Maharashtra: Haj Committee chops seats in civil services coaching from 200 to 100; activists upset
Maharashtra Activists Forum writes to CEO seeking restoration of seats
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Activists Forum, a group of activists across Maharashtra has submitted a memorandum to the Haj Committee of India CEO, seeking restoration of the reduced seats of the Residential Coaching Institute for Civil Services that it runs in Mumbai for Muslim students.
The Institute was offering training for civil services exams for 200 Muslim students every year from 2015. This year the number has been reduced to only 100 students while also amending rules to accommodate only freshers for the training starting this year. All the repeater students have been asked to vacate the facility.
The Maharashtra Activist Forum, in its memorandum, has expressed disappointment over the HCI’s move to reduce the number as they believe the training offered by the HCI has been instrumental in increasing the number of Muslim candidates clearing civil service exams.
The memorandum states the reduction in seats by 50% will affect the number of Muslim candidates appearing and clearing for the exams.
The residential coaching facility, when started in 2009, had 50 seats until 2015. After that, the number gradually increased to 200 till last year.
Candidates were selected on the basis of merit, following an entrance test. They would have to pay Rs. 15,000 as deposit for the stay and Rs. 4,000 for food, which also had a subsidy over it. The coaching Centre would run in association with a training agency for civil services.
“Things started to change since the new CEO took over last October. Initially, the subsidy for food was canceled. Then the number of students in one batch was restricted to 50. After some activists started raising their voices, it was increased to 100 seats. But 37 students, who just appeared for UPSC Main exam on January 16, were asked to vacate the facility. Preparations continue until the interview procedure, how can they ask students to leave at this juncture?” one of the activists signatory to the memorandum said.
He added that allowing students to access coaching only for one year is not adequate for civil service preparation. “Considering this, deserving candidates were allowed to continue their stay. This would result in batches with a combination of freshers and seniors, which was helpful for students. Freshers could learn from seniors. Moreover, those who have cleared the tests and are officers now were called to guide these batches. All this has stopped,”
The HCI authorities, however, said that the number of seats has been reduced as per existing rules.
“The batch has approval for only 100 candidates a year from the ministry,” said Yaqoob Shaikh, CEO of HCI. Asked how 200 students were being coached every year since 2015, Shaikh said that he has no inkling of how it was allowed. “I have no knowledge how the number of students was increased in the previous years.” The New Indian Express quoted him as saying.
He also said that those who had been asked to vacate had been staying in the premises for a number of years.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
