Rajasthan mandates newspaper reading in government schools
Jaipur (PTI): The Rajasthan government has made daily newspaper reading compulsory in all government schools in an effort to promote reading habits, improve vocabulary and enhance general awareness among students.
According to a December 31 order, students will be required to read newspapers for at least 10 minutes during the morning assembly. The initiative aims to familiarise students with current affairs and develop their ability to understand and analyse news at an early stage.
The directive from the state's school education department instructs government senior secondary schools and English-medium schools to subscribe to a minimum of two newspapers — one Hindi and one English — while government upper primary schools must ensure the availability of at least two Hindi newspapers.
The expenditure towards newspaper subscriptions will be borne by the Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur.
Schools have also been asked to identify five new words from the newspapers each day and explain their meanings to students to strengthen language skills. During morning assemblies, one national-level newspaper in English and one in Hindi will be read aloud.
The order further states that students should be divided class-wise and encouraged to read and discuss editorials and major national, international and sporting developments.
Officials said the programme is designed not only to improve students' general knowledge and social awareness but also to prepare them better for competitive examinations.
The move comes a week after the Uttar Pradesh government introduced a similar directive in government schools, making newspaper reading a mandatory activity.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
No 'VIP' involved in Ankita Bhandari murder case: Haridwar SP
Dehradun (PTI): Amid demands for a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Haridwar SP (Rural) Shekhar Suyal on Saturday said that no "VIP" was found involved during the investigation.
Suyal told reporters here that the person whose name came up in the chats and during questioning, was a friend of Ankita, Dharmendra Kumar alias Pradhan, a resident of Noida. He was not a VIP, the officer said.
"During the investigation, police questioning revealed that he had come to the area for some work two days before Ankita's murder and had stopped at the Vanantra Resort for a short time to have a meal," he said.
ALSO READ: Congress and NCP (SP) to contest separately in Nagpur civic polls
Suyal said that this was confirmed by the resort's records and questioning of the staff.
Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, recently released videos and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore, alleging that the 'VIP' in the Ankita Bhandari murder case is a person named 'Gattu'.
In another video, she identified Gattu as a top BJP leader in Uttarakhand.
Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, said that his voice was generated using AI, and the audios have been widely shared with the intention of tarnishing his political image.
The Uttarakhand government on Friday said it was ready for any investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case "if credible evidence is presented".
Opposition leaders have demanded a CBI probe into the new allegations and the murder case, in which three people were sentenced to life imprisonment following an SIT investigation.
Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered on September 18, 2022. The state government had constituted an SIT to investigate the case.
The court sentenced Pulkit Arya, the owner of the resort and son of a BJP leader, and two others to life imprisonment in the case.
