IIT-M introduces 6-month internships for B Tech students

IIT-M introduces 6-month internships for B Tech students

Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 10.11.2024

Chennai : Indian Institute of Technology Madras has introduced six-month internships for B Tech students to help them secure more pre-placement offers and gain better industrial exposure. According to the plan, students who joined in 2024-25 will not have any core courses in their sixth semester and the elective courses can be completed either in earlier semesters or in following semesters. 

Currently, B Tech students go for summer internships for a maximum period of three months. Industries and students have asked for longer internships. “All departments will now uniformly ensure that there is no core course during the sixth semester. Now, students can plan well ahead and take elective courses in earlier or following semesters to keep the sixth semester free,” said Prathap Haridoss, dean (academic courses), IIT Madras. The students can do courses online, as well. “They will have an eight month window from mid Nov to July. Students can do two internships, one long internship, or they can undertake projects in some universities or labs,” he added. 

IIT Madras has repositioned the curriculum and made it more compact. Prathap Haridoss said the initiative was taken after receiving feedback from the industry and the placement office. However, for students studying from the second year to the fourth year, it would be a little tougher. “They ha ve to do a little extra work to get the larger window,” he added. Faculty members said the initiative would improve the pre-placement offers. “Companies will be able to assess students better in longer internships. More pre-placement offers will lead to less competition during campus placements,” said Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, dean (students), IIT Madras. Students will also get more time to evaluate the organisation.  IIT Madras is planning to focus on placements and internship opportunities for PhD scholars, as well. “We are collecting details on skillsets and areas of interest. We inform companies about the availability of PhD scholars. Unlike B Tech students, research scholars can sit for placements throughout the year,” said Parasuraman Swaminathan, coadvisor (placements and internships), IIT Madras.

Can’t prohibit media from publishing ads by docs, hospitals: HC

Can’t prohibit media from publishing ads by docs, hospitals: HC

Sureshkumar.K@timesofindia.com 10.11.2024

Chennai : Madras high court has refused to entertain a public interest writ petition to prohibit television channels, newspapers and magazines from publishing advertisements issued by doctors and hospitals to promote medical practice commercially. People aggrieved by such advertisements can lodge complaints with the regulatory authority, such as the medical commission, and it is up to the authority to take appropriate action, the first bench of Chief Justice K R Sriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Friday.

 “We cannot expect the media to verify if each advertisement is misleading but can only expect that channels do not advertise something detrimental to the general public,” the bench said. According to the petitioner, M Mangaiyarkarasi, such advertisements could mislead the general public and hence some prohibition was necessary. Therefore, she wanted the court to take action against the TV channels and other media that broadcast such advertisements. Recording the submissions, the court said that when a person without a law degree argues before a court, the Bar Council cannot take action against the person. Instead, a police complaint must be lodged, and action must be initiated by the police. 

Similarly, when fake doctors advertise on media platforms, an appropriate complaint must be made to the police, who can investigate the matter, the judges added. The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act already has remedies in cases of false advertising, and that would effectively redress the grievance of the petitioner, the court said.

Protest against delay in varsity’s staff absorption, promotions

Protest against delay in varsity’s staff absorption, promotions

The Hindu Bureau

TIRUCHI 10.11.2024

A group of faculty members participated in a protest at University College of Engineering-Bharathidasan Institute of Technology (UCE-BIT), Anna University, Tiruchi campus on Saturday, to highlight unresolved issues of staff absorption and implementation of Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits.

The protest, called by Tamil Nadu Anna University Teachers’ Association (TNAUTA), began on Saturday evening, and was scheduled to continue late into the night.

It followed a similar action held in October by the faculty members.

Leading the demonstration, TNAUTA president R. Prabakaran and secretary R. Udhayakumar called for immediate action to secure the absorption of 20 faculty members who continue to serve without basic benefits despite a directive from the High Court of Madras and a 2015 Government Order to that effect.

