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againstformerchief

Former Vice Chief of Army Staff passes away

Image used for representational purpose The Revised Budget presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in the Kerala Assembly on Friday has enhanced the outlay for general education for the 2026-27 financial year, allocating ₹1,477.57 crore. An amount of ₹1,032.28 crore has been earmarked for further improving the quality and academic standards of school education.The Chief Minister said children’s participation in sports and games will be made a part of the school curriculum. An amount ₹8 crore has been allocated for improving physical fitness through progressive and sustainable infrastructure and nurturing sporting talents.Menstrual hygieneReferring to the ‘Menstrual Hygiene Initiative for Empowering Girls’, the Chief Minister said its primary objective of is to promote and ensure menstrual hygiene among girls. Other objectives of the scheme include ensuring the availability of sanitary napkins to all girls; providing facilities for their safe and environment-friendly disposal; maintaining clean and hygienic school toilets; creating girl-friendly campuses; generating awareness; conducting workshops; and ensuring State and district-level monitoring.Steps will be taken to grant aided status to eligible special schools.However, the former Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has criticised the Budget saying it neglected the school education sector. The Budget, he said, lacked vision and new quality schemes. There were no bold decisions like the ones taken by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) that had raised school education in Kerala to the forefront nationally.There was nothing in the announcements for raising the quality of pre-primary or school education, teacher welfare, or expanding digital education. The revised Budget completely ignored the comprehensive accident/life insurance scheme for schoolstudents from Classes I to XII in government, aided, and government-approved schools following the State syllabus, which had been announced by the previous LDF government. Published - June 19, 2026 04:56 pm IST

The HinduJun 19

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shortmorestate

A.P. Intermediate education chief raps principals of 50 underperforming government junior colleges

Last week, the newly elected Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, went walkabout at Fort St. George. Which is a good thing. He must be the first Chief Minister in living memory who went and saw some of the monuments in the precinct. The itinerary was predictable – the Church of St. Mary’s and the Fort Museum. But what was left out was what he really needed to go and see. And had he done so, he may have begun pondering over what can be done to save this historic enclave from its steady decline.The first problem that faces the Fort is its poor general upkeep. Tonnes of rubbish lurk behind the massive walls – the byproducts of the administrative setup at the place. You don’t need to go looking for it. All around, you will see heaps of plastic, paper, and other discarded items. Go closer to the walls, and you will see a lot more. Go to the rear of the Fort and you will see the moat in all its ghastly (lack of) upkeep. Weeds, stagnant water, and refuse on both sides. This is not to be confused with the front side of the fort, where the moat is regularly tended to, but is bone dry. Last House, photographed in 2023 | Photo Credit: Sriram V. Ownership tussleThe next is the conflict of multiple ownership. The Fort has five owners, as far as I know. There is the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and there are the Legislative Assembly, the Tamil Nadu government, the Army, and the Navy. Each has its private turf and guards it fiercely – not by way of protecting the buildings within, but more in terms of recognised bounds. Thus, the Navy had, what is known for some mysterious reason, as Clive’s Library. Years ago, a tree began growing out of it, and nobody noticed it until it took on a stranglehold of the building itself. It is quite certain that the tree, unlike the beanstalk in the fairytale, did not grow overnight and yet, no steps were taken to remove it. Finally, the tree crushed the building for good.If that is the Navy’s record, the Army fares marginally better. It has taken good care of some buildings, such as the Embarkation HQ. However, the King’s Barracks, said to be the largest in the country, is in a state of near collapse. This is because the Army and the ASI are at loggerheads over control of the building. The ASI wants the Army to hand it over, and the latter is reluctant, given the former’s track record of suddenly denotifying structures under its control, handing them over to the State government for demolition, and putting up new buildings in their place. As a result, King’s Barracks is a shabby, roofless shell. Despite being a site of significance, the Fort suffers from poor general upkeep | Photo Credit: Sriram V. The Army is not wrong in the doubts it entertains. The ASI has, of course, done a stellar job in restoring Clive’s House (now the ASI HQ) and the church. But the rest of the Fort is littered with episodes where more could have been done. Even in the 1980s, an entire section of historic buildings was denotified to allow the government to build Namakkal Kavignar Maligai. That structure itself would have never been permitted in a precinct of this kind, if we had had a Heritage Act in place. Then came the wilful neglect of Wellesley’s House and Last House on Snob’s Alley, both of which were allowed to collapse. Their ‘protected status’ was subsequently withdrawn.Which leaves us with the historic gates. Of these, the Sea Gate and the more ornamental entry and departure points are well taken care of. St. Thomas’ Gate, under Army supervision, is good, but the remaining, namely Wallajah, St. George’s, and North, are in very poor repair. The spaces under the arches serve as rubbish tips and the gates themselves are in a state of severe wear and tear. A garbage pile in front of the North Gate, which is in a state of severe wear and tear | Photo Credit: Sriram V. The buildings under government ownership, namely the Secretariat and Assembly, seem in good condition because of use and regular maintenance. But o

