Bogus Educational Institutes running in Mumbai...

Shut down 20 bogus tech colleges: HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed the state education department to close down 20 bogus technical institutes in the state.
Nine of these colleges are in the city, a majority in Santa Cruz and Dadar, some in Pune and one each in Thane and Vashi. These institutions run courses in engineering and management studies and with their shut-down, about 2,000 students will be left in the lurch. The colleges may go in appeal.
This newspaper had broken the story in December 2006, which was relied on by an activist to file a PIL against the mushrooming of such technical institutes without proper permissions. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) had issued a notice last year, announcing that there are 169 unauthorised institutions in the country that conduct various courses, including engineering and even management. Besides, there are 104 institutes, which claim to have collaborations with foreign institutions.
On February 2007, the state appointed a committee to look into these colleges, following which a report was submitted in June 2007. In the meantime, the state had asked the institutes to stop conducting classes. The state found 64 institutes were in order and 14 were bogus, stated additional advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni. There were six institutes affiliated to Sikkim, Annamalai and Allgappa universities, he said, adding, “They were operating in Maharashtra without the state’s permission.’’ Following the revelation, the bench of justices Bilal Nazki and Sharad Bobde directed the state to seal these institutes and if necessary, prosecute the managements of these colleges. The court was responding to a PIL filed by Kalyan-based activist Dinesh Kamath, who raised the issue of mushrooming technical institutes with no AICTE recognition. Disposing of the plea, the court also directed that the state should examine if the promoters of any of the bogus institutes had been prosecuted and file a report in two weeks. So far, no cases have been registered.
The court directed, “Arrange to seal them if necessary, so that admission seekers are not duped.’’ Another 13 new institutes have sought permission from AICTE to start functioning. The HC, however, directed these institutes not to grant admission unless the permission was given by the AICTE.
ON THE SEALING LIST
IMET, Malad (west) A and B, Praxis Business School, Kalina Brotherhood Education Trust, Hindustan Institute of Technology, Borivli (east) Sai College, Andheri Swastik College, Dadar Academy of Pharmaceutical Management, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Kalina Hospitality Training Institute, Matunga, St John’s Paramedical College, Dadar Sai College, opposite railway platform 1, Thane Global Institute of Management Science, Santa Cruz (east) ITM Institute of Financial Markets, Vashi

POLLUTION REDUCES YOUR WEIGHT...one lung at a time!

POLLUTION REDUCES YOUR WEIGHT...one lung at a time!

It often starts off as dry cough that might not seem as a cause for concern. Like many, you might blame the change of season. But soon, it leads to breathlessness and persistent hacking. You know you can't put it off any longer and visit the doctor. What follows are a battery of tests as bronchitis, asthma and the dreaded consumption are on the rise in our city, a dangerous by-product of the increasing pollution levels. We spoke with Dr A Mahashur, Chief of Respiratory Medicine at P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and consultant at Saifee Hospital, to give you the low-down on pollution and it’s effects on the lungs as well as tips on protecting yourself.
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE…
An average human breathes in approximately 15000 litres of air per day and apart from much needed oxygen, also takes in nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and other particulates. It is the latter gases we’re talking about which form the poison in the air. The result – common complaints such as ‘slight irritation in the throat’, watering of the eyes, etc. However, air pollution often does lead to more serious ailments; it causes worsening of bronchial asthma and bronchitis. It is also known to increase the incidence of infectious diseases like tuberculosis as also a worsening of symptoms of heart disease and a higher incidence of lung cancer.
WINTER WOES
With the coldest day of the year just gone by in the city, almost everyone seems to be nursing a cold or gulping down bitter cough syrups. The cold reduces the immunity of the respiratory system. Also, levels of pollutants are higher when temperatures are low. Therefore this season sees an increase in attacks of cough, cold, breathlessness, viral infections and pneumonias.
PRECAUTIONS – A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
JAB FOR LIFE

• The BCG vaccine, for the prevention of tuberculosis is given to newborns and is required only once in a lifetime.

• The influenza vaccine needs to be repeated every year.

• A pneumococcal vaccine is recommended once every five years.
(The influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are only recommended to those who with reduced immunity or with a history of lung disease. Moreover, both these vaccines can be administered to all patients – from 2 to 70 years)
KICK THE BUTT
You may ignore the fine print on the cigarette packs, but here are stats you can't ignore: about ten lakh Indians die of smoking-related diseases every year. The most common lung diseases amongst smokers are Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COLD) and lung cancer. Currently about 14 million Indians are suffering from 'COLD'.
FOODS THAT HEAL
Healthy doesn’t necessarily translate to tasteless. A diet rich in vitamin E helps prevent diseases by stimulating the immune system, while most fruits contain vitamin C which boost immunity.
For asthma patients, a diet rich in magnesium is recommended. Also, vitamin D (think salmon or soya) is recommended to those suffering from TB as studies have linked low levels of D with the disease.
HIGH RISK GROUP – OR IS IT?

• People with asthma may suffer from repeated respiratory problems if their asthma is inadequately controlled or if they don’t follow the advice of their physician.

• If a person’s pneumonia is treated properly then less problems arise in the future unless the patient has a lowered immunity (result of some other disease).

