August 31, 2026

The plea sought ethanol-content labelling at pumps and on bills, a vehicle-wise E20 compatibility database, an expert review of its impact, and a transition plan for incompatible vehicles. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking mandatory disclosure of the exact ethanol content in petrol at fuel stations and on fuel purchase receipts.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale dismissed the plea filed by advocate Narendra Goswami, while granting him liberty to approach the concerned high court.The Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, argued that the petition was a proxy litigation, as the court had already dismissed a similar petition on the issue.”The petitioner wants government of India to be answerable to him,” the AG submitted, as quoted by PTI.Meanwhile, Goswami contended that he has the right to know the content of the petrol given. “Not only me but citizens at large should be informed about the composition of the fuel given to them,” he submitted.The plea sought directions to petrol pumps to prominently display the precise percentage of ethanol blended with petrol. It also sought that the ethanol content be specifically mentioned on receipts and invoices issued to consumers at fuel stations and an official vehicle-wise compatibility database covering different ethanol blends, based on factors such as manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture.”Direct the respondents (Centre and others) to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official, public, vehicle-wise compatibility database searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture, indicating the suitability or otherwise of various ethanol blends for each vehicle,” Goswami added in his plea.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe plea also called for an independent expert committee, including representatives from the petroleum and road transport ministries, the Bureau of Indian Standards and independent automobile engineers, to assess the real-world compatibility of E20 with existing vehicles.The committee was also asked to examine the impact of E20 on fuel efficiency, engine life and maintenance costs, warranty and insurance, emissions, water consumption in ethanol production, and food-security concerns.The petitioner further sought a national consumer disclosure protocol for ethanol-blended petrol and a transparent transition framework for older or incompatible vehicles, including the possible availability of lower-ethanol petrol where feasible.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTrisha MahajanTrisha Mahajan is a journalist with The Times of India digital, with keen interest in covering business and corporate affairs. She also reports on key national and world developments and global news trends. A keen reader with a strong interest in storytelling that adds context, clarity, and depth to complex issues.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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Vamsikrishna02 mins mins
The plea sought ethanol-content labelling at pumps and on bills, a vehicle-wise E20 compatibility database, an expert review of its impact, and a transition plan for incompatible vehicles. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking mandatory disclosure of the exact ethanol content in petrol at fuel stations and on fuel purchase receipts.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale dismissed the plea filed by advocate Narendra Goswami, while granting him liberty to approach the concerned high court.The Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, argued that the petition was a proxy litigation, as the court had already dismissed a similar petition on the issue.”The petitioner wants government of India to be answerable to him,” the AG submitted, as quoted by PTI.Meanwhile, Goswami contended that he has the right to know the content of the petrol given. “Not only me but citizens at large should be informed about the composition of the fuel given to them,” he submitted.The plea sought directions to petrol pumps to prominently display the precise percentage of ethanol blended with petrol. It also sought that the ethanol content be specifically mentioned on receipts and invoices issued to consumers at fuel stations and an official vehicle-wise compatibility database covering different ethanol blends, based on factors such as manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture.”Direct the respondents (Centre and others) to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official, public, vehicle-wise compatibility database searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture, indicating the suitability or otherwise of various ethanol blends for each vehicle,” Goswami added in his plea.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe plea also called for an independent expert committee, including representatives from the petroleum and road transport ministries, the Bureau of Indian Standards and independent automobile engineers, to assess the real-world compatibility of E20 with existing vehicles.The committee was also asked to examine the impact of E20 on fuel efficiency, engine life and maintenance costs, warranty and insurance, emissions, water consumption in ethanol production, and food-security concerns.The petitioner further sought a national consumer disclosure protocol for ethanol-blended petrol and a transparent transition framework for older or incompatible vehicles, including the possible availability of lower-ethanol petrol where feasible.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTrisha MahajanTrisha Mahajan is a journalist with The Times of India digital, with keen interest in covering business and corporate affairs. She also reports on key national and world developments and global news trends. A keen reader with a strong interest in storytelling that adds context, clarity, and depth to complex issues.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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SC dismisses plea seeking mandatory ethanol content disclosure at petrol pumps, fuel bills
The plea sought ethanol-content labelling at pumps and on bills, a vehicle-wise E20 compatibility database, an expert review of its impact, and a transition plan for incompatible vehicles.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking mandatory disclosure of the exact ethanol content in petrol at fuel stations and on fuel purchase receipts.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale dismissed the plea filed by advocate Narendra Goswami, while granting him liberty to approach the concerned high court.The Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, argued that the petition was a proxy litigation, as the court had already dismissed a similar petition on the issue.“The petitioner wants government of India to be answerable to him,” the AG submitted, as quoted by PTI.Meanwhile, Goswami contended that he has the right to know the content of the petrol given. “Not only me but citizens at large should be informed about the composition of the fuel given to them,” he submitted.The plea sought directions to petrol pumps to prominently display the precise percentage of ethanol blended with petrol. It also sought that the ethanol content be specifically mentioned on receipts and invoices issued to consumers at fuel stations and an official vehicle-wise compatibility database covering different ethanol blends, based on factors such as manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture.“Direct the respondents (Centre and others) to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official, public, vehicle-wise compatibility database searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture, indicating the suitability or otherwise of various ethanol blends for each vehicle,” Goswami added in his plea.

