About Arun Kumar

Arun has been associated with India International Times since 2018 and he has been a key reporter in covering science and space related stories. He can be reached at reporter@sh003.global.temp.domains.

UK Relaxes Visa for Businessmen, Modi Pitches for Students Too

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Post-Brexit, United Kingdom is opening up to Indian businessmen announcing for the first time a very easy process visa under its "Registered Traveller Scheme" but she chose to remain silent on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to provide "greater mobility" for students and researchers.

Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit organised by CII, Theresa May, who was instrumental in tightening the visa regime earlier, said: "Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier." It means the businesses will have to fill fewer forms now to enter the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport regime and swifter passage through British airports.

"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business… It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.

She pointed out that India now has best visa services and the same-day visa delivery system. She said that the UK government is listening to the pleas made by Indian businessmen. "Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," she added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the India-UK Tech Summit 2016, recalled his visit to the UK last November when it ws decided to commemorate 2016 the ‘India-UK Year of Education, Research and Innovation’ and asked for more visas to Indian students and scholars.

"Even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years our investments in both directions have been robust. India is the 3rd largest investor in UK, and UK is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other’s economies," he noted.

As India will soon have over a billion phone connections, an urban tele-density of around 154%, 350 million internet users, nearly 1 lakh Internet-Connected villages, the growth story offers an excellent success story, he said.

Suu Kyi Calls on President Mukherjee

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Arun Kumar

The State Counsellor of Myanmar, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi calling on President Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of the Republic of Myanmar called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, (October 18, 2016).

Welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi on her first State Visit to India, the President said that India and Myanmar are close neighbours and have a good long standing relationship with each other. During the visit of the President of Myanmar in August this year, fruitful discussions were held and four important agreements were signed between the two countries.

The President congratulated Aung San Suu Kyi on her landmark victory in the General Elections held in November, 2015. The President said that India appreciates the spirit with which the people of Myanmar have responded in the General Elections and the manner in which the whole process of elections has been steered. He said that he was happy that the process of democratization was being strengthened in Myanmar.

India will extend all help to Myanmar in this phase of transition in order to set up democratic institutions for ensuring stability in the country. He wished Myanmar all success in establishing a strong democracy. He stated that Myanmar’s transition to full democracy will take time to achieve and India stands by Myanmar in this process.

The President said that India will soon commence work on restoring two old temples and inscriptions of King Mindon and Bay Gyi Daw in Bodh Gaya as requested by the Government of Myanmar. He said that this task will be undertaken by the Archeological Survey of India with financial support from Government of India.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reciprocated the President’s sentiments and said that India and Myanmar have much in common. She stated that change does not happen easily and Myanmar has to go about the process of transition in a cautious manner. Myanmar seeks the cooperation and support of India as its people look forward to progress and change for the betterment of their lives.

Cabinet Approves MoU between India, EU on Water

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Arun Kumar

The Union Cabinet under PM Narendra Modi has given its approval for the signing of MoU between India and European Union in the field of water resources.

The MoU envisages strengthening the technological, scientific and management capabilities of India and the European Union in the field of water management on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. It provides technical exchange on water issues, including on integrated water resource management plans within river basins and through study visits.

The MoU aims to identify key environmental issues and approaches to sustainable development where exchange of experiences and cooperation could be mutually beneficial to strengthen and further develop cooperation between India and the European Union in the field of water management.

The pact envisions a more sustainable management of water resources in India with an objective of tackling the challenges posed by water management in the context of growing population, competing water demands and a changing climate. A Joint Working Group shall be formed to monitor the activities to be carried out in fulfillment of the MoU.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has been envisaging bilateral cooperation with other countries in water resources development and management through sharing of policy and technical expertise, conducting of training courses, workshops, scientific and technical symposia, exchange of experts and study tours.

Keeping in view the success of the European Union in distribution of water resources, water pricing, water use efficiency by encouraging the changes in agricultural practices necessary to protect water resources and quality, such as switching to less water-demanding crops, etc., it has been decided to have an agreement with Israel to benefit from their experience and expertise.

The EU States have adopted water pricing policies to provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently thereby contributing to environmental objectives.

Cabinet Okays MoU with African Asian Rural Development Organization

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Arun Kumar

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) for capacity building programmes in the field of rural development.

The MoU for the triennium 2015 – 2017 is being signed under which capacity building programmes for AARDO member countries will be organized every year during the triennium at various Institutions of Excellence in India such as National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR), institutions governed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and others. The duration of each training programme shall be of two to three weeks. The Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development Management Course at NIRD & PR under this scheme is for one year.

