Govt urged to waive exam fees for cyclone-hit students
Berhampur (Odisha): Berhampur University authorities today urged the Odisha government for waiving the of examination fee of students affected by Phailin and subsequent floods that hit the state last month. “We have written to Governor S C Jamir, who is also university Chancellor and discussed with the higher education secretary about it,” said university vice-chancellor Deepak Kumar Behera. University authorities took this step following a demand by post-graduate students. First and third semester students refused to fill up examination forms, demanding fee waiver. Due to the protest, the authorities extended the date for submission of forms to December 6. First and third semester examinations are due in first week of January 2014. The students’ union had also demanded the fee waiver from Revenue minister S N Patro during his visit to the varsity recently. (PTI)
2 held for illegal sand mining
Deoria (UP): Two persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal mining on the banks of Choti Gandak river here and three tractor trolleys laden with sand were seized, police said. A police team carried out a secret operation on Mahuapatan ghat under Rampur Karkhana police station area and seized three tractor trolleys being used to ferry sand, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sadar Dinesh Kumar Gupta said. Most of the people involved in illegal mining fled from the scene, including two policemen who were posted there, but two persons were apprehended, he said. A case has been registered in this connection, he said. (PTI)
Jharkhand Cong for special package to backward districts
Jamshedpur: Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) today demanded a special package for four most backward districts of the state. The four most backward districts of Jharkhand- Daltongunj (Palamau), Chatra, Latehar and Garwah- must be granted special package on the line of one that had been granted to Bundelkhand region, said S R A Rizvi Chabban, JPCC Secretary. “Life today is miserable in these four districts of Jharkhand as government did nothing for its progress during last several decades”, Chabban told to PTI here on Tuesday. The situation across sectors – including education, road condition, healthcare, water, electricity, irrigation etc was worst compared to other districts of the state and prevailing situation has left the people with no option but to migrate to other states in search of livelihood or deviate from the main stream of the society, he claimed. Justifying the demand for the special package for this region, the Congress leader said the government should form a high-power committee to look into the ground realities of these districts and recommend for a special package on experiment basis. (PTI)