How would you define your study habits during your time in high school or college? Inefficient, demanding, and accompanied by a serious loss of sleep? They were for me, for sure.

A critical step in the learning process that students far too frequently ignore is picking the appropriate study strategy. No matter how hard a student tries to study, choosing the wrong study approach can prevent them from making any genuine progress. Choosing the appropriate study technique for the circumstance will help students realize their maximum potential.

Rereading is not the best study strategy; there are far better ones. the techniques that the finest learning scientists in the world have created and studied. Surprisingly, not many pupils have ever heard of them. Because of this, using them efficiently will provide you not just an edge but also a huge advantage over the competitors.

The search for the ideal study strategy is ongoing. You cannot wait until the night before the test to take care of it. To learn what works (and what doesn’t), you should be continually enhancing your study techniques. Developing good study techniques can not only make learning easier but will also improve your results in high school and post-secondary.

Learn 10 effective study methods that will help you achieve your next test success.

Pre-test: Before studying the material, students should practice answering questions, even when they get them wrong. This will improve their future learning. According to research, studying for an exam for the same amount of time does not significantly increase test outcomes.

Stay Organized- Setting yourself up successfully and achieving your learning objectives will depend on you taking the time to get organized. Invest in a diary and utilize it to record upcoming due dates for assignments. To participate in class, make sure you have all the materials and equipment you need. To ensure that you are prepared to go right away in the morning, you might find it beneficial to pack your luggage the night before.

Log Notes- Keep your mind active during class by taking notes that you may review as you develop your study strategies. Right there in class, notes can assist you in retaining information for the long term. When you’re finished with tests and tasks, you’ll want to go back and study these notes. It could be helpful to summarize your notes after class so they are understandable and simple to read. Note or emphasize important points. You can ask your teacher for clarification if something doesn’t make sense.

Set Apart Time for Studying- Spacing out your learning periods is one of the most effective study techniques. You will be much more likely to recall material if you spread out your study time across several days rather than trying to cram everything into one extended session. This can aid in profoundly ingraining information so that you can remember it for a long time.

Arranging a Quiet Area for Study- It’s crucial to have a dedicated study space that is free from distractions and enables productive study time. You will be aware that you are there to learn if you are comfortable in your study space. Your general motivation to study will be aided by this way of thinking. Pick a study spot that is peaceful, well-lit, and away from busy areas. Don’t, for example, study at the dining room table if your family or roommates will be entering and exiting the kitchen often.

Quiz Yourself- Quizzing yourself or having someone else quiz you are an excellent retrieval exercise. By using this learning method, you may readily store information in your long-term memory and access it later. Writing down an answer to a question also helps you commit it to memory, which enhances learning.

Avoid Distracting Things- From cell phones to social media to pals, distractions are there everywhere. Understand what distracts you in class and how to avoid these distractions. If you anticipate being distracted, avoid sitting next to pals. Making sure you are paying attention to your teacher will be easier if you turn off your cell phone.

If you’re unclear, ask questions- If there is anything you don’t understand, raise your hand and ask a question. Write yourself a note to remind you to speak with the teacher after class if you don’t feel comfortable asking in front of everyone.

Taking Group Studies- You are more likely to stay engaged when working with classmates in an interactive setting. By doing so, you have the opportunity to challenge one another’s understanding of the subject matter and build one another up personally.

Putting it another way- A lot of us have read a few chapters in a textbook only to find that we didn’t remember a single idea or important detail. Use purposeful learning techniques to demonstrate to your pupils how to avoid this. There are several ways to do this, including connecting what is being taught to prior information, imagining how to convey the material to a 5-year-old, and reflecting on and asking questions about it.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

Successful people don’t do different things, they do normal things differently. It is very much evident that people who are excelling in their fields have a different approach to their quotidian day-to-day things. One such paramount thing is their morning routine. Do you want to perform exceedingly well in your field? Putting in some extra effort would make huge differences in no time. A structured morning routine will encourage you to set up your day realistically, which will promote mental and physical wellness. 

But before you get cracking with your everyday tasks, here is a simple list of things you can do to make the most of your day.

5 things to do in the morning for being successful:

1. Clean your surroundings: First things first, clean your bed after waking up. This way your sleeping area would become clutter-free, and so be your brain. Sometimes you encounter inner resistance and laziness, there are days when you don’t want to leave your bed and even doing your bed seems a hefty task. But don’t succumb to your inner resistance, instead, take it as the very first achievement of your day. Completing this very first task will boost your morale to stretch your limits throughout the day. This brings you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to fight your everyday battles.

 2. Self-affirmations would work wonders

Morning is the time when you can visualise some positive affirmations for yourself. This will create self-belief in you.

