Rescue efforts in Japan following heavy rains, floods
Tokyo, July 8 : Rescue and search operations continued in Japan on Sunday to locate over 40 people who were reported missing after floods and landslides caused by torrential rains hit the country which have also left at least 65 people dead.
Authorities said in addition to the confirmed deaths, four other people remained unconscious, while at least 45 were missing, reports Efe news.
Emergency services have received over a 100 calls reporting cars being swept away or other accidents although it is not clear exactly how many people are missing, government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said.
Several areas have registered record levels of precipitation since torrential rainfall began lashing the country on Thursday, and 20 prefectures are on alert - three of them on the highest possible alert -- Gifu, Ehime, Kochi -- for overflowing rivers and disasters related to landslides and mudslides.
A 54,000-member team, including soldiers, police officers and firefighters were involved in the rescue efforts, for which 41 helicopters have also been deployed, Suga added.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of over four million people in southwestern Japan.
The rains are the deadliest to hit Japan since August 2014, when 77 people died in Hiroshima.
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Violation of common logic: Kerala Minister slams NCERT's Hindi titles for English textbooks
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty criticised the decision of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to use Hindi titles for English-medium textbooks, describing it as irrational. He accused the central government of "cultural imposition" and of "sabotaging the linguistic diversity of the country."
NCERT reportedly released the new names of books for various classes. Class 1 and Class 2 books are now named as 'Mridang' and a Class 3 book named as 'Santoor'. The Class 6 English book has been renamed from 'Honeysuckle' to 'Poorvi.'
“The NCERT decision is against federal principles and the Constitutional values. It is not only violation of common logic, but an incident of foisting one’s cultural values in such a manner sabotaging the linguistic diversity of our country,” asserted Sivankutty.
The minister argued that the titles in the textbooks are not just names; they shape the perception and imagination of children, adding that English-medium students should have English titles in their textbooks. He opined that education should not be an instrument of imposition but of empowerment and consensus.
He further called upon the NCERT to review and withdraw this decision and urged all states to unite against such impositions.
