Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim has demanded grants to schools, assistance to minority institutions and introduction of educational scholarships. Minorities, especially Muslims, are facing problems in the state due to pending issues of the minority community in the state. Assembly member Abu Asim Azmi has sent a letter to the Minister of Minority Affairs demanding immediate attention to the issues and pending issues of Muslims and also requested to resolve the issues.

In the letter, Azmi said that the free matriculation scholarship given to minority students in the state has been stopped and the dropout rate of students leaving Turkish education schools is around 50 percent and there is a fear that the dropout rate will increase due to the discontinuation of the scholarship. Therefore, the Justice Department should announce Fatima Sheikh Scholarship for students from class 1 to 10. In addition, Rs 5,000 is provided for vocational courses as no government subsidy is provided for courses like microbiology. The education grant for minority students will be increased from Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. There is also a need to consider what steps the government should take to ensure this and start scholarships.

The government’s decision to provide a grant of Rs 10 lakh for infrastructure facilities to minority schools was implemented during the model code of conduct for the assembly elections, but no proposal has been sought in this regard yet. The proposal for the year 2023-24 under the grant scheme for infrastructure facilities to minority schools is pending due to the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections and the grant has not been distributed to the schools yet. Steps should also be taken to distribute the grant to eligible schools of minority communities.

The above vacancies are for officers and employees in the Maulana Azad Economic Development Corporation and the Ministry of Minority Development, established for the betterment of the minority community. Only 20% of the grants sanctioned for the betterment of the minority community have been spent so far and the above mentioned vacant posts should be filled up by making appointments as early as possible.

New Delhi, March 19: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday condemned Israel’s latest military strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, calling them an act of “cold-blooded murder.”

Israel launched heavy airstrikes on multiple locations across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, marking its first major offensive since the ceasefire that began on January 19. The renewed assault followed the collapse of negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

According to medical officials in Gaza, over 350 people were killed and more than 150 others injured in strikes in northern Gaza, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City.

Expressing her outrage on X, Priyanka posted, “The cold-blooded murder of over 400 innocent civilians, including 130 children, by the Israeli government shows that humanity means nothing to them. Their actions reflect an inherent weakness and inability to face their own truth.”

She further criticised the response of Western nations, stating, “Whether Western powers choose to recognise this or to acknowledge their collusion in the genocide of the Palestinian people or not, all citizens of the world who have a conscience (including many Israelis), see it.”

“The more criminally the Israeli government acts, the more they reveal themselves for the cowards they truly are. On the other hand, the bravery of the Palestinian people prevails. They have endured unimaginable suffering, yet their spirit remains resilient and unwavering,” she added.

Israel defended its military action, attributing the offensive to Hamas’s refusal to release hostages and its rejection of ceasefire proposals from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday stated, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip.”

The statement further noted that Israel was intensifying its military campaign to achieve its war objectives, which include securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength. The operational plan was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership,” it said.

The latest escalation comes as ceasefire negotiations broke down over disagreements on the next phase of the truce.

Israel sought to extend the initial phase of the three-stage agreement, while Hamas insisted on progressing to the second phase, which was scheduled to begin on March 2 and involve further hostage exchanges.

During the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, Hamas is still holding approximately 59 hostages.

New Delhi, March 19: Sunita Williams’ safe return to Earth after unplanned and prolonged nine-month stay in the space has brought immense joy to her relatives and villagers in Jhulasan, her ancestral village in Gujarat’s Mehsana. As the news surfaced about her safe return, the villagers broke into celebrations by bursting firecrackers and dancing.

An Akhand Jyot (eternal lamp) that has been burning continuously for the past nine months in the local temple was lit up to pray for her safe return. Now that she is back on Earth, the family is set to immerse the lamp in a special ceremony.

Talking to Media, Sunita’s cousin, Naveen Bhai Baboolal, expressed his emotions: “Sunita visited us in 2007 and it was a joyful occasion. She came to the local temple and participated in a wonderful program. Since then, we believed that there was divine power in our village, and it became clear that Sunita was destined for great things.”

“During her third space mission, she took the idols of both our village deities with her. The sweets we prepare here, including the ‘Sukhdi’ and ‘Ganapati’s Ladoo’, were sent with her to space,” he added.

Naveen further shared, “When Sunita left for space, we had no idea she would remain there for nine months instead of a few days, due to technical difficulties. We were deeply worried, but we believed that our divine deities would protect her. That’s why we kept the Akhand Jyoti burning in the temple, praying for her safe return. And today, she’s finally back, so we’re celebrating her safe return with a village procession.”

He informed that villagers have planned a celebratory procession in her honour, accompanied with fireworks to create an atmosphere like Diwali and Holi.

“A procession will be taken out from the village school to the temple where the ‘Akhand Jyot’ has been kept. The ‘Akhand Jyot’ will be immersed after the procession reaches the temple,” he said.

Another family member, Dinesh Pandit, said, “The Akhand Jyoti was lit specifically for Sunita, as she faced challenges with her spacecraft during her mission. When we heard about the problems with her aircraft, we feared that her chances of returning were slim. But we prayed to the goddesses, and we had full faith that they would bring her safely back. This is not the first time we’ve done this; we’ve kept this tradition whenever she’s gone on her space missions, and it has always worked out.”

Dinesh added, “We are all part of one big family, and Sunita is like a sister to us. Our bond with her is very special, and our prayers for her have always been strong.”

Meanwhile, Sunita Williams and her fellow astronauts, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on Tuesday evening aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

The spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida just minutes before 6 p.m. local time. The astronauts were greeted by recovery teams, and Williams emerged third from the capsule, smiling and waving after a safe return.