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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Varanasi/BHU-may-collaborate-with-IPRI/articleshow/4418368.cms
18 Apr 2009, 2330 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) may collaborate with the International Peace Research Institute (IPRI), Oslo (Norway), by creating common grounds, which may sign some kind of MoU in near future.
Dr Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director designate of IPRI, made a visit to BHU and met the vice-chancellor Prof DP Singh on Saturday. According to university spokesperson, if it works out the BHU would be the first Indian university to have such collaboration. Currently the IPRI has been collaborating with the Indian Defence Studies and Analysis (Indian Defence Ministry) with the sponsorship of the Norwegian Embassy in India. Founded in 1959 the IPRI is one of the most prestigious research institutes working in the area of peace research. It is known for its effective synergy of basic and policy-relevant research. In addition to such research, IPRI conducts graduate training and is engaged in the promotion of peace through conflict resolution, dialogue and reconciliation, public information and policymaking activities.
Prof Priyankar Upadhyay from BHU is an expert member of the reference group to facilitate the ongoing collaboration. Dr Harpviken was accompanied by Dr Uttam Sinha, senior research fellow from the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis.
The meeting was also attended by Prof Victoria Fontana from the UN University of Peace (Costa Rica), who is at BHU for a month, teaching at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research as a part of the MoU between the two institutions. According to the BHU spokesperson, the MoU with the UN Mandated University of Peace has been progressing in an impressive manner and the university is well on its way to establish the UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding.
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Additional link:
International Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Oslo (Norway)
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29 Apr 2009, 2211 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: The entrance examinations of Banaras Hindu University for admissions in various undergraduate and post graduate courses are going to attract more than 1.25 lakh students from different parts of the country this year.
Interestingly, while the scrutiny of application forms and process of sending admit cards has reached in the final phase, the increase of seats under other backward class (OBC) quota has already witnessed a rising number of students vying for around 21,000 seats in around 130 departments of the university.
As per reports of the office of controller of examination, over one lakh students have applied for various undergraduate courses in the university. Similarly, nearly 25,000 applicants would battle for post graduate seats (including PG diploma seats) in different streams of as many as 16 faculties in the university.
According to Prof KP Upadhyaya, controller of examination, BHU, the bachelors in education (B Ed) program has attracted the maximum number of applicants in the region. Around 31,000 applicants would be vying for admission in B Ed courses that would also mark the start of entrance examination in the university, he added.
It may be mentioned here that B Ed course in the university has recently attracted a rising number of students including girls and the additional increase of seats under OBC quota along with the running of the course in Rajiv Gandhi south campus, Barkaccha (Mirzapur) has attracted students in the region to apply for the course.
The reports of the office of controller of examinations has also indicated that faculty of Science along with Institute of Agricultural Sciences have attracted most of the students in undergraduate courses after B Ed entrance tests. As per report, while faculty of Science has attracted over 10,000 students, another 5000 applicants are locked in battle for becoming graduate in agriculture sciences.
Even as most of the students appearing for the entrance examination have preferred BHU as the first choice for their examination centre, some other centres including New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad are also included as centres for conducting these examinations.
BHU entrance tests, 2009 at a glance-
Total number of applicants 1,30,000
Total number of seats 21,000
Maximum applicants 31,000 (for B Ed)
Applicants for B Sc courses 12,000
Applicants for Agriculture science 5,000
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Morvi, Rajputana and Vishwakarma among the list
29 Apr 2009, 2210 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: Seven boys’ hostels and three girls’ hostels in BHU received star performers award during prize distribution ceremony held in the university on Wednesday.
Morvi Hostel, IT-BHU
(Source: http://picasaweb.google.com/yogendra.pandey/BackToBHU#5159705130164863922)
(Rajputana Hostel, IT-BHU)
(Source: http://picasaweb.google.com/prakashtrivediitbhu/ITBHUSPics#5182889798584186770)
(Dr B.N Rai with Vice-Chancellor Prof. D P Singh while visiting Vishwakarma Hostel, IT-BHU)
(Forwarded by Hari Om Srivastava. Email: hariom_ee@yahoo.co.in)
According to varsity spokesperson, the boys hostels including Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Vishwakarma, Morvi, Bhabha, Rajputana, Siddharth and Vindhyachal hostel (South Campus) apart from five girls hostel including Gargi, Kasturba and girls hostel (one) in the South campus bagged Vice Chancellor Trophy for star performance.