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Sadhguru called for a collective approach to managing disasters and protecting the Himalayan ecosystem Sadhguru Jagadish Vasudev has pledged Rs 1 crore towards Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund to support rescue and relief efforts following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border. He also called for greater cooperation among Himalayan nations, proposing a five-nation Himalayan Board to coordinate responses to disasters affecting the fragile mountain region.Sadhguru made the remarks on Sunday while addressing an event titled “In Solidarity With Nepal” in Kathmandu, his first public appearance since the disaster. According to an official statement by the Isha Foundation, the event brought together people in Kathmandu to express solidarity with those affected.The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll from the flash floods has risen to 903, while thousands remain missing.Among those still unaccounted for are 77 participants of the Isha Sacred Walks Kailash Sojourn. The group was at the Gyirong immigration centre on the China side of the border when the disaster struck. Three Isha volunteers stationed on the Nepal side are also missing, according to the foundation.The Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru, organises Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages each season. Pilgrims travel from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, with trekking on foot forming part of the journey. Sadhguru calls for Himalayan BoardAlongside his financial support for Nepal’s relief efforts, Sadhguru called for a collective approach to managing disasters and protecting the Himalayan ecosystem. He proposed a five-nation Himalayan Board comprising India, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.Arguing that the Himalayan mountain system cuts across political boundaries, Sadhguru said countries sharing the range needed to coordinate their actions.”The mountains don’t know your political affiliation. The mountains don’t know what nonsense or language you speak. Even if you cannot administer it as one body, at least consultation must happen as one body. There must be some congruence of action in what we do because the Himalayas are the most fantastic and majestic feature on the planet. At the same time, they are very fragile,” Sadhguru asserted.He called for the proposed body to be established urgently, saying the Himalayas needed to be treated as a shared natural system rather than as separate national concerns.”A body comprising all these nations where the Himalayan ranges run has to happen now. Even if political administrations are separate, the mountain ranges have to be looked at as a feature that needs to be protected for future generations on the planet. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesIf we don’t do this and go on thinking, okay, it’s Nepal’s problem, let them deal with their problem, there will never be a solution.”Sadhguru also said the scale of the disaster was beyond what could reasonably have been anticipated and argued that Nepal could not be expected to deal with its aftermath alone.”Nobody expected something like this to happen, that three-fourths of a glacial ice cube will just fall down four thousand feet down the peak. Not something anybody calculates it for. But now that it’s happened, we must look at this because this is not something a small nation like Nepal can solve by themselves,” Sadhguru said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorVivek DubeyA digital news desk journalist at The Times of India with over two years of experience. Closely tracks foreign affairs and international politics. Fondness for precise language and clever headlines. When not editing news, he is usually refining a turn of phrase.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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Sadhguru called for a collective approach to managing disasters and protecting the Himalayan ecosystem Sadhguru Jagadish Vasudev has pledged Rs 1 crore towards Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund to support rescue and relief efforts following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border. He also called for greater cooperation among Himalayan nations, proposing a five-nation Himalayan Board to coordinate responses to disasters affecting the fragile mountain region.Sadhguru made the remarks on Sunday while addressing an event titled “In Solidarity With Nepal” in Kathmandu, his first public appearance since the disaster. According to an official statement by the Isha Foundation, the event brought together people in Kathmandu to express solidarity with those affected.The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll from the flash floods has risen to 903, while thousands remain missing.Among those still unaccounted for are 77 participants of the Isha Sacred Walks Kailash Sojourn. The group was at the Gyirong immigration centre on the China side of the border when the disaster struck. Three Isha volunteers stationed on the Nepal side are also missing, according to the foundation.The Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru, organises Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages each season. Pilgrims travel from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, with trekking on foot forming part of the journey. Sadhguru calls for Himalayan BoardAlongside his financial support for Nepal’s relief efforts, Sadhguru called for a collective approach to managing disasters and protecting the Himalayan ecosystem. He proposed a five-nation Himalayan Board comprising India, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.Arguing that the Himalayan mountain system cuts across political boundaries, Sadhguru said countries sharing the range needed to coordinate their actions.”The mountains don’t know your political affiliation. The mountains don’t know what nonsense or language you speak. Even if you cannot administer it as one body, at least consultation must happen as one body. There must be some congruence of action in what we do because the Himalayas are the most fantastic and majestic feature on the planet. At the same time, they are very fragile,” Sadhguru asserted.He called for the proposed body to be established urgently, saying the Himalayas needed to be treated as a shared natural system rather than as separate national concerns.”A body comprising all these nations where the Himalayan ranges run has to happen now. Even if political administrations are separate, the mountain ranges have to be looked at as a feature that needs to be protected for future generations on the planet. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesIf we don’t do this and go on thinking, okay, it’s Nepal’s problem, let them deal with their problem, there will never be a solution.”Sadhguru also said the scale of the disaster was beyond what could reasonably have been anticipated and argued that Nepal could not be expected to deal with its aftermath alone.”Nobody expected something like this to happen, that three-fourths of a glacial ice cube will just fall down four thousand feet down the peak. Not something anybody calculates it for. But now that it’s happened, we must look at this because this is not something a small nation like Nepal can solve by themselves,” Sadhguru said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorVivek DubeyA digital news desk journalist at The Times of India with over two years of experience. Closely tracks foreign affairs and international politics. Fondness for precise language and clever headlines. When not editing news, he is usually refining a turn of phrase.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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Vamsikrishna 0
