Naik welcomes HC order on sending children of govt officials

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today welcomed the Allahabad High Court ruling whereby government officials and elected representatives in the state have been asked to send their children to state-run primary schools and expressed hope that this would help improve primary education in the state.
"The High Court order should be welcomed and the state government should give a serious thought to the judgement as well as the shortcomings in the state's primary education system which facilitated this type of judicial intervention.
It is up to the government how it is going to comply with the directions, though we can definitely hope that the High Court order will go a long way in bringing about much-needed improvements in the state's primary schools," Naik told reporters here.

The Allahabad High Court on August 18 asked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary to ensure that government servants, elected representatives and members of judiciary "and all other persons who get any benefit or salary from state exchequer or public fund" send their children to primary schools run by state Board for Secondary Education.
Replying to another query, the Governor said "I had to return the file relating to the appointment of Lokayukta since the government had not provided full information regarding the selection process."
The state government had passed a cabinet resolution recommending the appointment of retired High Court judge Justice Ravindra Singh as the Lokayukta.

The file, however, has been returned by the Governor more than once and meanwhile a PIL has also been filed in the High Court challenging the selection process on the ground that the Chief Justice was not consulted despite it being a mandatory step as per the UP Lokayukta Act.
Earlier, addressing a 'Naari Shakti Mahotsav' organised at the Allahabad University, the Governor expressed unhappiness over "women committing atrocities against other women" in instances like female foeticide.