1. Dramatic dip in Indian students opting for U.K. varsities British universities have reported a dramatic slump in applications from Indian students as a result of stringent visa rules and other restrictions imposed on non-European foreign students. There has been a more than 30 per cent drop in the number of Indian students who applied this year, compared with last year, confirming the worst fears of Britain's cash-strapped universities which rely heavily on fee-paying foreign students. The Universities U.K., which describes itself as the definitive voice of British higher education, has protested against the changes to visa rules which it says are putting off foreign students coming to Britain.
2. Banga Bibhushan award conferred on Suchitra Sen Eminent actor Suchitra Sen was honoured with West Bengal's highest award Banga Bibhusan. The legendary film star was, however, not present on the stage to receive the award as she continues to remain away from public eye. On her behalf, the 81-year-old actor's daughter Moon Moon Sen and granddaughter Raima Sen received the award from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a ceremony. Instituted last year to honour eminent people from different walks of life, Banga Bibhusan includes a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh. Suchitra Sen had ruled the silver screen till the 1970s by acting in Hindi and Bengali films like Saat Paake Bandha , Saptapadi and Bimal Roy's Devdas .
3. A feminist anthropologist who pioneered studies on matriliny, kinship Leela Dube, who passed away in New Delhi, aged 89, was one of the early pioneers of feminist scholarship in India along with Irawati Karve, Vina Majumdar, and Lotika Sarkar. Scan through the acknowledgements and citations of any sociological or anthropological book on kinship or gender in India, from the 1960s till the present, and her name comes up with unfailing regularity. Leela Dube's Ph.D. (1953, Anthropology) was on women in three adivasi groups, comparing their lives to upper caste women, but she is best known for her work on Muslim matriliny in Lakshwadeep, Matriliny and Islam: Religion and society in the Laccadives (1969) and marriage and kinship relations more broadly. Like many women scholars, it is her own experience which deeply shaped her interests marriage as she describes it was a relation of both gratification and agony. In between, she also collaborated with S.C. Dube on research among rural communities in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
4. Assam makes a major push in education The Assam Education Department scripted history, issuing appointment letters, at one venue, to 26,110 newly appointed primary school teachers, including 10,657 women, who got through the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) recently. Of the newly appointed teachers, 16,764 have been appointed in the lower primary level, 2,113 in the upper primary level (science and mathematics), 5,546 in the upper primary level (social science), 153 in the primary level and 83 in the upper primary level in the physically handicapped category. For the lower primary level and the upper primary level (social science), the monthly remuneration is Rs.14,000, and for those with D.Ed and B.Ed, Rs.14,200. In the upper primary level (science and mathematics), the remuneration is Rs.15,000, and for those with D.Ed, Rs.15,200. The annual expenditure on account of the appointment will be Rs. 419 crore.
5. Manmohan chair offered to Cambridge professor The “chair” in Dr. Singh's name at his alma mater Panjab University (PU) is waiting for a distinguished occupant. The university, which has been unable to find a suitable person to occupy the Dr. Manmohan Singh Chair in the Department of Economics, has now decided to offer the chair to Ajit Singh, an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and a Life Fellow at Queen's College, Cambridge, the United Kingdom. The chair was instituted in 2009. Professor Ajit Singh, also an alumnus of the university, began teaching economics at Cambridge in 1965. The varsity's move to offer the chair to Professor Ajit Singh comes after it failed to get the acceptance of Nobel laureate and leading economist Amartya Sen. The university, which is listed among the University Grants Commission's (UGC) ‘Centre of Excellence' category, has been unable to rope in eminent scholars from varied fields to occupy specially-instituted chairs for high- Page 1 of 2 21 st May 2012
end research work. Established in 1882 in Lahore city, now in Pakistan, PU was re-located to its present sprawling campus in Chandigarh's Sector 14 and 25, in 1956 after the Partition in August 1947. It is one of the oldest universities in the country. Besides Dr. Manmohan Singh, three of his Cabinet colleagues Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal are also PU alumni.
6. Canada, South-East Asia now popular among students Gone are the days when Indian students had to choose between the U.S. and the U.K. for their higher studies. Now, students are waking up to lesser-known destinations to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate courses, according to a education consultant group, The Chopras. Now Canada, South-East Asia and some European countries were emerging as popular education destinations. There is a shift in the courses that are in demand too. Country-wise, the students are opting for digital media in Canada and New Zealand. For hospitality, it is Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, for business and engineering the U.S. and for research students it is the U.K. The shift can be attributed to a number of factors, including fewer restrictions in various processes and cost aspects, she said.
7. Gurgaon's Rapid Metro constructs tallest pillar Gurgaon's Rapid Metrorail has constructed the tallest metro pillar in the country. The piers, two in number having a height of 24 metres from its base and a diameter of two metres, were built in 100 days. Of the 24- metre height, 16 metres are above ground, while eight metres are below the ground till the base. Interestingly, the piers are located at an intersection where three different construction projects are coming up. An underpass, a unidirectional flyover and the metro system pass through this location, necessitating taking the metro pillars to such a height. A surface road also passes through this junction. Thus four levels of transport facilities crisscross this junction.
8. Increase in fish in Chilika lake Chilika Development Authority reported surfacing of six economic species of fish which were thought to have extinct from the Chilika Lake.
9. Zoho Corporation deploys website builder to target small and medium businesses Zoho Corporation, the acclaimed cloud-based software solution provider unveiled a do-it-yourself website builder, Zoho Sites, which will help people with no knowledge of coding build and run professional-looking websites. Targeted at small and medium businesses looking to expand their online presence, Zoho Sites makes website creation a simple exercise of dragging and dropping various elements, forms and widgets in an interface no more complex than a word processor.
10. Yuki wins Challenger title Yuki Bhambri won his maiden Challenger singles title as he beat the fourth-seeded Amir Weintraub of Israel 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the $35,000 ATP Challenger tennis tournament in Fergana, Uzbekistan.
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