New Delhi, December 27
Guess who comes to the rescue of forensic scientists in identifying the genuineness of Indian currency notes? It is Mahatma Gandhi.

The portrait of the Father of Nation in the notes of denominations of rupees 1,000, 500 and 100 has not been successfully forged by masterminds of counterfeit notes till date. And it is helping experts identify whether a currency note is genuine or fake.

"We are often encountered with the task of examination of huge fake currency notes. We do it with all security features available in manuals. But we have found that the features of the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in the denominations of rupees 1,000, 500 and 100 varied in a genuine and a fake currency note," Director of Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata, C N Bhattacharya, said.

Gandhiji's portrait exist in currency notes of seven denominations i.e. Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1000. However, counterfeiting has been observed in higher denominations like rupees 1,000, 500 and 100.Another forensic scientist with Kolkata CFSL, Sandip Patra, said, "This we can say after examining 436 number of fake Indian currency notes in the higher denominations. Our observation can be added as a new security feature for identifying .genuineness of a note". — PTI

New Delhi, December 27
Chhattisgarh Governor ESL Narasimhan has been given the additional charge of Andhra Pradesh following the dramatic resignation of ND Tiwari. He would take over as the Governor on Monday.

The announcement for giving the additional charge to Narasimhan came this afternoon following a notification from the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Narasimhan told a news agency that he would take charge on Monday and would be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Tiwari, 86, resigned yesterday citing health reasons after he was linked to a sex scandal. Tiwari has denied any involvement in the scandal which was telecast on a local news channel.

Narasimhan, a former Intelligence Bureau chief, will also look after AP until Tiwari’s successor is named.

“The President has accepted the resignation of Tiwari and has appointed Narasimhan to discharge the functions of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in addition to his own duties until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh are made,” said the statement.

Tiwari, who was appointed the AP Governor in August 2007, quit after a Telugu news channel showed pictures of a man purported to be him in bed with three women. With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi furious over the allegations, an embarrassed Tiwari put in his papers.

New Delhi, December 27
Conservationists and poetry lovers, marking Urdu legend Mirza Ghalib's 212th birth anniversary, rue the lack of public consciousness as well as the apathy on the part of the authorities towards the poet’s heritage haveli.

Heritage lovers were appalled by the recent incident in which Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib's over 200-year-old haveli in old Delhi was rented out to host a wedding reception.

A G K Menon, convener of the Delhi chapter of INTACH which is soon expected to undertake restoration work of the haveli, says while all misuse of the premise should be dealt with strictly according to the law, emphasis should also be put on developing heritage consciousness.

"The Delhi government has asked us to finalise a proposal to restore the haveli of Ghalib and put up a museum there.

"But as part of our programme to increase a sense of belonging among people for their cultural heritage, we are also planning heritage walks in Shahjahanabad, which houses the haveli," said Menon.

Ghalib's haveli is up for restoration as it is in Shahjahanabad that lies on the Commonwealth heritage route and INTACH hopes to finish the work ahead of the Games.

Ghalib's haveli in Gali Qasim Jaan of Ballimaran is not a heritage monument and is therefore not protected by the ASI.

Unhappy at authorities' "half-hearted" approach towards Ghalib, renowned Urdu poet Shahryar says such treatment of heritage monuments is but a reflection on our society and the lack of public consciousness on this front.

"The sad part is that in our country not many people give much importance to heritage.

"Ghalib has the right to being recognised as a gem, you cannot deny him his right... but more important is to preserve and spread his poetry," Shahryar said.

He said the 18th-century poet was considered by all literary Indians as their own. "He is a revolutionary poet who represents Indian tradition truly," he says.

However, not all believe that Ghalib's heritage has been neglected, as there are other legends who have fared worse.

Aqeel Ahmed, secretary of the Ghalib Academy that works to promote his literature, says Ghalib is the greatest survivor of his time, and his heritage is by far the best looked after.