‘Unresponsive’

“The university has remained unresponsive, disregarding both court orders and official recommendations. Attempts to gain clarification from the Registrar have been met with silence, amplifying faculty frustration over the lack of transparency,” an official TNAUTA statement said.

The body also criticised the delay over CAS benefits for faculty members in constituent colleges.

“While Anna University’s main campuses implement promotions promptly, faculty in constituent colleges face significant delays. Despite applications for CAS in 2017, 2018, and 2023, many faculty members are still left without updates on their promotions,” the body said.

It added that although a Syndicate meeting on July 29, 2024 approved some promotions, it only included Assistant Professors advancing to limited grades, leaving numerous cases unaddressed.

TNAUTA asserted that faculty members from constituent colleges deserve fair treatment, equal to that of their counterparts on main campuses.

Sivakarthikeyan's Amaran to release on OTT in December this year

 Sivakarthikeyan's Amaran to release on OTT in December this year According to a Daily Thanthi report, the movie will be released on Netflix in December

https://www.dtnext.in/entertainment/cinema/sivakarthikeyans-amaran-to-release-on-ott-in-december-this-year-810391

Tamil OTT releases this week: New movies, web-series to watch this weekend; Vettaiyan, ARM, Amaran, Anjaamai, and more

Tamil OTT releases this week: New movies, web-series to watch this weekend; Vettaiyan, ARM, Amaran, Anjaamai, and more

This weekend, Tamil cinema fans can enjoy top new releases, including Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan on Amazon Prime Video and a war drama featuring Sivakarthikeyan on Netflix. The article lists various Tamil movies and web series now available on popular OTT platforms.

Livemint

Updated 8 Nov 2024, 02:51 PM IST

Tamil OTT release this week includes movies like Vettaiyan, ARM, Amaran, etc

Watching movies and web series is one of the best ways to enjoy the weekend. For those who prefer to watch movies at home and are a big fan of Tamil cinema, here is the list of top Tamil movies that have been released during the week.

Superstar Rajinikanth's much-awaited movie Vettaiyan did wonders at the box office. The movie was released on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video. The detailed list of latest Tamil OTT release has been mentioned below.

Vettaiyan, Amazon Prime Video

The much-awaited Tamil action thriller starring Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan marked their first on-screen collaboration in decades. The movie was first released in theatres on October 10 and made its OTT debut this week. It also features the most talented actors, Rana Duggubati and Fahadh Faasil.

Kozhipannai Chelladurai, Amazon Prime Video

The movie has been set in a rural backdrop and features stars Aegan, Brigida Saga, Sathya Devi, Yogi Babu, and Aishwarya Dutta in lead roles. The movie sheds light upon the the struggles of a family and community and also touches upon themes like the everyday struggles of an ordinary man, etc. The movie is available for watching on Amazon Prime Video.

Amaran, Netflix

The much-awaited Tamil movie, Amaran, based on the life of Indian Army Major Mukund Varadharajan did wonders at the box office. Now, the movie is ready to create buzz with its OTT release on Netflix. The war drama features Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role in opposite to popular actress Sai Pallavi. The movie earned over ₹150 crore within four days of its theatrical release. The movie, directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy, focuses on the life of an army officer, and narrates the story of his courage and valour.

Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM), Disney+Hotstar

The much-awaited Tovino Thomas starrer Ajayante Randam Moshanam is a historical drama which is now available on Disney+Hotstar for watching. The sorry begins with Kunji Kelu, a respected warrior who is blessed with a special wish by the king. The movie beautifully intertwines historical drama, fantasy, caste discrimination, and other themes like justice and redemption. The movie will be available for watching in Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Marathi.

Viswam, Amazon Prime Video

The Telugu film industry movie, Viswam, stars Gopichand as Gopi. The movie was released in October on movie theatres. The action drama is now available on Netflix. The action comedy has been directed by Srinu Vaitla and mixes action with humour. The plot revolves around Gopi's attempts to save a girl from becoming a terrorist's target after she witnesses an assassination.

