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TNN, Mar 17, 2010, 10.39pm IST
VARANASI: Both the government and agricultural scientists are hopeful of better food scenario in the country despite it reeling from inflation.
"While a serious trend of economic recession and food shortage has engulfed the whole world, in India food security structure is maintaining its integrity and the economic growth rate is good. And, this is due to dependence of our economy's major share on agriculture," said Prof RP Singh, dean, Institute of Agricultural Science, Banaras Hindu University.
(Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Website: http://www.bhu.ac.in/InstituteofAgriculturalSciencesBHU/index.html)
Additional commissioner (food) AK Singh is also optimistic about availability of food grains as a significant increase in wheat production is expected this year. However, food grains (wheat) could not be supplied to those living above poverty line (APL) in the district in February and January (partly) due to unavailability of wheat. But, it was due to factors like improper coordination and transportation of the food grains from other places, said the food official. There was enough stock of food in the country and the shortage was visible only at some regional level, he added.
The BHU agricultural scientists are of the view that in current scenario of recession the hardworking farmers of the country, with their enterprise and understanding of the situation, have produced record 230 million tons of cereal.
"India has shown commendable achievements in production of rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds, soybean, vegetables and cotton. This is due to adoption of agriculture techniques and scientific production by farmers. They are not only increasing the cereal production but their earnings and wealth too," said the dean.
He, however, added at present the situation of Indian agriculture was satisfactory, but future challenges were serious and tough because landholding size was getting shorter, thus reducing profitability. In rural areas as well, agriculture is not a guarantee for good earning. This is the reason for reduction in the share of agriculture in GDP compared to the period of independence. "On the other front, climatic changes are threatening the food security scenario. Hence, it is necessary to develop techniques and crop verities that can overcome these obstacles," he said and added, "besides, transfer of technology is also to be done to make more and more farmers aware as quickly as possible."
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http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article258459.ece
Revised cost estimate for AIIMS-like institutions approved
NEW DELHI, March 19, 2010
And upgrade of 13 existing government medical college institutions
(Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Website: http://www.imsbhu.nic.in/)
The Cabinet on Friday approved the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) for setting up six new All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institutions and upgrade of 13 government medical college institutions under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) (Phase I) for an outlay of Rs.9,307.62 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had earlier approved the scheme for Rs.3,975.99 crore. Due to substantial changes in the cost and scope of the works, the requirement of funds has increased necessitating a fresh Cabinet approval. The allocation made for the PMSSY-Phase I projects for the XI Plan was Rs.3,955 crore. The additional expenditure involved would be Rs.5,535.62 crore.
Tertiary health care
However, the allocation of XI Plan is sufficient to meet the expenditure in the remaining two years of the plan period. The new institutions/upgraded facilities in the existing medical colleges would provide tertiary health care facilities in and around the location and adjoining districts/States in the country. The projects under Phase-I are spread over 19 locations in the 16 States.
The new AIIMS-like institutions are located at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Orissa), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand). These institutions would be completed by 2012.
The institutes to be upgraded are Government Medical Colleges at Thiruvananthapuram, Salem, Bangalore, Kolkata, Jammu and Srinagar; NIMS, Hyderabad; SGPGIMS, Lucknow; B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad; RIMS, Ranchi; IMS, BHU, Varanasi; SVIMS, Tirupati; and Grants Medical College, Mumbai.
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TNN, Mar 7, 2010, 10.17pm IST
VARANASI: Amongst a galaxy of distinguished guests present to grace the 92nd Convocation of Banaras Hindu University at Amphitheatre Ground on Sunday, special invited guest Simon Cridland, head, Advocacy Programme, Canadian High Commission, New Delhi, seemed to be on his mission to attract young Indian students for higher studies in Canada.
"The Indian diaspora is already growing in Canada and the number of Indian students applying for higher studies and student visa has almost doubled in the past five years," said Cridland, who was on a four-day mission in the city, while talking to TOI. Referring to reports that indicate that one out of every 30 Canadian represent people of Indian origin with Indian population touching one-million figure, he also added the country was multi-ethnic and bore other similarities with India and had a lot to offer to the Indian students.
"Canada offers world-class higher education in various fields like business management, science and technology and even basic or applied sciences," he said. "Also, the studies are cheaper in comparison to other countries," he added, referring to Australia, UK and US that attracted major chunk of Indian students for higher education.
