4000 corrupt panchayat secretaries
Government is contemplating strict action against more than 4000 panchayat secretaries who are facing corruption charges in their panchayats. This is an after effect of a strike being carried out by more than 50,000 officials demanding higher wages and improvement of their service conditions. Thanks to the strike, the developmental work in the panchayats have been paralysed. Despite several rounds of talk, the issue has not been resolved. A tired government has decided to take coercive action. According to a senior panchayat official, cases of corruption against 2256 panchayat secretaries are pending at sub-division magistrate level, while 1700 cases are at the investigation stage. The government has decided to follow up on these to pressurise employees. Cases against such a huge number of officials will result in immediate shortage of panchayat secretaries, affecting the national programme of Gramodya.
PM's wife Jasoda Ben a regular visitor to MP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wife Jashoda Ben has become a regular visitor of Madhya Pradesh. Originally a resident of Mehsana in Gujarat, Jashoda Ben, who retired as a teacher, is in great demand among the Sahu community. Jashoda was in Bhopal on Friday as the chief guest at Karma Devi temple of Sahu community. In the presence of state cooperative minister Vishwas Sarang, the estranged wife of prime minister spoke about the importance of girl child. She apologised for her poor Hindi and said that she was overwhelmed by the welcome given to her by the people of Bhopal. Jasoda Ben also participated in a mass marriage function of the Sahu community in Raisen district. She will also participate in a similar function at Deori. Earlier, she had visited Bihar, where she was accorded a rousing welcome by the members of her community.
MP colleges revert from semester system to annual exams
Madhya Pradesh colleges are going back to the system of annual exams. In 2008, the state government had introduced semester system. However, from the coming academic session, the higher education department has decided to go back to the old system of yearly exams. Though the final decision to this effect will be taken by the coordination committee of universities headed by Chancellor, who happens to be the governor of the state. However, that is just a formality. The board of studies, which regulate syllabus in the colleges and universities of the state, has already finalised the new, yearly curriculum for 24 out of 32 subjects. Higher education minister Jaibhan Singh Paiwayya announced the introduction of new system instead of current semester based education, after demands from ABVP. Paiwayya said, "In the present system, the teaching faculty is busy conducting exams through out the year. These exams and their valuation put immense load on the system and the regular teaching is affected. Teaching is much more important that evaluation. Evaluation can be done once in a year like it happened previously."
Stopping BJP president’s son's SUV proves dear to three police officials
A lady police sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and a constable were removed from duty at a police check post for stopping the SUV of the son of state BJP chief and member of parliament Nandkumar Chouhan. The SUV, bearing VIP number, was chased by police, when it did not stop for mandatory checking on the midnight of Thursday at Civil Lines police post of Harda district. When police nabbed the SUV, after issuing an alert, it turned out to be owned by relatives of the state BJP chief. His son Harsh Singh was in the car. Later, district BJP president Amar Singh Meena and municipality chief Surendra Jain reached police station where they had arguments with the police staff. Later, as the matter was related to a high-profile leader, the district SP removed sub-inspector Sulochana Gehlot and two others from duty. SP of Harda, Aditya Pratap said, "Such steps are taken as part of regular administrative procedure. Since the matter is being investigated by a sub-division police office, we need to take statements of these police personnel". Congress MLA Dr R.K. Dogne accused district police of sheltering powerful BJP leaders and punishing the honest policemen.
Yamuna and Narmada Expressway in state
Like Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh will construct a 300-km-long Chambal Expressway, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared this after meeting Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari. Around 2500 hectare land will be acquired for the project. Apart from this another expressway, 1265 kms long six-lane Narmada Expressway will also be taken up, Chouhan said.
