UK to issue coin in honour of Mahatma Gandhi
Paris: The UK government has decided to issue a commemorative coin to mark the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, said Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid.
The Pakistani-origin British finance minister said he had asked the UK's Royal Mint to work on the coin so that the world never forgot what Gandhi taught it.
He announced this on Thursday at the annual GG2 ceremony in London to celebrate the British Asian success. Javid has topped the power list released annually by the Asian Media Group (AMG), UK-based publishers behind the GG2.
"Tonight's awards celebrate the 150th birthday of Gandhi a fitting time to announce that I've asked the Royal Mint of the UK to propose a new commemorative coin in his honour. We should never forget what Gandhi taught the world," said Javid.
"Gandhi taught us that power doesn't just come from wealth or high office. We must always remember the values he lived his life by and that our parents brought with them when they arrived here all those years ago," added Javid, a son of a British Pakistani bus driver who has often spoken of his humble origin.
Priti Patel, the Indian-origin home secretary in the Boris Johnson led government, was named the second most influential person on the 2019 GG2 power list, rising 36 places from the previous year due to her frontline cabinet post.
Fellow Indian-origin junior minister serving under Sajid Javid as the Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury, Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, also made it to the top 10 at No. 7.
The third spot on the list went to anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, born Gina Nadira Singh to British Guyana's former Attorney-General Doodnauth Singh. Miller was followed by London's Pakistani-origin mayor Sadiq Khan at No. 4.
The UK's senior-most counter-terrorism officer, Neil Basu, is ranked fifth and the Nobel Prize-winner and president of the Royal Society, Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan Venky, is ranked ninth.
UK-based Indian-origin businessmen Hinduja brothers--Gopichand and Srichand-- took the 10th spot in this year's list.
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Sudha Murty moves resolution to guarantee free care for children of 3-6 years
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha nominated MP Sudha Murty on Friday urged the government to take steps to guarantee free and compulsory care and education for children in the age group of 3 to 6.
The private member resolution moved by Murty said the government may consider amending the Constitution to introduce a new article Article 21B in this regard.
Moving the resolution, she said: "Children are our future. They are the rising Sun. Their early education should benefit their life. Hence I request through you sir to our government to consider amending our Constitution to give fundamental right to education from 6 to 14 years to 3 to 14 years."
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Murty said several parents who are not well-off are not even aware of the importance of Anganwadi education.
The government, the resolution said, needs to "work towards universal access to quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) through strengthening Anganwadi services, or through any other mechanism the government may deem appropriate, to ensure that all children receive equitable and holistic early childhood support."
The resolution also urged the government to take suitable measures to enhance delivery, training and support systems related to early childhood services, recognising their role in securing strong foundations for lifelong learning and development.
