TUESDAY 08 APRIL, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Mar 2024 X.com/TheMornStandard ISRAEL LPG PRICES WERE LAST REVISED A YEAR AGO, WHEN PRICES WERE CUT BY `100 STRIKES IN GAZA KILL REPORTER Two people, including a reporter, were killed and six journalists were injured in Israeli attacks on a media tent outside a hospital in Gaza Strip early Monday. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI  ASIAN MARKETS CRUMBLE TAIWAN WEIGHTED NIKKEI 225 SHANGHAI COMPOSITE ■ 75,364.69 ■ SENSEX PREVIOUS CLOSE BLOODBATH ON D-STREET J8.00 BSE marketcap shrinks to `390 L cr Realty and Metal Indices fall 6-7% ■ Trent shares down 15%, highest in Nifty50 pack SC rap: Complete breakdown of the rule of law in UP -5% S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y -10% 73,325 3:30 PM 72,794 10:52 AM Dow -13% 72,830 72,760 11:37 AM -15% 2:33 PM S&P U.S. STOCKS ON A FREE FALL IN TRUMP ERA 72,378 12:48 PM -20% 72,124 FEB 1 -16.1% Nasdaq -21.1% MAR 1 PANIC MONDAY APR 1 Sensex, Nifty crash 3% each; investors lose `14 lakh crore negotiations if Beijing does not withdraw its 34% retaliatory tariff by Tuesday . Investors’ panic was palpable during early trading hours on Monday as the BSE Sensex plunged 4,000 points to 71,725 while the Nifty 50 tumbled 1,150 points to 21,744. At closing, the Sensex and NSE Nifty50 were down by about 3% each. Investors lost a whopping `14 lakh crore as the total market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms fell from `404 lakh crore on Friday to `390 lakh crore on Monday . The sell-off echoed across A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi INDIAN stock markets on Monday witnessed one of the worst trading sessions in recent times as fears of an escalating trade war and a global economic slowdown—sparked by recent US tariff hikes— rattled investors. The crash is attributed to the reciprocal tax imposed by US President Donald Trump last week. The market tremors are likely to escalate as Trump late on Monday threatened to slap an additional 50% tariff on China and halt trade NE W CHILD ABUSE Sex education for teachers in Kerala schools ook/T  faceb PAGES 12 @ New Delhi 73,137.90 9:33 AM  The price hike comes amid a drop in crude prices—from $70 to about $60 per barrel. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said oil firms are incurring losses and prices could be cut only if international rates stay at low levels. LPG will now cost `553 per cylinder in Delhi for Ujjawala users and `853 for general users. The rates vary from state to state depending on local taxes | P10 TURNING CIVIL CASES INTO CRIMINAL 0% NIFTY (22,161.60) MONDAY’S CLOSE 9:20 AM  How Don spooked global investors -13.22% -9.7% -7.83% -7.34% -3.24% 73,105 heMorni RI I 06 AP DE LH Asian markets. Taiwan’s exchange operators halted trading to pause panic selling. Abhishek Jaiswal, fund manager at Finavenue, said the crash in India is due to global concerns. “The real worry lies in how such policy moves could fuel inflation, disrupt supply chains, and trigger a slowdown or even recession over the coming years,” Jaiswal added. Trivesh, COO of Tradejini, said that the steep correction was sparked by China’s announcement of a 34% import tax on all US goods. L 20 25 SU ND 2 PAGE AY `1 Anand K Rathi, co-founder of MIRA Money said it is chal, lenging to predict how each country would respond to tariffs. The market is declining, assuming a global recession, but circumstances can change quickly depending on how and when the tariffs are implemented, added Rathi. Investors are now keenly waiting for the RBI’s monetary policy action. A rate cut may provide short-term support to equities, particularly in rate-sensitive sectors such as banking, NBFCs, real estate, and auto. ht tps :// S 24 Only 75 of 1.6K private city schools underwent audits in 10 yrs: Minister ngStand ard  X.c om/The MornStan PAGES PLUS: 12 a Are You utical Nutrace Ninja? STS VIVALI THE RE INE MAGAZ EXCL USIV sh Pant Pushpe ankar Ravi Sh ik Pattana Devdutt oy ti Shen Pree E V Take A Biased u on Hind Identity rld Into a Wothe Beyond Self S OICE Singh Dinesh awla