Will change face of Channapatna, Bengaluru south in next three years: DK Shivakumar
Channapatna (Karnataka), Feb 2 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Sunday that the Congress will change the face of Channapatna and Bengaluru South district in the next three years.
Speaking at an event organised to thank the party workers and leaders for achieving a resounding victory in the Channapatna bypoll, he said, "The district has strengthened the Congress party by electing four MLAs. We will change the face of Channapatna and Bengaluru South district together with development."
"This is an event to pay back the debt. We would like to thank you for all your support. The CM could not attend the event as he has injured his leg," he added.
The Deputy CM said the people of Channapatna have shown that they cannot be "taken for a ride".
"I don't want to criticise anyone. The people of the constituency have replied to Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa. Your message is reverberating across the country," he added.
Shivakumar said he would stand by his promises made by him. "I had promised you even before the election that this constituency is my responsibility. We will bring change together. We will regularly review the progress on our promises," he said.
During his speech, Congress leader D K Suresh said he would closely watch the work of the four Congress MLAs in the constituency.
"All the MLAs of the district must take up this challenge and deliver. The people of the constituency have voted for the guarantee schemes and development. We have already got a grant of Rs 600 crore and the works have started," he noted.
According to him, Congress is aware of the Milk Producers' Cooperative Society issue and is taking steps to rectify it.
"We have already identified 300 acres of land and the sites will be issued soon. We will not let any official take bribes," he added.
"I was keen to contest the elections from Channapatna but the party did not agree. And we kept the party above family politics. We finalised CP Yogeshwar's candidature. We will take care of all the party workers. The JD(S) workers must also join hands in developing the district. Any increase in asset values will benefit the farmers," he added.
Congress' C P Yogeeshwara won the "high profile" Channapatna segment for the ruling party in Karnataka, defeating JD(S) candidate and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, by a margin of 25,413 votes, in the Assembly by-poll held on November 13, 2024.
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Bengal govt directs schools to mandatorily include singing of Vande Mataram in morning assemblies
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal government has directed all state-run and aided schools to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies with immediate effect, according to an official communication issued by the School Education department.
The directive states that every student must participate in the singing the national song at the start of the school day. Heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.
"The singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect," the Director of Education specified in a communication to state-run and state-aided school heads on May 13.
The move comes shortly after the Union government initiated steps to strengthen provisions related to respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
A school education department official indicated on Thursday that the song is to be performed at the beginning of the assembly session.
School authorities have also been asked to document the proceedings, including video recordings, as proof of implementation, he said.
Earlier, schools in the state traditionally sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
In recent years, the previous TMC government had introduced 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol', also penned by Tagore in 1905 during protests against the partition of Bengal, as the state song.
The national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, now adds to the list, raising questions among sections of teachers about the duration and sequencing of both the national anthem and the national song within the limited assembly time.
Headmaster of Hindu School Subhrojit Dutta told PTI, "Once our students attend classes after summer vacation, they will sing Vande Mataram along with the National anthem Jana Gana Mana during the assembly before classes."
"Our students had already been told about the historical significance of Vande Mataram on the occasion of its 150th year, and they had been asked to recite the lines and memorise it at home before this notice was issued. So once they join school, they will sing the national song along with the national anthem," he added.
A left-run teacher representative body spokesperson said further clarity is awaited regarding whether all songs are to be sung daily and how they are to be accommodated within the existing schedule.