The AARDO, which has its headquarters in New Delhi, is an autonomous, inter-Governmental organization established in 1962 with the objective of promoting cooperation among the countries of the African – Asian Region in the direction of eradicating thirst, hunger, illiteracy, disease and poverty in the region.

India is one of the Founder Members of the Organization and is the largest contributor in terms of membership contribution of US$ 141,100 apart from contributing by way of providing 70 fully paid training scholarships for Human Resource Development Programme under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) to the Organization.

India has also provided a building for housing the AARDO Secretariat in Delhi and considerable financial assistance is given to AARDO for maintenance of the building. AARDO currently has 31 countries of the African – Asian Region under its fold.

Since the year 2009, India is continuing to provide an Additional Contribution of US$ 600,000 to AARDO for each triennium 2009-2011 to expand its scale and scope of the Capacity Building Programmes of AARDO for the benefit of Member Countries.

BREXIT Fall Out: PM Cameron to Quit in October

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Now that the UK has done what was expected in the last one decade, exiting from the European Union, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to quit from the office in October as the referendum went against his wish to continue in the Union.

In India, the government’s reaction is on expected lines that the economy has enough "firepower" to deal with the situation, and that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been "working" on possible eventualities and the Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das was upbeat on fundamentals. But let us face it — grim future ahead and perhaps another prolonged period of uncertainty and recession.

The BSE Sensex lost 1,050 points and investors have lost Rs.4 lakh crore in one day. The rupee touched the 68-mark, down by nealry one rupee in one day, indicating its weakness in a globally turbulent economy. "You know the pound sterling have been depreciating so all currencies have been depreciating," defended Das. With $360 billion in foreign exchange reserves with RBI, he said India’s position "is very sound and solid."

While the knee-jerk reaction is likely to cool in a coule of weeks, for Britain the changes will not be overwhelming as it had always played an outsider role within the European Union. Unlike other members, it had kept its currency, the pound sterling in tact and never joined the Schengen zone of passport-free travel in Europe. Its contribution to EU budget is also relatively less than others.

The pound sterling may see downward movement for sometime and so is India’s rupee but for the reality of entirely breaking away from the European Union may take about two years, if the current David cameroon’s government gives its consent and goes ahead with the referendum’s outcome to exit from EU. So, these two years will be sufficient for India to move closer to the UK both in terms of trade treaty and negotiate more opportunites.

While the immigration was a major cause of worry for Indians in Britain, they can breathe easy now with the exit plan putting a cap on 100,000 immigrants per annum taking concrete shape as no more EU immigrants can enter Britain so easily now. With the immigrants stopped from elsewhere, India may leverage the opportunity for a more favourable immigration policy with the UK.

Finally, the oil prices will fall following Brexit and it will squarely put in more reserves in RBI kitty. "So when oil prices decline, Indian economy benefits," said another Indian Finance Ministry official.

UK PM David Cameron to Resign in October.

Mozart’s Music Reduces Hypertension (BP), Says Study

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Arun Kumar

A study from the University Bochum in Germany showed in its recent comparative research of the classical music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II vis-a-vis Abba of the 1980s that the hepertension comes down when you listen to Mozart or Strauss but not ABBA.

They corraborated how Mozart’s music can reduce blood lipid concentration, blood pressure and heart rate, some of the benefits observed in people. “It’s been known for centuries that music has an effect on human beings,” said authors in a study published in the German journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. “In antiquity, music was used to improve performance in athletes during the Olympic Games.”

The researchers have divided 120 person in two groups and recorded their cortisol concentration, blood pressure and heart rate before listening to the music, after listening to the music. One group was given to listen to Mozart or J. Strauss Jr. and ABBA.

The other 60 people in the second group were not asked to listen to any music but to read silently. Those who listened to the music of Mozart and Strauss showed a considerable decrease in their blood pressure and heart rate. Those who listened to ABBA had more or same blood pressure at the end.

In another comparison of those who spent reading in silence and those who listened to Mozart or Strauss, the gap is relatively visible as those who read book recorded slightly lower BP but hose in the other music group recorded a higher decrease in their BP, said the researchers. In all, clasical music leads to a lower blood cortisol level, said researchers.

In terms of women listeners to the music, the decrease in their blood pressure is relatively less than men who listened to the same music. Music provides greater health benefits than silence, asserted researchers in their conclusion.

