Safety Advisory issued for Belthangady schools after leopard sightings
Mangaluru: Schools in Belthangady taluk have been ordered to implement tight safety precautions following reports of leopard movement in the area. Authorities have urged for heightened vigilance to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Belthangady Block Education Officer Tarakesari issued a circular to all schools, according to the Times of India, after teachers and parents voiced concern over the taluk's regular leopard sightings.
The advisory puts collective responsibility for student safety on teachers and school managements and outlines protocols for commuting, supervision and campus movement.
Schools have also been instructed to ensure that children travel to and from school with their parents as far as possible and to formally communicate safety measures to families. Parents have been advised to send children from home in a manner that allows them to reach school by 9.30 am, while students must be released at 4.20 pm under parental responsibility. Head teachers and designated staff members are required to stay on campus until all children have left safely.
The circular directs schools to prevent students from leaving the campus during school hours and to maintain continuous supervision. Children are to use washrooms and play areas only under teacher supervision, with an emphasis on moving in groups. Evening special classes have been prohibited, and any online classes must be scheduled only after students have returned home.
Schools in locations with frequent leopard movement have been given the authority to excuse students from attending courses, with parents being advised to ensure their children's safety at home. Schools located near forested zones have been told to conduct classes with doors closed and ensure students are accompanied by teachers whenever they step outside classrooms.
Teachers have also been advised to exercise caution, use vehicles where possible, avoid isolated routes and leave the campus only after confirming that all students have departed safely. The education office further noted that school staff bear responsibility for student safety from the time children arrive at school until they return home, along with ensuring their own safety.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS, founded in 1925, describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