Saying the education exchange programme remained the focus of recent meeting with BHU vice-chancellor Prof DP Singh, he also said a memorandum of understanding with BHU was also in the pipeline under the education exchange programme.
Referring to a number of education promotion programmes initiated by Canadian government to attract foreign students, including Indian students, Cridland specifically mentioned the student mobility support programme to support short-term initiatives involving exchanges, study tours, internships and scholarships for foreign students.
Simon Cridland was on a four-day visit to the city, invited by the Canadian Studies Development Programme, faculty of Social Science, BHU.
(Political map of Canada. http://www.trailcanada.com/canada/map/)
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Edu-revamp-to-make-India-a-knowledge-power-by-2020--Sibal/587866
Agencies
Posted: Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 1616 hrs Varanasi:
(HRD minister Shri Kapil Sibal)
Until recently only 12 out of 100 children, who passed high school, became graduates.
Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said on Sunday that the entire education system of the country was being revamped to make India a knowledge power by 2020. Addressing the 92nd convocation of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) he said, "my vision is that India should become a knowledge power in the coming decade."
He said, "recognising the challenge we are doing a revamp of the entire education system on a holistic and systematic basis. The government is appreciative of these efforts and has committed to investing more, much more on education than ever before."
"The eleventh five year plan (2007-12) is virtually a national education plan. The plan allocation for education has been stepped up from around 7.7 per cent of budgetary support in the 10th plan to over 19 per cent in the 11th plan. It is going to be a more than five-fold increase in spending on education."
"The unprecedented investment in education is to ensure that we can avail a critical mass of educated human resource to provide us with the necessary advantage," he said. Until recently only 12 out of 100 children, who passed high school, became graduates. The number must swell to at least 30 graduates, he said.
Sibal said, "the country has rapidly leap-frogged from an agrarian economy to a service economy. In the emerging global knowledge economy, education has become a great leveller among individuals and nations".
"Accordingly, we have to shift from the earlier paradigm of education system, which was linear and passive to a new system that is dynamic, inclusive, focused on cultivating creativity and intellectual skills and geared up to provide vocational and professional education," the minister said. In the convocation, over 6,000 students were bestowed upon PhDs, Masters and Bachelor degrees in different streams by Chancellor Karan Singh.
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Kounteya Sinha, TNN, Feb 17, 2010, 03.14am IST
NEW DELHI: Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will have to put their plan to start medical education on hold as the health ministry has decided against allowing these elite engineering schools to start courses in medicine.
In a high level meeting of experts chaired by health secretary K Sujatha Rao — the first to discuss this controversial issue — the health ministry decided to write to the HRD ministry suggesting that "IITs should start courses on health information technology, biomedical engineering and e-health rather than running a hospital or starting MBBS courses".
The health ministry will ask IITs to partner with renowned medical colleges like AIIMS and PGI (Chandigarh) in jointly running these new courses.
Medical Council of India, which had come out in support of IITs' proposal to start medical degrees while talking to TOI on Monday, did a volte-face in the meeting and staunchly opposed the plan.
"IITs wanted to start MBBS courses in a couple of years and wanted to be exempted from MCI's control. The MCI then joined health ministry officials to staunchly go against the proposal to let IITs even start an MBBS programme," sources who attended the meeting told TOI.
Strangely, MCI chairman Dr Ketan Desai on Monday had told TOI, "We welcome the move. We know that if IITs start medical schools, they will have the same standard as their other courses. They will ensure they have the best faculty as their reputation will be at stake."
Experts who attended the meeting said IITs should focus on what they do best — engineering education — and that "imparting medical education wasn't IITs' core domain".
Experts also said that except IIT Kharagpur which was planning to start its own hospital and medical college within its premises, all other IITs were planning to tie up with existing private hospitals to provide students with complicated cases.
"Can private hospitals have as many footfalls as a government hospital? Can a private hospital deliver the variety of difficult cases required for under-graduate medical education. This was another important reservation of experts," a health ministry source said.
Those who attended the meeting included directors of AIIMS, PGI (Chandigarh), Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (Lucknow), JIPMER, NIMHANS, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, National Institute of Paramedical Sciences and principal of CMC Vellore.