The Mozart family c. 1780. The portrait on the wall is of Mozart’s mother. (Wikipedia)

Foreign University Collaboration to be Cheaper Now: HRD Ministry

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Arun Kumar

HRD Ministry has announced new UGC conditions which will apply to any Indian institutue seeking foreign academic collaboration and award of joint degrees.

Indian Universities and Colleges need to approach the University Grants Commission (UGC) for starting twinning and collaborative arrangement with quality Foreign Educational Institutions (FEIs) in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to the award of a degree.

The degree will be awarded by the Indian Educational Institutions (IEIs) alone; joint degrees are not permitted though the name of the collaborating FEI can be indicated on the degree, the logo and primacy should be of the Indian institution, said the ministry. Credits from collaborating FEI when jointly signed by the IEI shall form part of the transcript and FEI may also sign the transcript/credit issued by the IEI.

The step has been taken by the UGC in order to promote foreign collaborations with a view to increasing synergy between Indian and foreign academic institutions, to offer students additional choices, improve curriculum and the delivery of knowledge and educational content, said the ministry.

The UGC’s earlier regulations issued in 2012 will be amended now. For students seeking to study abroad, new measures mean lower cost to achieve that as the new provision will offer academic mobility through acquiring of credits and study at reputed institution abroad, said the statement. The dedicated UGC portal to receive applications and convey approvals will be launched shortly by the UGC.

However, the new norms will not be applicable to technical institutions, for which AICTE will leverage and bring out similar methodology and facilitative regulations. Universities/institutions that are recognized by UGC and FEIs intending to collaborate will be benefitted from this measure now.

The Regulations stipulate that only IEIs with ‘A’ grade or threshold accreditation should have experience of 6 years or at least 2 batches passed out and similarly ‘A’ grade or threshold level accreditation if the IEIs in their own country will be eligible for collaboration. A bench mark for quality has therefore been set for the collaborations. To maintain academic credibility and seriousness, a minimum duration of collaboration has been specified under one semester for postgraduate degree and 2 semesters for undergraduate degree.

"The UGC will examine complaints relating to academic collaborations being run in violation of these regulations and if prima-facie evidence of fraud is found, it will inform Central and State authorities for appropriate action under the framework of the law, including penal action, said the ministry that regulates and controls UGC.

Ordinance Issued to Defer NEET This Year

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Arun Kumar

In a deja vu, the Union government on Friday issued an ordinance postponing the implementation of NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) for medical and dental courses in institutions under state governments. The NEET will apply in these institutions from next year, 2017 onwards, said the statement.

It means the NEET 2016 will be applicable only to those who are applying for admission to Central government and private management institutions under the management quota. It may be noted that Karnataka and other state governments had asked the Centre to defer the NEET for this year in view of reforming their own system of entrance exam.

As NEET was laready tken by 6.5 lakh students on May 1 and another 8 lakhs are taking it on July 24, there was considerable confusion among the students over the fate of their first exam. Most of them have decidd forego the results in the first and prepare for the second one next month.

The confusion triggered after the Supreme Court said all students should take only one common entrance test, the NEET, for entry to medical colleges, owing to several complaints about corruption in states and in private medical colleges which hold their own exams.

Karnataka PUC Results to be Declared Tomorrow

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Despite re-holding Chemistry exam and facing allegations of rampant corruption in its examination system, Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) will declare the resultss of the Pre-University Course (PUC) tomorrow, May 18, 2016.

Nearly 6 lakh students took the exam for Karnataka 2nd PUC and chemistry was postponed twice over leakage of newspaper and a big scam involving a huge network of coaching centres and top PUC schools has come into limelight when the police probed the leakage.

The results can be checked on the official website of KSEEB —

kseeb.kar.nic.in

and

karresults.nic.in.

Stuents are advised to keep their PUC 2nd year exam registration number ready before checking the results online as massive rush is expected and it may get hung or crash under pressure.

Delay in CBSE Class 10 and 12 Results Affect Students

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Students who wanted to apply for POLYCET 2016 are up in arms over the undue delay in CBSE Exam Results this year, despite no complaints of paper leakage or mass copying.

Generally, CBSE announces results by May first week and this time they have been pushed to last week of May, affecting the students who want to seek admission into polytechnic schools, where the last date for all formalities is May 30.

Sources in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) hinted that the results of Class 12 examinations will be announced next Monday, May 23 while Class 10 results will follow two days later.

