Uproar in PU after officials defer next phase of Senate polls

Uproar in PU after officials defer next phase of Senate polls

Poviet Kaur

Chandigarh:15.08.2021

Protests were held in Panjab University by various student organisations, former senators and candidates of registered graduates constituency in front of the VC office on Saturday, demanding elections for registered graduates. The varsity had postponed the elections on Friday.

The registered graduates constituency is the biggest in Panjab University with 3,61,869 eligible voters. It was to go to polls next. D P S Randhawa, one of the contestants from registered graduates constituency said, “This decision has been taken deliberately as they were doing in the past. The administration never wants democracy to prevail on campus and now they have found a way of not conducting polls, but we are not going to back off. We will make sure we get the date for polling.”

According to a notice issued, 272 polling booths had to be set up in seven states and UTs, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Uttarakhand and Delhi failed to give permission for the elections, which were to be held on Friday, necessitating a postponement. As per the notice, even Haryana, which is supposed to have 29 booths, has lapsed on giving permission for at least seven booths, stating they are being used for Haryana Staff Selection Examinations at present. Punjab too, in a letter dated August 10, has reportedly communicated to the varsity that “the schools have opened only a few days ago and senate elections happen to be on a working day” while requesting the varsity to either choose alternative dates or reschedule the polls for a holiday.

“Therefore, due to circumstances stated above, which are beyond the control of the university, competent authority has ordered to postpone, for the time being, the election of registered graduate constituency,” the notice read. Mritunjay, the PUTA president said, “The administration must be knowing the issue from last15-20 days but they issued the notice last night, which clearly shows how irresponsible they are and how they want the democratic system to shut down in the university.”

Protest being held in PU against postponement of elections

If they don’t respond to us then we are left with the only choice that is taking them to the court. We want democracy which treats everyone equally but they put dictatorship rule and it will not work

ASHOK GOYAL

Former senator

Student sends threat mails to Mumbai University over results, let off with warning

Student sends threat mails to Mumbai University over results, let off with warning

A probe began after MU officials approached BKC police station informing about these mails that had been sent on July 9 and 10.

Published: 14th August 2021 08:26 PM |

By PTI

MUMBAI: A student was held and let off with a warning after he sent multiple e-mails threatening to blow up the Mumbai University campus in Kalina here if it did not declare the results of BA, B.COM and B.

Sc courses quickly, police said on Saturday.

A probe began after MU officials approached BKC police station informing about these mails that had been sent on July 9 and 10, an official said.

"We zeroed in on the IP address from which the mails were sent and nabbed the student behind it. Since the mails were part of a prank and nothing suspicious was found, and also looking at the affect it could have had on his academic career, we let him off with a warning," the official informed.

Air India to operate three flights a week from Kochi to London from August 22

Air India to operate three flights a week from Kochi to London from August 22

As the United Kingdom has included India in the Amber list, passengers have to undergo three Covid tests

Published: 14th August 2021 01:38 PM 

By Express News Service

KOCHI: Bringing cheers to the expat community, Air India has decided to operate three flights a week in the Kochi-London sector from August 22. Air India had on August 7 announced the launch of the London Heathrow-Kochi service from August 18. Considering the positive response from the expat community, the national carrier decided to increase the frequency of services to London.

As per the current schedule, Air India will launch the service to London Heathrow airport on August 18. Flight number AI 150/149 will arrive in Kochi at 03.45 am on Wednesday and depart at 05.50 am for Heathrow. Two more services will be launched from August 22 raising the total weekly operations to three.

The new schedule will stimulate the aviation as well as tourism sectors, said Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) managing director S Suhas. "This is the highest number of flight services that have been scheduled in this sector in the history of CIAL. It will provide a shot in the arm for the efforts taken by the state government and CIAL to establish frequent connectivity to Europe,” he said.

As per the new schedule, Air India will operate services to London on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The flight will take 10 hours to reach the destination. CIAL has waived parking and landing fees for airlines operating in the European sector as part of its persistent effort to improve global connectivity.

As the United Kingdom has included India in the Amber list, passengers have to undergo three Covid tests. The first should be taken three days prior to departure and the second on the day of arrival or before Day 2. The third test should be taken on or after Day 8. Home quarantine for 10 days is mandatory on arrival in the UK. For UK nationals who are fully vaccinated, neither quarantine nor the Day 8 test is required. People who have been fully vaccinated in the United States or European countries will not need to quarantine.

Kumbh Covid test fraud: Report points to officials’ role

Kumbh Covid test fraud: Report points to officials’ role

MS Nawaz TNN

Haridwar:15.08.2021

Delayed by a month and a half, the report of the three-member committee to investigate how close to one lakh fake Covid test results popped up during the Maha Kumbh in Haridwar was finally submitted to the Haridwar district magistrate on Saturday. The 2,400-page report, sources said, speaks of the “role” played by the Kumbh Mela health department and district health officials who were responsible for supervising Covid tests conducted during the congregation.