• In the case of tuberculosis, the patient is usually normal if the infection is adequately and completely treated under the supervision of a qualified doctor. But if it is inadequately treated or the patient has a lowered immunity then he/she can suffer from repeated health problems.
LUNG DISEASE AND CARDIO PROBLEMS
The heart and lungs are very closely related and abnormality of one organ can affect the other as well; which is why heart disease and lung disease symptoms are similar. Hence every patient needs careful evaluation for a correct diagnosis. Also, if a patient has a heart attack, it may cause accumulation of water in the lungs which could lead to breathlessness mainly at night, referred to as cardiac asthma (often confused with bronchial asthma.)
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU VISIT A CHEST SPECIALIST?
A person below 40 need not visit a chest specialist regularly. But a person suffering from respiratory symptoms like cough, breathlessness, fever and unexplained weight loss should visit a specialist and get investigated with chest xrays, blood tests etc. every six months at least.
WHAT ABOUT TB?
Tuberculosis makes no distinction between rich and poor, caste or creed. Among the body organs, lungs are most likely to be infected. Any person who suffers from a cough or fever for over10-15 days and doesn’t respond to the treatment of a GP, must get evaluated by a specialist to rule out TB. Each TB patient with germs in his/her sputum infects up to ten people annually.
THE CURE
TB is fully curable by tablets, provided the medication is taken regularly and under supervision of a doctor for a period of 6-9 months. However when the doctor's instructions are not adequately followed then the disease can become drug resistant and also life threatening.
– AS TOLD TO KIRAN MEHTA

The Cost of Education...

80 pc literacy comes for Rs 85,000 crore!

Centre targets 80% literacy by 2012 in the 11th Five Year Plan

NEW DELHI:The Centre is targeting 80 per cent literacy by 2012, against the present 65.38 per cent, with a whopping Rs 85,000 crore earmarked for education during the 11th Five-Year Plan. “We are committed to ensuring complete literacy by 2015,” said A K Rath, the secretary, secondary education and literacy, in the HRD ministry.
Officials said the money earmarked towards education during the 11th Plan was five times the budgeted allocation from the previous Five-Year Plan budget. The bulk of the amount is for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the ministry’s flagship programme. The ministry said it was committed to promoting elementary education across the country and there was no need for any external support. However, the government is open to publicprivate-partnership in secondary schools, officials said.
“We are short of teachers for the programme. We are stressing on quality in the ongoing 11th Plan. We are looking at improving basic learning for students, infrastructure in schools and teaching standards,” Rath said. IANS

Unmonitered Adulteration in Mumbai...

DOODH KA DOODH, PAANI KA PAANI

Check out these simple home tests to detect adulteration in foodstuff and spot duplicate products

(By the Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, in association with the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat) COMPILED BY DIPTI SONAWALA

ADULT-ERATE EDUCATION HOME TESTS TO DETECT ADULTERATION IN FOOD

BUTTER AND GHEE ADULTERANT: Hydrogenated vegetable (vanaspati) TEST: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in 10cc of hydrochrolic acid, mix it with 10cc of vanaspati added to a spoon of melted butter or ghee. Shake the mixture thoroughly for one minute.Then let it settle for 10 minutes. If vanaspati has been added to ghee or butter, the top layer of the mixture will turn red. HEALTH RISK: Harmless, but takes away purity.

RAWA ADULTERANT: Iron filings (which add to the weight) TEST: Pass a magnet through the rawa, the iron fillings will cling to the magnet immediately. HEALTH RISK: Causes stomach disorder like sawdust, though this is much more hazardous for health. Iron filings can also cause food poisoning, they stay in the stomach for a longer period.

CHILLI POWDER ADULTERANT: Sawdust and artificial colour TEST: Take a bowl of water. Sprinkle some chilli powder on the surface of the water. If sawdust has been added, wood shavings will float on the surface. If artificial colour has been added, it will stain the water red. HEALTH RISK: Sawdust creates stomach disorder.

SAFFRON ADULTERANT: Scented and coloured hair of maize TEST: This is an easy test. Pure saffron dissolves in water, while maize hair floats on the surface. HEALTH RISK: Harmless but takes away purity.

COFFEE ADULTERANT: Excess chicory TEST: Take a bowl of cold water. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coffee powder in the water. The coffee will float, while the chicory will sink. So you'll know exactly how much chicory has been added in every teaspoon of coffee. HEALTH RISK: Harmless but takes away purity.

CORIANDER POWDER ADULTERANT: Powdered horse dung or husk TEST: There's no test that can be conducted at home to check this one out. So the best way to avoid adulterated products is to buy whole dhaniya and powder it at home. HEALTH RISK: Causes nausea and abdominal pain.

MILK ADULTERANT: Water, urea, carbonate, starch, common salt, etc TEST: There are no easy tests which can be done at home to catch out these adulterants. Only a couple of simple measures can be followed. If the milk packet is not sealed in exactly a straight line, and is slanting, it means that the packet has been tampered with and the milk is likely to be adulterated.Also, check the date on the packet. If it's smudged or erased, the milk has been tampered with. HEALTH RISK: The excess presence of urea in milk can overburden the kidney as they overwork to remove urea contents from the body. Depending on the quality of the water used, a number of diseases can be caused.

COLD COPY TIPS TO SPOT DUPLICATE PRODUCTS

The one on the left is a duplicate
THUMS UP
The original Thums Up logo is red.A duplicate bottle has a blue logo. To find out whether your soft drink is an original product, always check for the FPO number on the crown on the bottle. If there's no FPO number, it means the product is a duplicate one.

The one on the left with light blue lettering is a duplicate COMBIFLAM
The printing on original combiflam strip is dark blue, while the printing on a duplicate strip is light blue in colour.
IODEX
The colour of the underside of the cap of an original Iodex bottle is always white, while in duplicate bottles, it's black.

Some relief for students but i doubt whether this would have positive effects...

