CAMPUS
Counselling helps cure many serious diseases
Gaurav Choudhury

The Amity Institute of Behavioural and Allied Sciences (AIBAS) held a daylong seminar on “Counselling: The Healing Touch of 21st Century” at the institute’s campus in Noida. During the conclave, the health experts highlighted the burning need and relevance of counselling for the people belonging to every walk of life.

The speakers included Dr Achal Bhagat, Psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, Dr G Balasubramaniam, Director (Academics), Central Boards of Secondary Education (CBSE), Prof Malashri Lal, Director, Women Development Study Centre, Dr Manju Mehta, Clinical Psychologist, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Dr Ashok Chauhan, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation.

The seminar also marked the inauguration of OPD services of AIBAS. The OPD would provide treatment for psychological problems and would have in-house treatment like psychotherapy, counselling and psychological testing. The institute will also undertake programmes for the counselling of criminal and anti-social elements.

Speaking about the sharp increase in diseases caused due to psychological factors or psychosomatic diseases, Dr Bhagat pointed out that according to the estimates of the World Health Organisation (WHO), 90 per cent of the diseases – such as respiratory and cardiac problems – ailing the world population have a psychological origin.

“Counselling plays a crucial role in understanding, dealing and reducing psychosomatic diseases that are plaguing not just high-end executives but also students, homemakers and the elderly,” he said.

Prof Malashri Lal elaborated on the relevance of counselling from the perspective of women. He said that in today’s world, women benefit most as counselling helps them realise their true potential.

Similarly, Dr Mehta spoke about the importance of child counselling. “Counselling both the children and their parents leads to decrease in maladaptive behaviour, stress and distress in children,” it was pointed out.

Prof Deepa Nag Haskar, general secretary, Development of Integrated Values Application, shared her views about the ethical issues related to mental health. Dr Kiran Mehta, Counsellor, Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, spoke about the mental block that many people still retain about seeking help from mental health professionals.

She emphasised the need of generating awareness about psychological counselling in society.

Dr Balasubramaniam stated that the parents, teachers and schools — all need the help of counsellors in today’s scenario.

Nuclear power

Eminent nuclear scientist and Rajya Sabha MP, Prof Raja Ramanna said that private sector may soon venture into nuclear power generation in the country as other sources of energy are fast depleting.

Prof Ramanna was delivering the Sixth Anuvrat Trust Endowment Lecture on “Future of Nuclear Power”, organised by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here last week.

He said that with 14 reactors in six sites across the country, India adorns a unique position in the nuclear club since studies have revealed that the nation has indigenously developed the infrastructure requirements in the field.

He said that though expensive, through bombardment the life of radioactive garbage can be reduced.

He clarified that while using nuclear power in genetic modifications of living beings, caution need to maintained as the technology is yet to be fully experimented.

Prof Ramanna also mentioned the role of industrial units in supporting the experiments in nuclear energy and added that the fast reducing hydro-electric resources in electric power generation, re-affirms the fact that the future prospects of our nation lies in efficient harnessing of nuclear power.

The Anuvrat Trust Lecture series has been instituted by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) through an Endowment by Anuvrat International on a variety of subjects. The lecture was organised by the School of Social Sciences of Indira Gandhi National Open University and was telecast live through Gyan Darshan, the National Educational Channel.

L&T, IIT sign MoU

Larsen and Toubro Limited and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical collaboration in the areas of information technology, technology management, chemical engineering, CAD-CAM, high-end engineering services, industrial design, communication and embedded systems, mobile communication and IP network.

The signing of the MoU is aimed at strengthening the existing interaction between L&T and IIT in mutually beneficial areas. L&T will also be using IIT Bombay’s assistance in the preparation of testing materials and assessment centre tools for L&T’s technological leadership programme initiative.

Education society

The students at the Manav Rachna Education Society.

Manav Rachna Education Society has introduced several courses covering many target groups.

The courses being offered are Pre-DAC (Preparatory Course for Diploma in Advance Computing ), Co-DAC (Co-Curricular Diploma in Advance Computing), DIT (Diploma in Information Technology) and ADIT (Advance Diploma in Information Technology).

The courses, according to the institute, are tailor-made for school students, teachers, office executives, businessmen, housewives, senior citizens, government employees.

The courses are offered through Career Institute of Technology and management (CITM) which is approved by the AICTE and affiliated to MD University, Rohtak, and is also approved by the Board of Technical Education, the Ministry of HRD, Haryana and the Faridabad Institute of Technology (FIT).

Entrance test

India Internet Learning Ventures (IILV) has announced the All India Management Entrance Test (AIMET), a common admission test for admission to management institutes in India.

The AIMET will be held on May 19 across 31 centres in the country. The registration forms are available at select branches of Central Bank of India and the last date of registration is May 4, 2002.

Fond farewell

THREE IS COMPANY: Former Miss India Manpreet Brar with the IIPM Dean, Prof Arindam Chaudhari, and his wife during a get-together in the Capital.

It was a moment of nostalgia when the batch of Fall-Winter 2000-02 from the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) was given a fond farewell at My Kind of Place, at the glittering Taj Palace Hotel here. Adding to the sparkle was former Miss India and model, Manpreet Brar, the anchor for the night, who kept the party alive with her one-liners.

A prize distribution ceremony was also held to honour those who had excelled in various fields such as economics, executive communication, quantitative techniques etc.

The Chief Guest for the occasion was Prof A K Sengupta, former Director of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).

COURTS

119 cases settled in first debt recovery adalat 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 24
In the first Delhi Debt Recovery Tribunal Lok Adalat organised in the Capital today, 260 cases for an amount of Rs 250 crore were taken up and 119 cases were settled.

Inaugurating the Lok Adalat, Mr Y. K. Sabharwal, Supreme Court judge, said it was a better way to solve the cases immediately. The Union Minister for Law, Justice and Company Affairs, Mr Arun Jaitley, said that the fear of law was slowly and steadily coming to its end in the minds of the people and was certainly a serious problem.

He said the government had a total Budget of Rs 4 lakh crore out of which Rs 110,000 crore was pending in the Debt Recovery Tribunals, which is almost 25 per cent of the total Budget. “The amount, which is to be used on economic forefront of the country, is not being used due to the non-recovery of required amount,” he said.