
West Bengal: Thousands of jobless 'untainted' teachers hold march
Nabanna Abhijan
" (Nabanna March) on Monday, demanding segregation of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates and to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat, Nabanna. A team of 20 persons, from the protesters, were allowed to meet Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to submit their demands and hold a meeting.
The protesters were stopped by police, as they were approaching Nabanna by 10-foot iron barricades and three tier security arrangements. conduct sit-in protests after being stopped by police.
After the meeting, the protesting 'untainted' candidates were not happy and claimed that the meeting was not satisfactory. The Education Secretary was also present at the meeting.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini
Limfoma
Klik Di Sini
Undo
The protest by the SSC candidates were organised under the banner, 'Joggo Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha — a platform of 'untainted' candidates, which wanted a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and demanded publication of segregated list of 'tainted' and untainted' candidates.
Thousands of protesting candidates from various parts of the state had gathered and tried to head towards the state secretariat, leading to heated exchanges with police and scuffle.
Live Events
A large police deployment was made with police and Rapid Action Force (RAF), who were ready with tear gas and water cannons on standby. Drones were used for monitoring even as the police personnel formed a human barricade.
'The state government stands by the tainted but not us. We wanted a meeting with the Chief Minister. But Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was in the meeting,' a protestor said.
Chinmoy Mondal, who also met the Chief Secretary today, said, 'After one and half years, why did we have to go for 'Nabanna Abhijan'? Why were no meetings held with us? You are instigating us…You are supporting the corrupt and tainted as you have taken money from the candidates.'
'The WBSSC should publish a list of untainted teachers by 12 am today. There is no question of taking the examination after ten years, another protester said.
Mehboob said, 'Education Secretary was present. They tried to avoid publishing a list of eligible candidates. They are pushing the responsibility on us. We are not responsible for corruption. We have demanded to immediately publish the list.'
HC reserves order on SSC weightage criteria
A hearing on the petition challenging the new rules on "weightage criteria" by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for fresh recruitment in the state-run schools, following direction by the Supreme Court, took place on Monday. The Supreme Court in April had rejected 25.753 school jobs.
The division bench of Calcutta High, comprising Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das, kept the order on hold.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Explainer: What do Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on India mean? What happens if they stay…
India has become the latest addition to the list of countries subjected to higher tariffs under Trump's "Liberation Day" trade strategy. (AI image) US President Donald Trump has hit India with a 25% tariff rate ahead of his August 1 reciprocal tariff deadline. India and the US are working on a trade deal but no interim agreement has been finalised. With this India has become the latest addition to the list of countries subjected to higher tariffs under Trump's "Liberation Day" trade strategy, which seeks to restructure American trade partnerships through enhanced reciprocal arrangements. The revised US tariffs will affect India's export of goods to America, projected at approximately $87 billion in 2024. This includes labour-intensive sectors including apparel, medicines, gems and jeweler, and petrochemical products. The trade imbalance between the United States and India is at $45.7 billion, favouring India. US Tariffs on India : What did Trump announce? Taking to social media platform Truth Social, Trump said, 'Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Last Chance: 80% Off This Artisan's Retirement Jewelry Sale The Maker's Journal Read More Undo Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA! The additional penalty for trade with Russia remains unclear for now. Also Read | Donald Trump imposes 25% tariffs on India! How does India compare to other economies like China, Japan, Vietnam on the rate list? Check details What India Has Said About the 25% tariff In a statement, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said, "The Government has taken note of a statement by the US President on bilateral trade. The Government is studying its implications." "India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective. The Government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs. The Government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest, as has been the case with other trade agreements including the latest Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK," India has said. How will the 25% tariffs hit India? Agneshwar Sen, Trade Policy Leader, EY India says, 'The decision to raise the US tariff to 25% on Indian exports is an unfortunate development, particularly given the strong strategic partnership that has been steadily built between India and the USA in recent years. If this tariff is sustained, this move may directly affect key sectors such as marine products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, and automobiles, where bilateral trade has been especially robust. However, it's important to note that both countries remain positively engaged in active negotiations with the US team expected in India later in August to finalize a comprehensive trade agreement,' he said. 