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Toronto RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said India became a “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) through its selfless service to humanity rather than by becoming a “Mahashakti” (superpower), highlighting the country’s civilisational tradition of friendship, refuge and respect for diversity.Addressing the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship” gathering in Toronto, Bhagwat said India’s global influence had historically come from sharing knowledge and extending help, rather than seeking territorial or political dominance.”One may call Bharat a superpower, but it was not one. It served the world and by its own character, it became ‘Vishwaguru’, not Mahashakti,” he said.Bhagwat cited India’s history of providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and conflict. Recalling the Second World War, he referred to the Maharaja of Jamnagar offering shelter and protection to Polish refugees until they could return safely.”There are so many instances; it is still continuing,” Bhagwat said.He also referred to India’s evacuation efforts during conflicts in the Middle East, saying Indian military aircraft had rescued citizens of several countries alongside Indians.”When, some years back in the Middle East war, people were trapped, the military planes of Bharat went there and rescued not only Bharatiya citizens; citizens of seven countries were rescued from there by Bharatiya,” he said.Bhagwat said India had historically provided peaceful refuge to Muslims, Christians, Jews and Parsis, arguing that those facing persecution could find asylum in the country.”Anywhere in the world, if someone was persecuted, he got asylum in Bharat only,” Bhagwat said.‘This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat’The RSS chief contrasted India’s civilisational outreach with imperial expansion, saying Indian travellers spread knowledge and values without conquering countries.”Our ancestors travelled from Mexico to Siberia… They crossed the Himalayas on foot, went to Southeast Asia through small boats, but they conquered no country. They gave knowledge, astronomy, ayurveda, imparted civilisational values… Even today, when an ordinary Bharatiya goes to any country, the people there offer Namaskara,” he added.He said helping people in distress was embedded in India’s civilisational character and that the country had extended assistance even when help was not explicitly sought.”This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat,” he said.Bhagwat also explained his understanding of the term Hindu, saying it should not be confined to a particular language, form of worship or lifestyle.”When I say Hindu, the word Hindu cannot be defined by any specific language, through any specific worship, or through any living style,” he said, adding that Hindus “respect all” and “accept all”.He called for embracing diversity while recognising an underlying unity among humanity.”We have to serve, accept, respect this diversity because it is an expression of unity. It beautifies it. It is the decoration. We celebrate it,” he said.Bhagwat said India’s ancient ethos viewed diversity as a natural feature of existence while considering unity to be the fundamental reality.”There have been many castes, many creeds, many languages. Everything is many. Nothing””Nature, expression of reality, is diverse. Diversity is natural. Unity is the reality. You have to tackle with natural, keeping in mind reality. That is the ancient ethos of Bharat,” he added.Invoking the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Bhagwat said an open-minded and knowledgeable person recognises the world as one family.”Those who are open-minded and knowledgeable embrace the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–the belief that the entire earth is one family,” he said.He said that despite differences in people’s physical appearance, humanity was fundamentally united, making service to others a responsibility.”Therefore, serving others is our duty. We have gained this wisdom, which brings us enduring happiness and satisfaction,” Bhagwat said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe address was delivered at the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World with Friendship” gathering, which brought together more than 2,000 members of Canada’s Hindu community from all 10 provinces.The event was organised by CHORD, Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue, with support from more than 175 organisations. It focused on friendship, dialogue, belonging and shared responsibility, drawing on the Hindu civilisational ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAyush PandeyAyush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments across India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life. He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Toronto RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said India became a “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) through its selfless service to humanity rather than by becoming a “Mahashakti” (superpower), highlighting the country’s civilisational tradition of friendship, refuge and respect for diversity.Addressing the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship” gathering in Toronto, Bhagwat said India’s global influence had historically come from sharing knowledge and extending help, rather than seeking territorial or political dominance.”One may call Bharat a superpower, but it was not one. It served the world and by its own character, it became ‘Vishwaguru’, not Mahashakti,” he said.Bhagwat cited India’s history of providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and conflict. Recalling the Second World War, he referred to the Maharaja of Jamnagar offering shelter and protection to Polish refugees until they could return safely.”There are so many instances; it is still continuing,” Bhagwat said.He also referred to India’s evacuation efforts during conflicts in the Middle East, saying Indian military aircraft had rescued citizens of several countries alongside Indians.”When, some years back in the Middle East war, people were trapped, the military planes of Bharat went there and rescued not only Bharatiya citizens; citizens of seven countries were rescued from there by Bharatiya,” he said.Bhagwat said India had historically provided peaceful refuge to Muslims, Christians, Jews and Parsis, arguing that those facing persecution could find asylum in the country.”Anywhere in the world, if someone was persecuted, he got asylum in Bharat only,” Bhagwat said.‘This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat’The RSS chief contrasted India’s civilisational outreach with imperial expansion, saying Indian travellers spread knowledge and values without conquering countries.”Our ancestors travelled from Mexico to Siberia… They crossed the Himalayas on foot, went to Southeast Asia through small boats, but they conquered no country. They gave knowledge, astronomy, ayurveda, imparted civilisational values… Even today, when an ordinary Bharatiya goes to any country, the people there offer Namaskara,” he added.He said helping people in distress was embedded in India’s civilisational character and that the country had extended assistance even when help was not explicitly sought.”This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat,” he said.Bhagwat also explained his understanding of the term Hindu, saying it should not be confined to a particular language, form of worship or lifestyle.”When I say Hindu, the word Hindu cannot be defined by any specific language, through any specific worship, or through any living style,” he said, adding that Hindus “respect all” and “accept all”.He called for embracing diversity while recognising an underlying unity among humanity.”We have to serve, accept, respect this diversity because it is an expression of unity. It beautifies it. It is the decoration. We celebrate it,” he said.Bhagwat said India’s ancient ethos viewed diversity as a natural feature of existence while considering unity to be the fundamental reality.”There have been many castes, many creeds, many languages. Everything is many. Nothing””Nature, expression of reality, is diverse. Diversity is natural. Unity is the reality. You have to tackle with natural, keeping in mind reality. That is the ancient ethos of Bharat,” he added.Invoking the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Bhagwat said an open-minded and knowledgeable person recognises the world as one family.”Those who are open-minded and knowledgeable embrace the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–the belief that the entire earth is one family,” he said.He said that despite differences in people’s physical appearance, humanity was fundamentally united, making service to others a responsibility.”Therefore, serving others is our duty. We have gained this wisdom, which brings us enduring happiness and satisfaction,” Bhagwat said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe address was delivered at the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World with Friendship” gathering, which brought together more than 2,000 members of Canada’s Hindu community from all 10 provinces.The event was organised by CHORD, Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue, with support from more than 175 organisations. It focused on friendship, dialogue, belonging and shared responsibility, drawing on the Hindu civilisational ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAyush