Why we need government schools: They are the only educational lifeline for 60% of India’s children

There is change in our government schools if one cares to look for it. In a survey my colleagues conducted in 2005 in northeast Karnataka, only four out of ten schools had obtained uniforms and books in time for the start of the academic year. Today, this number has more than doubled. Nearly every school I visited had planned and procured books and uniforms well in time, even if it meant that their teachers had to sacrifice some holidays. In most schools that we visited, attendance was over 90 per…

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Twitter to Help UP Government Towards Effective Governance Goal

HIGHLIGHTS UP has become first state using Twitter for reaching out to the people #UPonTwitter workshop was organised in Lucknow this week Twitter is already being leveraged by the UP police to engage In line with the Centre’s aim to bring transparency in governance, the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to ride on the microblogging website Twitter for reaching out to the people, a company executive said on Friday. “The UP government has recognised the potential of Twitter as a platform for effective…

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Let Government Staff’s Pension Funds To Invest 50% In Equities: PF Body

   Hyderabad: The pensions fund regulator PFRDA wants government to more than treble investment levels in equity markets by government subscribers under the National Pension System (NPS) up to 50 per cent from 15 per cent now. The regulator has sent a proposal to government seeking to allow government subscribers (state and Central government employees) invest up to 50 per cent in equities under the NPS, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority chairman Hemanth Contractor said here on Thursday. The authority manages about Rs. 1.70 trillion of funds belonging to…

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Risk to Human from Bird Flu Sub-Type H5N8 is Low: Government

The risk to human population from avian influenza sub-type H5N8 is “low” but the government has issued advisories to states and Union Territories to minimise bird-human interface as a matter of “abundant caution”, Rajya Sabha was informed today. Outbreak of bird flu was first reported on October 18 among wild birds in National Zoological Park in Delhi and since then samples from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and Haryana have been tested positive at Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD). Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh…

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Dengue Claimed 179 Lives, no Death Due to Chikungunya: Government

Dengue has claimed 179 lives across the country this year while no death has been reported due to chikungunya, though it affected 21,000 people, the Rajya Sabha was told today. “During 2016 (till November 13), a total number of 179 deaths due to dengue and no death due to chikungunya has been reported in the country. “The number of positive cases for dengue and chikungunya in the country during 2016 (till November 13) are 90,277 and 21,094 respectively,” Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply. He said…

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Government Working to Make People Aware of Stress: Nadda

In a bid to tackle stress among people and improve productivity, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Wednesday said that the government is working on “Catch them Young” programme to make people aware of stress-related problems. “There is a heightened focus on preventive health along with curative health now. Awareness is very important to keep away non-communicable diseases (NCDs),” he said after launching the “No More Tension” mobile app and the release of the “Healthy India Initiative/Swastha Bharat-ek pehal” magazine here. “People suffer from stress related problems due to…

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