Mumbai (PTI): Chief whip of NCP (Sharad Pawar camp) Jitendra Awhad has written to the Maharashtra Assembly speaker seeking separate sitting arrangement for members of the Ajit Pawar camp and the rest of MLAs of the party for the legislature session beginning Monday.

In a letter addressed to Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Sunday, Awhad said except for the nine MLAs- including Ajit Pawar- who have joined the government, the Nationalist Congress Party is part of the opposition.

"Except for the nine MLAs who were sworn in, the sitting arrangement for others should be made separately. The NCP is in the opposition and we want to sit in the opposition," Awhad stated.

Narwekar had recently said there was no clear distinction between who is in power and who is not in the case of the Nationalist Congress Party.

"There will be a lot of deliberations and arguments over how to decide who represents the actual NCP," he had said.

When asked about Shiv Sena which had also witnessed a similar revolt last year, Narwekar said, "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has given its verdict hence Shiv Sena's issue is solved for me. However, the NCP has written a letter to the ECI, but I do not have any update from its office".

Before Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government earlier this month, the NCP had 53 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly.

In the first meeting held by Ajit Pawar in Mumbai post the split in the party, 35 MLAs of NCP and five of the eight MLCs had marked their presence.

However, the exact number of MLAs backing the Ajit Pawar camp is not known.

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New Delhi (PTI): The CBSE has made the study of three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, compulsory for Class-9 students beginning July 1, according to a circular issued by the board.

The move is part of the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) alignment of its Scheme of Studies with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

According to the circular issued on May 15, students opting for a foreign language may do so only as the third language after studying two native Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language.

"With effect from July 1, 2026, for Class IX, the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3) shall be compulsory, with at least two languages being native Indian languages," the circular stated.

The CBSE said to keep the focus on learning and reduce any undue pressure on students, no board examination shall be conducted for R3 at the Class-10 level.

"All assessments for R3 shall be entirely school-based and internal. The performance of students in R3 will be duly reflected in the CBSE certificate. It is clarified that no student will be barred from appearing in the Class X Board Examinations due to R3. Sample question papers, rubrics for internal assessment will be shared by the Board shortly," it added.

The board also asked schools to update their R3 language offerings for Classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30.

Schools facing a shortage of qualified native Indian language teachers may use interim measures, such as inter-school resource sharing, virtual or hybrid teaching support, engagement of retired language teachers and qualified postgraduates, the circular said.

The CBSE further said relaxations would be provided to the Children With Special Needs (CwSN) in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, while foreign students returning to India may get case-by-case exemptions from the requirement of studying two native Indian languages.