Self-care is the key to better health and wellness. Your state of mind in the morning can influence your whole day ahead. It’s quite natural that you doubt yourself and your capabilities sometimes, but starting your day on this note would make you feel gloomy and upset all day. Try to channelise your new morning energy into positive thoughts, you will gain the strength to tackle all the odds. A dramatic increase in self-confidence and efficiency can be achieved by this simple act. Repeat your affirmations daily with a firm belief and intention. 

3. Greet yourself

Most of us greet our elders and senior professionals, but we forget to greet ourselves or respect ourselves. While sitting on the bed or standing on the balcony, greet yourself aloud: “good morning to me. A beautiful day is awaiting me and I will accomplish all my tasks today.” 

Feel the positivity and warmth in your aura. The energy you feel when you realise your capabilities is surreal. Instead of seeking social validation and acceptance, start treating yourself the way you want to be treated right from the beginning of your day. You won’t need any external stimulation or materialistic things to make you feel happy.

Drink a full glass of lukewarm water or tea/coffee by the side of your window or on the balcony with your unfiltered thoughts. Nourish your individuality by paying heed to your notions in the early morning. You become what you visualise, hence start your day with a positive mindset.

4. Plan out your day 

There are fewer chances of slipping into your old habits when you have a list of things to do. Get up early in the morning, or at least wake up at a fixed time and save some extra time in your hands to organise your to-do list for the day. This way you can prioritise your important things and revisit your short-term goals. There are dime a dozen examples of achievers who got success by changing their habits.

Although it is possible that you might not be able to accomplish all your tasks, ticking off even a few things, in the beginning, is quite okay. Don’t overburden yourself.

5. Spend some time in nature: the antidote to exhaustion

Nature and music are the best healers. A recent study published in the International Journal of Mental health and addiction,2022 determined that mental health conditions like anxiety can be effectively cured by nature therapy. Go for some light stretching exercises or brisk walking in your garden area or porch along with motivational music or any music of your choice. Music and workout is the best fit to relax your mind and body.

Meditate and fit in a workout:

Data suggests that physically fit individuals have more productivity throughout the day. Your physical health reflects your mental health. Therefore, to be in the highest of your spirits, one must include workouts and meditation in their daily regimen.

Meditation and mindfulness relax your mind, resulting in positive affirmations. Take time to sit with your thoughts and visualise yourself to achieve your goals.

Each day brings new challenges and obstacles, but performing a retrospective by looking back at your previous achievements would encourage you for betterment. These morning routine tips are easy to follow, and religious follow-up of a morning routine can do wonders if you want to achieve great heights of success.

Along with these tips, we have gathered some scientific research that can increase your efficiency manyfold.

Avoid scrolling down your phone during the initial hours

Most people these days tend to check their phones as soon as they wake up. Scrolling down your phone leads to a waste of your crucial time which will put you on a guilt trip for the rest of day.

What are the ill effects of checking your phone first in the morning?

 Sleep cycle in terms of waves can be roughly represented as:

Delta waves(deep sleep) —– Theta waves(light sleep) —-alpha waves(just awake)— Beta waves(fully awake )

The human brain when switches from deep sleep to light sleep, makes a transition from the delta waves to theta waves, which then move and produce alpha waves when the person is just awake but the brain is not highly active. When the brain starts processing information and complex thinking, it reaches the beta stage.

By scrolling your phone first in the morning, your body makes a skip from delta(deep sleep) to direct beta stage( wide awake), leaving theta and alpha stages. This sudden transition can be risky in the long run as it puts an excess burden on your brain for making the quick switch.

According to the Scientific American reports, the theta stage has a very vital role as the mind’s free flow ideation and subconscious visualisation occurs in this state. Your subconscious mind plays a very important role in visualising your near future and becoming what you want to become.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

If you love pushing your tasks till the last moment and then panicking at the end, you know the hassle of trying to meet deadlines while handling your procrastination. Completing the task is one thing and gathering the effort and energy to begin it is another. If you are a chronic procrastinator, you understand the energy you have to put in to push yourself to complete a task. As you go through this article, you will know why you procrastinate while working and how you can deal with this habit of yours to ease your life.

Why do people procrastinate?

Procrastination begins when you have to complete a given task within the stipulated time, but you continue to delay it till the last moment. You know that if you start this task early, you will be able to complete it on time, but your inner self disagrees. People tend to procrastinate in their work because their desire to delay the task till the last moment outweighs their desire to complete the task. Some of the many reasons why people end up procrastinating include:

1. Lack of proper motivation and self-control. You begin to perform a task when you feel motivated and have a strong reason why you want to perform the task. Lack of motivation often leads to procrastination. You may realize that upon accomplishment of the task, you may get a reward, but the rewards aren’t motivating enough at times.

You may also find yourself distracted through social media and electronic devices, and time management may be an issue for you. You may be addicted to your devices and spend hours scrolling through social media, doing nothing productive.

