Latest news with #Sharada
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Midday meals in Telangana hit by fund crunch; eggs, veggies vanish from students' plates
HYDERABAD: On paper, students in government schools across the state have a nutritious meal menu. On their plates? Just rice and dal, day after day. Soaring food prices and Rs 2 crore owed to midday meal agencies have quietly pushed eggs, vegetables and sambar off the menu. Sources said the prescribed day-wise menu — rice with egg and sambar on Mondays and Thursdays, vegetable curry on Tuesdays and Fridays, dal with leafy greens and an egg on Wednesdays and Saturdays — exists only on charts. In reality, students are being served plain rice and dal daily, and eggs once a week. Pointing to the increasing prices, midday meal agencies said the government hasn't cleared their bills for over three months. 'Vegetables, eggs and pulses have all become expensive. We were told the per-child cost has been revised, but the funds haven't reached us,' said a member of Manna Trust, an NGO supplying meals in Hyderabad. In March, the Telangana Education Commission proposed a revised budget, hiking the cost per meal from Rs 8.69 to Rs 13.45 for students from classes 1–5, and from Rs 11.79 to Rs 18.60 and Rs 19.14 for classes 6–8 and 9 and 10, respectively. A total of Rs 151 crore was sanctioned. But none of that has trickled down to the field. 'We've stopped asking,' said Sharada, in-charge of the midday meal in Jagtial. 'For the last academic year, we managed with Rs 8.69 per child. We heard the cost was increased, but where's the money? Bills haven't been cleared for months.' Self-help group workers across districts echo the frustration. In Hyderabad, Jagtial and Sangareddy, school headmasters say they've received no official communication about the revised rates. 'We don't know why the funds haven't been released. Meanwhile, meal workers confront us daily about unpaid dues,' said one headmaster who declined to be named.
India Gazette
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- India Gazette
Tesla's first Indian showroom blends sleek minimalism with subtle Indian influences: Architect
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 15 (ANI): Tesla's first Indian showroom, unveiled in Mumbai on Tuesday, blends sleek minimalism with subtle Indian influences, Chief Architect Neeta Sharada revealed. The premium electric vehicle brand's flagship space features a white-themed design with lightboxes showcasing Tesla's innovations alongside curated Indian visuals. Sharada, who led the project, told ANI that the team executed the ambitious design in just 45 days. 'I have been fortunate enough to be part of Tesla's journey in India, with the first one in Mumbai. The showroom has a minimalist look,' Sharada said. 'The showroom features a white background with lightboxes displaying Tesla images and some Indian images. We executed the job in 45 days,' she added. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday inaugurated the 'Tesla Experience Centre' in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai and welcomed Tesla's arrival to India. The chief minister said, 'I welcome Tesla here in Mumbai. Tesla has opened an experience centre here, and it is a statement that Tesla has arrived and it's a statement they Tesla has arrived in the right city and right state.' 'It is a matter of great joy for us that Tesla has launched its first experience in India in Mumbai. Tesla is establishing a logistics and servicing system here. Four big charging stations are also being established by them. I am happy that Tesla chose Maharashtra as the state has become a leader in electric mobility. Tesla is launching its Model Y in India. Maharashtra has the most dynamic electric mobility. policy...I believe Maharashtra will be a preferred destination when they decide to do manufacturing in India,' he added. During the inauguration of the Tesla Experience Centre, Devendra Fadnavis also highlighted the company's global recognition. 'Tesla is not just a car or a car company, it is all about design, innovation and sustainability, for which Tesla stands as a testament, and I think that is a one and only reason it is loved globally,' he said. Earlier reports had suggested that Tesla was keen to import its vehicles into the country and sell them through its showrooms, rather than establishing manufacturing facilities. However, the company has maintained a quiet stance about its detailed operational strategy for India. In a significant move earlier this year, Tesla began its hiring process in India, indicating the company's preparations for entering the domestic market were gaining pace. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously expressed interest in investing in India, but he had also pointed out that high import duties were a major hurdle. However, India's new EV policy, which was announced recently, offered reduced import duties and additional incentives to attract global EV manufacturers, potentially paving the way for Tesla's entry. (ANI)
NDTV
23-06-2025
- NDTV
"Calculated Killing": Maharashtra Man Jailed For Murdering Bedridden Wife
Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 71-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for life for murdering his bedridden wife, citing that it was a "deliberate and calculated killing". Additional sessions judge V L Bhosale convicted Shobhnath Rajeshwar Shukla of charges under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for the murder of his wife, Sharada. A copy of the order, dated June 12, was made available on Monday. The court sentenced the septuagenarian to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him. The court, while refusing to show leniency towards the accused, took note of the "calculated nature of murder" and "complete exploitation of the victim's vulnerability", saying "mercy cannot be extended at the cost of justice." As per the case details, the victim died at her house in the Wagle Estate area of Thane city on November 8, 2019, and one of her sons was informed about her death. At the Civil Hospital, the victim's son observed suspicious marks on her neck, covered with a white ointment, prompting him to file a police complaint. The post-mortem report concluded Sharada's death was due to asphyxia. Additional public prosecutor R P Patil informed the court about the strained relationship between the elderly couple. Sharada, a widow with three sons from her first marriage, married Shobhnath, also a widower. There was a dispute between the couple over a room constructed with money from the sale of Sharada's first husband's property. She wished to transfer her share of the room to her youngest son, but Shobhnath resisted, wanting it to be transferred to his son, Ashok. The prosecution said Sharada had become bedridden after a fall in June 2019, making her entirely dependent on Shobhnath for care. Witnesses, including Sharada's sons, Vishal and Amol Yadav, testified to Shobhnath's frequent complaints about the burden of her care and his threats about killing her. Defence counsel Sandeep Yewale argued that it was a case of suicide, citing inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the medical officer's inability to definitively opine on whether death was caused by hanging or strangulation. The court, however, observed that the victim's bedridden condition eliminated the possibility of suicide, as self-strangulation was anatomically impossible due to her physical limitation. The judge, while convicting the accused, highlighted the threatening statements he had made, the property dispute, his frustration as a caregiver, and his suspicious behaviour post the incident, including his attempt to pass off the ligature mark as a "mangalsutra mark".
