National Research Professors will now get enhanced honorarium and pension. The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Human Resource Development on Thursday for revision of rates of honorarium, pension and contingency allowances for National Research Professorship (NRP). They will be now entitled to get Rs. 75,000 as monthly honorarium instead of Rs. 25,000 and pension of Rs. 25,000 for NRP pensioners. This will be effective from 1st April 2009.
In the past Noble prize winner C.V. Raman, scientist S.N. Bose, film personality Satyajit Ray, Shahnai mastreo Ustad Bismillah Khan and eminent Sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar, renowned cardiac surgeon M S Valiathan, litterateur Mahesveta Devi; and well-known theatre personality Habib Tanvir, had been appointed as NRPs. Recently scientist C.N.R. Rao, biologist Obaid Siddiqui and mathematician C.S. Seshadri were appointed as national research professors in recognition of their contributions.
It is notable that the Scheme of National Research Professorship was instituted in 1949, to honour distinguished academics and scholars in recognition of their contribution to knowledge. Persons of real eminence who have attained the age of 65 years and who have made outstanding contribution in their respective areas are considered for appointment as National Research Professors. The appointment is made initially for a period of 5 years.
These appointments are made on the recommendation of a committee set up under the National Research Professorship Scheme comprising the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Human Resource Development, Finance and Home Ministry.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said that Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be green Games as new infrastructure is being constructed as per concept of green building, which requires minimum use of energy resources. City like Delhi ought to set standards in this field. During her address to 9th Green Energy Summit she said that there is a need to bring change in the mindset of the people. It is time to encourage green energy including renewable energy.
She underlined the importance of green energy including renewable energy as energy resources from fossils fuel are not going to last longer and our energy requirements are galloping day-by-day. The Chief Minister also appealed the citizen of Delhi to make judicious and effective use of energy as the city has no natural resources. The city government has signed MoUs with TERI to give fillip to its conservation efforts.
There are numerous challenges from climate change which needs to be suitably met. Delhi is the first city in the world to shift its entire Public Transport System to CNG. While underlining importance of solar energy, Dikshit also mentioned Israel where every house is generating solar energy. Dikshit stated that her government has made mandatory use of solar water heaters in hotels, motels, institutes, hostels, big buildings and residential societies apart from this, use of CFL bulbs and electronic chokes. In government buildings the use of solar energy has also been incentivized and energy audit of big government buildings is being undertaken to find out ways of saving of electricity. Dikshit also exhorted manufactures to come out with energy efficient gadgets.
Students of prestigious colleges of Delhi University like Stephen’s, Lady Sri Ram (LSR), Miranda House, Hansraj, Hindu, Daulat Ram and several others today started relay hunger strike against the huge fee hike in the university and its colleges. Over 50 students of different colleges and faculties are participating in the 48-hour relay hunger strike. These students are demanding the university administration to withdraw the notification regarding the fee hike issued last month.
“There should be some justification about the hike”, says Harshita of Lady Sri Ram College. The University administration has increased the fee from 250% to 400% on many items, she says. The fee for revaluation of the paper has increased from rupees 200 per paper to 500. The researchers will have to submit Rs. 5000/- while the exiting charge is Rs. 2000/- says Rohit , a History (M.Phil) student.
“Now I have to pay rupees 48000/- per annum to stay in the hostel of Hansraj College while the existing rate is rupees 36000/-“, Ankit a PG student of History at Hansraj College, told http://fachcha.com . Rates of almost all examination related fee have been increased from 200% to 400% and it is unbearable for most of the students he adds.
Delhi University had issued a notification on 19th September 2009 regarding the fee hike for the examination. While the protesting students are demanding to withdraw the notification they also demand to make fees in the colleges reasonable as most of the colleges too have increased their fees under different items. These issues too need to be addressed, the students say, who are protesting under the banner of student outfit AISA.
On the other hand the university administration is non-committal on the issue. Gurmeet Singh, Proctor of Delhi University today met a delegation of agitating students but did not give any assurance. He said that the university administration would discuss the issue after the strike was over.
In an effort to introduce reforms in legal studies and to provide quality legal education the union government has planned to establish law universities in the country. The Ministry of Law is working on the plan. Though the plan is very initial stage but sources close to the Law Ministry say that there will be five law universities in the country, each for every region. These will be established in north, south, east, west and north-east area of the country.
