Rythu Coolie Sangham rallies for scheduled area status and tribal rights in Andhra Pradesh
Rythu Coolie Sangham Andhra Pradesh State secretary Dantuluri Varma on Saturday alleged that thousands of tribal people living in non-scheduled tribal areas were facing severe hardships in securing land and other benefits from the government. Marking Adivasi Day, the association organised a massive rally at Duggeru in Parvatipuram-Manyam district. Addressing the media, Mr. Varma demanded that non-scheduled tribal areas be declared as scheduled areas, and called for the implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) to safeguard the interests of lakhs of tribals in the district and across the State.
He alleged that successive governments had ignored tribal welfare, evident in poor road connectivity and lack of drinking water facilities. He urged the government to construct a bridge over the Addaru stream to provide hassle-free connectivity to 30 villages in Makkuva mandal.
Association district president Vuyaka Mutyalu, vice-president Peedika Asiri, and other leaders also demanded an exclusive DSC examination for tribal students who have completed B.Ed., as promised by all political parties during the 2024 general elections. They sought land rights for tribals engaged in agriculture for decades in agency areas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
Patriotic fervour marks Independence Day celebrations across Telangana
Hyderabad: Patriotic fervour marked the 79th Independence Day celebrations across Telangana on Friday. Hoisting of the national flag at government and private offices, impressive parades by police personnel, cultural performances by school students, and the playing of patriotic songs marked the festivities. The main official function was held at the iconic Golconda Fort, where Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy hoisted the national flag After paying tributes to martyrs at Army War Memorial at Parade Ground in Secunderabad, he drove to Golconda fort for the main event. The Chief Minister was presented a guard of honour by police contingents at Rani Mahal lawns, before he hoisted the national flag. The ancient fort wore a festive look as the celebrations highlighted the rich culture of Telangana. Drummers and other artists performed on the ramparts to add colour to the festivities. Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, Director General of Police Jitender and other top civil, police and military officials attended the ceremony. The Chief Minister presented awards to policemen and other government employees Earlier, the Chief Minister hoisted the national flag at his official residence in Jubilee Hills. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma hoisted the national flag at his official residence Raj Bhavan. Following the flag-hoisting, Governor Varma took the guard of honour, exchanged greetings with Raj Bhavan officers, staff, police, and security personnel, and personally distributed sweets to staff members. Incidentally, August 15 is also Governor Varma's birthday. Officials, staff, and guests present extended their warm wishes to him on the occasion, adding a personal note to the day's celebrations. In his address, Governor Varma extended warm greetings to the people of Telangana and all citizens of India, describing Independence Day as 'not merely a date on the calendar, but a sacred occasion to honour the hard-earned freedom of the nation.' He paid rich tributes to the freedom fighters whose sacrifices laid the foundation of independent India and recalled the enduring principles of Ahimsa and Satyagraha championed by Mahatma Gandhi — ideals that, he said, 'shook an empire and inspired generations.' He lauded Telangana's achievements in irrigation, technology, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, and praised the valour of the armed forces, citing the recent 'Operation Sindoor' as a shining example of the nation's resolve and capability. Ministers, government advisors and chairpersons of corporations led the Independence Day celebrations at headquarters of 32 districts. The Independence Day celebrations were also held at the State Assembly, State Secretariat Hyderabad High Court and offices of all political parties. Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar and Legislative Council Chairman G. Sukhender Reddy hoisted the national flag at Assembly premises. At a ceremony held at Telangana High Court, Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh unfurled the national flag. Chief Secretary Ramakrishna led the celebrations at Secretariat Complex by unfurling the national flag. The Independence Day celebrations were also held at the offices of the political parties. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud hoisted the national flag at Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao unfurled the national flag at Telangana Bhavan. State BJP chief N. Ramchander Rao hoisted the national flag at party office. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay and other leaders attended the programme.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Punjab cabinet gives nod to denotify land pooling policy