Ch Prabhu Ali Balhasan ndran Ravicha Geetha ER ‘MY FATH IS MY R’ SIKANDA o Cities le of Tw ps in a Ta Footste a d the Se man an Young Wo I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi DER RREN PS DRE SU 86 CA NA, SAY CO lites, IN T’GA ered 86 Naxa in Co lom bo | PTI mo rn ing sta nd ard THE Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh police for converting multiple civil disputes into criminal cases, calling it a “complete breakdown of rule of law in the state”. “Converting a civil matter into a criminal case is not acceptable. There is a complete breakdown of the rule of law in Uttar Pradesh. It’s strange that it’s happening day in and day out in UP Lawyers have . forgotten that there is some civil jurisdiction also,” a threejudge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan said. The remarks came after hearing a plea filed by accused Debu Singh, who said that his civil case — of cheque dishonour and allegedly failure to return money to the complainants — was illegally converted into a criminal one by the UP police. The appalled bench said, Sood on Monday announced an any excess fees collected will be investigation into alleged ir- refunded to parents. regularities in private schools. Sood accused the previous Emphasising non-compli- AAP government of looking ance with fee regulations and the other way when some inadequate auditing practices, schools raised the fee during Sood, at a press conference, their tenure. “A list of such shared that only 75 out of 1,600 schools has been compiled, and private schools have undergone each one will be inspected. audits in the past decade, and Based on the findings, action the Directorate of Education will follow,” he said. lacks proper records for Sood said schools many of these covered by the stify ju institutions. Delhi School Edneed to Schools as edu a right “I challenge, ucation Act 1973 r ikes ke fee h with full remust seek perild: Spea ch s p o n s i b i l i t y, mission from of every those who took the Directorate money under the of Education table from private before impleschools. The BJP menting any TMS reported on April 06, 2025 fee hike. government will 26/11 SWAMI NANDA ODHA SUKHAB EAKS SP s Path The Pathles The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s appeal seeking a stay on his extradition to India, moving him closer to being handed overTto Indian authorities E ITIA IV UGC IN e sy to face justice.aA notice on ules for New rSCecognitioMonday the website n degree r eign univs said that ‘Application m for frodenied by the Court.’ Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday directed the police to withdraw all cases registered against University of Hyderabad students who participated in the agitation against the auction of 400 acres of land in the Kancha Gachibowli area, saying the government was sympathetic to the students. | P5 SC declines urgent hearing of petitions on Waqf Act S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday declined urgent hearing in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the recent Waqf (Amendment) Act, saying it will be listed for hearing in due course. “There’s a robust system of listing in place. The matter will come up in due course,” the CJI told senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others appearing for various petitioners. These senior advocates had mentioned the matter and sought early hearing. At least 10 petitions have been filed so far challenging the Act. When Sibal, appearing for Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulemai-Hind, sought early hearing, the CJI asked why he was making an oral mention when there is a robust system in place to seek urgent listing through email. Sibal said the email has already been sent. The CJI then assured Sibal that he would do the needful after examining the plea in the afternoon. In a related development, the DMK and Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi on Monday filed petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. In his plea, Madani said the Act was destructive of wakf administration and jurisprudence