Now weak students can pass with grace and condonation

While preparing the Examanual, principals of city schools discovered a long-forgotten rule that says students of Std IX and X are entitled to 13 condonation marks in addition to 20 grace marks; rule will be implemented from this year on

YOGITA RAO

Weak students in Std IX and X need not fret about making the grade anymore. In addition to the grace marks that will pull them over the red line, the education department has also dusted out a long forgotten rule that allows automatic condonation of marks. This means that students who fail in one or more subjects by two to three marks will be granted automatic condonation of marks. Students can get a maximum of two marks in each language. Three marks will be given in mathematics and and two each for science and social sciences.Students will benefit by a whopping 13 marks extra.
This is in addition to the 20 grace marks. But there is a clincher. Automatic condonation and grace marks cannot be given in the same subject. Not more than 10 per cent grace marks can be granted per subject and cannot be given in more than three subjects.
The rule was brought into existence in 1977 (under the Maharashtra Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Regulation 1977) but was never implemented. Very few teachers and probably not a single student knew about it.
Raj Aloni, principal of Sir JJ Fort School of Boys, said, “These marks are not part of the grace marks a student is entitled to. The rule was never implemented in schools as nobody was aware of it.”
Aloni was one of principals involved in preparing the Examanual, which led to the unearthing of the old rule. She added, “It was for the Examanual that we had to refer to the 1977 Act and we came across this interesting system. A student getting 33 marks in English can pass with the help of these marks and grace marks can be set aside for other subjects.”
Nazma Kazi, principal of the Anjuman Islam School in Byculla, said, “This system will reduce the number of students failing in Std IX, which is a major concern for the department and for parents. In fact, it will be difficult to fail students in Std IX now.”
The education department has now decided to organise a workshop for all school principals to explain the new evaluation system this week. The workshops will be conducted by all education inspectors from the three zones. Sheela Tiwari, deputy director of the education department, said, “The examanual has the new rules and regulations in a nutshell. It will be of immense help to principals, teachers, parents and students.”

The Examanual is a rule book explaining the new evaluation system for Stds V to XII

How low can we get?

African children for sale in Britain

London: Hundreds of children from Africa are being sold in and “trafficked” to Britain to be exploited as modern-day slaves, the Telegraph has reported. The children are sold by their parents, some while still babies, to criminal gangs and human traffickers. Once the children arrive in Britain, they are used to obtain thousands of pounds worth of fraudulent welfare and housing benefits from the government.
An undercover reporter from the Telegraph was offered several kids by their parents in Nigeria for prices being £5,000 for two boys aged three and five, £2,500 for one boy and £2,000 for a 10-month-old baby. Pregnant teenage girls were ready to sell their babies for less than £1,000.
An international trafficker in Lagos said he had bought up to 500 children annually.
Poor parents are lured by the traffickers’ promises of a better life for their children in far away cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester. But once in Britain, the children become a means to obtain illegal welfare benefits, costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds a year.
The traffickers wait for the children to reach the age of seven so that they are strong enough to be sold off as domestic slaves. At a time when they should be attending school, the children face brutal exploitation being forced to work for up to 18 hours a day, cleaning, cooking and babysitting their masters’ offspring, or made to do arduous shifts in restaurants and shops.
The children are also subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Some are accused of being witches and become victims of exorcism rites in traditional African churches in the UK.
British human rights groups have called for the government and the police to take immediate action to end what they termed “21st century child slavery”. AGENCIES
Patients angry as minister rules out single-sex hospital wards
London: Patients groups have reacted angrily to the British health minister’s statement that the provision of single sex wards in hospitals was not practical. The minister, Lord Darzi of Denham, appeared to renege on the ruling Labour Party’s 1997 manifesto promise to “work towards the elimination of mixed-sex wards”. He told the House of Lords that the government was committed to providing single-sex accommodation in hospitals, but not single-sex wards.
“Our guidance requires the provision of single-sex accommodation, not wards,” Darzi said. “This may mean single rooms or single-sex bays within a mixed ward as well as single-sex wards.” The British Patients Association accused the government of “throwing in the towel” on their manifesto pledge. Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: “The government has taken a U-turn on their promise to eliminate mixed sex wards. Ten years ago patients were told it would be possible, and it was a manifesto commitment. Now the ground rules may be changing but the problem is still there for patients of all ages who ask for nothing more than a safe NHS where ‘dignity and respect is at the heart’—to quote Lord Darzi himself.”
“Patients have no guarantee 10 years on that anyone will do anything to achieve this. This is throwing in the towel. Why should we believe anything will change now?”
Lord Darzi said commitments the government made in 1997 were met in 2002-2004, with 95% of patients in single sex accommodation. AGENCIES

STARING AT AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Playing the Blame Game - we need to act more and talk less...[starting with me]