“We have had several poetry legends in Indian languages, but Ghalib is one of those who has fared better. The likes of Kabirdas and Surdas or even Ghalib's contemporaries like Zauq and Meer are even less remembered,” he said.

Ahmed says while one should expect the government and the authorities to undertake their responsibilities towards heritage sincerely, it is also about how the people react towards issues of their cultural heritage.

“The monuments -- be it the haveli or Ghalib's tomb in Nizamuddin -- are ultimately in the midst of people. It is they who should be concerned towards the legacy of their ancestors," he said.

Ghalib, arguably one of the best Urdu poets ever, was born on December 27, 1797, and was a prominent literary figure during the reign of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar— PTI

Agra, December 27
Doyen of Urdu poetry Mirza Ghalib, whose 212th birth anniversary is being observed Sunday, still does not have a proper memorial, or a lane named after him in the city of his birth --- Agra.

This despite the fact that demands for a Mirza Ghalib chair at the Agra University and an auditorium with a research library have been hanging fire for decades.

“Former Uttar Pradesh governor Rajeshwar Rao had asked the Agra University to institute a Chair in Ghalib’s name, and the Agra Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution renaming Bhagwan Talkies crossing as Mirza Ghalib circle. Decisions are pending on both,” said Surendra Sharma, president of Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

“The Taj city is identified with three pillars of Urdu Adab --- Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib and Nazeer Akbarabadi, but unfortunately nothing has been done to perpetuate their memory. Stones alone do not make heritage. Literature, traditions, culture are all part of the heritage that we must preserve,” said Sandeep Arora, former president of the Agra hotels and restaurants association.

“When foreign tourists visit Agra, particularly from Pakistan and other West Asian countries, they ask us about Ghalib’s house. We have been requesting the tourism and other departments to build a memorial to the great poet but so far our efforts have been futile,” added Rakesh Chauhan, hotelier and the president of the hotels’ association.

Mirza Asad Ullah Khan ‘Ghalib’ is considered the Shakespeare of Urdu and was born in 1796 in Agra, once the capital of Mughal rulers. He died in Delhi in 1869, leaving behind a rich legacy of poetry that continues to inspire poets.

“The ‘haveli’ (palatial house) where Ghalib was born should be acquired by the state government and converted into a fitting memorial to Mirza Ghalib,” a resolution passed at a meeting of experts said. The ‘haveli’ is in Kala Mahal area, in the heart of the city and an educational institution run by a trust currently uses it. Agra’s literary fraternity wants that the government should open a research academy at the site.— IANS

Guwahati, December 27
With their ‘rebel’ husbands sent to judicial custody for waging war against the state, they are left with no other option but to take shelter at their in-laws’ places along with the kids. They have to consider themselves fortunate that the families have taken them back and also accorded the status of a daughter-in-law.

After a court in the city yesterday sent ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah to judicial custody, the state police decided to leave their wives and children in the custody of their family members. Besides the wives of these two leaders, wife of ULFA’s ‘foreign secretary’ Sashadhar Choudhury, who was held a few days before Rajkhowa, too was handed over to the family members of the ULFA leader.

The Assam police registered no cases against the wives of the ULFA leaders. The women were termed non-combatants though they were members of the banned outfit’s women wing.

Around 15 years ago, Kaberi Kachari, then a university student, decided to live rest of her life with Rajkhowa. Since then she never got an opportunity to visit the family members of her husband in Ujani Konwar village near Lakuwa in Sivasagar district.

Now, with her husband lodged in Guwahati jail, Kachari Rajkhowa (42), with her daughters Khonchangbohagi (13) and Gadadhar (10) in tow, today reached the ancestral home of Rajkhowa, much to the joy of the latter’s 95-year-old ailing mother Damayanti Rajkonwari and other members of the family.

