quoted Gandhiji's thought, "Be the change you want to see in the world," to the children, stating that we must become the change we wish to see in our country.
Sood added that previously, IAS officers, doctors, and engineers used to emerge from government schools, and now the Delhi government is again providing facilities in government schools, which are on par with private schools.
For this purpose, the experiences and suggestions of private schools will also be taken, so that together, Delhi's education system can be taken to new heights, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
25 minutes ago
- India.com
Is It Worth Bearing Heavy Tariffs For Cheaper Russian Oil; Has India Made A Dangerous Bargain?
New Delhi: Nobel Prize-winning economist Abhijit Banerjee has urged India to reflect on the cost of cheaper Russian oil. He questioned whether paying high U.S. tariffs is worth the savings. His comments came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% extra tariff on Indian goods. The action targets India's continued large-scale purchases of discounted Russian crude. With the imposition of new tariff, Indian products entering the U.S. market will now face a total duty of 50%. This marks one of the highest rates imposed by Trump on any country. The additional tariff takes effect on August 27. The long-discussed India-US trade deal remains stalled. Washington seeks greater access to India's farm and dairy sectors, while New Delhi has held back on concessions. The impact could be severe. About $27 billion worth of Indian exports without special trade exemptions may lose competitiveness in the United States. Speaking to news agency PTI on the sidelines of an event at BML Munjal University, Banerjee said the government should weigh options carefully. He suggested exploring whether the United States would remove tariffs if India halted Russian oil imports. India remains the largest global buyer of Russian crude. In July, refiners purchased 1.6 million barrels per day. For August and September, no new orders have been placed. Black Sea oil now offers a discount of only about $2 per barrel. In 2024-25, India imported 88 million tonnes of Russian oil. This formed a large share of the 245 million tonnes of total crude imports. Oil contracts for August and September were finalised before Trump's tariff announcement on August 7. Banerjee emphasised that at a 25% tariff, some Indian exports had already lost their price advantage. Raising it to 50% may not change much for those products. He added that policy circles are already discussing a cut in Russian crude purchases. On the economy, he described the current year's outlook as weaker than expected. He cited low private investment and pressure on the middle class. He pointed to hiring freezes in major firms such as the Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) and stagnant wages in the information technology (IT) sector. These issues, he said, remain unresolved. India's seafood sector is already feeling the strain. The Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) has urged the commerce and finance ministries for urgent relief. It says nearly $2 billion in shrimp exports face serious obstacles in the U.S. market due to Trump's tariff. The SEAI seeks a 30% increase in working capital through soft loans, with interest subsidies and a 240-day moratorium on loans for pre- and post-packing operations. SEAI Secretary-General K.N. Raghavan told PTI the shrimp industry is under heavy stress and needs immediate government intervention.
India.com
25 minutes ago
- India.com
'Will address street dog issue with empathy': Delhi govt amid protests against SC directive
Delhi cm rekha gupta- File image New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to relocate all stray dogs to shelters, the city government on Tuesday said it will address the issue with 'compassion and empathy', even as animal rights activists hit the streets against the directive. Several politicians and celebrities, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, actors Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, and filmmaker Siddharth Anand have expressed their disapproval of the order. While the Delhi government said it would seek suggestions from stakeholders before framing a detailed plan to relocate street dogs, officials noted the civic bodies will start the process of implementing the apex court's order in a phased manner after Independence Day. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the relocation strategy. 'We will have to look into our resources available and also allocate a budget for the campaign. We will plan a detailed campaign and take action accordingly,' an NDMC official told PTI. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Supreme Court directive was a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy, and stressed that 'blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion'. Former Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi termed the SC directive 'institutionalisation of cruelty' and said that 'nations face deeper moral crises when they step away from empathy'. His mother, Maneka Gandhi, animal rights activist and former Union minister, on Monday called the SC directive 'impractical', 'financially unviable' and 'potentially harmful' to the region's ecological balance. On Tuesday, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vehicles were seen picking up stray dogs from several locations. However, officials clarified that this was not related to the court order, but part of usual Independence Day preparations and the dogs will be released after the celebrations. Animal lovers and caregivers from across the national capital staged a protest against the apex court's order on Tuesday, saying the move would harm street dogs and disrupt the bond they share with communities. The protest, held at Connaught Place, saw participants holding placards that read 'Beware: Kaal Bhairav is watching' and 'Stop relocation, we stand in solidarity against the SC verdict'. Many displayed a picture of Lord Shiva with a dog seated beside him, symbolising the cultural and spiritual connection between humans and animals. Some were in tears, urging authorities to 'please let them be free, they are like small kids.' About 15 animal rights activists were detained by the police and taken to a nearby police station. During the protest, there was also a scuffle between animal lovers and police personnel. Protesters argued that dogs should not be confined to shelters, pointing out that people often feed them only on specific religious occasions when priests advise it. The top court on Monday directed all the strays to be removed and put in shelters by the Delhi government and civic bodies of Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that there was an 'extremely grim' situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children. Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra, whose animal husbandry department will supervise the implementation of the SC order in the city, said the BJP government will address the stray dog issue with 'compassion and empathy'. 'We will hold a review meeting with different stakeholder departments in a couple of days. The Supreme Court has given a detailed order listing out various directions like making a helpline and shelter homes, among. 'It is a long-term exercise, and we do not want to get into it unprepared. We will properly do our research for two weeks and then start putting our plans into place,' Mishra told PTI. A senior official said the Delhi government has already started informal interactions with animal welfare bodies and activists to seek their suggestions. 'Before the Supreme Court order, the government was holding meetings to formalise a policy, but the apex court's directions have provided an outline of steps that need to be taken,' he said. An MCD official said that work on the process of relocating street dogs will begin only after next week. Another senior civic official confirmed that it will start after August 15. 'Till that time, no major work will take place because this process requires detailed planning. It has to be done in a phased manner, not in a day,' the official added. According to official data from the MCD, around 10,000 sterilisation and immunisation procedures for stray dogs are carried out on average each month. Thirteen NGOs are currently operating at 20 animal birth control centres in the city. No new proposals have been finalised yet, officials said. Some animal birth control centres in the city reported a surge in calls requesting rescue of stray dogs as well as reporting people abandoning their pet canines, while others said the situation remains unchanged. Ayesha Christine Benn from Neighbourhood Woof, an animal birth control centre, told PTI that they had been asked not to return dogs brought in for sterilisation to their original locations. Meanwhile, Krishna Devi, whose six-year-old niece Chhavi Sharma died after a stray dog attack in June, said, 'We don't want even our enemies to go through what we underwent. With the Supreme Court's decision, we believe that our child's death has not gone in vain.' 'I feel that my child is the change. I hope there are no more Chhavis who are hurt elsewhere. Nobody should go through the cruel fate we underwent,' Chhavi's aunt Devi told PTI.
Mint
25 minutes ago
- Mint
Racist attacks against Indians: Ireland President Higgins breaks silence, says ‘how we treat those who…'
Ireland President Michael D Higgins has shared an unambiguous condemnation for the recent surge in vioent attacks on Indian community in his country. In a strongly worded statement, President Higgins noted that Ireland has been shaped by 'migration', and urged 'That shared human experience should remain at the heart of how we (natives of Ireland) treat those who have come to make their lives here.' In a statement laced with both moral conviction and historical reflection, Higgins called the racist attacks on Indians 'despicable' and said they 'stand in stark contradiction to the values that we as a people hold dear.' He stressed that such behaviour 'diminishes all of us' and obscures the immense contributions Indians have made to Irish society. The comments by the Irish President come after three disturbing attacks on Indians in recent weeks. In July, an Indian man in Dublin was stabbed, stripped naked, and left bleeding on the street by a group of teenagers while on his way to pray. On 6 August, another Indian man was beaten and robbed while cycling to work in Dublin. That same day, a six-year-old Indian girl in Waterford was punched and verbally abused by a group of boys. President Higgins said these racist assaults were not isolated incidents but acts that corrode the very principles of hospitality and friendship that have long been hallmarks of Irish identity. The Irish President expressed 'deep gratitude' for the 'immense contribution' the Indian community has made to Ireland's public life — particularly in medicine, nursing, the caring professions, culture, business, and enterprise. President Higgins described their presence as 'a source of enrichment and generosity' and recalled historic ties between the two nations, including shared struggles for independence, the role of Irishwoman Margaret Cousins in founding the All India Women's Conference, and cooperation during the drafting of both countries' constitutions. Higgins drew a sharp parallel between Ireland's past and its present, noting that generations of Irish emigrants carried their culture abroad and often depended on the kindness of strangers. 'That shared human experience should remain at the heart of how we treat those who have come to make their lives here,' he said, warning that to forget it would mean 'losing a part of ourselves.' President Higgins cautioned against the 'poisoning' of public spaces, including social media, with hate speech and incitement to violence, saying such messages not only harm individuals but erode the 'most fundamental and enduring instincts of Irishness.' These instincts, Higgins stressed, are rooted in hospitality, friendship, and care for others — and must apply 'without exception' to all who form part of Irish society. In light of the attacks, the Ireland India Council announced the postponement of its annual 'India Day' celebrations in Dublin, traditionally held around Indian Independence Day. Co-chairman Prashant Shukla said the current climate was 'not conducive' to holding the event safely. Shukla's comments followed a meeting with Irish Deputy Prime Minister Tánaiste Simon Harris, who condemned the violence and praised the Indian community's 'very positive contribution' to the country. The council will review the situation before setting a new date for the event.