Experts blame state for rise in poverty

Nitin Yeshwantrao I TNN

Mumbai: Research scholars, political leaders and academicians are attributing the rise in the number of urban poor in Maharashtra to the continuing decline in farm production, rising foodgrain prices and neglect of welfare by the state government. They are unanimous in their belief that the economy boom has created wide income disparities.
TOI had last week reported that 21% of the families, which translates into 2.42 lakh families of the 11.52 lakh families in 156 municipal councils are earning less than Rs 591 per month per person. The amount is a cut-off decided by the Union government to identify a BPL family.
The directorate of municipal administration, a state agency, had conducted the survey over the last two years with investigators roped in from the National Service Scheme, voluntary workers, staff from the local bodies among others.
Most research scientists raised doubts about the methodology used in the survey, but said the state was heading towards a “scary situation’’ where more than 40% of its urban population is identified as Below Poverty Line (BPL).
According to Prof K Narayanan from the department of economics at IIT, the rise in the BPL families indicates that, “the income levels of those in the informal sector are not linked to the cost of living. The booming service industry has created new jobs, but those living on the margins have not benefited’’. According to him, the prices of cellular phones and televisions may have declined, but foodgrain prices have shot up. “This is directly affecting those who have moved to mofussil towns and cities in search of employment.’’
He added that small towns are the immediate draw for those living in poverty and deprivation in the villages. “Agriculture growth has been dismal in the last 10 years leading to rise in foodgrain prices. The only way to reduce the food prices is to devise programmes for increasing farm production. This halts migration to cities, creates employment at home and also
reduces the food prices,’’ Prof Narayanan said.
Research scholars of poverty issues also pointed out that the rising BPL numbers at a time when funds are being put into poverty alleviation programmes, are increasingly hinting at the poor implementation of the programme. Is the delivery mechanism failing, they ask.
Under the Swarnajayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojna, which aims to provide employment to the urban poor, Maharashtra has spent Rs 181.71 crore since 2000 up to December 2007. In fact, in the last two years, the Centre has released more funds to Maharashtra than it gave to UP. During 2006-07, the state received Rs 48 crore from the Centre followed by the highest aid of Rs 71 crore from the Centre for this programme, in this fiscal year.
Professor Abhya Pethe from the department of economics, Mumbai University said that if the BPL figures are rising in towns, it is a pointer to the fact that there are not enough
livelihood and employment resources in small and medium towns. “It indicates that growth is driven by the big cities. The growth is not all-pervasive and excludes the poor. Thay is why there is no reduction of poverty,’’ Prof Pethe said.
Deputy chief minister R R Patil who belongs to a poor peasant’s family in Tasgaon, a town in Sangli district, has attributed the rise in BPL figures to the “push factor’’ from rural to urban areas largely due to inadequate infrastructure.
“Presently 80% of the farmers possess less than one hectare of land. The irrigation potential in the state is a minuscule 17% and most farmers are unable to go beyond a single crop in a season. The state’s GDP may have increased, but the BPL statistics reveal that the growth is not all-inclusive. It has only created pockets of prosperity,’’ Patil said indicating that lack of infrastructure development and absence of supplementary income to farming, has contributed to rising poverty figures.
P Sainath, Ramon Magsasay award winner, however, squarely blamed the state government for the rise in the BPL numbers.
“Maharashtra has moved from a manufacturing capital to a speculative economy. This is leading to wide disparities in income, rising joblessness and with the state government neglecting its poor, their conditions are worsening,’’ said Sainath.
He said that while migration of the rural poor to cities is a cause for concern, it is the changing pattern of employment in big towns and cities that has worsened the situation for the poor.
“A city like Mumbai was like a sponge, absorbing any amount of the work force in its mills and industrial units. Now mills have turned into real estate sites and the unskilled migrant is reduced to a status of being neither a worker nor a farmer,’’ Sainath told TOI. “The only sector which is open to him is a construction site. There has been an increase in such footloose migrants who have no permanent destination or assured health care and education for their children,’’ Sainath told TOI.
nitin.yeshwantrao@timesgroup.com

The big gap in the quality of Education in cities and villages - we need to fix it asap!

Students fare poorly in ZP schools

Survey Reveals That Kids Can Barely Spell Marathi And English Words

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: While it may not come as a surprise that students from zilla parishad schools in the interiors of Maharahstra fare poorly in English, a recent survey found that they could barely write even Marathi.
The survey—conducted by the school education department’s Quality Improvement Cell in 17 districts spanning 1,500 schools and 50,000 students— painted an abysmal picture of education in the state.
Conducted over the last two months, the survey found that over 60% of Class II and III students surveyed in Gadchiroli could not spell the word “bhajibhakri’’ in Marathi, or write the name of a friend. And only 38.5% could add 17 and 18.
Seventy-eight per cent of class VI students surveyed in Nagpur and Aurangabad could not answer questions meant for Class III students and only 9% could spell the name of their school in English.
Of the Class II and III students surveyed, only 29.8% were up to the mark, and of the students who were surveyed from Classes IV to VII, only 30.59% were capable of studying in the standard they were in.
Of the students surveyed in Nagpur and Aurangabad, no one could frame a sentence in English using the word “table’’. And only 13.33% could write the word “garden’’.
“The situation is bleak across the state. We found that very little teaching took place during class hours. Teaching hours were not properly utilised,’’ said J Abhyankar, who heads the Quality Improvement Cell.
He added that workbooks that were meant to be solved by students at home, were being solved by the teacher in class. “Instead of creating a lively, energetic environment inside the classroom, lessons were dull and boring,’’ he added.
While the survey mentions that it was not possible for the department to visit all schools in a particular area, and only a handful were surveyed, it was likely that conditions at most schools would be the same as those in the schools surveyed.
toireporter@timesgroup.com

News from the core!