2. You are delaying the task to ‘feel good’ at the present moment and not bothering about the outcomes. You may sometimes enter an extremely comfortable space, such as sleeping or lying on a bed, and moving from there or making up your mind to work feels difficult. Your mind prefers to stay in a quiet and resting position avoiding all possible work.  

3. Your mood, at times, decides whether you wish to begin a particular task or not. Sometimes you may feel too low and end up procrastinating and not completing the task.

You may also avoid work simply because you don’t ‘feel like working.’ This happens when you let your mood take charge and decide if you ‘wish’ to work or not.

4. Overlapping lots of tasks, so you end up completing none. Sometimes you may have bundles of tasks aligned in front of you, so you won’t get the motivation to start. The pile of work seems so demotivating that people end up not beginning to work at all. Overburdening your brain with lots and lots of tasks may be one of the reasons why your brain decides not to work.

How to avoid procrastination

1. Gather motivation

The first and foremost thing that will take you a step closer to an accomplished task is motivation. When you motivate yourself to work hard towards achieving a goal, completing the task becomes more manageable. You may try thinking about the result that you may achieve after the successful completion of the task.

 

2. Divide the task into small chunks

Sometimes your brain avoids completing some work simply because it is time-consuming and lengthy. To ease the process, divide the task into small chunks. This will ease the process for you and lessen the burden on your brain. Once you see small chunks of tasks in front of you, you may get the motivation to complete the tasks one by one.

 

3. Reward yourself

Once you complete a specific portion of the work, reward yourself with a small treat, such as a bar of chocolate. This tricks your mind into thinking that it will get rewarded on completion of every bit of the work, and your working efficiency and capacity will be increased.

 

4. Prioritize your work

You may have multiple tasks in front of you, which may be why your mind is procrastinating. Prioritize your work according to its importance and then focus on completing the more important task first. This way, you will get rid of the most critical tasks first, and then you can plan to complete the remaining work later.

 

5. Keep all sorts of distractions away

Television, laptop, and mobile phones are the primary cause of distractions that will deviate your mind from the actual task. You may use these to relax in between work, but while you have made up your mind to work on a specific task, try to avoid all these distractions.

Social media is the most crucial factor that deviates your mind and divides your dedication and concentration.

 

6. Plug in soft, soothing instrumental music

If you can concentrate on your work with music playing, you may play soft instrumental music in the background as you prepare to accomplish your goals. Music helps to calm down your mind and helps you concentrate your focus on the object of importance.

 

7. Organize your tasks and plan your day

It has been seen that when you plan your day prior, your chances of completing work on time increase many folds. If you have a to-do list in your mind and a proper schedule, you may be able to concentrate better on your work. Don’t overburden your brain with a timetable or schedule that is impossible to follow. Set up realistic goals and tick down the objectives on your to-do list as you approach its end. A completing to-do list with points ticked off provides you with the motivation to work harder and tick off all the work listed.

 

 

8. Don’t stress your mind with the additional burden.

When your brain begins to panic about an incomplete task, completing it becomes even trickier. It’s ok if you have procrastinated the entire day and are now deciding to complete the work. Leave stress and any tension regarding the work and its deadlines aside and focus on what can be done next. Don’t make yourself feel bad when you find yourself procrastinating. This will worsen the situation for you. Focus on finding the solution rather than crying about the problem.

 

Procrastinating till the last minute not only makes the situation difficult for you but also lands you in a situation where you complete a certain amount of work within a few hours that you would have otherwise done in a few days. This results in increased tension to accomplish the deadlines and also compromises the quality of work that you provide.

 

Procrastinating till the last moment and realizing that time just slipped off your hands makes the situation challenging. You may instead adopt measures that may help in developing motivation and self-confidence within you, so you complete the task available at hand. Remember that ‘early bird gets the worm.’ You may undoubtedly have an advantage over others when you complete a task on time and do not postpone it till the last moment. So stop procrastinating and get in action! Good things are waiting for you.

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Article by Riya Vasudeva

“Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”

– Swami Vivekananda

 

On January 12, we celebrate Vivekananda Jayanti, commonly referred to as National Youth Day. National Youth Day, observed on the anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s birth, is all about remembering Vivekananda’s writings and incorporating his principles into our everyday lives. On this day, we honour the nation’s youth and exhort them to adopt Vivekananda’s principles and ideologies.

 

The government of India proclaimed January 12th as National Youth Day in 1984, and since then, the holiday has been observed annually in India to honour Swami Vivekananda’s birth date. One of India’s most influential social reformers, Vivekananda was adored by the populace. National Youth Day acknowledges Vivekananda’s significant intellectual and religious beliefs and recognises his accomplishments. Vivekananda’s life and mission served as an example for all.

