Campus Notes

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rajasthan has bee alloted two projects for the purchase of 100,000 of the $ 35 low-cost access cum computing devices for intensive laboratory and field tests across the country.

The tests are aimed at ensuring suitability of the devices in all geographical regions and in all climatic conditions, an official pres release said.

This and other decisions were taken at the second meeting of the National Apex Committee and 16th meeting of the Project Approval Board of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) held here today under the chairmanship of Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Among others, Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari, the Secretary, Department of Telecommunication, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Directors of the IITs and other Central institutions and the Vice-Chancellors of many Central Universities attended the meeting.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved a proposal of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for augmenting the existing facilities at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The augmentation has been proposed on the basis of the recommendations of the Oversight Committee for the implementation of the reservation in admission for candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

An official press release said implementation of the 27 % reservation in admission for OBCs, under the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, in AIIMS without altering the number of unreserved seats would necessitate an increase in the total number of seats in various courses and corresponding increase in manpower and infrastructure.

After implementation of reservation for OBCs in the institute, the annual intake in various undergraduate, postgraduate and paramedical courses will increase by 182.

The implementation of reservation for OBCs will not only increase the intake capacity of the Institute but also facilitate a better health care delivery system, the release added.

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The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have announced that they will conduct their Common Admission Test (CAT) 2010 during a 20-day testing window between October 27, and November 24 this year.

The CAT is a pre-requisite for admission to various management programmes conducted by the IIMs, including their flagship two-year Post-Graduate Programmes (PGP) in Management. Many other institutions also use the CAT scores to finalise admissions to their management programmes.

The nine IIMs are located at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong, Ranchi and Rohtak.

Last year, CAT was conducted for the first time as a computer-based online test. It was conducted in the pencil-and-paper format for 33 years before that.

The original schedule for the test was between November 28 and December 7, 2009 which was extended by a day to December 8 to accommodate thousands of students who could not appear during the ten-day window because of technical glitches at several centres across the country. The IIMs ultimately had to schedule a re-test on January 30 and 31 for about 11,000 candidates who faced problems during the original schedule.

A total of 241,582 had candidates registered for CAT 2009. The test is reputed to be the toughest entrance examination for business schools in the world.

Based on the experience of last year, the IIMs appear to have decided to provide for a longer, 20-day window this time.

According to an advertisement published by the IIMs in leading newspapers yesterday, candidates for CAT must hold a Bachelor’s degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA)categories], or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.

The CAT 2010 vouchers will be on sale at selected Axis Bank branches between Monday, 30 August and Monday, 27 September 2010 for Rs. 1400/- (Rs. 700/- for SC/ST candidates).

According to the announcement, a candidate needs to buy only one CAT 2010 Voucher irrespective of the number of institutes he/she is applying to.

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The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will offer distance and e-learning programmes programmes for Government employees under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by it with the Depatment of Personnel and Trainng (DoPT) here today.

According to an official press release, Government employees can now enroll for a wide spectrum of programmes offered by IGNOU and get their fees reimbursed on successfully completing the programmes.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Secretary, DoPT, Mr Shantnu Consul, and IGNOU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai.

It said the programme would be open to Central Government employees working in various Ministries, Departments, attached offices and the faculty members of the State Apex Training Institutions.

The release said the purpose of the programme was to increase the availability and flexibility of options open to employees for enhancing their knowledge and skills in order to improve the functioning of Government organizations and the delivery of services to the public.

The employees concerned have to apply directly in response to the admission notification of IGNOU, subject to availability of funds. The employees enrolling for the courses under this programme will pay the required course fees to IGNOU. The amount so paid shall be re-imbursed to the employee on his/her successful completion of the course.

Categories of courses open for enrolment under this programme include Masters, Post-Graduate and Post-Graduate Diploma programmes, certificate programmes and short-duration specialised modules.

For certain Ministry-specific courses, the respective Nodal Ministry will be represented in the Course Review Committee which may meet from time to time to review the course content based on the general feedback and make such recommendations as deemed necessary, the release added.

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President Pratibha Patil today called upon students and alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), some of the best brains in the country, to be important partners and contributors to the journey of India to become a leader in knowledge-based society of the 21st century.

Inaugurating the Golden Jubilee Year of IIT Delhi here, Ms Patil emphasised that the future of India would derive strength from three sources: from a value-based system based on harmony, tolerance and selflessness; from youth; and from innovations and inventions.

"Educational institutions like IITs are the crucibles where all these three forces can interface with each other. Here, young students while studying science disciplines must inculcate a good value system," she said.

The President recalled that the establishment of the education infrastructure in India, including the IITs, was the outcome of the visition of the country's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

"The IIT model seeks to provide a high calibre of education to its students, so that they become scientists and engineers comparable to the best in the world, as they explore the universe of knowledge through the prism of science and technology," she said.

She said IIT alumni had done the country proud, validating the rationale for the establishment of the IIT system.

Tracing the co-evolution of science and society, Ms Patil said India today was seeking responses to the challenges of food, water and energy security.