PandeyAyush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments across India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life. He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Toronto RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said India became a “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) through its selfless service to humanity rather than by becoming a “Mahashakti” (superpower), highlighting the country’s civilisational tradition of friendship, refuge and respect for diversity.Addressing the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship” gathering in Toronto, Bhagwat said India’s global influence had historically come from sharing knowledge and extending help, rather than seeking territorial or political dominance.”One may call Bharat a superpower, but it was not one. It served the world and by its own character, it became ‘Vishwaguru’, not Mahashakti,” he said.Bhagwat cited India’s history of providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and conflict. Recalling the Second World War, he referred to the Maharaja of Jamnagar offering shelter and protection to Polish refugees until they could return safely.”There are so many instances; it is still continuing,” Bhagwat said.He also referred to India’s evacuation efforts during conflicts in the Middle East, saying Indian military aircraft had rescued citizens of several countries alongside Indians.”When, some years back in the Middle East war, people were trapped, the military planes of Bharat went there and rescued not only Bharatiya citizens; citizens of seven countries were rescued from there by Bharatiya,” he said.Bhagwat said India had historically provided peaceful refuge to Muslims, Christians, Jews and Parsis, arguing that those facing persecution could find asylum in the country.”Anywhere in the world, if someone was persecuted, he got asylum in Bharat only,” Bhagwat said.‘This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat’The RSS chief contrasted India’s civilisational outreach with imperial expansion, saying Indian travellers spread knowledge and values without conquering countries.”Our ancestors travelled from Mexico to Siberia… They crossed the Himalayas on foot, went to Southeast Asia through small boats, but they conquered no country. They gave knowledge, astronomy, ayurveda, imparted civilisational values… Even today, when an ordinary Bharatiya goes to any country, the people there offer Namaskara,” he added.He said helping people in distress was embedded in India’s civilisational character and that the country had extended assistance even when help was not explicitly sought.”This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat,” he said.Bhagwat also explained his understanding of the term Hindu, saying it should not be confined to a particular language, form of worship or lifestyle.”When I say Hindu, the word Hindu cannot be defined by any specific language, through any specific worship, or through any living style,” he said, adding that Hindus “respect all” and “accept all”.He called for embracing diversity while recognising an underlying unity among humanity.”We have to serve, accept, respect this diversity because it is an expression of unity. It beautifies it. It is the decoration. We celebrate it,” he said.Bhagwat said India’s ancient ethos viewed diversity as a natural feature of existence while considering unity to be the fundamental reality.”There have been many castes, many creeds, many languages. Everything is many. Nothing””Nature, expression of reality, is diverse. Diversity is natural. Unity is the reality. You have to tackle with natural, keeping in mind reality. That is the ancient ethos of Bharat,” he added.Invoking the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Bhagwat said an open-minded and knowledgeable person recognises the world as one family.”Those who are open-minded and knowledgeable embrace the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–the belief that the entire earth is one family,” he said.He said that despite differences in people’s physical appearance, humanity was fundamentally united, making service to others a responsibility.”Therefore, serving others is our duty. We have gained this wisdom, which brings us enduring happiness and satisfaction,” Bhagwat said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe address was delivered at the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World with Friendship” gathering, which brought together more than 2,000 members of Canada’s Hindu community from all 10 provinces.The event was organised by CHORD, Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue, with support from more than 175 organisations. It focused on friendship, dialogue, belonging and shared responsibility, drawing on the Hindu civilisational ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAyush PandeyAyush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments across India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life. He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosFIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Toronto RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said India became a “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) through its selfless service to humanity rather than by becoming a “Mahashakti” (superpower), highlighting the country’s civilisational tradition of friendship, refuge and respect for diversity.Addressing the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship” gathering in Toronto, Bhagwat said India’s global influence had historically come from sharing knowledge and extending help, rather than seeking territorial or political dominance.”One may call Bharat a superpower, but it was not one. It served the world and by its own character, it became ‘Vishwaguru’, not Mahashakti,” he said.Bhagwat cited India’s history of providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and conflict. Recalling the Second World War, he referred to the Maharaja of Jamnagar offering shelter and protection to Polish refugees until they could return safely.”There are so many instances; it is still continuing,” Bhagwat said.He also referred to India’s evacuation efforts during conflicts in the Middle East, saying Indian military aircraft had rescued citizens of several countries alongside Indians.”When, some years back in the Middle East war, people were trapped, the military planes of Bharat went there and rescued not only Bharatiya citizens; citizens of seven countries were rescued from there by Bharatiya,” he said.Bhagwat said India had historically provided peaceful refuge to Muslims, Christians, Jews and Parsis, arguing that those facing persecution could find asylum in the country.”Anywhere in the world, if someone was persecuted, he got asylum in Bharat only,” Bhagwat said.‘This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat’The RSS chief contrasted India’s civilisational outreach with imperial expansion, saying Indian travellers spread knowledge and values without conquering countries.”Our ancestors travelled from Mexico to Siberia… They crossed the Himalayas on foot, went to Southeast Asia through small boats, but they conquered no country. They gave knowledge, astronomy, ayurveda, imparted civilisational values… Even today, when an ordinary Bharatiya goes to any country, the people there offer Namaskara,” he added.He said helping people in distress was embedded in India’s civilisational character and that the country had extended assistance even when help was not explicitly sought.”This is the tradition. This is the DNA of Bharat,” he said.Bhagwat also explained his understanding of the term Hindu, saying it should not be confined to a particular language, form of worship or lifestyle.”When I say Hindu, the word Hindu cannot be defined by any specific language, through any specific worship, or through any living style,” he said, adding that Hindus “respect all” and “accept all”.He called for embracing diversity while recognising an underlying unity among humanity.”We have to serve, accept, respect this diversity because it is an expression of unity. It beautifies it. It is the decoration. We celebrate it,” he said.Bhagwat said India’s ancient ethos viewed diversity as a natural feature of existence while considering unity to be the fundamental reality.”There have been many castes, many creeds, many languages. Everything is many. Nothing””Nature, expression of reality, is diverse. Diversity is natural. Unity is the reality. You have to tackle with natural, keeping in mind reality. That is the ancient ethos of Bharat,” he added.Invoking the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Bhagwat said an open-minded and knowledgeable person