“I am feeling extremely happy to be with the family of my husband for the first time. It has been a long wait. I hope for a respectful solution to the problem of insurgency in the state through dialogue,” Kaberi told mediapersons at her in-laws’ place, which was teeming with people eager to have a look at the daughter-in- law of the family’s ‘long-lost’ son.

Similarly, ULFA’s deputy commander-in-chief, Baruah alias Hitesh Kalita’s wife, Nirala Neog (32) and his 10-month-old child also reached her in-laws’ place at Banhjani village in Nabari after the family members took their custody from the Assam police yesterday. “Talks with the Centre can be held without Paresh Baruah (the fugitive commander-in-chief of the outfit) if other top leaders agree. One Paresh Baruah can’t do anything,” said Neog.

“If people of Assam want, the ULFA can hold talks with the government of India without Baruah,” said Runumi Chetia Choudhury, the wife of ULFA’s ‘foreign secretary’ Sashadhar Choudhury. She along with her minor daughter Sishir Anar Choudhury too arrived to a warm welcome at her in-laws’ house at Helcha in 
Nalbari district. 

Chennai, December 27
The Tamil Nadu police today announced stringent conditions to regulate mid-night parties on New Year day as a precaution to avoid untoward incidents during such revelries. They also wanted the hotels to strictly monitor the arrival of guests to avert possible terrorist strikes.

The conditions were conveyed to the managements of hotels at a joint meeting between top police officials and hotel representatives. Police officials warned the hotel managements against keeping the bars open after 11 pm and instructed them not to extend the parties after 1 am. Liquor should not be supplied at places other than those permitted and dancers should not hold liquor bottles or cups while dancing.

Dances should not cross the limits of decency and sufficient number of employees should be posted to check any kind of sexual assaults on women, the police said. Hotels should limit the sale of tickets to the number permitted by the police to avoid overcrowding.

People in intoxicated state should not be allowed to drive their vehicles and the hotels should make arrangements to make them stay at night and leave only in the morning, the police said.

All safety measures should be followed while erecting temporary stages for dancing and no hotel would be allowed to set up stages over swimming pools, which should remain closed during New Year revelries.

Monitoring cameras should be fixed inside and outside the hotels, besides vehicle parking area and safety equipment should be available at key locations. The guards should not allow any vehicle without checking it properly, the police instructed.

Gurgaon, December 27
Ayurveda, which forms the basis of India’s traditional medical science, is extremely effective in curing health disorders like diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, respiratory and digestive disorders, kidney failure and other ailments. A well-researched combination of ayurveda and allopathy can pave the way for the emergence of a new-era medicine, which is the need of the day.

This was stated by globally renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan, the brain behind the ambitious Medanta medicity project.

“Even modern medicine recognises the vital significance of ayurveda in understanding and curing various diseases. However, in the present age, we do not get optimum benefit of this valuable ancient asset due to the lack of standardised research in this discipline,” he observed while talking to The Tribune at the medicity.

Trehan asserted that he and his team would carry out an elaborate research to develop a new-era medicine which would have the virtues of ayurveda, allopathy and homoeopathy. Underlining the importance of yoga and naturopathy as well, the heart specialist maintained that these helped us lead a healthy and positive life.

About the underlying idea behind establishing the medicity, Dr Trehan noted that he always wanted to set up a tertiary-level institution which could provide quality healthcare and medical education and research facilities, besides guiding other medical institutes in the country.

“So far, there were only local or primary level medical facilities, which were guided by secondary-level institutions,” he said, adding that there was a dire necessity of a top-of-the-line institute which could lead the lot.

Spread over 43 acres in Gurgaon and providing specialised services in various health aspects, the medicity has 1,250 beds and 45 operating theatres. It also has eminent experts from different medical disciplines and state-of-the-art equipment worth about Rs 300 crore.

Trehan asserted that the latest surgical techniques like robotic surgery were being employed at the hospital in an endeavour to provide quality healthcare. He said proper lodging arrangements like night lounges and well-equipped washrooms had also been provided for attendants of patients.

