HRD wants education bodies to issue notice
NEW DELHI: The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has issued a circular asking school education and higher education bureaus to issue an advisory or warning to schools and colleges about the deadly “Momo Challenge”.
In a letter dated September 6, Rajesh Solanki, under secretary in the ministry asked the bureau to refer to the letter received from the ministry of electronics and information technology regarding a new dangerous online game called “Momo Challenge”.
Following this, the University Grants Commission (UGC), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) are likely to issue advisories against the game.
The letter points out that the game has gone viral on social media platforms such as Whatsapp and needs to be addressed immediately.
Earlier, the Blue Whale challenge created panic among parents of teenaged kids as it gave players a series of tasks which include watching horror movies, waking up at unusual hours and self-harming to the extent of committing suicide. To be sure, India’s response to the Blue Whale challenge proved dispro- portionate with no firm link being established between the challenge and several deaths.
The “Momo Challenge” — named thus, according to urban legend, from the name of a Whatsapp account featuring a frightening looking doll with bulging eyes — is all about self-harming, according to media reports and the advisory. There has already been a death reported from Argentina that is being linked to the challenge.
“The game consists of a variety of self-harming dares which becomes increasingly risky as the game progresses and it finally ends with suicide challenge. It involves challenges that encourage teenagers/children/any other user to engage in series of violent act as challenges of the game,” according to Solanki’s letter. The letter has asked the bureaus to take up the matter with schools, colleges and other higher educational institutions.
The advisory by the IT ministry has given a number of tips on protecting children from the game. These include engagement with kids to identify any signs of distress. The advisory also asks parent to monitor children’s online and social media activity to ensure they are not indulging in the game. The advisory suggests installing cyber and mobile parenting software that can track children’s online activities. No, we were expecting it. The talk of early polls has been doing rounds especially after Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Hyderabad. We have been saying it since then that we are ready for the polls whenever they are held. KCR might have got scared after seeing the kind of response (Rahul) Gandhi received from a cross section That is a strange and stupid reasoning. Where is the political fragility in the state? He has 90 MLAS in the 119-member assembly, besides the support of seven MIM MLAS. With nearly 100 MLAS on his side, he is reigning supreme and so, where is question of fragility?
Normally, the government of the day dissolves the assembly when there are extreme circumstances such as a col- Why should we be in such a hurry when the election schedule itself has not been announced? It means KCR has an ulterior motive behind his strategy. He has conspired with the BJP in dissolving the assembly and even going to the extent of announcing the election dates. How can he do that? It is the prerogative of the Election Commission.
As far as the Congress is concerned, we are taking feedback from our peaders at the grassroots level on the candidates. We may come out Ours is a national party and we have to take decisions at the national level. TRS is a regional party and hence takes decisions at the regional level. Where is the question of mortgaging self-respect here?
And what self-respect he is talking about? It was our former president Sonia Gandhi, who granted Telangana statehood and restored the self-pride and self-respect of the people.