No plans to go with NDA: Ajit singh
New Delhi: The RlD has no plans at present to go with the NDA in the 2014 lok Sabha elections and feels that the elevation of Narendra Modi in the BJP set-up would “immensely polarise” the voters. “2014 election is still quite far. The Rashtriya lok Dal will remain with the UPA in 2014 and fight the polls with the Congress-led alliance. As of now, we have no plans to go with the NDA,” party chief Ajit Singh told PTI. “Since RlD has presence in minority-dominated areas like Meerut, Baghpat and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, it will be greatly benefited from Modi’s elevation as minorities will vote for us.”
SCs, STs benefitted by RTE implementation: Raju
New Delhi: HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju on Wednesday said that major gains have been secured for SCs, STs and in education sector ever since the implementation of RTE. Raju said that under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the enrollment of SC children increased substantially. “There was also a significant drop in the number of out-of-school SC children from 8.2 per cent in 2005 to 5.9 per cent in 2009. Similarly there is reduction in the percentage of out-of-school ST children from 9.5 per cent in 2005 to 5.2 per cent in 2009,” Raju said addressing the National Monitoring Committee for Education of SCs, STs and Persons with Disabilities in the Capital. In higher education too, the HRM said that Central Educational Institutions Act provides 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent reservation to SC and ST students respectively.