"This means addressing a wide spectrum of issues like foodgrain productivity and its proper distribution, water and energy conservation, cleaning of rivers and water recycling, reducing the cost of renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. We are looking at construction of energy efficient buildings and low cost housing to provide shelter to those who either have no house or are in urban areas living in slums. We are looking for ways to combat existing and new diseases. We are faced with climate change that is affecting the air we breathe and the weather patterns," she said.

She said responses and solutions, to a large extent, lay in the domain of science and technology. "These challenges are neither limited nor small, and would need sustained research to find appropriate responses," she remarked.

Ms Patil said India needed a second Green Revolution and novel thinking in rainfed farming for food security.

"We need engineering and management capabilities as we expand our infrastructure. We need environmentally friendly technologies. We need cutting edge technologies to be a leading nation," she said.

She said it was important research centres and laboratories in India focused on research and came up with innovations applicable to conditions and requirements existing in the country.

"It is, of course essential that an environment that is conducive for this purpose is created. Scientific research requires dedication and commitment as well as availability of funds. Moreover, science has become increasingly interlinked and multi-disciplinary, it calls for multi-institutional and multi-country participation. Institutes like yours need to develop robust mechanisms for collaborations with other institutions," she said.

Ms Patil said IIT alumni had made their mark globally and the contributions of their faculty, including their research, were widely respected. She noted that the IITs had a number of market patents awaiting registration and that IIT Delhi had filed 40 patent applications last year.

"I congratulate you on this. However, we must look at the global patent scenario to get a broader perspective. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2009, over 45,000 patents constituting almost a third of global patents in the year were filed by the US. Ranking fifth, China filed over 7,900 patents. India, on the other hand had only 761 applications. We have a long distance to cover. The Government of India has declared this decade as the Decade of Innovation, I am confident that our scientists and researchers with their knowledge, capability and commitment will make it a success," she said.

The President said technology diffusion was another important aspect as it ensured that fruits of innovation reached as many people as possible. Inventions that have germinated in laboratories must be transmitted into the field to become agents of transformation, she said.

She said efforts should be to build collaborations with institutions in different sectors of industry, agriculture and services, which in turn, must also be forthcoming in supporting new ideas and discoveries. She said the challenge was in getting tie-ups for their marketing and commercialisation.

Ms Patil urged the students and alumni of technological institutes, especially the IITs, to take interest and establish links with such individuals and mentor them.

She also advised them to do their work as service to humankind, and stressed their society's welfare and their welfare were interlinked.

"A scientist or an engineer who is a good human being, with values of integrity and with a social conscious, will contribute far more to society. It is in returning back to society that a human being responds to their call of duty towards others," she said.

She recalled that Microsoft founder Bill Gates had said some time ago that, per capita, IITs had produced more millionaires than any other undergraduate institution.

"IITians across the world, indeed, are a very powerful group. They have resources and experience which can be leveraged to generate ideas along with necessary funding for development projects in India. I am confident that IITians will always be ready to contribute to India's growth and prosperity," she added.

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The North Eastern Council (NEC) will set up an institution for paramedical education in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode in Nagaland.

This was decided at a review meeting of the NEC chaired by Mr Bijoy Krishna Handique, Minister for Development of North-East Region (DoNER) here recently.

According to an official press release, the institution will be set up in the Regional Referral Hospital campus in Nagaland, where adequate land is available. The hospital was funded by the Ministry of DoNER through its Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Fund.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard will be formally signed on September 15 between the NEC and the Government, the release added.

The meeting also discussed the issue of a study on the health infrastructure gaps in the North-Eastern region. The NEC has approached the public sector Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited to do a gap analysis of three aspects, including Manpower, Referral Services and Health Infrastructure, in the region.

The release said the stdy would not cover the primary health sector but restrict itself to secondary and referral services.

It was also decided in the meeting that NEC will conduct the study on the operationalisation of assets in the health sector in Nagaland and Tripura. The upgradation of the nursing college in the Regional College of Nursing, Imphal was also discussed. It was also decided in the meeting that the NEC would sponsor students of the Downtown Hospital which has started its health education facilities recently.

The release said the meeting also reviewed the status of studies/action plans in various sectors of Vision 2020 for the North Eastern Region.

It said the action plans for the Inland Waterways and Telecommunications sectors were ready for implementation. The Action Plans for other sectors like Railways, Tourism, Civil Aviation, Border Trade and Power Transmission are also in the pipeline.

The NEC has commissioned a Master Plan on Circuit Based Tourism in NER by Tata Consultancy Services. It is also funding a study commissioned by the Director General of Civil Aviation for a comprehensive study and roadmap for Civil Aviation in the region.

A study on Border Trade by Research and Information System for Developing Countries has also been commissioned by NEC. In the power sector, NEC and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited have jointly funded the preparation of DPRs for strengthening of transmission, sub-transmission and distribution systems in NER, the release added.

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Tourism Minister Kumari Selja and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal at the signing of MoU between CBSE and NCHMCT on introducton of Hotel Management and Catering Technology courses in CBSE Schools, on July 20, 2010.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will offer courses in Hotel Management and Catering Technology fo students of Class XI and XII with effect from the academic session 2010-11 in CBSE schools.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between the CBSE and the National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT), New Delhi here today.

The MoU was signed by NCHMCT CEO Devesh Chaturvedi and CBSE Chairman Vineet Joshi in the presence of Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal and Tourism Minister Kumari Selja.