in India and an effort to redefine the nature of waqfs existing in the country “Madani not . only challenged the various provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act but also filed an interim petition in the court to prevent the law from coming into effect,” his plea read. PROHIBITORY ORDERS AFTER ARSON ATTACK TAHAWWUR RANA’S APPEAL REJECTED KING KOHLI Royal Challengers Bengaluru pull a nail-biting victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Monday. Virat Kohli’s 67 (42) added to the target of 222 put up the visitors, which, in the end, proved 12 runs too many for the hosts | PTI | P11 A day after a mob attacked the house of BJP’s state Minority Morcha chief Askar Ali, setting it on fire, prohibitory orders were imposed in entire Lilong Assembly constituency of Manipur for an indefinite period. The attack happened in Muslimmajority Lilong in Thoubal district, a day after Ali supported the Waqf Act. He then retracted his remarks and apologised but could not prevent the attack. New rules to make builders pay for debris disposal J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi IN a bid to mitigate construction dust, a byproduct of building activities and a major air pollutant, the Union environment ministry has notified the Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025. The new rules, which will become effective on April 1, 2026, will replace the extant regulations and put the onus of colN AT T E IS IN DHON DA N C E lecting, storing, and transporting debris on the bulk waste generators including builders. The rules provide detailed guidelines for the management, utilisation, and monitoring of processed waste, as well as procedures for the storage of processed construction and demolition waste. Notified on April 4, the new norms aim to bring environmentally sound manage- ment of construction and demolition waste throughout the country through proper segregation, collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal practices. In a first, the notification also introduces a financial mechanism to support extended producer responsibility This means, . waste generators will now be accountable for paying recyclers to provide tradable cred- its as set by the Central Pollution Control Board. Under the guidelines, credits gained from in-situ (on site) disposal will carry more weight than those from ex-situ (off site) management. The existing rules were found ineffective as they promoted ad-hoc waste management and failed to create a robust market for recycled products among construction agencies. PUN B No one will lose job tillJAI’m alive, Didi tells ‘sacked’ teachers C Y C IR FA M IL HE LE: T S, llout ONG RIFT WIDENHI EL harat ro C MOVE D REBELS hman B yus Withdraw cases against tre for A with Cen U AGNA S U ed by accusations. “For as long as I am alive, I will UoH students, cops told SvtLsigns MEoN G U P TA @ Kolkata She requested that the teach- not let anyone snatch the jobs of Delhi go Telangana Deputy CM Mallu WEST Bengal CM Mamata ers return to work on a “volun- eligible candidates,” she said. EXPRESS READ “This is wrong. What is happening in UP? Every day, civil suits are being converted to criminal cases.” The court directed the DGP and the station house officer of a Gautam Budh Nagar police station to file affidavits on the case details in two weeks. It warned that it could initiate c o n t e m p t p ro c e e d i n g s against the probe officer. In an earlier Sharif Ahmad vs State of UP case, the Supreme Court had held that the investigating officer must complete entries of all columns in the chargesheet so that it is clear which crime has been committed by which accused and what is the material evidence available in the case. “This is missing in this case,” the bench pointed out. The court directed the compliance of the Sharif Ahmad case order in the present one. It asked the DGP to explain what steps had been taken towards compliance of the Sharif Ahmad order, and fixed the matter for further hearing in May . .in aya ke gana, surrend ra Dis san In Telan 20 women, dri ura Ku ma ra sid en t An including