“We also have academic tie-ups with the Duke University, USA, and other premier institutes so that our team members remain abreast of the latest advancements in the medical sector,” said the cardiologist, who has been the personal surgeon to the President of India.

On being asked whether he was the doctor of the rich, Dr Trehan replied in the negative. “We are fully aware of our social responsibility and do contribute our mite in serving the underprivileged,” he said and added that while 5 per cent patients were treated free of cost, 15 to 20 per cent were provided treatment at subsidised rates.

He said the medicity was also running a community outreach programme to fulfill its social commitment with a motto of “giving back to society”. “As a part of this initiative, we organise free medical camps, public awareness drives and continuing medical education campaigns and training workshops,” he added.

The impact of this top-level medical facility coming up in Haryana's cyber city was clearly evident when a former Chief Minister of the state was recently referred to Medanta Medicity by a top medical institute of New Delhi. The top medical specialists serving at some reputed hospitals of the region have also joined, or are in the process of joining, the medicity.According to old-timers, the emergence of medicity marks the benginning of a new era in the country's medical history. 

Kaipadar (Orissa), December 27
God’s divine intervention can be sought in many ways --- you can pray silently, speak aloud or sing. Or you can drop a letter at a shrine in Orissa’s Khurda district where devotees believe that god is a reader.

The dome-shaped shrine at Kaipadar village, just 50 km from the state capital, is also a symbol of unity between Muslims and Hindus and has a crescent and a chakra at the top.

“Though the origin of the tradition is not known, it is believed that if you make a wish through letters, your wishes will be fulfilled. Whatever wishes you have, you can write it down and put it on the wall of the shrine,” said Sardoon Nishan, a devotee.

Every day, thousands of devotees offer prayers at the 17th century Bokhari Baba shrine, also called the Satya Pira shrine, which is visited by both Hindus and Muslims.

According to local legend, Hazrat Syed Jallaludin Bokhari, a Muslim saint in the 17th century, was on his way to Puri when he met a Hindu saint there. They exchanged religious discourses and the place began to attract visitors from nearby places.

Later, the king of Puri, Gajapati Ramachandra Dev, visited the place and provided land for the construction of an ashram. The shrine was built in phases in the 19th and 20th century.

Another unique feature of the shrine here is while the priest is a Muslim, the holy offering --- ‘bhog’ made of jaggery, ‘shirini bhog’ made of milk, ghee and banana and floral offerings --- are prepared by Hindus.

“Our family has been providing flowers to the shrine for generations. And now I am continuing the family tradition,” said Dhandu Mohapatra.

A symbol of communal harmony, devotees from different religions visit the shrine every day. While Muslims offer chaddar on an ant-hill inside the sanctum sanctorum, Hindus offer flowers.

“Devotees from different religions come here. They make it a point to write their wishes on a piece of paper. Then they put it on the wall. Once their wishes are fulfilled, they come again to offer chaddar and flowers to Bokhari Baba,” said Suttar Khan, the priest of the shrine.

And those devotees who are unable to come here can send their letters though post. The letters sent to the shrine’s address are also put on the wall by the temple priest. It is believed that if the wish of the devotee comes true then the letter falls off the wall by itself.

“One can come and write the letter on his own. Those devotees who can't come here can write their wishes and problems in a letter and post it and we ensure that the letters are put on the temple wall,” Khan added.

According to the shrine priest, hundreds of letters arrive each day. - IANS

New Delhi, December 27
President Pratibha Patil, who was to visit Andhra Pradesh from tomorrow, has deferred her plans, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan official.

“Her visit has been deferred,” a senior official at the Rashtrapati Bhavan said today. The president had planned a 10-day stay at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad from December 28 to January 6.

Reports earlier said the government had “subtly advised” the President against visiting Andhra Pradesh in the apprehension that the parties for and against a separate Telangana state could use her visit for political purposes.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan sent a communication to the Andhra Pradesh Government on Saturday evening informing that the President had changed her plan to visit the state.

