Delhi government readies Happiness Curriculum for students

A day after IAS officers ended their rift with the Delhi government, work began in full swing on a Happiness Curriculum for students of government-run schools in the national capital.

The curriculum will be launched on July 2 by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The plan for the curriculum, for students from nursery to Class 8, was announced in February.

"For the past four months a group of about 40 people was working hard to finalise the curriculum," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, told the media.

The benefit of including such a programme will be that the "students who will pass out of the school will be happier persons compared to others. They will be less likely to get involved in violence and corruption," Sisodia said.

The curriculum will be introduced in government schools by mid or end of July. Around eight lakh students will benefit from the curriculum, Sisodia said.

The curriculum will involve meditation and mental training.

In signs that things were back to normal in the AAP-controlled Delhi administration, IAS officers also attended on Wednesday meetings called by Ministers in charge of the PWD, Health, Industries, Urban Development, Power and Electricity departments.

Meetings were also held on air pollution in the capital.

However, the officers continued their silent protest during their lunch hours against the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary. They have been doing this since the attack was alleged in February.

The rift between the Delhi government and the officers started after this alleged assault. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ended a nine-day-long sit-in protest at Raj Niwas demanding that the IAS officers resume cooperation with his government.

--IANS

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