Meanwhile, Telangana State POLYCET (Polytechnic Common Entrance Test) was conducted by the State Board of Technical Education and Training, Telangana on April 21 and the registration process for qualified students will begin from May 23 and finish by May 31 as below:

PolyCET schedule:

Document Verification: May 20 to May 28
Online Upload from May 23 to 30
Option to Change Course: Till May 31
Seat Allotment: Till June 1.

The PolyCET officials said the certificate verification process for CBSE students will be held barring the marks sheet and all the students have been informed on their mobiles.

Rajinikanth’s ‘Kabali’ Teaser Crosses 18 Million Views

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Arun Kumar

The much-awaited teaser of superstar Rajinikanth starrer "Kabali" that was launched on Sunday, May 1 has crossed 18 million views as of May 17, making it one of the record-breaking Youtube trends in film industry. In fact, within minutes of hitting YouTube, the video clip went viral on all social media platforms.

The one-minute-seven-second teaser emerged as one of the fastest viewed teasers and within an hour of its release, crossed 1 million views on YouTube, making it the highest so far for a South Indian film. The teaser has bagged more than 6 million views within 24 hours of its release.

According to Whacked Out Media, who are optimizing the promotional material on YouTube, “#KabaliTeaser” trended on microblogging site Twitter on the release day and bagged a place on the worldwide trend list with around 60,000 users tweeting about it at once which reached out to more than 6.6 million people.

After the makers unveiled a new poster of Rajinikanth ahead of the release of teaser, the upcoming film was also one among the top trends on Facebook.

Rajinikanth is back with a bang and took the internet by storm with his new look. Sporting a smart beard and delivering powerful dialogues Rajinikanth plays Kabali, a gangster. The look of the star will remind fans of the good old Rajinikanth days.

The film is produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under the banner V Creations, with an ensemble cast of Radhika Apte, Attakathi Dinesh, Kalaiarasan, Dhansika, John Vijay and Kishore, the film managed to grab the attention of audience with the teaser. Written and directed by Pa. Ranjith, the film”s release is slated for later this year.

Check out the official teaser of Kabali at (https://youtu.be/9mdJV5-eias)

JNU Bus Incident: Navnirman Sena Man Held for Mysterious DTC Bus Bag

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Delhi Police on Thursday night arrested Amit Jani, the Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena chief, who had threatened to kill Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and another student Umar Khalid by leaving behind a bag full of weapons and a letter to kill the student leader.

The bag full of weapons and a letter threatening Kanhaiya and Khalid was discovered in a Delhi Transport Corporation bus at the JNU campus and the police found the signature in the letter belonged to Amit Jani.

However, the self-styled UP Navnirman Sena chief reportedly told the police that the country-made pistol found on the bus was meant to be used to kill AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. Jani has been openly issuing statements declaring his intent to kill several leaders of political parties and student leaders.

India vs China: Diplomatic Tit for Tat on Display?

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Arun Kumar

India has never been so upset with China as it is now over the issue of Beijing blocking Pakistan-based Islamist leader Maulana Masood Azhar designated a terrorist by the United Nations (UN). Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group is blamed for the 2 January attack on the Pathankot airbase in Punjab.

The diplomatic quid pro quo soon rolled out in the form of irking China where it makes more sense. India has issued visas to four Chinese Uyghur nationals, including one termed as terrorist by China in the past. They are given visa to visit India and meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, next week.

In fact, the provocation began last year with the Chinese plan to build a $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including roads, railways and pipelines, in Kashgar, Chinese Xinjiang province and running through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir till Karachi.

Revealing the visa-issuance, Dolkun Isa, whom China branded a "Terrorist" and chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which is fighting for freedom on the lines of Tibet. Now Isa said that the delegation was travelling to India for a conference which was to be addressed by the Dalai Lama.

India and China had fought the 1962 war over border problems but the main trigger was allowing Dalai Lama in 1959 following a failed uprising in Tibet. Many analysts say the India-China war of 1962 was sparked by Chinese anger towards India following the grant of asylum to the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China has snubbed India at the UN using its veto over Azhar case. When India raised its voice, Beijing said India and Pakistan should resolve the issue bilaterally before asking China to intervene or not to intervene in the issue. Now that India has granted visa to Uyghur separatists in China, any protest from Beijing will be summarily rejected saying it’s an internal issue to be settled between Uyghurs and the Chinese government. Tit for Tat?

Kanhaiya Kumar Gets Death Threat in DTC Bus for Nagpur Speech?

