Ritika Chopra
Ritika Chopra is National Education Editor with The Indian Express in New Delhi. She joined the newspaper in 2015 and has 16 years of experience reporting on politics and government policy. She tweets at @RitikaChopra__
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Explained: As Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde battle over Shiv Sena symbol, how will EC decide?
Following the split led by Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena has urged the Election Commission to hear its side before deciding any claims to the party's bow & arrow symbol. How does the EC decide on such disputes?
Thu, Jul 14, 2022
Express Investigation — Part 3: Textbook revision slashes portion in history on Islamic rulers of India
The content on Islamic rulers has suffered deep cuts in sweeping changes made to textbooks by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under its latest “rationalisation” exercise, internal records show.
Tue, Jun 21, 2022
Express Investigation — Part 2: Key deletions on caste, minorities in revised school textbooks
Removed: ‘women, shudras not allowed to study Vedas’; impact of numerical majority winning political power
Tue, Jun 21, 2022
Express Investigation — Part 1: From Emergency to Gujarat riots, lessons of past deleted from textbooks of future
Express matched NCERT’s revisions with content in 21 history, political science and sociology textbooks for Classes 6 to 12 — found sweeping changes
Tue, Jun 21, 2022
EC to govt: Limit seats a person can contest to one, ban opinion & exit polls
The EC has also sought powers to deregister political parties, a long-standing demand of the poll panel, and sought the modification of Form 24A to mandate the disclosure of all donations above Rs 2,000 instead of Rs 20,000.
Mon, Jun 13, 2022
Election Commission wants employers to track govt, pvt staff who take leave, don’t vote
The Election Commission, through its local district election officers, will ask government departments, PSUs and private companies to appoint nodal officers who will keep tabs on employees who skip voting.
Thu, Jun 09, 2022
Illegal appointment: IIM-Rohtak Director gets week to reply to govt’s show-cause notice
As first reported by The Indian Express, the Education Ministry had issued Sharma a notice on March 28 for “misrepresenting” his educational qualification, which led to his illegal appointment in 2017.
Fri, Apr 22, 2022
IIM Rohtak Director moves HC against govt show-cause
As first reported by The Indian Express, the Education Ministry had issued Sharma a notice on March 28 for “misrepresenting” his educational qualifications, which led to his illegal appointment in 2017.
Sat, Apr 09, 2022
Finally, Govt set to show-cause IIM director on ‘missing’ degree
The notice, sources said, will ask Sharma to explain why the Ministry of Education (MoE) should not initiate administrative and legal action against him for abusing his position, “concealing” his Bachelor’s degree; and bringing disrepute to an Institute of National Importance.
Tue, Mar 29, 2022
Govt denies, then admits: IIM-Rohtak head not eligible, yet got job
On Monday, the Ministry of Education (MoE) filed an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court stating that Dheeraj Sharma was made the head of IIM-Rohtak despite securing a second division at the undergraduate level.
Sat, Mar 19, 2022
Explained: How EVMs travel from strong room to poll booth and back
Election results: Amid controversy over the movement of EVMs, a look at the EC procedures for storing these machines, commissioning them for polls, and how they travel from the strong room to the poll booth and back.
Thu, Mar 10, 2022
Robert Vadra under-reported Rs 106-cr income over 11 years, alleges I-T
It has proposed to add this amount to his income during assessment years 2010-11 to 2020-21, The Indian Express has learned.
Wed, Mar 09, 2022
In Uttar Pradesh, sharp fall in first-time voters, 18-29 age group
With the total electorate numbers rising in contrast, by 90.30 lakh – from 14.12 crore in 2017 to 15.03 crore in 2022 – the share of youth voters to total this time was 22.93 per cent, a 5 percentage point-plus fall from 28.73 per cent five years ago.
Wed, Mar 09, 2022
Around 2,000 Indians have entered Poland: envoy to India
The evacuation of Indians through the Poland border, which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had acknowledged as a “problem area”, has made some headway with close to 2,000 people, mainly students, crossing over by noon on Tuesday.
Wed, Mar 02, 2022
Students stuck at Poland border, India looks at Budapest route
With hundreds of Indian students stranded in freezing temperatures at the Ukraine-Poland border, the government on Sunday said it has identified an alternative train route from Uzhhorod, a city in western Ukraine, to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
Mon, Feb 28, 2022
Never told students what to wear at JNU: Newly-appointed UGC chairman
While he refused to comment on the ongoing row in Karnataka, Kumar told The Indian Express that at JNU 'we have nothing to say about our students' clothing practices'.
Mon, Feb 07, 2022
‘(At JNU), students wear what they wish to wear… we never looked at this issue at all’: Newly-appointed UGC Chairman
In an interview with The Sunday Express, M Jagadesh Kumar refused to specifically remark on the escalating controversy over hijab ban at pre-university colleges in Karnataka but said that there were never any restrictions on students’ clothing while he was heading JNU.
Mon, Feb 07, 2022
Mayank Kumar: ‘Ed-Tech firms came up with code of conduct as malpractices creep in’
The companies have formed a collective - India EdTech Consortium - under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a development that follows the government's announcement that a policy to regulate the sector was in the works.
Fri, Jan 21, 2022
Row over EC’s meet: Govt says letter was for secretary or an official representative, not CEC
🔴 In a statement, the law ministry said the Prime Minister's Office had written to the cabinet secretary, the law secretary and the legislative secretary for a meeting on November 16 on common electoral rolls.
Sun, Dec 19, 2021
5 ex-CECs weigh in: Government note to EC unacceptable, interaction with PMO undermines poll panel
🔴 Quraishi, Krishna Murthy, Rawat say erodes perception of independence; Gopalaswami says don’t see a problem
Sat, Dec 18, 2021
CEC, ECs interacted with PMO after Government note sought presence of poll panel chief
🔴 CEC had reservations over Law note that PMO ‘expects’ him to be there; official says it was informal, they talked reforms
Thu, Dec 23, 2021
CEC, ECs interaction with PMO: Why this raises questions and breaches a red line
The Election Commission is a Constitutional authority whose functioning is insulated from the Executive and the three Commissioners ensure that they maintain a distance from the government —and are seen to be doing so — for this reason.
Thu, Dec 23, 2021
Balancing recovery with reform
The latest edition of IE Thinc, presented by The Indian Express, explored the direction school education has to take to achieve the vision of National Education Policy 2020. Moderated by: Ritika Chopra, National Education Editor, The Indian Express. The session was presented by Central Square Foundation
Mon, Nov 01, 2021
Avoid jail for drug users, seizure of small amounts: Social justice ministry
In a recommendation sent a few days ago, the ministry has sought decriminalising possession of small quantities of drugs for personal consumption.
Sun, Oct 24, 2021
Amit Khare: The man in the corner office
Amit Khare, who has helmed at least two of the most high-profile govt policies in recent times, the NEP and IT Rules, has now been appointed advisor to the PM.
Sun, Oct 17, 2021