BIRD’S EYEVIEW
Pelicans fly close to the ground at Deepor Beel bird sanctuary in the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam yesterday. The migratory birds are a common sight in northeast India during winter.
Policemen suspended for misbehaviour
Three traffic policemen, including an inspector, have been suspended in Gurgaon for misbehaving with a senior district official during a traffic snarl on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, a police official said yesterday. They were suspended for misbehaving and not co-operating with Additional Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon K M Pandurang, the official said. “The commuters were trapped in the traffic snarl but the response of some policemen on duty remained unfriendly,” Pandurang said. The ADC was on his way to Pataudi via Manesar on Friday afternoon. He found the traffic blocked near Kherki Daula toll plaza on the expressway.
President calls for value-based education
The growth of education in the country is one of the key factors responsible for India’s resilience, President Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday and called for value-based education. Speaking at the fourth annual convocation of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya at Haridwar, Mukherjee said “value-based education equips us to contribute in a meaningful way to society. Striving for spiritual development along with academic excellence is the right approach to regain lost values and traditions in this age.” The president said it is the growth of education in India that is key to the country’s resilience. “Therefore, it is indisputable that education is of singular importance to any individual, society or nation.”
IGNOU, CVC join hands to fight graft
People across the country would soon be able to file complaints online against corrupt officials, courtesy a joint project by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the Central Vigilance Commission and the human resource development ministry, it was announced in New Delhi yesterday on International Anti-Corruption Day. The CVC’s ‘VigEye’ project, which allows people to submit corruption complaints online will be popularised by the IGNOU through its 67 regional centres spread across the country. “People can lodge their complaints with the help of photographs, audio and video,” Vigilance Commissioner R Sri Kumar said through a teleconference at a meeting at the IGNOU campus.
IAF corporal commits suicide in Jodhpur
An Indian Air Force (IAF) corporal committed suicide yesterday by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in the barracks in Jodhpur air base in Rajasthan, police said. Corporal Rahul Singh, 24, was “found hanging from a ceiling fan in the barracks of air force station in Jodhpur in the afternoon,” a police official said. Rahul Singh joined the IAF six years ago. “A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident and we have assured police of full co-operation,” Colonel S D Goswami, spokesperson for the defence ministry posted in Jodhpur, said. On November 28, Squadron Leader Anandita Das, 29, a native of West Bengal, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in Jodhpur.
JD-U MP Kushwaha resigns
Upendra Kushwaha, a member of parliament of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U), yesterday announced his resignation from the Rajya Sabha and the party, terming Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a dictator. “Finally, I announce my resignation as JD-U Rajya Sabha member and from the primary membership of the party,” he said at a function of his outfit Bihar Nav Nirman Morcha in Patna. Accusing Nitish Kumar of becoming a dictator and controlling both the party as well as the government, Kushwaha said there was no inner democracy. He also hinted at forming a new political party soon. Kushwaha, a leader from Koeri community, had closely worked with Nitish Kumar to oust Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal from power in Bihar in 2005.