Replacing of 'India' in textbooks: Kerala Govt sends letter to the Centre
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Left government in Kerala has sought the intervention of the Central government to reconsider a recent recommendation made by an NCERT panel to replace the term 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks.
State General Education Minister V Sivankutty has sent letters via email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking their intervention into the matter.
A high-level committee for social sciences, constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has recommended that the name of the country 'India' be replaced with 'Bharat' in the school textbooks for all classes in the country.
In his letters, Minister Sivankutty underscored the importance of upholding the existing practice in the best interest of the educational system and the nation's unity, which thrives on its diverse cultural heritage.
For generations, students have learnt about the country's rich past, history and heritage with the name 'India', he said, adding that any change in this would create confusion and disrupt the continuity in the educational system.
Sivankutty said allegations have cropped up that the NCERT's present stance would only support certain ideologies.
This has raised concerns about the distortion of history and bias in the educational system, he said in the letter.
It is essential to scrutinise such recommendations to ensure that they do not follow any particular political or ideological agenda, the minister added.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday categorically made it clear that the NCERT panel's recommendation to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks cannot be accepted.
He also urged all citizens to unite and safeguard the essence of India.
He had said that the present recommendation could be seen only as a continuation of the recent arbitrary exclusion of portions including Mughal history and the banning of the RSS following Gandhi's assassination from textbooks.
The politics behind the move are as clear as day, the CM had said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
