Taking significant steps to fill varsity vacancies: Javadekar
New Delhi, June 18: Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that the government is taking all "significant steps", including filing a petition in the Supreme Court to reverse the mode of recruitment, to fill the vacancies of universities teachers across the country.
"We are doing all things necessary to fill the teachers' posts in the Delhi University. Even today (Sunday) I met the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University to discuss how we can fill the posts of principals fast," Javadekar said at an event organised to brief the media on his ministry's achievements in last four years.
The minister also said that the ministry has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court regarding on whether recruitment should be done university-wise or department-wise.
"We have filed an SLP with the Supreme Court, which is due to be heard on July 2, to reverse the Allahabad High Court order which stipulated for department-wise recruitment. We believe university-wise recruitment to be a just method for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribe candidates," Javadekar said.
The question of mode of recruitment has divided the university teachers, some of who prefer it to be done on the basis of total vacancies in a department while others advocate that it should be done on the basis of total vacancies in a university.
This has also been one of the demands of the DU teachers on strike who demand the repeal of March 5 University Grants Commission's notice which prescribed the department-wise recruitment method.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
