Category: News

A private school in Jaipur, St. Angela Sophia School, has sparked controversy for telling students not to bring colors or celebrate Holi at school. Rajasthan’s education minister, Madan Dilawar, criticized this decision and wanted the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to take action. He said Holi is an important festival in India and it’s sad that students were warned they might not be allowed to take exams if they celebrated.

After receiving backlash, the school’s principal, Sister Cynthia, explained that the rule was meant to protect students from synthetic and chemical colors, which can cause allergies or harm. She assured everyone that Holi would still be celebrated at the school on March 12, after exams, using only natural colors and flowers.

Sister Cynthia emphasized that the main goal was to keep students safe during exam season. She stated, “We want our students to enjoy Holi without any risks. Our celebration will be safe, using flowers instead of harmful colors.”

Holi is celebrated in the month of Phalgun, with Choti Holi on March 13 and the main celebration on March 14.

Thiruvananthapuram – In a recent meeting, Kerala’s Excise Minister, M B Rajesh, explained that many young people, including students, have developed a growing problem with violence. He mentioned that violence is becoming like a drug to them, with many showing what he called a “sadistic mindset,” meaning they find pleasure in causing harm to others.

When asked about how schools are teaching kids about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, Rajesh said that the problem isn’t just about drugs; it’s also that many kids are turning to violence for excitement. He pointed out that popular web series, movies, and social media are contributing to this increase in violent behavior.

To help combat this issue, the Sports Minister, V Abdurahiman, announced that starting May 1, there will be a large anti-drug campaign across the state. This campaign will show students that sports can be a fun alternative to drugs. The minister asked all local leaders to pitch in and help make this campaign successful.

Rajesh stressed that we need to work together to find solutions. He mentioned that there’s a problem of “apoliticalism,” meaning that there aren’t strong groups to hold accountable for the violence. To tackle these issues, student and youth groups should join the efforts to reduce drug use and violence.

The government is taking actions like forming committees in schools to keep an eye on things and creating easy-to-read materials that teach students about the harm caused by drugs. These materials will also be used in school textbooks so that kids learn about these risks all year long.

A big argument happened in Nepal when some photos of Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, were shown at a rally that celebrated the former king, Gyanendra Shah. This rally took place at Tribhuvan International Airport when Gyanendra arrived from Pokhara after visiting places of worship. Many supporters, including leaders from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), came together to show they want the monarchy back.

Some of Gyanendra’s supporters rode motorbikes with his pictures and flags, and a few had pictures of Adityanath too, which caused some people to get upset. In response to the negative feelings, RPP spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi accused Prime Minister K P Oli’s government of trying to ruin the pro-monarchy movement. Shahi claimed the government put someone at the rally to stir up trouble.

However, Bishnu Rimal, who is an advisor to Prime Minister Oli, denied these accusations. On social media, Shahi said, “This is just a trick made by people who don’t deserve their positions.”

Prime Minister Oli did not mention Adityanath by name but said, “We don’t use pictures of foreign leaders in our rallies” during a program in Kathmandu. Earlier this year, Gyanendra had met Adityanath during a trip to Uttar Pradesh.

Supporters of Gyanendra have been holding rallies in different parts of the country, including Kathmandu and Pokhara, asking to bring back the monarchy, which was ended in 2008 after the People’s Movement. Pro-monarchists have gained more energy since February, when Gyanendra said, “It’s time for us to take responsibility to protect our country and unite our people.”

Nagarkurnool – On Tuesday, robots joined the rescue operation to find seven people who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel since February 22. A team from a robotics company in Hyderabad sent a robot into the tunnel early Tuesday morning, along with 110 rescue workers.

The Telangana government decided to use robots to keep rescuers safe because the tunnel is filled with water and mud, making it dangerous. State irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on March 8 that they would spend ₹4 crores for the robot experts to help. Pieces of a large Tunnel Boring Machine are underwater and have caused risky conditions.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy visited the tunnel on March 2 and suggested using robots to protect rescue workers. Teams from different organizations, including the NDRF and Singareni Collieries, are working together, following cadaver dogs and radar surveys to focus on areas where the trapped workers might be.

Two days ago, the rescuers found the body of Gurpreet Singh, who was an operator for a foreign company. His family in Punjab received ₹25 lakhs as compensation. The other seven people trapped are Manoj Kumar, Sunny Singh, Gurpreet Singh (another one), Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, and Anuj Sahu, and they all come from Jharkhand. The eight workers got stuck when a part of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project tunnel collapsed.