‘Earth is getting soft in the middle’

Material In The Lower Mantle Makes Sound Travel More Slowly, Thereby Suggesting It Is Softer

New York: Scientists claim to have uncovered evidence that our planet Earth is getting soft in the middle.
The researchers in the United States have carried out a study and found that material in part of the planet’s lower mantle has unusual electronic characteristics which make sound propagate more slowly, suggesting it is softer.
“What’s most important for seismology is the acoustic properties — the propagation of sound. We determined the elasticity of ferropericlase (mineral) through the pressure induced high-spin to low-spin transition.
“We did this by measuring the velocity of acoustic waves propagating in different directions in a single crystal of the material and found that over an extended pressure range (from about 395,000 to 590,000 atmospheres), the material became ‘softer’ — that is, the waves slowed down more than expected from previous work.
“Thus, at high temperature corresponding distributions will become very broad, which will result in a wide range of depth having subtly anomalous properties that perhaps extend through most of the lower mantle,” the ‘ScienceDaily' quoted lead researcher Alexander Goncharov as saying.
In fact, Goncharov and his colleagues at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory analysed the composition and density of the material after watching the velocity of seismic waves as they travel through Earth. PTI
Is our scarred planet entering a new epoch?
Human activity has altered life on Earth so much that that scientists are proposing to change the name of the geological epoch we are living through from the Holocene to the Anthropocene.
“With more than half of all soils on Earth now being cultivated for food crops, grazed, or periodically logged for wood, how to sustain Earth’s soils is becoming a major scientific and policy issue,” Daniel Richter, a soil scientist at Duke University said. “Society’s most important scientific questions include the future of Earth’s soil.”
The name, Anthropocene, was coined in an off-the-cuff remark, by the Nobel prize-winning chemist, Paul Crutzen, in 2002. He suggested that the environmental effect of increased human population and economic development meant the Earth was entering a new era. But scientists want to redefine our epoch to reflect humanity’s impact on the planet. AGENCIES

Youth Festival - Aavishkar 2008

Medical students get ready to host youth festival

Mumbai: Come Wednesday and medical students in KEM Hospital will shed their white coats and get festive. From racing deftly made robots to swinging to salsa beats, students will bring in the GS medical college’s annual youth festival, Aavishkar ‘08, with a bang. The three-day event hosted in the sprawling Parel campus is likely to attract around 10,000 students from 73 colleges across the city.
The new feature this year is a technical festival called ‘Cautery’ that will see budding doctors pitted against students from other specialisations (engineering to arts and commerce). A wired-robot race called Robo-Olympiads is being projected as the festival’s flagship. Besides the 21 teams who have already engineered their robots in the run-up to the event, anyone with their previouslybuilt robot is free to race it on the tracks. For the more creative lot, a jive and salsa workshop by choreographer Sandip Sopparkar, an inter-collegiate clash of bands and a glitzfilled fashion show promises some fun. The festival is in its 26th year and it’s theme is called ‘Outer Space’. The fest will bring back some of its alumni to play judge. TNN

The Montessori Congress at Chennai in 2009

RUN-UP TO 2009 CONGRESS

City to host forum for Montessori schools

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: More than 100 years after Madame Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor who revolutionised education, set up the first Montessori school in Rome, and over 60 years after she lived and worked in India, the president of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), Andre Roberfroid, will visit Mumbai for the first time.
Roberfroid, who was earlier Unicef ’s deputy executive director for programme and strategic planning, will visit Mumbai and Chennai next week. He is here to prepare for the Internal Montessori Congress, to be held in Chennai next year. This will be the first time that India will host the Congress. In Mumbai, he will attend a forum organised by
Montessorians in the city. “We have invited experts from all walks of life who do not know about the Montessori system. We will put forth our views, beliefs and method of teaching before them, and discuss the Montessori way of life with them,’’ says Sheroo Desai, headmistress of Activity Infant School, one of the eight Montessori schools in Mumbai. There are 22,000 Montessori schools in the world, 300 of which are in India.
The forum aims to answer these questions—What are the challenges facing our work for children? If there are no restrictions, where do we want our work to be in 10 years? How can we maximise the contribution of stake holders and what steps can we take to harness the efforts of those working for children?

Technological Developments in Mumbai - part 2

SEALINK PROJECT TO COST MORE THAN RS 800 CRORE

Worli-Haji Ali section next on the anvil

Ashley D’mello | TNN

Mumbai: The state government is going ahead with building the Worli-Haji Ali section of the sealink and will be floating tenders for the 3.5-km bridge shortly. The section is expected to cost more than Rs 800 crore.
The western sealink, in its entirety, is supposed to stretch from Versova to Nariman Point. The Bandra-Worli section is under construction and the Worli- Nariman Point section was supposed to be built then. But there
were problems as not enough bidders were willing to come forward to build the huge Rs 4,200 crore section. It has now been cut down to two sections, from Worli to Haji Ali and another from Haji Ali to Nariman Point.
Government circles are now debating whether to take a route under Malabar Hill from Haji Ali and carry the vehicular traffic onto Marine Drive to Nariman Point or to go under the sea-hugging coast to Nariman Point.
Civic groups like Bombay First have pointed out that if the sealink is built as a bridge it would destroy the natural beauty of Marine Drive, which is one of the world’s best promenades and could be developed into a tourist hub.
PWD minister Anil Deshmukh said the issue of an underground tunnel under Malabar Hill or a road under the seacoast to Nariman Point would be decided after discussions with consultants.
The minister said speculation on what would happen has led to the feeling that the project would be further delayed. “This is not true, we will begin the Worli-Haji Ali section and will decide on the Haji Ali-Nariman Point section after discussions with our consultants,’’ he said.
The Versova-Bandra section of the sealink is also being planned. A survey has been conducted and feasibility studies are to take place shortly.
ashley.dmello@timesgroup.com

Technological Developments in Mumbai on the cards!

