Archive for November 8th, 2007
Following is from the PIB release http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=32493.
LONG-TERM MEASURES TO MEET THE SHORTAGE OF PILOTS: CONTRACTING OUT OF MANAGEMENT OF INDIRA GANDHI RASHTRIYA URAN AKADEMI AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FLYING TRAINING INSTITUTE AT GONDIA, MAHARASHTRA
The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for management contract agreement of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi with M/s. CAE Inc., Canada and also gave its approval for formation of a subsidiary company of Airports Authority of India for establishing a flying and aviation training institute at Gondia in Maharashtra as a Joint Venture Enterprise with M/s. CAE, Canada.
The management for taking of IGRUA would be taken over by M/s. CAE Inc., Canada for better management of the Akademi in a more professional manner in order to produce 100 pilots per year.
The subsidiary company of AAI will establish a flying and aviation training institute which will help in meeting the growing requirements of pilots and technical manpower relating to the aviation industry.
November 8th, 2007
The following is from the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=32492.
The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for introduction of the Block Grant Scheme of funding on the lines of IITs, IIMs, etc., for NIFT.
This will provide further functional / financial autonomy to the institute and will encourage it to generate more internal resources, promote innovation and result in an overall improvement in the standard of education and research.
The base year for the Block Grant Scheme shall be 2006-07 and the scheme will come into effect from 2007-08.
Currently there are NIFTs centers at New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai and a new one has just been announced for Rae Bareli. Earlier, the central minister from Orissa had said that he had requested and received positive indication regarding an NIFT in Orissa. See https://www.orissalinks.com/?p=304 and https://www.orissalinks.com/?p=178. I wonder what happened to that.
November 8th, 2007
Following is an excerpt from a New Indian Express report on this.
There is an urgent need to upgrade the forestry department to a college like the College of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Science and the postgraduate and Ph.D curricula could support the academics, research and extension programmes of various new disciplines in forestry.
‘‘There is a competent faculty with over 20 years of experience here with the department and many alumni members are serving at national and international levels as faculty and subject experts and are willing to collaborate with their parent department at OUAT for high-end projects,’’ says HoD Prof RK Pattnaik.
‘‘The department was established in 1987 at this second oldest agriculture varsity of the country following the recommendations of National Commission on Agriculture, 1976, under the direct support of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and later Indian Council of Forest Research and Education to look after education, research and extension in forestry science,’’ he adds.
‘‘But with the upgradation to a college the students can have special fields to do PG and Ph.D programmes in silviculture and agro-forestry, bio-technology and tree improvement and forest ecology and environment. Also utilisation of forest products which directly cater to the needs of the State as well as many international research projects can also be taken up through such an institution,’’ says Prof Ashok Kumar Sahoo.
Assistant Prof. Nirakar Bhol is of the opinion that if the upgraded status is accorded, then this college under OUAT would be a unique institution in the entire Eastern India and strengthen the position of the State Capital as another educational hub in forest-related research. Fourth year BSc Forestry student Jagannath Sahu thinks the upgradation plan can enable graduating B.Sc forestry students to have wider career options in natural resources management.
November 8th, 2007
Following is from the PIB press release http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=32495.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval to the proposal mooted by the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for revision of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Hostels for SC Girls & Boys. The primary objective of the revised scheme is to attract the implementing agencies for undertaking hostel construction programme, especially for SC girls towards the broader vision of containment and reduction of their drop out rate. According to the revised scheme, focus would be given for construction of hostels for middle and higher secondary levels of education. However, hostels can also be constructed for college and University levels of education. The hostels shall be completed within a period of two years from the date of sanction of the project.
The Government of India would meet the entire cost of construction for SC girls’ hostels as central assistance. However, in the case of boys’ hostels, the prevailing pattern of funding would continue, which is 50% for States, 100% for UT Administration, 90% for Central Universities and 45% for other Universities etc. Further, as hitherto, central assistance for NGOs would be eligible only for expansion of their existing hostel buildings. In addition to meting the cost of construction in the form of central assistance as mentioned above, the Government of India would also provide one-time grant of Rs.2500/- per student for making provisions of a cot, a table and a chair for each hosteller.
Another important provision included in the revised scheme is involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the matter of selection of hostel site and overseeing the functioning of the hostels. Further, it has also been provided in the scheme that priority in allotment of hostel accommodation would be given to SC students whose parent are either “Safai Karamcharis” or engaged in unclean occupations.
November 8th, 2007