Anjaamai, Aha Tamil

The Tamil legal drama, starring Vidharth, Rahman and Vani Bhojan in lead roles features, released in October in movie theatres. The movie is available on Aha Tamil. It can also be viewed on OTTplay Premium application.

Mobile users suffer as thieves steal telecom gear

Mobile users suffer as thieves steal telecom gear 

SIGNAL DISRUPTIONS PLAGUE SUBSCRIBERS AS TOWERS TARGETED   165 TIMES IN SIX MONTHS 

Niyati.Parikh@timesofindia.com 09.11.2024 

Ahmedabad : Facing network issues on your mobile? A wave of telecom equipment thefts is to blame. In the past six months, mobile users across Gujarat have been experiencing connectivity issues due to widespread theft of telecom infrastructure. The disappearance of essential components, particularly the Remote Radio Unit (RRU), has resulted in poor or non-existent mobile signals in numerous locations. These recurring incidents of equipment theft have led to frustrating experiences for subscribers. 

Telecom industry sources said 165 instances of telecom equipment theft were reported in Gujarat between April and Oct. This led to the filing of 142 FIRs and financial losses amounting to Rs 4 crore in Gujarat alone. RRUs are a key component in mobile towers that transmit and receive signals, facilitating voice calls and internet connectivity. The sudden removal of an RRU creates instant signal disruptions, affecting thousands of mobile users in the vicinity. Baseband units (BBUs), which support network connectivity, are also being sto len, sources said. Industry sources said that the gangs involved use specialised tools to remove RRUs fixed at heights of up to 40 metres and typically strike at night. “Most are experts in scaling tall structures and always have getaway vehicles ready. As telecom companies, we have set up alarms and heightened security measures to identify and prevent such thefts,” a source told TOI. 

According to telecom industry players, such thefts have been reported in Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Kutch, Mehsana, Navsari, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Anand, Godhra, Limdi, Nadiad and Sanand, causing significant inconvenience to residents and financial strain for telecom providers. “The theft of RRUs is leading to outages, forcing companies to replace equipment at a high cost,” a telecom industry source said. Compared to the previous six-month period (Oct 2023 to March 2024), when 317 RRUs were stolen, the theft incidents have declined, but the impact on network connectivity remains severe. Industry sources claim that these stolen units often make their way to countries like China and Bangladesh via illicit trade networks, affecting not only local telecommunications services but also the deployment of 5G networks in the country. In the past, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) made a representation to the department of telecommunications (DoT) to take swift action to address this security challenge.

Good response from public to trekking in Yercaud hills

Good response from public to trekking in Yercaud hills

Trekkers at the Nagalur- Sanniyasimalai Peak in Yercaud.

M. Sabari  Salem 09.11.2024 

The trekking route between Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak in Yercaud that was announced by the Forest Department has got a good response from the public.

The Forest Department recently announced 40 trials in the State for trekking and categorised them into easy, moderate, and tough routes.

The department also fixed the package amount for the trekking and announced that willing people shall book and pay online for the trekking through the www.trektamilnadu.com website. Out of 40 trails, in Salem district there are three trails: Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak (easy category), and Kurumbapatti Zoo and Kondappanaickenpatti, in Gundur (moderate category). The booking for the Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak was started recently and it got a good response from the public.

The booking for the remaining two trails is yet to begin. Till Sunday, 21 people trekked in the Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak.

S. Parthiban and P. Manimegalai, a couple from Chennai, said, “We had booked for trekking in Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak for our family during Deepavali holidays.

It was a wonderful experience for us and on Saturday, 11 members, including children, completed the trekking. We have planned to come for trekking regularly.

It was a different experience for the children.”

Forest Department officials said that a bag, cap, sesame balls, chips packet, and a 100-ml cool drink packet were provided to the trekkers.

There are two time slots for trekking: 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Five guides were appointed to guide the trekkers.