India Education Info

Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha

2012-02-06T06:08:00.001-08:00

For its achievements in the fields of teaching, research, publications and promotion and propagation of Sanskrit, the Vidypeetha has been bestowed with distinct awards namely,

·Recognised by the UGC as Centre for Excellence in the subject of Traditional Sastras.

·Accredited at A+ level by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2003.

·Vidyapeetha rated best in the country

Recently Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha was assesed for its academic excellence, research programmes, infrastructure, co-curricular and extension activities by the Prof. 'TANDON' committee appointed for assessing quality of Deeded University in the country under Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is a matter of great pride and joy that Vidyapeetha was ranked the best in the country the other being the TIFR, Mumbai, BITS, Pilani, IIIT, Bangalore to name a few.
Centre Of Excellence In Traditional Sastras

The Vidyapeetha has achieved a rare honour of being recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Traditional Sastras by the UGC consecutively for the second time basing on its achievements, academic excellence earned in the field of teaching and research in Traditional Sastras and its potential for future development. Under this scheme, the following activities have been undertaken by the Vidyapeetha.

·Post-Acharya Training in Sastraic Studies - Sastravaridhi.

·Publications.

·Audio and Video Documentation.

·Audio-Video Recording Centre activities.

·Lipi Vikasa Pradarsini.

·Electronic Tools for Ancient Script Learning.

·Sanskrit Self Learning Kits.

·Documentation of Artefacts.

·Digitalization of Manuscripts.

·Yoga, Stress Management and Healing Centre.

·Seminars / Workshops.

·Post Graduate Courses to bridge Computer Science and Sanskrit Language Technology.
Subsidised Meals Scheme

The Vidyapeetha has introduced the Annadanam Scheme under which the Vidyapeetha has been providing meals to the students at the rate of Rs. 10.

Mahabharata Project

The Project of the Electronic Text of The Mahabharata is a prestigious one year project sponsored by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Tirupati undertaken by Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati to bring out standard text of Mahabharata with text variations with Hyper Links, which is use full to Researchers.

Objectives of the Project
To bring out a standard text of the Mahabharata with text variations basing on the South Indian and North Indian editions available.

· To add a simple but authentic summary of each Parva in English, Hindi and Telugu languages.

· Appending the list of aspects for carrying research on the Mahabharata such as - Devotional, philosophical, ethical geographical, sociological, political, war - strategic and psychological aspects.
To offer it on Web Site an Electronic Text with Hyperlinks with recitation of selected portions and graphic representation.

All India Sanskrit Students’ Talent Festival

All India Sanskrit Students’ Talent Festival is a unique festival undertaken by the Vidyapeetha. It was organised for the first time in February 2007 and has ever since, become a regular and annual event of the Vidyapeetha. It is held for 4 days inviting participants from Sanskrit institutions all over India in order to bring to light the latent talents/skills in the students.

The Alphabetical Gallery

The gallery aims to trace the origin, growth and development of the alphabet in India from the earliest times (3000 B.C.) till the development of regional scripts (9th Century A.D.).

The historical context of the Indus writing has been attempted by displaying objects, especially Seals on which the script was engraved. These seals have been found in Indus Valley sites, such as Lothal in western India during archaeological excavations in 1950-1980. The gallery also consists of some models of seals from other Indus Valley sites, such as Mohenjodaro (Pakistan) and Kalibangan (India) as well as from ancient Near Eastern sites, such as Kish and Braq, Ur (Sumer - Iraq), Hissar and Bahrein. The models of Indus Valley seals, sealings, sculptures etc. give an insight into the life of the people and take the history of Sanskrit language, the, Vedic concepts and traditions to a much earlier date than what is known.

Ancient Indian Science Exhibition

Ancient Indian Science exhibition is one of the projects of the Vidyapeetha, which aims at highlighting the scientific wisdom preserved in the Sanskrit literature. It is with this objective in view a torch-bearing task has been undertaken by the Sanskrit- Science Study Centre of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati in the field of Sanskrit-Science. An enormous exhibition with worthwhile content has resulted from the constant efforts of this centre.

This exhibition consists nearly 200 concepts pertaining to different branches of science with respective parallels from the ancient Sanskrit treatises. The branches covered are - Ayurveda, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Meteorology, Mathematics, Gemology, Acoustics, Botony, Sarry Plants. Exhibition on wheels was organised in 26 Universities and in several colleges situated in different states of the country.

Earn While You Learn

The Vidyapeetha has been providing opportunities to its students to do some part-time jobs in the scheme of ‘Earn while you learn’. Most of the students of the Vidyapeetha who have knowledge of working with the computers and other technical skills are engaged in several research projects and other Vidyapeetha programmes enabling them to earn sufficiently to meet their expenses.

Publications

The Vidyapeetha has brought out 50 prestigious publications on the eve of its Golden Jubilee Celebrations. In all the Vidyapeetha has 275 valuable publications.

Honours & Awards To The Institution/Individuals

During the year 2009, the Presidential Certificate of Honour was conferred on Vidyapeetha sitting Professor Kompella Ramasuryanarayana. During the year 2010, the same award was conferred on Professor K.E. Govindan. Professor Harekrishna Satapathy, the Vice-Chancellor of the Vidypaeetha, has been conferred the Dalmia Srivani Alankara Nyasa for his outstanding contribution to the field of Sanskrit. During 2011, the Vice-Chancellor was conferred with the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi award for his valuable publication Bharatayanam.

Organisation Of Conferences/Seminars/Symposia

During the year, the Vidyapeetha has organized nearly 25 Conferences, Seminars, Symposia, Workshops etc. Every year the Vidyapeetha conducts Refresher Courses for college level teachers, besides holding extension lectures on topics connected with higher learning of Sanskrit. During the year 2010 the Vidyapeetha had organized the 45th Session of All India Oriental Conference, in which 3500 delegates from India and Abroad have participated and presented their Research Papers.

Five-Point Agenda for Rejuvenating Social Science Research

2012-02-06T05:53:00.001-08:00

Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource Development announced a five-point agenda for rejuvenating social science research in the country. He was speaking at the inaugural of the ‘International Conference on Indian Social Sciences in the Changing World: Roles, Responsibilities and Reforms’. He said, “Firstly, we need to attract bright minds to social science research in the country. To that end, ICSSR shall proceed to develop a Fellowship scheme for embedding young scholars in the universities interested in pursuit of social science research. Simultaneously, we also need to enhance both the quantum and number of fellowships awarded every year.”

“Secondly, ICSSR can create a network of eminent academics to collaborate on creation of academic content including publications of texts, digests and manuscripts in specific areas in social sciences. These manuscripts would provide an inexpensive aid to teachers and students in social sciences and would be available in different languages. The manuscripts could be delivered electronically leveraging on the gains of the National Knowledge Network which aims to interlink all institutions of higher learning with an information super-highway.”

“Thirdly, ICSSR could take the lead to develop a Social Sciences Knowledge and Research Network as an open source, virtual assembly of research papers of quality. This Network could host peer reviewed research papers and Ph.D theses in social sciences, both priced and free, depending on the choice of the author. The SSKRN could also provide authorised translations of hosted research papers in various languages for the community of researchers in the country.”

“Fourth, in order to develop capacity in new and frontier areas of trans-disciplinary research, ICSSR could establish a National Social Science Research Innovation Centre. The Centre could identify innovative research methodologies in frontier areas of knowledge and assist in building a network for carrying forward the research interests of institutions, scholars and teachers.”

“Fifth, while the field of sciences recognises advances through research through the Bhatnagar Awards, there is no comparative recognition to high quality research in social sciences. We propose to institute ten annual awards to recognise advancement of knowledge in social sciences. I hope that due recognition to social scientists and their contributions would spur thousands of aspiring scholars in the future.” These awards will be known as the Amartya Sen Awards.

Shri Sibal also stated that the functioning of the ICSSR has been reviewed by an eminent group of social scientists. He said that the Committee has given valuable suggestions which are intended to be taken forward in the Twelfth Plan. He also underlined the need for greater research in areas such as agriculture and defence, where inadequate research is done at present. He also pointed out that the government would continue funding these research institutes, as at present there is no other source of funding for them.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Abhijit Sen, Member Planning Commission underlined the need for ICSSR Institutes to focus on research that helps achieve an inclusive society for the country. He pointed out that the advantage of the network of Institutes that ICSSR has could help towards this end. He also stated that the institutes must have a link to universities and on the need for mid level research.

The key note address for the Conference was given by Professor Pranab K. Bardhan, University of California, Berkeley who underlined the need for greater social science research in India, especially mid level research. He also pointed out areas where research in social sciences needs to be undertaken.

This two-day conference will have four plenary sessions on Global Challenges and Social Science, Indian Social Science: Trends and Gaps, Institutional and Financial Strategies, International Experience: Approaches and Institutional Mechanisms and six Technical sessions on Emerging Global Scenario and the Place of Social Sciences, Indian Social Sciences in the World Today: Emerging Issues and Gaps, Approaches to Social Science Research in India, Social Science Research and Policy: Emerging Priorities, National and Regional Challenges for Strengthening Teaching and Research and Financial and Institutional Strategies: Comparative Experiences.

Shakshar Bharat Mission Making Big Headway in Khamdong Block of Sikkim

2012-02-05T04:45:00.001-08:00

The Adult Education under Shakshar Bharat Mission, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, is progressing smoothly in Khamdong Block under Khamdong-Singtam constituency in East Sikkim. The classes are being attended by members of the indigenous Lepcha tribal community, Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes.The Shakshar Bharat Mission was started by the Union Government in 2009 with an objective to further promote and strengthen adult education, especially among the women. The mission reaffirms the national commitment to literacy and was initiated at Khamdong Block in 2010 where 26 centres of adult education have been set up with nearly 400 students.

The scheme in Sikkim is supervised by the State Rural Management and Development Department and monitored by the Human Resource Development Department, Sikkim. The Department has appointed 28 teachers as Panchayat Education Assistant, out of which four are from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, for the Mission. The panchayat members are also engaged in proper implementation of this scheme with the panchayat ward under Singbel Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU) of Khamdong Block performing well.

The Thasa ward under Singbel GPU has three centres with nearly 100 beneficiaries, most of whom are small farmers and lumbermen living Below Poverty Line. The learners are from the age group of 25 to 80 years and the participation of women folk is also encouraging in these centres.

Female literacy is given special importance by the Shakshar Bharat Mission for social development and to empower the Indian woman in every field. At Khamdong, the centre is running from the rented premises in Gurung Gaon and starts every morning at 10 am and continues till 1 pm. The classes in Lingdong ICDS and Lingham ICDS centres are being run from 1 pm to 3 pm.

The learning materials have been designed and provided by the State Human Resource Development Department, Sikkim, as per the guidelines of the National Literacy Mission for Shakshar Bharat to literate and non-literate learner of Sikkim.

Speaking about her experience, Miss Januka Bhattarai, who has been deputed in the adult education centre at Thasa Ward under Singbel GPU said, “It’s difficult to teach adult than the children. Their memory power is almost less due to the old age but we are putting all our efforts to teach them as a result, now they are capable of writing their names, identifying alphabets and numbers. The beneficiaries those are availing education at the centers have forgotten to use thumb impression.”

Similarly, one of the beneficiaries Passingkit Lepcha, 41 years, said that she is availing the facility since its inception. The mother of three children, Mrs Lepcha is very much happy today as she can easily write her name today.

Sujata Lepcha, 25 years, who is a drop-out, is continuing her education in the centre and happy to be in the education centre. Mukhia Lepcha, 59 years, and Kami Lepcha, 77 years, recall their past saying that they couldn’t study due to poverty. “But we are lucky that we have got an opportunity to be literate in this age”, they said on a happy note.

Revised Norms for Admission in B.ED. Colleges

2012-01-24T22:41:00.000-08:00

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has, vide NCTE (Recognition Norms & Procedure) Regulations, 2007 notified on 10 December, 2007, revised the norms for admission of students to B.Ed. programme and qualification for appointment of academic staff in colleges imparting such programmes. The norms, inter alia, provide that candidates with at least 45% marks, either in the Bachelor’s Degree and/or in the Master’s degree or any other qualification equivalent thereto, are eligible for admission to the programme. The norms relating to qualification for post of Principal and other teaching faculty have also been revised under the said Regulation.

The Norms and Standards for B.Ed. Courses notified on 18.11.2002 alongwith the Regulations, 2002 prescribed 45% as the minimum marks in Bachelor / Master degree for admission to B.Ed. Course. This was subsequently raised to 50% in the Norms and Standards for B..Ed. Course notified on 21.07.2006. Due to references received from several states for lowering the minimum marks to 45% and restoring it to the norms of 2002, the Norms notified by NCTE in 2007 have restored the position stipulated in 2002.

Acute shortage of candidates with Ph.Ds in Education discipline and insufficient number of candidates having Masters’ degree with M.Ed, led to a large number of vacancies at various level in B.Ed. Colleges. In view of various suggestions received for lowering of basic qualifications for Principals, the norms and qualification requirement were relaxed to allow persons holding Master’s Degree with B.Ed. (55% marks) for appointment as lecturer in B.Ed. Colleges.

The NCTE continuously strives to ensure adherence to its Regulations, norms and standards by the various teacher training institutions, so as to maintain the desired quality in such institutions. In this direction, the Regulation of 2007 has stipulated that institutions running secondary level teacher training programmes like B.Ed. and B.P.Ed., would have to obtain accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a ‘letter grade B’ developed by NAAC before seeking additional intake in these programmes.

Indo-US Higher Education Summit

2012-01-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

The First India-U.S. Higher Education Summit was held in Washington D.C. on October 13, 2011. The Summit was jointly organized by the Government of India and the Government of United States and was attended by government officials and academics as well as individuals from the private sector who are involved in higher education sector. It was jointly inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of Human Resources Development Shri Kapil Sibal and the US Secretary of State Ms Hillary Clinton. The objective of the summit was to further strengthen higher education collaboration and exchange between institutions in India and the United States. The summit also highlighted the importance of education as a pillar of the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue.

The following issues were discussed during the summit:-

i. Student Exchange

ii. Faculty Collaboration and Scholarship

iii. Models of collaboration: institutional footprints

iv. Understanding the environment: quality and flexibility

v. National development and solving global challenges

vi. Building Capacity through private sector/academic-industry research partnerships

vii. Enabling Innovation and Promoting Economic Growth

viii. Looking to 2020: Partnerships for workforce development and expanding access.

A joint statement was issued at the end of the Summit where the two sides have agreed to:

(i) Promote strategic institutional partnerships for further strengthening and expanding collaboration in the priority areas of higher education;

(ii) Encourage expansion and deepened collaboration in research and development;

(iii) Foster partnerships in the areas of vocational education and skills enhancement;

(iv) Further strengthening programme for student and faculty enrichment and exchange; and

(v) Welcome involvement of the private sector in the two countries to support and deepen such collaboration.

The Summit provided a platform for industry leaders, academia and government officials from both countries for evolving further collaboration for mutual benefit in the areas of student and faculty exchange, collaborative research, skill development and innovation.

Distance Education by all Universities

2012-01-24T22:35:00.000-08:00

According to the information furnished by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), any university set up by the Act of Parliament/State legislature or deemed to be university can offer distance education programme subject to the fulfillment of norms and guidelines laid down by the Distance Education Council (DEC) and other apex bodies.

Central Universities

Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, AP.
University of Hyderabad, AP.
North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya.
Jamia Milia, Islamia, New Delhi.
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.(U.P.)
University of Allahabad U.P.
Pondicherry University, Pondicherry.
University of Delhi, Delhi.

Deemed Universities

Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad, AP.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati, AP.
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Jharkhand.
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Punjab.
Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Bombay, Maharashtra.
Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth Pune, Maharashtra.
Jain Vishwa Bharti Institute, Ladnun, Rajasthan.`
The Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamilnadu.
Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, Viswa Mahavidyalaya, Kanchipuram,
Shanmugha Arts, Science, Techno and Research Academy, Thanjavur (T.N.)
Jamia Hamdard, Delhi.
Symbosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune (Maharashtra).
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (Maharashtra).
Sri Ram Chandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, T.N.
SRM University Chennai, T.N.
Manipal Acadmey of Higher Education,Manipal, Karnataka
Swami Vivekananad Yoga Anusandhan Sansthan, Bangalore, Karnataka.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi.
Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyala, Haridwar, Uttaranchal.
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

State Universities

Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, A.P.
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Kakatiya University, Warangal, A.P.
Osmania University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Ananthapur, A.P.
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, A.P.
Sri Padmavati Mahila Vishvavidyalaya, Tirupati, A.P.
Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad, A.P.
Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar, A.P.
Bangalore University, Bangalore, Karnataka.
Kannada University, Hampi, Karnataka.
Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka.
Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Karnataka.
Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, Karnataka.
University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka.
Goa University, Goa, Karnataka.
Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam.
Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam.
B.R.A.Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga, Bihar.
Patna University, Patna, Bihar.
Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.
Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Orissa.
Berhampur University, Berhampur, Orissa
Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, Orissa
North Orissa University, Mayurbhanj, Orissa.
Tripura University, Tripura.
University of Burdwan. West Bengal.
Vidyasagar University, Midnapur, West Bengal.
Jadavpur University, West Bengal.
Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkatta West Bengal.
University of Kalyani, Distt,Nadia. West Bengal..
Guru Jambheshwar University, Hissar, Haryana.
Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana.
M.D University, Rohtak Haryana.
H.P.University Shimla (H.P).
University of Jammu. J& K.
University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J & K.
Punjab University, Chandigarh, Punjab.
Punjabi University, Patiyala, Punjab.
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab.
G.B.Pant University, Pantnagar, Uttaranchal.
Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttaranchal.
B.R Ambedkar University, Agra , UP.
University of Lucknow, Lucknow, UP.
Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Avdesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa, MP.
Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal , M.P.
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore , M.P
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar , M.P
Jiwaji University, Gwalior, MP.
M.G Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot , M.P
Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, MP.
Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
University of Mumbai Vidyanagari, Mumbai.
Amravati University, Amravati.
Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded, Maharashtra.
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
University of Calicut, Calicut, Kerala.
Kannur University, Kalliasseri, Kerala.
University of Kerala, Trivendrum. Kerala.
Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu.
Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamilnadu.
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu.
Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai. Tamilnadu.
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Thirunelveli, Tamilnadu.
Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. Tamilnadu.
Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.
University of Madras, Madras, Tamilnadu.
Periyar University, Salem, Tamilnadu.
Tamilnadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai

State Open Universities

Nalanda Open University, Patna, Bihar.
Karnataka State Open University, Mysore, Karnataka.
YCMOU, Nashik, Maharashtra.
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, Rajasthan.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
U.P.Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Allahabad, U.P.
Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata, West Bengal.
M.P.Bhoj (Open) University, Bhopal, M.P.
Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai, T.N.
Pt. Sunderlal Sharma Open University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
Uttaranchal Open University, Haldwani, Uttaranchal

Institute of National Importance

National Law School of India, Bangalore, Karnataka.