 

Many Indians, especially young people, still hold Swami Vivekananda (1863 –1902) in high regard. He is one of history’s most inspirational figures. Swami Vivekananda, an activist for social change, struggled against numerous societal ills that plagued Indian civilization in the 19th and 20th centuries. He promoted a form of Hinduism for this reason, one that doesn’t make distinctions based on caste or gender but rather promotes principles for living a purposeful life. He established the Ramakrishna Mission, an organization devoted to promoting Vedanta philosophy and the yogic ideals of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja Yoga, to spread the spirit of Hinduism throughout the world. As a result, Swami Vivekananda in a sense dedicated his life to first comprehending the world around him through the prism of Hinduism and then disseminating that knowledge for the benefit of humanity as a whole. Because of this, it’s critical to study and comprehend Swami Vivekananda’s teachings to gain a deeper understanding of the world and people.

 

Our aspirations for achievement and a more fulfilling existence are encouraged by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings. The life goals set forth by Swami Vivekananda for people across generations and beyond the globe are still relevant today. By adopting the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, as well as by imitating his struggles and successes, we can gain a lot of insight.

 

Some anecdotes from Swami Vivekananda’s life are shared with you. They will inspire you to aim higher and live fearlessly through the lessons drawn from the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

 

1.    Keeping the end in mind

 

Success depends on having the ability to concentrate on a task. Teach your youngster to put his/her mind to do anything, no matter how difficult a task may seem, he/she will succeed in finishing it. According to Vivekananda, “Pick one to pursue. Think about it, dream about it, and make that one notion the centre of your existence. Leave all other ideas alone and let one concept fill every part of your body—the muscles, nerves, and brain. This is the path to achievement.”

 

2.    When faced with challenges, have courage.

 

Accepting that life contains both good and terrible is among Vivekananda’s most important teachings. And to get through the difficult times and into the good ones, one must be resilient. When you realize this, you’ll not only have the courage to confront the world, but you’ll also be more upbeat in the face of challenges and trials. Vivekananda concurred that facing your challenges head-on rather than running away from them is the only way to enjoy life to the fullest. Isn’t this a crucial lesson that we all need to put into practice right now if we want to make a genuine impact in this situation?

 

3.    Having Persistence Is Important

 

How frequently do we lose heart when faced with challenges and abandon our objectives? But Swami Vivekananda thought highly of people and thought that if people are persistent enough, they had the power to overcome any obstacle. According to Swami Vivekananda, if you are persistent enough in your efforts to achieve your goals, you will succeed. This is another one of his timeless teachings. Because of this, it doesn’t matter whether you keep trying despite failing repeatedly; eventually, you will succeed. 

 

4.    Having faith in oneself

 

According to Swami Vivekananda, you must first believe in yourself if you want to change the world. Every person should be empowered by Vivekananda’s teachings to realize their potential. Furthermore, just because you are different doesn’t necessarily make you right. Therefore, you must have confidence in yourself and persist in following the route that you believe is best for you, refusing to listen to others’ advice or compromise your convictions.

 

5.    To advance, you must struggle

 

Swami Vivekananda also imparted wisdom on the idea that if everything comes naturally to you, you would never realize your full potential. This mantra is the most effective Swami Vivekananda teaching for assisting you in realizing the actual meaning of life and your potential. To become the most authentic and ideal version of yourself, you must continually push yourself and your limits. So keep this in mind and attempt to get past a dead end the next time you encounter one.

 

6.    The ideal policy is one of honesty

 

The maxim “honesty is the best policy” is one that cannot be emphasized enough. This viewpoint was supported even by Swami Vivekananda. He asserted that regardless of the situation, we all need to be honest. It goes without saying that your actions will always have some repercussions, but you cannot embellish the truth or tell lies to make your life easier. The best way to live your life is to follow a road built on honesty, which is another important lesson that Swami Vivekananda taught.

 

7. Make no caste or religious-based distinctions

 

In contrast to caste, religion, or economic standing, a person’s activities establish his character. “True to your own nature is the greatest religion,” according to Vivekananda. To prevent discrimination based on background or caste, educate your child about this. She has to have the ability to appreciate and respect individuals based on their deeds and beliefs.

 

8. Put the truth first

 

Vivekananda persevered to defend the truth while being punished. He carried on doing this all his life. Tell your youngster that when he tells the truth, sometimes people won’t want to hear him or agree with him. In these situations, it’s critical to stand by one’s principles.

 

9.    Life requires curiosity

 

To satisfy our curiosity about life, we must make an effort to obtain the greatest, most comprehensive solutions. A lot of lives have been changed by a curiosity about higher life realities. Keeping this in mind, appearances can be deceptive.