According to an official press release, CBSE and NCHMCT will jointly develop a format for joint certification of the courses. The CBSE will finalise the course design, updation, training of teachers, skill development of students and the conduct of practical and the theory examination for the courses in consultation with the NCHMCT.

The NCHMCT will set up Mentor Centres wherever possible in the country to help take the students at these centres and provide guidance to students and clarify their doubts.

The course will be introduced in selected cities in schools with sufficient infrastructure and extended to other cities once it becomes popular and infrastructure is developed in other schools.

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Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal launching the CBSE's courses Mass Media Studies and Geospatial Practices in New Delhi on July 19, 2010.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal launched the Central Board of Seconday Education's (CBSE) courses on Mass Media Studies and Geospatial Practices here today.

The courses will be offered by the CBSE at the senior secondary level, initially on a pilot basis for 33 schools.

Agreements in this regard were signed by CBSE Chairman Vineet Joshi and Whistling Woods International, with whom the Board is partnering for the Mass Media courses and between the CBSE and Rolta India Ltd for the Geospatial Studies programme.

The two private sector partners will provide curriculum support to CBSE and impart training to teachers.

Mr Sibal said it was important to prepare children for the 21st century, which is going to one of enormous challenges. He said the launching of these courses was a step towards preparing them for such challenges.

He said that while the mass media was a harbinger of challenges, geospatial sciences had a unique place in the national technology revolution. He said the courses would provide students greater choices.

Mr Sibal said much larger efforts were required in the area of vocational studies. He said both school and university education must strive to open up non-traditional areas of human endeavour for sustenance.

"As new career opportunities are beckoning students, we must be prepared to address their needs," he added.

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The World Bank today signed a credit agreement of $ 300 million equivalent for the Second Technical/ Engineering Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQIP) with the Government of India.

The agreement was signed by Mr Anup K. Pujari, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India and Mr Roberto Zagha, World Bank Country Director in India, a press release from the bank said.

TEQIP is a partnership with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and this is the second phase of an envisioned 15-year program initiated in 2002. The first phase of TEQIP initiated a reform process that led to over 30 TEQIP-institutions becoming academically autonomous, the release said.

According to it, this project builds on the significant results achieved in the first phase which supported 127 public and private institutions with implementing institutional reforms, in particular autonomy and accountability towards producing highly skilled engineering graduates, and modernizing classrooms, labs and workshops, up-to-date teaching-learning materials and faculty and staff training.

Thousands of faculty members were supported in upgrading their skills in well-performing institutions, such as National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, College of Engineering, Pune, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, and Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi.

The release said implementing such institutional and policy reforms has made considerable impact on the quality of education. TEQIP’s second phase will respond to the emerging challenge of a shortage of faculty in these institutions by helping prepare more post-graduates to fill the gap. It will also help these technical institutions launch more Research and Development (R&D) programmes in collaboration with industry.

"The Government of India is renewing its efforts to strengthen higher and technical education," Mr Zagha said.

"This focus on higher education, and in particular the technical stream, is vital to address the current skill shortages in the economy. This Project will help India meet its growing demand for highly qualified engineers – a demand which has been growing parallel to its rapid economic expansion," he said.

Enrolment rates in higher education are currently only 11 percent. This has led to a severe skills’ shortage, especially in the IT, infrastructure, power and water sectors. Bank finance for the Second TEQIP will support some 200 competitively-selected engineering education institutions to produce higher quality and more employable engineers. It will also scale up post-graduate education, research, development and innovation at these institutions, the release said.

"A key challenge is an over-regulated, but under-governed higher education system," said Mr Andreas Blom, World Bank Senior Education Economist and project team leader for TEQIP. "Less than 4 percent of institutions are academically autonomous and only 5 percent are accredited. The Government of India and the Bank have found that increased autonomy allows the institutions and their faculty to teach students the skills that corporate India demands, in particular problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility. This in turn enhances the quality of education."

The project is also designed to build capacity of policy-planners and administrators in the technical education sector. Substantial effort will be devoted to monitoring and evaluation to improve governance and ensure that the investment results in better performance of the selected institutions.

The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm – which provides interest-free loans with 35 years to maturity and a 10-year grace period, the release added.

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Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari presenting the 13th A.K. Nair Memorial Award to the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, T.K.A. Nair, at Kannur, in Kerala on July 10, 2010. Governor of Kerala, R S Gavai and other dignitaries are also seen.

Vice-President M Hamid Ansari today inaugurated the Inter-University Centre for Biosciences established by the Government of Kerala in Kannur University.

The centre is part of the State Government's initiative in establishing Inter University Centres in eight fields of academic study in various universities in Kerala.

These centres, which will function in an autonomous manner, are expected to facilitate and promote the nucleation and growth of active groups in specific fields of research. They will also foster the development of centres of excellence within the university sector for teaching, research and development in specialized disciplines.

Mr Ansari noted that the centre was expected to build on the progress made by the university’s Bio-technology and Micro-biology Department in the areas of structural biology and structure-based drug discovery and designing.

He said he was also confident that it would provide an impetus to harnessing the herbal wealth and traditional knowledge systems in the North Malabar region, within the framework of advanced science and technology.

