T.N. records a sharp increase in crimes against women, children
The Hindu
Cases of juveniles in conflict with the law also rose sharply in 2020
Tamil Nadu registered a significant increase in the number of cases of crime against women and children in 2020, a year when COVID-19 broke out, according to the Crime in India report released by the National Crime Records Bureau. Cases of juveniles in conflict with the law also rose sharply.
The increase in Tamil Nadu was despite the decline in the nationwide figures for these three categories. Tamil Nadu was one of the very few States that reported an increase. West Bengal registered the highest increase in crimes against women and children.
However, Tamil Nadu fared better in the rate of crime, which refers to the number of incidents per lakh population. Rates of crime against women and children in Tamil Nadu were among the lowest in the country as compared to other major States.
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.