Ahead of bypolls, leaders line up to pay respects to Chennamma
The Hindu
Chief Minister announces ₹50 crore for Kittur Development Authority
The birth anniversary of Kittur Chennamma, who had raised a banner of revolt against the British, acquired a special significance in the bypoll-bound Hangal constituency on Saturday, with all leaders dutifully lining up to pay respects to the 18th Century queen.
Garlanding the statue of the queen early in the day at Hubballi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the State Government would approve action plan worth ₹50 crore for Kittur Development Authority, which was constituted in 2011. He also tried to touch an emotional chord by remembering the role of his father and former Chief Minister late S.R. Bommai in getting the statue of Kittur Chennamma installed in Belagavi.
Later in the day, the Chief Minister announced in Belagavi district that Bombay Karnataka region would be renamed Kittur Karnataka after approval from the Cabinet.
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.