"This can be achieved in the context of inter disciplinary study and research, interface with academic institutions, the national laboratory system and the industry," he said.

The Vice-President hoped that, in addition to core academic programmes, the Inter University Centres would also promote visitor academic programmes and assist in continuing education of the teaching fraternity. The sharing of facilities for research and exchange of skills and knowledge would contribute, in the longer term, to a more networked, a more efficient and a more productive university system, he said.

Mr Ansari said it would also promote better interaction and movement between academia and industry.

The proposed Herbal Garden at the centre will be named after Dr. E. K. Janaki Ammal, a world renowned ethno-botanist from Kannur district.

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President Pratibha Patil at the National Seminar on ‘Recent Trends in Pharmacy Education and Practice’, in New Delhi on July 09, 2010. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad is also seen.

President Pratibha Patil today urged the Pharmacy Council of India to plan for future requirements of pharmacists in the country, taking into consideration the demands of the healthcare landscape.

"Pharmacy education should be constantly revised and updated to meet tomorrow's challenges," she said in her inaugural address at a national seminar on "Recent Trends in Pharmacy Education and Practice."

She said that, with growing inter-linkages in the world, international standards must be maintained and the curriculum should include a section on global trends and best practices.

Educators will also need to develop a culture conducive to inquiry and research, because so much in medicine and pharmacy is yet to be discovered, she said.

Ms Patil also called for constant interaction between pharmacy institutions, educational institutions and various stakeholders - healthcare practitioners, academic centres and pharmaceutical companies to give students the required exposure.

"Professional ethics, values and code of conduct are key factors to be taught. Due emphasis must be given to these aspects," she said.

"The common goal of the health sector, pharmaceutical industries and the pharmaceutical profession, should be to protect the well-being of patients in all parts of the world," she emphasised.

Ms Patil said pharmacists provided a vital connect between the health sciences and the pharmaceutical world. Their work in the medical field has become multifaceted, extending from the manufacturing of quality medicines, to the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients, she said.

The President said the Indian pharmaceutical industry had grown from a meager turnover of $ 0.32 billion in 1980 to about $ 21.3 billion in 2009-10 and was poised to grow at compounded annual growth rate of 19 percent.

India globally ranks 3rd in terms of volume of production and 13th by value of production, she said.

"Our pharma companies meet a large part of the domestic requirements of medicine, which by 2020 are expected to rise to approximately $ 50 billion. It is also noteworthy that Indian companies are amongst the world leaders in the production of generics," she said.

Quoting a report which said that around $ 70 billion worth of drugs were expected to go off patent in the United States over the next three years, she said India was capable of taking a substantial share of the resulting generics opportunities.

Ms Patil said the pharma industry also had to respond to the emerging patterns of diseases and to growing concerns about disease-causing agents becoming resistant to existing drugs.

"This necessitates new drugs, requiring increased focus on research and development including in the newer frontiers of medicine like bio-technology. Clinical trials to establish the safety and effectiveness of drugs constitute an important part of R&D work," she said.

She pointed out that India had a pool of skilled workforce of high managerial and technical competence, and several multi-national pharma companies were increasingly making India their R&D and Clinical Research hub on account of its skilled manpower and competitive costs.

"I also believe that, we should draw on the rich resource of our indigenous knowledge of medicine and bring these into broader usage. India has much to offer the world in terms of alternative medicine and its potential must be tapped. Greater focus is required in this regard to propagate its efficacy," she said.

The President said the demand for pharmacists would increase and they would be required in larger numbers for work related to the discovery, design, development and manufacture of medicines to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of medicinal products and even their cost effectiveness, so as to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes and quality of life for patients.

She said the Pharmacy Council should work towards creating awareness about the very important role of a pharmacist in the well-being and health of an individual.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that a National Pharmacists Day would be declared soon to give recognition to the role played by them in the delivery of healthcare.

He also announced that a national award would be instituted for pharmacists on the lines of the B C Roy Award for Doctors and the Florence Nightingale Award for nurses.

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Prof. Bhavik R Bakshi

TERI University has appointed Prof. Bhavik R Bakshi, a well-known scientist, as its Vice-Chancellor who will oversee all academic and research activities at the institution.

Prof Bakshi has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a Master's in Chemical Engineering Practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Bachelor of Engineering from the Department of Chemical Technology, University of Bombay.

Prior to joining TERI University, Prof. Bakshi was at the Ohio State University, in the United States, as Professor of Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering. He has also been Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.

Prof Bakshi has over 100 peer reviewed publications and research papers to his credit in the areas of Sustainability Science and Engineering, Process Systems Engineering, Complex and Multiscale Systems, Industrial Ecology, and Applied Statistics and has been speaking regularly at international conferences.

"I am delighted to welcome Prof Bakshi to this exciting position of leadership in our research-based institution of higher learning," Dr R K Pachauri, Chancellor of TERI University and Director-General of TERI, said.

"He is a dynamic and forward thinking individual with a wealth of experience. His dedication and commitment to education and research on sustainability science at the national and international levels is a great asset to our University, taking it closer to realising our vision of a university of excellence for this entire region. Professor Bakshi's return to India also demonstrates significantly that we can now attract talent back to India from the best institutions in the world," he said.

