EDUCATION

Hostel for deaf-mute kids 
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 17
The deaf and dumb children care centre, being run by the District Red Cross Society, has become a model institute for carrying out humanitarian work in Sonepat. According to a report, the district administration has constructed a hostel with the help of public contributions as well as social and voluntary organisations. Besides running the district administration, the Deputy Commissioner of the area has taken a keen interest in the development of this centre and motivated the people of all sections of society to give liberal donations for the construction of this hostel which costs Rs 35 lakh. It consists of eight residential rooms, a big dinning hall, a kitchen, bath rooms and recreation centre. The centre would provide the facilities to the deaf and dumb children for their recreation after the schooling hours. The hostel has been designed on the pattern of a five-star hotel and all modern facilities have been provided in it. These differently abled children get education up to the middle standard and competent teaching staff have been appointed to cater to their needs.

The DC tries his best to ensure that quality food is provided to them. He, however, regrets that he does not get cooperation from the parents of the inmates. They do not bother to take their wards back on time after the school hours. Many a time, the DC himself arranged for their transport and send them to their houses. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, is arriving here on April 22 to inaugurate the hostel building.

CAMPUS
UGC pushes for excellence in biotechnology
Gaurav Choudhury

The JNU is to receive Rs 30 crore from the UGC for research in the fields of genetics, genomics and biotechnology.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved an allocation of Rs 30 crore to the Jawaharlal Nehru University for five years, subject to an annual review and monitoring of performance in the thrust area for excellence in “genetics, genomics and biotechnology”.

The allocation has been approved under the broad heads like equipment and facilities, recurring research grant, integrated teaching/ training programme, library and journals, fellowships to students and visiting researchers, computing facilities/networking/high speed access to information highway and emergency electric power etc., Minister of State of Human Resource Development Rita Verma said.

The minister further added that there is no proposal to increase the age of superannuation for lecturers/readers/professors in Delhi University from 62 to 65 years.

On the issue of reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) , the minister said that the matter was examined in consultation with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is the nodal ministry for the OBCs. The case has been referred to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs for advice in view of the various judgements delivered by the Supreme Court.

Bioinformatics

Amity Institute of Biotechnology (AIB), Noida, has introduced a postgraduate Diploma Course in the field of Bioinformatics– an inter-disciplinary science involving statistics, infotech and molecular biology.

“Sequencing projects of genomes in human, plants and an array of microorganism have resulted in the accumulation of enormous amount of data which needs to be analysed applying statistical methods on high-end computers so that the genes are assigned their functions,” said Dr Ashok K Chauna, the founder president of AIB.

“Emergence of bioinformatics has great potential for the future in different areas of biotechnology, such as crop science, nutrition and health, pharmaceuticals, drug designing etc,” added Dr Chauhan.

“There exists a mismatch between job availability and skilled scientists. This course attempts at bridging the gap, providing bright prospects for the trained scientists to be employed gainfully both nationally and globally,” said Dr Sunil Sara, Director of AIB.

The AIB has been envisioned to develop into a strong centre for study and research in genomics and bioinformatics, the two areas of biotechnology imbued with the potentials of revolutionising healthcare, agribusiness diagnostics and environment in India, a statement from the institute said.

Corporate values

The Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Faridabad had organised a seminar on “Enhancing Corporate Values through HR: Issues and Challenges” last week.

The chief guest for the seminar, Mr Narendra Goel, managing director of Bips Systems Limited, highlighted the role of the HR managers in the changing corporate world.

The seminar was presided over by the managing director of Heena Exports Corporation of Faridabad, Mr Jai Prakash Gupta.

The director of the institute, Prof S.K. Jindal outlined the achievements of the institute and called for redefining the role of HR managers to enhance corporate value.

The introductory session was followed by a technical session which was attended by Mr Subhash Jagota, executive director (Personnel), Punj Lloyd, Mr A.R.Chaterjee, general manager (Corporate Personnel), Eicher India Limited, and Mr Rajiv Kapoor, general manager (HR&IR) Escorts JCB Limited among others.

NIIT CareerEdge

Information technology major NIIT, has introduced CareerEdge, a perfect solution for students and professionals who do not want to opt for a career in IT and yet need a working knowledge of computers to get the jobs they want.

“Today, IT is an integral part of every career. No matter what the industry or the nature of the job, it is certain to have a component of IT within it. For students, job-seekers and professionals, knowledge of computers is becoming an important pre-requisite for selection. CareerEdge provides an answer to these needs,” senior vice- president and Head of NIIT Education Business in India, Mr Pradeep Narayanan said.

“The idea is to go beyond basic office automation proficiency and enable professionals to use their existing IT tools more efficiently and productively,” he said.

The four-month application-oriented programme aims to achieve several goals. The programme will serve as a stepping stone to other more advanced IT programmes. Moreover, the short-term programme is suited to the requirements of school-going students, who want to gain computer awareness and use them as a tool to expand their knowledge base, the company said in a statement.

Anuvrat trust

The eminent nuclear scientist, Prof Raja Ramanna, will deliver the Sixth Anuvrat Trust Endowment Lecture, instituted by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou).

Ignou has instituted, through an endowment by Anuvrat International, an annual lecture series on a subject that falls within the larger scope of Anuvrat Movement, viz. non-violence, unity and world peace.

Launched on March 1, 1949 by Anuvrat Anushasta Tulsi, the Aunvrat Movement is an endeavour towards the establishment of a non-violent multi-cultural society. The aim of the movement is to widen the moral basis of life and to develop in each individual, the power of self-protection against impure conduct.

Prof Raja Ramanna is an eminent scientist and is widely regarded as the father of India’s nuclear bomb. Presently, a Rajya Sabha member, he is the recipient of several honours and awards, including the Padma Vibhushan, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Memorial Award, Nehru Award (Engineering and Technology), Meghnad Saha Medal by INSA, and an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by the Visva Bharati University and Ashutosh Mukherjee Memorial Award.

Jamia to make a study of media 
Rana A Siddiqui

While the student fraternity at Jamia Millia Islamia prepares for their examinations, the university is all set to examine the role of the media in present times. In the second week of May, the university is organising a one-day symposia on three themes, viz: ‘Responsible Journalism: Issues and Constraints’, ‘Role of Media in the Present Society’ and ‘Role of Women in Media’.

For the purpose, the university will invite senior journalists and campus correspondents from print, electronic and web media. It is also trying to rope in the Press Council of India for a more fruitful outcome, informed Mr S. M. Sajid, media coordinator, JMI.

Since the symposia will be held during the busy examination season, most of the teachers and students, barring some from its Mass Communication Research Centre, are unlikely to participate in the event. “The absence of a large section of student-teaching community is not enough reason to be discouraged because the discussions and debates on the role of the media will be held at a much higher level. Here, a responsible section of our society and media will deliberate upon important issues related to the media and attempt to develop a better media coordination, which is the main objective of the event,” reasoned Mr Sajid.

He also said that the university would try to implement some of the conclusions from the event and try to use its media centre to provide the necessary assistance to mediapersons in terms of its intellectual resources and try to concretise some of the conclusions from the discussions.