lice in Bhad lip to La nk an Pre po , in a fil wit h Sri to the district ion. ISER PM Mo di it udem AZ KA EJ Kothag ace to the reg ister Am ae Min ew bring pe l N Hom rday in Dant ists UNIO nationa Satu to Mao will go featuring Shah one an appeal the main, ndum in tar Pa ing next year ross India da mad der and jo els happy en fe ” beginn tists from ac showcase to surr . “Nobody ki lle d, e to ar is tribal ign envoys stream N ax al ite rating th re a ister and fo re. whe n id while reite itment to ief Min m its cultuttisgarh Ch eaking on Shah sament’s com g extremi, sp in Chha Pangovern ing left-w Deo Sa Bastar inat 26. Vishnu sion, said Modi’s ‘Ek reelim March 20 ca sing ce ns the oc mbolises PM arat’ viSh ah do ism by ng at the clo h’s Bastar Modi Bh ter Am it dum sy Shreshtha organised Speaki hattisgar ada, me mi nis in Da nte wa da in ndent: ion ho ntew of Ch -depe Bharat he recently d now Basl in Da had suf- Un ba l he ad ge ar da y | PTI mony the In Delhi in Infestiva ked, co a tri on @ New ation ion in rh Sa tur sion. “T ympics an indicate Pandum id the re gi r decades, I - D AT T Ol interlin operat said. ionalis Commisha tti sga velrly Ch sa BAJEL ty Co ts ternat wish on’s de P Bastar um, clea curity ence fo e for BasShah Securi ean,” Modi red Prime ing in ersity Gran of regulaK A V I TA Bastar dethe regi m viol e BJ Pand m Our se su iv promot set am d ople of ed into lighting th ibal tar fered frotime had co its tribal dian Oc ayake as Sri Lanka aim of ion, the Un uced a new w Delhi the pe th mainstre xaltegrat tr io n an . r gh e it the and O B @ Ne Dissan Modi that itory to be but th ent. Hi t’s focus on Minis- that nnect wi own fo of Na WITH gher educat ay introd re co gn ifications TH JAC be kn traditions, an opm r rd ea sy to co ent and get rid men SaturJ AY A N rime ens its terr iniste tar to th dian hi GC) on Satu s fo r th e foreign qual sh Kumar govern , he said, “P i wants to nka on fence M not permit that threat d ge, folk th er lopm avir . ti on lence of herita pm en t ra Jagade d Sri La in ve will way lfare us de sion (U Mod intere to Pr sts an he said lo Prof M turn with DIA an an ambitio ime d we Narendra uiva in any rity intere Lanka Bastar en ism,” paid tribut the former IN eq an de ve m. i ng to airman ssly in with Pr tlin- used s secu ned ts re pp lle ts ter Shah Bhanj Deo, that e erythi a’ that Sr day sig ation pact, UGC Ch any studen ns to seamle ion syscan ha tion, Naxalis days of bu over. I apa le ging Modi ou map Indi eyed to him a’s assistanc g give evars. But it Chandr Bastar, al nspired in “T he Bastar are he rs to cooper Narendra said, “Ml qualificatio gher educat need a s func conv values Indi its ongoin of ve road er ot five ye hen school facilities, hi in ruler ss leaders co so accused Minist mprehensi l tie s an d nationainto India’s ch students foreign eply bombs N ax al ite br ou r ow n ed and only w have health s Aadhaar, co e e ngre ed de te ra . He al es of ne t the ing a tegrat workforce. Su to evaluate delays ha pe al to de r. Yo u ar el s ha pp y ils sh ip, er bi la interconnect i- in tim ity th Cos 1966 killing ng to uplif ghe ep e tehs rson ie nd ili hi ar . d he al ery pe fo r de hting the tem or ed procedur predictabl th e fr a sent irusu rren . N o on e fe lled. Just red a hi ss of fa and ev ca rd s, an tions, ident solid re af fir m ur ki poet Th riya Congre ah later chai ee ti ng in thout un ity highlig of both na .” struct id, To pe op le Naxalite is s and join Tamil Ka by pres rrenra ti on e.” tials wi ty bigu , he sa a quoted var (Seyar Aadu poor. Sh cu ri ty m going antinc securi ciprocated anayake. lites su FOR creden ocedural am is challenge a standwhen n your ar m said, ofModi se insura id 521 Naxa ing 881 in re vallu Natt Pinn he w VALID ER le ve l to assess on ment Kumara Diss ag reement and pr owledging th to establish bringYaalay do nstream,” to the He sa 2025 follow surrenHIGH BS a Yaavul aikkariya kn ipur erations. P8 ai anch ent. k by nce ded Ac Anur eant nn the m an olive br ovem s deci has JO mewor st defe red in aiding r devel- Raaoist op AV Pul Vi u) which m ngEDU, AR YAD UGC