 

We should all aspire to live our lives in accordance with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. You should always be at peace with who you are, and whatever you do in life. You must take time to reflect on yourself to understand what it is that you truly desire from life as well as to examine who you are and discover areas of potential. Since only you have the power to change yourself, according to Vivekananda, you must maintain self-control and continue to comprehend your deepest impulses.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

हिंदी भाषा विश्व की प्राचीन भाषाओं में से एक है जो विश्व में चौथी सर्वाधिक बोले जाने वाली भाषा है। भारत की जनगणना 2011 के अनुसार 57% जनसंख्या हिंदी जानती है। भारत के अलावा हिंदी और उसकी बोलियां विश्व के अन्य देशों में भी बोली पढ़ी व लिखी जाती हैं। मारीशस, नेपाल, गयाना, फिजी और संयुक्त अरब अमीरात आदि देशों में भी हिंदी भाषी लोगों की बड़ी संख्या मौजूद है। हिन्दी की आदि जननी संस्कृत है। संस्कृत पालि, प्राकृत भाषा से होती हुई अपभ्रंश तक पहुंचती है। फिर अपभ्रंश से अवहट्ट से गुजरती हुई प्राचीन/प्रारंभिक हिंदी का रूप ले लेती है।

हिंदी भाषा के प्रचार-प्रसार और इसके बारे में जागरूकता फैलाने के उद्देश्य से हर साल 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाया जाता है। इसका उद्देश्य हिंदी को अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर एक भाषा के रूप में प्रस्तुत करना तथा वैश्विक स्तर पर हिंदी भाषा को सम्मान और पहचान दिलाने के लिए मंच तैयार करना है। कभी कभी हिन्दी दिवस और विश्व हिंदी दिवस को लेकर बहुत से लोगों में असमंजस कि स्थिति उत्पन्न हो जाती है। दोनों ही दिवसों का उद्देश्य हिंदी भाषा का प्रचार प्रसार करना है लेकिन जानकारी के लिए बता दे कि राष्ट्रीय हिन्दी दिवस जहां 14 सितंबर को मनाया जाता है वहीं, विश्व हिंदी दिवस 10 जनवरी को मनाया जाता है।

अंतरराष्ट्रीय मंच पर हिंदी भाषा को पहचान दिलाने और प्रचार प्रसार के उद्देश्य से 10 जनवरी 1975 को महाराष्ट्र के नागपुर में पहला विश्व हिंदी सम्मेलन आयोजित किया गया जिसका उद्घाटन तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी ने किया था। इस सम्मेलन कि अध्यक्षता मॉरिशस के तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति शिवसागर रामगुलाम ने किया था। इस सम्मेलन का उद्देश्य दुनियाभर में हिंदी को एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय भाषा के रूप में पहचान दिलाना था। इस सम्मेलन में 30 देशों के 122 प्रतिनिधियों ने हिस्सा लिया, 1975 से विभिन्न देशों जैसे- संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका, यूनाइटेड किंगडम, मॉरीशस, त्रिनिदाद और टोबैगो ने विश्व हिंदी सम्मेलन का आयोजन किया गया।

विश्व में हिन्दी भाषा का विकास करने और एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय भाषा के तौर पर इसे प्रचारित-प्रसारित करने के उद्देश्य से विश्व हिन्दी सम्मेलनों की शुरुआत की गई थी। इसी क्रम में भारत सरकार ने फैसला किया कि 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाना चाहिए और पहली बार 10 जनवरी 2006 को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाया गया, तब से हर साल इसे इसी तारीख पर मनाया जा रहा है। भारत के विदेश मंत्रालय के तत्वाधान में पहला हिंदी दिवस नॉर्वे के भारतीय दूतावास ने मनाया गया, बाद में दूसरा और तीसरा हिंदी दिवस भारतीय नॉर्वे सूचना एवं सांस्कृतिक फोरम के तत्वाधान में लेखक सुरेश चन्द्र शुक्ल की अध्यक्षता में आयोजित हुआ। तब से हिंदी दिवस को वैश्विक रूप में अंतरराष्ट्रीय हिंदी दिवस के रूप में विश्व के कई देशों में मनाया जाने लगा। सभी देशों में स्थित भारत के दूतावासों में इस दिन 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस पर कार्यक्रमों का आयोजन किया जाता है और हिंदी भाषी लोगों को आमंत्रित किया जाता है।

