Maratha quota demand: Govt in huddle as Manoj Jarange's protest enters third day
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis late night to discuss the ongoing hunger strike by activist Manoj Jarange in Mumbai to press for Maratha quota, sources said on Sunday.
Vikhe Patil heads a cabinet sub-committee on issues related to the Maratha community's demand for reservation and its social, educational and economic condition.
Jarange has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday over his demand for a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
He has demanded that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis — an agrarian caste included in the OBC category — which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.
A government-appointed delegation led by retired high court Justice Sandeep Shinde on Saturday met Jarange, who demanded that Marathas in Marathwada be given the Kunbi status and a government resolution (GR) be issued saying Kunbis and Marathas are same.
Justice Shinde heads a committee set up to scrutinise Kunbi records of the Maratha community.
Vikhe Patil met CM Fadnavis late Saturday night to discuss the issue. The meeting lasted for an hour, according to sources.
Senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan was also present at the meet.
Jarange on Saturday slammed CM Fadnavis for sending Justice Shinde to hold talks with him.
"It is not Justice Shinde's job to issue a GR announcing grant of reservation to Marathas," Jarange said, vowing to continue the agitation.
Fadnavis has said the government was trying to find a solution to the issue within the constitutional and legal framework.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