ha valence fra n. The UGC gyem e de ; villa ges fo The fir the two coun ng lit os the SHE KH ap feri le s- M crore n nce um 2024 nolo d Naxa that th d equi latio vul Ka face of chal e is get `1 nounced Ba betwee rves as an reardise a new re gu arent, tech ing forEquivale es outlawe emphasised be fu lly rs will an at “in the emies, ther nce trating r w ill Union de ment. Shah transp r recognis s and Shah tries se mework toi n g certific der ing in en Demons inued fo fra ped a ol op rren de t the un es and nger assura and brella u r e e x i s foissued tions develo mechanism from scho r cont t to who su d by both ts and inou t n, te ns no stro friend en en ula en s t r u c cooperatio in g nprotec e governm the reg lid for driv qualificatio stitutes. commitm nka in than a true his friende e Natio in at va defenc on en ha nc int assist Sri La ic ld of ven th sion of and st will be ose of eign education om e shie eech. jo ucial gi vi er rp its econ ia has th ” in his sp cu si ng vel visits, the pu higher high s move is cr y 2020’s al study e Min , Ind ci ty ship s Prim “Thi sit high-le se s, ca pa s in recovery ed the a glob to n Polic pursuing and This wai’s fourth vi lud ucatio g India into itutions are t ci ion conc ring ex er g, exchange stbe al Ed rmin od educat in restructu si an inst we mus s ister M nka, and he ign buildin itarian As Re- debt cess with Sri research ll transfo ion. If Indi l students, La we at de gr ee st fore by pro to Sri Human d Disaster destin internationa it io n of India, as r the fir Lanka g came to be hosted vco gn this paper. n a ce an R), increasin as fo tract an at go fa ir re take told AD Misri, d ex leader ss an ayake imyment Vikram lief (H rt calls, an en su re abroad,” he ue, UGC has rd makemplo duspo nities Secretary th e Di t. Another Foreign naval nce in earned -standing iss reform towa e, comilatopportu g defe t er nmenent was a tr ng plorin eration. g a longis significan ore inclusiv pi em we m dressin th t agre de ve lo hub try coop lieve that in“By ad p through ation system who portan O U fo r gy ener uc e ste M id. udents “We be ed security bo th er al malee as an decisiv a’s higher ed ady,” he sa fit Indian st ic or proar ri ty of -re em di have sh Th e se cu nected and Trinco th the UAE. t Dissanay ing In and future cted to bene their acad t apply to s. e, no ue g wi iden te re st s is intercon i said after ithe petitiv les are expe to contin ver, they do t alon odi and Pres augurated t, as med s od trie iden ,” M coun M in The ru ad and seek dia. Howe iplines such — area oj ec endent an pres e In sc rtually wer pr abro co-dep g Sri Lank anayake. ake vi r so la r po Sri Lanka’s study l jour ney in cations in di d architectur dia. In meetin Kumara Diss President Sa m pu will help in e grid interfessiona onal qualifi ing, law, an councils in ura rs si y n h eful to sensitivity Th An . twee whic security grat profes ar macy, nu e statutor ent be tiv “I am ka for his rests. We energy tivity agreem open up op cine, ph by respec ya te ed ec rt Disana India’s in ant ag reewill govern rt ds - conn o nations nka to expo P7 will towar e the impo area of de action ng the tw r Sri La e fo ol and id. ki welcommade in th e have also tions ity, Modi sa y scho t those hi W on ever n agains ments operation. ther on the electric co .” be take trarily hoped fence to work toge nclave and Delhi bi MLA @ New rnfees ar ven-time ag reed Security Co VERMA P gove h ANUP bo jender The se formed BJ Colom ker Vi y on m uc Y Spea at commer e newl ld fu nc ti e previth MBL th wou ASSE has said th ion is not m en t ficiently than gove rn at w ol s Gupta ion of educ more ef es. “T he ne real issues at scho cialisatable an d th kes. ou s on ust focus on g anarchy. ac ce pt justify fee hi od schools eatin ent m tic go to n m er than cr d e m o c r a le need re are a few educatio op rath lding ing pe “The on quality cial benU p h o es by serv s be th e ng mer valu ld alw ay focusi an on com are others vernAD th sh ou any go rather wever, there ey by S RE of ES agenda he said. EXPR efits. Ho make mon es. al ’ to fe ment,” he es hm ah l trying ily