Some IITs, like Kharagpur and Hyderabad, had already started working on starting a medical school in about three years. IIT Kharagpur has supposedly signed an MoU with University of California, San Diego, to set up a hospital which will offer graduate, post-graduate and research programmes in medicine and bio-medical engineering.
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http://sify.com/news/IIT-JEE-likely-to-be-abolished-by-2013-news-National-kcqtkdjiggf.html
2010-02-16 19:10:00
The joint entrance examination (JEE) for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is likely to become history from 2013 as the central government Tuesday decided to work on a common entrance test for all government engineering colleges.
'By 2013, we should have in place a common system for common admission into professional institutions in the country,' Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Tuesday after meeting at least 20 school education boards from across the country.
Explaining the situation, HRD ministry joint secretary S.C. Khuntia said: 'We will work for a common entrance test for every stream. One examination for all engineering institutions, which means IITs will also follow it.'
'In that parameter, there should not be any separate IIT entrance,' Khuntia told IANS. 'Let’s see, we have to work in that direction.'
'As per the score of the entrance, selection will be made. Let's say, the top rankers may go to IITs, the second bests will go to institutions which are a step below the IITs...so on,' Khuntia elaborated. 'The system will benefit the students most.'
After the meeting with school boards, Sibal said: 'We will be working towards a single entrance examination in 2013. We are setting up a task force for that.'
Explaining the situation, the minister said there will be single entrance for each stream. For example, admission to all medical courses may take place through one entrance examination and all engineering admissions through another common entrance.
Sibal said the task force would decide how to go about it and look into issues like the weightage the Class 12 board examination result will have in the admission procedure.
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TNN, Mar 13, 2010, 11.05pm IST
VARANASI: While the three-day Prastuti-2010 began in the department of Electrical Engineering, IT, BHU attracting engineering students across the country on Friday, the burning issues of climate change and work in areas of renewable energy technologies and pollution-free sustainable development are going to be the highlights of the competition.
As per Prof S. N. Mahendra, president, Electrical Engineering Society (EES), IT, BHU, the theme of the competition is Electrical Sciences for the services of mankind and another sub-category with introduction of climate change as national issue has been incorporated to invite technical papers in the area. A total of 22 technical papers under two categories of electrical engineering and computer science would be presented and best three papers would be awarded in each category, he added.
According to Piyush Sharma, student convener, IT, BHU, a total of six papers on climate change has been short listed and three best papers would attract special awards under the sub category in the competition.
The reports from department of Electrical Engineering, IT, BHU indicate that a number of interesting papers on design of solar energy based power system, wind energy conversion system, clean fuel cells and hybrid cars would be special attraction under the sub-category of climate change.
It may be mentioned here that apart from IT, BHU, engineering students from other institutes including BIT Meshra (Patna campus), Vellore Institute of Technology, GITAM University, IITM Gwalior and other engineering institutes would be also presenting papers in the competition.
What is Prastuti?
It is an All India Engineering Student Paper Presentation Competition, started by Electrical Engineering Society (EES), department of Electrical Engineering, IT, BHU in the year 2000. The competition provides a platform for young researchers and technocrats across the country to showcase their work in areas of electrical, electronics and computer engineering apart from igniting the minds of young engineering students towards research and paper presentations. Every year the event receives a number of papers that are carefully reviewed by a committee of reviewers, both students and researchers before they are selected for presentations. Apart from EES, IT, BHU, the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK and IEEE sponsor the event.
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TNN, Mar 13, 2010, 11.03pm IST
VARANASI: How about installing a solar panel in the house to tap solar energy or driving an energy-efficient hybrid car? While a number of papers on technological innovations in electrical and electronics engineering have gained attention in Prastuti-2010, a number of engineering students have also come up with eco-friendly renewable energy technologies and pollution-free sustainable development solutions to tackle burning issue of climate change, on Saturday.
"More than one-third of energy requirement in the country is met from fuel sources that add to environment pollution and tapping solar energy could be an eco-friendly alternative to the problem," said Anchit Darvekar of Institute of Technology (IT), Banaras Hindu University, who along with Vikas Pandey, another IT student have come up with design of solar energy based power system during the event. "In our paper, we have suggested a design of solar energy based Indian city or town. We believe that power requirements in small home can be met by introducing solar panel set in individual houses while solar thermal power plants would be needed to meet heavy power load requirements for the cities or townships," said Pandey.