Education Plan for Development of Institutions

2012-01-24T22:29:00.000-08:00

The XI Plan document approved by the National Development Council envisages setting up of the following new Institutions:-

• 30 new Central Universities (CUs) – 16 CUs one each in uncovered States and 14 CUs aiming at World –class Standards;

• Establishment of 370 new degree colleges in districts with Gross Enroment Ration less than the national level;

• Strengthening of 6000 colleges and 150 Universities not receiving UGC grant at present

• Setting up of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University with main campus at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh

• 8 New IITs, 20 New IIITs and 10 New NITs

• 3 New IISERs at Mohali, Punjab; Tiruvanthapuram, Kerala, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

• 7 New IIMs including one IIM at Shillong, Meghalaya which has been established

• 2 New Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

• Setting up of 1000 (300 in Government Sector, 300 in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and 400 in Private Sector) new Polytechnics.

The Central Government has decided to implement during the XIth Plan a centrally sponsored scheme for Universalisation of access to and improvement of quality of education at secondary stage (SUCCESS) with the objective to make secondary education of good quality available, accessible and affordable to all young persons by providing a secondary school within five kilometres of every habitation. It is also proposed to set up six thousand good quality secondary schools at Block level, at the rate of one school in each Block, which will serve as benchmark of excellence for other schools in the area.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) the Flagship program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development provides various measures including provision of free text books to ST children, recruitment of local teachers in Tribal areas, districts having predominantly ST population are categorised as Special Focus Districts for implementation of SSA. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the Central Government releases funds under Article 275(1) of the Indian Constitution to all State Governments, including the 9 Scheduled Area States for setting up 100 Eklavya Model Residential schools. In higher education, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University is specially targeted at the Schedule Tribe population as per the provisions of the Central Act in this regard.

Technical Education in India

2012-01-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

India has the potential to be a global technology leader. Its economy has been growing at the rate of 9% per year. The industry has also become globally competitive in several sectors and can increase its global market share. A critical factor in this will be the success of the technical education system in the nation.

The investment made in higher education in the 1950s and 1960s has given us a strong knowledge base in many fields and contributed significantly to economic development, social progress and political democracy in independent India. At the time of Independence, the number of universities was no more than 20, of colleges around 500 and the total enrolment was less than 1.0 lakh. By the end of the X Plan, the Indian higher education system has grown into one of the largest in the world with 5818 technical institutions with an intake capacity of 11,18,810 students.
Prevalence of Low General Enrolment Ratio

Despite the expansion that has occurred, it is evident that the system is under stress to provide a sufficient volume of skilled human power, equipped with the required knowledge and technical skills to cater to the demands of the economy. The accelerated growth of our economy has already created shortages of high quality technical manpower. The demographic advantages of a young population can only be realised if we can expand opportunities for our youth on a massive scale and in diverse fields of basic science, engineering and technology, healthcare, architecture, management etc.

Expansion, inclusion and rapid improvement in quality throughout the higher and technical education system by enhancing public spending, encouraging private initiatives and initiating the long overdue major institutional and policy reforms will form the core of the Eleventh plan effort.

Our GER of around 11% is very low compared to the world average of 23.2%, 36.5% for countries in transition, 54.6% for Asian countries. We should aim to increase the GER to 21% by the end of the Twelfth Plan with an interim target of 15% by 2011-12.

Expansion of Technical Education with Quality

As on August 31, 2007, the annual intake of technical education institutions at Degree and Diploma levels, as approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was 9.08 lakh and 3.95 lakh respectively. To further increase this intake several new initiatives have been undertaken in the sector of technical education in the XI Five year Plan. The following expansion is proposed without letting the brand value of these institutions get diluted :
Eight New Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)

The main objective of Indian Institutes of Tech is to impart world class education in engineering and technology. The Government has decided to set up 8 new IITs in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during the XI Plan Period. It is also proposed to convert the Institute of Technology, BHU into an IIT. An allocation of Rs. 2000 crore has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 50 crore has been allocated for 2008-09.

B.Tech Courses in three branches with a limited batch of about 120 first year students, have started from the academic session of 2008-09 in the 6 new IITs being set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Punjab and Gujarat and these will be mentored by the existing IITs of Madras, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi and Mumbai respectively.

The State Governments have been requested to identify the suitable sites for setting up of the new IITs which is likely to be finalized soon.
Seven New Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are institutions of excellence, established with the objectives of imparting high quality management education and training conducting research and providing consultancy services in the field of management to various sectors of the Indian economy. Seven new IIMs are proposed, out of which, the IIM at Shillong has commenced its academic session from 2008-09 with an initial intake of 64 students based on CAT 2007 score.

The remaining six IIMs will be located in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Haryana. Several State Government have identified land for the campuses and the same will be finalized soon after the Site Selection Committee visits the them shortly

Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) has been requested to prepare a Model DPR for all the new IIMs.

An allocation of Rs. 600 crore has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 10 crore has been allocated for the year 2008-09.
Five Indian Institute of Science, Education & Research (IISERs)

The Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), under the Chairmanship of Prof. C.N.R.Rao, recommended creation of five new institutions devoted to science education and research to be named “Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research” broadly on the lines of IISc., Bangalore. 3 IISERs at Mohali, Pune and Kolkata have already been functioning and two more at Bhopal and Thiruvanthapuram will start their classes this year in the month of August.

An allocation of Rs. 2000 crores has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 150 crores has been allocated for 2008-09 for 5 IISERs.

Twenty Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

In order to develop manpower for different areas of the knowledge economy, education and training of information technology is a core prerequisite. The Central Government has established four IIITs at Allahabad, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Kanchipuram. 20 more IIITs are proposed under the PPP mode. NASSCOM has very recently submitted its model Project Report, which is being sent to the State Governments and to the concerned Ministries in the Government of India for inter-ministerial consultations.

The setting up of IIITs in PPP mode has been discussed with the State Education Ministers in the national conference held on 23rd and 24th July 2008 under the Chairmanship of HRM. Most of the States were agreed to tap not for profit private investment, ensuring that PPP should not lead to any erosion of access to poor sections of society.

The IIIT at Kanchipuram has started functioning from its temporary campus at IIT Madras since the last academic session in 2007.

An allocation of Rs. 400 crore has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 30 crores has been allocated for 2008-09.

Two Schools of Planning & Architecture (SPAs)

SPA provides undergraduate and post-graduate education and training in the fields of architecture, planning, design and management of different aspects of human habitat and environment. Two schools of Planning & Architecture are to be set up at Bhopal and Vijayawada.

The State Governments had offered about 100 acres of land each in Bhopal and Vijayawada, free of cost. However, it is proposed to start the academic session in both the new SPAs through temporary campuses by taking suitable accommodation on rent from this academic session of 2008. While the NIT Bhopal will mentor the new SPA at Bhopal, SPA at Vijayawada will be mentored by SPA, Delhi.

* An allocation of Rs. 250 crore has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 15 crores has been allocated for 2008-09.
Setting up of new Polytechnics

In pursuance of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s speech on Independence Day in 2007, to launch a mission on vocational education and skill development, the Department of Higher Education had prepared a scheme on Sub-Mission of Polytechnics under National Skill Development Mission. Under Sub-Mission of Polytechnics, it is proposed to take up the following four components:-

Setting up of 1000 polytechnics (300 in Government Sectors, 300 through PPP mode and 400 private polytechnics;

Strengthening of existing 500 polytechnics;

Construction of women’s hostel in 500 polytechnics;

Revamping of the Community Polytechnics scheme and increasing their number from 669 to 1000.

The Expenditure Finance Committee in its meeting held on 28th May, 2008 has approved the above proposal. An allocation of Rs. 6310 crore has been provided in the XI Plan and Rs. 141.5 crore has been allocated for 2008-09.
Scholarship for College and University students

It is proposed to give scholarships, based on merit, at the rate of Rs. 1000 per month for the first 3 years and after that Rs. 2000 per month for the balance period of the professional or other courses in Higher Education to non-creamy layer students to the extent of about 2% of the student population who pass out from various intermediate boards. It is proposed to cover every year about 41,000 boys and 41,000 girls under the above scheme.

An amount of Rs. 1000 crores has been provided for in the XI Plan allocations for this scheme and Rs. 50 crore is allocated for 2008-09.
Review of functioning of UGC and AICTE

A Committee has been set up on 30/4/08 under the Chairmanship of Prof. Yash Pal, former UGC Chairman, to review the role and functioning of UGC and AICTE. The Committee has started functioning and has held several meetings.
Summer Training of Teachers

With a view to improve the quality and standard of teaching by the faculty, in this summer i.e. in June and July 2008, 10,000 faculty members of the Engineering Institutions and 5,000 faculty members of the University system teaching basic/social sciences, are being given summer training/refresher courses to improve their domain knowledge as well as pedagogy. The refresher/summer training courses on the technical subjects are being given in the IITs, NITs, NITTTRs etc
Education Loan Interest Subsidy Scheme

A proposal to introduce a Central Sector scheme for providing interest subsidy during the moratorium period on the educational loans taken by students belonging to “non-creamy” layer for pursuing professional education in India under the revised Model Educational Loan Scheme formulated by the Indian Banks’ Association has been under consideration of the Government.

A provision of Rs. 4000 crore has been provided in the XI Plan for this proposed scheme and Rs. 2 crore has been allocated for 2008-09.
National Education Mission through ICT

Under this Mission, it is proposed to network each of the Departments of about 400 university level institutions & 20000 colleges through broadband connectivity and make available suitable e-learning material. State Governments have to share 25% of the cost of providing broadband connectivity to the institutions under their control. Private institutions will have to share 25% of the cost of providing the broadband connectivity.

States have also been consulted on this issue during the conference of the States Education Ministers’ by the Human Resource Development Minister (HRM) held on 23rd and 24th July 2008 and have agreed for above proposal.

National Institutes of Technology (NITs)

The main aim of setting up NITs is to create the required technical manpower by providing undergraduate education and training in different branches of engineering & technology. At present there are 20 National Institutes of Technology (NITs) which are fully funded by the Central Government. NIT Act 2007, which came into effect from 15.8.2007, has declared these NITs as Institutes of National Importance.

In the XIth Plan period, it is proposed to establish 10 new NITs. Probable location of these NITs will be in States/UTs, which at present don’t have an NIT. MHRD will consider establishing NITs in Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The NIT at Goa may also cater to the needs of Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.

Pudducherry or Andaman & Nicobar may have one common NIT, which will cater the needs of each others.

For establishing new NITs, States/UTs are required to provide 300 acres of land, at a place having road, rail and air connectivity.

Status of Implementation of the recommendations of Oversight Committee (OSC) for ensuring OBC reservation in technical institutions

Allocation of Rs. 2522 crore has been provided in 2008-09 for implementation of the recommendations of OSC. All the Central Educational Institutions are implementing OBC reservations as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 from this year onward on a staggered basis and the necessary funds have been released to many of them after holding the meetings of the Empowered Committees, while the balance will get funds in the next few days. As per the CCPA approval, it is also proposed to amend the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 so as to extend the three years staggering period up to the year 2010.With the implementation of the OSC recommendation, an additional student capacity of 6,204 has been created in this academic session.

Assessment of quality in higher education

2012-01-24T22:19:00.001-08:00

‘Assessment for quality assurance’ is widely known across the world since late 20th century. The movement may be called as the promotion of the ‘Assessment Culture’. In India, it has taken a concrete shape only in the last decade of the last century, with the establishment of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) (in 1994) and a few other quality assessment organizations in the public domain, for the assessment of higher education institutions and programmes.

The NAAC, with a vision ‘to make quality the defining element of higher education in India through a combination of self and external quality evaluation, promotion and sustenance initiatives’, has assessed and accredited 3,644 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) (as on 22/12/2007) and has also undertaken a number of quality promotion activities. There is a mixed response from the HEIs and the academia, to the external quality assessment. Many institutions have voluntarily opted for NAAC assessment and proudly exhibit their accreditation status. Few others have apprehensions about the NAAC assessment process. For a deeper understanding of the complex process of external quality assessment, it may be useful to critically examine the motivational factors for readily seeking NAAC assessment on one hand and the inhibiting factors for hesitations to go for assessment on the other.
Positive Responses

Some of the reasons for institutions opting for NAAC assessment are:

· Recognition of their excellence/achievements.

· Self-improvement, by understanding their strengths and limitations.

· Building the institutional image and attract students from far and wide.

· International recognition of the institution and assurance of admission of their students in foreign universities.

· Incentives from the Government and other funding agencies.

· Insistence of some of the State Governments.

· Pre-condition for getting the autonomous/deemed university status and such other recognitions by the University Grants Commission (UGC) or permanent affiliation by concerned universities.
Some Apprehensions

Some of the apprehensions and fears of institutions about the NAAC assessment are:

Ø Fear of the unknown.

Ø Fear of getting a lower grade and/or not getting the desired accreditation status.

Ø Lack of enthusiasm on the part of management and staff to take up the preparation work (institutional data presentation in the Self-Study Report).

Ø Assumption that it is a costly activity.

Ø Belief that it does not lead to any consequential benefits.

Ø Reservations about the external assessment of Quality.

Ø Reservations about the reliability and credibility of NAAC methodology and processes.

Ø Belief that one can ignore the process as it is not a mandatory activity at present.
NAAC relation with the HEIs

Most of the apprehensions listed above are quite unfounded. Similar are the experiences of most of the external quality assurance agencies across the world. The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) guidelines of good practices for External Quality Assurance Agencies (EQAA) include the basic premise of a congenial relationship between EQAA and HEIs. NAAC relations with the HEIs are based on the following guidelines:

· Recognition that institutional and/or programme quality assurance is primarily the responsibility of the higher education institutions themselves;

· Respect for the academic autonomy, identity and integrity of the institutions and/or their programmes;

· Application of standards or criteria that have been subject to reasonable consultation with stakeholders; and

· Aiming to contribute to both, quality improvement of and accountability by the institution.

Miles to go ……….

During the last thirteen years, NAAC has covered a long way, from initial resistance through subsequent acceptance to appreciation. We at NAAC are aware that we still have a long way, to fully realize our mission. Towards this, we may have to address three major concerns:

Firstly, we are yet to assess a large number of institutions. Appropriate mechanisms have to be developed to complete the first cycle assessment of all HEIs by the end of the XI Five Year Plan. We may have to evolve multiple strategies for this purpose. Establishment of regional/state level assessment agencies, encouragement of NAAC-validated private professional agencies/sectoral assessment agencies for programme assessment are some of the measures that deserve careful consideration.

Secondly, the instrument of assessment requires continuous fine-tuning. Some limitations of the instrument we use to assess the performance of a complex system arises from an inability to combine quantitatively-measurable and qualitatively-perceptible factors into a single model. Appropriate measurement is necessary for improvement. It is rightly said: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t understand it; if you can’t understand it you can’t control it; if you can’t control it you can’t improve it”. In quality measurement, we must constantly ask two questions: Are we measuring the right things and are we accurately measuring them? NAAC is continuously engaged in improving its instrument. We hope that the fine-tuning of the criteria, key aspects and assessment indicators and adoption of the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) with effect from 1st April 2007, would result in a more rigorous and reliable measurement of the institutional performance.

Thirdly, the Peer Team, consisting of assessors, plays a critical role in the assessment exercise. The Peer Team is the public face of NAAC. The judgement by the Peer Team members is the basis for assessment and accreditation. Selection of right Peers as assessors and equipping them with necessary professional skills to undertake the job are challenging tasks. NAAC is aware of the human limitations and is continuously trying to provide professional inputs to the assessors, to complete the task without any bias and arrive at reasonable and acceptable judgement.
The Approach

There are many other concerns and new concerns may arise in the context of newer situations. More than these concerns our approach is very significant to our activities. NAAC believes that quality has to be nurtured and not controlled. The agricultural model of seeding, nurturing and climate building is more suitable to the quality assurance model. Probably, in future, instead of completely focusing on time-bound assessment activity, NAAC may have to focus on nurturing and continuously-assessing the internal quality assurance systems of the HEIs. It is equally important to recognize that the EQA is an indicative exercise not a prescriptive or deterministic one.