Monorail work may start by June

2008 To Finally See Some Movement In Two Major Transport Projects

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is aggressively pushing for the monorail project, which is now expected to be ready for construction by June. According to MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, pre-qualification bids have been opened and seven firms are in the race.
“At first, two lines, one from Wadala to Chembur and another from Wadala to Jacob Circle, will be built. Later the Jacob Circle line will be extended to Malabar Hill,’’ said Gaikwad.
“A third line from Wadala to the Bandra-Kurla Complex will come at a later stage. A monorail for Thane, Kalyan and even Vasai-Virar is also being discussed,’’ he added.
Gaikwad said it will take 15 to 20 days to shortlist the seven bids. The financial bids will come later and work should begin by May-end, he said.
Last September, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had given the green signal for construction of four monorail corridors covering 70 km in the city and suburbs.
MMRDA officials said the cost of construction will be roughly Rs 85 crore per km and the trains are expected to run at a maximum speed of 65 km per hour.
The monorail is not considered a mass-transit system as it has passengers per direction per hour (PPDPH) of 15,000 as compared to the suburban rail trains, which have a PPDPH of 1.8 lakh. The monorail will serve as a feeder service for the existing railways and the proposed metro lines, said MMRDA officials.
Ambanis in the race
The two Ambani brothers are in the running for the monorail project. Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy Limited has tied up with Hitachi while Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Engineering Associated has tied up with Siemens AG. International giant Bombardier Transportation India Ltd is going it alone while Larsen & Toubro Limited India has tied up with the Scomi Group for the bid. Videcon Industries has tied up with Aerospace USA and Gammon India has tied up with Met Rail (Swiss). There is also another consortium, called KPTL-JMC-INTAMIN, in the race.
ON THE CARDS
Two lines, one from Wadala to Chembur and another from Wadala to Jacob Circle will be built. Later, the Jacob Circle line will be extended to Malabar Hill
A third line from Wadala to the BKC will come at a later stage
Cost of construction: Rs 85 cr/km (approx). The trains will run at a maximum speed of 65 km/hr carrying 15,000 passengers per direction per hr toireporter@timesgroup.com

Connecting the young mind with the experienced one for a better growth - TOI - 28/01/2008

Guru-shishya tradition comes alive in 16 cities

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi/Mumbai: In Delhi, Utsav Mittal, a computer engineer, and his brother wanted to know how they could attract customers to their information security business. In Mumbai, Parag Patil, 26, wanted to know how he could modernise the technology he uses to manufacture composite pressure vessels.
The tradition of seeking knowledge and guidance from a guru came alive across 16 cities in India on Republic Day when Mittal, Patil and around 1,000 other aspiring entrepreneurs interacted with 200 experts from various business sectors as part of a countrywide mentorship programme organised by The Times of India in collaboration with PAN IIT, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and the National Entrepreneurship Network.
At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Delhi campus itself, over 100 young entrepreneurs from across the city were mentored by former IITians with an aim to help them make their fledgling businesses grow or develop ideas still on the drawing board.
The event got a headstart with former President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam, delivering a lecture from Hyderabad that was webcast to all venues, including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Kalam said that all IITians should adopt one village each and help convert ordinary people into top entrepreneurs. PAN IIT should be focused on training rural and semi-urban students to help them develop employable skills. These skills in turn would produce globally marketable products, he said.
Each young entrepreneur was paired with a mentor, who lent an ear to the plans and problems. “Youngsters registered with us online for free while we asked the mentors to send us their details. We then tallied the line of work of both and gave a mentor to each participant,’’ said Geetika Dayal, executive director, TiE Delhi.
In Mumbai, the nation’s commercial mecca, over 75 entrepreneurs, young and old, were mentored through the day at IIT-Powai. Managing director of Triiton, Parag Rele, who played mentor, pointed out that he came across several great ideas. “But currently, they are just ideas. There is no clarity on how to convert them into sustainable widespread businesses. People were not clear about the road from here to there, the effort, the struggle and the money needed to reach that goal.’’
A lot of the mentors, the participants said, “cleared the blocks in their mind’’. Later in the evening, managing director of Tata Steel, B Muthuraman, shared some valuable experience with all of the Mumbai mentors and participants. He spoke of the importance of a vision and of looking at the bigger picture. “The tendency among youngsters is to look at the current problems. If you can’t decide where you want to go, how will you reach there? But in life, a lot of people just trudge along,’’ he said.
A clear vision, he felt, is what has made Tata Steel the company it is today. “We transformed a dead company. It started walking and running and now it is climbing a few mountains,’’ he said. Eventually, he left the audience with four ingredients for a successful business: be adaptable, be one with society, have a decentralised set-up and have financial prudence.

SHARING A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE: B Muthuraman, MD of Tata Steel, interacts with young entrepreneurs on the IIT-Bombay campus

HELPING YOUNG FIRMS GET A FOOTHOLD: Former President A P J Abdul Kalam spoke about the need to develop globally marketable products in a speech that was webcast from Hyderabad to other cities as part of the Entrepreneurship Mentoring Programme on Republic Day on Saturday

Sorry; you see we have money for spending on ministers security, providing them with fancy laptops but not for Children's nutirtion.

