Manipur plans to close all relief camps by December, phased resettlement of displaced underway: Chief Secretary
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Singh said coordinated discussions had taken place with the Centre and the Ministry of Home Affairs, resulting in a phased plan for the return and rehabilitation of displaced persons.
"We've had a good round of discussions with the central government and MHA. The first phase involves those who can go back immediately — by July, and that process has already begun. The number of displaced has come down from 62,000 to 57,000," Singh said.
He added that Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts have already been assessed, and the second phase of returns is scheduled for October, followed by the third and final round by December.
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘DU will not encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan': V-C amid syllabus revisions
Amid the ongoing debate over curriculum changes in several departments, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh Thursday told The Indian Express that the varsity will not 'encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan'. Singh's remarks follow internal deliberations over the likely removal of these postgraduate courses in Political Science: Pakistan and the World, China's Role in the Contemporary World, Islam and International Relations, Pakistan: State and Society, and Religious Nationalism and Political Violence. The V-C clarified that while departments are free to propose Pakistani thinkers 'who are not anti-national,' final decisions on academic content rest with the university's elected Academic Council (AC), not the administration. 'Syllabus and academic matters are passed by the AC, which is a democratic house in a democratic manner,' Singh said. Discussions around syllabi revision have taken on political and ideological overtones at the varsity, with several faculty members raising concerns about the narrowing of academic space. Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, heads of departments were reportedly instructed to review academic material and remove any unnecessary 'glorification' of Pakistan. In June, The Indian Express reported that the Department of Philosophy had been directed to exclude references to Pakistan, poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the Manusmriti from its syllabi following an email directive from Dean of Academics. Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Sanjeev Kumar H M, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science with a specialisation in Islamic Thought and International Relations, among others, defended the revision process. 'There is a process in which the Department Council proposes changes, and it then goes to the Committee of Courses. That committee makes suggestions, and the syllabus then goes to the Board of Studies. From there, it moves to the Standing Committee, where elected members and experts comment and make recommendations. It is then sent back to the department. This entire process is mediated by the Head. There is a democratic process involved in this — it is a matter between the faculty and the Standing Committee,' he said. He added that some readings from 10–15 years ago may now appear decontextualised, given changing global dynamics. 'Our goal is to give the right image. How we portray Pakistan needs some kind of streamlining. It is not about administrative interference,' Kumar said. 'Debating Article 370, for instance, becomes decontextualised without background.' Harendranath Tiwari, member of the Standing Committee, argued that the ideological bent of some proposed papers was a concern. 'The Arts have always been dominated by Left ideologies. Certain papers presented in the Standing Committee were agenda-driven. It is not like Pakistan is not being taught — it is taught in various courses. But the perspective matters. Courses with an 'India-centric' approach have been passed. The problem lies with the 'Pakistan-centric' way of drafting,' he said. However, a professor from the History department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'How do we teach Partition without mentioning or talking about Pakistan?' The professor added that efforts to erase or avoid discussion of sensitive subjects 'risk diluting both historical accuracy and academic honesty'. Professor Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, declined to comment when contacted by The Indian Express. Other departments have also seen cuts in their syllabi. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters last month, several key topics — including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kashmir issue — were allegedly removed from a proposed syllabus revision by the Department of Psychology.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Centre to allocate Rs 1L cr to revamp cities, says Manohar Lal Khattar
Gurgaon: Cities in India will be redeveloped through the Centre's Urban Challenge Fund, under which Rs 1 lakh crore will be allocated. The funds will be utilised to improve the infrastructure of the cities, Union minister for power, housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday. The minister also underlined the need for making urban local bodies self-reliant. He said that while these bodies receive a fixed amount of funding from the central and state govts, achieving true self-reliance must go hand-in-hand with "ensuring transparency and accountability in their functioning". Khattar, who was addressing the concluding session of the two-day National ULB Conference in Manesar, said the best practices from leading cities around the world are being adopted to improve urban living conditions. Citing data, he said the urbanisation in India that was at 20% in 1970 has risen to 36% today and is projected to reach 50% by 2047. "A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed with Spain to facilitate the exchange of successful urban development models between the two countries," the Union minister said. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Khattar said over the years villages grew into towns and cities, "but they still have narrow roads" and the sewerage and drainage system is either missing or is insufficient. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Hence, "the funds will be utilised with the help of the state govt to redevelop these urban centres." The minister said urbanisation in India is accelerating rapidly. In response, both govts and municipal bodies must increase their pace of action. He stressed the need for proper workforce training and the efficient use of time and resources to meet future challenges. The Union minister said urban development must go hand in hand with environmental protection. "While pursuing progressive initiatives, it is essential to keep environmental sustainability at the forefront," said Khattar. The minister stressed the need to improve traffic systems and simultaneously plan for e-mobility solutions. He said while metro rail services began in India in 2002 — much later than in the US where metros have existed for over 150 years — India has made remarkable progress. Today, metro networks span 1,000 kilometres across 21 cities, which is comparable to the extent of metro systems in the US. He said there are plans to expand this network.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Centre clears 140-metre wide ORR for Amaravati
Vijayawada: With the AP govt agreeing to shoulder land acquisition cost, the Centre has given green signal for a taking up 140 metres wide outer ring road (ORR) for Amaravati. Initially, the Centre agreed to give 70-metre wide ORR for Amaravati while chief minister wanted it to expand to 150 metres. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After deliberations with senior officials, union minister Gadkari agreed for 140-metre wide ORR. T hough named Amaravati ORR, it also serves the major cities of Vijayawada, Guntur and Tenala in the AP capital region. It will complement the Vijayawada by-pass road on the west side of the city. The Vijayawada east by-pass road was cancelled as the ORR on the eastern side passes very close to the proposed by-pass road. The technical appraisal committee (TAC) of union ministry of road transport and highways (Morth) headed by secretary apprised that a highway with a width of 70 metres is sufficient to take up six-lane road project as ORR for Amaravati. The committee felt that the right of way (RoW) with 70 metres would also be sufficient to expand the proposed six-lane to eight lane along with providing service roads on both sides. However, Naidu during the meeting with Gadkari insisted that Amaravati is being developed as one of the modern town in the country and the RoW with 70 metres for ORR would not be sufficient for the city's requirement in the next 50 years. He explained that they have already attracted huge investments to the capital city and it would become difficult to go for big ORR in future. He wanted the Centre to grant the ORR with 150 metre width with a promise to take the additional cost of land acquisition by the state govt. The Centre had already estimated that it would cost Rs.2665 crore for land acquisition for 70-meter ORR and asked the state govt to take the additional financial burden over and above it for taking up the 150-meter ORR. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Subsequently, Gadkari agreed to take up the 140 metre ORR and directed the officials to place the proposals before the competent authority. Naidu wanted to develop the ORR in a prestigious highway with 12-lane along with separate corridors for railway lane, metro corridors. "The ORR going to be the game-changer infrastructure project of Amaravati," said Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) leader Lavu Srikrishnadevarayalu. He said that Centre had also granted several road infrastructure projects connecting Amaravati ORR following the chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's insistence. He explained that Centre had agreed to connect ORR with two spurs to ensure better connectivity with capital city by scrapping the proposal to take up Vijayawada east bypass. The Centre suspended the Vijayawada east bypass as it found to be parallel to the alignment of the proposed ORR. Two separate connecting roads would be developed connecting ORR with the existing NH-16 in Guntur district. While one road would be developed between Chinakakani and Tenali and other would be taken up near Narakoduru on the outskirts of Guntur city.
