SPB, 10 others from Tamil Nadu to get Padma awards

SPB, 10 others from Tamil Nadu to get Padma awards

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.01.2021

Eleven people from Tamil Nadu have been conferred with the Padma awards 2021, an official list put out by the Centre on Monday evening said.

Among them, singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, who died of Covid-19-related complications last year, was the sole Padma Vibhushan awardee, while 10 individuals from diverse fields such as arts, sports, medicine and trade are Padma Shri recipients.

Padma Shri recipients from Tamil Nadu include classical singer Subbu Arumugam, Pattimandram specialist Soloman Pappaiah, 105-year-old organic farmer from Coimbatore Pappammal, singer Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, chandamama artist K C Sivasankar (who passed away in September last year), Marachi Subburaman, a social worker who has been building low cost houses, toilets and helping rural families for the past three decades through his NGO Scope.

P Subramanian, former chairman and managing director of Shanti Gears, who passed away in December last year, has also been posthumously awarded the Padma Shri. While he was referred as ‘gear man’ of Coimbatore, he was highly regarded for his philanthropic endeavours. Through his charitable trust Shanti Social Services, he ran a canteen which served food for as low as ₹10. In trade and industry sector, Sridhar Vembu, founder and CEO of Zoho corporation, is another recipient.

Dr Thiruvengadam Veeraraghavan, the ₹5 doctor from Royapuram in Chennai who served many patients for several years, was another posthumous recipient of the Padma Shri. He died in August last year.

Former Indian women’s basketball team captain Anitha Pauldurai was conferred with the Padma Shri. The 35-year-old hoopster from Chennai is among the six sportspersons from acrossthecountry tobebestowed with the honour.

Anitha, who made her debut in 2000, went on to become the youngest Indian captain at the age of 19 and led the side for eight years. Under her captaincy, India won numerous medals in international competitions. A silver at the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam back in 2009 was followed by a gold medal at the South Asian Beach Games in Sri Lanka two years later. She led India to gold at the Asian Beach Games in China in 2012.

On return from jail, Sasikala to stay at niece’s T Nagar house

On return from jail, Sasikala to stay at niece’s T Nagar house

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.01.2021 

Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s close-aide V K Sasikala will have a new address when she returns home.

With Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam in Poes Garden, where she stayed for close to three decades, set to become a political landmark in Chennai, No 179, Habibullah Road, Thyagaraya Nagar in the city would be Sasikala’s home for now. Arrangements have been made for her to reside in the house, adjacent to the residence of her niece, J Krishnapriya, where she stayed for a few days during her parole in 2017.

On Monday, AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran tweeted that Sasikala would be released from prison on January 27. “As the Covid-19 infection has reduced considerably and her health is improving, we will consult doctors about her discharge from hospital and announce her return to Chennai later,” Dhinakaran said.

But Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence would not be open to Sasikala anymore. The Edappadi K Palaniswami government took over the house and turned it into a museum that would be opened to the public on January 28. Moreover, the Income Tax department has attached Sasikala’s nine-ground property opposite to Veda Nilayam, where construction was going on until a few months ago.

Krishnapriya is the daughter of J Ilavarasi, Sasikala’s sister-in-law and co-convict in the disproportionate assets case. “The Habibullah Road residence is a property of Anjaneya Printers Private Limited, in which Krishnapriya is one of the directors. Once she resumes her political activities, Sasikala will find it comfortable in the house, which would draw hordes of visitors, especially ahead of the election,” said a source. Ilavarasi too may stay with Sasikala. Ilavarasi will be released from prison on February 5.

On Monday, Sasikala’s lawyers prepared all the necessary documents for her release from prison. “An application has been submitted to the prison authorities to obtain a certificate for completion of her four-year sentence. They have processed the documents and will present the papers to us on Wednesday morning,” Sasikala’s counsel N Raja Senthoor Pandian told TOI.

Meanwhile, as AMMK made preparations to extend a grand welcome to Sasikala from the state border and all along the route to Chennai, cadres eagerly await to hear her political plans. “There have been calls from our cadres on the date of her release. Our leader stood by Amma (Jayalalithaa) for long. Every cadre wants her to take over the reins of the AIADMK and steer the party,” said AMMK deputy general secretary G Senthamizhan said.

