THE WEEK Morning Brief: Northeast Delhi schools to open for staff assessment

Here are the key news stories to watch out for on Saturday, February 29

vandalised school Shiv Vihar A vandalised private school in Shiv Vihar area of northeast Delhi | PTI

Delhi govt schools in violence-hit areas to open for staff assessment

The city government schools that were closed in view of violence in northeast Delhi and parts of east Delhi will open on Saturday for principals and staff to assess the current situation, officials of the Directorate of Education (DoE) said.

The schools were earlier announced to be closed till Saturday.

"The schools will open... for heads and all staff. A meeting of school management committee (SMC) will be convened, during which the present situation will be assessed comprehensively to explore the possibility of creating a conducive atmosphere for conducting board examinations as well as annual school exams," a senior DoE official said.

Modi to launch highway project in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will lay the foundation stone of the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. The 296km-long, four-lane highway will supplement nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by the government in February 2018.

The Uttar Pradesh government is constructing the Bundelkhand Expressway, which will pass through Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun districts. The expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to the national capital through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway. The prime minister will also be launching 10,000 farmers' producer organisations all over the country at Chitrakoot on that day.

5-day work week for Maharashtra govt employees

From Saturday, a five-day work week will come into effect for most government employees in Maharashtra. The employees are required to work an additional 45 minutes on week days, but will get two days off in the week.

The Uddhav Thackeray government had announced the decision was intended to reduce fuel and electricity costs and improve quality of life for government staff. The new rule does not apply to offices covered under Factory Rules and Industrial Disputes Act and those providing essential services like police, fire brigade, government colleges and sanitation.

Ram temple trust chief in Ayodhya

Nripendra Mishra, the chairman of the committee responsible for overseeing the construction of a grand Ram temple, is expected to visit Ayodhya on Saturday.

This is Mishra's first visit to Ayodhya after taking on the new role; he is expected to initiate the process to prepare a blueprint for construction of the temple. Mishra could also discuss the issue of shifting the idol of Ram Lalla to an alternate place till construction of the grand temple is completed. On Friday evening, Mishra had met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

India-New Zealand second Test

The second match of the two-Test series between India and New Zealand will start in Christchurch on Saturday. India face a must-win game after comprehensively losing the first Test.

On the first day, India were put into bat by New Zealand. For the Test, India have brought in Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in place of Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, respectively.