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Arun Kumar

In less than 24 hours after he said, Nagpur is not Sanghbhoomi alone but of Ambekar’s land too, JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar received an open threat, this time in the form of a pistol with a threatening letter, that was left behind on a DTC bus from ISBT to JNU campus.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the bete noir of RSS, reached the town of RSS headquarters to be received by angry Bajrang Dal and ABVP members who threw slippers, shoes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union president, who openly criticised RSS for spreading hatred and communal division in the country.

Later, addressing a public meeting on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, Kanhaiya Kumar said, he will continue his fight against the move to replace the nation with Narendra Modi, Parliament with the RSS, and the Constitution with Manusmriti. He reminded people that it was RSS’s ideologue Savarkar, not Jinnah, who propounded the two-nation theory that led to the division of the country.

He said, “Nagpur is Deekshaboomi (where Ambedkar and his followers converted to Buddhism), not Sanghbhoomi (RSS headquarters). It belongs to Ambedkar, not Golwalkar; just as Gujarat belongs to Gandhiji, not Modi.”

When ABVP members and Bajrang dal men hurled shoes, slippers and shouted slogans against Kanhaiya, he retorted saying, "What sort of patriotism is displayed by throwing slippers?"

This is Kanhaiya Kumar’s second visit after Hyderabad and that too to Nagpur, RSS headquarters, which is significant since the student leader is among those who raised the voice of people against the conservative nationalist forces in the country.

While the Delhi Police slapped sedition charges against him, several individuals have been threatening him with death notes and the latest is the pistol found in DTC bus with a death threat to the student leader.

Top 100 Universities of India as per All-India Ranking by Ministry of HRD

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Arun Kumar

India’s Union HRD ministry’s NIRF has released the the country’s ranking of top universities and institutes in categories of univesities, engineering institutes, management institutes, and pharma institutes.

As expected JNU has come on top at third while the science streams had IISc of Bangalore on top of the list. Leaving aside IISc and ICT-Mumbai, JNU tops the general stream of universities in the country, while University of Hyderabad came next to it and surprisingly Tezpur University of Assam took the fifth rank, leaving Delhi University to 6th rank. Here’s the full list of top 100 Universities in India.