recognises the world as one family.”Those who are open-minded and knowledgeable embrace the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–the belief that the entire earth is one family,” he said.He said that despite differences in people’s physical appearance, humanity was fundamentally united, making service to others a responsibility.”Therefore, serving others is our duty. We have gained this wisdom, which brings us enduring happiness and satisfaction,” Bhagwat said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe address was delivered at the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World with Friendship” gathering, which brought together more than 2,000 members of Canada’s Hindu community from all 10 provinces.The event was organised by CHORD, Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue, with support from more than 175 organisations. It focused on friendship, dialogue, belonging and shared responsibility, drawing on the Hindu civilisational ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAyush PandeyAyush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments across India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life. He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosFIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? IAS Officer’s Resignation After 13 Years Sparks Online DebateIndia, Uzbekistan Ink Long-Term Uranium Deal: How The Pact Boosts Delhi’s Nuclear Ambitions7 Weeks Pregnant When She Died: Punjabi Influencer Manjeet Kaur’s Death Case Turns Murkier’Do You Feel You Are A Lord?’: Bombay High Court Raps Tukaram Mundhe-Led FDA Over MCA Order‘If Any Hindu Thinks…’: Opposition, Muslim Boards Respond To RSS Chief Bhagwat’s New York RemarksBJP Reprimands Three Delhi MPs Over Visit To Sajjan Kumar’s Home After His DeathKolkata Police Files Case Against Mamata Banerjee Over Rally, TMC Hits Back At BJP Govt | Watch123Photostories7 health signs that may mean you’re getting older: What to look for as the years add up?Is a 2 pm to 10 pm shift more productive than 9 to 5? 5 reasons the ‘extra morning time’ may not be as useful as it soundsStunning Moroccan royal tiaras that make European crowns look almost ordinaryBigg Boss Malayalam Agnipareeksha: Meet the 12 commoners battling for a spot in the house10 baby boy names starting with the letter AYour gut bacteria need food too: 10 everyday foods that can help nourish the gut microbiome and improve gut healthExclusive – Khatron Ke Khiladi 15: Karan Wahi on doing the stunt-based show for the third time, bond with Avinash-Rithvik and performing stunts handpicked based on their fearsOptical illusion personality test: What you see first reveals how you approach difficult situations in lifeKajal to kumkum: Traditional Indian beauty products that became cultural symbolsParkinson’s isn’t always obvious: The changes in your walk, handwriting, face and voice that may be warning signs123Hot PicksNepal floodUGC NET June 2026 resultGandak riverMumbai milk priceDelhi rapeWeather tomorrowDinesh KharaGATE 2027 registrationCoal India MT answer keyTop TrendingCanyon Flash FloodStuart BroadBabaz AzamNovak DjokovicBrittany MahomesTravis Kelce BusinessKai CenatCoco GauffsNaomi OsakaLebron James

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TOI Special Report From Rajasthan: Where ‘school’ means a tree, tin shed, or locked gate TOI reporters visited govt schools across six Rajasthan districts after the row over CJP volunteers inspecting campuses. What they found, from Kota’s coaching hub to desert villages and tragedy-hit Piplodi, was a system in which children study under tin sheds, squeeze into unsafe rooms, and sometimes find their school locked.In Kota, a primary school with 78 students operates from municipal parking kiosks and tin sheds. Three teachers run the school on deputation, with no permanent teaching posts sanctioned. A PWD survey found 61 school buildings in the district ruined and hundreds of classrooms unsafe. Watch Ground Report: 611 Government Schools in Rajasthan Have No Buildings & 1.5L Teacher Posts VacantAcross Barmer, Jaisalmer and Balotra, some schools lack buildings, while transfers have left senior-secondary streams without teachers. In Piplodi, Jhalawar, where a roof collapse killed seven children in July 2025, classes still run from a farmer’s two-room home as construction of a new school drags on.In the CM’s Sanganer constituency, 404 students at one school have been pushed into four rooms after a second building was declared unsafe.Assembly data shows 611 govt schools have no building of their own; 2,047 lack toilets; and 1,049 lack drinking water. Another 3,768 buildings and 83,783 classrooms are classified as completely dilapidated. Rajasthan also has 7,200 single-teacher schools and 1.5 lakh vacant teacher posts.List of Rajasthan districts TOI visited.It has 78 enrolled students from classes I-V who study in six classrooms but there can be no building inspection at Govt Primary School on MBS Road in Kota. The school, established in 2023, doesn’t have one.Children who come to study here gather under small tin sheds created next to municipal parking ticket kiosks. Pathways to success that all of India chases are all around them. But it’ll take a miracle for anyone in this batch to one day make that short walk to one of the city’s many fabled coaching centres, where many of India’s brightest prospects in medical and engineering come to hone their skills in a widely publicised ‘topper-producing’ machinery.Kota’s higher education success, riding entirely on private enterprise, hasn’t pulled up with it the city’s own govt education system. It’s a constituency that Rajasthan’s education minister Madan Dilawar represents, but that too has made little difference to many children who have been going to ‘school’ on footpaths, cramming into single rented rooms or under tin sheds in a state that sees extreme temperatures.Last week, a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) delegation led by Ashutosh Ranka was chased away by a mob after it went on an inspection of a govt school in Jaipur. In Kota, though, there’s little that’s hidden behind walls about the state of primary schools. Within a day after this non-inspection, however, Rajasthan’s BJP govt led by CM Bhajan Lal Sharma pledged to spend Rs 12,000 crore on schools over three years.Shobana Gupta, the in-charge of the primary school on MBS Road in Ward 33, says, “We operate out of six municipal kiosks and from under a tin shade. We have adequate arrangements for drinking water, electricity, and basic toilet facilities available onsite. There are no sanctioned permanent teaching posts here yet. Three teachers are currently deployed on deputation to manage the classes.”At Govt Senior Secondary School in Vigyan Nagar — a designated centre for JEE and NEET — the school sits inside a Rajasthan Housing Board building that is falling apart. Nine classrooms need major repair. Two are unusable but funds haven’t been allocated yet for demolition or repairs. Mold has eaten into walls of functional classrooms and the school’s ‘smart classroom’. A part of the perimeter wall has given way. Thieves have stolen the school’s water taps and CCTV cameras worth Rs 70,000. Principal Anita Sharma is still waiting for funds.At Shiv Nagar, Govt Primary Sanskrit School has been running for eight years now out of a single rented room, reached by a muddy track that’s impassable in the rains. Enrolment has fallen to 8-10 students under one teacher in a locality of around 60,000 people.