Himachal CM Sukhu donates all his savings to state disaster relief fund
Shimla (PTI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday donated all his savings worth Rs 51 lakh to the state disaster relief fund to extend a helping hand to the people affected by natural calamities, according to a statement.
The chief minister and his wife Kamlesh Thakur presented a cheque of Rs 51 lakh to Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena at their official residence here, the statement issued here said.
"I could well understand the pain of the people and their plight during the recent monsoon fury in which more than 260 precious lives were lost and many rendered homeless, besides suffering huge losses," he said.
Every section of society had voluntarily contributed towards the relief fund. Even children broke their piggy banks to help those in distress, the elders parted with their pension and the state government employees contributed generously from their salary to contribute towards the Aapda Raahat Kosh (disaster relief fund), he said.
Earlier, the governments of Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had provided help to the tune of Rs 61 crore to the state to meet the relief and rehabilitation requirements. Besides temple trusts, NGOs and individuals have also come forward to help.
Heavy rains in the months of July and August have caused huge damage to the road infrastructure, water supply schemes, buildings and other private and public property.
As many as 272 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till September 14 and the state has suffered losses of Rs 8,680 crore as per the state emergency operation centre and the loss estimates are still pouring in.
The chief minister had claimed that the state has suffered losses of Rs 12,000 crores and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the calamity in Himachal as a national disaster.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during her two-day visit to rain-affected areas of Kullu, Mandi and Shimla on July 12 and 13, had stated that the issue would be raised in the special session of Parliament.
Sukhu had also given away his one year's salary and contributed Rs 11 lakh towards the state relief fund during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