Name City State Score Rank
NIRF-UNIV-248 Indian Institute Of Science Banglore Banglore Karnataka 91.81 1
NIRF-UNIV-282 Institute Of Chemical Technology | Mumbai Maharashtra 87.58 2
NIRF-UNIV-319 Jawaharlal Nehru University | New Delhi Delhi 86.45 3
NIRF-UNIV-745 University Of Hyderabad-Hyderabad | Hyderabad Telangana 85.45 4
NIRF-UNIV-708 Tezpur University | Tezpur Assam 84.31 5
NIRF-UNIV-741 University Of Delhi | Delhi Delhi 83.19 6
NIRF-UNIV-66 Banaras Hindu University | Varanasi Uttar Pradesh 81.22 7
NIRF-UNIV-249 Indian Institute Of Space Science And Technology | Thiruvananthapuram Kerala 78.82 8
NIRF-UNIV-86 Birla Institute Of Technology & Science -Pilani | Pilani Rajasthan 76.85 9
NIRF-UNIV-18 Aligarh Muslim University | Aligarh Uttar Pradesh 76.62 10
NIRF-UNIV-780 Visva Bharati | Kolkata West Bengal 76.11 11
NIRF-UNIV-558 Punjab University | Chandigarh Chandigarh 76.02 12
NIRF-UNIV-542 Pondicherry University | Puducherry Pondicherry 74.44 13
NIRF-UNIV-76 Bharathiar University | Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 74.31 14
NIRF-UNIV-519 North Eastern Hill University | Shillong Meghalaya 72.41 15
NIRF-UNIV-360 King Georges Medical University-Lucknow | Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 72.24 16
NIRF-UNIV-231 Homi Bhabha National Institute | Mumbai Maharashtra 72.06 17
NIRF-UNIV-309 Jamia Hamdard-New Delhi | New Delhi Delhi 71.44 18
NIRF-UNIV-29 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham-Coimbatore | Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 71.03 19
NIRF-UNIV-199 Goa University-Goa | Goa Goa 69.90 20
NIRF-UNIV-215 Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya | New Delhi Delhi 69.65 21
NIRF-UNIV-194 Gauhati University | Guwahati Assam 68.58 22
NIRF-UNIV-287 International Institute Of Information Technology Hyderabad | Hyderabad Telangana 68.38 23
NIRF-UNIV-216 Guru Jambeshwar University Of Science And Technology | Hissar Haryana 67.46 24
NIRF-UNIV-218 Guru Nanak Dev University | Amritsar Punjab 67.32 25
NIRF-UNIV-624 Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan | Bhuabaneswar Odisha 66.81 26
NIRF-UNIV-283 Institute Of Liver And Biliary Sciences | New Delhi Delhi 66.65 27
NIRF-UNIV-626 Shivaji University | Kolhapur Maharashtra 66.53 28
NIRF-UNIV-67 Banasthali Vidyapith | Banasthali Rajasthan 66.37 29
NIRF-UNIV-137 Cochin Unviersity Of Science & Technology | Cochin Kerala 66.35 30
NIRF-UNIV-81 Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya | Mohanpur West Bengal 66.33 31
NIRF-UNIV-434 Manipal Academy Of Higher Education-Manipal | Manipal Karnataka 65.74 32
NIRF-UNIV-529 Osmania University | Hyderabad Telangana 65.40 33
NIRF-UNIV-111 Central University Of Rajasthan | Bandar Sindri Rajasthan 64.49 34
NIRF-UNIV-299 Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University | Mysore Karnataka 64.28 35
NIRF-UNIV-697 Tamilnadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University | Chennai Tamil Nadu 64.23 36
NIRF-UNIV-324 Jaypee University Of Information Technology-Solan | Solan Himachal Pradesh 64.21 37
NIRF-UNIV-285 Instituteof Armamrnt Technology | Pune Maharashtra 64.05 38
NIRF-UNIV-172 Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya-Sagar | Sagar Madhya Pradesh 63.69 39
NIRF-UNIV-692 Tamilnadu Agricultural University | Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 63.66 40
NIRF-UNIV-550 Presidency University | Kolkata West Bengal 63.56 41
NIRF-UNIV-615 Sathyabama Institute Of Science And Technology | Chennai Tamil Nadu 62.46 42
NIRF-UNIV-596 S.R.M Institute Of Science And Technology | Chennai Tamil Nadu 62.29 43
NIRF-UNIV-409 Maharishi Dayanand University | Rohtak Haryana 61.31 44
NIRF-UNIV-338 Kalyani University | Kalyani West Bengal 61.30 45
NIRF-UNIV-554 Pt.Ravishankar Shukla University | Raipur Chhattisgarh 61.09 46
NIRF-UNIV-540 Periyar University | Salem Tamil Nadu 60.99 47
NIRF-UNIV-350 Karunya Institute Of Technology And Sciences-Coimbatore | Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 60.85 48
NIRF-UNIV-15 Alagappa University | Karaikudi Tamil Nadu 60.63 49
NIRF-UNIV-467 National Institute Of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship & Management (Niftem) | Sonepat Haryana 60.44 50
NIRF-UNIV-448 Mizoram University | Aizwal Mizoram 60.31 51
