No Clue On Corporal Punishment In States: Fatmi

New Delhi, Aug 29 (UNI) Corporal punishment is forbidden under India's education policy, but ''States follow their own policy,'' the Human Resource Development Ministry told Parliament today.

India's 1986 National Policy on Education as modified in 1992 was to ''firmly'' exclude corporal punishment, Minister of State for HRD M A A Fatmi said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

But he acknowledged media reports of ''sporadic instances'' of corporal punishment in schools and explained that education being a concurrent subject, States follow their own policy.

Data on corporal punishment in schools under State government purview are ''not centrally maintained,'' Fatmi went on in reply to questions raised by Bharatiya Janata Party member from Uttar Pradesh Kalraj Mishra.

He said corporal punishment was ''strictly prohibited'' in centrally-sponsored Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Tibetan Schools.

He said any case of corporal punishment brought to the notice of organisations in charge of these schools, resulted in action against persons responsible.

UNI