Labourers become VIPs in Sangrur; schoolgirls show their power in Jharkhand

A school which acknowledges every labourer who built it

Almost every single day a building, a school or a fly-over is inaugurated in India. And in each one of them, the name of theVIP who inaugurated it is immortalised on the foundation plaque. The labourers who gave their sweat and blood to build them are never acknowledged.

However, Sherpur village in Punjab's Sangrur district decided to pay tribute to the labourers who rebuilt a new block of the local school. .

The foundation plaque records the names of 21 masons, carpenters, labourers, plumbers, electricians and painters, who built it.

The name of the AAP MP Bhagwant Mann figures at the bottom, after the workers.

The inscription reads, "With Rs 20 lakh provided under MPLAD funds, the construction the Government Senior Secondary School building was completed by the workers (names of all 21 workers) from 23 February 2015 to 10 July 2015."

Mason Sukhwinder Singh who completed the flooring for the new block, is overwhelmed to see his name on the plaque.

"I am in this profession for the past 15 years but I have never received such an honour. It is a very special feeling to see your name on the plaque," Singh, who lives in Sherpur village, says.

Apparently, the workers' names were inscribed at Bhagwant Mann's insistence.

"I told the school management not to inscribe my name on the stone. It's these workers who have constructed the building," Mann says.

Even the inauguration was done in a unique manner. It wasn't inaugurated by any VIP. Rather the village chose two class 12 toppers Jaspreet Kaur and Sarabjeet Kaur to inaugurate the building on Friday.

The new block was built after a block, which had six rooms, had to be demolished after it was declared unsafe around a year ago.

No toilets, no school

The government may claim to have built 4.25 lakh toilets in a year, but here's a reality check.

As many as 261 girls quit their studies at Kharswan district of Jharkhand as their school didn't have enough toilets.

Kasturba Gandhi Residential School at Ichagarh has hundreds of girls but only 5 toilets. The school doesn't even have a proper boundary wall which enables intruders to enter the hostel premises at night.

261 girls in Kharswan (Jharkhand) stopped attending classes as their school didn't have enough toilets

According to media reports, the girls were constantly subjected to eve-teasing. Apparently, some girls were even threatened with abduction.

As a result, 261 girls stopped attending classes from 18 August.

This seems to have pushed the authorities into action.

The district administration has promised to provide security to the girls and take action against the miscreants. The warden, cook and the chowkidar of the school have also been replaced.

The guardians have now decided to send back their wards from Monday, following a meeting with the authorities.

According to District Education Officer Suresh Chandra Ghosh, five more toilets would soon be built. A new School Management Committee will be formed to to help take care of the students' needs.

84 snakes rescued in Bhopal

84 snakes have been released by forest officials in the Budhni forests adjoining Bhopal.

The flying squad of the department had seized these snakes from snake charmers on Nag Panchami.

Salim, a serpentologist from Madhya Pradesh has saved 2.5 lakh snakes in the last 30 years

Many of these snakes were injured. The mouths of some of the reptiles had been sewn.

Forest officials in Madhya Pradesh and other states have been carrying out a drive during Nag Panchami every year. Salim, a noted serpentologist, has been leading this effort for some years now.

He has freed more than 2.5 lakh snakes in the last 30 years. Some of the snakes were rescued from the residences of the Madhya Pradesh chief minister and the Governor.