14 states spend a pittance on kids

Defy SC Order, Pay Less Than Rs 2 A Day On Child’s Nutrition

Nitin Sethi | TNN

New Delhi: Orissa spends a meagre 59 paise per day on providing supplementary nutrition to each child. This is what Supreme Court-appointed commissioners in the rightto-food case have reported in their latest submission to the court. In fact, the commissioners have found that most states have been shortchanging children’s health despite the apex court’s orders that they provide supplementary nutrition worth at least Rs 2 per day per beneficiary under the Intregrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
The court’s orders had come in December 2006, when it said that of the Rs 2, the central government should contribute half, with the remaining expenditure being borne by the state government for providing supplementary nutrition at the anganwadi centres opened under ICDS catering to children and expecting women at the village level.
Of the 22 states that the commissioners investigated, 14 fell foul of the court order. Suprisingly, the N-E states have done much better than other bigger states. Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya have spent more than the amount mandated as the minimum by the apex court. Rajasthan spent a mere Rs 1.61 per beneficiary per day, UP spent Rs 1.37 and MP Rs 1.21. Gujarat was doing just as badly spending Rs 1.27 per day.
The commissioners point out that the records would seem more dismal if one compared the actual expenditure to the norms set specifically for severely malnourished children. The government is expected to spend Rs 2.7 per day on every severely malnourished child and Rs 2.30 for every pregnant woman, nursing mother or adolescent girl per day. The court commissioners, in the report submitted to the SC, have suggested three reasons for the possible lower expenditure by the states. They contend either the governments have erred in counting the actual number of beneficiaries or they are supplying poor quality of food or that there are gaps in supply and children and expecting mothers are not receiving their due food every day.
While Arunachal spent a mere 9.81% of the allocated amount, Gujarat did not spend 60% of its allocated amount and Delhi left 45% of its money unspent on the scheme. Other states fairing badly were Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Kerala, Punjab and Uttarakhand.

SC-appointed officials say 14 states have defied the court order on child nutrition. But N-E states have done much better than bigger states

Now that's what i call interrogation!

Students grill men in khaki at interactive meet

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Do the police have the legal sanction to shoot criminals they are chasing? Who gives food to the accused in prison? These were some of the questions put forth by youngsters before the Mumbai police at an interactive session held by the Times Foundation and the men in khaki.
At the session, which lasted for three hours, students representing various schools in the city came together for a tete-a-tete with the police force.
Asked why some policemen demand haftas, the joint commissioner of police (law and order) K L Prasad admitted that salaries for the lower rungs of the police force were a matter of concern. “However, I would still say that the police do not accept hafta. It is an individual who does. It is a very small section that does so, and hence, should not be equated with the entire police force,’’ Prasad said. When another student asked about fake encounters and the legality of killing criminals in lock-ups, the joint commissioner cautioned the students to draw a line between the reel and the real reality. “By law, the police do not have any sanction to kill. It is only for the court to decide on the punishment,’’ said Prasad.
The plethora of questions posed by the students apparently showed that the young minds were intrigued by the way the police force functions and also how transparent it is to the common man.

How can they let this happen? This is really sad!

Thirty years on, Vashi library gets shut notice

Sonal Upreti I TNN

Navi Mumbai: In a satellite township that still lags behind in cultural activities, the civic authorities are on the verge of shutting down the Town Library, one of the oldest in Navi Mumbai.
The library, near Vashi police station, was officially opened to the public in 1975. Seven other NGOs, which have offices in the library building, have also received notice from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to vacate the premises by January 31.
The library, which is run by a public trust, had signed an agreement with Cidco that would be renewed every 11 months. It receives a government grant of Rs 1.2 lakh every year. The agreement expired in December 2006, after which the premises were handed over to NMMC by Cidco in March 2007. Now, NMMC has sent notices to vacate the premises.
“The library has 24,000 books and 1,000 members. Why is it being closed down when we are doing so much good work? The NMMC wants to invite other charitable trusts to open a library here. But why shut something that is already doing well?’’ says library secretary Vijay Kedare.
Spread over 1,200 sq ft, the library has many accomplished scholars, doctors and engineers as members. Students also prefer to spend time here and exchange notes. The community centre also houses the New Bombay Music and Drama Circle, which was established in 1975. It has witnessed performances by renowned artistes like Shobha Gurtu and won prizes in drama competitions.
“How can you remove such an old organisation at such short notice? Children are encouraged to develop their talents with various kinds of activities here. Why do they want to give the premises to another trust?’’ says Vivek Bhagat, who runs the centre.
S Deshpande, president of Nutan Mahila Mandal, which is located in the same building and has also received a notice, says, “We have helped women get employment and conduct singing classes and accupressure therapy. The organisation’s records are in place and we have submitted an audit report every year, ever since the NGO was started in 1976. Even though Cidco has transferred authority to NMMC, the activities must go on.’’ NMMC commissioner Vijay Nahata says the corporation will try to protect the library. “Their agreement with Cidco is over and the same rules have to apply to everyone. There will be a library on the premises, but the policy will be decided in the general body meeting soon.’’
Meanwhile, the library officials and its patrons face an uncertain future. “NMMC does not have any provisions for us. We have approached different political parties for help, but are yet to hear from them,’’ adds Kedare.
sonal.upreti@timesgroup.com

NOWHERE TO GO: Officials of the Town Library, which has 24,000 books and 1,000 members, have been told to vacate the premises by Jan 31

Some Red Tape lined up...