Strategy for Higher Education Expansion

2012-01-24T22:17:00.000-08:00

Higher education in India has expanded many folds during the past six decades. The number of universities in the country has increased from 20 in 1947 to 378 whereas the number of colleges, which were no more than 500 at the eve of Independence, has gone up to 18064. No less significant has been the increase in the number of teaching staff which has gone up from a meagre 15, 000 to nearly 4.80 Lakhs during the same period. The number of students enrolled in higher education too has gone up from 1 Lkah in 1950 to over 112 lakhs in 2005. Obviously, the institutional capacity of higher education has increased by several folds. This has, in turn, enhanced access to higher education as we find that the enrolment ratio has increased from less than 1 % in 1950 to about 10 % in 2007. These developments notwithstanding, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in relative terms compares quite poorly with 60% in USA and Canada, over 40% in several European countries and more than 20% in many developed and developing countries. International experience shows that no country has been able to become an economically advanced country, if its enrolment ratio in higher education has been less than 20%. The foremost priority must, therefore, be enhancing access to higher education such that the GER is raised to a minimum threshold level of about 20 percent for sustained economic development. In immediate term, the 11th Plan has set the target GER of 15 percent.

Such a substantial increase in enrolment would require multi-pronged strategy. In order to ensure that the facilities for higher education are available in enough number for all who aspire to get it, we may have to establish new universities and the colleges in order to cope with the increasing demand for higher education. Some announcements have already been made in this regard. These include establishment of 30 new central universities and establishment of new IITs and IIMs. Besides, capacity increase will also have to be attempted by strengthening and increasing the intake capacity of exiting colleges and the universities through increase in seats of existing courses as well as by introducing new courses. In this process, universities and colleges in specific area of low enrolment ratio (lower than a all India average) and also districts falling in remote, hilly, border area, small towns, and rural area and districts with concentration of SC, ST, OBC and minority will have to be proactively supported. This may require enhanced additional development grants to existing universities and colleges and higher education being in the concurrent list, this will call for joint efforts by the union as well as the state governments.

It cannot be overemphasised that expansion in higher education should be made in such a manner that it offers equitable access all. This will call for a conscious effort to ensure that the higher educational avenues and opportunities are made available to all and that the system does not suffer on account of disparities across region, gender, social groups such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes, minorities, physically challenged and poor. The 11th Plan strategy will focus on the inclusiveness in higher education with schemes for inclusive education with a focus on regions and groups with lower enrolment ratio.

The strategy of inclusiveness has to focus on three imbalances, inter-regional, inter-social group and male – female and may include all such measures as establishment of higher educational institutions for easy access to these groups and also provisioning of special support mechanism to remove economic and affordability barriers for these groups. Removal of regional imbalances would call for support to colleges located in district having lower GER and also the district located in rural, small town, hilly, remote, tribal and border area and small towns. Simultaneously, the colleges located in districts with relatively high concentration of SC, ST, OBC, and Muslim population will also have to be provided enhanced support beside establishment of colleges with high concentration of SC, ST, OBC, Muslim minority areas in order to provide accelerated opportunities of higher education. The strategy for mitigating group imbalances will require support to socially disadvantage groups like SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities (Muslims), Poor, and women. Besides, we will have to supporting universities and colleges in specific area of low enrolment ratio (lower than a all India average) and also districts falling in remote, hilly, border area, small towns, and rural area and districts with concentration of SC, ST, OBC and minority. Further, the strategy to reduce inter-social imbalance will have to include provision of fellowship, hostel, and remedial coaching and other specific schemes for girls. Even more important could be the establishment of Equal Opportunity Office in all Universities to deal with all schemes under one office related to SC,ST, OBC, minorities, girls , physically challenged and economically weaker section.

It is obvious that increased access to higher education will not be sufficient unless we also ensure that the higher education system is able and made capable of providing quality education and achieve excellence in the arena of creation and dissemination of knowledge. Our higher education system is characterized by degree of inter-institution variations in quality and excellence. One of the starting points must, therefore, be to formally find out the current status of quality of higher educational institutions in the country. The UGC has developed a framework to assess and promote the quality and excellence and it helps us to know the current status by our own definition of quality and excellence. Quality assessment mechanism is relative new to India, but the UGC has been using a quality assurance mechanism even since its establishment in 1956.

The UGC has been prescribing minimum norms and standards in term of physical facilities, infrastructure, human resource, particularly the teachers and financial viabilities. Universities and colleges are required to meet these norms in order to become eligible for recognition under section 2(f) and 12(b) of the UGC Act, and thus be eligible to receive development grants. It is through this mechanism that the UGC has historically been ensuring a base level of quality across all institutions of higher education. Based on this mechanism, we have some idea of the current status of quality in higher educational institutions. Of the total 14,080 colleges that are under the UGC purview only about 6000 are recognised under Section 12(b) and thereby making them eligible to receive development grants from the UGC. The rest of the colleges are not recognised because they do not meet the criteria of permanent affiliation, which is because they don’t not meet minimum academic quality requirement prescribed by the affiliating universities. Similarly, only 167 out of 224 state universities are recognised under Section 12 (b) while the rest are not able to quality for recognition under this section for they fail to meet the minimum prescribed academic requirements under Section 2(f), and are, thus, deprived of the development assistance from the UGC. It is thus obvious that the self-financing colleges and institutes, and also the self-financing courses in public universities and colleges do not receive grants and are consequently not assessed for quality.

Besides, The UGC had also developed a mechanism for identifying departments in universities who have been making special contributions in creation and dissemination of knowledge and depending upon their status has been awarding them special status in the form of DRS/ DSA/CAS. In recent times, the GC has developed a methodology to assess and promote excellence in universities, colleges and in the postgraduate departments of universities, which is called as: (1) universities with potential for excellence; (2) colleges with potential for excellence and (3) departments/centres with potential of excellence. Such institutions are categorised so on the basis of their academic capabilities and availabilities of physical facilities and infrastructure. (4) In addition to these, the UGC also grants special status to certain colleges and they are called the Autonomous colleges. The physical infrastructure and teachers related indicators used for identifying universities/colleges and departments for potential for excellence and for identification of Autonomous colleges are more rigorous than those used for quality under 2(F) and 12 (B). Based on these standards, we find that only about 10 universities, 100 colleges and 500 departments/ centres have so far been identified as universities with potential for excellence. Besides, as many as 250 colleges have been identifies as autonomous colleges

In addition to the above, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is mandated to assess and accredit all institutions of higher education, particularly those that are publicly funded, and grade them on the basis of their academics, governance, physical facilities and infrastructure. The NAAC has developed an elaborate assessment mechanism under which it assess the universities and colleges and grade the institutions, which provide insight in to present quality of higher education system in the country. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have so far accredited 140 Universities and 3492 colleges by March 2007. Thus the quality status is formally known for these many institutions only. A glance at the status of the accredited institutions reveals that 68% of colleges are rated as ‘B’ while another 23% colleges are rated as ‘C’ grade; and only the remaining 9% are A grade. The situations for colleges are no better as 68%% universities are rated as B grade while another 23% are C grade; and the remaining 31% are A grade

Poor quality in a section of higher education institutions can be attributed to a variety of reasons spanning from under-investment to inadequate faculty resources to deficiencies in the teaching –learning process. The NAAC assessment of colleges and universities indicate the reasons for inter-institutions variations in quality. Amongst the universities and colleges that receive development and maintenance grants from the UGC and the respective state governments, the dominant reasons for low quality of higher education is found in inadequate funding to universities and colleges. Inadequacy of funds has led to a situation where physical facilities and infrastructure are not only inadequate and inappropriate but also the paucity of funds has led to poor maintenance and upkeep of existing infrastructure. These are reflected in terms of shabby classrooms, barely equipped laboratories, and poorly maintained libraries. Substantial proportion of teachers in universities is colleges are not provided with independent workspace. Resource crunch, particularly those faced by the state universities, has been forcing them to compromise on their academic input. The academic expenditure in the form of books and journal, consumables for labs, teaching-learning materials etc have been the first casualty. The most affected has been the creation of faculty positions. There have been either official ban on the creation of new teaching positions or an unofficial restrictive approach creating hindrance in the process of recruitment of faculty members even on the sanctioned posts, presumably in order to save resources.

Unlike expansion, access enhancement, quality, excellence, equity and inclusion where policy formulation is still under discussion and in making, the policies concerning reforms in the arena of academics, administration and governance are already well formulated and publicly announced. These are all elaborated upon in details in the reports of Radhakrishnan Commission (1948), Kothari Commission (1968), National Education Policy (1986), Programme of Action document (1992), CABE Committee reports, Resolutions of the conferences of the Vice Chancellors organised by the UGC and the AIU, Gnanam Committee, Sunehri Committee, a whole lot of other committees constituted by the UGC and MHRD from time to time are full of recommendations on such reforms. While recommendations of these committees have been accepted nearly by all and there has been developed a national consensus, a whole lot of them have not been implemented and operationalised as yet. Some of these have been tried and failed while some others have been implemented on selective basis. As a result there is a lot of institutional variations in admission, examination, faculty and governance related practices. Given the fact that most such recommendations are reflective of the most prevalent, if not the best, global practices, it is high time that they are put into practice without further delay.

As a nation we need to seriously consider as to how can we urgently translate as well as share selected experience that we have in implementing the agreed upon policies and recommendations into concrete actions. But more important is to identify the necessary pre-requisite and conditions for effective implementation of academic and administrative reforms. Still more important is to create those conditions to create an enabling environment for putting them into practice. This may require selective and stage-wise approach. This also requires sharing of experience of those who have tried and failed and those who are doing it successfully and those who have not tried at all. It is, therefore, proposed to take a comprehensive stock taking of all such recommendations made so far and revisit them to identify problems in their implementation and operationalisation.

Financing of higher education and funding mechanism are perhaps the most crucial aspect for development of higher education and its capacity to reforms often impinges adequate and timely resource availability. While demand for higher education has grown by leaps and bound and, the central and state government financial support to the institutions of higher education has decelerated in real terms during the 1990s. This has had multiple ramifications. On the one hand the public-funded institutions suffered from under-investment, adversely affecting their quality. On the other hand, demand - supply mismatch prompted increasing participation private institutions. This has led to demand for revisiting the whole issue of financing and funding mechanism, which were addressed by appointing various committees. A number of recommendations have been put forward for improving the financing and funding mechanism for higher education. These include such important issues as increase public spending on higher education and also create enabling environment for private investment in higher education. Closely connected is the issue of reviewing fees structure in public institutions in order to develop an appropriate policy as suggested by the CABE Committee. As affordability to higher education could be a barrier, the issue of providing large number of scholarship and fellowship cannot be avoided. Simultaneously, the issues of deferred cost recovery in the form of students loan programme and setting up of Higher Education Loan Guarantee Corporation for covering education loan and also to provide for Loan and offering enhanced moratorium in loan repayment in order to increase affordability has to be taken on priority basis. Yet another important issue that is related with financing is that of the issue of fees in self-financing institutions and programmes and we will have to find ways and means of effectively regulating the fess structure of self-financing educational institutions including private universities, deemed universities and other self-financing institutions

The spread of higher education was achieved through active state support whereby public funding was considered necessary in order to provide equitable opportunities of higher education to all. It has, however, been a proclaimed policy of the country to also encourage private investment in higher education so long as they are driven by charitable and non-profit motives. While universities have largely been in the public domain, India has had a history of having large number of colleges established and maintained by private management. They largely fell into two broad categories namely (a) the private but government aided colleges – those that were established and managed by private individuals, societies or trust but received development and maintenance grants from the public exchequer); and (b) private unaided colleges – those that were established and managed by private individuals, societies and trusts and were run on self-financing basis.

In recent times, the number of private self-financing institutions –colleges and other degree awarding institutions has gained prominence. At the same time, there has also been witnessed a tendency among the public funded institutions to start and run courses on self-financing basis. More recently, the private universities, either under state legislature or through the deemed university mode have also come to be established, though presently small in number, demand and tendency for establishing such institutions has been consistently on the rise. As situations prevail today, the system is characterised by rapid expansion in private self financing colleges specially in medical, engineering, dental and education, self-financing courses in government and government aided colleges, private universities and also in unrecognised private institutions offering diploma and certificate programmes

We do need proper regulatory framework for the private sector, to ensure the quality of higher education and also the equity. It is, therefore, important that we develop regulatory framework for the private universities, particularly in terms of their admission, fees, teaching-learning process and governance. The regulation of self financing courses in government and aided colleges with respect to fees, quality and inclusiveness of girls, socially and economically deprived groups is imminent. Besides, the regulation of self financing courses educational institutions like private universities, Deem universities, self financing colleges and other institutions with respect to fees, quality and inclusiveness of girls, socially and economically deprived groups.

National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology

2012-01-24T22:12:00.001-08:00

The National Mission on Education through ICT has been envisaged as a Centrally sponsored Scheme to leverage the potential of ICT, in providing high quality personalized and interactive knowledge modules over the internet/intranet for all the learners in Higher Education Institutions in any time any where mode. This is expected to be a major intervention in enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education by 5 percentage points during the XI Five year Plan period and in ensuring access and equity in Higher Education, as also recommended by the Oversight Committee and the National Knowledge Commission. The Mission has two major components viz., (a) content generation and (b) connectivity along with provision for access devices for institutions and learners. It seeks to bridge the digital divide, i.e. the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education domain and empower those, who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to joint the mainstream of the knowledge economy. It plans to focus on appropriate pedagogy for e-learning, providing facility of performing experiments through virtual laboratories, on-line testing and certification, on-line availability of teachers to guide and mentor learners, utilization of available Education Satellite (EduSAT) and Direct to Home (DTH) platform, training and empowerment of teachers to effectively use the new method of teaching learning etc.

The Mission shall work in close cooperation and collaboration with other Missions/Schemes such as the National Translation Mission, Vocational Education Mission, National Knowledge Network, Scheme of ICT @ Schools etc., to avoid any duplication and attain synergy. It would operate through inter-departmental and multi-disciplinary approach. On the one hand, the Mission would create high quality e-content for the target groups and on the other, it would simultaneously extend computer infrastructure and connectivity to over 18000 colleges in the country including each of the departments of 419 universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance on a single point rental basis through the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), in a manner that would permit their seamless interaction with a integrated National Knowledge Network. The advent of very low-cost-low-power consuming access cum computing devices, would further enhance the reach of the network. The peer group assisted content development would utilise the wikipaedia type of collaborative platform under the supervision of a content advisory committee responsible for vetting the content. Interactivity and problem solving approach would be addressed through “Talk to a Teacher” segment. The Mission would also have a component of Teacher Empowerment through proper training and digital literacy of teachers to be able to use the e-contents. Renowned institutions would anchor various activities in their areas of excellence. The Mission would seek to enhance the standards of education, in Government as well as in private colleges. Enlistment of support and cooperation of States/Union Territories, Institutions and individual experts would be an integral part of the Mission.

The Mission will ensure that there is no duplication with National Knowledge Network. It will also cater to contents for higher education sector. National Programme of Technology enhanced Learning (NPTEL) Phase II and III will be part of the generation activity.

The Mission would have a three tier committee system to monitor and guide its functioning. The apex National Committee would be chaired by Hon’ble Minister of Human Resource Development. It would decide on all policy and administrative issues and prescribe guidelines for the functioning of the two sets of Committees namely ‘Empowered Committee of Experts (henceforth shall be called as ‘Project Approval Board’) would be sanctioning individual projects and monitoring the overall progress through various peer reviews and concurrent evaluation.

Ministry of HRD, Deptt. of Higher Education would enter into MoU with State Governments for proper monitoring of the Scheme in their State and contribute 50% of the cost of hardware and 25% of the cost of connectivity in respect of the colleges/institutions/universities maintained or substantially funded by it. Similar MoU would also be entered into with Mentor institutions for private/self-financing colleges/institutions/universities for ensuring that the beneficiary institutions contribute 50% of the cost of hardware and 25% of the cost of connectivity and maintain and sustain the facility created under the Scheme after expire of 5 years.

The projected benefits/results of the Scheme would be enhancement of access to quality education, making available knowledge modules in cyber space and optimal utilization of available resources by using of ICT for educating the masses, especially those inhibited in remotely located areas and places at disadvantage.

Standard of Education in India

2012-01-24T22:05:00.000-08:00

Pratham, an NGO has carried out a survey in 5 States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Rajasthan with support from UNICEF and UNESCO. The study has noted that in the last two decades, impressive strides have been made in India in terms of providing school buildings, classrooms, teachers, textbooks and other facilities. These have been matched by very significant improvements in enrollment. The Annual Study Status of Education Report (ASER) study ‘Inside Primary Schools” tracked 30,000 rural children in Std 2 and Std 4 in 900 schools spread over five States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The key recommendations emerging from this study are as below:-

(i) Textbooks need urgent revisions. They need to start from what children can do and be more realistic and developmentally appropriate in what children are expected to learn, with clear learning goals and sequence.

(ii) Systems must be put into place to track attendance, not just enrollment, and ensure regular reporting and monitoring of this attendance.

(iii) Mother tongue instruction and programmes for language transition need to be introduced and expanded.

(iv) Teacher recruitment policies need to assess teachers’ knowledge, but more importantly their ability to explain content to children, make information relevant to their lives and use teaching learning materials and activities other than the textbook.

