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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Issue of illegal mining dominates Question Hour in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council
The issue of illegal mining in the state dominated the discussion during the Question Hour in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council here on Wednesday with Samajwadi Party (SP) members raising the matter through separate questions. Issue of illegal mining dominates Question Hour in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council SP's Ashutosh Sinha raised the issue of illegal mining in Sonbhadra. He said removal of a check post barrier on the UP-MP border recently had further spurred illegal mining from UP to MP, causing huge revenue loss to the government exchequer. Mukul Yadav drew the government's attention to the illegal mining and overloading by trucks in Etawah district. He accused the district task force set up to curb illegal mining to be in connivance. Shahnawaj Ahamad raised the issue of illegal mining in Saharanpur. Replying to the questions, Leader of the House Keshav Prasad Maurya said the government had set up a task force in districts under the district magistrate to check illegal mining. He also assured the House of getting member-specific complaints examined by sending a team from the headquarters. The team, he said, would also take feedback separately from the people's representatives and the government ,he added, would act accordingly on the basis of the committee's report and public representatives' independent feedback. Council chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh, however suggested the government review its existing measures aimed at checking illegal mining and overloading and then make a comprehensive policy to deal with the problem.
Time of India
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SP members stage walkout from Parishad over schools' pairing
1 2 Lucknow: Govt's decision to pair primary schools with low attendance led to fireworks in the Vidhan Parishad on Monday, with the Samajwadi Party accusing the BJP of violating the principle of the Right to Education. The party staged a walkout in the middle of basic education minister Sandeep Singh's response to the discussion, alleging that the BJP was turning the education sector into a business. SP's Ashutosh Sinha said, according to data provided to the Lok Sabha recently, between 2017-18 and 2023-24, about 26,040 govt schools in UP were either closed or paired. Against a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:20, there were 8,866 primary schools having only a single teacher in each, and these schools had 611,950 registered children. Calling this a conspiracy by the govt to avoid new recruitments, Sinha said that the chief secretary admitted to the Supreme Court that 308,316 posts of teachers in upper primary schools were vacant. Leader of Opposition in Parishad Lal Bihari Yadav alleged that differences between private and council schools resulted in low enrolment in govt schools. "Admission to private schools starts at 3 years while at govt schools it is 5 years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Prices May Surprise You) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo It should not matter if there are 50 or 5 children in a school. The govt should strive to ensure the best education for all children. Books are not available, and a change in school timings has ensured that at 1.30 pm, when schools give over, children have to walk back in the heat," he said. In response, Singh said the pairing of schools would not impact any child. "The pairing is being done to improve group and peer learning and learning outcomes among children. When children sit together and learn, it encourages discussion among them, and learning is better," he said. He stated that if children find it difficult to reach schools after the merger, the schools will not be paired. The minister added that pairing schools will also increase the availability of teachers. He explained that schools with higher enrolment get more composite grants and therefore have better facilities. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SP walks out of UP Vidhan Parishad over school merger
The Samajwadi Party (SP) staged a walkout in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) on the school merger issue on the first day of the Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly on Monday. SP legislators staging a protest at the Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow on August 11. (HT photo) SP MLCs Mukul Yadav, Ashutosh Sinha, Balram Yadav, Rajendra Chaudhary, Jasmeer Ansari and the leader of opposition in the Vidhan Parishad Lal Bihari Yadav raised the issue. 'The level of education in the BJP regime is deteriorating day by day. The current dispensation doesn't want children of Dalits, backwards and minorities to get educated and that is why it is conspiring to keep children of these classes away from education,' alleged Lal Bihari Yadav. 'The government is planning to hand over education into private hands. The government should not look at education as a business. Instead of closing the schools, the government should focus on increasing the number of students,' he claimed. Yadav also claimed that madrasas in the state, which were built by the money contributed as Zakat (donation) by the Muslim community, had to face unnecessary audits and investigations. Meanwhile, basic education minister Sandeep Singh in his reply said school merger was being done to improve the quality of education and promote classroom learning. 'The state of education system in UP before 2017 is not hidden from anyone. Earlier, no one used to talk about increasing the number of students. There were around three crore children who were not getting education during the SP regime,' the minister said. 'School merger will also increase the grant money from the Centre which is given as per the number of students,' he added. However, soon the SP MLCs interrupted and staged a walkout. Earlier, SP MLC Man Singh Yadav raised the issue of the old pension scheme. 'If the new pension scheme is that good, why has it not been implemented for legislators and in the judiciary?' he asked. Another SP MLC Ashutosh Sinha demanded that the state government employees should be given a choice between the old and the new pension schemes. Moreover, BJP MLCs Jai Pal Singh 'Vyastha' and Anoop Kumar Gupta congratulated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force for being the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS).
