Darshan comes to the rescue of crisis-hit zoos
The Hindu
Following appeal, donations of ₹43L received in 2 days
A video featuring actor Darshan Thoogudeepa with an appeal to support the zoos of Karnataka that are badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has received good response from fans and others as ₹43 lakh donation has been received in just two days. The closure of all zoos due to lockdown resulted in zero revenue. All zoos, including Mysuru zoo and Bannerghatta Biological Park and smaller ones in Gadag Belagavi and other places, needed about ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh daily for their maintenance. The annual maintenance of the zoos comes up to ₹60 crore. Out of the ₹43 lakh donation/adoptions of animals, Mysuru zoo got ₹23.81 lakh followed by Bannerghatta Biological Park ₹13 lakh.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.