Deccan Herald
26-04-2025
- Deccan Herald
Pakistan-born woman, staying in India for 35 years, served notice to leave country
Sharada, who was born in Sukkur city of Pakistan's Sindh province fled to India to escape forced conversion and marriage to a Muslim youth there.
The Print
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Pakistan-born woman staying in India for 35 years served notice to leave country
When contacted, Bolangir Superintendent of Police, Abilash G told PTI that the administration has served a notice to Sharada to leave the country 'at the earliest'. He said the notice was served to the woman alone and not to her husband or children. Sharada, who was born in Sukkur city of Pakistan's Sindh province fled to India to escape forced conversion and marriage to a Muslim youth there. She has been staying in Odisha's Bolangir district for 35 years after marrying Mahesh Kumar Kukreja. She has two children – a son and a daughter. Both her children are married. Bhubaneswar, Apr 26 (PTI) Fifty-three-year-old Pakistan-born Sharada Kukreja, who has been living in Odisha's Bolangir district for 35 years after marrying an Indian citizen, on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi not to separate her from her family as she has been issued a notice by police to leave the country. Asked about Sharada Kukreja's claim that she has an Aadhaar card and participated in elections, the SP said: 'We have served the notice as per the record. We have to verify the claims she is now making.' India announced on Thursday that all visas issued to Pakistani nationals would be revoked from April 27 and asked these people to leave the country as tensions between the two countries escalated after the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead. Sharada said she along with her four sisters and five brothers fled from Pakistan fearing conversion and settled in Bolangir 35 years ago. All her siblings are also married and living in different parts of India. 'First we arrived in Odisha's Koraput district and came to Bolangir after marriage. I have been in Bolangir for 35 years. I was only 18 years old when I got married in 1990,' she said, adding that her family had migrated to India on a 60-day visa in 1987. While all her family members are Indians, she still holds a Pakistani passport and is technically a citizen of that country. 'I have an Aadhaar card and also voted in different elections. But, technically, I am not considered an Indian,' Sharada claimed, adding that she was hopeful that she would get Indian citizenship after the Citizenship Amendment Act. Indian citizenship still eludes her, she said. With the fear of being driven out of the country and separated from her family at this age, Sharada appealed to the PM and CM not to separate her from her husband and children. 'If at all, the Indian government sends me back to Pakistan, where should I go, whom should I meet there? I have no one in that country. I have never visited Pakistan after 1987. Even I have not called anyone over the phone in Pakistan. Whom should I call? I have no connection with that country which failed to give me and my family protection,' she said. With a choked voice, Sharada says that she cannot live for a moment without her family. Her son, daughter and grandchildren are also equally worried and refuse to allow Shaarda to be separated from them. The Odisha government has so far identified 12 Pakistani nationals residing in the state on long-term and short-term visas and asked to leave the country by April 27. Meanwhile, a Pakistani woman married to a shop owner in Bhubaneswar since 2008, found that her pending country exit permit has been approved by the police on Saturday. Her long-term visa (LTV) expired in 2024 and she obtained a visitor visa after her application for an extension of the visa was rejected. She then applied for a country exit permit in February. 'Yes, we have approved her country exit permit and also served the leave country notice for being a Pakistan national. She has been ordered to leave India by April 27,' Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena told reporters here. Meena said that the action is being taken as per an order of the Centre which has revoked different types of visas allotted to Pakistani nationals. 'We had received the order from the state government and based on that we verified and found that one Pakistani national was in Bhubaneswar. She was identified and contacted,' the DCP said. PTI AAM AAM RG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
