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Sunday, February 9, 2025

NAAC debars varsity in A.P. for 5 years from accreditation

The case involves the CBI probe into the alleged bribery of a NAAC team by the Guntur-based Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation; the council also debars all 7 members of the team

The Hindu Bureau 09.02.2025

Bengaluru

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the autonomous accreditation body for higher education institutes, on Saturday announced that its executive committee has decided to not only cancel the current process of accreditation of the Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, but also debar its university for five years from applying for accreditation.

It has also decided to debar all the seven members of the peer team for lifetime in assessment or any other activities of NAAC with immediate effect.

The case involves the CBI investigation into the alleged bribery of a NAAC team by the KLEF in exchange for an A++ rating for its university.

“In addition, it is decided to review the recent visits to HEIs (higher education institutions) by any of the seven members for which the results are not declared. The results of such HEIs will be withheld, and the Standing Committee of NAAC may critically review before declaring the results. In addition, it is decided that the visits of last one year will be carefully analysed and put up to EC for further necessary action,” said NAAC in a statement.

“As per the Dr. Radhakrishnan Committee recommendations, NAAC has proposed to launch the Basic (Binary) Accreditation in April/May 2025 followed by Maturity-based Graded Levels (MBGL). Special committees are working on the preparation of framework and methodology for MBGL. It is observed that NAAC’s Peer Review system has faced a challenging situation due to the recent CBI case. These are undesirable to the higher education system, and NAAC being a quality assurance agency is determined to eliminate such practices through definitive actions,” said NAAC, adding that it is planning to take additional steps to refine the system by eliminating the scope for unfair practices in the system.

City police warn public of rising cybercrimes through WhatsApp

Police say cybercriminals send phishing codes to people and hack their WhatsApp accounts; fraudsters then access contact list on phones and seek money from the victim’s friends and family citing emergencies; officers and VVIPs among victims

R. Sivaraman

CHENNAI 09.02.2025

With cybercrimes on the rise through WhatsApp, the Greater Chennai Police issued a public advisory urging caution.

Police warn that fraudsters are using phishing codes to gain access to contacts and exploit them for financial scams.

Recently, cybercriminals hacked the WhatsApp number of a Group-I officer and demanded money from those on his contact list.

A senior police officer said, “Recently, there have been complaints about a new type of fraud wherein WhatsApp accounts are hacked. Most of the victims are officers or VVIPs in the city. Some of them managed to solve it on their own while others sought our assistance.”

Initially, the hackers will forward a six-digit WhatsApp activation code.

“Later, someone will contact you, claiming that their six-digit WhatsApp activation code was sent to you by mistake, and they will ask you to forward the code to them,” the officer said.

Many unsuspecting people forward the activation code to fraudsters. “As soon as the fraudster receives the code, they will be able to hack your phone number, and create new WhatsApp business accounts. As a result, the victim’s WhatsApp account will be disabled,” he said.

Contacts too vulnerable

“Then, the fraudsters will send messages through the hacked WhatsApp number to your friends and family, claiming that you met with an accident or is in need of urgent medical assistance. They will ask for money, to be transferred to their bank account or through payment platforms such as GPay, PhonePe, or Paytm. In addition, they will ask your contacts for the WhatsApp activation code from their phones in an attempt to hack their WhatsApp accounts as well,” the police officer said.

‘Don’t share any code’

Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun said, “WhatsApp will never send an activation code to anyone other than the account owner. Do not share the activation code that you receive on your phone with anyone. If you receive a call from a suspicious number, immediately decline the call or block the number.”

He urged the people to report cybercrimes to helpline number 1930.

NAAC shifts to e-inspections, to start new accreditation models

Announces Immediate Halt To Physical Inspections

Hemali.Chhapia@timesofindia.com 09.02.2025

Mumbai : In a decisive move to eliminate corruption and streamline the accreditation process, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has announced an immediate halt to physical inspections of colleges. Accreditation teams will now conduct evaluations entirely online, replacing on-campus visits with virtual assessments. For universities, though, the transition will be hybrid — most inspections will take place remotely, but a select number of reviewers will still visit campuses to maintain some level of direct oversight.

The decision follows the recent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrests in the case involving Andhra Pradesh-based Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), where members of the institution’s management allegedly bribed NAAC peer visit inspectors to secure favourable ratings. “We decided to do all it takes to weed out elements of corruption. Cancelling physical visits will arrest the problem in a huge way,” said NAAC executive committee chairman Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe. “So many inspection visits take place every week, and it was very tough to monitor what transpired during these visits. Now, all this will be recorded.”

NAAC director Ganesan Kannabiran called the shift to online inspection a “surgical strike” against corruption. “NAAC’s peer review system faced a challenging situation due to the recent CBI case. These are undesirable to the higher education system, and NAAC, being a quality assurance agency, is determined to eliminate such practices through definitive actions,” he said. The long-anticipated basic (binary) accreditation model, recommended by the K Radhakrishnan Committee, was set for launch in July 2024 but did not take off.