Chandigarh, December 27
While the contribution of the PGI in providing quality health care facilities in the region cannot be discounted, the ever-increasing patient load, lack of professionalism, particularly among lower cadre staff, cash constraints and failure of the governments of neighbouring states to upgrade health care infrastructure in their respective regions are proving major impediments in the growth and performance of this institution.

According to PGI figures, in 2008, as compared to 15,799 indoor patients from Chandigarh, 11,908 from Punjab, 8,713 from Haryana, 3,834 from Himachal Pradesh, 2,091 from Uttar Pradesh, 15,742 “others” were admitted to the institute for treatment.

Even without the “others”, the institute catered to 26,546 outsiders, almost 10,000 more than those from the city. During the same period, the hospital’s OPDs were visited by 1,26,770 patients from the city as compared to 2,13,458 persons from neighbouring states. Besides this, 1,25,840 “others” were also treated at OPDs.

According to PGI officials, majority of the “other” patients come from as far as Bihar, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. These figures clearly show that the pressure on the PGI from patients of the neighbouring states is rather “too much” and this remains a major cause of burden on the institute.

“If the government aims at achieving 100 per cent results for the resources it is pumping into the medical system, we need to strengthen the health care facilities in the periphery and other parts of Punjab, Haryana and HP. This will ensure that basic services required can be managed by them and this exercise can reduce the load of patients in the tertiary care institute,” says Dr KK Talwar, Director of the PGI.

Recently, the PGI authorities submitted an affidavit in the HC stating the institute was “basically a referral hospital and it was burdened with by a never-ending inflow of patients”.

“We look after patients from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Doctors are successful in saving lives of some, but several die as the patients are referred when they are almost at the last stage. It would be in the fitness of things that we improve infrastructure at other hospitals like the GMCH-32, the GMSH-16 and primary health centres in tri-city. These should be provided with new equipment and adequate staff,” reads the affidavit.

These issues notwithstanding, the PGI has 1,600 beds and is planning to expand further with a 250-bedded hospital building next year. The institute is also plans to start “computerised” registration system of patients from the coming year. The Rs 20-crore project shall smoothen the process of maintaining patients’ record. Dr Talwar says, “The advanced trauma centre shall also be completed next year. Efforts to initiate pancreas and liver transplant programme are under way. Neuro Tech and Medical Oncology programmes are some of the facilities being expanded. Renal dialysis and transplant programme are also being strengthened.”

Chandigarh, December 27
Former Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, MG Devashyam, who is credited with bringing the City Beautiful on the world tennis map, has said he had advised SPS Rathore against floating a parallel Haryana Lawn Tennis Association.

The Sector 10 tennis stadium has produced several national and international level players, besides playing host to numerous international tennis events, including the Davis Cup World Group semi-final against Australia.

Devashyam, who belonged to the Haryana cadre of Indian Administrative Service quit the job to join the private sector and is currently with a multinational company in Chennai.

Talking to The Tribune over the telephone, he said the Rathore episode had been a big blot on the fair game of tennis. He was responding to The Tribune story about the body SPS Rathore headed.

“He used to play tennis with me at the Sector 10 tennis stadium. A couple of times he browsed the subject of floating a parallel Haryana Lawn Tennis Association but I always advised him against it,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that a single man’s alleged action has spoiled the fair name of this great sport,” he added with the hope that the All-India Tennis Association and other state sports associations would introduce self regulatory controls so that such “unfortunate episodes are not repeated in any sport in the future”.

Meanwhile, the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) has convened its executive committee meeting in Chennai on January 8. The meeting will be held as a part of the Chennai Open Prize Money Tournament. DV Bhatia, president of the Haryana Tennis Association and vice-president of the AITA, said though the Ruchika case might not figure on the official agenda of the meeting, it in all likelihood will dominate the proceedings because of its widespread ramifications.