Similarly, as many as 14 hostels including seven boys and seven girls hostels were given the certificate of appreciation on the occasion.
V-C, BHU, Prof DP Singh presented these awards and urged the students to strive for developing the hostels as centres of learning with good human and moral virtues.
It may be mentioned here, BHU has 63 hostels including 45 boys and 18 girls hostels and all of them were vying for the honours for star performance award this year.
Annual day celebration: The 45th annual day celebrations of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University would be held on Thursday. Vice Chancellor BHU would inaugurate the program.
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List of hostels in BHU:
http://www.bhu.ac.in/hostels.htm
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29 Apr 2009, 1640 hrs IST, Binay Singh, TNN
VARANASI: There may soon be no need of taking antibiotics, just use silver nanoparticles to kill harmful bacteria. The scientists of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are nowadays busy in deciphering the secret of silver and its application in health system. The scientist of the departments of biochemistry and anatomy, Institute of Medical Science, are working on the effect of silver nanoparticles in killing dreaded gram-negative bacteria.
"The research work published in high impact journals evoked good response and we are hopeful that it would be beneficial for the treatment of various ailments," Prof Gajendra Singh, the director of IMS, told TOI. In their research, they have discovered that silver nanoparticles are more aggressive towards gram-negative bacteria, which include escherichia coli, salmonella and hemophilus influenza compared with the gram-positive organisms.
They took electron micrographs to study the mechanism in greater detail. "Silver nanoparticles manage to enter the cell and make perforations in the membrane, which can result in cell breakdown," said Singh, adding that the gram-negative bacteria have a thin cell wall that lacks strength and rigidity. The gram-positive bacteria, on the other hand, are more robust with thick cell wall that is harder for silver nanoparticles to penetrate.
It may be mentioned here that a 120-KV ultra-modern transmission electron microscope was installed in 2007 at the department of anatomy. It facilitated immensely in scientific research and led to publication of several papers in high impact journals.
According to him, nanotechnology involves the tailoring of material at atomic level to attain unique properties, which can be suitably manipulated for the desired applications. Most of the natural processes also take place in the nanometre-scale regime. Therefore, a confluence of nanotechnology and biology can address several biomedical problems and can revolutionise the field of health and medicine. Nanotechnology is currently employed as a tool to explore the darkest avenues of medical sciences in several ways like imaging, sensing, targeted drug delivery and gene delivery systems and artificial implants.
"We are thinking of correlating the work with ayurvedic system of medicine because metals like silver and gold are traditionally used in this system," said Singh. For a long time, silver has been known to have a disinfecting effect and has found applications in traditional medicines and culinary items. Several salts of silver and their derivatives are commercially employed as antimicrobial agents. Thus, nanoparticles of silver have aptly been investigated for their antibacterial property.
Nanoparticles of silver have been studied as a medium for antibiotic delivery and to synthesise composites for use as disinfecting filters and coating materials. The silver nanoparticles can be applied in place of antibiotic to kill the harmful bacteria. He, however, said clinical trial of silver nanoparticles is yet to be done.
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May 01, 2009 06:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
The PANIIT 2009 Global Conference: Entrepreneurship & Innovation in the Global Economy, Oct 9 – 11, 2009, Schaumburg, IL
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The PANIIT Global Conference, which includes a Business Plan competition, is all set to becoming a major event of 2009. “Finally all pieces of the conference are coming together,” says its chairman Ray Mehra. “We are enlisting key players at all levels globally to make this event a great experience”
Jim Owens, Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc in Peoria, IL, Raghuram G. Rajan, Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, University of Chicago and Former Chief Economist - International Monetary Fund, and Prith Banerjee, Senior Vice President of Research, and Director, HP Labs, Hewlett Packard Corporation are just a few of the speakers that will be addressing the PANIIT 2009 audience on innovation and entrepreneurship. “We are seeing a lot of excitement from business leaders about their participation in the PANIIT 2009,” says the content team chair Harsh Koppula.
The IIT Alumni community recognizes the role it can play in overcoming the current global economic crisis. IIT graduates are innovators, entrepreneurs, technical professionals and business leaders all over the world making impact on all walks of life. It is this spirit of deploying tomorrow’s technology to today’s problems that we would like to manifest at the PANIIT 2009 Alumni Conference.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event. This is the best bargain for learning, networking, and networking in the world. Past events have hosted over 3000 attendees, and enjoyed speakers such as Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Jeffrey Immelt, Hillary Clinton, and Rajat Gupta.