2/9/25, 7:44 AM Times of India ePaper chennai - Read Today’s English News Paper Online https://epaper.indiatimes.com/timesepaper/publication-the-times-of-india,city-chennai.cms 1/2 2/9/25, 7:44 AM Times of India ePaper chennai - Read Today’s English News Pap

Family pension no bar on claiming relief: HC

Vasantha.Kumar@timesofindia.com 09.02.2025

Bengaluru : Dharwad bench of Karnataka high court has ruled that a wife who receives family pension cannot be disentitled from making a claim for loss of dependency in an accident case. Justice Hanchate Sanjeevkumar made the observation recently while rejecting an appeal filed by the Oriental Insurance Company.

The insurance firm had challenged a 2018 order passed by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Gadag district in favour of one Sharada and her four sons. Her husband, Basavanneppa Gorawar, was a retired lecturer who died in an accident in 2012. After his death, Sharada was receiving ₹24,871 as family pension. Sharada and her sons claimed compensation stating that the deceased earned ₹60,000 per month as he was a book writer apart from being an agriculturist.

The tribunal awarded ₹13.9 lakh under the head of “loss of dependency” out of ₹14.8 lakh compensation. It awarded 60% of the amount to the wife and a 10% share to each of the four sons. The insurance company challenged this arguing that the four sons were grown up, and since the wife was receiving ₹24,871 as family pension, she could not claim compensation under the head of ‘loss of dependency’.

Justice Sanjeevkumar pointed out, “Family pension is the result of service rendered by the employee to the employer. The employee spends his whole life towards the employer. Therefore, after superannuation, the employee will get pension as a matter of right.” The judge observed, “Just because the wife is receiving family pension due to the death of the husband, it does not amount to disentitling her to make a claim under the head of loss of dependency. Grant of family pension is not charity. It is a basic necessity of life enabling a person after retirement to lead a decent life.”

AI may flag irregularities, but Tamil Nadu says teachers know best in exam halls

Preetika.P@timesofindia.com 09.02.2025

Chennai : Tamil Nadu will continue to rely on teachers for board exam invigilation, while states such as Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka plan to use AI for surveillance. Chennai Chief Education Officer Pugalendhi said that while AI is making inroads in education, its role in monitoring exams remains limited. “We are not using AI to detect malpractices during board exams. Ministers and district officers are inspecting centres to ensure proper infrastructure. For every 20 students, a teacher will supervise.” On Friday, school education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi inspected govt higher secondary school in Saidapet ahead of practical exams. Many teachers believe human invigilators remain irreplaceable.

“We are learning to use AI for lesson planning and assessment, but its role in exam supervision is still unex plored,” said Sugandhi Mohanapriya, a govt school biology teacher from Saligramam. Maithiri Suresh, govt school headmistress from Cuddalore, added: “AI-powered monitoring can flag irregularities but should complement, not replace, human supervision. AI can detect anomalies, but teachers understand context and intent, which is crucial for fairness." Many states are already testing AI-driven exam monitoring. Uttar Pradesh is rolling out 24/7 AI surveillance for its 2025 high school and intermediate exams, while Karnataka’s School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) is piloting AI-powered monitoring with Microsoft, analysing video feeds for potential malpractice and sending real-time alerts to officials.

Experts suggest TN experiment with AI on a smaller scale. “Piloting AI in select schools helps assess its role in reducing malpractice and justifying the investment. It can also highlight potential cost savings from reduced manpower requirements,” said N Rajendran, head, history department, at Bharathidasan University. “We tested tech-driven monitoring just after Covid-19. We realised there is a psychological difference when a teacher is present in class.”

Saturday, February 8, 2025

NEWS TODAY 08.02.2025

SC asks why refer re-sent bills to Prez, TN guv says no malice

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 08.02.2025

New Delhi : With Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi refuting the state govt’s charge that he acted with malice in taking decisions on the bills referred to him and claiming that he was discharging his duty as per law, Supreme Court Friday asked him how he could refer bills to the President when the assembly had sent them to him after reconsideration. Appearing for the governor, attorney general R Venkataramani told a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan that a governor acted in the capacity of a neutral advisor under Article 200 of the Constitution.

“When a state govt intro duces a bill before the legislative assembly and presents it before the governor for her assent and when the governor withholds assent, the bill in question falls through. This means the bill ceases to exist. In such a case, there is no requirement on the part of the governor to go through the procedure of the first proviso. The govt on its own also cannot go through the first proviso, when as a matter of fact the governor has not sent the bill for reconsideration,” the AG said.

He added that when the bill suffered from repugnancy (inconsistent with the central law), the governor need not necessarily and may not even be obliged to go under the first proviso process. The first proviso says the governor may, as soon as possible after the presentation to him of the bill for assent, return the bill if it is not a money bill together with a message requesting that the House reconsider the bill, and when a bill is so returned, the House shall reconsider the bill accordingly. It says that if the bill is passed again by the House with or without amendment and presented to the governor for assent, the governor shall not withhold assent therefrom. In this case, the governor withheld his assent on bills passed by the assembly. Thereafter, the assembly passed those bills again and sent them to him for approval and this time he referred the bills to the President. Referring to the first proviso, the bench asked how the governor could send the bills to the
President in cases where the House resent the bills after reconsideration. Summarising the arguments of the AG, the bench said, “You are saying to ignore the proviso and the proviso has no application.”