Malabar Devasom Board employees to stage token protest
V.V. Sreenivasan, chairman of the Coordination Committee, pointed out that none of the directions in the High Court order—apart from the formation of the Board—had been implemented by the State government, despite the political changes over the years.
The temples under the MDB still follow the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, instituted during the British era, while other Devaswom Boards in the State follow different legislation. As a result, employees under the MDB are denied many of the benefits enjoyed by their counterparts in other boards. This has led to several disputes over the wage structure of MDB staff. Meanwhile, a comprehensive Devaswom law framed by the State government eight years ago is yet to be implemented.
The coordination committee had staged a 64-day-long protest a few years ago, which failed to achieve the desired results.
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Business Standard
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Women, girls unsafe under DMK rule in TN, says AIADMK chief Palaniswami
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Indian Express
4 hours ago
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Tavleen Singh writes: Time to get beyond history books
Let me begin with an admission. I am not averse to school history books being revisited or revised by historians from the RSS school of history. For far too long, they were written by dogmatic leftists who chose in the name of secularism to exalt the 'great Moghuls', and diminish Hindu rulers and their often-magnificent achievements. The books they wrote were mostly so boring that people like me, who now read history books with fascination, ended up asleep in history class. In the moments that I was awake, I did notice that there were three periods of history that were taught: ancient India, Moghul and British. What I learned about pre-Islamic India was so little that it was not until I was an adult that I heard of the mighty south Indian dynasties and discovered the wonders of Hindu civilisation. It was on holidays in Indonesia and Cambodia that I saw the extent to which India's civilisation had influenced language, culture and religion across the east. Angkor Wat and Borobudur left me stunned by their beauty and scale. So, if there is a bit of revisionist history being introduced into school textbooks, I have no problem at all. The Moghuls did tear down temples and impose taxes on us idol-worshippers, and the truth about these things should never have been concealed. Not from Hindu children or Muslim. My problem is that I wish some of those leading this new history movement would spare time to examine the current state of our schools and the abysmal quality of teaching. I have said before in this column that when I travel to a village, almost the first thing I try to see is the local school. And the truth is that not the best of these schools would be considered a real school by modern international standards. In the best government schools, there are at least classrooms with desks and teachers, but you need only spend 10 minutes in one of these classes to discover that teaching methods are primitive. Children are taught not to think or develop a love of learning, but to learn by rote. Just enough to pass their examinations. They usually leave school with basic literacy instead of a real education, so they cannot compete with children who go to good private schools. They are, nevertheless, the lucky ones. In the worst schools, especially those that have been built for Dalit and Adivasi children, there are no classrooms, no desks, no textbooks and often only a token teacher who teaches all the subjects they are meant to study. These teachers are very well paid by rural standards, but they usually live outside the village and are rarely available after school hours. Children who might not have fully understood what they were taught can turn to nobody for help because often, their parents are illiterate. My point is that instead of wallowing eternally in the glories of our glorious past, it is time to address the problems of today. What difference will the new history textbooks make, if most schoolchildren are unable to read them? Another problem I have with the current exercise in rewriting history books is that they seem mostly to draw attention to the evils perpetuated by the Moghuls and other Muslim rulers. Is this just another deliberate attempt to make Hindu children hate Muslims? The British Raj did many bad things that were whitewashed in school textbooks, why is this not also being reviewed? We now have a new Nalanda University to remind us of the legendary Buddhist institution that once existed here and was destroyed by a barbaric Muslim invader. But why is it that nobody has noticed the decay that infects most other universities? Anyone who has visited the great universities in the West knows that we do not have a single great university in India. This is why some of our best teachers have become academic refugees in countries that have real universities. This is why Indian students who can afford it go abroad for higher studies. Why is it that in the higher echelons of the RSS nobody has noticed yet that instead of wallowing in our 'glorious past' we should be trying to create a glorious present? When Narendra Modi put Smriti Irani in charge of education in his first term as prime minister, I was a loyal Modi Bhakt. So, although I was taken aback by this startling choice, I tried to go and talk to the minister to persuade her that one reason why higher education was in the doldrums was because of too much interference by politicians and high officials. I told her that a bold and important move would be to disband the University Grants Commission. She paid no attention, and this obsolete institution continues to micromanage the affairs of universities to their detriment. A Higher Education Commission of India is meant to replace it soon, but universities do not need more control but less. 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7 hours ago
- Time of India