NEW ADDRESS: Sasikala stayed in the house during her parole

The universities have been asked to set up an international affairs office with a view to expanding the global outreach of Indian higher education in line with NEP 2020

International affairs offices of Indian varsities will promote ‘Brand India’

The universities have been asked to set up an international affairs office with a view to expanding the global outreach of Indian higher education in line with NEP 2020

25.01.2021 

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

In its efforts to boost internalisation of higher education, the UGC has directed all universities to set up office for international affairs, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Promotion of Indian Higher Education Abroad (PIHEA) committee that was set up in 2004, to promote India as a global study hub. “UGC’s capacity building initiative to promote ‘Brand India’ aims at encouraging internationalisation, in keeping with NEP 2020,” says Bhushan Patwardhan, vice chairman, UGC.

Affordable degrees

While short duration courses under ‘Study in India’ campaign have attracted foreign students from developed nations, it is time to prepare Indian universities to host international students for long term degrees as well. “India can provide world-class affordable education even in STEM and a dedicated international affairs office can drive home that point. Just as innovation centres boost entrepreneurship across campuses, the international affairs office would undertake a whole host of activities including international admissions and hostel facilities, foreign student orientation and faculty preparedness,” Patwardhan adds.

He calls for student mobility on Indian campuses for economic, socio-economic and geopolitical reasons to “create a multicultural ecosystem that can give the stimulus for scholarship and innovation”.

Key facilitator of research collaborations

The UGC directive, says Rama Shankar Dubey, vice chancellor, Central University of Gujarat, has come at the right juncture, though internationalisation of higher education, can only be achieved “with upgradation of the curriculum as per the global standards”. “An international cell in every university can enlighten the foreign students about the quality of education being imparted while helping universities compete at the global level.”

NEP 2020, according to Dubey, envisages promoting multidisciplinary education involving major and minor courses from across disciplines. The university’s international affairs office can ensure more foreign collaborations towards that end.

“NEP 2020 mandates deploying the National Research Foundation at the apex level to monitor and mentor the quality of research in the country and promote collaborations with foreign institutions. The international affairs office can be a nodal centre at the university level to facilitate such research collaborations,” adds Dubey.

CBSE to increase evaluation centres for boards 2021

CBSE to increase evaluation centres for boards 2021

The board will soon release fresh sample question papers based on the reduced syllabus

c-Sheetal.Banchariya@timesgroup.com

25.01.2021 

While several state boards have released the exam schedule for board exams 2021, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is yet to announce the datesheet for class X and XII boards. However, the exams will commence on May 4 and will continue till June 10, 2021.

Anurag Tripathi, secretary, CBSE, told Education Times that the board is taking special measures amid coronavirus to conduct the exams.

“This year, the number of exam centres across the country will be increased to maintain social distancing. Similarly, the provision for centralised evaluation process will continue and the number of evaluation centres will also be increased. But, the board will not be responsible for providing vaccines to the teachers and evaluators.” To avoid any further disturbance, the board will work on a speedy declaration of results and may be released before mid-July.

Full report on educationtimes.com

Entrance exam syllabus need not be reduced

Entrance exam syllabus need not be reduced

c-Puniti.Pandey@timesgroup.com

25.01.2021 

While the CBSE and many other state boards have reduced the syllabus for class X and XII to reduce the pressure on students, there have been no alterations in the syllabus for national level entrance exams such as JEE, NEET. Students, however, will have various options in the JEE question paper this year.

Speaking to Education Times, Dr Faheem Ahmed, associate professor, Department of Community Medicine, HIMSR, says syllabus for competitive exams cannot be shortened since the exams are not based on class XII syllabus.

Aspirants of competitive exam never limit their preparation to the course content of 10+2. Most students explore vast syllabus to crack the exams, he adds. “Reducing the syllabus will only increase the scores. However, the allotment of the seats in medical colleges is not based on score, but merit. There will be limited number of beneficiaries, even if the merit goes higher due to the limited number of seats in professional courses. Therefore, there is no need to relax the syllabus for entrance exams. Authorities may consider fee waiver in order to help the students, says Dr Ahmed.