The AITA might have to have in place some mechanism to ensure that players in general and girls and women in particular are not subject to harassment and sexual exploitation by either associations or team officials.

Mumbai December 27
For years, the Indian Institutes of Technology have been accused of elitism. As islands of excellence, the premier centres of technological education have been found wanting when it came to sharing their expertise with lesser-known institutions across the country. But all that is set to change under a pilot project undertaken by IIT Bombay.

Under the e-outreach programme set up in 2005, teachers and students of regional engineering colleges would be able to tap into the knowledge base of the country’s premier institutions. “Under this programme we train teachers at various engineering colleges to experience the IIT methods of teaching,” says Dr Mukta Atrey, project co-ordinator.

At present 800 teachers from 22 engineering colleges across the country are upgrading their teaching skills in computer programming. Supported by the Ministry of Human Resource Development National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the teachers are linked to the IIT Bombay by the EDUSAT network of Indian Space Research Organisation.

IIT Bombay’s faculty and the participating teachers are linked by a two-way video broadcast facility. A course coordinator approved by the IIT also supervises tutorial and laboratory sessions for the participating teachers. The lectures conducted by the IIT faculty would be recorded and released under the open source model so that other teachers and students can freely use the same.

This is only a pilot project for teachers and students of computer programming. Depending on its success it would be extended to other branches of education as well, says Dr Atrey. Apart from upgrading teaching skills, efforts are on to reach out to students from other institutions as well. Under the Ekalavya programme, students in the final year of computer science can sign up for guidance in their projects.

An online Ekalavya portal set up under this programme acts as an interactive platform to bring together students and mentors who can guide them in their project work. The Ekalavya portal aims at free exchange of knowledge and ideas, by placing all relevant academic material in the open source, thus making considerable contribution to society. Under Project Ekalavya, students with Bachelor’s in Engineering, Master’s in Computer Applications and Information Technology from Indian colleges can register online to work under an eGuru. Each group is allowed to have a maximum of five students.

The group is then asked to submit an original project proposal or choose one from the pool of available project ideas. After the project is approved, the group then works with a mentor to guide them in executing the project. The mentors are drawn from industry and academia and many are former IITians themselves. The education institutions where the students hail from would also have to appoint a coordinator to oversee their performance. The projects students have worked on so far include the fun-sounding chess games and city route planner on mobile phones to more mundane exercises like ERPs for schools and colleges and stock-trading systems on cell phones.

New Delhi, December 27
The premier Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is the best technology school in the country, followed by IIT-Delhi, revealed a new survey released today.

The survey that studied 111 engineering and technology schools in the country said: “IIT Kharagpur has topped the list for the third consecutive year.”

On a scale of 100, this elite engineering institute has scored 81.9 points, which is closely followed by IIT-Delhi that has scored a close 78.49 points. The survey was carried out by research firm IDC and technology magazine Dataquest. “The six prestigious IITs dominate the list of Top 10 T-Schools survey,” it added. The IITs located at Madras, Kanpur, Roorkee and Guwahati took the next four slots in the survey. The top 10 was completed by International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Surathkal and Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT BHU) at number seven, eight, nine and 10, respectively.

Interestingly, IIIT Hyderabad is the youngest college, set up in 1998, to make it to the Top 10 list. IIT Bombay did not participate, the survey revealed. While NIT Warangal, is the 11th best technology school in the country, the Delhi Technology University (formerly Delhi College of Engineering) has occupied the 12th spot. These engineering and technology colleges were reviewed on several parameters like quality of teaching, placement, industry interface, IT facilities and research papers.

Individually, IIT Kharagpur scored high on Human Resource (HR) perception, while IIT Delhi ranked high on placement records. The HR perception score is based on how recruiters rate each college during their campus visits. — IANS

Chennai, December 27
In a bid to curb the rising prices of vegetables, Tamil Nadu government today launched the sale of vegetables through 100 outlets in the city at lesser prices than the market rate. Besides ration shops, the vegetables are sold at eight self-service departmental stores and four kerosene bunks in the city.