The HinduMay 27

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Economy

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ministermamatacall

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan to be next Chief of Naval Staff — Who is he?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has been one of the vocal critics of Mamata Banerjee, said the former Bengal chief minister was seeking support from all the parties she once tried to destroy.Mamata Banerjee issued a clarion call to join forces against ‘enemy’ BJP(HT_PRINT)Few days after Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule ended in West Bengal, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a clarion call for all Opposition parties to join her as a force against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But the ‘street fight’ this time failed to gain any momentum as the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) rejected the call to unite against the saffron camp.State Congress spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy said, “We can’t believe our ears. You [Banerjee] invited national parties, indicating the Congress, Left and the ultra-Left to join you. What do you mean by ultra-Left? Do you mean the Maoists, who killed 18 Congress leaders and workers in Chhattisgarh on May 25, 2013?”Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has been one of the vocal critics of Mamata Banerjee, said the former Bengal chief minister was seeking support from all the parties she once tried to destroy.Adhir Ranjan said, “All the violence in Bengal during Mamata Banerjee's rule will now have consequences. She tried hard to destroy Congress and secular spaces in Bengal, and today she herself is facing punishment, seeking support because her strength has faded” and demanded that she accepts Rahul Gandhi as INDIA bloc leader.“Only then will we consider anything,” he said.CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim, speaking on Mamata Banerjee's proposal, said, “Absolutely not. We will not accept anyone identified as criminal, extortionist, corrupt and communal. We will stand by the people and the marginal population.”On Saturday, May 9, Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the Chief Minister of Bengal in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states.What Mamata Banerjee saidAs Suvendu Adhikari became the first BJP chief minister in the state, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee appealed to all opposition parties in West Bengal to come together to form a “joint platform” to fight the BJP, reminding them that the first enemy is the saffron camp. She said, “I call upon all opposition parties, including the Leftists and the ultra-Left, to come together to form a joint platform against the BJP.”“It is not the time to think the enemy's enemy is my friend, our first enemy is the BJP,” she said, while addressing a small gathering in front of her Kalighat residence, while observing poet Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary.Mamata Banerjee said, “Hooliganism is going on at places, bad elements have entered their (BJP) ranks,” as she emphasised that she did not allow atrocities against anyone after coming to power in 2011.The BJP stormed into power in West Bengal, winning 207 seats in the 294-member assembly to form its first government in the state, while the TMC secured 80 seats.(With inputs from agencies)About the AuthorLivemintFor about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank

LiveMintMay 11

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infosysappointsnitin

Infosys appoints Nitin Paranjpe as vice chairman; no plan for a chairman transition, says Nilekani

Infosys on Thursday, in a regulatory filing, said its Board of Directors approved the appointment of Nitin Paranjpe as non-executive vice chairman of the company with immediate effect, based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.Mr. Paranjpe brought extensive experience, including as non-executive Chairman of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and non-executive vice chairman of Heineken NV. As vice chairman, he would support the chairman in guiding the Board and strategic agenda, the company said. Published - April 30, 2026 11:28 pm IST

The HinduApr 30

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