hiking ed anipur ar O n ‘s nd Kejriwa gets M e arbitr an urgent ne Arvi stayed in Centre to talks tabl is itu sta y which d , There k such inst y ts ten d to SAT H oups built an re as CM gr nt on had PRA . His pa ren to chec case of anol vernme bringing his tenu s were Ca pit als to pa ss | ASH WIN In ntral go during the premise uare tions. ke, the schojuse an d De lhi The Ce succeeded in ty sq pe r Kin gs bu t it did n’t com ay said cie fees hi ent should said 10,000 en na i Su ns Saturd civil so ting the s by Gupta agem e,” Gupta of the tw ee n Ch ce his fut ure pla ed from uare yard rnlman leaders tions represen ities in ma tch be un expand 50,000 sq on of De e mov l gove un to tch ed the on i wo uld an no tify th the 23rd editi sed by this organisa d Kuki comm w Delhi severa . “I don’t yards ldr en wa Dh an ns ishing i an d chi ecu lat ion tha t during ues organi ay. “I am Meitei together in Ne for the demol commodatio uld like to og rd wif e Sa ksh to sp hi Dial per on Satu in school De va ki) , Sa tur da y. It led Manipur gotiating table nflict ment ac y leader wo ahal’. Afse on i an d co ne newspa any increa a right of ethnic ink an e ‘sheeshm tion, the n Sin gh Dh an exc ep tio n on to the th t ts (Pa y ma de stren e since th ca agains education is d. i’s pa ren first tim in the Northea stay in ssary modifi put into M S Dh on ma tch es bu t the be fees as ild,” he addehe has alm 23. | P7 erupted estshter neceow should ch aw ay fro May 20 be a gu e and ca every a said that Delhi govin state in bung al use — may ides fre 61 medical e Gupt ing with e prov r en to th of Edubetter he said. schem tment for 1,9 specialiis brew UCC fo y spok rectorate ss as s DoE e,” read trea De lh i iss 27 Dissent ab Congre have try need omen: HC ent’s Di regard. “The tch hous at th e co ve r less edures acro costs of med snj s er nm Coun y of w id th e se wa oc this ho the Pu nior leader the pt a sa t w ou ld st pr s, covering th services, d, tion in keeping a clo lit Gu ca fir er l se equa and an stic tie en nm en in th e severa concerns ov e unit rtunity ca re diagno has be go ve r fa m ili es stribution women, re oppo cines, at io n, IC U 00 raised style of stat ngh To ensu equality for all 2, 35 ,0 with card di l 10. “Citiste and r Si pi ta lis s and more. ment has achieve ve of their ca the ie working t Amarinde phase, g from Apri w be able een in cti surger Delhi governfor PMJAY no d LoP d betw iden irrespe as enshrined star tin Delhi will fr om A B aka s signe t and the fund The ring an a. | P8 ich pres at , ar oU wa 4 crore e BJP, wh breligion ion, the Karn d the zens in be ne fi ts ides free Raja W ngh Bajw The M governmen ority in t `2,14 Th Fe ut ste ap Si th prov to each se its budget. lhi lhi in Constit t has reque ments w Delhi to re the De l Health Auth Minister which Partap ur r in De plemenrn in kh C E @ Ne Y, la powe im SERVI High Co d state gove t a law . In iona PMJA cover of `5 Heal ister r year t came to proved the at its first ac an SS N E WS a Nat presence of f Min alth Union efforts to en de. | P4 en e ap mily pe EXPRE e t inked d Chie others. kh he neficiary fa lhi governm nal ruary, of the schem rnmen rstand- th P Nadda an to make iform Civil Co De be an 6 la tio among s aged 70 de J lhi gove Un tation meeting. n, the ore th i belongan addi Gupta, en on the THE Deandum of unCentre on additio lh that m binet giving ,” she said. Rekha nior citiz be covered mated tizens in De es will be se emor ) with the t the Ayic at ca uld be ll m wo “All Bhar `5 lakh mili ove wi or ci -Pacif ndana oU plemen n Mantri and ab an Vay Va lakh seni 4.5 lakh fa said, adding- top-up of u s h m a n ing (M in Indo years ha Ay ay to im PM ing to ed,” Nadda ‘Peace onsibility’ Ayushm ides `5 The Saturd Bharat Prad B-PMJAY) n the under which prov respective benefit state will ru , ushman ya Yojana (A Delhi has our resp e . Yojana alth cover ir mic status. Rajnath og that th trust model nister underlined Jan Ar ty With this, /UT to im. nce Mi free he socio-econo r all their ci te e rday Defe JAY in r ve in the the 35th sta health inon Satu ibility in peac of thei me