The ITian duo have also come up with design for houses that would use solar appliances in the future. Saying that the major focus of the idea is to harness solar energy up to the maximum extent, Pandey said the suggested solar power plant would be a commercial parabolic trough solar power plant to meet the heavy power load requirements of major industries in the city. Similarly, for maximum utilisation of solar energy in houses, there would be solar panels for smaller loads like lighting and heating purposes. Also, street lights can use stored energy of sunlight, he added.
It is to be mentioned here that India's Solar Mission has already envisaged promotion of solar energy to harness and distribute environment-friendly power for strengthening national energy security. Similarly, the mission has also set up target of harnessing 20,000 mega watts (MW) of solar energy by 2022 in the country.
Ritesh Harjani and Mugdha, another ITian duo have come up with the design of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the newest innovation of automobile industry in the form of next generation hybrid cars. While explaining the features of these hybrid cars, Ritesh said: "The car is designed to use different forms of energy and not just gasoline. It combines the power of gas engine with an electric motor and the dual engine system can be configured for different purposes like increasing the car's power and improving fuel economy."
In order to increase power and fuel economy, the HEV uses nickel hydride battery, an electric motor, a generator, an internal combustion (IC) engine and power split device. "The electric motor assists the gas engine in starting up and accelerating. But, the car remains on electric power alone under resting conditions. This reduces the use of gas and subsequently decreases toxic emissions from IC engine," he added.
However, it was interesting to note that the technology witnessed development of braking system that recharged the battery every time the car hit the brakes. "There is no need to recharge the battery, as it has in-built recharging system and it gives an edge over other cars especially at a time when car buyers or owners are looking at alternatives to save money even when the cost of fuel is rising and causing damage to the environment, said Mugdha, an IT-BHU student
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Kounteya Sinha, TNN, Feb 19, 2010, 02.10am IST
NEW DELHI: India will now produce 5,000 more specialized doctors every year. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved health ministry's proposal to add more postgraduate seats in 148 state government medical colleges.
The Rs 1,350 crore scheme will see a cost sharing ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and states. Though still far short of the numbers needed, the decision is being viewed as a positive step for a country that has a shortfall of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons.
Ironically, Indian doctors who have migrated to the developed world form nearly 5% of the medical workforce of their respective countries.
Thursday's decision will see more doctors specializing in clinical disciplines like anatomy, microbiology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, forensic medicine and community medicine. The country will also have more gynaecologists, paediatricians and general surgeons.
But where will India find teachers to teach these extra students? Ministry officials said they have recently amended the PG regulations wherein the student teacher ratio has been revised from 1:1 to 2:1 to enable medical colleges to increase seats in PG courses.
``The ratio of number of students to postgraduate teachers like a professor in the subjects of broad specialties has been increased to 2:1 in all our 146 government medical colleges from the 2010-11 academic session. This will help create 4,000 additional seats in different PG courses. For super-specialty courses too, the ratio will become 2:1 for both professors and associate professors. This will increase availability of nearly 700 seats,'' he added.
The same rule will apply to private medical colleges from 2011-12, the official added. The teaching experience required for the post of professor/associate professor has also been reduced by one year.
At the same time, India is trying to tap into the expertise of Indian doctors settled abroad and wishing to return to the country.
The teaching experience gained by persons of Indian origin in recognized colleges from five countries — the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — is permitted to be taken into account in India, enabling such persons of Indian origin who have settled abroad to return and take up teaching assignments.
``The objective of the scheme approved by the CCEA is to meet the shortage of faculty in clinical disciplines which is a bottleneck for starting new medical colleges,'' the official said.
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AGENCIES, Mar 15, 2010, 01.31pm IST
NEW DELHI: Government on Monday approved a bill to allow foreign education providers set up campuses in India and offer degrees.
The Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, was cleared by the Union Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This paves way for its introduction in Parliament.
"This is a milestone which will enhance choices, increase competition and benchmark quality," HRD minister Kapil Sibal said after the approval of the bill by the cabinet.
The bill seeks to regulate the entry and operation of foreign institutions, which will set up centre and offer degrees in India.
This bill was hanging fire for over last four years owing to opposition from various quarters, including the Left parties, over certain provisions. Last year, it was referred to a Committee of Secretaries which brought modifications to certain provisions earlier existed.
