Latest news with #AnkitMishra
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Caught between the devil and deep, they live in fear of leopards and laws that defend them
In Jangutara village, danger doesn't just lurk in the jungle — it climbs onto rooftops. A leopard was spotted resting atop Kailashpuri Primary School last night. A leopard on the rooftop of a primary school in Kailashpuri (HT Photo) For the people living in this settlement on the edge of the forest, this is not an isolated incident. It is a daily gamble with survival — wild animals on one side, government restrictions on the other. Ankit Mishra, a local resident who first spotted the predator, recounted the chilling moment: 'I was heading towards the field when I heard a terrifying roar. When I flashed my torch, the leopard was right there on the school roof. I rushed back to alert everyone.' The forest department was informed about the incident, he added. Eventually, the leopard leapt into a nearby sugarcane field, adding to the villagers' panic. Ajay Kumar Sonkar, headmaster, Kailashpuri Primary School, expressed grave concerns and said the threat is constant. 'The school is surrounded by sugarcane fields and has a huge tree inside the campus. With the boundary wall broken, we constantly fear that the leopard might attack children or staff.' He also recalled that about five months ago, a cow was hunted by a leopard near the campus. The fear is not just of claws — it is of laws too. Being inside a sanctuary zone means no new construction, no toilet building, no soil filling, and no house repairs. Village head, Chahalwa, Pritam Nishad, voiced the deeper frustration of the community: 'We are in a wildlife sanctuary area, so we cannot even build toilets, houses, or fill soil. Without proper land records, the forest department stops any construction.' He said several Van Grams have been given the status of revenue villages but very few people got Khetauni (land records). He said due to sanctuary laws he could not do any development work like had been done in Nishad Nagar, Kailashpuri, Ramvrichhpurwa, Beria, Kailash Nagar that falls under Chahalwa gram panchayat. He also mentioned that only 15 days ago, a leopard injured a woman who had gone out for defecation. Dozens of families — including Ambika Prasad Mishra, Rajkishore Mishra, and Mata Prasad — live within striking distance of where the leopard was seen. Residents demand 24/7 patrolling, cages to trap the leopard, and urgent repairs to the school boundary. Shariq Rais Siddiqui
India Today
11-07-2025
- India Today
UP students to get Rs 6000 yearly travel allowance if school is over 5 km away
In a significant step towards improving access to education, the Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a new scheme to provide an annual travel allowance of rs 6000 to students who live at least five kilometres away from their initiative aims to help students from six districts of Bundelkhand and remote Sonbhadra reach their government secondary schools without facing travel the scheme, students from Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda and Sonbhadra will be eligible for a 6000 annual travel allowance. The benefit will be given to students of classes 9 to 12 who live five kilometres or more from the nearest government secondary scheme is being rolled out in the current academic session and is expected to give immediate relief to thousands of students struggling with long TO BE SENT THROUGH DIRECT TRANSFERThe annual assistance will be credited directly into the students' bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). According to the plan, the first instalment of the allowance could be released as early as 5 students from 146 government schools chosen under the Pradhan Mantri School Vikas Yojana (PM Shri) will also benefit from this new travel allowance inclusion ensures broader support for female students, especially those in rural and underserved APPLICATION AND VERIFICATION PROCESSTo receive the benefit, students must fill out a declaration form (pro forma) stating that there is no government secondary school within a five-kilometre radius of their form will then be verified by the Gram Pradhan (village head) at the village level and by the school urban areas, local councillors will be responsible for verifying the declarations. Once approved, the eligible students will start receiving the allowance.A key condition of the scheme is regular school attendance. Students must also show at least a 10 percent increase in their attendance to continue receiving the allowance. This measure is designed to improve not only access but also student engagement and TO BENEFITThe scheme is expected to benefit around 24,000 students across Bundelkhand and Sonbhadra. In addition, approximately 4,000 girl students from PM Shri schools will also receive travel scheme highlights the government's focus on removing barriers to education and improving enrolment and attendance, especially in remote and underserved areas.(With inputs from Ankit Mishra)- Ends
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Pray from outside if in jeans': Bajrang Dal posters spark uproar at Jabalpur temples; activists slam move
JABALPUR: Visitors at around 40 temples in Jabalpur city were on Sunday shocked to find posters urging women to wear traditional attire only while visiting temples. The posters, displayed by the right-wing vigilante group Mahakal Sangh International Bajrang Dal, instructed women to wear traditional Indian attire when visiting temples. Females to cover their head inside temple premises, states poster The posters stated, 'Those wearing miniskirts, jeans and tops and half pants must not enter temples and pray from outside. Only those wearing traditional Indian dresses must enter temple premises.' In addition, the posters called on women and girls to keep their heads covered inside temple premises, emphasising, 'only you can save Indian culture.' Women activists of the city strongly condemned the posters. Ranjana Kurariya, an advocate and activist for women's rights said, 'What clothes we wear and what not is our right. We could wear a saree, salwar kurta, or even anything we feel like. Seeing such posters, women visiting the temples will feel hurt.' Ankit Mishra, the district media in-charge of International Bajrang Dal, said that they had placed these posters in about 30 to 40 temples in the city. He stated that it is an appeal to females and not a diktat.