Vegetables worth Rs three lakh were sold within a few minutes, since the prices were almost 50 per cent lesser than the retail market rate. People who appreciated the scheme demanded that the quantity of vegetables should be increased and the scheme should be extended to other parts of Tamil Nadu.

Co-operative societies are able to sell vegetables at a lesser price, as the products were directly purchased from farmers, avoiding middlemen. The scheme benefits both consumers and farmers, since the farmers were exploited by middlemen who increase the prices, when it is sold to the common man.

The government has involved self-help groups, who check the quality of vegetables, sort them out and pack them in a hygienic manner, before sending them to the ration shops.

The consumers expressed satisfaction with the quality of vegetables and the prices. For example, onions that are sold at Rs 34 per kilo in the retail market can be bought from the government store at Rs 24 per kg. Tomato priced at Rs 27 per kilo outside is sold at Rs 16 in the PDS shops.

The prices of potato, carrot, beetroot, cabbage, beans and cauliflower is lesser by at least 40 per cent. The state government is already selling essential commodities like pulses, oils and grocery items in PDS shops, besides rice, wheat and sugar. Co-operative officials promised to increase the quantum of vegetables, if the sale was consistently good for the next few days. The scheme had been started in an experimental basis and it would be extended throughout the State, if the response was good. It is expected that prices of vegetables in the retail market would go down, if the sale of vegetables through PDS outlets continued successfully.

New Delhi, December 27
Based on the thought that learning is more important than evaluation, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) internal evaluation system works well for the fully residential campus.

The university has around 6,000 students appearing for semester-end examinations twice a year, but its evaluation system does not just rely on the written examinations. Students are evaluated throughout the year and equal weightage is given to both the sessional and semester-end examinations. A semester comprises 90 working days and sessional evaluation is done every month.

“This is a research university with 65 per cent of our students enrolled in MPhil and PhD courses. Our methods of evaluation are unique and completely transparent,” said S.Chandrasekaran, director of evaluation, JNU. He said though evaluation procedures were different for PhD students, not less than 30 minutes were spent on evaluating each answer sheet.

Throughout the year, students are judged on the basis of assignments, term papers, surprise quizzes, book reviews and presentations. To ensure transparency and feedback on examinations, students are shown their sessional evaluated answer sheets. “The teachers sit with individual students and assess their performance; this has helped students to perform better in the end semester examinations,” said Chandrasekaran.

He added that research students have to place arguments that could differ and hence full satisfaction of individual students was important. The system of internal assessment in JNU is also unique as there are no set grades for attendance or participation in the class. The teachers in JNU believed that making attendance compulsory does not ensure that the student was academically developing.

“In our university, a student simply cannot pass the sessional or the semester-end examinations unless he or she has attended the classes regularly,” said professor Harjit Singh, senior faculty at Centre for the Study of Regional Development.

In JNU, the question papers are set by the teachers who teach the students, while evaluation is done by an examination committee comprising two or three senior faculty of the centre.

“An outsider does not know what the teacher has been teaching in the class. So, the questions are set by the teacher and that also makes it important for a student to be regular in the class,” added Harjit Singh.

The faculty at different centres formulate their own syllabus. Before an academic term begins, the administration decides a framework of the courses, but full freedom is given to the centre faculty to comprise their own syllabus which keeps constantly changing.

“This university was built on an experimental basis to teach modern academics to students. Teachers here are always available for the students and we do not exceed our teacher to student ratio that is maximum 1: 10,” said R Kumar, rector, JNU.

The university was designed to make teachers completely accessible to students. After every couple of hostels there are groups of teachers’ houses that could be knocked at any hour of the day or night. “For a system like this to work the teachers have to put in much more effort than is generally done in other universities in India. Interaction between the students and teachers is unparallel here,” said Kumar. 

