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Days of friction between govt, private schools over in Delhi: Education Minister Ashish Sood

New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday hailed the contribution of private schools in the city’s learning landscape, saying gone are the days of friction between the government and private institutions.

Inaugurating ‘Future Lab’ at Vivekanand School in Anand Vihar as part of the Atal Innovation Mission, the Minister slammed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s education model and said, “Private schools would have struggled to enrol students had the state of government schools been improved.”

Sood also felicitated students who excelled in board examinations and national as well as international competitions.

Speaking at the event, Sood said, “Along with students, their parents also deserve recognition, for success is always a collective achievement.”

“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, we remain steadfast in our commitment to nurturing such talent that will shape and strengthen the nation’s growth trajectory,” said the Minister in a post on X later.

Describing the ‘Future Lab’ as a visionary step, he said, “This lab is not merely a place to learn technology, but a platform to nurture imagination, innovation, and curiosity. Our aim is to shape creators of technology, not just consumers.”

Addressing the gathering of students, teachers, and parents, Sood emphasised that the occasion was not just an academic celebration, but a powerful message: “Where faith, talent, and progress converge, the foundation of a new India is laid.”

Quoting Swami Vivekananda, he inspired students with three key messages on curiosity, courage and strength.

“Never suppress the questions that arise within. Face challenges head-on. A strong body and resilient mind are the true makers of a great nation,” he said.

Sood said that just as Swami Vivekananda presented the soul of India to the world in 1893 in Chicago, today’s youth must carry forward that spirit through self-confidence, hard work, and integrity.

Highlighting the relevance of AI, Sood urged students to embrace artificial intelligence not with fear but with responsibility. “Use it wisely and prepare yourselves for the future challenges,” he said.

He described students as the architects of India’s future and added, “When India completes 100 years of Independence in 2047, it is today’s students who will lead the nation. Education is the launchpad that will enable this flight.”

–IANS

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Two women Maoists killed in MP encounter identified (Ld)

Bhopal, April 2 (IANS) Two women Maoists who were killed in an encounter in the Bichhiya police station area of the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday have been identified as Rambai, wife of Rakesh, and Pramila alias Mase Mandavi, Bhoramdev Area Committee.

Rambai was a resident of Murkudi under the police station area of the Korchi District, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. She was carrying a “Single Shot pistol” with her. While Pramila was also an Area committee member of the Bhoramdev Area Committee. She was a resident of Paliagudhem under the police station Chintalna, district Sukma, Chhattisgarh, the police officials said. She was carrying an SLR Rife and was an ‘Area Committee Member (ACM)’, a leadership position within the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

These ACMs are responsible for organising and leading People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) squads in specific geographical areas.

The two women were carrying a combined reward of Rs 28 lakh on them.

“Under the multi-pronged strategy adopted by the Centre and Madhya Pradesh government with the objective of freeing India from the age-old problem of Left Wing Extremism by March 2026, Madhya Pradesh Police killed 02 hard-core female Naxalites of Bhoramdev Area Committee of KB Division (Kanha Bhoramdev) of MMC Zone (Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh) of Maoists in a major encounter on 2 April 2025,” a statement issued by MP Police said.

The security forces are continuously taking aggressive action against the Maoists. In this connection, on receiving intelligence of Maoists in Mundidadar-Ganeridadar-Parsatola forest area of Kanha National Park, security forces were sent to the forest to search for them, the statement said adding, during the search in the morning, the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire with the intention of causing casualties to the security forces and looting their weapons.

“The security forces, without caring for their lives, fired sensibly, controlled and effectively. In this operation, 02 uniformed hard-core female Maoists were killed,” One SLR rifle and One other rifle, loaded magazine, one walkie-talkie set and knife were recovered from their possession. Intensive search operations are being conducted by the security forces around the encounter area in search of other Maoists who fled, taking advantage of the dense forest during the encounter,” said the officials.

For the first time in the state, according the officials, six Maoists have been killed in two separate encounters in a period of one and a half months.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said, “Today, in an encounter between police and Naxalites in a dense forest under Bichiya police station of Mandla district, Hawk Force jawans of the security force killed two female Naxalites carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each and recovered weapons, SLR rifles and other material.”

The chief minister said that he congratulated all the security force jawans for their bravery and courage. “Certainly, this success will give impetus to the resolve to completely free India from the Naxal problem by March 2026 under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The country and Madhya Pradesh will be completely free from terrorism, Naxalism and extremism,” he said.

–IANS

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Health Ministry, WHO launch health campaign on Delhi Metro for women, girls

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Wednesday rolled out a month-long campaign on the Delhi Metro to boost the health and well-being of women and girls.

The campaign, which began at the Sultanpur Metro Station, “will run through December and January, delivering messages on women’s safety, mental health support, digital inclusion, Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) and TB awareness across metro trains and select stations”, the Ministry said in a statement.

“In collaboration with WHO, we have launched this Delhi Metro campaign to share important messages with the people of Delhi. One key message is: agar swasth naari hai, to sashakt parivaar hai, sashakt rashtra hai (loosely translated as when a woman is healthy, the family and the nation can remain healthy),” Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, told IANS.

“The campaign also aims to ensure compliance and raise awareness of the PCPNDT Act, and urge people not to go for gender determination,” she added.

The Health Secretary shared that the advancing technologies are sometimes misused to determine the sex of the unborn child.

The Act aims to combat female foeticide and address the declining sex ratio in the country.

Further, the campaign will also focus on tuberculosis, furthering the TB Mukt Abhiyaan in the country. As the incidence of TB in Delhi is high, the campaign aims to run a Jan Andolan to fight the deadly infectious disease in the state and the nation, Srivastava said.

According to the latest data from the Ni-kshay portal, Delhi reported 9,8309 cases of TB between January and October in 2025.

Notably, the state has screened nearly 8.78 lakh people so far, along with conducting around 3.8 lakh chest X-rays to speed up the identification of new TB cases, under the nationwide TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

“Leveraging the Delhi Metro ensures these critical messages reach millions of daily commuters, strengthening awareness and empowering women and girls across the city,” Srivastava said.

Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia, also noted that “healthy women are the pillars of a healthy family, community, and a healthy nation.”

“Here at this metro station, some journeys end, and others begin. Today marks the final day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. And as that campaign ends, another begins. We are proud to launch the Delhi Metro campaign for Women’s and Girls’ Health and Well-being, rooted in two simple and enduring truths: Healthy Women=Healthy Nations, and #BecozSheMatters.”

“Health of women and girls, including their mental health, is hence important not just for their well-being, but most importantly for our well-being,” she added.

–IANS

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