Dehradun (PTI): Madrassas in Uttarakhand have been ordered to get themselves registered with the state education department within a month or face closure.
There are around 400 unregistered madrassas in the state, according to the government.
"Madrassas have been served an ultimatum to register with the state education department within a month. If they fail to meet the deadline, steps will be taken to shut them," Uttarakhand Social Welfare and Minority Welfare Minister Chandan Ram Dass said.
Currently, 419 madrassas are registered with the Uttarakhand Madrassa Board. Of these, 192 receive grants from the Centre and the state government.
The state government estimates that there around 400 more madrassas and they remain unregistered.
"Not registering with the state education department is harming the future of the students who study there as they face problems in getting admissions after Class V," Dass said.
The direction to get registered is aimed at the welfare of the students because only then can they avail of benefits of the central and state government schemes, he added.
As there were allegations that the grants given to the madrassas were not being appropriately utilised, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently underlined the need to have them surveyed.
State Waqf board chairman Shadab Shams said he had a word with the chief minister regarding the issue and a committee will soon be set up to survey the madrassas.
Soon after taking over as the state Waqf board chairman last month, Shams had made a strong pitch for providing modern education in madrassas.
He said the board plans to introduce the state education board syllabus in madrassas and provide similar education to its students as children in private and government schools.
CCTV cameras will also be installed in madrassas to ensure transparency in their activities, he added.
Uttarakhand Waqf Board runs 103 madrassas.
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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a formation of separate Dharwad city corporation. Alongside, a 15% hike in fares across the four state transport corporations was also approved. The revised fares will come into effect on January 5.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, addressing the media at the Committee Hall of Vidhana Soudha, provided details about the decision. He explained that the last fare revision for BMTC was a decade ago when diesel cost Rs 60.98 per litre. Since then, operational costs have risen significantly.
Diesel expenditure for the four corporations has increased from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, and personnel costs have grown from Rs 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. The daily operational burden now stands at Rs 9.56 crore. The fare hike is expected to generate an additional Rs 74.85 crore in monthly revenue without burdening the state exchequer, as Rs 5,015 crore has already been allocated for the Shakti Yojana this fiscal year.
Minister Patil announced that the Cabinet has decided to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation into two independent municipal bodies.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a fishing port in Hejamady village, Udupi, with a revised estimate of Rs 209.13 crore. Additionally, Rs 84.57 crore has been sanctioned for the modernization and dredging of fishing ports.
In a move to strengthen cow shelters, Rs 10.50 crore has been allocated for projects in 14 districts. The Cabinet also approved constructing a building for Visvesvaraya Technical University in Chikkaballapur district at Rs 149.75 crore.
The Cabinet sanctioned a state-of-the-art bus stand in Bannimantap, Mysuru, at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Spread over 14 acres, the facility will include a divisional office, bus units, and commercial shops.
Approval was also granted to utilize Rs 137.85 crore, provided by the Union Finance Ministry under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, for capital expenditure.
The Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board will use Rs 56.92 crore from its SCP/TSP scheme to supply bed sheets, mosquito nets, and clothing to government residential schools and hostels.
The Cabinet approved Rs 100 crore to construct new buildings for 200 veterinary institutions currently housed in rented or dilapidated structures, using NABARD assistance.
In Davangere, a site was allotted to the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association for constructing a civic facility. A plot in Avaragere village was also leased for 30 years at a concessional rate to Nayaka Vidyarthi Nilaya.