Govt says it did not incur expenses for 'Howdy-Modi' event in Houston last year
New Delhi: The government on Thursday said it did not incur any expenses for the 'Howdy-Modi' event in the US city of Houston in September last year and that it was organised by a not-for-profit group.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a thunderous reception when he, accompanied by US President Donald Trump, addressed a crowd of over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the event in a stadium in Houston on September 22, 2019.
"A US-based not-for-profit organisation namely the Texas India Forum Inc. organised an event titled, Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures' in Houston on September 22, 2019," Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in the Rajya Sabha.
He was replying to a written question on the event.
Specifically asked whether the government incurred any financial expenses for the event or funded its organisers, Muraleedharan said "no".
He said the chairperson of the Texas India Forum Inc. was Jugal Malani, an Indian community member based in Texas.
"Prime Minister, as part of his visit to the US, participated in the event at the invitation of the organisers and addressed a gathering of members of the Indian-American community and many of their elected representatives," the minister said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