TERI University was granted "Deemed to be University" status by the University Grants Commission in October 1999. It offers Masters and Doctoral level programs in the areas of Public Policy & Sustainable Development, Infrastructure, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Water Resources Management, Geoinformatics, Plant Biotechnology, Climate Science & Policy, Renewable Energy Engineering & Management, Business Sustainability and Development Practices.

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The Union Cabinet today approved the presentation of the Nalanda University Bill 2010 for the establishment of the Nalanda University in the monsoon session of Parliament at a cost of approximately Rs 1005 crore.

An official press release said the Ministry of External Affairs had prepared the Bill following the consensus reached at the East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Thailand in October 2009.

A Project Office has been leased in New Delhi for the proposed University. This office will become functional after the Bill is enacted in the Parliament.

According to the release, the proposed University shall have the following schools:

(a) Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions
(b) Historical Studies
(c) International Relations & Peace Studies
(d) Business Management in relation to Public Policy and Development Studies
(e) Languages and Literature; and
(f) Ecology and Environmental Studies

The Nalanda Mentor Group chaired by well-known economist Amartya Sen will draft the first statutes for the University in August 2010.

The release said that, in order to implement the project, India as the host country will make a significant amount of contribution at the initial stage. The Planning Commission has allocated Rs. 50 crore as endowment fund in the form of special grant for the commencement of activities and till such time the Nalanda University becomes sustainable on its own.

The Government of Bihar has already acquired about 500 acres of land for the purpose in Rajgir (in the vicinity of the original Nalanda University site of yore) and another 500 acres is scheduled to be acquired.

The establishment of the University would facilitate the revival of Nalanda as a centre of excellence in East Asia and South Asia, reflecting in some measure the role played by the Nalanda University in ancient times. The revival of the University will also lead to the Buddhist circuits in India thereby benefitting the tourism industry substantially, it said.

In addition to scholars/students from all over the world, the establishment of Nalanda University would benefit the local people and encourage the participation of local communities. For this purpose, the University would associate with the 200-odd villages in the local area that had a connection with the Nalanda University from days of the yore. The University will particularly benefit students from South Asian countries.

According to the draft Bill, the Nalanda Mentor Group, constituted by the Government of India in June 2007, shall exercise powers as the Interim Governing Board of the University for a period of one year or till such time that the members of the Governing Board have been nominated;

The Visitor of the University shall be the President of India or any other person who may be appointed by the President. The University shall function as a public-private partnership and the funds shall be provided on voluntary basis by the Government of Member States, the draft Bill has proposed.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the Convocation ceremony of the IIT, Kanpur on July 03, 2010.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India urgently needed to increase quality research in science and technology, which today played a dominant role in determining the power and progress of a nation.

"This role has become even more critical in the wake of newer challenges like climate change," he said in his address at the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur.

Dr Singh was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor in Science on the occasion, which he described as an honour that he would always cherish.

He said India needed more innovation in areas like sustainable agriculture, affordable health care and energy security.

"India’s strength in frugal engineering and extremely affordable innovations is becoming known internationally. Indian scientists and engineers should leverage this strength to play a more prominent role in addressing problems that affect all countries of the world," he said.

He said that, to enhance the country's capabilities, the Government had tried to ensure that science and technology formed strong pillars of its strategic alliances with other countries.

He pointed out that the establishment of IIT Kanpur 50 years ago had marked the beginning of cooperation between India and the United State in science and technology. In the recently held meeting of the Indo-US Science & Technology Joint Commission, several important decisions had been taken to take this cooperation rapidly forward, he said.

The Prime Minister said that world-class institutions were needed for high quality research. More bright students should opt for resarch and more young men and women should acquire Ph.D. degrees, he said.

"These needs of our country exist not only in Science and Technology but across all areas of higher education. In the last five years we have expanded higher education facilities on an unprecedented scale. A number of new IITs, IIMs, and IISERs have been started. More than 300 degree colleges have been opened in selected districts. Government spending on higher education has been enhanced manifold," he said.

Dr Singh said the issue of quality, however, remained. He said a major constraint was the availability of good faculty and an obvious solution lay in encouraging a larger number of bright students to join academics. He said the IIT community must come together to also evolve other ways to address these issues.

He assured the IITs that the Central Government would do all that is possible to ensure that they functioned with the required degree of autonomy and flexibility and that the genuine needs of the IIT faculty were met.

The Prime Minister also dwelt at length on the ambitious programme set in motion by the Government to completely restructure the legal and regulatory environment of higher education.

He said intensive consultations were being carried out for setting up the National Council for Higher Education & Research. Several important bills have been introduced in the Parliament. These relate to accreditation, foreign universities, educational tribunals and unfair practices, he said.

Dr Singh said top institutions like the IITs should also apply their minds to the improvement of the overall public policy framework in the field of higher education.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness that IIT Kanpur had, in the past few years, become associated with a number of projects which would greatly benefit the country in a range of areas

"We have just launched a new initiative in solar energy to be executed jointly by three Ministries of the Central Government and IIT Kanpur. I am told that the project would explore new ways of storage of solar energy and its conversion into electricity. The importance of such initiatives in energy cannot be over-emphasized given India's dependence on fossil fuel imports and the increasing demand for energy to meet the requirements of our growing economy," he said.