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Article by Devesh Kumar

The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced the draft regulations for the Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India for the first time. On Thursday, UGC unveiled the draft norms, under which these varsities can also decide on the admission process, and fee structure and repatriate their funds back home. This is a step with the National Education Policy, 2020, which envisages a legislative framework to allow top global universities to operate in India.
UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar stated that foreign universities and Higher Education Institutions will need a nod from the UGC to set up their campuses in India. He noted that foreign universities with campuses in the nation can only offer full-time programmes in offline mode and not online or distance learning. He added further that these institutions shall not offer any study programme that jeopardises the national interest of India or the standards of higher education here and clarified that the initial approval will be for 10 years and will be renewed in the ninth year subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The commission has suggested maintaining the fees fair and transparent, even if these universities will be free to choose their admission standards and price schedule.
The foreign institution will be free to hire faculty and employees from India and other countries in accordance with its hiring standards. But, they have to ensure that the foreign faculty appointed to teach at the Indian campus shall stay at the campus in India for a reasonable period. Interested institutes have to lay out a plan that in the case of a course or programme disruption or discontinuation or closure of the campuses, what will be the alternative arrangements to safeguard the interests of the affected students, including reallocation to the course or programme
There will be two types of foreign institutions that are qualified to apply for opening campuses in India: universities that have achieved a rating in the top 500 globally or by subject, or institutions that are well-regarded in their home country. UGC will constitute a standing committee to examine matters related to the setting up and operation of campuses of foreign institutions in India.
The draft rules for Setting up and operating campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in India were made public by the UGC on Thursday and the final rules would be released by the end of the month after taking into account comments from all interested parties.

Life is stressful enough without adding to it, but many people do just that in one way or another, often without even realizing it. Recognizing when you might be unnecessarily making things worse for yourself is the first step toward relaxing. The same goes for the life of a student as well. Every year, it seems like the start of the school year goes by so quickly.. But don’t worry; there are lots of strategies to help you avoid the anxiety and stress that deadlines might bring on. 

Instead of blaming yourself, why not find out what you can do to quit the self-destructive behavior and become your own best stress-relieving ally? Here is a list of tried-and-true advice to help you stay organized and focused as you approach your examinations and any upcoming assignment due dates so that you don’t put too much pressure on yourself with your studies

Set up a plan

Even if you are unsure of the precise dates of each exam, you should at this point be aware of the week(s) in which it is planned. You should also have a good notion of when essays are due. Plan your work schedule immediately to gain a good start. Give yourself a goal to meet each week, whether it is for reading, researching, writing, or revising, to ensure that you are on track to do everything in time for the deadlines. It’s a good idea to buy a wall calendar or notebook so you can mark down significant events. You will benefit from being able to easily understand how much time you have left and when you will work on what.

Perfection is unattainable

Despite the urge to be perfect, this belief is harmful to your whole outlook on life and is not beneficial. Working hard is great, but there is a big difference between giving it your all and trying to be flawless. Problems arise when we try to make everything ideal and things don’t turn out as we had hoped. Self-doubt begins to set in at this stage. Everybody makes mistakes every day, and no one is perfect or always correct. Getting things wrong has several benefits, including the opportunity to learn from mistakes, which can help you advance and improve.

The key is balance

One of the best traits in life is the ability to work hard. It displays your concern. But it’s crucial to pay attention to how you feel at the end of the day, week, or day of school. Keeping your life in balance and releasing pressure on yourself are both essential components of stress management. Self-care is the primary strategy for managing stress. When it comes to properly caring for yourself, doing something that makes you feel peaceful and happy can go a long way. A relaxing lunchtime stroll, a friendly conversation with a friend, a weekend swim, or even a bubble bath at the end of the day are all good options. Regardless of how you unwind, taking care of yourself will support a healthy amount of pressure. Stress and pressure frequently coexist in people’s lives. Pressure can contribute to both. By keeping a journal of your feelings, you’ll be able to identify the internal cues your body uses to say, “STOP… A respite is necessary.

Establish a comfortable study atmosphere

If you intend to study at home, make sure your space is organized and your workstation is free of distractions. As the saying goes, a clear environment fosters a clear mind, which is exactly what you need when working. Additionally, if your study room is a place you enjoy being, you’ll have an easier time concentrating. To create your ideal study sanctuary, take a little effort like adding a potted plant and good lighting. Additionally, soothing music and scented reed diffusers can help you unwind and relax, which will help you focus on your task.

Take periodical pauses

Studies have repeatedly shown that regular breaks help pupils work more efficiently. By dividing up your revision or essay writing into small parts, you’re more likely to maintain attention and keep your mind engaged on the task at hand. You should leave your workstation for 15 minutes every 45 minutes of focused work. Your brain will appreciate it later whether you go outside for some fresh air, do some short cleaning, or stretch.

Eat healthily and drink plenty of water

Students frequently lose sight of their well-being during exam periods as they become too preoccupied with their work. Staying hydrated and avoiding junk food are the simplest ways to assist yourself in performing at your best. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to consume a large glass of water every couple of hours along with some wholesome fruit and nuts as you study. When you’re trying to be productive, the last thing you want is to feel angry and tired from eating foods heavy in fat or not drinking enough water.