(v) State teacher education plans should invest in human resource capacity academic structure, like Block Resource Centres (BRCs) and Cluster Resource Centres structure, like Block Resource Centres (BRCs) and Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) to enable them to help improve teaching and learning quality via in-service training and classroom visits.

(vi) As per the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, child-friendly education needs to be defined and measured regularly as apart of the indicators of quality education.

(vii) Libraries with take home books for reading practice at the household level, should be monitored as part of RTE indicators. Family reading programmes could also be part of innovations to help support first generation schools goers.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has become operative with effect from 1st April, 2010 and SSA norms have been revised to correspond with the provisions of RTE Act, 2009 in order to ensure quality elementary education to children of age group from 6-14 years throughout the country including these five States.

DRDO – DU MOU for Enhanced Academic Interaction and R&D Collaboration

2012-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

“Students get a glow on their faces whenever there is a talk of getting an opportunity to work in DRDO”, stated Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, addressing a galaxy of DU academicians and top DRDO scientists during a brief ceremony held here last evening, in which DRDO and University of Delhi entered a memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing academic interaction and R&D collaboration. Prof Singh described it as a Red Letter day in the history of University of Delhi as DRDO is a place where country’s best minds work to develop technologies to defend the country. “It is imperative for a University to serve the country and this MOU is a step in this direction”, stated Prof Singh. Mentioning about the University’s newly set-up “Cluster Innovation Centre” he described it as a program that’s going to change the way students learn.

Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, SA to RM, Secretary Deptt. of Defence R&D and DG, DRDO, in his address highlighted the longstanding relationship of mutual collaboration between DU and DRDO right from the days of Prof DS Kothari, the first SA to RM and an eminent physicist from the University of Delhi. Congratulating the gathering, he described the MOU as a step in formalizing the collaborative efforts between the two great institutions and making them more focused, he said, “we made an informal beginning about a year ago leading to this MOU, I am sure the champions on both the sides will take leadership role to fructify the collaboration”. Emphasizing the role of academic institutions in development of newer technologies, especially in areas where the maturity level of technologies was low (0-3 on a 10 point scale), he briefly discussed the ladder approach evolved and followed in DRDO in developing new products. He set the roadmap by identifying certain key areas for collaboration such as laser physics, cyber security, cryptography, nanotechnology, MEMS, and sensors for specific applications.

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)

2012-01-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

TKDL is a collaborative initiative between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and a maiden Indian effort to prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge belonging to India at International Patent Offices. TKDL has overcome the language and format barriers by scientifically converting and structuring the traditional medical knowledge of Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha in 34 million A4 size pages of the ancient texts in languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Tamil into five international languages, namely, English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish, with the help of information technology tools and a novel classification system - Traditional Knowledge Resource Classification (TKRC). Today, India through TKDL is capable of protecting about 2.5 lakh medicinal formulations similar to those of neem and turmeric. TKDL access has been given to eight International Patent Offices which are European Patent Office (EPO), Indian Patent Office, German Patent Office (GPO), United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKPTO), United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), IP Australia and Japan Patent Office (JPO) under Access (non-disclosure) Agreement. Based on the evidences of prior art submitted by the TKDL team on the basis of the information present in the TKDL database, so far 88 patent applications of the pharma companies of United States, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, China, etc. have been either set aside or withdrawn/cancelled or declared as dead patent applications at no cost and within few weeks of submission of prior art evidences, whereas cancellations of patents have been known to take 4-13 years of complex and expansive legal battle. Considering the novelty, utility and its effectiveness in preventing the grant of wrong patents several countries and organizations have expressed their keenness in replicating the TKDL model for their own countries. World Intellectual Property Organization including the global IP community has recognized India’s leadership in the area of Intellectual Property Rights and Traditional Knowledge and an International Conference on utilizing India’s TKDL as model for protection of Traditional Knowledge was held by CSIR and WIPO in March, 2011 at New Delhi where 33 developing countries participated.

Genesis Of TKDL Initiative

TKDL genesis dates back to the Indian effort on revocation of patent on wound healing properties of turmeric at the USPTO and anti-fungal properties of neem at EPO. Besides, in 2005, the TKDL expert group estimated that about 2000 wrong patents concerning Indian systems of medicine were being granted every year at international level, mainly due to the fact that India’s traditional medicinal knowledge existed in languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Tamil, etc. which was neither accessible nor comprehensible for patent examiners at the international patent offices. TKDL has overcome the language and format barriers by scientifically converting and structuring the available traditional medical knowledge in 34 million A4 size pages of the ancient texts into five international languages, namely, English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish, with the help of information technology tools and a novel classification system - Traditional Knowledge Resource Classification (TKRC). TKDL has been responsible for the reform of International Patent Classification (IPC) by enhancing the IPC on Traditional Knowledge from one subgroup to 207 subgroups which enables effective search and examination process on the patent applications related to traditional knowledge subject matter. IPC reforms in the context of TK are fundamental reforms in the International Patent System which would have long term implications.

TKDL Breaks Distance, Format And Language Barriers Between TK Holder(S) Knowledge And International Patent Examiners

TKDL is a proprietary and original database. TKDL is based on 318 identified books of Indian Systems of Medicine, which are available at a cost of Rs. 1, 00,000. These books are the prior art and can be sourced by any individual/organisation at national/international level. TKDL acts as a bridge between these books and international patent examiners. It is the TKDL technology which has created a unique mechanism for a Sanskrit sloka to be read in languages like German, Japanese, English, Spanish and French by an examiner at EPO or any other International Patent Offices on his computer screen.

Access To TKDL Under TKDL (Non-Disclosure) Access Agreement

Access of TKDL to International Patent Offices is available under TKDL Access (Non-disclosure) Agreement. Under the agreement, examiners of patent office can utilise TKDL for search and examination purposes only and can not reveal the contents of TKDL to any third party unless it is necessary for the purposes of citation. TKDL Access Agreement is unique in nature and has in-built safeguards on non-disclosure to protect India’s interest against any possible misuse.

India has signed TKDL Access Agreements with: European Patent Office (Feb 2009); United State Patent & Trademark Office (Nov 2009) (with the sideline of the state visit of Prime Minister to United States); Indian patent Office (July 2009); Canadian Intellectual Property Office (Sep 2010); German Patent Office (Oct 2009); United Kingdom Patent Office (Feb 2010); Intellectual Property Australia (Jan 2011); and Japan Patent Office (April 2011).

TKDL Search And Retrieval Capabilities For Protection Of Traditional Knowledge

TKDL is one such database that has proven its efficacy and has succeeded in opposing hundreds of patent applications at various International Patent Offices through the route of filing third party observations which exists in most of the National Patent Laws of the countries, wherein a submission may be filed by any member of the public on state of art/prior art at the patent office questioning the novelty and non-obviousness of a patent application after the publication of the patent application and before the grant of patent. Challenging the patents at International Patent Offices is a long drawn process and is expensive. For example, Mexico, only after more than 10 years of legal battle, was able to get the patent on Enola bean at USPTO cancelled in July 2009. Similarly, cancellation on Monsonto Soybean patent happened in July 2007 at EPO after 13 years of legal battle. India is the only country in the world which has set up an institutional mechanism (TKDL) to protect its Traditional Knowledge and is able to prevent grant of wrong patents. TKDL enables cancellation/withdrawal of wrong patent applications concerning India’s Traditional Knowledge at zero cost and in time period of few weeks. In sharp contrast, in the absence of TKDL it took 10 years (1995-2005) to get Neem patent invalidated for antifungal properties at EPO.

TKDL And Indian Systems of Medicine

TKDL is a proprietary and original database with a tool to understand the codified knowledge existing for the Indian Systems of Medicine including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga as prior art. Till date TKDL has transcribed 148 books of Ayurveda (93,280 formulations), 33 books of Unani (1, 33,470 formulations) and 137 books of Siddha (16, 764 formulations).

Recently, TKDL has taken up a big step for authenticating the origin of Yoga. TKDL has prepared patent formats for nearly 1150 yoga techniques to prevent yoga piracy by foreign companies involved in fitness related activities who claimed for copyrights and other forms of IP.

38 books of yoga in Sanskrit and Hindi language have been included in TKDL, like Patanjal-yoga-darshan, Hatharatnavali , Gherandasamhita, Hathapradipika, Kumbhaka Paddhati, Nathamuni’s Yoga Rahasya, Yogasana Vigyan etc. Till date about 1149 yoga techniques have been identified and out of these about 300 techniques like Surya-namaskar, Padmasana, Matsyendrasana, Vajrasana, Mandukasana, Bhujangasana, Paschimottanasana, Shavasana, Nadi sodhan Pranayama, Bharamari Pranayama, Kapalbhati, Nauli, etc. have been videographed for inclusion in TKDL. It is expected that in near future TKDL (Yoga) would also become accessable to International Patent Offices.

Internationalization of TKDL

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organized an International Conference, in cooperation with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the “Utilization of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library as a Model for Protection of Traditional Knowledge” in New Delhi, India in March 2011. Representatives from 33 developing countries and major International Patent Offices that have TKDL Access Agreement with CSIR took part in the conference.

Impact of TKDL against bio-piracy

TKDL references as prior art have led to significant outcomes towards achieving the goal of preventing misappropriation of Indian Traditional Knowledge. Significant impact has already been realised during the last two years. Beginning July 2009, TKDL team has submitted 571 prior art evidences out of which so far 88 patent applications of the pharma companies of United States, Great Britain, Japan, Spain, Italy, China, etc. have been either set aside or withdrawn/cancelled or declared as dead patent applications based on the information present in the TKDL database as depicted in the table given below:

Country wise Outcomes against Bio-Piracy
Country	No. of Cases of MNCs identified on Bio-Piracy where TKDL Prior art evidences submitted	^{Outcomes realised through Cancellation/Withdrawal}
USA	148	17
United Kingdom	51	4
Germany	46	6
Italy	42	6
Japan	38	3
Australia	33	4
Others	213	12
Total	571	88

International Patent Office wise Outcomes against Bio-Piracy
Country	No. of Cases of MNCs identified on Bio-Piracy where TKDL Prior-art evidences submitted	^{Outcomes realised through Cancellation/Withdrawal}
EPO	278	73
USPTO	93	4
IP Australia	33	2
CIPO	91	8
UKPTO	16	1
Others	60	-
Total	571	88

Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology

2012-01-19T05:18:00.000-08:00

Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology is a world class Research & Development and Educational Institution under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The Institute is located in a panoramic campus on the outskirts Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The Institute has its own origin way back in 1967 when it was started as a R&D laboratory to solve problems of high moisture paddy preservation. This laboratory was later upgraded as a national laboratory with the name Paddy Processing Research Center (PPRC) in 1972. Considering the vital importance of strengthening Research & Development efforts in post-harvest processing, preservation and value addition of raw agricultural produce, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries strengthened and upgraded PPRC as a National Institute and called it Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) from February 2008.

The major activities of IICPT include -Conducting basic, applied and adoptive R&D in post harvest processing, preservation and value addition of food crops; HRD by offering bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in food process engineering and through short term training and non-formal courses in food processing technologies; Conducting outreach programs across the country to popularize food processing technologies; Offering consultancies for creation of new food industries or food testing laboratories; Information generation and flow on food processing technologies and to create linkages with related industries, academia and R&D Institutions across the country and around the world.

NABL Accredited Food Analysis Laboratory

IICPT laboratory is equipped with modern equipments to carryout physico-chemical analysis of food, water and organic matter samples. It has hi-tech analytical instruments for analyzing moisture, fat, protein, fiber, FFA, peroxide value, mineral contents, toxin, pesticide residue, water and various other analyses. Food samples from industries, academia and research student samples are analyzed at nominal charges. Short term hands-on training on handling hi-tech analytical instruments is offered in this laboratory.

Food Product Development Laboratory

This laboratory of IICPT engages in development of innovative food products that have adequate nutritional and functional values. Modern equipments including extruders, texture analyzers, RVA, milling machines and all accessories necessary for food product development are parts of this facility. Industries with specific needs on novel food product development utilize the services of this facility effectively.

Food Processing Incubation cum Training Centre

IICPT has hi-tech and state of the art food processing business cum incubation cum training center which has the following product lines: Canning fruits and vegetables or meat and meat products; Ready to serve (RTS) or Ready to drink (RTD) fruit based beverages and jams and jelly manufacturing with bottling facility; Ready to cook (RTC) food products manufacturing; Instant mixes, masala and chutney powders production and sachet packaging; Ready to eat (RTE) extruded food products making; Specialized packaging section with facilities for ordinary packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

Hands-on-training on food processing technologies, renting and consultancy facilities and other technical supports are offered to help the entrepreneurs to invest on innovative ideas for the development of new products and business ventures in food processing.

Food Microbiology Laboratory

The Food Microbiology Laboratory has facilities for conducting research on studying the food-microbes interactions and predictive modeling, fermentation of foods, and identifying microbial spoilage mechanisms. Short term training on food safety and food microbial aspects are given in this laboratory.

Engineering Laboratory

The ideas generated by other laboratories are given a shape in the Engineering Laboratory. This laboratory consists of modern fabrication facilities with modern manufacturing machines and tools. The engineering laboratory, independently or jointly with other laboratories, develop new machines for food processing businesses.

Village Adoption Program by Students

IICPT introduced experiential learning program to the under graduation students as a part of the B. Tech (FPE) curriculum. This program involves student groups of 4 to 5, each adopting villages in different states of the country. The students spend 6 to 10 days per semester in the villages. During the visits the students not only look at the food processing scenario of the villages but also spend major parts of their time looking at the styles and difficulties of living in typical Indian villages, socioeconomic, demographic and educational status of the villages, water supply, drainage and transport systems, hygiene and social living conditions, agricultural production practices and the difficulties involved in it. This program prepares students to become a complete person by learning firsthand the difficulties of Indian villagers living and farming conditions. Their views on the villages and villagers change and they tend to serve the community in more meaningful ways when they graduate.

Research

The subjects of research problems that need to be addressed in food processing areas are vast and needs careful selection and approach. IICPT focuses the research in major theme areas to address problems like: development of technologies for non-destructively grading, sorting and classification of fruits and vegetables, development of farm-gate technologies like washing and grading of fruits and vegetables; development of suitable on-farm grain driers; development of indigenous technology knowledge based food, composite grains foods, energy saving in parboiling, improving milling techniques of cereal grains, pulses, oil seeds and millets, food processing effluent treatment, creating ready to use dry mix fermented batter for idly and other Indian foods, new food product development based on grains, fruits and vegetables, fortification of processed foods for making health foods at affordable prices, development of new equipments for puffing, multipurpose yard drying, parboiling, for producing hand pound rice, reducing storage losses, economic utilization of biomass, food industries by-product and waste utilization.

Outreach Programs

Bringing food processing technologies to stake holders and popularizing the benefits of career and business prospects in food processing are essential components of growth of food industries in the country. These two areas are hitherto missed by most organizations in the country. IICPT has aptly taken up this agenda in its activities. Numerous outreach activities were conducted across the country at many places. The total number of beneficiaries from these outreach activities are too many to count.

In the last 3+ years IICPT organized 33 National seminars and workshops, 3 International Seminars/Conferences and Workshops, 38 Food Processing Expos, and 442 training programs for farmers, women self help group members, rural youth and new and experienced entrepreneurs. During this period IICPT also conducted 40 training programs on behalf of NIFTEM for school children to sensitize them on the values of venturing in food processing careers and 74 programs on behalf of NMPPB to educate butchers on hygienic slaughtering and handling of meat.
Consultancy Works

IICPT does consultation for food industries, academia and other organizations or individuals. Following are some laboratories IICPT has created as a consultant for different organizations - A Meat Products Testing Laboratory was Created for NMPPB in New Delhi; A hitech Food Microbiology Laboratory for HI-RISE FOOD TECH LAB, Old Mahabalipuram Road near Chennai; and IICPT is now creating 14 teaching laboratories for NIFTEM at Kundli, Haryana.

Grievance redressal Ombudsman in educational institutions soon

2012-01-16T23:53:00.000-08:00

The Centre has decided to have a grievance redressal mechanism in higher educational institutions. In a statement issued in New Delhi on Monday, Human Resource Development Ministry said the mechanism, which was likely to come into effect from the coming academic session, would require every institute to constitute an ombudsman.

The statement said that students of both management and technical institutes, central and deemed-to-be universities will benefit from it apart from teachers of education institutions under National Council of Teachers Education. It said that the ombudsman would deliver order within one month.

Frame guidelines to ban sale of junk food around educational area: HC

2012-01-12T05:06:00.001-08:00

The Delhi High Court has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to frame guidelines on banning the sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw gave six-month time to FSSAI to consider the issue.The court was hearing a PIL filed by the NGO 'Uday Foundation. Seeking a compliance report from FSSAI, the Bench fixed July 25 for further hearing of the matter.

Bridge Gap between Old and New Generation for Scientific Temper

2012-01-10T04:55:00.001-08:00

The purpose of science is to make our lives better and happier. Science is that knowledge by which we understand nature and harness it for our benefit. Speaking as the Chief Guest at the International Conference on Science Communication for Scientific Temper here today, Justice Markandey Katju said, “It is true that scientific knowledge can be misused like atom bomb, but it can also be used to benefit mankind, whereas without science we will be living precarious, wretched lives. Not only the applied sciences like technology benefits people, but the fundamental sciences benefit mankind in the long run , even though not immediately.”