“We are still seeking corporate sponsors, exhibitors, and supporters to benefit from the power of the Global PANIIT 2009 Alumni Conference,” states Adi Nath, the sponsorship team captain. We would love to welcome IITians, and guests irrespective of their affiliation, to the PANIIT 2009, a truly global event.
To register for the conference please visit:
http://paniit2009.org/participants/registration.
To sponsor an event or exhibit your successes contact Aditya.Nath@paniit2009.org.
For media partnership, please contact Piyush.Agrawal@paniit2009.org.
Contacts
IIT Midwest Alumni Organization
Janet Randle
Tel: (630) 368-7810
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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090422/jsp/nation/story_10858240.jsp
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
New Delhi (PTI): The IITs have rejected the HRD ministry’s proposal to allow SC/ST students more chances to clear the IIT-JEE. The joint admission board, the highest body to take decision on the IIT-JEE, said the step was not required. The IITs allow all aspirants two chances to clear the all-India exam.
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3 Apr 2009, 0553 hrs IST, TNN
CHENNAI: Cut-off marks for admission into the country's premier engineering institution the Indian Institute of Technology is likely to be higher this year as the 2009 edition of the highly competitive III Joint Entrance Examination, which is the gateway for admission into the elite institutions, was comparatively easier.
On Easter Sunday when nearly 4 lakh students including over 8,000 from Tamil Nadu took the IIT JEE, the initial anxiety gave way to smiles on the faces of many students as both the morning and afternoon session papers were not extremely difficult to crack.
"The paper was certainly easier compared to the question paper of last year," said Swarun Krishna, a student of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School. This was the view echoed by several students to whom this correspondent spoke to.
"In JEE 2008, the students had to answer assertion and reasoning based questions which was quite a challenge. However, this year the papers were simple compared to last year, although students did find the Mathematics paper difficult," professor T R Subramaniam, who has rich experience in coaching JEE aspirants told The Times of India. The Matrix Matching' section in the question paper did not have any negative marks and subjective questions made a comeback.
According to him, since the competition is very much on the higher side, the cut-offs could also go up this time. "I will not be surprised even if the number of students scoring full marks in the JEE is higher this time," professor Subramaniam added.
"In the JEE 2009 there was a qualitative shift in the kind of questions asked these do not require a lot of rigorous problem solving, but rather a fairly good understanding of the concepts and the ability to comprehend and analyse," said Shiv Kumar, director, Career Launcher, a private coaching institute. Therefore, an average student has chances to score almost equally in all three sections Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
Cut-off mark figures for the previous year available with this paper revealed that in 2008, the individual subject cut-off mark for general category students was zero' for Physics, 3 for Chemistry and 5 for Mathematics. These individual subject cutoffs were determined on the basis that top 80% candidates qualify in each subject.
Although the individual subject cut-off marks were in single digits, in reality the students who were admitted to the IITs had scored much higher. In the general category, the first ranked student secured an aggregate cut-off mark of 433, while the last candidate admitted secured 180 marks. The last candidate admitted in the OBC category had secured 173 marks. The cut-off mark for the SC/ST students was 104.
Shiv Kumar estimated that students with a score of above 150 could find a place in the common merit list this year, although this cannot be said with certainty.
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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200904190924.htm
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Delhi (PTI): Students pursuing higher studies at the country's top technical institutes will now be able to do any experiment without going to a laboratory but through virtual labs.
The government will start a virtual lab to benefit about 10 top institutes, including IIT Delhi and certain science institutes, this year.
"The virtual lab will allow the students to do any kind of science experiment in their computers without going to the real labs," S N Singh, a professor of Applied Mechanics at IIT Delhi, told PTI.
The steps have been initiated after IIT-Delhi made such a proposal before the government, which accepted it. The project worth Rs 200 crore will be operational in a year's time, he said.
The entire lab will be operated through a server. The institutes will be connected to the lab and the students can do any type of experiments through computers sitting at their home on acid-base chemistry, thermo chemistry, solubility, redox chemistry and many more areas.
"They can mix up chemicals and do experiments through computers and get the same results they would get by doing such experiments in the real laboratories," he said.