“This locality has children who want to study Sanskrit. I have repeatedly submitted memorandums, but no permanent building has been sanctioned yet,” said former ward councillor Dhanraj Gurjar Chechi.Dilawar, incidentally, publicly champions Sanskrit learning as part of Indian cultural values.What TOI investigation found At Govt Upper Primary School in Devripunia, Dharmpura — in Ladpura constituency of BJP MLA Kalpna Devi, roughly 10 km from Dilawar’s residence — 130-plus enrolled students share three classrooms built decades ago under Rajiv Gandhi Swarn Jyanti Pathshala scheme. The school was upgraded to upper-primary status in 2021, but the promised classroom expansion never came.On full-attendance days, children sit under trees, on the veranda, or on open ground. Drinking water comes via a temporary line from an adjoining field. Principal Chandra Prakash Meena has written to both the MLA and the minister. Days before this report, 27 students fell ill after eating their mid-day meal.A Public Works Department survey of Kota district’s 1,088 govt schools found 61 buildings entirely ruined and marked for demolition, plus two classrooms flagged as unsafe in each of 318 school buildings, and one classroom each in a further 98. Only 41 full buildings and 29 partial structures have been demolished so far.District collector Peeyush Samaria’s office has no record of any personal inspection visit to a govt school. Samaria remained unavailable for comment. Sanganer, Jaipur: The CM’s constituencyBhajan Lal Sharma won the Sanganer assembly constituency in 2023At Bojyawas Govt Primary School, there are toilets, but they have no water. The water tank has cracked and dense cobwebs, indicating it hasn’t been in use for some time. The school shares space with a sub-health centre, where fungus covers medicine boxes and water stains mark chairs and registers.A staff member said open defecation has become routine for her. She does her best by consciously holding off the urge to use a toilet. The school itself has 10 students in classes 1 to 5 under a single teacher.Govt Secondary School, Kalyanpura, looks well-kept from the gate, till you learn that one of its two buildings has been shut as unsafe, leaving 404 students across classes 1–12 to squeeze into four rooms.The school runs two shifts, 7am–12 noon and 12:30–6pm, and some second-shift students sit under a tin shed outside because the classes can’t accommodate them. Washrooms don’t have regular water supply and are cleaned only twice a month, said a Class 12 student.With no security guard and a broken, low boundary wall, the campus has seen repeated thefts. As a result, each classroom door has three latches and three separate locks.At Govt Upper Primary Sanskrit School in Hasampur Basdi, 85 students from classes 1 to VIII are taught in four classrooms — one of which is assigned to a booth level officer for special intensive revision (SIR) work.Teacher Rajendra Verma produced letters he has submitted seeking a playground, boundary fencing and a tubewell. The school has been running on tanker water for close to a year, he said.At Govt Primary School in Hasampura, there was no need to interview anyone about the school’s condition. The gate was locked at 9.30am on a weekday. Former ward councillor Ram Singh Choudhary said he has been writing to govt for three years about the school’s lack of facilities. Jaisalmer & Barmer: Studying under treesIn Rajasthan’s desert border districts, several schools have no building.In Ramsar panchayat, Barmer, Govt Upper Primary School Azad Nagar was sanctioned in the 2022–23 budget and began classes in March 2023. But its 37 students study in a hut built by villagers or under trees.“Whether it rains, there is a storm or it is extremely hot, we have to study under trees,” said a Class V student.Land for the school was allotted only in 2024, and construction funds await sanction.At the Govt Higher Secondary School in Majal village, Samdari block (Balotra district), students and parents locked the school gate after nine teachers were transferred out at once, leaving senior secondary arts, science and agriculture streams without lecturers.“When there are no lecturers in the school, how will we study? How can Grade-II teachers perform the duties of lecturers?” a student asked.The protest ended after education officials agreed to post three teachers on deputation.Assembly data, drawn from UDISE 2025-26 figures, shows both districts have building-less schools: 36 in Barmer and 25 in Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer also features among districts hit hardest by a separate supply failure — a shortfall in the milk powder needed for the state’s Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana. Jhalawar: After 7 deaths, wait on for a new buildingOn the morning of July 25, 2025, the roof of Govt Upper Primary School in Piplodi, a tribal village in Jhalawar, collapsed during class hours. Seven children died; 21 were injured.A year on, Piplodi has visibly changed — better roads, more power connections, regular health camps, rising enrolment — but the one thing it still lacks is a functioning school building.Classes at the school have run since last August out of the two-room house of Mor Singh, a 60-year-old farmer and shepherd who vacated his own home so children would not lose another year of school.A new school building — eight classrooms, an anganwadi centre and a kitchen — is under construction, originally due by July 24, 2026. It has since been delayed after villagers raised concerns about construction quality when work began last November. Officials demolished the substandard work and restarted.“Construction of the school is taking longer than expected as villagers raised concerns about the quality of construction,” said Jhalawar collector Ajay Singh, adding that surprise inspections are now held every few weeks and the building should be ready by October.Among Rajasthan’s blocks, Jhalawar has the highest concentration of building-less govt schools. District-wide, 81 schools lack toilets.Assembly data show 611 govt schools statewide with no building of their own, including 10 girls’ schools, 2,047 schools with buildings that lack toilets, and 1,049 that lack drinking water. It’s not that govt doesn’t spend on educationRajasthan’s 2026–27 budget allocates Rs 64,205 crore to school and college education. Of this allocation, around 75% goes into staff salaries and only 10–15% goes infrastructure.The state employs the second-highest number of teachers in the country, at 7.93 lakh, second only to UP. Yet, it has 7,200 single-teacher govt schools serving over 1.5 lakh students. Around 1.5 lakh sanctioned teacher posts remain vacant.The state’s own infrastructure data lays out the scale of the problem: 3,768 school buildings, 83,783 classrooms and 16,765 toilets are classified as entirely dilapidated while another 2,19,902 classrooms and 29,753 toilets need repair.Over the past two years, govt says it has spent Rs 2,723 crore building 179 new school buildings and 7,945 new classrooms to replace dilapidated ones.With govt funds in scarce supply, state-run schools increasingly lean on voluntary and community money. Statewide, philanthropic donations for school development totalled Rs 138 crore in 2024 and Rs 140 crore in 2025.In Pali district, a donor-led ‘Aao Gaon Chalen’ campaign — connecting migrants and philanthropists to their native villages — has targeted raising Rs 300 crore for infrastructure work.“There are around 23,000 such teachers in the state who are posted in a school where they are not needed, and their posting should be in another school, but they have not accepted their new posting. For instance, in an English-medium school, a Hindi-medium teacher who was earlier posted does not accept their new posting after a transfer, and the Hindi medium school, where the teacher is needed, students are suffering in that school,” said Mahendra Pandey, chief general secretary of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association.TOI Special Report from Rajasthan Gen Z, Gen alpha protestsThe consequences have spilled onto the streets.In Sikar, Class 12 students protested dilapidated buildings that force school closures every time it rains, alongside a shortage of subject teachers.In Gangapur City (Sawai Madhopur), girls locked the gates of the Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School in Meena Badoda, Wazirpur, after the principal was pulled onto local-body election duty, compounding an existing teacher shortage.At Govt Senior Secondary School in Majal village in Balotra district, students locked the gates after nine teachers were transferred simultaneously.A Class XII student at Govt Higher Secondary School at Majal in Balotra said: “If we had to study without teachers, then we could have studied at home. What is the need to come to school? If a school is operational, teachers must be posted.”TOI Ground ReportThe infrastructure debate has become an open political fight.A civic campaign, ‘School Thik Karo’, backed by CJP, has sent volunteer teams to inspect schools across nine districts — Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer and Hanumangarh — after receiving what it says are public requests.“It has been over a year since the school collapse tragedy in Jhalawar, and the education minister has still not shared a concrete plan on how over 80,000 classrooms in dilapidated conditions will be fixed. Students are being forced to study in unsafe buildings, risking their lives,” said CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.One inspection, in Jaipur’s Bagru constituency, found a school that had been operating out of a buffalo shed for two and a half years after its own building was declared unsafe; it was shifted to a house only after drawing media attention.