Latest news with #Mankar
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
How a Maharashtra village is using tax waivers to woo children to its Zilla Parishad school
Addressing the issue of the declining number of enrolments in village government schools has been a cause of concern for authorities. A panchayat in Maharashtra's Amravati district has offered a new carrot — Send your child to the local Zilla Parishad (ZP) school, and waive your property tax and water tax for the year. Sayat panchayat has come up with the exciting offer as the strength of its primary school, which once used to be the heart of the village's educational system with 90 children until three years ago, today has shrunk to just 38 students. 'It's quite disheartening to see empty classes,' said Amol Akhade, the Sayat ZP school's headmaster. 'Private English medium schools, often called 'convent schools' locally, have become the new aspiration for parents. Even families with modest incomes are willing to stretch their budgets, believing these schools offer their children a better future, and this is one of the main reasons for reduced enrollments in public schools,' added Akhade. The response was immediate. 'Within days of announcing the tax waiver scheme on June 24, six families enrolled their children. It may seem like a small number, but for a school fighting for survival, every child matters,' said Annapurna Mankar, the Sayat village sarpanch. When admissions for the 2024-25 academic year showed only five children enrolling in the first grade, the village knew something had to be done. 'After seeing the abysmally low admissions this year, the villagers and gram panchayat members together decided to take this decision,' said Mankar. 'So we came up with this simple yet unprecedented initiative to reward families who choose the government school,' she added. Nasir Shah, one of the parents who enrolled their daughter after the decision told The Indian Express, 'Being a mason, a low-paying job, my wife and I both need to be at work for the whole day to make up the month's financial needs and are not able to take care of our daughter's studies. The ZP school provides free and quality education, along with mid-day meals. Now, considering the gram panchayat's new initiative to waive taxes, we decided to drop the private school option.' The tax waiver is just one part of a larger transformation happening at Sayat ZP School. Recognising that parents want English education for their children, the school has become 'semi-English,' Mankar said. 'We are a team of three faculty members, and to retain students, we are giving our best by paying special attention to each child. The school also runs a regular mid-day meal programme and carries out extracurricular activities like meditation, cultural programmes, dance, and others to make learning enjoyable,' said Prashant Bhakre, assistant teacher. The village panchayat is also investing in better infrastructure, with fresh paint, and focusing on regular maintenance to make the school more attractive and be able to compete with private schools. Beyond the statistics lies another aspect of the issue. Akhade pointed out that family problems often affect children's education. 'In most cases, a fight between husband and wife usually affects their children, where either of the partners leaves the village and takes their children away. This contributes to both low enrollment and increasing dropout rates,' the headmaster said. 'So the school staff has learned to be more than just teachers. We're counsellors, mentors, and sometimes the stable presence in children's lives when everything else seems uncertain. From convincing parents for admissions to opening their bank accounts for scholarship-eligible students, we try to make their experience hassle-free,' added Bhakre. Akhade said it will take at least a year before the real impact becomes visible. But already, there are signs of hope. 'Now that parents are opting for ZP schools, we feel energised, and it has given us more energy to teach,' he remarked. 'The village is now running awareness campaigns to spread the word about both the tax benefits and the improvements being made to the school. A detailed list of eligible families has been prepared, and the tax waivers for the previous financial year are being processed,' said Mankar.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Deepak Mankar gets interim bail in bogus land sale deed case till May 27
Pune: Additional sessions judge K P Khirsagar granted ad interim anticipatory bail to Deepak Mankar (67), former chief of NCP's Pune city unit, till May 27 in a case related to a bogus land sale deed. Mankar sought anticipatory bail, fearing arrest after Samarth police registered an FIR against him and others. Judge Kshirsagar, in his order of May 21, said that Mankar should be released on bail on executing personal and surety bonds of Rs50,000 in the event of his arrest. He was directed not to tamper with the prosecution's evidence. The court issued notice to the state prosecution/police to submit their written submission by May 27 to oppose Mankar's bail plea. A perusal of the FIR revealed that the accusation against the applicant Mankar and co-accused was that during inquiry, they produced before the court fabricated documents prepared on forged stamp papers with an intention to cheat, the judge said. An amount of Rs1.80 crore was deposited in Mankar's bank account, and the case was based on documentary evidence, he said. The court said that Mankar is a resident of Pune, and there is no possibility that he may flee from justice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo From the appreciation of material on record, ex facie it appears that his questioning in the crime may not be necessary, the judge said and granted him interim protection from arrest. Defence lawyer Sudhir Shah argued that Mankar's questioning was not essential because the provisions relating to forgery were not applicable in the case. Shah pleaded with the court to grant his client interim protection because other offences invoked against him are bailable.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Time of India
Pune Police file case of forging sale deed against former deputy mayor, six others
Pune: The Samarth police on Sunday registered a case of forgery against NCP's former deputy mayor Deepak Mankar (67) and six others, including a chartered accountant (CA) from Market Yard and a Nana Peth resident, Shantanu Kukade, for allegedly preparing a bogus land sale deed . The document was purportedly processed in Aug last year on a Rs 500 stamp paper. Mankar has denied the allegations. Deputy commissioner of police (zone I) Sandeep Singh Gill said, "The forgery came to light during the investigation of an alleged gang rape of a foreign national in which Kukade and eight others were arrested in March and are currently lodged in prison. Our team uncovered a suspicious financial transaction of Rs 1.18 crore from Kukade's bank account. The money was transferred to Mankar's account in Oct 2024 by the CA on behalf of Kukade.""We sought an explanation from Mankar on this transaction, and he produced a land sale deed, which was also registered at the registrar's office. We studied the land sale agreement between the two parties and realised that the stamp vendor never sold the stamp paper even though it bears his name as vendor. We checked his registers, but we did not find the sale of this stamp paper," he said."As per the agreement, Kukade agreed to purchase a land parcel in Agalambe village in the backwaters of Khadakwasla dam," he said. "Later, we found that govt seals on the stamp papers and other details were fake and fabricated. After recovering all the evidence pertaining to the land sale agreement, we decided to register a case of forgery suo-motu," Gill said."The deal between Kukade and Mankar is yet to be completed, but the fake sale deed has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the transaction," Gill contacted, Mankar told TOI, "The land sale agreement is a legitimate document. It is not misleading or forged. We have followed all the legal procedures to execute the deed. If there had been any forgery, the other party must complain to the police. I don't know why police have registered the complaint".
