Telugu compulsory in Telangana schools

Hyderabad: Telugu will be made a compulsory subject in all private and government schools across Telangana from academic year 2018-19. A legislation in this regard will be introduced during the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said. "We have decided that Telugu will be taught as a compulsory subject to save the language and protect our culture. It has become a necessity for everyone to study in English medium with changing circumstances. Children's future should not be disturbed, and at the same time Telugu should not be neglected. This is the reason we are putting a condition that even children studying in the English medium should study Telugu," the Chief Minister said. TNS

Sardar Patel statue vandalised in Gujarat 

Ahmedabad: A statue of India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was found desecrated in Shertha village of Gujarat's Gandhinagar district, the latest in a series of vandalism of statues of popular personalities. According to police, some unidentified persons on Tuesday night garlanded the statue with empty cold drink bottles and grass. The statue was unveiled by BJP patriarch LK Advani in October 1992. The incident came to light after villagers spotted the garland placed on the statue and approached police, said inspector JG Vaghela. PTI

CRPF man held for defiling Periyar’s

Chennai/New Delhi: A CRPF jawan, who was undergoing psychiatric treatment since February, has been arrested for allegedly vandalising a statue of rationalist leader Periyar in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu. Head Constable S Senthil Kumar, 35, was arrested from his house in Vidhuti village on Tuesday night after the CCTV footage obtained from the area showed him damaging the statue while he was in an inebriated state. The CRPF said Kumar was on a 30-day leave at his native place in Tamil Nadu from March 14 and had been suspended in the wake of the incident. PTI

Nirav ‘diverted’ gems to domestic market 

Mumbai: Absconding diamond merchant Nirav Modi has been accused of importing diamonds and precious stones through his units in special economic zones (SEZs) in Gujarat and Rajasthan and illegally diverting them to the domestic markets. According to a case filed against Modi's companies by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday, his companies like Firestar Diamond International Pvt Ltd, Firestar International Pvt Ltd, etc. carried out illegal diversions of precious stones amounting to Rs 890 crore. The DRI said investigations threw up discrepancies between the declared stock value of the diamonds/pearls in the SEZ units and their ascertained actual value. TNS