New Delhi , January 15,2021: Union Culture and Tourism Ministry has approved a research proposal on the ancient Ram Setu. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel on Thursday said that excavation work at ancient Ram Setu will do no harm. He added that scientific research should take place on the site.
The Central Advisory Board on Archaeology, a body under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), approved the proposal by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, (NIO) last month.
“NIO had made the request on three points– first is nature, the second is the formation of Ram Setu and third is the about the area which will be affected by it. ASI had given permission to them,” Patel told ANI.
Ram Setu is believed to have been built in the Treta-Yuga.
“We believed that Ram Setu is an ancient location. Ram Setu should not be tampered with. Central government has earlier submitted an affidavit for the same. I think that scientific research should be done on it. The excavation will do no harm,” the BJP leader added.
The underwater exploration project to determine the age of the Ram Setu, a chain of shoals between India and Sri Lanka, and ‘how’ it was formed will begin this year.
New Delhi , January 10 ,2021: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal will chair a high-level meeting with top officials on Monday to review the progress of implementation of New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, informed ministry sources.
A senior official of the Education Ministry on condition of anonymity told ANI, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of NEP could not progress as per expectation. Now, the situation is getting normal and higher education institutes, as well as senior classes in schools, have started resuming. So, it is a good time to review the progress regarding NEP for faster implementation.”
NEP-2020, which will replace the National Policy on Education-1986, is an inclusive framework focusing on the elementary-level of education to higher education in the country.
The union cabinet had approved the NEP in July 2020 with an objective of universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level. The policy also aims to enable an individual to study one or more specialised areas of interest at a deep level, and also develop character, scientific temper, creativity, the spirit of service, and 21st-century capabilities across a range of disciplines including sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, among others.
Pune, Jan 9,2021: Ten newborns were killed in a fire at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra on Saturday morning.
Civil Surgeon of Bhandara District General Hospital, Dr Pramod Khandate said 17 children, aged between one and three months, were admitted to the sick newborn care unit.
“In the wee hours of Saturday, a nurse notice smoke emanating from this ward and altered doctors. The hospital staff tried their best to save the children. Ten children have died, seven are safe,” he added.
According to hospital sources, the fire broke out around 0200 hrs at the sick newborn care unit. The cause of the fire was not known immediately but the hospital administration said an electrical short circuit could be the possible reason.
Dr Khandate said the fire brigade was able to rescue seven babies from the ‘inbound ward’.
He added that the ward where the babies are kept requires a continuous supply of oxygen.
“There were fire extinguishers and staff used them while trying to douse the fire. There was too much smoke,” he said.
The hospital has informed parents of the deceased children about the tragedy and the seven newborn babies rescued in the blaze have been shifted to another ward.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to the State Health Minister Rajesh Tope as well as District Collector and Superintendent of Police of Bhandara district over the fire tragedy.
The Chief Minister has also ordered a probe into the matter.
Jan 08,2021:The Centre will hold the eighth round of talks with the representatives of farmers’ unions in New Delhi today to address the issues concerning them. In the earlier meeting on 4th of this month, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said that the government wanted farmer unions to discuss the three farm laws clause-wise, but they could not find any solution as farmer unions remained adamant on the repeal of these three laws.
The Government has repeatedly assured the farmers’ leaders that it is committed to address their issues and both sides need to take steps forward to arrive at an amicable solution. Mr Tomar had reiterated that Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Mandi system will continue like before.