Moreover, during the lockdown students had enough time to explore various knowledge banks as most of these are available online, she adds.

Favouring a reduction in the syllabus of JEE, M Afshar Alam, dean, School of Engineering Science and Technology, Jamia Hamdard says, “Since students are habitual for classroom teaching, their preparation must have been impacted during the pandemic. Reducing the syllabus for JEE will not have any major impact on the students’ future learning as JEE is based on class XII syllabus. Moreover, the students are taught the basics of Physics and Chemistry in the initial years of their engineering as well.”

How corporates support young women in STEM

How corporates support young women in STEM

Several companies are providing financial aid to encourage girls to study science and make a career in scientific sectors but we need more

c-Sheetal.Banchariya@timesgroup.com

25.01.2021 

As per a UN report, India tops the world in producing female graduates in STEM but ranks 19th in employing them. Another report by the UN suggests that while 40% of Indians who graduate in STEM disciplines are women, only 14% of the total 28,000 scientists and engineers in research and development institutions are women. To bridge the gender gap in the industries, there needs to be a focus on increasing women in STEM from the start of their careers. Buddy4Study, a portal for scholarships, reveals as many as 25 scholarships for girls funded by major corporates. Several companies have special internship programmes to give them a solid platform, but the CSR initiatives need to have more focus on girls from EWS.

L’Oreal’s ‘For Young Women in Science’ scholarship is awarded to 50 women worth 2.5 lakh each to bright and deserving young women from all over India.

“At a micro level (household level), while the lower-middle-income group aspires to educate their daughter in market-relevant new-age courses, their limited financial resources make it mostly unaffordable. Besides, if girls want to pursue graduation in science, the expenses further increase,” says Snehhal Chitneni, director, Communications, CSR, Public Affairs & Ethics, L’Oreal. “These women then become role models to many others around them and motivate young girls and their families to break social barriers or perceived notions of associating STEM fields with gender,” adds Chitneni.

Besides, the most critical step is to change the mindset of society and have educational institutions that encourage the girls to opt for STEM education. Launched in 2014, Mastercard’s signature STEM education program Girls4Tech™ focusses on inspiring young girls to pursue STEM careers through a fun, and engaging curriculum incorporating deep expertise in payments technology and innovation, as well as encryption, fraud detection, data analysis and digital convergence.

Download PDF version of voter ID cards from today

Download PDF version of voter ID cards from today

Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.01.2021 

On National Voters’ Day on Monday, the Election Commission will roll out the ‘e-EPIC’, a non-editable and secure PDF version of the electoral photo identity card (EPIC) that can be downloaded on the mobile phone or in a self-printable form on the computer.

The e-EPIC facility — to be launched by law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, ‘guest of honour’ at EC’s 2021 National Voters’ Day event on Monday, by distributing e-EPICs and EPIC cards to five new voters —will eliminate the wait for delivery of the physical EPIC card after it is approved. Now, immediately upon approval EPIC will be downloadable. Electors can print the card, self-laminate it or store it digitally, as per convenience. The e-EPIC shall be in addition to the plastic voter EPIC card being issued upon fresh registration.

The e-EPIC can be uploaded by the voter on digilocker and stored securely along with other documents. All new electors registered during special summary revision 2021 —those who applied during November-December 2020 — and whose mobile number provided while applying is unique, will get an SMS and may download e-EPIC between January 25 and 31, 2021.

Thereafter, all other general electors will be able to download their e-EPIC w.e.f February 1, 2021, in case they are having unique mobile number in the e-Roll. Alternatively, they will have to undergo ‘know your customer’ (KYC) process before downloading the e-EPIC.

The e-EPIC will eliminate the need for a voter to get a new card made each time there is a change in address on account of migration. A single e-EPIC card would suffice, with only changed address in QR code, which can be downloaded afresh. This would enable the principle of ‘One nation - one election card’.

Voters who have lost or damaged their EPIC card will be able to download duplicate cards for free. Currently, this facility entails a payment of ₹25.