With deficient rainfall across several Saurashtra-Kutch districts triggering demands for drought relief, Gujarat Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya said the government would decide on declaring scarcity based on area-specific surveys. “Surveys have been conducted in low-rainfall areas as a preparatory measure. If required, scarcity or drought will be declared in the concerned regions,” Bavaliya said at the inauguration of the Rashtriya Saras Mela at Rajkot’s Race Course grounds. Farmers and cattle herders have demanded drought declarations, along with adequate fodder and drinking water. He said the government was supplying fodder and water wherever required.
Principal’s permission is a must to enter schools
The state education department has made prior permission from school principals mandatory for entering government schools, triggering debate over restrictions on access to public educational institutions. In a circular issued on October 21, the department also directed visitors to obtain prior approval before photographing students, recording audio or video, or livestreaming school premises. The circular warns of legal action raising questions over the scope of its enforcement, particularly in cases involving unauthorised entry. The directive has drawn criticism from Congress and the AAP, which have questioned the need for such restrictions.
Heat on nat’l poll panel over voter deletions
Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Sunil Kedar on Sunday accused the Election Commission of failing to protect voters’ rights, alleging large-scale deletions from electoral rolls and demanding accountability. During his Rajkot visit, Kedar claimed 13.3 crore voters were missing from electoral rolls nationwide, citing research attributed to economists Jean Drèze and Yogendra Yadav. He alleged Gujarat had 93 lakh missing voters against an adult population of 5.33 crore, while 74 lakh names were deleted from the draft electoral roll. Kedar also questioned discrepancies in the Election Commission’s reported Form 7 objections.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya
Our correspondent in Gujarat
dilipsingh@newindianexpress.com