CHANDIGARH : The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday gave approval to denotify the land pooling policy, which the AAP government withdrew a few days ago. The decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the council of ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. The Cabinet decided to withdraw notification of the department of housing and urban development, Punjab pertaining to Land Pooling Policy 2025 issued on June 4 along with subsequent amendments, said an official spokesperson of the chief minister's office. Following the withdrawal of the policy by the Bhagwant Mann dispensation, farmers organisations and opposition parties were pressing the state government to issue the notification for the withdrawal of the policy. In the face of mounting pressure from farmer bodies and opposition parties, the Punjab government on August 11 withdrew its land pooling policy, which it had once termed "farmer-friendly". Following the rollback of the policy which they had described as the land "grabbing" scheme, the opposition parties and farmer organisations had called it a victory of the people of Punjab and had claimed that they "forced" the Bhagwant Mann government to withdraw it. The AAP government's move of withdrawal of the policy came days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered an interim stay on the implementation of the land pooling policy for four weeks. The court on August 7 had held that Punjab's land pooling policy appears to have been notified in haste and concerns including social impact assessment and environment impact assessment should have been addressed before its notification. The Punjab Cabinet had approved this land pooling policy in June and had then asserted that not a single yard will be forcibly acquired from land owners. The state government had planned to acquire around 65,000 acres of land at many places including around 45,000 acres only in Ludhiana for developing residential and industrial zones. Under the policy, an owner will be given a 1,000 square yard of residential plot and a 200 square yard of commercial plot in fully developed land in lieu of one acre of land, the state government had said. Meanwhile, in another decision, the Cabinet Thursday approved an amendment to the Punjab Cooperative Societies Act, 1961 and the withdrawal of stamp duty and registration fee exemptions for certain classes of cooperative societies. Currently, the Act provides exemptions from compulsory registration, originally intended to facilitate the development of cooperative institutions. However, this provision enabled property transactions, particularly in urban housing societies, to take place without formal registration or the payment of stamp duty and registration fees, said the spokesperson. This situation has encouraged unregistered possession, benami transactions, and other legally risky arrangements. Therefore, an amendment to Section 37 of the Act has been made by adding Clauses 2 and 3. These clauses stipulate that the State Government may, through a notification in the Official Gazette, direct that the exemption under sub-section (1), or any part thereof, shall not apply to certain classes of cooperative societies or specified categories of instruments. The Cabinet also approved the creation of the post of 'Panchayat Development Secretary' by merging the cadres of Panchayat Secretaries and Gram Sevaks (Village Development Officers). Subsequently, a state cadre will be constituted for these posts to accelerate rural development across Punjab. The Cabinet granted ex-post facto approval for the formation of a group of ministers (GoM) to ensure the smooth procurement of Kharif and Rabi crops during the procurement seasons. This GoM is chaired by the Agriculture Minister and includes the ministers for food & civil supplies, transport, and water resources as members. The Cabinet also granted ex-post facto approval for the formation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee which will review and consider the recommendations made by the committee of officers regarding Parts II and III of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission Report.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
UGC directs universities to stop offering healthcare, allied programmes in ODL, online mode from July 2025
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed the higher education institutions (HEIs) to discontinue offering programmes in healthcare and allied disciplines under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online mode from the academic session beginning July-August 2025. The decision, taken at the UGC's 592nd meeting on July 23, 2025, follows the recommendations of the 24th Distance Education Bureau Working Group meeting held on April 22, 2025. The ban applies to specialisations including Psychology, Microbiology, Food and Nutrition Science, Biotechnology, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics. According to the directive, no colleges and universities will be permitted to offer such programmes in ODL or online mode from the 2025-26 session. Institutions that have already received recognition to run these programmes will see it withdrawn by the UGC. In cases where a programme offers multiple specialisations, such as a bachelor of arts degree with majors in subjects like English, Hindi, Punjabi, economics, history, mathematics, public administration, philosoply, political science, statistics, human rights and duties, Sanskrit, psychology, geography, sociology or women studies, only the healthcare-related specialisation will be withdrawn. The UGC has also instructed HEIs not to admit students into these programmes for the July-August 2025 session onwards. All stakeholders have been advised to strictly comply with the decision. Earlier, the higher education regulator issued a fresh public advisory cautioning students and HEIs against entering into unrecognised collaborations with foreign educational providers. The University Grants Commission (UGC) reiterated that any degree or diploma awarded through such arrangements will be considered invalid in India and treated as unrecognised by the Commission. As per UGC regulations, all foreign collaborations must receive explicit approval under the 2022 and 2023 frameworks governing joint degrees, dual degrees, and the setting up of foreign campuses in India. The latest clarification builds on a previous notice issued on December 12, 2023, which raised concerns over unapproved tie-ups between Indian HEIs and foreign institutions. Despite earlier warnings, the UGC noted that several colleges and EdTech platforms continue to offer joint or online degree and diploma programmes with foreign entities that lack its recognition.