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Ujjain spiritual & wellness summit: Experts chart vision for holistic ecosystem at; call for building wellness from roots to roof
Spiritual & wellness summit As the spiritual & wellness summit continued in the city of Ujjain, the day's second panel discussion sparked a thought-provoking dialogue on one of the most pressing needs of India's wellness landscape: the creation of a robust ecosystem that seamlessly weaves together traditional wisdom and modern healthcare. Titled 'Building Wellness Ecosystem & Workforce,' the session brought together a distinguished panel of government officials, academic leaders, and wellness industry veterans to explore how Madhya Pradesh can lead the way in developing a holistic health infrastructure rooted in its ancient medicinal heritage. Moderated by Ashutosh Sinha, senior editor at The Economic Times, the discussion was not just a deep dive into policy frameworks but a larger conversation about India's approach to health, harmony, and healing. A recurring theme throughout the panel was the urgent need for better collaboration between the government and private sector to overcome the current fragmentation within the traditional medicine space. The panelists emphasized that the gaps in trust and integration between Ayurvedic and modern medicine systems stem largely from lack of coordinated policy, limited research funding, and siloed execution. 'Traditional and modern medicine aren't adversaries,' one speaker noted. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'They are two hands of the same body, preventive and curative, that can work in tandem for a more balanced future.' The conversation also pivoted toward the role of skill-building and workforce development in sustaining this vision. From leveraging the Ayush network to introducing wellness education in mainstream curriculums, the panel highlighted a broad-spectrum roadmap that would empower Madhya Pradesh to become a national model in holistic healthcare. Institutions like IIM Indore and global partnerships like the Taiwan-India ayurveda association were also lauded as key enablers in training the next generation of wellness professionals. Spirituality, too, found a central place in the discussion. Experts stressed that wellness isn't just a medical journey but a way of life, deeply intertwined with one's spiritual grounding and mental well-being. As one panelist eloquently put it, 'If we can integrate spiritual practice into daily living, we can export not just yoga or Ayurveda, but a whole new way of being.' With Madhya Pradesh's vast natural resources, cultural depth, and commitment to holistic progress, the panel concluded that the state is uniquely positioned to set the gold standard for wellness tourism and integrated healthcare. As the summit progresses, the momentum built by these discussions will carry forward into deeper explorations and policy direction including a keynote session with chief minister Mohan Yadav later in the day.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Create Biodegradable Plastic Alternative That's Literally Alive
Swiss scientists have created a new plastic-like material that's flexible, biodegradable, and even edible. The secret? It's still alive. The material, which was created by a team from Empa in Switzerland, manages to balance biodegradability with toughness and versatility – a feat that is far from easy in materials science. The researchers processed fibers from the mycelium (the root-like part) of the split-gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) into a liquid mixture, without actually killing them off or destroying their natural biological functions. The resulting gel-like material is called living fiber dispersions, or LFD, and it can be molded into many different forms. It also makes full use of the extra substances produced by mushrooms, where other biomaterials might just use the core fungal cells. "The fungus uses this extracellular matrix to give itself structure and other functional properties," says materials scientist Ashutosh Sinha, from Empa. "Why shouldn't we do the same?" By developing a specific strain of the split-gill, the researchers were able to encourage the growth of two molecules in particular: polysaccharide schizophyllan and hydrophobin. These molecules are crucial in giving LFD its appealing properties. One possible use of the material is as a thin film with a very high tensile strength. The researchers suggest it could potentially be used in compost bags that naturally rot away as well as composting their contents, or in super-thin biodegradable batteries. LFD also works well as an emulsifier, a substance that enables two other materials to mix and bind together when they otherwise wouldn't. Emulsifiers are important in food and cosmetics production, found in everything from ice cream to shampoo. Because it's still alive, the fungus keeps releasing more of its key molecules. "This is probably the only type of emulsion that becomes more stable over time," says Sinha. And because it comes from the edible S. commune mushroom, this LFD is completely non-toxic too – you can even eat it without any problems. When it comes to foods and cosmetics, that's another big plus for the material. There's the potential for plenty of future research here too, because the team thinks that the approach used here could be tweaked to produce materials with other specific properties, like an on-demand materials maker. Scientists will often look to nature for inspiration, whether they're developing drug delivery methods or building robots, and we're seeing an increasing number of studies investigating fungi as a foundation for new materials. Fungi-based biomaterials could act as alternatives to plastic, and to form clothes that are able to repair themselves. There's a lot of benefit in materials that combine the natural and the synthetic. The researchers are hoping to find more and more practical uses for LFD over time, following in a long line of materials inspired by nature – evidence that the natural world around us is the best lab there is. "Biodegradable materials always react to their environment," says materials scientist Gustav Nyström, from Empa. "We want to find applications where this interaction is not a hindrance but maybe even an advantage." The research has been published in Advanced Materials. Uploading The Human Mind Could Become a Reality, Expert Says Scientists Developed a Kind of 'Living Concrete' That Heals Its Own Cracks World's First CRISPR-Edited Spiders Shoot Fluoro Red Silk From Their Butts
