Tag: survey

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IT raid at BBC’s Delhi office,  phones seized 

This comes amid a controversy over the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi…reports Asian Lite News

The Income Tax department on Tuesday reached the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) office in Delhi’s Kasturba Gandhi Marg to conduct a survey, said the sources.

The sources also said that the team reached there to verify documents and some of the employees were also asked to leave the office and go home.

“Phones have also been seized,” said the sources.

This comes amid a controversy over the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last week, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain a PIL filed by Hindu Sena seeking a ban on the BBC for airing the documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the court cannot impose censorship and the plea was misconceived.

The bench, also comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh, queried senior advocate Pinky Anand, representing the petitioner, “Completely misconceived, how can this be argued also? You want us to put complete censorship…”

The counsel urged the bench to hear the petitioner. The bench said, “What is this (the petition)?” The counsel had pressed that the matter should be heard.

‘Modi Govt scared of criticism’

The Congress on Tuesday termed the Income Tax department’s survey operations at the BBC office as an ‘act of intimidation’ and said the government was scared of criticism.

Party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said, “The I-T raid at BBC’s offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism.”

“We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer,” he added.

Income Tax department officials on Tuesday conducted “survey” operations at BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai office, according to sources.

The development comes weeks after the BBC released a two-part documentary titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

According to reports, the employees of the broadcasting corporation were asked not to use their computer systems and phones, including their personal ones.

Reports quoting sources said the employees working in the afternoon shift at the BBC’s Delhi office were asked to work from home, while those present in office were asked to leave early.

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Survey helps 60% dropouts rejoin schools in TN

The SSA team found that out of 6,07,258 school students in Coimbatore district, 24,977 were found not participating in school activities when tracked using the EMIS portal…reports Asian Lite News

A survey-cum-study undertaken by the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu has ensured that nearly 60 per cent of the students, who had dropped out of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic, relocate back to school.

The study undertaken on August 10 by the SSA with the support of government and private school teachers traced a large number of students who had dropped out of schools due to the pandemic. The Education Management Information System (EMIS) portal of the Tamil Nadu government updates the status of school students who did not rejoin classes.

The SSA team found that out of 6,07,258 school students in Coimbatore district, 24,977 were found not participating in school activities when tracked using the EMIS portal.

A senior SSA official requesting anonymity, as the list of other districts was being finalised, said, “In Coimbatore district we could trace that 24,977 students were not seen actively involved in school-related activities. If students do not involve in education-related activities for a month, we consider them not a part of the school anymore.”

The SSA team along with the school teachers found that most of these students who did not attend classes had left Coimbatore district, following the loss of their parents’ jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team could trace that most of these students were living in the native place of their parents. With the support of SSA authorities in the respective districts they were able to re-enroll these students in schools and other educational institutions in the districts where they are staying now.

The survey, according to the SSA official, has ensured that the students return to school in one district or the other. Some students are opting for Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnic courses after completing class 10 while school students below class 10 have rejoined schools in the districts.

The SSA official said, “We have traced the educational status of 21,000 students who have dropped out of school in Coimbatore district and have ensured that 60 per cent of these students return to school as well as complete ITIs and polytechnic courses.”

SSA officials are trying to locate the remaining students and bring them back to school.

The survey found that parents were using their children as helpers in farming as well as rearing of cows, goats, hens, but with lack of awareness were against their children returning to schools. However, with the SSAs and teachers intervention, the parents have allowed the children to go back to school.

The SSA official said, “It is a cumbersome task and we feel that a follow-up is necessary so that the students do not drop out of their schools and teachers have ensured us full support in it. The SSA will also build a network in the respective districts and ensure that the children continue going to school.”

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India is opening up too fast, too soon: Survey

Compared to other states, the Covid-19 cases in Kerala are not decreasing rapidly. To a question if Kerala could become the epicentre of the third Covid wave in India, 45.97 per cent said ‘yes’ and 35.91 per cent said ‘no’…reports Asian Lite News.

India is opening up too fast and too soon is the majority view as the government expresses concern over crowds at hill stations, as per the IANS CVoter Live Tracker.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that crowds at tourist spots are worrying.

To a question on if India is opening too soon and too fast, 53.31 per cent of the respondents of the IANS CVoter Live Tracker said ‘yes’, while 34.34 per cent said that India is not opening up too fast but people are becoming careless.

Compared to other states, the Covid-19 cases in Kerala are not decreasing rapidly. To a question if Kerala could become the epicentre of the third Covid wave in India, 45.97 per cent said ‘yes’ and 35.91 per cent said ‘no’.

The tacker had a sample size of 1,314.

The CVoter NewsTracker Surveys in India are based on a national representative random probability sample as used in the globally standardized RDD CATI methodology, covering all geographic and demographic segments across all states.

This daily live tracker survey is based on interviews of adult (18+) respondents across all socio-economic segments. The data is weighted to the known Census profile. The standard margin of error is +/- 3 per cent at national trends and +/- 5 per cent at regional/zonal trends with 95 per cent confidence level.

As many as 50.56 per cent respondents in the tracker said that younger leaders from smaller states like Anurag Thakur and Kiren Rijiju can hope to become national leaders, or even the Prime Minister a few years later.

A total of 35.67 per cent respondents said that it is very difficult for younger leaders like Thakur and Rijiju to emerge as national leaders and even more difficult for them to become the Prime Minister in a few years’ time.

As many as 45.61 per cent of the respondents said that young India needs young politicians and a young Cabinet, while 41.56 per cent said India doesn’t need just young politicians and young Cabinet, but a combination of young and experienced leaders.

To a question in the survey on if India needs younger and dynamic leaders as Governors instead of retired politicians, 51.05 per cent said ‘yes’, while 37.65 per cent said India needs a combination of young and experienced politicians to hold the Governor’s post.

To a question on if India should crack down on Twitter for not complying with Indian laws, a huge majority of more than 70 per cent said ‘yes’.

An overwhelming majority is still wearing masks as 75.06 per cent said they wear masks when they go out while 18.31 per cent said they don’t wear a mask.

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