Karnataka seeks central assistance to raise the number of oxygenated beds and oxygen plants
Bengaluru, Jan 13: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday sought central assistance to raise the number of oxygenated beds and oxygen plants in the state.
Bommai sought the assistance today while taking part in a video conference held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of various states over the COVID-19 situation in the country.
"I explained the measures taken by the state government to control and manage Covid. The Prime Minister appreciated the high rate of testing and vaccination in the state which is higher than the national average," the CM was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
Noting that the PM was also apprised about measures initiated to ramp up the medical infrastructure, he said, "I sought the central assistance to raise the oxygenated beds and oxygen plants."
The Prime Minister gave instructions on making all preparations based on the experience of the first and second wave of Covid, as the pandemic is expected to peak in February, the CM said.
During the third wave over 94 per cent infected are in home isolation, and therefore the Prime Minister wanted to give priority to ensuring supply of medicines, appropriate care and measures to instill a sense of confidence among the infected, he said.
Further Bommai said, the Union government has suggested ramping up testing, purchase of ambulances and improving medical infrastructure under the Rs 32,000 crore package it has provided.
"The union government has provided Rs 32,000 crore for states after the second wave to raise the health infrastructure. Many states have so far not utilised it. States too need to chip in with their own share of resources to improve the health infrastructure like ICU, Oxygen plants, oxygenated plants and purchase ambulances to make best use of the project," he said.
According to the release, Modi appreciated the 5T plan of Testing, Tracking, Tracing, Triaging and Technology adopted by the state government to control COVID, and also praised the use of technology for monitoring the health of those in home isolation.
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Explainer: CBSE's three-language formula for Class 9; What does it mean, what changes?
New Delhi (PTI): Two months after beginning of the 2026-27 academic session, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has notified implementation of the three-language formula for Class 9 from July 1, 2026.
Here is an explainer of what the formula is:
1. What is three-language formula?
The three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends that students learn three languages, at least two of which must be native to India. This formula applies to both government and private schools, giving states the flexibility to choose languages without any imposition.
2. What is the history of three-language formula?
The formula was first proposed by the Education Commission (1964-66), officially known as the Kothari Commission. It was formally adopted in the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1968 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The policy was reaffirmed in NPE 1986 under PM Rajiv Gandhi and revised in 1992 by Narasimha Rao’s Congress government to promote linguistic diversity and national unity.
The formula included three languages -- mother tongue or regional language, official language and a modern Indian or European language.
3. What does NEP 2020 say about the three-language formula?
The NEP proposes an “early implementation of the three-language formula to promote multilingualism" from the school level. The document states that the three-language formula will continue to be implemented "while keeping in mind the constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity”.
However, the NEP also states that there will be greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any state.
The policy states that the three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions, and of course, the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.
4. What about foreign languages?
According to NEP 2020, in addition to Indian languages and English, students at the secondary level can also learn Korean, Japanese, French, German and Spanish, among other foreign languages.
However, a key shift in the curriculum is the classification of English as a foreign language, with the Board allowing only one foreign language within the three-language framework. This could restrict students from choosing both English and another foreign language as their second and third languages.
5. Are books ready?
The board has said till the dedicated R3 textbooks are available, Class 9 students shall use the Class 6 R3 textbooks (2026-27 edition) of the chosen language.
The board has further said schools facing a shortage of adequately-qualified native Indian language teachers may, as an interim arrangement, engage existing teachers of other subjects who possess functional proficiency in the language concerned.
6. What is the controversy about three language formula?
The three-language formula has been at the centre of the political row between the former DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and the Centre.
The state has historically opposed the three-language formula. In 1937, the then Madras government, headed by C Rajagopalachari, introduced compulsory Hindi in schools. This move sparked widespread protests by the Justice Party and Dravidian leaders like Periyar. The policy was revoked in 1940, but anti-Hindi sentiments persisted.
When the three-language formula was introduced in 1968, Tamil Nadu opposed it, seeing it as an attempt to impose Hindi. Under Chief Minister C N Annadurai, the state adopted a two-language policy, teaching only Tamil and English.
Tamil Nadu remains the only state that has never implemented the three-language formula, choosing English over Indian languages, including Hindi and other regional languages.