The plan is being implanted with the help of National Law School University (NLSU) Bangalore. As the NLSU is situated in the southern region so there will be no separate central law university in the area. The proposed universities will be specialized institutions for legal education and admission in these universities will be done through entrance examination. It is notable that there is huge gap between requirement and availability of quality legal experts and legal officers for our judicial system. The proposed universities are being planned to fill the gap to some extent.
Citizen of Delhi will have to pay more for commuting through DTC buses. Delhi Cabinet today gave its approval for revision of DTC bus fare, and purchase of 1000 Low-floor buses including 750 Non-AC and 250 AC CNG buses. Delhi’s students will have to pay more for the bus passes. It will now cost Rs. 100. However, general monthly passes will now cost Rs.800 in Non-AC buses and Rs.1000 in AC buses. The decision to revise bus fare has been taken after more than two years. The last revision of DTC bus fare was taken in June 2007.
Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit told media after the cabinet meeting that Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has been striving hard to augment its city transport fleet for which a huge capital investment is required. Apart from this, the operational cost is also increasing day-by-day. It has been decided to implement new fare structure in three stages in non-AC buses Rs.5 will be charged for a journey upto 3 km. whereas Rs.10 for a journey between 3 to 10 km and Rs.15 for a journey above 10 km. New fare for non-AC Green Lines, Limited Services, Railway Specials and night services will be flat Rs.15 and Rs.25 for such AC buses. New Fare structure in respect of AC buses will be Rs.10 for a journey up to 3 km., Rs.15 for a journey between 3 to 10 km. and Rs.25 for a journey above 10 km. For journey in AC Airport Services, new fare will be Rs.75 whereas in non-AC Airport service, it will be Rs.50. There has been no hike in monthly passes for senior citizens and press which will continue to be Rs.250 in non-AC buses for senior citizens and Rs.350 in AC buses for senior citizens. Journalists would continue to avail the facility at Rs.100 per month in Non-AC and Rs.200 per month in AC buses.
Over 250 students of prestigious IIMs are going across to renowned international institutions under the students’ exchange programme. 46 out of these 250 students are going abroad from Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIML) alone. A senior officer of the IIML told to media in the sidelines of a function at IIML. Top business leaders and executives of the country gathered in Lucknow on Sunday to celebrate its silver jubilee function.
Though it has been a convention in all the IIMs to organize students exchange programme with the reputed international institutions but it was disturbed a little bit during the period of recession, he said. But it has again gained momentum. The six to eight week exchange programme is normally organized in August or October and it helps students to understand international management practices and policies as well as business and industry environment.
Institutions like European School of Management, Cedex, National University of Singapore, Singapore, REIMS Management School, France, ESSEC Business School, France, European Business School, Germany, Brock University, Canada, Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark; Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgique; Jonkoping International Business School (JIBS), Sweden; McMaster University, Canada; ESADE Business School, Barcelona (Spain); Universite Jean Moulin, Graduate School of Management (IECS), France; European Business School (EBS), Germany; University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; George Mason University, USA; Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece; Università L Bocconi, Italy and several others will participate and host students of IILM under this programme
Sibal to tell about plan to open Indian Universities in US
India’s federal Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal will address Harvard Community and MIT Community and tell the US community about India’s plan to open Indian universities in the US and other countries.
In his visit to US Sibal will also interact with several officials and office-bearers of the different universities. It is notable that before leaving to US he has already done series of meetings this week with the directors of the India’s top institutions like IIMs, IITs and NITs and told them to present their future vision within three months. He has also discussed several issues with the vice-chancellors of Central Universities and UGC in this regard.
Sibal has already left for the US. He would hold talks with the US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan about greater collaboration in education between the two countries. A FICCI delegation has also accompanied with the minister.
Sibal will discuss with the Presidents of the Universities of Harvard, Boston, Yale, Duke, Georgetown, the President of New York Academy of Sciences, Ellis Rubenstein and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President, Dr. Susan Hockfield. Sibal will address the Harvard Community on 26th October, and the MIT Community on 27th October. At Yale University he will be given a presentation on “Strategies for Recruiting and Developing a World Class Faculty”.
In MIT the Sibal’s lecture is being organized by the MIT India forum with the initiatives led by Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and Prof. Charles Cooney.