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe state education department has now issued an order requiring prior permission for any outsider to enter school premises, and barring photography, videography, interviews or livestreaming involving students without the principal’s consent.Opposition leader Tikaram Jully called it an attempt to hide failures: “Instead of fixing schools, if you introduce ‘no entry’ measures just to hide your own failures, how can such accidents be prevented? A useless ‘double-engine’ govt,” Jully said.Additional reporting by Vimal Matta, Suparna Roy, Somdutt Trtpathi, Suntl Parmuwal & Shoeb KhanGet the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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TOI Special Report From Rajasthan: Where ‘school’ means a tree, tin shed, or locked gate TOI reporters visited govt schools across six Rajasthan districts after the row over CJP volunteers inspecting campuses. What they found, from Kota’s coaching hub to desert villages and tragedy-hit Piplodi, was a system in which children study under tin sheds, squeeze into unsafe rooms, and sometimes find their school locked.In Kota, a primary school with 78 students operates from municipal parking kiosks and tin sheds. Three teachers run the school on deputation, with no permanent teaching posts sanctioned. A PWD survey found 61 school buildings in the district ruined and hundreds of classrooms unsafe. Watch Ground Report: 611 Government Schools in Rajasthan Have No Buildings & 1.5L Teacher Posts VacantAcross Barmer, Jaisalmer and Balotra, some schools lack buildings, while transfers have left senior-secondary streams without teachers. In Piplodi, Jhalawar, where a roof collapse killed seven children in July 2025, classes still run from a farmer’s two-room home as construction of a new school drags on.In the CM’s Sanganer constituency, 404 students at one school have been pushed into four rooms after a second building was declared unsafe.Assembly data shows 611 govt schools have no building of their own; 2,047 lack toilets; and 1,049 lack drinking water. Another 3,768 buildings and 83,783 classrooms are classified as completely dilapidated. Rajasthan also has 7,200 single-teacher schools and 1.5 lakh vacant teacher posts.List of Rajasthan districts TOI visited.It has 78 enrolled students from classes I-V who study in six classrooms but there can be no building inspection at Govt Primary School on MBS Road in Kota. The school, established in 2023, doesn’t have one.Children who come to study here gather under small tin sheds created next to municipal parking ticket kiosks. Pathways to success that all of India chases are all around them. But it’ll take a miracle for anyone in this batch to one day make that short walk to one of the city’s many fabled coaching centres, where many of India’s brightest prospects in medical and engineering come to hone their skills in a widely publicised ‘topper-producing’ machinery.Kota’s higher education success, riding entirely on private enterprise, hasn’t pulled up with it the city’s own govt education system. It’s a constituency that Rajasthan’s education minister Madan Dilawar represents, but that too has made little difference to many children who have been going to ‘school’ on footpaths, cramming into single rented rooms or under tin sheds in a state that sees extreme temperatures.Last week, a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) delegation led by Ashutosh Ranka was chased away by a mob after it went on an inspection of a govt school in Jaipur. In Kota, though, there’s little that’s hidden behind walls about the state of primary schools. Within a day after this non-inspection, however, Rajasthan’s BJP govt led by CM Bhajan Lal Sharma pledged to spend Rs 12,000 crore on schools over three years.Shobana Gupta, the in-charge of the primary school on MBS Road in Ward 33, says, “We operate out of six municipal kiosks and from under a tin shade. We have adequate arrangements for drinking water, electricity, and basic toilet facilities available onsite. There are no sanctioned permanent teaching posts here yet. Three teachers are currently deployed on deputation to manage the classes.”At Govt Senior Secondary School in Vigyan Nagar — a designated centre for JEE and NEET — the school sits inside a Rajasthan Housing Board building that is falling apart. Nine classrooms need major repair. Two are unusable but funds haven’t been allocated yet for demolition or repairs. Mold has eaten into walls of functional classrooms and the school’s ‘smart classroom’. A part of the perimeter wall has given way. Thieves have stolen the school’s water taps and CCTV cameras worth Rs 70,000. Principal Anita Sharma is still waiting for funds.At Shiv Nagar, Govt Primary Sanskrit School has been running for eight years now out of a single rented room, reached by a muddy track that’s impassable in the rains. Enrolment has fallen to 8-10 students under one teacher in a locality of around 60,000 people.“This locality has children who want to study Sanskrit. I have repeatedly submitted memorandums, but no permanent building has been sanctioned yet,” said former ward councillor Dhanraj Gurjar Chechi.Dilawar, incidentally, publicly champions Sanskrit learning as part of Indian cultural values.What TOI investigation found At Govt Upper Primary School in Devripunia, Dharmpura — in Ladpura constituency of BJP MLA Kalpna Devi, roughly 10 km from Dilawar’s residence — 130-plus enrolled students share three classrooms built decades ago under Rajiv Gandhi Swarn Jyanti Pathshala scheme. The school was upgraded to upper-primary status in 2021, but the promised classroom expansion never came.On full-attendance days, children sit under trees, on the veranda, or on open ground. Drinking water comes via a temporary line from an adjoining field. Principal Chandra Prakash Meena has written to both the MLA and the minister. Days before this report, 27 students fell ill after eating their mid-day meal.A Public Works Department survey of Kota district’s 1,088 govt schools found 61 buildings entirely ruined and marked for demolition, plus two classrooms flagged as unsafe in each of 318 school buildings, and one classroom each in a further 98. Only 41 full buildings and 29 partial structures have been demolished so far.District collector Peeyush Samaria’s office has no record of any personal inspection visit to a govt school. Samaria remained unavailable for comment. Sanganer, Jaipur: The CM’s constituencyBhajan Lal Sharma won the Sanganer assembly constituency in 2023At Bojyawas Govt Primary School, there are toilets, but they have no water. The water tank has cracked and dense cobwebs, indicating it hasn’t been in use for some time. The school shares space with a sub-health centre, where fungus covers medicine boxes and water stains mark chairs and registers.A staff member said open defecation has become routine for her. She does her best by consciously holding off the urge to use a toilet. The school itself has 10 students in classes 1 to 5 under a single teacher.Govt Secondary School, Kalyanpura, looks well-kept from the gate, till you learn that one of its two buildings has been shut as unsafe, leaving 404 students across classes 1–12 to squeeze into four rooms.The school runs two shifts, 7am–12 noon and 12:30–6pm, and some second-shift students sit under a tin shed outside because the classes can’t accommodate them. Washrooms don’t have regular water supply and are cleaned only twice a month, said a Class 12 student.With no security guard and a broken, low boundary wall, the campus has seen repeated thefts. As a result, each classroom door has three latches and three separate locks.At Govt Upper Primary Sanskrit School in Hasampur Basdi, 85 students from classes 1 to VIII are taught in four classrooms — one of which is assigned to a booth level officer for special intensive revision (SIR) work.Teacher Rajendra Verma produced letters he has submitted seeking a playground, boundary fencing and a tubewell. The school has been running on tanker water for close to a year, he said.At Govt Primary School in Hasampura, there was no need to interview anyone about the school’s condition. The gate was locked at 9.30am on a weekday. Former ward councillor Ram Singh Choudhary said he has been writing to govt for three years about the school’s lack of facilities. Jaisalmer & Barmer: Studying under treesIn Rajasthan’s desert border districts, several schools have no building.In Ramsar panchayat, Barmer, Govt Upper Primary School Azad Nagar was sanctioned in the 2022–23 budget and began classes in March 2023. But its 37 students study in a hut built by villagers or under trees.