He said the Government had also launched a joint initiative of seven IITs for the development of a management plan for the National Ganga River Basin. IIT Kanpur has also been involved with important projects of the Indian Railways.

"The development of zero discharge toilet technology is a wonderful contribution not only to the railways but also to the Shikaras of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. Similarly, the train tracking system that IIT Kanpur has developed should improve the efficiency and safety of our railways. There are many other critical areas where IIT Kanpur could contribute. I would urge the Institute, its faculty, staff and students to focus mere on projects and initiatives which are of immediate benefit to our country and our people," he said.

Dr Singh suggested that the IITs should collaborate more with each other in research projects. He also urged them to go in for far more collaboration with the corporate sector than had been seen in the past.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh planting a sapling, in IIT Kanpur Campus on July 03, 2010.

He said the alumni of the IIT system had done the country proud and noted that the peaking of the careers of the early batches of the IITs had broadly coincided with the new recognition and respect with which the world views India today.

"IIT alumni have helped immensely in this transformation of India's image, serving as excellent ambassadors for their country. Many of them are leaders in business and technology, both within our country and abroad. They have also enriched India’s public service," he said.

He referred to some illustrious IIT alumni such as Mr N R Narayana Murthy of Infosys, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, economist Raghuram Rajan, Dr Subba Rao i public service, the late Prof Rajiv Motwani in computer science and Mr Ashok Kejriwal in the NGO sector.

"Your institute is well represented in my office too. There are three officers from IIT Kanpur in the Prime Minister’s Office today. Both my private secretaries are alumni of the IITs," he said.

Dr Singh reminded the graduating students of today that they must always bear in mind that the people of the country had partly paid for their education. He said the country was still burdened with persistent poverty, hunger and disease and that institutions like the IITs were islands of excellence in a sea of less endowed institutions.

"You must in some manner, however small it might be, give back to the society and the people who have nurtured you," he added.

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Ten faculty members of the Business Management Departments of the Addis Ababa and the Adama Universities in Ethiopia are attending the 32nd Faculty Development Programme of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) that began yesterday.

The Ethiopian teachers and 34 Indian participants in the programme will spend three months at the Institute during which they will have an opportunity to enhance their teaching and research capabilities.

A press release from IIMA said they would participate in a series of courses and specially-designed workshops, all of them aimed at acquainting them with the latest developments in the various disciplines of management and with the pedagogical approach at IIMA.

According to it, this initiative is a part of a wider collaboration of IIMA with management institutions in Ethiopia. It is an outcome of the dialogue between a high level Ethiopian delegation led by Dr Adhana Haile, Minister of State of Education, Ethiopia and Prof Samir K Barua, Director, IIMA during January this year.

"Our engagement with foreign B-schools has come a long way in ensuring that our academic collaborations remain relevant to management schools from the developing nations, while we continue to forge partnerships with the top ranked B-schools in the world, " Prof Barua said. The Institute is also planning a longer-term arrangement for the professional development of management educators from Ethiopia.

For the Institute, at the threshold of its 50th year, the IIMA- Ethiopian Universities Partnership is a modern complement of the historical ties that the city of Ahmedabad and India have shared with Ethiopia in the past.

The IIMA’s logo is a stylized representation of what is perhaps the best known symbol of Ahmedabad—the stone tracery window from the mosque built around 1571-72 by Sidi Saiyed, an Ethiopian military commander who served the Gujarat sultanate and a holy man, the release added.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved a scheme under which it will offer scholarships to 25 candidates every year who get admission to selected medical colleges from the academic session 2010-11.

An official press release said the scheme would include reservation for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes candidates.

Under the scheme, Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs), in order to attract talented doctors to their medical services, will offer a scholarship of Rs 10,000 per month for the entire four-and-a-half years of the course.

Through this CPMFs Medical Scholarship Scheme, meritorious and physically fit students can not only pursue their studies but also get an attractive career in the CPMFs.

The release said that, in the CPMFs, the doctors will get four time-scale promotions in addition to the opportunity to rise in the combatised hierarchical system of the forces by getting promoted to the level of DIG/IG/ADG.

According to the release, the CPMFs, including the Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal and the National Security Guard, have a network of 39 Composite Hospitals and about 550 Unit/Training Institution Hospitals to provide health coverage their 8 lakh-odd personnel and their families all over the country.

The detailed terms and conditions of the Scholarship Scheme, the names of the Medical Colleges concerned and other details are available on the websites of BSF and other CPMFs.

For the academic session 2010-11, willing and deserving candidates having confirmed admission can download the application form and submit their application through their Principals to ADG (Medical), CPFs, Tigri Camp, New Delhi within three months of their admission or before October 31, 2010, whichever is earlier.

After selection, they will have to complete the course in time and thereafter serve in the CPMFs for a minimum period of 10 years for which they are required to sign an agreement, the release added.

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The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) today said that it was engaged in discussions with the Government of Andhra Pradesh for setting up an IIMA campus in Hyderabad.

The Union Cabinet today approved the establishment of the National Institute of Paramedical Sciences (NIPS), Regional Institutes of Paramedical Sciences (RIPS) and a scheme to support State Government Medical Colleges for conducting paramedical courses through a one-time grant.