Referring to poverty of our country, Justice Katju said, “ 80% of our people are living in horrible poverty, with massive unemployment, skyrocketing prices, massive problems of healthcare, education, housing etc. 48 farmers have been committing suicide on an average every day , and 47 % of our children are malnourished, which is over 10% higher than in countries of sub-Saharan Africa e.g. Ethiopia and Somalia. Our national aim must be to abolish these evils and make our country highly prosperous for all our citizens.”

Dr Katju suggested Four People’s Principles (following Sun Yat Sen’s Three People’s Principles) to address the nation’s problems which should be our guiding principles for solving India’s problems. These are science, democracy, livelihood and unity of the People

When our country was on the scientific path, it prospered. With the aid of science we had built mighty civilizations thousands of years ago. The way out for our nation is to go back again to the scientific path shown by our great ancestors – the path of Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta, Sushrut and Charak, Ramanujan and Raman.

Giving details of scientific achievements in ancient times, Shri Katju said the decimal system and its Zero was an invention of ancient India and progress was not possible without this invention. Under our system to express one million we have just to write the number on followed by six zeros. We could thus express astronomically high numbers by simply adding 2 zeros to 1000 we get lac, crore , arab, kharab, padma, neel, shankh, mahashankh.

Expressing his disagreement with the view of some people say that democracy is not good for India, the problem in India is not that there is too much democracy but too little. We need more democracy, not less, and that means educating those masses, raising their cultural level, and involving them actively in the task on national reconstruction.He emphasized on fact that democracy and science go hand in hand. Scientific growth requires certain supportive values viz. Freedom to think, to criticize, and to dissent, tolerance, plurality, and free flow of information. These precisely are the values of a democratic society.

Regarding livelihood he said, “The economic growth in India has benefited only a handful of people. Unless this trend is stopped it will be disastrous for the country.”

Shri Mahesh Bhatt, film producer talked on ‘Scientific Temper: A National Dream’. He said, “The scientific temper that Jawaharlal Nehru crusaded for is born from a heartbeat: and that heart beat is doubt. A society which is not decorous enough to concede to itself that we are billions of times more ignorant than knowledgeable, is doomed. In the dawn of second decade of this new century, India must recognize that it is through his door of ignorance that one may journey towards reliable knowledge. Even the scientific community needs to wake up and face the blunt truth that their uncritical faith is scientific knowledge has created many of the problems now threaten the planet: and our wholesale reliance on scientific progress is both untenable and myopic”. Citing example of a flowering plant, Shri Mahesh Bhatt said that as it grows it unfolds leaf after leaf. During the growth period it sheds old leaves and give way to new structures. It shows us how to stay dynamic and adaptable. That is what scientific temper is all about, he added.

Dr Gangan Prathap, Director, CSIR-NISCAIR gave a statement on Scientific Temper.Citing wisdom from our saints and sages of ancient times, Dr Gangan said, “ Scientific Temper is compatible with observation and insight, reasoning and insight, reasoning and intuition, systematic work and creative impulse. It gives rise to an attitude of mind which while being conscious of wide areas of ignorance, is never the less optimysic about human ability to gradually unravel the mysteries that surrounds us.In this process scientific temper becomes part of the culture.”

Shri Bernard Schiele, Head, Graduate Studies in Science, Technology, Society, delivered the key note address.

Dr P M Bhargava, Former Vice Chairman,National Knowledge Commission, said, “ Scientific Temper calls for recognition of the several major differences between the scientific attitude and the theological and metaphysical attitude specially in respect of dogmas proclaimed in the name of religion. While science is univerasal, stablished religions are divisive.” Earlier Dr Subodh Mahanti, Director, Vigyan Prasar welcome the august gathering.

The 3-day International Conference on “Science Communication for Scientific Temper” has five Plenary Sessions and fifteen Parallel Sessions with about 88 lectures spread over three days from 10 January 2012. All the sessions are chaired by eminent scholars and science communicators. Altogether, there are thirteen invited lectures by resource persons from different walks of life. The Conference has been organized jointly by CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), Vigyan Prasar (VP), and National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) and DST.

Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education Sign MoU

2012-01-10T04:53:00.001-08:00

The Wadhwani Foundation (WF) and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) USA signed a memorandum of understanding here today. The memorandum was signed by Dr. Ajay Kela, President and CEO of Wadhwani Foundation and Dr. Glenn DuBois, member, Virginia Foundation for Community Colleges Education and Chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Union Minister of HRD for India, Shri Kapil Sibal and Hon. U.S. Senator Mark Warner, Co-chair of the Senate India Caucus who is visiting India with his delegation were also present at the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Kapil Sibal underlined the requirement for enhanced skilled development in the country. He said that considering the high rate of growth India needs massive skill upgradation to prepare for the jobs that will be created. He congratulated the Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education on the signing of the MoU.

The Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education partnership seeks to leverage the combined expertise of Virginia’s Community College system in running industry relevant professional education sharing technical and organizational know-how, curriculum/courseware and teacher training to enhance such programmes in India.

As part of the memorandum, the VFCCE and the WF will together identify high-impact skill development programs in India that need such support. These partnerships could be forged with government or private initiatives and would involve vibrant exchange of ideas and technology transfer, adapting U.S. expertise to position Indian institutions to meet local needs. Virginia Community College experts will serve as consultants, sharing best practices. The Wadhwani Foundation will provide local support and co-funding for this capacity building.

“Virginia’s two-year community colleges play a vital and unique role in our workforce training efforts,” Senator Mark Warner said. “This partnership agreement will allow Virginia’s Community Colleges to share their expertise and materials as we work with the Wadhwani Foundation to expand skills-based job training for India’s young people” he further added.

IIT alumnus Soumitra Dutta named Dean of Cornell's business school

2012-01-10T04:49:00.000-08:00

IIT-Delhi alumnus Soumitra Dutta has been named the new Dean of the Ivy league Cornell University's business school, joining a growing list of noted Indian-origin academicians assuming leaderships roles at prestigious global universities. Dutta, 48, is the first Indian-origin dean at the 66-year old Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

He will become the 11th dean of the New York-based Cornell University's business school when he begins his renewable five-year term on 1st July .

He is currently a professor of business and technology and founder and faculty director of a new-media and technology innovation lab at INSEAD's French campus, where he has been for more than 20 years.

Johnson becomes the first major business school in the United States to hire a dean from a business school outside the country.

Cornell President David Skortan termed Dutta's appointment as a "natural fit" with Johnson's increasingly global outlook.

Dutta "has expertise in new and emerging media, he has studied the conditions that promote innovation and he has extensive experience on the international stage.

Among other qualities, these prepare him well to oversee the education of our next-generation business leaders and entrepreneurs," Skortan said.

The University's Provost Kent Fuchs said Cornell used recruiting firm Spencer Stuart and a 12-person search committee comprising alumni, students and administrators to select the new dean.

Dutta received his Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology and did his Master's in business administration, computer science and a PhD in computer science from the University of California-Berkeley.

"This appointment is an exciting opportunity for me, in part because of Johnson's commitment to global perspectives, entrepreneurship and innovation, and business sustainability, but also because as an early adopter of approaches such as performance learning, the school itself exemplifies innovative thinking in business," Dutta said.

Indian-origin academicians are increasingly being named at the helm of prestigious universities in the US.

In 2010, Harvard Business School named as its Dean Nitin Nohria, who became the first Indian-origin head of the top ranking business school.

In the same year University of Chicago's Booth School of Business had named Stanford University professor Sunil Kumar as its Dean. Cornell University recently won Mayor Michael Bloomberg's competition to open a USD 100 million New York City engineering and applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island in partnership with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Professor C. R. Rao Award for Young Statisticians Conferred on Dr. Shalabh

2011-12-20T05:34:00.001-08:00

The All-India Conference of Planning Secretaries and the Directors of Directorates of Economics and Statistics of States and Union Territories for Sixth Economic Census was inaugurated by Shri Srikant Kumar Jena, Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi today. Shri Jena urged upon intensive training arrangements for the enumerators and supervisors to collect primary data with good quality. He also emphasized that an effective publicity plan both in the centre and in the states and union territories must be in place to create public awareness and solicit cooperation from the respondents. He sought active support of senior officials of states and union territories in this gigantic exercise and wished that with the effective use of state and union territory machinery, the sixth economic census would be conducted with appropriate data quality and timeliness. On this occasion he also conferred the ‘Professor C. R. Rao award for young statisticians’ on Dr. Shalabh, Associate Professor of IIT Kanpur for 2010-11.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India plans to conduct the sixth economic census as a Central Sector Plan Scheme during April to November 2012 in collaboration with all state and union territory governments. The census would involve collection of data from entrepreneurial units in the country. Data on major industrial activity of the unit, number of workers, ownership details, major source of finance, and gender, religion as well as social group of the owner for proprietary units among others would be collected for micro level planning and policy formulations.

The last economic census was conducted in the year 2005. However, launching of the sixth economic census would help in assessing the impact of initiation of various socio-economic development schemes by the government on the total number of establishments in the country and number of persons engaged in various economic activities. The database would enable policy makers and analysts to assess the impact of the economic liberalization process on entrepreneurial activities, especially in the unorganized sector. The data at lower geographical levels, like tehsil and village in case of rural areas and wards in the case of urban areas, would also be a valuable input for local level planning required under 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. Further, the information on number and distribution of entrepreneurial units by geographic location would provide the framework for undertaking follow-up statistical sample surveys to assess the individual contribution of various industrial sectors in the country’s GDP.

99th Indian Science Congress

2011-12-12T05:02:00.001-08:00

The 99th Indian Science Congress will held from 3-7 January, 2012, at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT ) University, Bhubaneswar. The Congress would be organized by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), Kolkata, National Institute of Science Education(NISER) and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University. As per the traditions, the Congress would be inaugurated by Hon`ble Prime Minister of India. The Circular for the 99th Indian Science Congress was printed and circulated to the members and different institutes all over India. Foreign Academies were informed and Noble Laureates were requested to deliver lectures. A website viz. www.isc2012.com has been launched containing the details of the 99th Indian Science Congress.

The Focal Theme of the 99th Congress is "Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation: Role of Women". The country is poised to achieve transformation from being a developing country to a developed country in not too distant a future. India, in its march towards development, will have to adopt the path of inclusive development so that the fruits of development reach every segment of society including the poor people belonging to SC/ST/OBC and other minorities. Science and Technology will be the most critical for realizing this goal. The Congress will discuss ways to promote innovation driven research and development of appropriate technologies to ensure that the diverse population with diverse needs that forms the fabric of India is richly benefited by Science and Technology. The Congress will especially discuss the role of women in this march towards inclusive innovation. No view and suggestions have been received from any State etc. in this regard.

Estimation on Unemployment

2011-12-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

The number of job seekers on the Live Register of Employment Exchanges is often taken as an indicator of the level of unemployment in the country.

The number of job seekers, all of whom may not be necessarily unemployed registered with employment exchanges as on 30-09-2011 was 401.02 lakh in rural and urban areas taken together.

Reliable estimates of employment and unemployment are obtained through quinquennial labour force surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Office. Last such survey was conducted during 2009-10. Based on the results of these surveys, unemployment rate is estimated on Usual Status Basis and Current Daily Status Basis.

Quinquennial labour force surveys on employment and unemployment are conducted by National Sample Survey Office once in every five years. Labour Bureau under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India has conducted first annual household survey on employment and unemployment in 300 districts covering 28 States/UT’s in the country for the period 2009-10. Second household survey for 2010-11 on employment and unemployment is in progress.

The draft National Employment Policy

2011-12-12T04:59:00.001-08:00

Data regarding private placement agencies is not maintained centrally. However, State Governments have been asked to take necessary steps for registration of private placement agencies.

In respect of overseas recruitment agencies (private placement agencies) licensed under the Emigration Act, 1983, action can be taken against the registered recruiting agents (private placement agencies) for such misleading advertisements. In case of unregistered recruitment agents, cases are referred to respective law enforcing authorities of the concerned States. A Tripartite Committee has also been constituted on 31.10.2011 to examine the issue pertaining to private placement agencies & publishing of eye catching/ misleading advertisements for various kinds of job opportunities. First meeting of the said Committee was held on 11.11.2011 at New Delhi.

The draft National Employment Policy has been prepared by Ministry of Labour & Employment with an objective to accelerate employment growth, particularly in the organized sector and improve the quality of jobs in terms of productivity, average earnings and protection of workers, specially in the unorganized sector. Under the draft National Employment Policy, issues pertaining to macro-economic policy, sectoral policy, labour policy, micro and small enterprises, skill development, women and vulnerable workers have been considered and steps suggested for improving avenues of employment.

Steps to Further improve the Quality of Coaching for Minority Students

2011-12-02T03:53:00.001-08:00

The number of Minority students covered under ‘Free Coaching and Allied Scheme’ was 5522, 5532 and 4845 during 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. The process of selection of institutes is still continuing for 2011-12 and till 28th November 2011, 90 students have been covered under the Scheme. Giving this information in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, Shri Vincent H. Pala informed the House that according to guidelines of the scheme the institutes should have at least three years experience in imparting coaching/training; should have a minimum success rate of 15% for competitive examinations for recruitment to Group ‘A’ , ‘B’ , ‘C’ and ‘D’ services and other equivalent posts under the Central and State Governments including police/security forces, public sector undertakings, Railways, banks, insurance companies as well as autonomous bodies and in respect of training institutes 50% placement is required. To further improve the quality of coaching the following steps were taken by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in the current year 2011-12 :

(i) For qualifying for selection, under the scheme, the area of the training/coaching institute should at least be 2000 sq. ft. to accommodate 3 class rooms and 1 office room and it should have 3 years experience and should have coached/trained 300 students per year out of which at least 20% students are from the minority communities; and

(ii) The web based monitoring system with mobile enabled photo uploading while the coaching/training classes are in progress would enable real-time monitoring by the Ministry.

Prez Patil inaugurates DSK Supinfocom Int’l Campus

2011-12-02T03:36:00.001-08:00

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has called upon industrial houses and able persons to share responsibility in resolving social issues like bringing rain-fed agriculture to productive stage and minimizing cost of machinery and equipments used in the generation of renewable energy sources in the country.

Inaugurating the Supinfocom International Campus developed by Pune based DSK Group in collaboration with Supinfocom and Chamber of Commerce and Industry in North France in Pune today, she also appealed to the people to send their suggestions to the recently constituted committee of Governors of various states in this regard.

The Campus offers courses of international standard in the field of Animation, Gaming and Industrial Design.

French Ambassador to India Francois Richier present on the occasion termed the Campus as yet another venture in strengthening the co-operation between India and France.

Admission News

2011-12-01T22:18:00.001-08:00

Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi invites application for Two Year Full Time Post Graduate Programme in Global Business Operations.

MSME –Technology Development Center, Agra starts admission to various programmes in Footwear Technology.

National Institute of Fashion Technology starts admission to Bachelor & Master Degree Programme in Design, Management & Technology.
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Mohali invites applications for various programmes.

University of Pune invites applications for Certificate Course in Advanced Computing and Certificate Course in EMBEDDED System Design.

Electronics Corporation of India Limited, New Delhi starts admission to various Computer Training Courses.

Legal Aid Clinics Scheme

2011-12-01T22:06:00.001-08:00

As India lives in its villages, it is imperative that the villagers be provided an effective legal assistance in their village itself. As of now it is also a fact that most of the legal services institutions are located in urban and semi-urban areas which position puts the villagers at a disadvantage. To overcome this hurdle a Scheme of Legal Aid Clinics has been prepared to provide legal relief easily to the indigent and backward sections of our society. The Scheme, adopted in December last year under the National Plan of Action of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), is being implemented through the legal services institutions (i.e., the Taluk/Sub-divisional/Mandal Legal Services Committees, District Legal Services Authorities, High Court Legal Services Committees, State Legal Services Authorities and Supreme Court Legal Services Committee established under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987) spread throughout the nation. NALSA plans to set up Legal Aid Clinics in all villages throughout the country. Legal Aid Clinic is one of the thrust areas envisioned in the NALSA’s Quinquennial vision & strategy document.

Legal Aid Clinics on the lines of primary health centres where a doctor and other auxiliary medical staff provide basic health care to the people situated in village areas affected with poverty and social squalor. Like the doctors rendering health services to the people of the locality in the primary health centre, a lawyer manning the legal aid clinic provides legal services to the people. The basic objective of the Scheme is to provide legal services to the poor, marginalized and weaker sections of the society as categorized in Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987, especially to the people living in faraway places including the places with geographical barriers, away from the seats of justice and the offices of the legal services institutions.The aim of the Scheme is to provide an inexpensive local machinery for rendering legal services of basic nature like legal advice, drafting of petitions, notices, replies, applications and other documents of legal importance and also for resolving the disputes of the local people by making the parties to see reason and thereby preventing the disputes reaching courts. In cases where legal services of a higher level are required, the matter can be referred to the legal services institutions established under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Legal Aid Clinics are manned by paralegal volunteers (selected and trained by the Legal Services Authorities) and lawyers with a sense of commitment, sensibility and sensitiveness to the problems of common people. The paralegal volunteer is available during the working hours of the Legal Aid Clinics.

The Legal Aid Clinics are located at a place which is easily accessible to the local people. A room within the office building of the local body institutions like village panchayat is considered ideal.