The bill was approved by the Cabinet without any change on Monday.
The proposed law prescribes eight-month time bound format for granting approval to foreign educational institutions to set up campuses. They will go through different levels of registration process during this period and will be finally registered with UGC or any other regulatory body in place.
The regulatory body in higher education, either UGC or any other body that would replace UGC, will scrutinise the proposals of aspiring institution as per India's priorities and advice government whether to allow the institute operate in India.
Sibal has already said that quota laws will not be applicable to foreign universities setting up campuses in India.
Though 100 per cent foreign direct investment through automatic route is permitted in the education sector since 2000, the present legal structure in India does not allow granting of degrees by foreign educational institutions here.
The proposed law would facilitate the globally- renowned institutes to participate in India's higher education sector. It will bring in foreign education providers for vocational education training also.
The foreign education providers bill is one of the major reforms bills of the HRD ministry.
A revolution larger than the one in the telecom sector awaits the education sector, Sibal said.
Three other reforms bills, which were slated to be taken up in the Cabinet, were deferred to the next meeting. These are -- Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, Educational Tribunal Bill and Accreditation Bill.
A Group of Ministers (GoM) has already cleared these three reforms bills.
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PTI, Mar 21, 2010, 01.59pm IST
NEW DELHI: Allowing foreign universities to set up their campuses in India will help the country save up to $7.5 billion (about Rs 34,500 crore) foreign exchange annually that students spend on studying abroad, industry body Assocham said.
"It will not only dramatically enhance profile of higher education in India but help it save outflow of about $7.5 billion of foreign exchange per annum as large number of Indian students go abroad to receive higher education," Assocham said.
Assocham president Swati Piramal said students going abroad, cost the country a foreign exchange outflow of $10 billion annually and foreign universities campuses in India could prevent at least three-fourth of students from leaving the country for higher education.
On March 15, the Union Cabinet approved a Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, to allow foreign education providers set up campuses in India. The Cabinet clearance has paved way for its introduction in Parliament.
The chamber said over five lakh students choose to go overseas every year to obtain higher education which include professional courses in engineering, medical and management.
Foreign universities in India would also prevent brain drain as large number of Indian students studying abroad opt to work overseas rather than returning home, Piramal said.
Assocham said several foreign universities have plans to enter India especially at places like New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Pune and Mumbai.
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PTI, Feb 16, 2010, 12.04pm IST
NEW DELHI: Efforts are underway to hold a single national-level entrance test for students to get admission into engineering, medical and commerce courses from 2013, HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said.
"Efforts will be put to hold an All-India national test in science and commerce from 2013. This will smoothen the admission process into engineering, medical, economics and commerce courses," Sibal said, addressing a meeting of the Council of School Board of Education (COBSE) here.
He said this will reduce burden on students who are appearing in multiple-tests for admission into these sources.
At the meeting, the COBSE said it has prepared a core-curriculum for senior secondary classes in science and mathematics subjects.
"There is 90 percent census among the school boards on the core-curriculum prepared on science and mathematics," Sibal said. A similar core curriculum will be prepared in commerce in three months.
Sibal had in August last year pitched for a uniform core curriculum for Mathematics and Science for all school boards. He had said a core curriculum could pave the way for a common entrance exam for admission to professional courses.
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Amaresh Prasad (Civil 1986) published “Hand Book of Project Management and Safety for Civil Engineers”. The news was covered in June 2009 issue of Chronicle.
http://www.itbhuglobal.org/chronicle/archives/2009/06/index-news.php#004378
The book has now received media attention.
The media reports can be viewed in the attached PDF file here.
Handbook-news.pdf______________________
(Amaresh Prasad)
Amaresh Prasad can be contacted at: amareshprasad2007@rediffmail.com
B. Tech. (Civil), MIE (India), CE (India)
Amaresh Prasad is Civil 1986 pass out from Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He has more than 22 yrs Experience in Civil Infrastructures and Real Estate Projects. Currently he works as General Manager-Projects at Inspira Infrastructure Limited, Mumbai.
He is currently located in Mumbai, Maharashtra (India) and works as General Manager-Projects for Real Estate, Infrastructures and SEZs (Special Economic Zones) with Inspira Infrastructure Ltd (IIL), Mumbai
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Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005, UP