'I am confident that, considering our shared interests and history of cooperation, the two sides will be able to address these contentious issues constructively and arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement in the very near term,' he added. Garima Kapoor, Economist and Executive Vice President at Elara Capital sees the 25% tariff as a negative development, and one that may shave off 20 basis points from India's GDP growth if the tariff rate stays at that level. 'The exact details of the tariffs on the exempted items such as pharma and the ones that were charged at a differential rate such as iron, steel and auto is unknown as of now, but inclusion of pharma into tariffs should be incremental negative for India's exports as US accounts for more than 30% of India's pharma exports. If no deal is signed by Sept-October, we see a downside to the full year GDP growth estimate for India by 20 basis points,' she said. Also Read | India-US trade deal: Donald Trump announces 25% tariff on India, plus penalty for buying energy and arms from Russia Agricultural economist Ashok Gulati is of the view that the tariff will significantly affect India's seafood exports, particularly shrimps. The decision by US President Donald Trump to levy higher tariffs on Indian products is "very bad" and "shocking", noted Gulati, who had anticipated a more modest increase of 10-15 per cent. "This clearly shows Trump is unpredictable and punitive," he told PTI. The economist indicated that this development will substantially affect India's shrimp trade, whilst Ecuador stands to benefit due to its reduced tariffs and closer proximity to the United States. The impact of increased US tariffs will extend beyond shrimps to affect India's textile sector as well. Gulati further added that the benefits acquired through the India-UK free trade agreement would be offset by these elevated US tariffs. Earlier this month, an SBI Research report said that even if India is unable to secure a trade deal as per its desire, the impact is likely to be limited. 'With India's service exports reaching a new high each year, a record $387.5 bn in 2024-25 driven by sectors like IT, financial and business services, our total exports are not likely to get significantly impacted,' the report said. India's Exports Uncompetitive? The most worrying bit about the 25% tariff is not the figure itself, but the fact that India's Asian peers have managed to secure deals with the Trump administration that have lower duties. Japan will pay 15%, Vietnam will pay 20% and Indonesia has a tariff of 19%. This will hit India's competitive advantage for US exports. India is actually looking to secure a trade deal that will give it preferential access to US markets compared to peers. Talking about the India-US trade deal negotiations Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently said, '...what is important is to get preferential market access over our competitors, our peers.' Garima Kapoor of Elara Capital says, 'The 25% tariff rate is certainly a negative development as it compares to lower rates for peers such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines which compete with India in a similar category of labour-intensive products and electronic goods.' But is the 25% tariff rate all bad? Ajay Srivastava from Global Trade Research Initiative explains, 'Some sectors like our top exports to the US are pharmaceuticals, medicines, so Europe will be paying 15%, but European medicines are expensive, high-end proprietary medicines. We are into generics. So if we are paying 25%, I don't think much of the generic market exports to India, exports to the US from India will be impacted.' Regarding smartphone exports, particularly iPhones, he noted that with only China and India being major exporters to the US market, the 5% duty differential (China at 30% and India at 25%) would not significantly affect trade patterns. Garima Kapoor believes a hasty deal would have not helped. 'On the positive side, it is pertinent to note that any hotchpotch deal which would have compelled India to give concessions to its agriculture and dairy sector may have had much deeper ramifications politically, socially, and eventually on livelihoods,' she says. 'A well negotiated deal that addresses all aspects of trade, investment and tariff and non- tariff barriers by September October 2025 is likely to yield long term benefits than a hurried deal. The India-UK deal template which gave concessions to auto and opened public procurement sector has shown that India is willing to shed its protectionist tag in sectors where it doesn't impact the marginal producer, which is a huge departure from its earlier stance,' she adds. 25% Trump Tariffs temporary in nature? As trade deal talks appeared to have hit a stalemate with the next round expected in August-end, it appears that India was already bracing for 20-25% tariffs from the Trump administration. "Talks are progressing well," a government official had been quoted as saying by Reuters, adding Trump could issue a tariff order in a "worst-case scenario". "But, we assume it would be a temporary measure, considering the five rounds of trade talks that have taken place. A deal will soon be worked out,' the official had said. As US officials visit India for the sixth round of talks in August-end, there are hopes that a trade deal will be finalised in the coming months. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . Discover stories of India's leading eco-innovators at Ecopreneur Honours 2025


