Latest news with #Majumdar
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
State: Justice Ganguly's order on teachers' appt had ‘mismatch'
Kolkata: Former Calcutta HC judge Abhijit Ganguly's order annulling the appointment of 32,000 primary teachers in state-run primary schools due to corruption allegations, had a "mismatch" between the judge's observations and his subsequent directions, alleged state counsel Abhratosh Majumdar, while pleading against the order on Wednesday. Making his arguments before the bench of justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Mitra in HC, Majumdar asked why Justice Ganguly hadn't stopped the successful TET 2014 candidates from appearing in the subsequent TET 2016 or TET 2020 if there was a whiff of corruption in the 2014 exam process. "Why didn't the judge distinguish between tainted and untainted candidates if he had reasons to believe that there might have been corruption in the TET 2014 examination?" Majumdar asked. The senior counsel asserted there was no finding in the single bench order establishing corruption until March 2017, a month after most appointments were made in Feb 2017. He also questioned Justice Ganguly's decision to "cherry-pick" candidates. "Only five districts — Howrah, Hooghly, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, and Murshidabad — were chosen for scrutiny without citing grounds for selecting these districts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Emergency Generators in Montalvo: (Prices May Surprise You) Emergency Generator | Search Ads Search Now Undo The judge didn't call all the candidates from these districts, either. He chose candidates from the list and called them for questioning. The in-camera proceedings were held on Feb 21, 2023, following which the judge concluded that no aptitude test was held," Majumdar said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
India will try to replicate U.K. deal's pro-MSME features in future trade deals
Indian negotiators are trying to ensure future trade agreements, such as those with the U.S. and the EU, include similar carved-out features to benefit Indian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) along the lines of what was included in the recently signed agreement with the U.K., according to Commerce Ministry officials. 'The primary goal is to enhance cooperation and information sharing to improve the ability of MSMEs to participate in bilateral trade and investment,' an official in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity as negotiations for a trade deal with the U.S. and the EU are still ongoing. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between India and the U.K., signed last week, included a specific dedicated chapter on SMEs, which India had argued for, the official explained. Among the key features included in the India-U.K. CETA that MSMEs stand to benefit is the provision for the establishment of an MSME contact point in both countries, the sharing of information on regulations, certifications and market opportunities, and provisions for cooperation on trade promotion activities, including exhibitions and business-to-business (B2B) events. When it comes to public procurement, U.K. suppliers looking to bid for Indian government contracts will be treated as 'Class-II local suppliers' in domestic tenders above agreed thresholds, while Indian suppliers, including MSMEs, will continue to receive preferential treatment as 'Class-I local suppliers'. 'India is trying to include such carve-outs for MSMEs in ongoing trade deal discussions as well, as safeguarding our MSMEs is a priority,' the official said. The CETA also includes a mechanism for addressing non-tariff barriers that disproportionately affect MSMEs. 'The labour-intensive sectors that have been the focus in CETA are textiles, footwear, leather products, marine products, toys, sports goods, and gems and jewellery,' Rumki Majumdar, Economist at Deloitte India, explained. 'These sectors are not only labour-intensive but also have a huge contribution from the MSME sector.' According to Ms. Majumdar, the export share of these sectors was 24.6% in 2024-25, down from 30.4% in 2018-19. 'Therefore, free access to the U.K. market will give a big thrust to these sectors, which in turn will have a multiplier effect on jobs and income as well as across rural and semi-urban MSME sectors,' she added. The CETA also encourages technical cooperation to enhance MSME capabilities, the setup of workshops and training programs on standards, sustainability, and export readiness, and joint efforts by the two countries to promote women-owned and rural MSMEs.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Alert on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border for Maoist ‘Martyrs' Week'
Hyderabad: Police were on high alert on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in view of the Martyrs' Week being observed by the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist. Police beefed up security and launched search operations in areas bordering Chhattisgarh in Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. The CPI-Maoist has called for Martyrs' Day week from July 28 to August 3 and appealed to people to make the programmes a success. Security personnel were conducting vehicle checks in agency areas of Venkatapuram, Wazeedu, Eturunagaram, and Kannaigudem 'mandals' (blocks) in Mulugu district. Meanwhile, Maoist banners and pamphlets surfaced in Charla mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Monday. Maoists displayed banners and kept pamphlets on the highway near R. Kothagudem and at Danavaipeta village in Charla mandal. Through these banners and pamphlets, the left-wing ultras appealed to people to make Martyrs' Week celebrations a success. The banned outfit condemned Operation Kagar of the Central government in Chhattisgarh. Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were on high alert in the border areas of Bhadrachalam sub-division. Security personnel were thoroughly inspecting vehicles on the roads from Bhadrachalam to Charla, Venkatapuram. CPI-Maoist observes the Martyrs' Week every year to commemorate the death anniversary of Charu Majumdar, who had initiated the Naxalite movement in West Bengal in 1967 with the Naxalbari uprising. Majumdar had died in police custody on July 28, 1972. Meanwhile, police have also beefed up security in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region in view of the Maoists' call to observe Martyrs' Week. Vehicle checking was intensified in the agency areas in the region as part of the measures to foil any programme. The Maoist movement in both the Telugu states is at its lowest ebb due to massive setbacks to the banned outfit during the anti-Maoist operations over the last 10-15 years. However, police remained on alert on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border and in the AOB region to foil the continued attempts by Maoists to revive their activities.
NDTV
7 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Draft Bill In The Works To Replace UGC, AICTE, NCTE: Education Ministry Informs Lok Sabha
New Delhi: Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Ministry of Education is in the process of drafting a legislation to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), a proposed unified regulatory body for higher education. "The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions a 'light but tight' regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency in the education system through audit and public disclosure, while promoting innovation, autonomy, and good governance," said Sukanta Majumdar. As outlined in the NEP, the proposed HECI will function as an umbrella body with separate verticals dedicated to regulation, accreditation, funding, and setting academic standards. It is intended to replace existing regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Majumdar further added, "The NEP proposes the creation of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as a comprehensive body with independent verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting. In line with this vision, the Ministry is currently drafting the HECI bill." At present, the UGC is responsible for regulating non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education. The concept of bringing these functions under a single regulator was first introduced in a 2018 draft bill that sought to repeal the UGC Act and was later released for public consultation. Efforts to establish the HECI picked up pace after Dharmendra Pradhan took charge as Union Education Minister in July 2021. The idea of forming a unified higher education regulator was first introduced in a draft bill in 2018. The Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, which aimed to repeal the UGC Act and create the HECI, was made public that year for feedback and consultation with stakeholders. Reinforcing the need for such reform, the NEP 2020 states, "the regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive." The NEP thereby stresses the need for a complete overhaul of the current regulatory structure to modernise India's higher education system and align it with global standards.
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Govt in process of drafting bill for unified higher education body: Minister
New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Ministry of Education is in the process of drafting a bill for establishing a higher education commission of India (HECI), proposed as a unified higher education regulatory body, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. Govt in process of drafting bill for unified higher education body: Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar(ANI/File) Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared the information in a written reply to a question. "The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions a 'light but tight' regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency and resource efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance and empowerment," Majumdar said. "The NEP 2020 further envisions setting up of a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as an umbrella body with independent verticals to perform distinct functions of regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard setting. Considering the above vision of NEP 2020, the ministry is in the process of drafting a HECI bill," he added. The HECI, which was proposed in the new NEP, looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). While the UGC oversees non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education. The concept of the HECI has been discussed before in the form of a draft bill. A draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, 2018, which seeks to repeal the UGC Act and provides for setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India, was put in the public domain that year for feedback and consultation with stakeholders. Renewed efforts to make the HECI a reality were then initiated under Dharmendra Pradhan, who took over as Union education minister in July 2021. Underlining the relevance of a single higher education regulator, the NEP 2020 document says, "the regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive".