The total project cost for the proposal is Rs.1156.43 crore, with a Central share of Rs.999.31 crore (85%) and the remaining Rs.157.12 crore (15%) being borne by the States.

This measure would lead to an additional yearly intake capacity of 14,480 to the health delivery system annually when fully implemented, an official press release said.

The initiative will augment the supply of skilled paramedical manpower and promote quality of paramedical training through standardisation of such education/courses across the country. The main components of the proposal are: Manpower development through support to State Government Medical Colleges in the form of a one-time grant and establishment of one National Institute of Paramedical Sciences and eight Regional Institutes of Paramedical Sciences in various parts of the country as well as developing the existing regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS), Aizawl as the 9th RIPS, the release added.

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The Union Cabinet today approved certain amendments to Sections 2,3,4 and 5 of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission ) Act, 2006 to safeguard the interests of the tribal population in far-flung and remote areas of the North-Eastern States.

The amendments are aimed at providing a balance between the local policy at the State level and the national policy on reservation, an official press release said.

It said the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) (Amendment ) Bill 2010 would be introduced in the coming session of Parliament.

According to the release, the proposed amendments would ensure equity and inclusiveness and meet the regional aspirations.

The release said the Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) were facing certain practical difficulties in implementing the provisions of the Act.

These difficulties emanate from the fact that their Statutes already provide for reservation of higher percentage than 15% of the seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) or 7.5% of the seats for Scheduled Tribes (STs), owing to the composition of population served by them. In some cases the CEIs, which were State Universities earlier, have adopted the norms followed by the respective State Governments which require them to reserve more than 7.5 per cent of seats for STs.

In order to address these problems, the Government has now proposed to amend certain provisions of the Act.

These proposed amendments envisaged are as follows :

• State seats (the seats earmarked to be filled from amongst the eligible students of State in which the CEI is situated), if any, in a CEI situated in the tribal areas referred to in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution shall be governed by the reservation policy of the concerned State Government in the matter of admissions of SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to that CEI.

• If the seats reserved for SCs, STs or both taken together in a CEI exceed 50% of the annual permitted strength, that CEI shall be exempt from making any reservation for the OBCs. Further, if such a CEI is situated in the North-Eastern States, including Sikkim but excluding the non-tribal areas of Assam, the percentage of seats reserved for the SCs or the STs shall not be reduced from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the commencement of the Act; while in case of CEI situated in other areas the percentage of seats reserved for the SCs or the STs in that CEI shall stand reduced to 50%.

• If the seats reserved for the SCs or the STs or both taken together in a CEI fall short of 50% of the annual permitted strength, the percentage of seats reserved for the OBCs shall be restricted to such shortfall.

• The period for giving effect to the provisions of sections 3,4 and 5 of the Act shall stand enhanced to six years from three years, as some of the CEIs are finding it difficult to adhere to the said time limit for creation of the requisite physical and academic infrastructure due to a variety of reasons beyond their control and have been requesting for the increase in the time limit.

• The number of seats in a branch of study or faculty in a CEI shall be increased with reference to the number of seats in that branch of study or faculty available for the academic session immediately preceding the date of the coming into force of this Act or with reference to the number of seats actually filled in that session, whichever be less, mainly with a view to avoiding wastage of resources.

According to the release, all the CEIs (other than those exempted under section 4 of the Act) are, presently, required to reserve 27% seats for the OBCs (excluding "creamy layer"), in addition to 15% seats for the SCs and 7.5 % seats for the STs as also to expand their capacity, over a maximum period of three years, from the academic session 2008-09.

Difficulties experienced by some of the CEIs, particularly those situated in the north-eastern States inhabited significantly, in some cases predominantly, by tribal population, and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, which has been reserving 50% seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in keeping with the objectives specified in their respective Acts have led to the amendments, the release added.

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The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for setting up an Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) for imparting instruction and awarding degrees in frontier areas of science and technology.

The Bill to set up the Academy will be introduced in the ensuing session of Parliament, an official press release said.

It said the academy would primarily focus on research and imparting training in areas that are not ordinarily provided by the existing universities in India. The curricula, pedagogy and evaluation will be innovative and directed towards creating highest quality personnel in cross-disciplinary areas.

The release said the academy would operate on the hub and spokes model with campuses spread across the country in the 37 CSIR laboratories linked through the National Knowledge Network already approved by the Cabinet.

While utilising the existing resources and facilities of CSIR, the academy will operate on a self-sustaining mode. The recurring expenses will be Rs.19.10 crore in the 11th Plan and Rs.61.79 crore in the 12th Plan. There will be no requirement for capital expenditure.

The Government is of the view that there is a shortage of institutions in the country that offer Ph.D. and other advanced courses in integrated and inter-disciplinary areas of science and engineering.

The new academy is expected to fill this gap by taking advantage of the existing state-of-art infrastructure and scientific manpower of CSIR. The academy will be a world-class institution of national importance, the release added.

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Pharmaceuticals major Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited today announced it had launched a generic version of Prasugrel in India.

The product, called Prasita, is an antiplatelet agent for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Prasita is solely marketed by Ranbaxy in India.

