New Delhi (PTI): The process of filing nominations for 88 parliamentary seats across 12 states in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections began on Thursday.

The notification for the second phase of the parliamentary polls -- to be held on April 26 -- was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the president early on Thursday.

The last date for filing nomination papers for this phase is April 4.

On April 5, the nomination papers will be scrutinised in all states and Union Territories, except Jammu and Kashmir.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the scrutiny will be held on April 6.

Polling in one part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency will also be held during this phase. The notification for elections in the Outer Manipur constituency was included in the gazette notification issued for the first phase on March 20.

Fifteen assembly segments in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19. Thirteen assembly segments of the constituency will go to the polls on April 26.

The states and Union Territories going to the polls in the second phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, apart from one part of the Outer Manipur seat.

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.