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IIM Bangalore placement panel resigns amid recruitment clause row

IIM Bangalore placement panel resigns amid recruitment clause row

The 20-member placement committee stepped down on December 10 and in a letter addressed to the Institute's Career Development Services and students

By: PTI

New Delhi | Updated: December 14, 2025 09:32 AM IST

Career Development Services are handled by 20 student representatives from postgraduate programmes under the supervision of faculty members. (File Photo)

After the placement committee at IIM Bangalore resigned over allegations that a recruitment clause was revoked in a way that selectively benefited the committee members, the institute on Friday said the matter was “under internal review”.

The 20-member placement committee stepped down on December 10 and in a letter addressed to the Institute’s Career Development Services and students, it said the decision was taken collectively.

“As a result, support for all activities related to the Lateral and Final Placements Process 2026 from the Placement Committee stands suspended until further notice,” the letter said. Career Development Services are handled by 20 student representatives from postgraduate programmes under the supervision of faculty members.

In a statement, IIMB said the matter was currently under internal review in accordance with the Institute’s process framework. “Student well-being is paramount and central to the values which IIM Bangalore upholds,” it added, without divulging further details.

The pre-placement process for lateral and final placements usually begins from December with interviews for final placements scheduled for February every year.

New study reveals surprising effects for those who took the Covid-19 vaccine

New study reveals surprising effects for those who took the Covid-19 vaccine

etimes.in | Dec 14, 2025, 10.57 PM IST

There is a wave of vaccine scepticism among people in general. The sentiment is furthered by few officials sitting at top positions capable of making laws and manufacturing narrative. It is in this context that the recent study on the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccine should be read carefully.

A large population study published recently has produced results that may surprise both supporters and skeptics of the vaccine alike, not by uncovering hidden harms, but by measuring its impact on overall survival.

Covid-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and went on to reshape daily life across the globe. According to the BBC, more than 7.1 million deaths worldwide have been attributed to the virus, with around 227,000 deaths in the UK listing Covid-19 as the cause.

Mass vaccination campaigns followed at unprecedented speed. By December 2023, an estimated 67 percent of the world’s population had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the rollout significantly reduced severe disease and hospitalisation, it also became a target for misinformation and public distrust, particularly around safety.

What the new study examined

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analysed health outcomes among adults in France aged 18 to 59, comparing those who were vaccinated against Covid-19 with those who were not.

Researchers examined data from 22.7 million vaccinated individuals and 5.9 million unvaccinated individuals, representing roughly 40 percent of France’s total population. To be included in the vaccinated group, participants needed to have received at least one vaccine dose by 1 October 2021, with most having received two doses of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. Unvaccinated participants had not received any Covid-19 vaccine by 1 November 2021.

The results showed that vaccinated adults had a 25 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with unvaccinated adults during the study period. This means vaccinated participants were less likely to die from any cause, not only Covid-19.

The difference was even more pronounced when researchers looked specifically at Covid-related outcomes. Vaccinated individuals had a 74 percent lower risk of dying in hospital from Covid-19 complications compared with those who were unvaccinated.

These findings suggest that vaccination provided protection extending beyond immediate infection prevention, particularly during periods when Covid-19 was still circulating widely.

Important limitations noted by researchers

The authors were careful to highlight limitations in their analysis. Vaccinated participants were more likely to belong to higher socioeconomic groups, which often correlates with better access to healthcare, healthier living conditions, and preventative medical care. These factors can independently reduce mortality risk, regardless of vaccination status.

Because of this, the researchers noted that not all of the observed benefit can be attributed solely to the vaccine itself.

Addressing concerns about rare side effects

Public concern has persisted around rare heart-related side effects such as myocarditis and pericarditis, conditions involving inflammation of the heart muscle or lining. These events are considered uncommon, affecting up to 1 in 10,000 vaccinated individuals, according to existing safety monitoring data.

Multiple studies have examined these risks and consistently found that the likelihood of developing myocarditis or pericarditis is higher after a Covid-19 infection itself than after vaccination. This has been reported across several peer-reviewed analyses and reinforced by public health agencies internationally.

Six years after Covid-19 first emerged, the virus continues to circulate, though it generally causes less severe illness due to widespread immunity and viral evolution. This large-scale French study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that Covid-19 vaccination not only reduced severe disease during the pandemic but was also associated with lower overall mortality among working-age adults.

NEWS TODAY 16.12.2025

 

Stiff penalties mark big policy shift in regulating higher education

Stiff penalties mark big policy shift in regulating higher education

Manash.Gohain@timesofindia.com 16.12.2025

New Delhi : For the first time, the govt has proposed a graded penalty regime for higher education institutions, with fines ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, suspension of degree-awarding powers and closure, while illegal institutions could face a ₹2 crore penalty and immediate shutdown, with safeguards to protect enrolled students.

 The proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, placed in Lok Sabha marks a decisive shift in how higher education institutions will be regulated, moving away from advisory nudges to a system driven by statutory penalties, mandatory transparency and accreditationlinked autonomy. Under the graded penalty framework — proposed with hard financial consequences for regulatory violations — institutions found violating provisions of the law or its regulations could face fines starting at ₹10 lakh, escalating to ₹30 lakh for repeat offences, and going up to ₹75 lakh for persistent violations. 

In extreme cases, regulators can recommend suspension of degree-awarding powers, withdrawal of affiliation or even closure. Every year the UGC, which will cease to exist, used to notify a list of fake universities, but beyond that no action could be initiated and they continued to function at the cost of unsuspecting students, many of whom were left with invalid degrees and financial losses. The bill introduced a ₹2 crore penalty for unauthorised institutions operating without govt approval, along with immediate closure

No admission to SSN college of engineering from next year

No admission to SSN college of engineering from next year

 Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 16.12.2025

Chennai : Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar (SSN) College of Engineering in Chennai announced on Monday that it will not accept applications for admissions for the next academic year (2026-27). The college received approval for progressive closure from Anna University and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The premier college will be merged with Shiv Nadar University Chennai, which is functioning on the adjacent campus, in a phased manner.

 “SSN College of Engineering is no longer accepting applications. Please apply for similar programmes to the SSN School of Engineering at Shiv Nadar University Chennai (SNUC),” an announcement on the college website said. It also released frequently asked questions (FAQs) to clarify the doubts of parents and students who are enrolled in the college. 

“As of now, the SSN College has more than 4,800 students, including UG, PG students, and research scholars. These students will receive their degrees from Anna University as the closure will be progressive. There will be no new admissions from 2026-27,” a source in the college said. 

Students aspiring for admissions to BTech and MTech programmes in the SSN School of Engineering under Shiv Nadar University Chennai will have to take an entrance test and interview. SSN College of Engineering is an autonomous college under Anna University and fills 65% of its seats through online counselling, which is based on Class XII marks in maths, chemistry, and physics. 

These students pay ₹55,000 as tuition fees for govt quota seats. The tuition fees for BTech programmes at Shiv Nadar University is ₹3.5 lakh. However, the university announced that the fee structure for current students at SSN College of Engineering will continue as per the prevailing norms applicable to their batch. 

Further, it also

said faculty members will continue teaching until all students complete their programmes. “The academic norms as per the prevailing Anna University regulations will continue to apply if a student has arrears or backlog after the last batch graduates,” the college further said.

NEWS TODAY 15.12.2025