‘Theni ahead of other districts with 36.72 % forest cover’
The Hindu
‘Govt. will protect the interests of farmers and tribal people’
THENI
With 36.72 % forest cover, Theni district stood ahead of many other districts in Tamil Nadu and the district’s figure is also higher than the State average of 33%. The government would take measures to maintain the green cover intact and at the same time protect the interests of farmers and tribal people, said Forests Minister K. Ramachandran here on Saturday.
Addressing a review meeting at the Collectorate, which was presided over by Collector K.V. Muralidharan, the Minister said the demands placed before the officials by the farmers, tribal people and other stakeholders would be examined and the government would spell out its stand after his discussions with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
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.