New Delhi, December 27
The Congress headquarters would soon get a new address at Kotla Road here with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi laying the foundation stone of the Indira Gandhi Bhavan today.

The function was held as part of the foundation day celebrations of the party and also marks the beginning of year-long festivities to commemorate 125 years of the party's formation.

Since the Congress split in 1978, AICC headquarters was at 24, Akbar Road. Now, it will be shifted to the new office on Kotla Road in Central Delhi. The celebrations based on the theme "past foundation and future vision" will also apprise people of the country, particularly the younger generation, of the party's history and legacy.

Plans are also afoot to hold four regional conferences as part of the celebrations. Though venues are yet to be decided but reports said they would be held across the country — north, west, south, east and northeast.

Moreover, achievement of the party at every level -- social, economic, cultural and international — after Independence will be projected through various media. A series of programmes are being organised to "galvanise the cadre and rekindle and relink the spirit of the Congress," Congress office-bearers said. 

Jaipur, December 27
An Indian man who managed to board an Air India flight at Medina in Saudi Arabia without ticket or passport and hid in the toilet to travel here, has been booked under the Passport Act even as his interrogation so far has not revealed any intention to cause any harm.

"The Jaipur Police, the ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) and the SOG (Special Operation Group) of the Rajasthan Police are interrogating the man and officials of the Military Intelligence will also interrogate him," a police source said. In a major security breach, Habib Husain (25) from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, who was working at Medina airport with a Saudi ground handling company, got into the plane which returned to Jaipur on Friday night and hid in the toilet. His presence came to light about half an hour after the flight took off from Medina when a passenger went to the toilet. His family members would arrive here from Moradabad by this evening, the sources said.

"Investigation so far reveals that his aim was just to escape from his employer in Medina and get back home. But at the same time, this is a very serious thing which could put passengers' lives at stake," an official said. Habib told the police he had gone to Saudi Arabia six months ago. He, through a contractor there, got a job of a sweeper at the Medina airport and his employer took away his passport to ensure that he does not escape from the country. He was also not being paid regularly despite putting up hard work, so he wanted to come back home, Habib said. On Friday, he got a chance to flee and managed to get in the Jaipur-bound Air India aircraft on the pretext of cleaning it. Police officials are verifying the details given by Habib and trying to contact the agent who helped in getting him the job in Saudi Arabia. Habib managed to board the Air India flight, carrying 273 Haj pilgrims back home, without ticket and passport, and travelled here. During questioning by the cabin crew, it was found that it was a case of stowaway and Habib did not intend to harm anybody. — PTI 

Panaji, December 27
Be careful with what you are wearing the next time you are in Goa or else you run the risk of being mistaken for a terrorist. Issuing broad guidelines on identification of terrorists ahead of New Year celebrations, the Goa police has said that a person wearing clothes unsuited for the season can be a suspicious character.

A terrorist can be identified by clothes unsuited for the season of the year like wearing a coat or jacket in summer, says a posting on Goa police website (www.goapolice.gov.in).

In yet another parameter, the police has said that a person trying to blend with his surroundings by his dress and behaviour when he doesn't belong to a group can be a suspicious character.

The website also advises people to be alert as anything protruding unnaturally under his (suspect’s) clothing could be arms or explosives.

The state, which is receiving thousands of tourists ahead of the New Year celebrations, has appealed to citizens to contact the control room number (100) in case of suspicion or emergency.

The police has also said that number plates looking 'improved' or 'mismatched' could be an object of suspicion.

"Call 100 at once and give as many details as possible if you have any information that may help in apprehending suspects or about the suspect or the suspicious vehicle or locate a vehicle involved," the website reads.

After going through a very high security drill last year, this time Goa is on general alert due to presence of a large number of tourists here.

State Home Minister Ravi Naik in the recently concluded Assembly session had said that Goa could be a target of Pakistan-based militant organisations due to presence of UK, US and Israeli citizens here.