Housing societies in dilemma over NA tax in absence of govt resolution
1 2 3 4 5 6 Pune: Nearly ten months after the state cabinet announced abolition of non-agricultural (NA) tax for urban housing societies, confusion prevails over it due to absence of a formal govt resolution (GR) in this regard. The managements of housing societies across the state said they are not sure whether they should continue paying the tax till official guidelines are issued in this regard. The state cabinet, under Eknath Shinde-led govt, had approved scrapping of the NA tax in October 2024, ahead of the state assembly elections. The move was aimed at providing relief to societies in urban areas like Pune and Mumbai, where residents have been paying both property tax and NA tax. Housing societies have now approached the state government to issue a formal GR in this respect. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune "We have informed the housing societies that the NA tax has been scrapped. However, many have received payment notices post-October. There is widespread confusion on the issue. We urge the govt to issue a GR in this regard immediately," said Suhas Patwardhan, chairperson, Maharashtra State Housing Federation. The NA tax, which dates back to the British era, is levied on properties situated on agricultural land within the municipal corporation or council limits, excluding those located in designated gaothan areas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo The abolition was a long-standing demand of housing society federations. Despite the cabinet decision, lack of an official GR has left societies in a dilemma. Some have stopped paying tax based on the cabinet announcement, while others continue to pay to avoid potential penalties. Senior revenue department officials acknowledged the delay, attributing it to the timing of the assembly elections. "The law and judiciary department deferred the issue of GR last year, citing code of conduct during elections. Later, it was left to the new govt to issue the GR," a revenue department official told TOI. A senior official confirmed on Saturday that the GR is likely to be taken up in the next cabinet meeting and could be notified before August 15. "We understand the practical difficulties societies are facing. Clear directives will be issued through the GR shortly, which would give clarity to those who have paid NA tax and those who have not," the official added. In the meantime, housing societies remain divided in their approach. "We are aware that the tax has been scrapped, but without an official GR, we are hesitant to stop payment," said a senior committee member of a housing society in Kondhwa. "We have not received any directive from the state govt. Until the GR is issued, we cannot provide clear instructions to officials or societies," said a senior district administration official. The housing federation said that the issue affects thousands of housing societies and called on the govt to issue a resolution in this regard without any further delay. "This is a critical issue for middle-class homeowners. The longer the delay, the more confusion it will create. The govt must act swiftly," said Patwardhan. Pune: Nearly ten months after the state cabinet announced abolition of non-agricultural (NA) tax for urban housing societies, confusion prevails over it due to absence of a formal govt resolution (GR) in this regard. The managements of housing societies across the state said they are not sure whether they should continue paying the tax till official guidelines are issued in this regard. The state cabinet, under Eknath Shinde-led govt, had approved scrapping of the NA tax in October 2024, ahead of the state assembly elections. The move was aimed at providing relief to societies in urban areas like Pune and Mumbai, where residents have been paying both property tax and NA tax. Housing societies have now approached the state government to issue a formal GR in this respect. "We have informed the housing societies that the NA tax has been scrapped. However, many have received payment notices post-October. There is widespread confusion on the issue. We urge the govt to issue a GR in this regard immediately," said Suhas Patwardhan, chairperson, Maharashtra State Housing Federation. The NA tax, which dates back to the British era, is levied on properties situated on agricultural land within the municipal corporation or council limits, excluding those located in designated gaothan areas. The abolition was a long-standing demand of housing society federations. Despite the cabinet decision, lack of an official GR has left societies in a dilemma. Some have stopped paying tax based on the cabinet announcement, while others continue to pay to avoid potential penalties. Senior revenue department officials acknowledged the delay, attributing it to the timing of the assembly elections. "The law and judiciary department deferred the issue of GR last year, citing code of conduct during elections. Later, it was left to the new govt to issue the GR," a revenue department official told TOI. A senior official confirmed on Saturday that the GR is likely to be taken up in the next cabinet meeting and could be notified before August 15. "We understand the practical difficulties societies are facing. Clear directives will be issued through the GR shortly, which would give clarity to those who have paid NA tax and those who have not," the official added. In the meantime, housing societies remain divided in their approach. "We are aware that the tax has been scrapped, but without an official GR, we are hesitant to stop payment," said a senior committee member of a housing society in Kondhwa. "We have not received any directive from the state govt. Until the GR is issued, we cannot provide clear instructions to officials or societies," said a senior district administration official. The housing federation said that the issue affects thousands of housing societies and called on the govt to issue a resolution in this regard without any further delay. "This is a critical issue for middle-class homeowners. The longer the delay, the more confusion it will create. The govt must act swiftly," said Patwardhan.