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9 Apr 2009, 0406 hrs IST, Hemali Chhapia, TNN
MUMBAI: It was at IIT-Bombay that Nandan Nilekani learnt "the most important lessons of my life'', a gratitude that the 1978-batch alumnus and now Infosys chief expressed with a $ 5-million donation to the institute. Years ago, when Kanwal Rekhi of IIT-B's class of 1967 wanted to give back to his alma mater, he fought bureaucrats in the HRD ministry to alter rules and allow government institutions to accept "private donations''. Like them, most old students look back at their years at the prestigious institutes fondly.
This Sunday, a whole new batch of aspirants will queue up to, as a parent of an IIT student said, "get in there and grab a slice of success'', much like their illustrious predecessors.
While entry to the IITs has never been easy, competition this year will be tougher as close to 4 lakh candidates, across 131 cities (around 193 students will take the exam at a centre in Dubai), appearing for the JEE. However, the number of seats in the 15 IITs has risen to over 7,300. "Besides the two new IITs, seats will increase as the IITs will implement the second phase of 18% OBC reservation,'' said Bhabha Sarma, chairman JEE 2009.
The rise in the number of aspirants from 3.11 lakh in 2008 to 3.95 lakh in 2009 has forced the IITs to book more exam centres. The Mumbai zone has seen the largest surge. A K Pani, a JEE 2009 chairman at IIT-B said, "This year, we have 52 new centres in this zone. Exams will also be conducted in Sawai Madhopur, which has been added to the list this year.''
Nearly 40% of the candidates (1.55 lakh) are from the reserved category this year. To ensure that the seats for SC/STs are not left vacant, IIT directors have decided to hike the 40% relaxation in scores to 50% from 2009. This means that if the last general category student in 2008 was admitted with an overall score of 172 out of 489, the aggregate cut-off for an SC/ST student was 104 (after a 40% relaxation). If the general category cut-off in 2009 remains the same, the bar for SC/ST candidates would be lowered to 86. Subject-wise cut-offs would also be affected.
Another relief for students is that the two new IITs-in Himachal Pradesh and Indore-will start classes this year with 120 seats each, offering B Tech programmes in computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Sources said none of the six IITs started last year will increase intake or offer new courses this year. "They do not have enough faculty members. Most professors in the new institutes have been loaned out from the old IITs,'' said an IIT-JEE chairman. This, in turn, has restricted expansion plans of the old colleges.
Moreover, as reported in TOI earlier, the IITs have also decided that the extent of relaxation for the physically-challenged candidates in JEE-2009 will be on a par with SC/ST candidates. "The decision on conducting preparatory courses for disabled students will be taken in a Joint Admission Board meeting,'' the JEE website states.
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a) IITs won't fix blunders in JEE question paper
b) JEE-2008 analysis of JEE-2008 maths paper
(Link and news via Nanopolitan.blogspot.com)
http://www.math.iitb.ac.in/~kdjoshi/jee2008.pdf
c) Eklavya blog about IIT-JEE discussions
http://eklavyajee06.blogspot.com/
d) IITs to set up Appellate Authority to address grievances
http://www.livemint.com/2009/04/09155923/IITs-to-set-up-Appellate-Autho.html
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25 Apr 2009, 1642 hrs IST, Binay Singh, TNN
VARANASI: A study of American scientists at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) suggests that there is a reduced flow in many rivers of the world and it is associated with climate change
The study is also applied on the Ganga, the lifeline of millions of people living in its plane. Not only NCAR scientists, but the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global conservation organisation, also reports that the Ganga has been enlisted on the list of 10 most endangered rivers of the world.
In Varanasi, which is situated on the banks of the Ganga, one can foresee the future of the river if things remain the same. "Ganga mein balu ka teela har saal badhata hi jata hai (The sand bed in the Ganga is increasing gradually every year)," said Manohar, a vendor on Asi Ghat. Even a common man like Manohar feels that something unusual is happening to the river.
"The increasing sand bed, which defines the ecosystem, is an indicator of the gloomy future of the Ganga," predicted Uday Kant Chowdhary, a professor of civil engineering and coordinator of Ganga Research Laboratory, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). According to him, sand bed in the Ganga is increasing five-six metre in width and 8-10cm in height annually. "It means the width of the river is reducing in proportion to the increase in sand bed," Chowdhary told TOI.