“Whether it rains, there is a storm or it is extremely hot, we have to study under trees,” said a Class V student.Land for the school was allotted only in 2024, and construction funds await sanction.At the Govt Higher Secondary School in Majal village, Samdari block (Balotra district), students and parents locked the school gate after nine teachers were transferred out at once, leaving senior secondary arts, science and agriculture streams without lecturers.“When there are no lecturers in the school, how will we study? How can Grade-II teachers perform the duties of lecturers?” a student asked.The protest ended after education officials agreed to post three teachers on deputation.Assembly data, drawn from UDISE 2025-26 figures, shows both districts have building-less schools: 36 in Barmer and 25 in Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer also features among districts hit hardest by a separate supply failure — a shortfall in the milk powder needed for the state’s Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana. Jhalawar: After 7 deaths, wait on for a new buildingOn the morning of July 25, 2025, the roof of Govt Upper Primary School in Piplodi, a tribal village in Jhalawar, collapsed during class hours. Seven children died; 21 were injured.A year on, Piplodi has visibly changed — better roads, more power connections, regular health camps, rising enrolment — but the one thing it still lacks is a functioning school building.Classes at the school have run since last August out of the two-room house of Mor Singh, a 60-year-old farmer and shepherd who vacated his own home so children would not lose another year of school.A new school building — eight classrooms, an anganwadi centre and a kitchen — is under construction, originally due by July 24, 2026. It has since been delayed after villagers raised concerns about construction quality when work began last November. Officials demolished the substandard work and restarted.“Construction of the school is taking longer than expected as villagers raised concerns about the quality of construction,” said Jhalawar collector Ajay Singh, adding that surprise inspections are now held every few weeks and the building should be ready by October.Among Rajasthan’s blocks, Jhalawar has the highest concentration of building-less govt schools. District-wide, 81 schools lack toilets.Assembly data show 611 govt schools statewide with no building of their own, including 10 girls’ schools, 2,047 schools with buildings that lack toilets, and 1,049 that lack drinking water. It’s not that govt doesn’t spend on educationRajasthan’s 2026–27 budget allocates Rs 64,205 crore to school and college education. Of this allocation, around 75% goes into staff salaries and only 10–15% goes infrastructure.The state employs the second-highest number of teachers in the country, at 7.93 lakh, second only to UP. Yet, it has 7,200 single-teacher govt schools serving over 1.5 lakh students. Around 1.5 lakh sanctioned teacher posts remain vacant.The state’s own infrastructure data lays out the scale of the problem: 3,768 school buildings, 83,783 classrooms and 16,765 toilets are classified as entirely dilapidated while another 2,19,902 classrooms and 29,753 toilets need repair.Over the past two years, govt says it has spent Rs 2,723 crore building 179 new school buildings and 7,945 new classrooms to replace dilapidated ones.With govt funds in scarce supply, state-run schools increasingly lean on voluntary and community money. Statewide, philanthropic donations for school development totalled Rs 138 crore in 2024 and Rs 140 crore in 2025.In Pali district, a donor-led ‘Aao Gaon Chalen’ campaign — connecting migrants and philanthropists to their native villages — has targeted raising Rs 300 crore for infrastructure work.“There are around 23,000 such teachers in the state who are posted in a school where they are not needed, and their posting should be in another school, but they have not accepted their new posting. For instance, in an English-medium school, a Hindi-medium teacher who was earlier posted does not accept their new posting after a transfer, and the Hindi medium school, where the teacher is needed, students are suffering in that school,” said Mahendra Pandey, chief general secretary of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association.TOI Special Report from Rajasthan Gen Z, Gen alpha protestsThe consequences have spilled onto the streets.In Sikar, Class 12 students protested dilapidated buildings that force school closures every time it rains, alongside a shortage of subject teachers.In Gangapur City (Sawai Madhopur), girls locked the gates of the Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School in Meena Badoda, Wazirpur, after the principal was pulled onto local-body election duty, compounding an existing teacher shortage.At Govt Senior Secondary School in Majal village in Balotra district, students locked the gates after nine teachers were transferred simultaneously.A Class XII student at Govt Higher Secondary School at Majal in Balotra said: “If we had to study without teachers, then we could have studied at home. What is the need to come to school? If a school is operational, teachers must be posted.”TOI Ground ReportThe infrastructure debate has become an open political fight.A civic campaign, ‘School Thik Karo’, backed by CJP, has sent volunteer teams to inspect schools across nine districts — Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer and Hanumangarh — after receiving what it says are public requests.“It has been over a year since the school collapse tragedy in Jhalawar, and the education minister has still not shared a concrete plan on how over 80,000 classrooms in dilapidated conditions will be fixed. Students are being forced to study in unsafe buildings, risking their lives,” said CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.One inspection, in Jaipur’s Bagru constituency, found a school that had been operating out of a buffalo shed for two and a half years after its own building was declared unsafe; it was shifted to a house only after drawing media attention.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe state education department has now issued an order requiring prior permission for any outsider to enter school premises, and barring photography, videography, interviews or livestreaming involving students without the principal’s consent.Opposition leader Tikaram Jully called it an attempt to hide failures: “Instead of fixing schools, if you introduce ‘no entry’ measures just to hide your own failures, how can such accidents be prevented? A useless ‘double-engine’ govt,” Jully said.Additional reporting by Vimal Matta, Suparna Roy, Somdutt Trtpathi, Suntl Parmuwal & Shoeb KhanGet the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? IAS Officer’s Resignation After 13 Years Sparks Online DebateIndia, Uzbekistan Ink Long-Term Uranium Deal: How The Pact Boosts Delhi’s Nuclear Ambitions7 Weeks Pregnant When She Died: Punjabi Influencer Manjeet Kaur’s Death Case Turns Murkier’Do You Feel You Are A Lord?’: Bombay High Court Raps Tukaram Mundhe-Led FDA Over MCA Order‘If Any Hindu Thinks…’: Opposition, Muslim Boards Respond To RSS Chief Bhagwat’s New York RemarksBJP Reprimands Three Delhi MPs Over Visit To Sajjan Kumar’s Home After His DeathKolkata Police Files Case Against Mamata Banerjee Over Rally, TMC Hits Back At BJP Govt | WatchRahul Gandhi Slams BJP-RSS Over Kharge ‘Shuddhikaran’, Demands Action Under SC/ST ActPakistani Drones Spotted Along LoC: Indian Army Intensifies Surveillance In J&K | Watch123PhotostoriesIs a 2 pm to 10 pm shift more productive than 9 to 5? 5 reasons the ‘extra morning time’ may not be as useful as it soundsStunning Moroccan royal tiaras that make European crowns look almost ordinaryBigg Boss Malayalam Agnipareeksha: Meet the 12 commoners battling for a spot in the house10 baby boy names starting with the letter AYour gut bacteria need food too: 10 everyday foods that can help nourish the gut microbiome and improve gut healthExclusive – Khatron Ke Khiladi 15: Karan Wahi on doing the stunt-based show for the third time, bond with Avinash-Rithvik and performing stunts handpicked based on their fearsOptical illusion personality test: What you see first reveals how you approach difficult situations in lifeKajal to kumkum: Traditional Indian beauty products that became cultural symbolsParkinson’s isn’t always obvious: The changes in your walk, handwriting, face and voice that may be warning signsAnumol’s Dreamy Wedding Looks You Can’t Miss123Hot PicksNepal floodUGC NET June 2026 resultCNG Price HikeMumbai milk priceRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderInflation dataTop TrendingManjeet KaurKim KardashianMaya Higa FianceTravis KelceBrittany MahomesTravis Kelce BusinessKai CenatCoco GauffsNaomi OsakaLebron James

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