Kannada Development Authority complains to Centre about 'linguistic discrimination'
Bengaluru: The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has lodged a strong protest with the Centre over the UGC-National Eligibility Test not being translated in Kannada, a facility it said was available to Hindi speaking candidates.
KDA Chairman T S Nagabharana, in a letter to Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank',said a woman candidate had brought to the notice of the Authority that those writing the exam using the question paper prepared in English have the facility to get it translated to Hindi to clear their doubts.
She went through immense difficulties to understand a couple of questions in English and no facility was provided to translate it to Kannada, as was made available for Hindi speaking candidates, he said.
The KDA also wrote to the Secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Amit Khare, and University Grants Commission Chairman Prof D P Singh over the matter.
"We lodge our strong protest for this discriminatory policy that has pushed candidates into serious handicap and disadvantage as compared to candidates who have access to translation in Hindi language," he said in his letter sent on Monday.
The KDA chairman alleged that this was a gross violation of Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
Article 14 says "The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India."
Article 15 prohibits discrimination of Indians on basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Nagabharana urged the authorities concerned to provide a detailed report on the issue and quickly set it right for the remaining students who will be writing their exams over the next two months.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