Treat yourself

The secret to maintaining motivation when studying is to treat yourself. These can be little incentives, like a square of chocolate for every paragraph you write or an episode of your favorite Netflix show when you’ve mastered editing a particular subject. Consider rewarding yourself with bigger items, like a night out with friends or purchasing those pair of boots you’ve had your eye on for months, when you feel like you’ve been working very hard or when papers have been turned in and examinations have been completed. Never forget that just because it’s exam season, you still deserve to have fun.

Don’t stay up all night; you’ll regret it

You may believe that by working all night, you are keeping up with your academics. However, working all night and getting little sleep might harm your health and hinder your productivity. Staying focused and learning effectively depends on getting a good night’s sleep. When studying, memory consolidation during sleep is crucial for converting short-term memory to long-term memory. To ensure that you obtain the required amount of sleep each night, replace the extra cups of coffee with your bed.

Quitting self-imposed pressure is difficult. Perhaps you even worry that if you unwind a little, everything will fall apart. To feel better and lead a better life, you may need to put less pressure on yourself. Don’t forget that you don’t have to isolate yourself from the outside world and remain in your room if you have work to accomplish.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

As per the latest data collected byUnified District Information System for Education (UDISE) in 2020-21, there is a high dropout rate of school students in India, especially at the higher secondary level, which is about 14.6 percent of the total number of students enrolled.

Why scholarships are needed in developing countries like India?

National Family Health Survey(NFHS)-5 conducted in 2019-21 indicates one of the most cited reasons is the cost of education in our country, with about 16 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls of the total dropouts affirming to relinquish their studies due to financial hindrance.

The demand for skilled and well-educated people in the workforce is increasing significantly, and quality of education has become an essential need of the hour.

Is financial constraint the only reason for school dropouts?

Many other reasons like the early marriage of girls, the compulsion to earn money for a living for boys and declining interest in studies are few to be named. However, the majority of dropouts are due to monetary insufficiency.

Scholarship schemes and their advantages

Scholarship opportunities act as a boon for young talented and meritorious students willing to continue their education despite having financial inadequacy. Many students from stable family backgrounds also try to get scholarships for getting a source of encouragement and easing out the load on their parents.

Types of scholarships: 

Various types can be distinguished based on merit-based scholarship, means-based Scholarship, and merit-cum-means based scholarship. Earlier, the Indian education system was quite dilapidated and had many shortcomings, but with the new education policy and new schemes, the Central Government as well as the state government has initiated various scholarship schemes to provide financial support for deserving students.

Advantages of scholarships:

• Scholarships help in empowering your academic and career growth by overcoming financial barriers.

•It encourages students to perform well for availing more financial assistance in near future.

•Scholarships on a merit basis leave a good impact on your future when employers see your records.

We have compiled the list of top scholarship schemes by the government and private organisations:

1. CSIR innovation award for school children
2. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalamscholarship, Ignite awards
3. NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest
4. Post-matric scholarship for minorities
5. Post-matric scholarship for disabled children
6. Financial assistance for wards of beedi/ Cine/ IOMC/LSDM workers
7. CBSE merit-based scholarship for single girl child
8. EWS scholarship
9. Prime Minister’s special scholarship scheme for 10th and 12th passed students of J&k and Ladakh.
10. NSDL siksha sahyog scholarship
11. Albert Einstein International scholarship for school students
12. RD Birla scholarship exam for school students
13. Swami Dayanand scholarship program for Delhi/NCR students
14. Begum Hazrat Mahal national scholarship for meritorious girl students
15. Vahani scholarship for school students
16. Kishore vaigyanik protsahan yojana
17. SOF SEE(scholarship of excellence in English)
18. Science Olympiad foundation scholarships
19. TATA building India online essay competition
20. Toppr Asha program
21. Ryan merit cum means scholarship
22. Aakash ANTHE program
23. National child award for exceptional achievement
24. National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)

 

There are a lot more scholarships available, we are emphasising the details about the best scholarship programs based on fees reimbursement due to financial and need basis 

Post-matric scholarship for OBC and SC students

The objective of this scheme is to provide financial assistance to students belonging to OBC or SC caste. These scholarships are provided by the government of Delhi and the Ministry of tribal affairs respectively to provide financial assistance at the post-matric and post-secondary levels.

Eligibility :

The candidates must fall under the desired category and should be Indian nationals

The total family income of the candidate must not exceed 1,00,000 rupees 

Reward :

The reward for day scholars is INR 225,and for hostellers, it is INR 750 for 10 months.

Students also get benefitted from various allowances ad study tours.

CBSE merit scholarship for single girl child

 This scheme is aimed to encourage parents having only one girl child to promote their higher education.

 Eligibility :

Single girl child studying in CBSE schools in class 11 or 12.

