The education department plans to crack down on minority schools in the north suburbs after doing so in South Mumbai. Fourteen schools in South Mumbai were last week sent show-cause notices by the education inspector for not admitting students from the minority group over the few past years, a report said on 6 May.
The guidelines of the National Minorities Commission and an order by the Supreme Court suggest that schools which have a minority status must have 50-90% students from the respective minority group. In the south zone, out of the 127 minority schools, 14 had not admitted a single student, 73 had admitted a maximum of 35% in the past three years and 14 schools admitted 65-99% from the minority group. Only 26 had admitted 100% students from the community. But schools said the crackdown was unacceptable.
GUJARAT HC ADJOURNS HEARING IN ZAKIA JAFRI’S CASE
The Gujarat High Court adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, against the special investigation team’s (SIT) closure report in the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Justice NV Anjariya of the High Court adjourned the hearing of the case to verify translated documents and posted it to be heard on July 10.
Jafri had filed the petition last year challenging the order of the Ahmedabad metropolitan court which upheld the closure report filed by the Supreme Court-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT). On February 8, 2012, SIT had filed a closure report and given a clean chit to former Gujarat chief minister and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as 58 others, including the then Gujarat ministers, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries, police and IAS officers in connection with the 2002 riots case.
SAVE BIODIVERSITY: MAULANA RABEY NADVI
Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadvi, Rector of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, stressed the urgent need of saving the biodiversity of the globe for the welfare of humanity. He was addressing a seminar on Biodiversity and Islam organised by Urdu Scientific Society on 26 April. He cited several Qur’ānic and Prophetic injunctions for maintaining a balance among the diverse living beings and plant life on earth.
Dr. Mansoor Hasan, Prof. Khan Masood, Justice S.U. Khan, Dr. Kausar Usman, Prof. Sharib Rudalvi and Dr. Shakil Qidwai also addressed the seminar and emphasised the need of saving the biodiversity on earth. They also urged that mass mobilisation and awakening is needed for protecting the biodiversity as any harm to biodiversity may cause rapid increase of various diseases.
Maulana Nadvi also released two books entitled Indian Plants of Commercial Value and its Urdu Version entitled Ma’ashi Ahmiat ke Paudhe authored by Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi, retired Deputy Director of National Botanical Research Institute. These books describe more than 500 plants and plant products of Indian origin with short description of their nomenclature in different languages, chemical composition and commercial uses.
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HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY AT AL SHIFA HOSPITAL
“My Life was painful. I was not able to walk, do my daily or even do prayers due to extreme pain in my right hip joint,” says Mr. Mohd Ilyas Ansari, “My right hip was badly damaged.” Then he contacted Dr. Anand Vadehra at Alshifa Multispeciality Hospital, Abul Fazl Enclave, New Delhi. Dr. Vadehra advised him total hip replacement surgery.
Mr. Ansari was operated upon by Dr. Vadehra at Alshifa Multispeciality Hospital for Total Hip Replacement. He was able to walk pain-free right from the next day. His life has changed now. “I have a new lease of life,” says Mr. Ansari. He is thankful to Dr. Anand Vadehra and all the members of the hospital for the surgery, which cost him in semi-private room Rs. 1.5 lakh compared to around 3 lakh in other private hospitals, and for making his life comfortable.
AMU RELIEF TEAM LEAVES FOR NEPAL
A team of doctors and volunteers from the Aligarh Muslim University on 5 May left for Kathmandu to provide medical relief for the victims of recent earthquake that has caused heavy loss of life and property in Nepal. Prof. Tariq Mansoor, Principal and CMS, J N Medical College was also present on the occasion.
The medical team, which is carrying large consignments of medicine and other relief material, has volunteered its services under the banner of “SOCH beyond Imagination”, an organisation of students of Aligarh Muslim University. Dr. Kashif Razi, team leader said that the team will focus on highly affected and interior areas of Nepal which lie unattended. He said that the team is in constant touch with some local NGOs there.