The local Legal Services Authorities are persuading the local body institutions like village panchayat, mandal / block panchayat, municipality and corporation etc, to provide a room for the functioning of legal aid clinic. Since the legal aid clinic is for the benefit of the people in the locality, the local body institutions is impressed upon the need to co-operate with the functioning of the legal aid clinics and to realise that the legal aid clinic is aimed at promoting peace and welfare of the people in the locality.

Legal Aid Clinics are under the direct administrative control of the nearest legal services institution having territorial jurisdiction. The District Legal Services Authority has the supervisory and advisory powers on all Legal Aid Clinics functioning within the district. The State Legal Services Authority has the power to issue guidelines on the working of these Clinics.

The State Legal Services Authorities issue directions from time to time for improving the services in the Legal Aid Clinics to ensure that members of the weaker sections of the society are provided legal services in an efficient manner. The State Legal Services Authorities are required to send quarterly reports about the functioning of the Legal Aid Clinics within their jurisdiction to National Legal Services Authority.

Talking Books on Compact Disc

2011-12-01T22:04:00.001-08:00

t is feasible to convert books into Braille provided there is a capacity for printing books in adequate numbers. National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Dehradun under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment produces talking books on Compact Disc and in other digital format for the benefit of visually impaired persons.

During 2001, information pertaining to disability ‘In Seeing’ was collected which included ‘blind’ as also persons with ‘low vision’. As per Census 2001, the estimated number of children with disability ‘in seeing’ in the age group of 5-19 is 27, 74,145 and out of that 15, 89,954 children are attending educational institutions

Financial Assistance to SC/ST Students

2011-11-30T05:00:00.001-08:00

The University Grants Commission (UGC) provides financial assistance to Central/State/UGC maintained deemed to be universities and colleges for SC/ST students under following three schemes:-

(1) Remedial Coaching at Undergraduate and Postgraduate Level for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minority Communities Students.

(2) Coaching for entry into services for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minority Communities Students.

(3) Coaching of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minority Communities candidates to prepare for National Eligibility Test (NET)/State Level Eligibility Test (SLET).

Universities and Colleges covered under Section 2(f) and 12 (B) of the UGC Act, with students belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non creamy layer)/Minority communities are considered for financial assistance on lump sum basis by UGC under these schemes. An amount of Rs. 48.45 crores was spent in XIth Plan on these schemes. Besides, UGC provides fellowship to SC/ST students under the Scheme of Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (RGNF) since 2005. Under RGNF, 2000 slots for SC and 667 slots for ST students are filled every year.

Review on Standard of Education in Sainik Schools

2011-11-30T04:59:00.001-08:00

At present, there are twenty four Sainik Schools under the Ministry of Defence in the country. Sainik Schools are established on receipt of a request from a State Government agreeing to provide land alongwith funds for the creation and maintenance of basic infrastructure, equipment and facilities besides scholarships for the cadets of the States. A Memorandum of Agreement is required to be signed by the State Government to this effect.

As regards opening new Sainik Schools, proposals have been received from State Governments of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for setting up new Sainik Schools in Sambalpur, Sagar and Chitttoor district respectively. After site inspection by officers of the Ministry, in principle approval has been accorded for setting up new Sainik Schools in these States. The State Governments have been requested to transfer the land, build up basic infrastructure and sign the Memorandums of Agreement.

The Sainik Schools Society reviews the working and performance of Sainik Schools in respect of academic results and NDA intake as well as infrastructural facilities. There is an upward trend in respect of the academic as well as NDA results. In pursuance of the decisions taken during such Review meetings, following steps have been taken:-

(i) An elaborate programme of in service training to the teachers and administrative staff and competition oriented training to the cadets is being implemented with the assistance of experts from the Services and professional educational institutions/bodies like National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

(ii) Service Selection Board (SSB) oriented training is also being provided to the cadets using professional resource personnel.

(iii) Principals of Sainik Schools are being deputed to empowerment programmes conducted by CBSE in collaboration with the Indian Institutes of Management and NUEPA.

(iv) The Ministry of Defence also provides training gram annually to each Sainik School with a view to upgrade training infrastructure and skills.

Survey on Standard of Education in India

2011-11-25T04:07:00.001-08:00

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) In Schools

2011-11-25T04:06:00.001-08:00

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which became operative with effect from 1st April, 2010, prescribed that Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in schools should be maintained as per the following specified levels:

A. For classes 1 to V:

(i) Two teachers for upto sixty admitted children

(ii) Three teachers for 61-90 children

(iii) Four teachers for 91-120 children

(iv) Five teachers for 121-200 children

(v) One head Teacher, other than the five teachers, if the number of admitted children exceeds 150 and the PTR (excluding Head Teacher) shall not exceed forty if the number of admitted children is above 200.

B. (i) At least one teacher per class so that there shall be at least one teacher each for (a) Science and Mathematics: (b) Social Studies: and (c) Languages.

(ii) At least one teacher for every 35 children:

(iii) Where admission of children is above 100, there shall be (a) a full time head-teacher and (b) part time instructors for Art Education, Health & Physical Education and Work Education.

Since inception Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in 2001-02, 19.14 lakh posts of teachers have been sanctioned till October, 2011. The PTR at National level has improved from 36 at Elementary level in 2005-06 to 33 and 31 at Primary and Upper Primary level respectively as per District Information System, for Education (DISE) n- 2009-10.

Proposals to Provide Aakash Tablets to Students

2011-11-25T03:58:00.001-08:00

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) aims to leverage the potential of ICT in providing high-quality, personalized and interactive knowledge modules over the internet in any-time, any-where mode. To do so, a computing device that was low in cost but rich in features, was seen as an imperative. The low cost tablet PC ‘Aakash’ launched by Government will bring down the digital divide to a good extent.

In the XI Plan, under NMEICT, there is a provision for providing 50% subsidy to colleges and universities for procuring computing devices like ‘Aakash’ as per their requirements. The colleges and universities could then issue these devices to financially weak students from the library on the pattern of the Book Bank Scheme. Thus, the individual subsidy to poor students like SC, ST and OBC for buying Aakash tablets may not be needed.

Tiss Guwahati to be Off-Campus Center of Tiss Mumbai

2011-11-25T03:56:00.001-08:00

Whereas the Central Government is empowered under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956 to declare, on the advice of the UGC, an institution of higher learning as a deemed-to-be-university.

And whereas, on the advice of the UGC, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai was declared as an ‘Institution Deemed-to-be-University’ for the purposes of the aforesaid Act, vide this Ministry’s notification No. F 11-22/62-U.2 dated the 29th April, 1964.

And further whereas, the Institution “Deemed-to-be-University” has submitted a proposal on 21st December, 2009 seeking permission for establishment of an off-campus centre at Guwahati under the ambit of “Tata Institute of Social Sciences”.

And whereas, the UGC vide its communication bearing No. F 6-3/94 (CPP-I) dated 18.02.2011 has recommended to the Ministry of Human Resource Development to allow TISS, Mumbai to start an off-campus centre at Guwahati from the academic year 2011-2012 subject to annual review for three years and subsequently after five years.

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, the Central Government, on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC), do hereby declare that TISS, Guwahati shall be a constituent teaching unit under the ambit of TISS, Institution Deemed-to-be-University, Mumbai as an off-campus centre, for the purposes of the aforesaid Act for conduct of academic course/programmes and the conditions attached thereto, from the academic year 2011-12 subject to annual review for three years and subsequently after five years, subject to usual terms and conditions as prescribed under the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010.

The declaration as made in Para 5 above is further subject to fulfillment of the conditions mentioned at Sr. No. 4 of the endorsement to this notification.

THE HINDU-HITACHI SCHOLARSHIPS

2011-11-10T04:02:00.000-08:00

In association with Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, THE HINDU invites applications for Scholarship for technical training in JAPAN. The number of Scholarships will be three. The terms and conditions are as follows:

1. Candidates who must be Indian Citizens, schould not have completed 30 years of age on 31.03.2012 and should be in possession of the minimum Degree of B.E., or B.Sc.,(Engg.) or its equivalent from any recognised university. Candidates who have already had practical experience in the branches for which training is proposed to be given, will be given preference. Candidates with at least one year's professional experience need apply. Those who were interviewed with previous years for the Scholarships need not apply again.

2.The Scholarships are tenable in Japan for principally six months commencing about July 2012. Trainees may have general training in one of the following product fields of Hitachi Ltd., (Hitachi) for Example (1) Industrial, Transportation and Urban Development Systems (2) Informaion and Telecommunication Systems (3) Power Systesms being subject to the convenience of each of Hitachi's establishments. During the training, there will be special emphasis on environment-related and energy-saving technologies.

3. Trainees shall be, during their training,under the supervision and direction of Hitachi, which has full discretion on scope,mode,duration and place of establishment of their training.Training will not be available in the R&D activities of Hitachi.They will be subject to the rules and regulations and the discipline of the establishment to which they are posted.

4. Selected trainees will be provided with return Economy Class air passage.Arrangements will also be made for free Boarding and Lodging for trainees in Japan, and to defray all expenses for travelling in Japan which may be considered necessary for their training. In addition, each trainee will be paid a monthly fixed allowance to cover his personal expenses.

5. Parents or guardians of selected candidates shall guarantee their good conduct and shall undertake to pay for their repatriation should their conduct be found unsatisfactory by Hitachi Ltd., or any, public authority in Japan or in case the selected candidates desire to discontinue their studies in Japan for any reason whatsover during the period of their scholarships.

6. Applications should be made in duplicate in the forms available on payments of Rs.5/- from offices of The Hindu given below THE HINDU, 859 & 560 Anna Salai , Chennai - 600 002, or the Branch offices of THE HINDU.

7. Completed forms should reach THE HINDU, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002, Superscribed " THE HINDU - HITACHI TRAINING SCHEME," before December 31, 2011

Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan Scholarship

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University) set up by the Government of India for propagation and promotion of Sanskrit language invites applications in the prescribed form for award of merit Scholarship to:

i. Regular students studying Sanskrit including Pali and Prakrit in any recognized traditional Pathshalas/modern institutions / Secondary / Senior Secondary Schools from 9th to 12th standard.

ii. Regular students pursuing higher course of studies in Sanskrit in recognized educational Institutions at the levels of Shastri / Graduation / Acharya / Post Graduation / Vidyavaridhi / Ph.D.

Details for grant of scholarship are as under:-

S.No. - Courses of Study for which Scholarship is given - Eligibility Criteria - Scholarship Amount Rs. P.M.

1.- 9th and 10th classes / Purva Madhyama or equivalent courses with Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit as a paper of least 100 marks - Must have passed the previous examination of the respective class with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the aggregate and also in the concerned subject i.e. in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit - 250

2. - 11th & 12th classes / Prak Shastri / Uttar-Madhyama and equivalent courses with Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit as a paper of at least 100 marks - Must have passed the previous examination of the respective class with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the aggregate and also in the concerned subject i.e. in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit - 300

3.- Shastri / Graduation / B.A./B.A.(Hons.) and equivalent course of three years duration with Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit as a subject of at least 100 marks. - Must have passed Plus 2 level examination with a minimum 60% marks or equivalent in the aggregate and also in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit - 400

4. - Acharya Degree in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit and its equivalent Post-Graduation Degree - Must have passed Graduation with at least 60% marks in the aggregate in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit - 500

5. - Vidyavaridhi / Ph.D. and equivalent in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit - Must have passed Acharya or M.A. in Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit with at least 60% marks in the aggregate - 1500/-**

** The student of Vidyavaridhi / Ph.D and equivalent courses shall also be entitled for a contingency grant of Rs. 2000/- per annum for two years.

Number of Scholarship: Number of Scholarships to be awarded each year depends on the availability of funds.

Relaxation: - Minimum percentage of marks for the candidates belonging to the categories mentioned below under eligibility criteria shall be as under: –

SC / ST - 50 %
OBC - 55%
Women - 55%
Physically Handicapped - 50%

Terms & Conditions:

1. Students must have opted for the subject i.e. Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit in the current class of Study for which he or she has applied for the Scholarship. However, the grant of Scholarship will depend on the marks secured in the previous class of study in the concerned subject and also in the aggregate as stipulated in this advertisement.

2. The Scholarship up to Post-Graduate and equivalent courses will be tenable for one Academic year i.e. (10 months) starting from the 1st July and ending with 30th April. As Scholarship is awarded only for one academic year on the basis of marks obtained in the previous examination, students have to apply every year afresh. It will not be renewed automatically.

3. The Scholarship for the Ph.D will be tenable for two full Years i.e. 24 months subject to satisfactory progress report.

4. Candidates applying for scholarship for 9th and 10th standard must submit the application duly counter signed by the concerned District Education Officer.

5. The Students of faculties of Arts or Humanities having Sanskrit as a major subject will be eligible for scholarship in case of Graduation and Post Graduation level.

6. The Scholarship amount will be payable from the 1st July of every academic year and will be released in the name of the concerned students by account payee cheque through the Head of the concerned institutions. In case any student wishes to receive the Scholarship directly in his/her State Bank Account, he/she must furnish State Bank Account number in the application form legibly.

7. In the case of Ph.D and equivalent students, the institution concerned shall send Utilization Certificate and progress repot on the work done by the scholar through the guide and Head of the Department, to enable the Sansthan to release Scholarship for the second year.

8. A candidate who receives any Scholarship or gets monetary benefits from any other institution will not be considered for Scholarship of the Sansthan under this Scheme. A candidate who accepts any remunerative job during the tenure of the Scholarship or undertakes to any other course of study which does not have component of Sanskrit will be disqualified from receiving this Scholarship.

9. The Sansthan reserves the right to make such changes in these terms and conditions as it may consider necessary. The Sansthan also reserves the right to reject any application after due scrutiny. The decision of the Sansthan in this regard will be final and binding.

10. Every student will be required to submit application form through the Competent Authority in the prescribed pro-forma indicating interalia :-

i.) That he/she is pursuing a course of study for which he/she has applied for the Scholarship with Sanskrit / Pali / Prakrit as a regular student.

ii.) That he/she is not in receipt of any other Scholarship from any other source.

iii.) That he/she is not employed anywhere.

iv.) That during the currency of the Scholarship if he/she is awarded Scholarship from any other source and/or is employed he/she will immediately inform the Sansthan through proper channel.

Application procedure: - The application on the prescribed form alongwith attested copies of the mark-sheet of the latest qualifying examination and caste / category certificate in case of SC/ST/OBC/Physically Handicapped issued by the competent authority must be sent to the Registrar, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University) 56-57, Institutional Area,Janak Puri, New Delhi- 110 058 within one month from the date of publication of this advertisement. The application form can also be download from Sansthan’s website www.sanskrit.nic.in

Last Date: - 04.12.2011

For more informations please visit : www.sanskrit.nic.in

Khorana Program For Scholars

2011-11-10T03:57:00.001-08:00

The.Department of Biotechnology, Govt, of India, University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) (and partner universities) and the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (lUSSTF) are partnering to support the prestigious Khorana Program for Scholars named in honor of Dr. Har Gobind Khorana, who won the Nobel Prize in 1968 for his work at the interface of Chemistry and Biology while a member of the UW faculty. The Khorana Program will provide opportunities to Indian students to undertake research at University of Wisconsin-Madison and partner universities in Summer 2012 for a period of 10 weeks. A list of UW partner universities is available at https://www.biochem.wisc.edu/faculty/ansari/khorana_program/

The Khorana Program is envisaged to:

•Provide encouragement to young scholars to undertake R&D

• Enable students to carry out research at a premier University in the United States

• Transform research into societal benefits

• Build a seamless scientific community between India and the United States

For application guidelines refer to: www.indousstf.org

Eligibility:

B.Tech, M.Tech and M.Sc. students currently enrolled in a recognized institution of higher education in India in the areas of biotechnology including agricultural, health and biomedical sciences.

Scholarship includes: • Stipend • Accommodation • Airfare

For Program information contact:

Dr. Nishritha Bopana
Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF)
12 Hailey Road, Fulbright House, New Delhi-110 001
E-mail: scholar@indousstf.org krlovely@wisc.edu

Application Deadline : 30 NOVEMBER 2011

CENTRAL SECTOR SCHEME OF SCHOLARSHIP FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - 2011

2011-11-10T03:55:00.000-08:00

1. Those students who have passed Class- XII Exam from CBSE prior to 2011 need not apply.

2. Only online application forms will be accepted. Forms of previous year or website printouts without bearing online Registration No. will be rejected. The application in respect of the candidates who have filled in the details online but have not submitted the signed forms along with Joining report and Income affidavit before due date will be rejected.

3. Mere submission of the application form/fulfilling the eligibility criteria will not entitle the applicant for the award of Scholarship. Scholarships will be distributed among various streams and various categories on merit as per criteria advised by the Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India.

4. Applicant is entitled to receive only one scholarship at a time. If the applicant is in receipt of any scholarship from any other scheme he/she has to refund that scholarship, failing which action will be taken as per rules.

5. The information regarding receipt of application for scholarship and its details will be displayed / updated on website from time to time.

6. Any change in address and Bank Details must be immediately reported to “Section Officer (Scholarship), 7th floor, CBSE, Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110092” alongwith the Online Registration No., Name and Roll No., of the applicant and copy of the form submitted.