will co . It is esti’s e Singh he es becom t the Centre t Bengal is Indorespons The sc sting illness India’s perity in the that it plemen scheme. Wes ich has not id os pre-exi e and pr and sa rient the suranc only state wh me. region Pacific cessity to reo Forces in the sche the now ne ented Armed able was a implem ict roles of future le of unpred . the midd al landscape tic geopoli r @ Raipu being launched with the participation of educators from 500 government and aided schools in Thiruvananthapuram. Despite the state witnessing over 4,500 Pocso cases annually , a recent survey has revealed that many teachers lack adequate training and essential knowledge on sex education. This leaves them unprepared to handle instances of abuse that students may disclose. The survey , conducted by the NGO Kanal Innovations among 220 teachers, found that a significant number of them were unfamiliar with basic concepts such as the age of consent, gender identity and , even the names of sex organs. ‘Project X’, spearheaded by the Thiruvananthapuram district administration in collaboration with Kanal Innovations, general education department, and Guidehouse India, aims to address the gap in knowledge and provide teachers with the tools necessary to support students effectively . “Empowering our teachers with the right knowledge and tools is one of the most effective steps we can take to protect our children,” Thiruvananthapuram Collector Anu Kumari told this newspaper. ep ap er. dard Naxal py when Reds conduct a thoroughaprobe,” he hap said, adding that sub-diviNobody sa after h to AS many as 1,000 lower and up- TWO daysys ShaAssembly sional magistrate (SDM) com, Vijender Gupta said mittee would audit all 1,600 priper primary school teachers areis killed Speaker set to undergo training in sex during Delhi Dialogues or- vate schools. “Each school will k education to respond better to ganised by this newspaper that be required toLanka in 18 respond to ndia, defministhe rising number of Pocso (Pro- commercialisatiown of educa- specific questions,” the ence I tection of Children from Sexual tion is unacce ptable and ter said, addinger schools st-ev that n pact Offences) cases in Kerala. The schools need to justify fee hikes, foundfir guilty of financial misio taction, and initiative, called ‘Project X’, is Education Minister Ashish conduct would face coopera U N N I K R I S H N A N S @ T’Puram The increase in cooking gas price, effective April 8, will be for the Ujjawala—poor beneficiaries who got LPG connection free of cost—and general users HIKE COMES AMID CRASH IN CRUDE PRICES PAGE 9 HANG SENG LPG CYLINDER TO BE COSTLIER BY `50, CNG PRICE UP `1 PER KG FROM TODAY Banerjee said on Monday that she would try to secure the jobs of “genuine teachers” whose appointments were cancelled following recruitment irregularities and review the evidence against those taint- tary “basis while the government sought legal recourse for their plight. “If the evidence is factual, we can’t help. But if we find any loopholes, we will look into it,” she told a section of teachers at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium. The CM addressed the meeting after the Supreme Court recently upheld the cancellation of 25,752 job appointments due to irregularities in the recruitment process by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016. The affected employees are teaching and non-teaching staff in government-run and aided schools. “I know how to fight challenges. This is not the court’s fault but of those who did politics with the teachers. Please don’t consider that we have accepted it. We aren’t stone-hearted, and I can even be jailed for saying this, but I don’t care,” Banerjee told the teachers. She assured the teachers that their jobs were secure. “No one has terminated your job to date. You continue to work,” she said, suggesting they continue working voluntarily while the legal process unfolds. “... For eligible and genuine people, job security is the government’s responsibility I will . follow the SC verdict. If someone shuts a door, there are always options,” she said.