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dog bite claims cases: Kerala HC directs setting up of district-level panels
Kochi: High court has directed the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) member secretary to take steps, in consultation with the state govt, to constitute district-level committees within a month for processing and adjudicating claim petitions filed by victims of stray dog attacks. The court was considering a batch of petitions seeking judicial intervention to address the growing menace of stray dog attacks. In response, the state govt submitted a proposal to constitute committees in each district comprising the district legal services authority (DLSA) secretary, district medical officer (DMO) and local self-govt department (LSGD) joint director, as an alternative to the Justice Siri Jagan Committee. Accepting the proposal, the bench of Justice C S Dias instructed the member secretary to collect all pending claim petitions from Siri Jagan Committee's registry and forward them to the respective DLSAs. The newly formed committees shall renumber the received claim petitions, issue notices to the complainants and concerned local self-govt institutions (LSGIs) and adjudicate the claims as expeditiously as possible. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn More - How Donating Sperm May Support Your Income SpellRock Undo HC also directed the KeLSA member secretary to frame and issue necessary practice directions and procedural guidelines to ensure the uniform, effective and streamlined functioning of the committees. A compliance report detailing the steps taken to implement these directions must be filed within a month. HC further appointed Adv P Deepak as amicus curiae in the matter. The court clarified that stray dog attack victims may file fresh claim petitions, either physically or online, before the district or taluk legal services committees. If filed before the taluk legal services committee, the petitions must be forwarded to the respective DLSA. No euthanasia for now During hearing, the state submitted its decision regarding the applicability of Rule 8 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Animal Husbandry Practices and Procedures) Rules, 2023, which permits euthanasia of an animal under certain conditions. The Rule allows euthanasia of an animal if the central or state govt determines that it is so diseased it may spread the disease, or if a registered veterinary practitioner certifies that the animal is mortally or severely injured, or in such a condition that it would be cruel to keep it alive. However, in light of earlier decisions of the high court and the implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, the bench clarified that euthanasia of stray dogs cannot be permitted until further orders.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Telangana high court wants info on Bhoodan land donated so far and its current status
Hyderabad: Justice K Lakshman of Telangana high court on Wednesday directed the Bhoodan Board and the state govt to furnish to the court details of land donated by various donors under the Bhoodan Movement in the last 75 years and its current status along with particulars of the redistribution of the land by the state to the landless. The judge was wondering whether the Bhoodan Board will be able to display any willpower to protect even a square yard of Bhoodan land in the state. While one petitioner in this case is seeking a CBI probe, the other was seeking a probe under the Commissions of Inquiry (COI) Act. The Bhoodan Movement, a voluntary land reform movement, was initiated by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from Pochampallay village (now in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district) in 1951. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Conveying the stand of the state, additional advocate general T Rajanikanth Reddy informed the court that they were ready to appoint a COI probe if the court orders a statewide probe on all the Bhoodan land issues. However, he clarified, "we are opposing any such probe in the current case, because the petitioners are espousing a private cause". The judge was hearing pleas by two petitioners who sought a probe into the way Bhoodan land in Nagaram village in Rangareddy district was sold to scores of IAS and IPS officers. 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 Earlier, the high court had directed the state to keep the subject land in the prohibited list till further orders. The bureaucrats, who purchased the land, approached the court urging it to vacate the restraint order. They said that the petitioners were seeking irrelevant reliefs with unconnected facts. There are four survey numbers in the village and the land they purchased has nothing to do with Bhoodan land. They also contended that the petitioners later started raising new contention that the land was not Bhoodan land but govt land. The counsel for one of the petitioners, who was seeking a probe under the CoI Act, did not turn up for Wednesday's hearing and a proxy counsel sought time to present their case. Senior counsel P Sri Raghu Ram appeared for the bureaucrats and said that the petitioners have no locus standi to raise the issues. They came to court without any material to make out a case, he said. Urging the court to vacate the restraint order, he said that courts could grant prohibitory orders only when the petitioners have any legal right over the land. "Courts can give such orders only when there are any legally enforceable rights under Article 226 of the Constitution," Sri Raghu Ram said. The judge posted the case to Thursday for further hearing.