7. Application received after due date shall be summarily rejected.

8. For any query related to this Scholarship Scheme, please write to:scholarship.cbse@nic.in In case of any technical difficulty in online submission of Application form, contact at antriksh.cbse@nic.in, kamalcbse@gmail.com,

For more details please visit : www.cbse.nic.in

Last Date : 31.10.2011

Scholarships In India

2011-11-10T03:52:00.000-08:00

1. CENTRAL SECTOR SCHEME OF SCHOLARSHIP FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS-2011
Last Date : 31.10.2011
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2. Khorana Program For Scholars
Last Date : 30.11.2011
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3. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan Scholarship
Last Date : 04.12.2011
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4. The Hindu - Hitachi Scholarships
Last Date : 31.12.2011
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Special Class Railway Apprentices’ Exam to be held on January 29

2011-10-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Union Public Service Commission will hold the Special Class Railway Apprentices’ Examination, 2012 on 29th January, 2012 for recruitment to the Special Class Apprentices in the Mechanical Department of Indian Railways. The examination will be held at various centers across the country.

Candidates are required to apply only through online mode. No other mode for submission of application is allowed. For details regarding eligibility conditions, the syllabus and scheme of the examination, centres of examination, guidelines for filling up application form etc. aspirants must consult the Detailed Notice of the examination published in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated 22nd October, 2011 or the UPSC website : http://www.upsc.gov.in.

65 Proposals Found Eligible for Consideration under free Coaching and Allied Scheme of The Ministry of Minority Affairs for 2011-12

2011-10-28T00:03:00.001-07:00

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has found 65 proposals eligible for consideration under its Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for imparting coaching to students belonging to the Minority communities for the year 2011-12. The final selection will be done in the 2nd week of next month by a Committee which is headed by the Secretary of the Ministry. The list of all the eligible and ineligible institutes has been uploaded on the official website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Last year 22 coaching institutes were included under the Scheme. The budget for the Scheme for 2011-12 has been fixed at Rs. 16 crore and the target is to coach 6,000 students during the year. This Scheme is implemented directly by the Ministry of Minority Affairs with 100% Central assistance to the selected coaching institutes. The Scheme provides for earmarking 30% of the target for girls.

The Ministry had received 219 recommended proposals for imparting coaching to students belonging to the Minority communities under its Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for the year 2011-12. The Ministry had invited proposals from Govt/Pvt. institutes/NGOs for participating in the Scheme. The last date for receiving proposals along with the recommendations of the concerned State Government was 15th July 2011.

The Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for Minorities aims to empower the Minority communities, which are relatively disadvantaged section of society, by assisting them as well as those institutions working for them, towards enhancing their skills and capabilities to make them employable in industries, services and business sectors in addition to the government sector.

NIFT & FIT New York Establishe Academic Linkages ;Dual Degree Programme Launched

2011-10-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

The objective of forging a strong global connect and of offering international academic exposure to its students, has been instrumental in National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) undertaking a commendable initiative of establishing academic linkages with Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York, in the form of a Dual Degree, said Shri Anand Sharma, Commerce & Industry and Textiles Minister.

FIT, New York is an internationally acclaimed institute under the aegis of State University of New York with an enviable reputation in the field of fashion education for 67 years. In fact, NIFT was established in 1986 in collaboration with FIT, with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). At the initial stage, NIFT entered into a decade long agreement for academic and infrastructural support and NIFT faculty benefited from short-term trainings at FIT.

Since then, NIFT has seen tremendous growth with 15 centres and the expansion of international and domestic linkages. Today NIFT has emerged as a most reputed and largest institute in fashion education in India, a fact that Shri Sharma is proud of.

Smt. Panabaaka Lakshmi, Minister of State for Textiles has congratulated NIFT on this commendable accomplishment. She is hopeful that the association of two premier fashion institutes would reap benefits multi-fold in nature.

Smt. Monika S. Garg, Director General of NIFT elaborates that NIFT initiated the exercise of having a meaningful alliance with FIT which involved a detailed study of different undergraduate courses of both institutes. Course Mapping of prospective areas of study was undertaken. Since FIT has stringent standards for the intake of both national and international students, the compatibility of the curriculum of NIFT bachelor’s degree 3rd year programmes with the one year Associate Degree programme of FIT was scrutinized in detail which revealed compatibility in the areas of Fashion Design, Textile Design and Fashion Communication. As a result of this initiative, a landmark achievement and the first of its kind at NIFT i.e. Dual Degree (UG Programmes) has been crystallised.

Smt. Rita Menon, Secretary Textiles has lauded the commendable effort and the increased ambit of international and domestic linkages of NIFT. This relationship with FIT implies that selected meritorious students from NIFT would avail the unique opportunity to obtain a joint Degree awarded both by NIFT & FIT. She wants the agreement to be implemented at the earliest for the benefit of NIFT students. Smt. Menon appreciated the steps taken by NIFT in the recent past to structure its linkages with reputed institutes abroad to make them more meaningful for its students and faculty. In fact, this year as NIFT celebrates 25 years of its existence, the renewed alliance with the original partner institute is envisaged to be significant and mutually beneficial.

The Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

2011-10-17T22:11:00.001-07:00

The Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) has been running successfully in the 4th year of its implementation. So far an amount of 2,955 crore rupees have been released by the Ministry under this scheme. In an encouraging trend, 1.36 lakh projects have been assisted so far, generating 13.16 lakh employment. According to KVIC. more than 90 per cent of these units have been set up. For this year, 68 per cent of margin money allocation has already been released to states with more demand coming in from many states. The scheme is expected to continue over the next five-year plan with more than double the fund allocation.

PMEGP is a Central Sector Scheme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise. At the State/UT level, the Scheme is implemented through field offices of State KVIC, State/UT Khadi and Village Industries Boards and District Industries Centers with the involvement of banks. The objectives of this scheme are-to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country through setting up of new self-employment ventures or projects or micro enterprises; to bring together widely dispersed traditional artisans or rural and urban unemployed youth and give them self-employment opportunities to the extent possible, at their place; to provide continuous and sustainable employment to a large segment of traditional and prospective artisans and rural and urban unemployed youth in the country, so as to help arrest migration of rural youth to urban areas; and to increase the wage earning capacity of artisans and contribute to increase in the growth rate of rural and urban employment.

Mallikarjun Kharge Calls for Creating a Huge Infrastructure for Skill Training and Certification

2011-10-17T22:09:00.001-07:00

Union Minister of Labour & Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has emphasized the need to speedily implement programmes for harnessing its ‘demographic dividend’ of estimated youth population of 51 crore persons by 2016 in the age group of 15-35. Addressing the 44th Session of Labour Standing Committee here in New Delhi today the minister said if not done so the same may turn into a liability.

Shri Kharge said a well-structured mechanism has evolved with the establishment of the Indian Labour Conference, the Standing Labour Committee and various other tripartite bodies to deal with issues such as minimum wages, social security benefits, education, training, safety and health. Initiatives like MGNREGA, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, Right to Education, Food Security measures and Right to Information have provided a proper foundation for development for our disadvantaged countrymen. Improving the living and working conditions of our workmen has always been the cornerstone of our Government policy. These measures under taken by Government of India have been appreciated at various fora world over, including the G-20 Labour Ministerial, which I attended recently.

He said Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development. Quality employment and appropriate skilling of the work force are the major challenges before us. We need to create a huge infrastructure for skill training and certification. Imparting training to the informal sector and keeping pace with the demands of the industry is equally important. He said we have arranged resources for upgradation of all our Government ITIs. Most of these ventures have been undertaken through Public Private Partnership and we have also received enthusiastic response from the State Governments. Our next major initiative is going to be the establishment of new ITIs and Skill Development Centers. Another significant step undertaken is Skill Development Initiative under which informal workers will be trained in short term courses certified under Modular Employable Skills framework. This will be especially helpful for the school dropouts and unskilled workers. Till now, curriculum for 1200 courses has been developed. Government is also focusing on sectors like construction, real estate, tourism, Small and Medium Enterprises, transport, etc., which are labour intensive. The minister said Special attention is being given to the ‘Gender dimension’ and ‘Employability by increasing IT literacy’. Our Mission Mode Project for upgradation of Employment Exchanges is going to be one of the most important E-Governance initiatives.

Referring to the earlier discussions on the rationalization of Labour Laws in the past in the meetings of National Commission on Labour, State Labour Minister Conference, Indian Labour Conference, etc the Minister said the National Commission on Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) has also reiterated that there is need to formulate a National Labour Code in the form of basic law which should lay down a floor of substantive labour rights or standards such as Minimum Wages, Maximum Hours of Work, Minimum standards of safety and health at workplace and so on. Also, ‘Recognition’ of trade unions is and Verification of the membership of trade unions are the issues gaining a lot of importance in the Industrial Establishments. He said the present system of verification like secret ballot, check off, etc., needs to be closely examined further for evolving an improved system which is more transparent and brings out the proper representation.

On the demand of Trade Unions to amend the Contract Labour Act, 1970 to provide for automatic absorption of contract labour in the event of prohibition of employment of contract labour and opposition by the employers’ organizations Shri Kharge said his ministry has been making efforts to protect the interests of all stakeholders and try to extend the same benefits to contract workers which are otherwise available to permanent workers. He expressed the hope that present Session of Standing Labour Committee will be quite productive and will lead to selection of Agenda items for the next Indian Labour Conference which are relevant and touch upon the core issues related to the ‘World of Work’. The views of the various stakeholders present in the meeting will act as precious inputs for facilitating Government’s decision making for formulation of Schemes and bringing in important legislation.

The detailed the agenda for to days meeting included five items, namely-(i) Verification of membership of Trade Unions (ii) Improvements in the working conditions of Contract Labour (iii) Ratification of ILO Core Conventions (iv) Enhancing employability and employment and (v) Rationalization of Labour Laws.

During the meeting 3 vice chairman were selected. They are Shri C.K. Sajinarayanan (Workers representative), Shri Shyam Bang (Employers representative) and Shri Shibu Baby John, Minister of Labour, Government of Kerala (State Governments representatives).

The State Minister of Labours Participating in the session were: Shri Janardan Singh ‘Sigriwal’ from Bihar, Shri Chandra Shakher Sahu from Chattisgarh, Shri Rama Kant Goswami from Delhi, Pndit Shiv Charan Lal Shrma From Hariyana, Shri P. Parijat Singh from Manipur, Shri B.N Bachegowda from Karnataka, Shri Shibhu Baby John from Kerala and Shri Manik Dey from Tripura.

The Central Ministries participating in the meeting were Agriculture & Cooperation, Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Coal, Commerce, Economic Affairs, Environment & Forests, Financial Services, Heavy Industries, Health & Family Welfare, Home Affairs (Inter State Council), Industrial Policy & Promotion, Khadi and Small and Medium Enterprises, Mines, Overseas Indian Affairs, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Planning Commission, Posts, Power, Public Enterprises, Railways, Revenue, Road Transport & Highways, Rural Development, Social Justice & Empowerment, Steel Telecommunications, Textiles, Urban Development and Women & Child Development. From Employers Group Council of Indian Employers, All India Manufacturers’ Organization, Laghu Udhyog Bharati, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry, The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India. From Workers Group Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Indian National Trade Union Congress, All India Trade Union Congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, All India United Trade Union Centre, Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), United Trades Union Congress (UTUC) and National Front of Indian Trade Unions –Dhanbad (NFITU-DHN).

National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD)

2011-10-15T04:49:00.001-07:00

National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) is a premier Institute under the Ministry of MSME for coordinating, training and overseeing the activities of various institutions and agencies engaged in Entrepreneurship Development particularly in the area of small industry and small business. NIESBUD has launched a major project for Entrepreneurship and Skill Development of 35,000 youth by December 2011 in the states of West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, J&K, Gujarat and Union Territory of Chandigarh. NIESBUD is one among several Institutions functioning under the Ministry of MSME. In its endeavor to spread entrepreneurial culture throughout the country, the Ministry is being assisted by two more entrepreneurship development Institutions namely National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ni-msme), Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati.

Identifying Skills for Maximum Employment

The Skills have been identified on the basis of market needs to ensure maximum employment. The Institute hopes that at least 25% of the participants will be employed within this financial year. The main skills identified are Housekeeping & Hospitality, Retail Management, IT & ITES, Light Engineering, Fashion Designing, Artificial Gems & Jewellery and Cosmetology and Beautician. Most of these training programmes are being sponsored by the Ministry under the Scheme of ‘Assistance to Training Institutes’. The participants are encouraged to gain self employment and are provided hand holding support under the scheme of Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana (RGUMY) being implemented by the Ministry of MSME. The programmes are closely monitored to ensure the highest quality. The District Administration, Industry and Business Associations, Bankers and Placement Agencies are closely involved with the programmes.

National and International Forum for Exchange of Ideas

NIESBUD has been conducting training programmes for national and International participants since 1983 besides conducting research studies and providing guidance and consultancy to new and existing entrepreneurs in MSME sector. NIESBUD has been working with different Ministries like Ministry of Labour and Employment, Rural Development, Social Justice & Empowerment, etc. and assisting them in fulfilling their objectives.

Promoting Entrepreneurship

NIESBUD has helped Central and State Governments and their agencies in promoting entrepreneurship in their respective areas by way of guidance, consultancy, etc. It has also provided support and guidance to various countries in Asia and Africa.

NIESBUD has recently organized more than 100 Workshops in different Engineering Colleges, Management Institutions and others in order to create awareness among the students and faculty in realizing the power of entrepreneurship. Thousands of students and hundreds of Faculties realized that the ultimate need of the country is not only to create another employee rather to establish entrepreneurs who will in turn provide employment to many persons.

Till the end of 2010-11, the Institute has trained more than 75,000 persons including 2100 from 125 countries and plans to conduct 8 international training programmes for training 200 participants from 25 Countries in 2011-12 the Institutes will also train at least 40,000 persons in employable skills and will strive for the wage and self employment of at least 10,000 participants.

Right to Information -Expanding the Horizons

2011-10-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

The 6th Annual Convention of the Central Information Commission has commenced in the national capital today. The Convention is discussing four topics, namely – Transparency and accountability: with special reference to Public Private Partnership Projects, RTI Act : Potential & efficacy in curbing corruption and grievance redressal, RTI Act - Exemption Provisions & Second Schedule and Experiences and Prospects of Information Commissions

The convention was, today morning, inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister announced that a bill for whistleblowers’ protection is being brought in. Dr. Manmohan Singh, stated that the conference of the Commissioners is very important. He said that he had the opportunity to address the third annual convention of Information Commissioners in November 2008. He observed that three more years have passed since he made observations in regard to the benefits of RTI Act and he can say with confidence that the Right to Information Act is now being more extensively and effectively used to bring into public gaze many areas of the work of public authorities which would otherwise have remained hidden from public gaze. He concluded by stating that I expect the 6th Convention of the Information Commissioners to give us a holistic assessment of the ground situation in regard to the implementation of the RTI Act.

Shri Satyananda Mishra, Chief Information Commissioner welcomed the guests on the occasion of completion of sixth year of the implementation of RTI Act. He stated that in a short period of six years, this law has found its way into the daily conversation of people. It is not uncommon to hear people say ‘I will RTI if so-and-so is not done.’ It has become a verb. He opined that the Right to Information (RTI) Act is the second most important legal document we have given to ourselves after the Constitution of India.

In his opening address Shri V. Narayansamy,Hon’ble Minister of Personnel stated that the knowledge is power and the transparency is solution. The Government is making all efforts for making the people aware. He also stated that the Government has recently created an identity for the RTI Act in the form of an Anthem. The Hon’ble Minister exhorted that the Indian law on the Right to Information is a model and unique legislation for the developing world. Government of the day has been working steadily towards creating the culture of openness in place of the culture of secrecy.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Shri M L Sharma, the Information Commissioner, CIC. In his remarks he observed that it is the paramount task of the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions to strike a balance between the need to disclose information and at the same time to disallow information which may adversely affect the national security or the efficiency of the administrative machinery. He thanked the RTI practitioners and stated that the Commission is sure that their field experience will enrich the proceedings of the technical sessions.

US- India Higher Education Dialouge

2011-10-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Recalling the considerable progress achieved in bilateral educational relations following the visits by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the United States in 2009 and President Obama to India in 2010, Human Resource Development Minister Shri Sibal and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today reaffirmed the strategic partnership between India and the United States for meaningful dialogue, cooperation, and engagement in the field of higher education, and launched a new phase in this partnership. The two leaders acknowledged the immense possibilities for further collaboration between the two countries given the inherent dynamism, emerging challenges, and numerous exciting opportunities available for sharing and growing together.

Expressing their commitment to that vision, Shri Sibal and Secretary Clinton launched the expanded U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue as an annual bilateral event to map out strategies for partnership in the field of education between the two countries. The Dialogue should identify areas for mutually beneficial exchanges and provide a platform for intense and meaningful collaboration among academia, the private sector, and government on both sides. The plan is for the Dialogue to be held alternately in the United States and India.

Shri Sibal and Secretary Clinton emphasized that access to and the development of technology and skills are cross-cutting requirements to meet the challenges that their two countries face. They acknowledged the fruitful collaboration between India and the United States in the areas of education, research, and innovation and noted its contribution to the development of technologies, skills, and knowledge-based societies in both countries. Both leaders emphasized the need to enhance this collaboration.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved in the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative, launched in 2009, under which proposals have been invited by both sides by November 1, 2011, to be reviewed by a joint working group for academic awards in support of university partnerships. The two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to the Fulbright-Nehru Program and its contribution to leadership development and scholarly achievement. They also highlighted and encouraged the full array of collaborations directly between higher education communities, such as the Yale-India program, for academic leadership and faculty development. The two leaders underscored the need to enhance the scope of collaboration and identify new ways to encourage linkages and exchange programs.

