Veteran Bengali actor Manoj Mitra hospitalised, condition 'critical'
Kolkata (PTI): Veteran Bengali actor and eminent theatre personality Manoj Mitra has been hospitalised with old age-related ailments and his condition is “very critical”, officials of the medical facility said.
The octogenarian was admitted to hospital with breathing trouble, sodium- potassium imbalance among other health issues, they said.
“Mr Mitra’s condition is very critical. He is under observation,” one of the doctors treating him told PTI on Sunday evening.
Famous for his stellar performances in films like Tapan Sinha's ‘Banchharamer Bagan’, Mitra has also acted in legendary director Satyajit Ray’s classics ‘Ghare Baire’ and ‘Ganashatru’.
Mitra, 85, also featured in films of eminent directors Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Basu Chatterjee, Tarun Majumdar, Shakti Samanta and Goutam Ghose.
He has written over 100 plays.
Among several accolades, the thespian won the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award for Best Playwright in 1985.
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Minimum age for class 1 admission relaxed for 2025-26, says Minister Madhu Bangarappa
Bengaluru, April 17: Karnataka's Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Wednesday announced that the state government has relaxed the minimum age requirement for admission to Class 1 for the academic year 2025-26, responding to repeated appeals from parents.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the minister stated that children who have completed 5 years and 5 months of age as of June 1, 2025, will be eligible for admission into Class 1 for this year. However, from the academic year 2026-27 onwards, the age criterion will return to the earlier requirement — that a child must have completed 6 years of age to enter Class 1.
Madhu Bangarappa clarified that despite the relaxation in age, children must have completed Upper Kindergarten (UKG) before being admitted to Class 1. “We are allowing this concession only for the current academic year, based on the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission and after considering the requests from parents,” he said.
The minister reiterated that the relaxation is temporary and aimed at ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting the academic plans of parents and schools. He added that the decision aligns with the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission, which has studied the matter and supported a phased implementation of the revised age criteria.
Parents across the state had earlier expressed concerns over the sudden enforcement of the 6-year age requirement, which they said would affect thousands of children already enrolled in pre-primary levels.
