Prime Minister Indira Gandhi carried out a minor reshuffle of her cabinet on August 8. Narayan Dutt Tiwari has been shifted from the Planning Ministry to the Industries Ministries. S B Chavan has been moved from the Education Ministry to planning. The Minister of State for Industry, Charanjit Chanana, who has been looking after the industry ever since Indira Gandhi returned to power will continue in his position with Tiwari heading the ministry. Tiwari will continue to hold the temporary charge of the labour portfolio. The PM is yet to announce the name of the new education minister. She has asked Shiela Kaul, minister of state for education and culture, to take temporary charge of the ministry. Mrs Gandhi is said to be looking for talent outside the parliamentary party but the search is yet to bear fruit.
AMU Expulsions
The Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, Saiyid Hamid, has rusticated Irfanullah Khan, president of the dissolved union of the university and convener of the Students Action Committee for a period of five years. Fifteen other students were also rusticated for a period ranging from two to five years for what the university called, “acts of indiscipline”. Nine student leaders were expelled last month for a period of one to three years.
Dacoits Strike In UP
Nine police personnel and three villagers lost their lives in an encounter with dacoits in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. The dacoits, who are reported to have numbered approximately 45, were from the gangs of Chabiram Yadav, Poti Yadav and Anar Singh Yadav.
Loans Written Off
The UNION GOVERNMENT has taken a decision not to recover about Rs 1,412 crore given to states as assistance between 1977-78 and 1978-79 for coping with natural calamities. It has proposed to treat this amount as an additional assistance for these years.
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