NIRF-UNIV-335 Kalasalingam Academy Of Research And Higher Education | Srivilliputtur Tamil Nadu 60.27 52
NIRF-UNIV-336 Kalinga Institute Of Industrial Technology | Bhubneshwar Odisha 60.09 53
NIRF-UNIV-557 Punjab Technical University | Kapurthala Punjab 60.06 54
NIRF-UNIV-534 Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University | Gandhinagar Gujarat 58.67 55
NIRF-UNIV-276 Indraprastha Institute Of Information Technology-New Delhi | New Delhi Delhi 58.62 56
NIRF-UNIV-33 Annamalai University | Annamalainagar Tamil Nadu 57.58 57
NIRF-UNIV-661 Sri Ramachandra Medical College And Research Institute | Chennai Tamil Nadu 57.36 58
NIRF-UNIV-521 North Maharashtra University | Umavinagar Maharashtra 57.28 59
NIRF-UNIV-101 Central University Of Gujarat | Gandhinagar Gujarat 57.14 60
NIRF-UNIV-644 Sikkim University | Gangtok Sikkim 57.08 61
NIRF-UNIV-732 U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidhyalaya Evam Go | Mathura Uttar Pradesh 56.84 62
NIRF-UNIV-668 Sri Venkateswara University | Tirupati Andhra Pradesh 55.93 63
NIRF-UNIV-311 Jammu University -Jammu Tawi | Jammu Tawi Jammu and Kashmir 55.70 64
NIRF-UNIV-110 Central University Of Punjab-Bathinda | Bathinda Punjab 55.62 65
NIRF-UNIV-629 Shoolini University Of Biotechnology And Management Sciences-Solan | Solan Himachal Pradesh 55.49 66
NIRF-UNIV-113 Central University Of Tamil Nadu-Tiruvarur | Tiruvarur Tamil Nadu 55.37 67
NIRF-UNIV-740 University Of Allahabad | Allahabad Uttar Pradesh 55.04 68
NIRF-UNIV-317 Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University | Kakinada Andhra Pradesh 54.71 69
NIRF-UNIV-707 Teri School Of Advanced Studies | New Delhi Delhi 54.46 70
NIRF-UNIV-497 National Law University | New Delhi Delhi 54.17 71
NIRF-UNIV-462 Narsee Monjee Institute Of Management Studies -Mumbai | Mumbai Maharashtra 54.04 72
NIRF-UNIV-210 Gujarat University | Ahmedabad Gujarat 54.01 73
NIRF-UNIV-159 Dibrugarh University | Dibrugarh Assam 53.89 74
NIRF-UNIV-516 Noorul Islam Centre For Higher Education -Kanyakumari | Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu 53.42 75
NIRF-UNIV-405 Maharaja Sayajirao University Of Baroda -Vadodara | Vadodara Gujarat 53.14 76
NIRF-UNIV-47 Assam University-Silchar | Silchar Assam 53.13 77
NIRF-UNIV-746 University Of Kota | Kota Rajasthan 52.88 78
NIRF-UNIV-552 Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University Of Health Sciences | Rohtak Haryana 52.47 79
NIRF-UNIV-636 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University | Katra Jammu and Kashmir 52.38 80
NIRF-UNIV-242 Indain Institute Of Foreigen Trade-New Delhi | New Delhi Delhi 51.82 81
NIRF-UNIV-721 The Northcap University | Gurgaon Haryana 51.63 82
NIRF-UNIV-310 Jamia Millia Islamia-New Delhi | New Delhi Delhi 51.51 83
NIRF-UNIV-62 Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University-Lucknow | Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 51.39 84
NIRF-UNIV-382 Lnm Istitute Of Information Technology | Jaipur Rajasthan 50.81 85
NIRF-UNIV-323 Jaypee University Of Engineering & Technology | Raghogarh Madhya Pradesh 50.67 86
NIRF-UNIV-166 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University | Aurangabad Maharashtra 50.07 87
NIRF-UNIV-730 Tripura University | Agartala Tripura 49.89 88
NIRF-UNIV-470 National Institute Of Technology Agartala | Agratala Tripura 49.73 89
NIRF-UNIV-389 M.S. Ramaiah University Of Applied Sciences | Bangalore Karnataka 49.67 90
NIRF-UNIV-146 Dayalbagh Educational Institute -Agra | Agra Uttar Pradesh 49.64 91
NIRF-UNIV-792 Yogi Vemana University | Kadapa Andhra Pradesh 49.11 92
NIRF-UNIV-653 Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Mahatma Gandhi Medical College Campus | Puducherry Pondicherry 48.89 93
NIRF-UNIV-112 Central University Of South Bihar | Patna Bihar 48.89 94
NIRF-UNIV-646 Sir Padmapat Singhania University | Udaipur Rajasthan 48.20 95
NIRF-UNIV-21 Ambedkar University Delhi (Aud) | Delhi Delhi 47.83 96
NIRF-UNIV-573 Rajasthan University Of Veterinary & Animal Sciences | Bikaner Rajasthan 47.65 97
NIRF-UNIV-541 Pes University | Bangalore Karnataka 47.30 98
NIRF-UNIV-265 Indian Law Institute -New Delhi | New Delhi Delhi 47.19 99
NIRF-UNIV-126 Chettinad Academy Of Research And Education (Care) | Chennai Tamil Nadu 47.05 100

