Dehradun diary

Express News Service
60% seats reserved under RTE Act not filledMore than 60% seats of seats at private schools in the state reserved for children from underprivileged background under the Right to Education (RTE) Act have not been filled this year due to a fall in the number of applications. Of the total 25,283 seats to be filled at 3506 schools, only 10, 585 have been filled to date. As per the provisions of the RTE Act, 25% of seats in private schools are reserved for students from underprivileged backgrounds. The reasons cited for the dip in the number of applicants include the pandemic, internet connectivity issues, and lack of access to private schools.  

Medical interns sell ice creams protesting low stipendProtesting Uttarakhand’s low stipend for medical interns, a group of MBBS students working at Hemwanti Nandan Bahuguna Government Medical College in the state’s Srinagar town sold ice cream and snacks last week. They earned Rs 2,400 in less than 30 minutes. At present, medical interns, who have completed MBBS get only Rs 7,500 per month as a stipend. In contrast, in Uttar Pradesh, medical interns earn Rs12,500 per month. In Tamil Nadu and Telangana, they earn Rs 20,000 per month. In Haryana and Himachal, the pay is Rs 17,000 per month. Medical interns working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi get paid Rs 28,000 per month. The stipend for medical interns in Uttarakhand was raised from 2,500 Rs 7500 in 2011.

Wildlife Board okays changes in sensitive Corbett-Rajaji corridorThe National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has approved changes in the ecologically sensitive 4.7-km patch between Chamaria bend and Siggadi Sot as sought by the Uttarakhand for the contentious 11.5-km Laldhang-Chillarkhal road. The road will pass through the wildlife corridor between Corbett and Rajaji Tiger Reserves. In 2020, NBWL had approved construction of this road with three conditions- 705-meters passage per kilometre, construction of underpass for animals, and clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Uttarakhand governor inaugurates new university Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya inaugurated the University of Engineering & Technology Roorkee on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, Maurya said educational institutions and universities play a major role in the progress of the country and the society. Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and cabinet ministers Dhan Singh Rawat and Swami Yatishvaranand were among those who attended the event

vineet upadhyayOur correspondent in Dehradun [email protected]