Following the April 2009 launch of Olvance (olmesartan medoxomil), an antihypertensive originally discovered by Daiichi Sankyo of Japan, which now has a controlling interest in Ranbaxy, Prasita is the second product from the Daiichi Sankyo portfolio to be introduced in India through the Ranbaxy business network.

Ranbaxy will create awareness, understanding and acceptance of the new antiplatelet therapy among the target audiences in the country, a press release issued by the company said.

"We are pleased to be able to introduce Prasita in India," Mr Atul Sobti, CEO and Managing Director of Ranbaxy, said.

"A number of synergy projects between Ranbaxy and Daiichi Sankyo are already underway, and we will further strengthen our common endeavour to realise greater benefits from our Hybrid Business Model," he said.

"The launch of our two top flagship products, olmesartan medoxomil and prasugrel, by Ranbaxy shows our serious commitment to India, and we will continue to explore further collaborations leveraging the Hybrid Business Model," Mr Takashi Shoda, President & CEO of Daiichi Sankyo, added.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved the proposal for initiation of the second phase of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP).

The total project expenditure is Rs.2430 crore, in which the World Bank contribution is Rs.1395.50 crore, the Government of India contribution (as per 11th Five Year Plan) is Rs.500 crore, the States' contribution is Rs.518.50 crore and private unaided institutions contribution is Rs.16 crore.

The major benefits of the project are strengthening of institutions with improved learning outcomes and employability of graduates, scaled-up post graduate education and demand-driven R&D and innovation, establishment of Centres of Excellence and imparting of pedagogical training to the faculty, an official press release said.

The project will be implemented in pursuance of the National Policy on Education (NPE-1986 revised in 1992) through the Ministry of Human Resource Development as a "Centrally Sponsored Scheme" with matching contribution from State Governments and Union Territories (UTs).

The project will be open for competition and participation by all the AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) approved engineering institutions from all States / Union Territories across the country. An estimated 200 engineering institutions including the Centrally Funded Institutions (CFIS) such as National Institutes of Technology (NITs) will be competitively selected along with a small number of eligible private unaided institutions. The project will also support universities which affiliate project institutions.

TEQIP was envisaged in 2003 as a long-term programme of about 10-12 years duration to be implemented in three phases for transformation of the technical education system in the country with World Bank assistance. The first phase was envisaged in 2003 and ended on March 31, 2009, covering 127 institutions in 13 States. TEQIP-II is planned as a sequel project, the release added.

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The Saroj International Group, an export house, has instituted two yearly awards to be presented to students of the graduating batch of the Leather Department of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) each year.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today laid the foundation stone of a Medical Eduation Complex being set up by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) at Gulbarga in Karnataka.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the Government was setting up a National Social Security Fund for unorganised workers with an initial allocation of Rs 1000 crores on a proposal by the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment.

The fund will support schemes of weavers, toddy tappers, rickshaw pullers, beedi workers and others, he said. Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge presided over the function.

Mr Mukherjee said the Centre had mandated the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to create 500 million skilled persons by 2022.

He appreciated the efforts of the ESIC in the field of medical skill development by setting up medical colleges, dental colleges, nursing institutions and so on, apart from providing core social security benefits to the workers in the organised sector.

Mr Kharge said the plan to build ESIC medical colleges would help provide better health care for insured persons and also give the country more doctors.

The Gulbarga complex is being constructed on a 30.4 acre plot at a cost of Rs. 790 crores. The complex will house an ESIC medical college, a dental college and a nursing college as well as a 500 bedded super specialty hospital.

The medical college will have 100 MBBS seats, the dental college 50 BDS seats and the Nursing College will have an intake of 40 students annually.

According to an official press release, the medical college and hospital will have state-of-the-art facilities comparable to any other similar complex in the country.

The hospital building will have eight floors and the medical college six floors. The hospital will have 12 types of ultra-modern wards, including ICUs and ICCUs. There will be super specialty facilities related to neurolog, cardiology and so on.

The release said there would be 12 operation theatres, including two emergency operation theatres and two maternity operation theatres.

The complex will also have an auditorium, hostels for students, accommodation for faculty members, a community centre and a guest house for patients' relatives.

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GMR Aviation Academy (GMR AA) today announced the launch of training courses in Flight Operations Management at its academy at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad here.

Due to incessant demand, Jeppesen will now offer UAE GCAA compliant Dispatch courses in India to prepare trainees for a UAE Flight Operations Officers License.

The UAE GCAA Dispatch license is issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE. Graduates of this course are eligible to take a short FAA course at Denver HQ in the US to achieve an FAA dispatch License, it said.

Students enrolling on this course will also learn about the duties and responsibilities of the aircraft dispatcher with in-depth knowledge of commercial aviation dispatch procedures, work rules, local and international regulations and the use of sophisticated electronic flight planning systems, flight following and weather software.

The release said the Jeppesen Flight Operations Management & Dispatch programme is compliant with the standards of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the recommendations of IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (UAE GCAA), Civil Aviation Advisory Publication (CAAP) and as well as several other civil aviation authorities.

Successful participants will be given the chance to participate in an oral and practical examination to obtain a UAE GCAA Dispatcher License, the release added.

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