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After IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Delhi likely to conduct own entrance exam

NEW DELHI: After IIT-Kanpur rejected the Centre's 'one-nation one-test' proposal and decided to conduct its own entrance exam from next year, IIT-Delhi Alumni Association is pushing IIT-Delhi to follow suit.

A decision is expected to be taken next week when the Senate of IIT-Delhi meet here.

"In all likelihood, IIT-Delhi Senate seems to be geared up to follow IIT-Kanpur Senate," IIT Delhi alumni president Somnath Bharti told PTI.

At yesterday's meeting, the Senate of IIT-Kanpur had said the IIT Council's recent proposal on admissions is "academically and methodically unsound".

The Senate, while deciding to go it alone, had also said the Centre's 'one-nation one-test' proposal was in "violation of the Institutes of Technology Act (1961) and IIT Kanpur Ordinances (Ordinance 3.2 (Admissions)".

HRD minister Kapil Sibal on May 28 had announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take plus two board results into consideration.

Sibal had claimed it was approved without dissent at the IIT Council meeting and had the backing of the senates of four of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology.

"The council consists of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs. There was not a single dissent. It was unanimously adopted. Therefore, I went forward," the minister had said. — PTIBack

 

 

Anna Hazare surrounded by anti-national
elements: Union Minister

CHENNAI: Launching a vitriolic attack on Team Anna, Union minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday charged that Anna Hazare was surrounded by "anti-national elements" and those supported by "foreign forces".

"Anna is a simple man, but he is surrounded by anti-national elements and people who have been supported by foreign forces," the Minister of State in PMO told reporters at Chennai airport.

He criticised Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, seeking to know "what happened to the huge sums of money collected during last year's (anti-corruption) agitation."

"Bedi herself was facing some allegations (over bloated travel receipts), he said.

Narayanasamy alleged that a set of "self-proclaimed" leaders with no public support and those who had not faced elections wanted to destabilise the government, targeting Team Anna and yoga guru Ramdev, who have teamed up to launch a fresh offensive against government on corruption and black money.

He insisted the Centre was taking all steps to bring back black money and had come out with a white paper recently.

Its a "long process" since it involved working with the governments of the respective countries and certain other procedures, he said and questioned the reputation of Ramdev and other Team Anna members.

On allegations of irregularities of coal mining blocks, he said the Manmohan Singh-led government was "transparent".

"Our government is transparent. The Prime Minister wanted to have a transparent form of coal block allocation in 2004."

He alleged there was no transparency during the NDA regime and claimed the then BJP chief ministers Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan) and Raman Singh (Chattisgarh), besides the West Bengal government, had opposed the government decision to auction coal blocks.

Bids were invited based on advertisements and the Prime Minister was not to be blamed as he had followed a transparent method, he said, adding CBI was looking into the matter.

The allegations regarding the PMO are "politically motivated," he said. — PTIBack

 

 

 

Presidential poll: Pranab says party will decide

New Delhi: With his candidature for the President's post gaining momentum, Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said no one can become President "on his own wish" and the Congress would decide on the issue. "It is decided by the party. Party nominates. No one can become President on his own wish," the Finance Minister told reporters at his residence here.

UPA sources had said on Friday that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has been authorised by the party's Working Committee to pick the candidate, is likely to make the announcement around June 15, probably a couple of days after the expected poll notification by the Election Commission.

The Congress President's Political Advisor Ahmed Patel also had a meeting with Mukherjee at his North Block office on Friday.

The sources said the Congress has already secured the support of key allies like DMK, NCP and RLD, who form part of the government, and outside supporters like Samajwadi Party.

BSP, another outside supporter, and UPA's second largest constituent Trinamool Congress, are not not expected to oppose the UPA candidate.

Asked about Congress ally Trinamool Congress' decision to go it alone in next year's panchayat election in West Bengal, Mukherjee said, "It will be decided by the WBPCC. I have no comments to make".Back

 

 

 

400 trapped tourists rescued in Leh

Khardung La: Around 400 civilians trapped in landslides near Leh have been rescued by the Army.

According to reports, the tourists got trapped after landslides hit Khardung La, which is the highest motorable pass in the world, around 40 kilometres from Leh.

At least 150 vehicles were pressed into service by the Army and the police, which conducted a joint operation Friday night, to rescue the civilians.

Reports said among the trapped were many women and children, some of whome were administered oxygen.

Khardung La in Ladakh is popular among tourists, especially for mountain biking adventures. Back

 

 
 



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