The two leaders also expressed their support for the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, which provides fresh impetus to academic collaboration in the cutting-edge areas of scientific research and technology development.

The two leaders lauded the continuing efforts by both sides to explore new avenues for collaboration such as the Indo-U.S. Engineering Education Conclave, held in January 2011 in New Delhi, for strengthening higher educational institutions in the fields of engineering and technology and expressed the hope that more such opportunities for engagement would emerge in the future in other fields.

The two sides endorsed the resolve of the stakeholders from academia, government, and industry to take forward the following areas of consensus arrived at during the Summit:

1.A continued expanded U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue with representatives from government, academia, and business that would interact on a periodic basis to inform and underpin the Dialogue.

2. Support for the following goals:

• Promoting strategic institutional partnerships for further strengthening and expansion of collaboration in the priority areas of higher education, including science and engineering, social sciences, and humanities, and addressing societal challenges in areas such as cyber security, energy, environment, health and agriculture;

• Encouraging expansion and deepened collaboration in research and development in the above areas between academic institutions of the two countries through existing initiatives;

• Fostering partnerships in the areas of vocational education and skills enhancement to meet the needs of today’s world;

• Exploration of models for ‘educational institutions for the 21st Century’ (such as ‘meta’ universities);

• Further strengthening programs for student and faculty enrichment and exchange, and development of leadership in academia at all levels;

• Welcoming the involvement of the private sector in the two countries to support and deepen collaboration with the higher education community, faculty exchanges, skills development, and institutional partnerships.

3.India announced its intention to set up an India-U.S. higher education platform as a means to pursue these goals.

4.Strengthening educator enrichment and exchange programs (with the Government of India indicating its intention to sponsor initially up to 1,500 faculty and junior scholars to leading universities and research institutes in the United States) to promote development of human resources while also enhancing broader interaction between the two countries.

Shri Sibal thanked Secretary Clinton and her colleagues, as well as the academic, non-governmental, and business communities in the United States for their efforts in successfully organizing the U.S.-India Higher Education Summit, and expressed optimism about building on this successful Summit in the expanded U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue to be held in 2012.

Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2011

2011-10-14T21:56:00.001-07:00

Union Public Service Commission will be conducting Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2011 at 19 Centres from 29.10.2011. Admission certificates to all eligible candidates have already been issued. Letters of rejection citing the ground (s) for rejection have also been sent. If any applicant has not received either of the above communications, he/she may contact UPSC Facilitation Counter in person or on Tel. Nos.23381125, 23098543and 23385271.

Information regarding venue of Examination is also available on Union Public Service Commission’s Website at http://www.upsc.gov.in. The eligible candidates who have not received the Admission Certificates may downloaded the “Venue Information” from the above mentioned website and use it for appearing in the examination.

Security Printing And Minting in India

2011-09-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

18th Century – Minting of coins started at Calcutta Mint. In 1790 modern machinery was brought from England and second Mint was established. Bronze, silver and Gold coins were getting minted from these mints

· 1918- British sovereign were minted during 1918 as the Mint in Mumbai was declared as branch of Royal Mint of London

· 1925 – Printing of postal stationery & stamps started at Nashik

· 1928 – Printing of currency/bank notes started at Nashik

· 1929 onwards –various other security products added

· 1962- Re.1/- printing started at new location

· 1967- A Security Paper manufacturing Mill was commissioned at Hoshangabad (M.P.)

· 1974 – A new press was established at Dewas (M.P) with complete range of printing machines to take care of printing of higher denomination of bank notes using “Intaglio Printing Technology and Guillotine Machines” for carrying out finishing jobs of processing bank notes. In Bank Notes Press, Dewas, high quality security inks are also produced and supplied to various security organizations

· 1980- Printing of all currency/bank notes shifted to new location

· 1982-First security printing unit established by Government of India at Hyderabad

· 1988-Government of India came up with first Mint of its own at Noida (U.P.)

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Signs MoU with Goethe-Institute for Teaching of German

2011-09-24T03:10:00.001-07:00

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) (represented by Mr. Avinash Dikshit Commissioner) and Goethe-Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan (represented by Mr. Heiko Sievers, Regional Director) here today. It was signed in the presence of Shri E. Ahamed, Minister of State, Human Resource Development and Ms. Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State, German Federal Foreign Office.

The MoU aims at

• imparting communicative German language training to students of Kendriya Vidyalayas.

• Training and supporting teachers of KVs in implementing the German project involving teaching German language in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

• Equipping schools with materials to support the teaching of German language.

• To gradually enable KVS staff to independently take over German language education, with the MMB playing an advisory role.

The KVS has taken a decision to offer German as a third language in its schools. A large number of the Kendriya Vidyalayas have shown an interest in introducing German into their school network and have already started teaching German as a part of the curriculum. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is a premier organization in India administering over a 1000 schools

The Goethe-Institute Max Mueller Bhavan (MMB) is an organization that supports the teaching of German. It offers organizational and academic support to partner institutions in the host country that choose to offer German as a Foreign Language as a part of their curriculum. .

Institute of Hotel and Catering Management at Dethali

2011-09-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

The project of Institute of Hotel and Catering Management at Dethali in Gujarat has been prioritized for the year 2011-12.

A proposal was received from the Government of Gujarat seeking Central financial assistance for setting up a State Institute of Hotel Management at Dethali (Siddhpur-Patan) under Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan.

The proposal of the Government of Gujarat could not be considered as the Institute of Hotel Management education policy was under review. Subsequently, it was decided to open new IHM’s as per the targets of the 11th Five year Plan under the existing scheme guidelines.

The Ministry of Tourism undertakes the exercise of prioritizing projects in consultation with the state/UT Administration. The prioritised projects are however, considered for sanction subject to adherence to the scheme guidelines and progress of the projects sanctioned earlier.

Enabling Web in 22 Indian Languages: W3C India Office

2011-09-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

The internet has completed 42 years of its existence on 2nd September, 2011. The generation that has not seen other means of communication than internet is grown up now. They find it easy to communicate online with their peers but when it comes to communicating with people using other Indian languages than English they find themselves clueless. Now this hindrance in communication will be over soon.

The Government committed to the goal of ‘Internet for All’, in close co-operation with other stakeholders has taken several steps in this direction. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) India Office, one of such steps, was formally launched on 6th May, 2010. A 2-day Conference on World-Wide-Web: Technology, Standards and Internationalization was held in New Delhi to mark the launching. On 15th September 2011 W3C India Office Workspace was inaugurated at Electronics Niketan, CGO Complex. The establishment of New W3C India Office space gives it a permanent entity and would play more active and crucial role in proliferation of W3C standards among ICT industry and users to make India truly knowledge based society.

World Wide Web Consortium

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international Standards Body headquartered at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA which develops Standards / Best Practices / recommendations to ensure seamless web access to all. W3C has 19 offices world-wide having the core objective of promotion, proliferation and adoption of W3C standards and its implementation according to local languages and culture. The Vision of W3C is to achieve “Web for Everyone and Web on Everything.” W3C works in tandem with other standards making bodies such as UNICODE, IETF, ICANN and ISO at the international level. W3C has so far published about 183 standards for web technology and working in the future web standards. Recommendations evolved by W3C run across many technical domains.

Need for Setting up of W3C India Office

Awareness, Education & Outreach is the major goal of W3C India office which will lead to adoption of W3C recommendations. Although these Web Standards are applicable across the globe yet some of these require customization for local languages & culture. It will be feasible to have seamless multilingual web by constantly addressing these needs and working in tandem with W3C.

Indian Linguistic Diversity having 22 constitutionally recognized languages and 11 complex scripts is more diverse than that of entire European Union. Apart from these 22 constitutionally recognized languages India’s rich linguistic diversity boasts of 100 other major languages and 2371 dialects as per Census 2001. In India, a Language may be based on many scripts. Many languages may be based on a single script; these languages culturally differ depending on region though using same script. Even there are wide variations in the usage of the same language across various parts of the country. Linear scripts such as Roman do not change their shape hence characters juxtapose – one after another whereas Indian Languages have complex conjunct characters. Major issues related to Indian languages like orthography – spelling issues, dialect variations etc. testify that each language has its own specific requirements to be investigated carefully for enabling W3C standards in 22 Indian Languages. Implementation of W3C standards for seamless web access across device and platforms in Indian languages makes it a gigantic and challenging task.

The Nation-Wide Flag-ship E-Governance Programme and roll-out through various national and state-wide mission mode projects and citizen services through CSCs adds a new dimension of W3C’s role in India. Internationalization of W3C’s standards in Indian context and their implementation addressing the complex language requirements would be a key role for W3C India. W3C India is also the national platform involving the industry, academia and users which evolve national recommendations/ guidelines from India.

W3C India Initiative will not only facilitate wider access of web by the people of this country but will also equip them to provide locally relevant content on the internet. Such initiatives will play a great role in reducing poverty, improving health care, education, spreading good governance and addressing all local challenges in the global context.

The future internet issues need to be addressed from a holistic perspective by taking into account building blocks right from users, services and applications down to network. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach by involving innovative SMEs and develops drivers, interfaces, networks and services to support future networked society.

Participation from India is there but it is limited as some industry members are interacting with W3C on specific areas of interest to them. India need to ensure that all her officially recognized 22 languages can be adequately represented in W3C recommendations to make Web accessible in Indian languages a reality and in view if this the role of India becomes prominent especially in the area of internationalization.

W3C India Office

W3C India Office has been set up at DIT under the aegis of Human Centered Computing Division. The Division is implementing the programme “Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL)”. TDIL programme is engaging itself actively since 2006 with all the stakeholders in the country to work towards internationalization of W3C Recommendations.

Sh.N.Ravi Shanker, JS in DIT is the patron while Smt.Swaran Lata is the Country Manager of, W3C India Office.

The objective of W3C India office is to promote adoption of W3C recommendations among developers, application builders, and standards setters, and to encourage inclusion of stakeholder organizations in the creation of future recommendations.

On 12th September 2011 W3C India has released “Internationalization of E-Governance solutions: Best practices”.W3C India prepared a set of Internationalization and Localization Best Practices for E-Governance applications to bring out the necessity and purpose of internationalization in the perspective of Web-based services and E-governance in Indian languages. The main consumers of these guidelines are the Application developers for the E-Governance sector, users and policy makers in E-Governance applications.

Membership of W3C is open to all types of organizations (commercial, educational and governmental entities) and individual. A membership agreement has to be signed to become a member. Member may be for profit or not-for-profit organization. Most members invest significant resources into web technologies like developing web-based products, using web technologies as an enabling medium, conducting research on the web or developing specification based on W3C work. For effective functioning of W3C India Office suggestions in research areas of technologies directly related to priority areas of W3C based on member’s interest are desired.

W3C India Office launched with the long term vision of “Enabling Web in 22 Indian languages” will accelerate the growth of Web in Indian Languages. In today’s technology driven world, access to information is crucial for taking the benefits of ICT to the masses. The engagement with W3C in building all the required standards will facilitate information access on World Wide Web regardless of languages, location, ability, generation, age and income. This would prove to be a transformational step.

The History of Chemistry

2011-09-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

United Nations Organization has declared 2011, as the ‘International Year of Chemistry”. It is to honour the completion of 100 years of awarding the Nobel prize in chemistry to Marie Curie (1867 - 1934) who discovered a new radio-active element called polonium. She was often ill due to her excessive exposure to radioactive rays and died at the age of 61 due to Leukemia. The year is to remember great scientists who sacrificed their lives for the service of the mankind through science.

The year 2011 also completes the successful hundred years of the ‘International Association of Chemical Societies’. The United Nation’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) have jointly accepted the responsibility of successfully celebrating 2011 as International Year of Chemistry. The main theme is ‘Chemistry for Mankind : Innovative Ideas in Life Sciences’.

Inventions in Chemistry has given innumerable application to mankind – starting from manufacturing oxygen, water, food, building materials, medicines, and progressive economic development of mankind. Chemistry, thus, has become an integral part of the human race.

Upto 17th century, chemistry was not treated as independent branch of science. It gained considerable recognition as modern chemistry with the efforts of Antoine Lavoisier.

Antonie Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) is considered to be the father of modern chemistry. He is most noted for his discovery of the role oxygen plays in combustion. Lavoisier introduced the method of naming the chemical compounds which are still used. In 1789 his main contributions to chemistry were elegantly set out in his ‘Elementary Treatise on Chemistry’

On November 1, 1772, Lavoisier deposited with the Academy, a note which stated that sulphur and phosphorus, when burnt increased in weight because they absorbed ‘air’, while the metallic lead formed from litharge by reduction with charcoal weighed less than the original litharge because it had lost ‘air’. The exact nature of air, concerned in the process he did not explain until after the preparation of ‘dephlogisticated air’ (oxygen) by Joseph Priestley in 1774. In a memorier presented to the Academy in 1777, but not published until 1782, he assigned to dephlogisticated air the name oxygen or ‘acid producer’, on the erroneous supposition that all acids were formed by its union with a simple, usually non-metallic body. Combustion was explained by Lavoisier not as the result of liberation of hypothetical ‘phlogiston’, but as the result of the combination of the burning substance with oxygen. On June 25, 1783, in conjunction with Pierre Laplace, he announced to the Academy that water was the product formed by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen; by that time he had been anticipated by Henry Cavendish. From his knowledge of the composition of water Lavoisier led to the beginnings of the quantitative organic analysis. He burnt alcohol, and other combustible organic compounds, in oxygen and from the weight of water and carbon dioxide produced, calculated their composition.

Oxygen was first prepared around 1772 by K.W. Scheele by heating certain metals oxides, including mercury oxide, and was discovered independently in 1774 by Joseph Priestley, who also obtained it by heating mercuric oxide. Its recognition as a chemical element is, however, due to Lavoisier (1775-77). The chemical symbol is O, the atomic number 8, atomic weight 16, and serves as the standard with which the atomic weights of other elements are compared.

It is to Lavoisier that we owe to a great extent the modern concept of an element as against the old Greek idea.

By the middle of the 18th century, however, chemistry became a quantitative science based on the use of the analytical balance, and the needed chemical criteria were established. The new and clarifying ideas on the nature of matter were published by Lavoisier in 1789, and thereafter until the later development of physical methods (e.g. x-rays), substances were classified as elements or compounds solely on the basis of their chemical reactions.

By the use of data obtained in his experimental studies of chemical reactions, Lavoisier was able to prepare the first scientific list of elements, which he published in his book in 1789.

Before the publication of John Dalton’s atomic theory and indeed even before the formal enunciation of the Law of the conservation of mass by Lavoisier, there was some recognition of the principle of equivalency in chemical combinations.

Despite all the contributions to science and France, in his 51 years of life Lavoisier was made the victim of the French Revolution. His estate was confiscated and his library and laboratory was burnt. He was guillotined i.e., executed on 8th of May 1794.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) discovered the laws of electrolysis which paved the way for electroplating in industries.

Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) discovered chemical elements like chlorine, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and many compounds. He died after tasting mercury compound in one of his experiments.

Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) who became blind while conducting an experiment, discovered sodium, potassium, minerals, safety lamp, laughing gas - N2O.

Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811-1899) was a pioneer of chemical spectroscopy. Bunsen Burner is used in every chemistry laboratory in the world. During research he lost his eye and died of Arsenic poisoning.

Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944) represented India in the field of chemistry and later came to be known as the Doyen of Chemical Sciences in India. He is credited with the discovery of Mercurous Nitrate and synthesizing Ammonium Nitrite. His research on nitrates earned him the nick name, "the Nitrate Man", in the international scientific community. He established Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceuticals in the year 1901 with a view to utilising science for generating employment and livelihood for the unemployed youth. Ray was a very popular teacher and some of his students like Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghanad Saha were destined to play a very important part in the future scientific research work in India. Ray lived alone in a single room in the university college of science, Kolkata till his death on June 16, 1944.

Thus the history of chemistry is the history of human civilization recording dedication and sacrifice of many great scientists.

Major Collaborative Projects in Scientific Research for Advanced Research between India and UK

2011-09-16T03:12:00.001-07:00

Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Planning, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Mr. Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of Britain today discussed perspectives of ways and means to further consolidate cooperation between UK and India through Science & Technology and Innovation space in the margins of the Summer Davos conference now underway in Dalian, China. Dr. Carey, the Chief Scientist (Foreign Commonwealth Office, UK) is visiting India and Dr. Kumar will discuss with him major collaborative projects in scientific research including futuristic and advanced research in nanotechnology, biotechnology, nuclear safety, material science, astrophysics and green technologies.

Mr. Brown offered assistance in marshalling the resources of international business and philanthropic community for facilitating the achievement of universal education targets set by India and the achievement of millennium development goals. While appreciating the huge efforts being made by India, in this area Mr. Brown offered to facilitate the availability of teachers and technology to realize this goal.

Addressing Problems Related to availing of Scholarship Schemes Meant for Minorities

2011-09-15T05:40:00.001-07:00

Government has taken actions following representations from Minority Organizations from time to time which highlighted problems like inadequate time limit for submission of applications for scholarship schemes implemented by Ministry of Minority Affairs, delay in disbursement of scholarships, reluctance by banks in opening of zero balance accounts, etc. Actions taken to address these problems include introduction of ‘Online Scholarship Management System’ for Merit-cum-Means based scholarship scheme, extension of time limit for submission of fresh as well as renewal applications, stricter monitoring of scholarship schemes, etc. Schematic changes in the ongoing programmes have also been taken up before the Working Group constituted by the Planning Commission for formulating the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).