GARNERING SUPPORT

Coaching classes seek greater voice in govt’s draft plan

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: The recent high court order calling on the Maharashtra government to frame a set of rules and regulations for coaching classes has found support from an unlikely quarter—the Maharashtra Class Owner’s Association.
The HC order was the result of a petition, filed by Bhagwanji Raiyani of the Forum for Fairness in Education, against the commercialisation of education by coaching classes. The petition alleged that coaching classes were running a statewide racket, charging exorbitant fees and hiring school and college staff as well as paper-setters who leaked question paspers to students enrolled in such classes.
Now, the Maharashtra Class Owner’s Association wants to be a party to the petition. “We would like to be consulted by the government before it drafts a set of rules on how coaching classes must be governed. After all, we are in the business and know more about how it functions than any outsider would,’’ said Jagdish Walawalkar, president of the association.
He feels that coaching classes should get a fair representation in the rules that have been drafted. “After all, the rules are being made for us,’’ he adds. Walawalkar feels that the charges made against coaching classes in the petition are unfair. “As for coaching classes charging a high fee, there are private schools and colleges that charge a fee that’s far higher than that of any coaching
class,’’ says Walawalkar, adding that coaching classes charge a whole range of fees, and are not always costly.
According to him, it was the state board’s responsibility to crack down on teachers from schools and colleges who worked in coaching classes. “Many coaching classes don’t hire teachers from schools and colleges,’’ he adds.
“We don’t want papers to be leaked either. When has the government caught a coaching class leaking papers?’’ he asked.
anahita.mukherji@timesgroup.com

Playing GOD!

A step closer to creating synthetic life

In A Huge Step In Creating Life, Experts Have Assembled The Entire Genome Of An Organism

Washington: Researchers have assembled the entire genome of a living organism — a bacterium — in what they hope is an important step to creating artificial life.
The bug, Mycoplasma genitalium, has the smallest known genome of any truly living organism, with 485 working genes. Viruses are smaller, but they are not considered completely alive as they cannot replicate by themselves.
Bacteria can and do, and the team at the non-profit J Craig Venter Institute in Maryland has been working for years to try to build M genitalium from scratch.
“We consider this the second in significant steps of a threestep process in our attempts to make the first synthetic organism,” Craig Venter, founder of the institute, told a telephone briefing. “This entire process started with four bottles of chemicals.”
M genitalium has a fairly simple structure — all its DNA is carried on a single chromosome. Chromosomes are the structures that carry genetic material, and the entire code is called the genome. Other genetic material called RNA is needed to convert this gene map into something a cell can use to function.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers said they used first E coli bacteria and then yeast cells to copy pieces of DNA and assemble them into an artificial chromosome.
Next, the researchers say, they want to insert this artificial chromosome into a cell and see if they can make their synthetic chromosome “boot up” the cell.
They started by chemically making DNA fragments in the lab. Their first step was to make the four building blocks of DNA — adenine, guanine, cytosine and thiamine or the A, G, C and T that make up the genetic code. For M genitalium, which can cause a sexually transmitted infection in men and women, these four letters repeat in pairs 580,000 times.
It is not possible to build one long strand of DNA because it is too brittle, so the sequence was broken down into pieces called cassettes. Venter said the chromosome had been disabled so that it could not live outside the lab and so that it could not take over some other organism by mistake. The plan also underwent ethical review by a panel at the University of Pennsylvania.
Venter’s hope is to eventually make synthetic micro-organisms that could be used for producing biofuels, cleaning up toxic waste or pulling excess carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
In June 2007, the team announced that they had managed to change one species of bacteria called Mycoplasma capricolum into another, Mycoplasma mycoides, by replacing the genome of one with the genome of another. Venter said he would like to use a synthetic chromosome in a similar way, to trick one organism into acting like another. REUTERS

Tata's Nano may face serious competition - IIT B develops Dexted for Rs. 50000

Move over Nano, IIT’s Dexter’s here
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Here comes competition for the Nano. Students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology have developed a prototype of a robotic automatic vehicle—Dexter 6D—for less than Rs 50,000.
Developed over a period of seven years, this prototype has a computer of its own, GPS for navigation and GSM for communication as also cameras to process images, distance sensors to avoid any kind of collusion and white line censors so the vehicle stays on track even without the driver’s inspection.
This prototype was one of the attractions at Techfest-2008 which opened on Friday.

The Big Bang at IIT Bombay Techfest 2008 - TOI article

IIT lecture gets biblical tinge, students upset

Hemali Chhapia I TNN

Mumbai: Drawing parallels between the Bible and the Big Bang theory, stating that Christianity is true and Jesus is the way to God, would sound like Benny Hinn speaking on channel God. But this was said in a lecture delivered by Prof H F Schaefer, director of the Center for Computational Chemistry, University of Georgia, at the Techfest of the Indian Institute of Technology on Friday.
The lecture did not go down well with the secular students on the IIT-Powai campus, who termed the talk as an “attempt at conversion’’.
A five-time Nobel award nominee Schaefer, who was to speak on ‘Stephen Hawking, the Big Bang and God’, quoted numerous scientists and Nobel laureates who spoke about science and God. But towards the lecture’s close, his comments started getting religious undertones. “The Big Bang is more consistent with Christianity than other religions. The Big Bang ripples are clearly pointing to an ex-nihilo creation consistent with the first few verses of the book of Genesis,’’ he said.
Earlier, quoting George Smoot, a Nobel laureate and his classmate at MIT, Schaefer said, “There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the Big Bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.’’
Later, quoting Arno Penzias, co-discoverer of the microwave background radiation and 1978 Nobel Prize recipient in physics, he said: “The best data we have (concerning the Big Bang) are exactly what I would have predicted, had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses, the Psalms, the Bible as a whole.’’
Upset IIT-Bombay students distributed a handbill protesting the lecture among the audience. “They use impressive words to confuse masses and deliver ideas that normally would not be accepted at a science and technology institute like ours,’’ the handbill read.
“Though Prof Schaefer is a famous chemist, his opinions beyond the domain of academic credibility shouldn’t be considered to be scientifically authoritative,’’ the handbill added.
hemali.chhapia@timesgroup.com

RAISING HACKLES: H F Schaefer