According to him, factors like increasing pollution, over-extraction of water and reduced flow of the Ganga are causing slow death to the river. The unscientific extraction of river water through Bhimgauda Barrage to Western Ganga Canal is harming the river badly. The capacity of this barrage has been enhanced from 6,000 cubic feet per second to 9,000 cubic-ft per second, he said adding: "People in Delhi are drinking Gangajal (Ganga water) while the natives of the cities like Varanasi are using polluted water."
He said since the holy water was diverted towards Delhi in huge quantity, the velocity of the stream was reduced drastically on the Gangetic Plane. "The loss in quantity ultimately causes loss to the quality of the river water," he said. Besides, due to the increase in total dissolved solid (TDS) in water stored in reservoirs, the water loses its dissolved oxygen (DO) retention capacity. "The quantity and quality are interrelated," he pointed out.
Besides the reduced flow, increasing pollution load is also causing great harm to the river. The increase in pollution load in river water decreases its dilution factor. The dilution factor of the Ganga used to be 1,200-1,400 in Varanasi seven-eight years ago. "But, today it is not more than 700-800," said Chowdhary. Holding poor planning responsible for the deteriorating condition of the Ganga, he said in the existing system, only 100 MLD sewage was treated while the daily discharge was over 250 MLD.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Varanasi/Define-minimum-flow/articleshow/4448513.cms
25 Apr 2009, 1642 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: To save the Ganga, it is important to define the minimum flow of its water at national level, says Prof Uday Kant Chowdhary of Ganga Research Laboratory, BHU.
According to him, the duration of storage of water in a reservoir defines the quality of water. The stored water does not have the quality of the river water. Referring his book 'The Five Theories of River Management', he also claimed that the problem of river pollution could be addressed efficiently and cost effectively by utilising river's own renewable energies.
According to him, the growing pollutant load and deterioration of downstream ecological balance could be solved at minimum cost on sustainable basis by utilising the renewable river energies. He said problems like constantly reducing dilution factor due to decrease in water flow aggravated the pollution problem. This problem becomes extremely severe during the low stage of river from February/March to June/July.
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Additional link:
Home page of Prof. U K Chowdhary on institute’s website:
http://www.itbhu.ac.in/civ/index.php/faculty.html
(Prof. U K Chowdhary)
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The IIMs will conduct the Common Admission Test, or CAT, for 2010 online over 10 days at the end of this year
Poornima Mohandas and Aparna Kalra
Bangalore/Delhi: India’s deficient power, telecom and technology infrastructure is looming as a stumbling block in other educational institutions following the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in taking their admission tests online.
The IIMs will conduct the Common Admission Test, or CAT, for 2010 online over 10 days at the end of this year. The B-schools, which have been conducting the entrance test for admission to their management programme in a paper-and-pen format for 33 years, have outsourced the conduct of the online test to Prometric Testing Pvt. Ltd, the India arm of Prometric Inc., a US-based testing company.
Other institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) also desire to take their admission tests online and avoid the logistical nightmare of administering it physically for tens of thousands of aspiring students. That may not be possible in a hurry.
For an admission test to be administered online, students need access to a computer with a broadband connection plus uninterrupted power supply.
For a country of over one billion people, the broadband subscriber base in India stands at just 3.87 million as of March 2008, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Personal computers, including desktops and notebooks, total 7.3 million.
There are no plans on “the horizon” to take the IIT-joint entrance examination, or IIT-JEE, online soon, says Gautam Barua, director at IIT Guwahati. “One of the issues is there are a lot of students from small towns.”
Small towns in India bear the brunt of severe power cuts and have shaky Internet connections, if at all. A.K. Binda, sub-dean of examinations at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, also cites the same reason for not moving online in the next few years.
The IIMs, which said on Monday that they would take CAT online, have departed from the paper-and-pen format to cater to the rising number of applicants. About 250,000 students took the CAT in 2008, up from 95,000 in 2003. Students who appear for CAT are largely urban students with a degree in hand.
Computer-based testing companies have long regarded India as a large, untapped market with at least 36 million children enrolled just in higher secondary (class IX-XII) schools. The potential market in India is larger than in the US given the sheer number of students, says Pawan Adhikari, business development manager at Gurgaon-based Prometric Testing, whose parent conducts seven million tests every year including the Graduate Record Examinations, or GRE, and Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL.
Another problem is that online tests will require the creation of a question bank as students will take the tests over a period of a few days and questions cannot be repeated. In a paper-and-pen format, all students write the examination simultaneously and only one question paper is required.