A district administration source told TOI, “The role of Mela health department and district health department has surfaced in the scam. It was a well-planned conspiracy which could have been stopped had the departments done what they should have.” TOI had earlier reported that the Special Investigation Team probing the scam was looking into the role Haridwar chief medical officer Dr SK Jha may have played. It was under his watch that the “fake” tests were conducted by the agencies.

MP med varsity VC steps down on eve of HC hearing

MP med varsity VC steps down on eve of HC hearing

Siddharth Pandey

Jabalpur: 15.08.2021

Amid allegations of irregularities and delay in examinations at the Madhya Pradesh Medical Sciences University, its vice-chancellor, Dr T N Dubey, resigned on Saturday.

On Monday, the MP high court is due to hear several petitions related to irregularities at the university.

Dubey told TOI that he resigned due to personal reasons since he “wasn’t able to give time to his patients despite being a doctor”.

Dubey was appointed vice-chancellor in January 2020. Controversy has dogged the university ever since. An IT firm, against whom an FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by Agra Medical University, was appointed to conduct examinations and prepare marksheets of students.

The firm was accused of irregularities in exam results, allegedly passing failed students and even those who hadn’t attended the examinations, leading to its suspension. It has moved HC against the suspension.

The VC also faced allegations of being irregular at the university and spending most of the week in Bhopal. There was criticism over delays in examinations.

After his resignation, Dubey told TOI, “I am a neurosurgeon and was not able to give time to my patients due to these responsibilities. Being a doctor, my first priority are my patients. It is for these personal reasons that I resigned. Besides, I had to travel between Bhopal and Jabalpur on a regular basis.”

Engg grads can get second degree in another branch in 2 years: AICTE

Engg grads can get second degree in another branch in 2 years: AICTE

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15.08.2021

Engineering graduates of one stream brooding over lack of jobs and cursing themselves for not choosing some other specialization may be a thing of the past as the All India Council for Technical has now decided to allow engineering graduates to complete a second engineering degree in a different discipline in two or three years under lateral entry system.

The council has asked all technical universities and institutions to make necessary changes to its statutes to implement the decision. “AICTE is receiving requests from students regarding admission in B Tech as an additional degree through lateral entry, ” the AICTE said in its circular sent to vice-chancellor of technical universities and directors/principals of AICTE approved institutions. “It is informed that the proposal was placed before the AICTE executive committee (EC) on its 144th meeting held on July 13 and the EC opined that technical universities can facilitate such students to take admissions to BTech/BE by allowing them to get admissions at appropriate level of BTech programme in another discipline or branch of engineering,” the circular said.

“Executive committee approved the exemption from pursuing courses already done in the first discipline of B Tech programme and students can be appropriately guided to complete their requirements of the second discipline. As there is a practical component involved, students will be required to take admission in an institution or college as a regular student and the concerned university will ensure this and make necessary provision in their statutes accordingly.

The EC further approved the duration for completing additional degree to be two years to three years without compromising credit requirements in core discipline and attainment of learning outcomes of the new programme. In view of the above, you may take necessary changes in your statute and take appropriate decisions in this regard,” said Dileep N Malkhede, advisor-I, Policy and Academic Planning Bureau , AICTE.

Anna University vicechancellor R Velraj welcomed the move and said it would help the students who cannot get jobs after their degree. “They can study the branches in which they are interested in the second attempt. We will discuss it in our academic bodies and implement it,” he said.

LATERAL ENTRY SCHEME

Engineering courses will come in more exciting combos, say experts

Engineering courses will come in more exciting combos, say experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: 15.08.2021

From clubbing tech-rich courses with traditional engineering streams to combining engineering with medicine, accounting and more, experts say students have great opportunities ahead of them.

Domain experts discussed the vast possibilities during a webinar held on Friday to support engineering aspirants from class 12, who are in the last leg of Karnataka CET preparations.

With the exam nearing (on August 28 and 29) Presidency University in association with The Times of India and Vijay Karnataka organised webinars and a CET Prepmaster mock test on Saturday.

Supriyo Guharoy, director, Presidency University, said: “Computer science will be a key driver in the digital age. However, even traditional courses are seeing new domains. It is an exciting time for an engineering graduate.”

Prof S Sadagopan, ex-director, IIIT Bangalore, agreed with Guharoy and added that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have begun playing a crucial role and will impact not just every engineering branch, but every other human endeavour. “Be it hospitality, medicine, journalism, or management, every field will be impacted by AI and ML,” he said.

“The reimagining of engineering for 21st century in India will go beyond engineering; it will be engineering with law, financial accounting, medicine and much more,” he added.

Guharoy said there is a healthy race between universities and colleges to provide professional and industry exposure to students and curriculums are being tailored to suit industry expectations. “Students, meanwhile, must get into the groove and change their grade-focused mindset. They must relearn, enhance their experiential learning, adopt critical thinking, self-learning and think out of the box,” he said.