Source: National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of HRD

Top Universities of India List under NIRF Ranking Released, JNU 3rd, HCU 2nd, BITS,Pilani 9th

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Ending fake claims of rankings across the country, India’s Union HRD ministry’s NIRF has released the the country’s ranking of top universities and institutes in categories of univesities, engineering institutes, management institutes, and pharma institutes.

Here is the list of top 5 universities/institutes in their respective category:

TOP 5 UNIVERSITIES in INDIA:

1.Indian Institute Of Science Banglore–Banglore—Karnataka

India to Join 100 Other Nations to Ratify Paris Climate Pact on April 22

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Reiterating India’s commitment to carbon emission reduction, Union Environment, Forests & Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said India, along with 100 other nations would ratify the COP 21 Global Climate Agreement on April 22.

The pact, COP 21, reached at Paris summit in December 2015 would be ratified at a high level signing ceremony to be convened at the UN Headquarters in New York. The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track by limiting global warming below 2 degree Celsius.

Speaking at a Symposium “COP 21 – Building Synergies, Shaping Actions” organized in the University of Mumbai, Javadekar said, “All countries have decided to walk the green path as per their common but differentiated responsibilities… India was always perceived to be a naysayer and negative in its approach and took a corner seat in most of the international conferences. But in Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the concept of climate justice driving home the message of sustainable development.”

The minister said climate change by 1 degree rise in temperature caused by 150 years of uncontrolled carbon emission by the developed world needs to be reversed. He said while 30% of cumulative contribution was that of the United States, 50% by Europe, Canada and other developed world and 10% by China, India was responsible for only 3% carbon emission but still “it wants to be part of the solution.”

Highllighting some pro-active measures to discourage use of fossil fuels in a bid to reduce carbon foot print by levying Rs 400 per tonne green cess on coal, he said: “If the developed world followed India’s example and levied higher taxes on coal, billions of dollars would accrue to pursue clean energy programmes.”

Further the proposed Compensatory Afforestation Funds Bill 2015 would unlock Rs 40,000 crores for the ‘Green India’ initiative and other plans to control vehicular pollution by moving to Bharat VI emission norms, policies on waste management, Swachch Bharat initiative, Ganga rejuvenation among others would contribute to contain climate change, said the minister.

Union Minister of State (IC) for Coal, Power, New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal said his portfolios put him in an awkward situation. “I am a polluter as well as a pollution container”, he said. On solutions undertaken to contain climate change, he said India has launched the world’s largest renewable energy programme by scaling up the target for solar energy. “The solar energy mission envisaged 20,000 Mw of solar electricity generation by 2022. But this target has been pushed ahead by the Prime Minister to 1,00,000 Mw (1Gw),” Goyal said. But all renewable energy programmes will be sustainable only if they become economically viable, he noted.

“While one is aware of pollution caused by the thermal power plants, their importance cannot be overlooked. Therefore, our thrust is on adopting clean coal technologies” he added.

Forget Selfie Stick, Here Comes ROAM-e Drone!

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Arun Kumar

ROAM-e selfie Drone

Australian tech firm IoT Group has launched a new “ROAM-e” drone priced A$349 (US $267) that will be hovering over you as are on go and takes your picture in 360 degree format to be streamed live on the Internet and social media.

Replacing the selfie sticks or stretching your hand far to get a better selfie picture, users can now use the small drone built with facial recognition technology and tethered with your smartphone, it can be your constant companion in air for 20 minutes at a stretch and easily rechargeable.

Ian Duffell, executive director of the IoT Group, says it is “a selfie stick on steroids” since the selfie stick’s problem is it’s confined by the length of the stick. Once tethered to your smart phone, you’ll never need additional tethering devices specific to ROAM-e, he said.

“The thought was, let’s get the thing taking the picture flying with you,” he said. The two rotor ‘ROAM-e’ can be programmed using facial recognition technology to follow the user at a distance of up to 25 metres. It can take 360-degree panorama pictures of you and even stream a live video for up to 20 minutes.

The ROAM-e has a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor camera and runs on Quadcore ARM Cortex A7 processor and its rotors can be folded.

“We wanted it to be small enough to fit into a bag or pocket. We modelled it on not being bigger than a 600-millilitre water bottle,” Duffell noted launching the device on Thursday. It has the ability of the drone to drop a pin on a map application, if instructions are given to it to travel to that point and return, he said.

April Fool Parody News Trending Now

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Arun Kumar

Come April 1, the day of fools makes many news ventures into releasing false news to make the day for their news-hungry readers. Today the news from Firstpost saying for sure that Congress Vice President rahul Gandhi will tie the knot or marry has been trending.

With a sub-head "Who is the girl you ask?", the news outfit went on to narrate the story further saying, "The identity of Rahul’s lady love has been carefully kept under wraps. But we can confirm that she is an Indian with an impressive academic background.". Perhaps, short of saying that she is from JNU, the report virtually re-enacted the April Fool’s day.

Today being the April Fool Day, beware of many such stories making rounds in news outlets and online, including the social media.

[tags, april fool, april 1 news, parody, false news, hoax news, rahul gandhi marriage, jnu girl]

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Top Universities of India List under NIRF Ranking Released, JNU 3rd, HCU 2nd, BITS,Pilani 9th

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Forget Selfie Stick, Here Comes ROAM-e Drone!

April Fool Parody News Trending Now