IIT Madras director M.S. Ananth says IIT-JEE will not go online next year and several issues such as creating a large question bank need to be tackled first. Nearly 375,000 students sat for the IIT-JEE this month to win an undergraduate seat in engineering schools.
Despite the problems, “All exams will move online sooner or later,” says Gautam Puri, vice-chairman of Career Launcher India Ltd, a test-preparatory company
poornima.m@livemint.com
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Over 32,000 students will sit for AIEEE
26 Apr 2009, 0421 hrs IST, TNN
Bangalore: Over 12,000 students from Bangalore and more than 20,000 students from other parts of Karnataka will brave the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) on Sunday for admissions to engineering courses across the country.
This year, the AIEEE will see close to 10 lakh students across India writing the exam against last year's 8 lakh applicants. The total number of centres on a national scale is 1,450.
Traditionally, the number of students applying for AIEEE has always been more than the number for IIT-JEE. And one of the reasons is that AIEEE is comparatively easier to crack than IIT-JEE. This year, students will be competing for over 18,000 seats all over India, which includes 9,300 seats in 20 National Institute of Technology (NIT).
Started in 2002 and conducted by CBSE, AIEEE is the entrance examination for admission to 32 engineering disciplines and four courses in architecture and town planning at the National Institutes of Technology.
This is currently the largest engineering entrance examination in India, proven by the increasing number of students and institutes participating in it.
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ecourses-for-up-engineering-colleges-from-iits/446303/1
Express News Service Posted: Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 0202 hrs IST
Lucknow:
Undergraduate students of the UP Technical University (UPTU) will soon be able to access nearly 500 web-based and video courses on various engineering streams developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and seven Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).
Under the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), the premier engineering institutes have prepared these courses for B. Tech students and compiled them in 18 segments.
In February, the Centre had suggested the UP government to adopt these courses in engineering colleges to enhance the quality of teaching. Subsequently, on March 24, the state government directed the UPTU to introduce these courses in all its affiliated engineering colleges.
The state government has also requested the Centre to develop these courses in Hindi. “These web and video based courses are developed by faculties of the best institutes in country and are extremely useful for engineering students. We have directed all our colleges to introduce these courses for the B. Tech students in their institutes,” said UPTU additional examination controller JP Pandey.
He added that the main objective of the NPTEL was to enhance the quality of engineering education through such innovative courses. While the web courses have text matter, video courses have recording of lectures by IIT professors.
Pandey said these courses will first be introduced in the university campus and for that, a virtual classroom hub is being developed. “The hub will be ready by July and soon after, these courses will be made available to students,” he said.
Another UPTU official said: “In the first phase of the project, supplementary courses in various streams of engineering, science and humanities have been developed. Each course contains material that can be covered in nearly 40 lectures.”
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30 Apr 2009, 2253 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: Initial exercises like boring and marking of roads marked beginning of the construction of long-awaited two flyovers in the city.
PWD state unit has been assigned this task last month. But, the initial exercises like boring was started last week. The site in-charge Amit Kumar Singh said that boring would be done at both ends of the two flyovers. Presently, the boring has been completed only at one end of the proposed flyover at Pandeypur.
Marking on roads at the same site was in progress on Thursday. While these initial exercises have been started at worksite of one flyover, the PWD officials are still searching a site for dumping the construction material. It is expected that pace of the work would accelerate only after the meeting of PWD officials with police officials next week.
The PWD is aware that beginning of construction works would increase traffic problem on these roads as half of the roads would be occupied for construction. In view of it, the PWD wanted a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles in city during day hours and continue this arrangement till the completion of the project. The police have already ensured diversion of heavy vehicles in day time to avoid jam like situation on the GT Road in city as well as Pandeypur area.
Construction of flyovers to ease the traffic pressure, especially on the major roads was a long pending demand. On December 20, when the chief minister Mayawati launched projects of Rs 800 crore for the overall development of Varanasi, these demands were also materialised. To ensure the beginning of construction of two flyovers, the state government had completed tender process before the promulgation of model code of conduct for the parliamentary elections.
The government has sanctioned a budget of Rs 3981.53 lakh for the four-lane flyover between Cantt. Railway Station and Chawkaghat. This amount could be increased as the government had considered the demands of locals as well as road engineering experts to increase the length of this flyover up to Lehartara flyover. The length of two-lane 1.014 km long flyover at Pandeypur crossing would cost Rs 1825.83 lakh.
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Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005, UP