
Distance education in universities in Kerala faces an uncertain test
The Hindu
Kerala and Calicut universities battle odds to continue ODL courses
Distance education prospects remain hazy in the State this year with the University of Kerala facing an uphill challenge of obtaining University Grants Commission (UGC) approval and publishing the necessary study materials in a short span of time. While the Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SNGOU) had earlier expressed doubts in launching their open and distance learning (ODL) programmes this year, Calicut University is also yet to receive the UGC nod.
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












