Karnataka: 'Reading Campaign' begins at govt, aided schools
Bengaluru: The Department of School Education in Karnataka has officially kickstarted a ‘Reading Campaign’ across all government and aided schools on Tuesday. The initiative strives to develop and enhance reading skills among students from classes 1 to 7.
Schools have been provided with a variety of activities designed to integrate reading into the students' daily routines. This campaign will run in two phases for a period of 21 days.
Emphasising the critical role of books in improving comprehension and expanding knowledge, the department stressed that these activities should not interfere with regular teaching hours. “The reading activity must be done during morning assembly time or during the first class of the day or during the library hours fixed as per the school time table and should not disturb the regular teaching hours of the school,” the circular mentioned.
The school children will be provided with story books suitable for their age. If there is no reading material available, then the teachers can utilise the materials provided by the department which are in PDF format, officials from the department explained to the Deccan Herald.
Additionally, teachers are required to document the reading activities through photographs and share them on WhatsApp groups that include local officials, parents, and members of the School Development and Monitoring Committee.
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
