Hyderabad: District education officers (DEOs) and DIET principals were briefed on digital applications being implemented by the school education department. At the programme conducted under the guidance of school education director Dr Naveen Nicholas, officials explained in detail the functioning of the applications such as FLN, UDISE-Plus and the facial recognition system (FRS). Dr Nicholas noted the successfully completing the FRS in government schools. Schools showing the highest rates were honoured at the district, mandal and schools.
Probe theft case: Chilkur Balaji priest
Hyderabad: Chilkur Balaji temple’s chief priest C.S. Rangarajan said that the Parakamani incident in Tirumala, a theft from the Lord Balaji donation counting area, was a wake-up call, and urged the AP government to constitute a committee to inquire into the incident.
Speaking with the media, Rangarajan said that his father Dr Soundara Rajan had stressed on considering all temple offerings as sacred. He said there was a need to bring reform and ensure transparency and integrity in the management of temple donations, particularly in the Parakamani process in Tirumala.
“The offerings made by millions of devotees are sacred — they are symbols of faith, not figures of finance. Any misuse of such divine wealth is not just a financial offence but a moral and spiritual betrayal. As the Bhagavad Gita reminds us, ‘stena eva saḥ’ — he who takes without rightful return is a thief”, Rangarajan said.
He called for technology-driven systems like automated counting, complete CCTV coverage, RFID-tracked hundi boxes, third-party audits and a public transparency portal displaying aggregate donation data. Rangarajan also requested people to look at this beyond the “TD versus YSRCP versus BJP” templates, but as devotees who are agonised by such happenings now frequently.
PM e-Bus Sewa : Hyderabad to get 2000 buses
Hyderabad: Hyderabad has been allotted e-2,000 buses as part of the Centre’s Net Zero Emissions target by 2070, the National Movement for PM e-Drive and PM e-Bus Sewa. Once the state government establishes infrastructure including depots and charging stations, these buses will become operational in the city.
Delhi has been allocated 2,800 PM e-Buses, Bengaluru 4,500, Ahmedabad 1,000 and Surat 600.
According to a media statement, Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), under the Union power ministry, has received an overwhelming response to its mega tender for 10,900 electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa programme. “This tender, covering five major metropolitan cities, represents India’s largest e-bus procurement initiative to date. The pre-bid phase witnessed robust participation from leading domestic and international manufacturers. Following detailed clarifications to pre-bid queries, CESL extended the bid submission deadline to November 2025, with bid opening scheduled for November 6,” the CESL statement said.
Private colleges threaten to shut from Nov. 3 over fee dues
Hyderabad: The Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) announced that all private higher education institutions, including engineering colleges will shut from November 3 if the fee reimbursement dues are not cleared by November 1.
FATHI, which conducted its emergency general body meeting on Sunday, demanded that the government release the pending `900 crore fee dues by November 1. Only Rs 300 crore out of the Rs 1,200 crore promised before Dasara and Diwali had been disbursed so far, the federation said.
Private colleges demanded the clearance of `9,000 crore dues up to academic year 2024-25, with a defined roadmap, ensuring complete payment by March 31, 2026. The colleges asked the government to come up with a defined roadmap for release of the current academic year’s reimbursement, ensuring that all payments are completed before June 30, 2026.
The federation appealed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to take cognisance of the situation and ensure timely resolution in the interest of thousands of institutions, staff and students. The colleges asked the government to issue clear guidelines for AICTE-approved new courses whose NoCs have been pending for several months. This will enable institutions to apply for these courses at least for the next academic year, the colleges added.