Must have secured more than 60 percent marks in class 10, in a CBSE board school.

NRI students studying in CBSE schools can also apply if having Indian nationality.

 Reward:

A total amount of INR 500 is given for 2 years.

Students can apply on the CBSE scholarship portal online.

 

Kishore vaigyanik protsahan yojana (KVPY)

This scholarship is provided by IISc Bangalore (Indian institute of science) to students pursuing science in their 10+2 as well as graduate level up to Ph.D.

Eligibility :

Students need to qualify for the aptitude test and interview round conducted for KVPY.

Reward:

A monthly amount of 5000 is provided till graduation level and 7000 for post-graduation level 

 

NSDL siksha sahyog scholarship for class 11 students

The main purpose of this scheme is to provide financial aid to economically poor but meritorious students. 

Eligibility :

Class 10 passed with a minimum of 60% 

Reward :

A total of INR 5000 is provided monthly

 

R. D . Birla scholarship exam for school studies

This exam filters the most talented students in the whole country and ranks them as genius, super genius, and brainiacs according to their performance.

Eligibility :

Students studying in any recognized board in India upto class 10 can apply

Reward:

Genius -50,000

Super genius -75,000

Brainiacs -1,00,000

 

Begum HazratMahal National Scholarship for meritorious girl students

Earlier known as Maulana Azad National scholarship for meritorious girls belonging to minorities was launched by the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the National Conference for the educational and economic development of minorities in 2003at Delhi

Eligibility : 

girl students belonging to minority communities i.e. Muslims, Christians, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, and Buddhists are eligible

Candidate must be studying in class 9-12 and must have secured at least 50 percent marks in previous exams.

Total family income should be less than 2,00,000.

Reward:

The amount of the scholarship is Rs. 6000 for classes 11 and 12

 

SOF scholarship of excellence in English

It is an exam-based scholarship conducted in many countries.

Eligibility :

Students must have secured at least 90% in English and at least 85% in total for all subjects in the previous class.

Reward:

A scholarship amount of 5000 plus a merit certificate is given to 120 students in India.

 

Financial assistance for wards of beedi/ Cine/ IOMC/LSDM workers- post matric 

This scholarship is provided by the Ministry of Labour & employment under the government of India.

Eligibility :

Wards of iron ore & manganese chrome ore mines(IOMC) workers, limestone & dolomite mines(LSDM) workers, and beedi and cine workers benefitted.

Monthly family income should be less than 10,000.

Reward:

Upto Rs 15,000 is rewarded 

Students can apply online through the National scholarship portal.

 

Post-matric scholarship for students with disabilities

This scholarship aims to provide relief for students of class 11 to post-graduation level.

Eligibility :

Students with more than 40 percent disability and family income less than 2.5 lakhs per annum are eligible.

Reward:

Maintenance allowance, book allowance, disability allowance, and other benefits.

FAQs regarding scholarships?

Who can apply for class 11 and 12 scholarships?

A candidate who is 10th passed is eligible. However, each scholarship program has a different set of eligibility criteria.

 

Is a good academic background necessary for scholarships?

A good academic background is a prerequisite for merit-based scholarship only. Other means-based scholarships don’t ask for very outstanding academic achievements.

 

How to avail of scholarships and which documents are needed?

Nowadays, all the scholarship programs need to be applied online in their web portal, e.g. National scholarship portal has many scholarship schemes funded by government authorities.

 

Documents that are needed mainly include family income certificates, caste certificates, and previous years’ mark sheets.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released Datesheet for Classes 10th and 12th

Class 10 Datesheet:—

Class 12 Datesheet :–

 

Choosing a right career option paves the path for our future. Generally students at their 10+2 level are not mature enough or aware about blooming career fields in the market other than medicine. Every biology student’s prime focus is on NEET and getting a government MBBS seat is considered as the only victory. But there are a lot of other career options too which can fetch you equally respectful and well-paying jobs .In Fact, some of these courses are much more easy and provide you handsome salaries within a shorter span of 3-4 years.

Majority of students keep on dropping year after year for the sake of getting a medical seat in reputed colleges. This situation leads to anxiety and depression among students after multiple drop years , which we think is the biggest demerit of the medical field. Students don’t realise that even after clearing medical entrance, MBBS is a long run. It easily takes 10-12 years to become a super speciality doctor in India. Whereas the options we have gathered are easy to study and can be completed in a shorter span with good job opportunities ,not compromising on the pay scale too .Some of these courses offer much higher packages compared to MBBS after graduation.

Can PCB students pursue engineering?

Did you know? Most of the biology students don’t even know that they can pursue engineering without having maths as their subject in 10+2. As engineering and medicine are still the top priority of students in India, engineering is a more prominent field in this time.It is no surprise that many of you would be wondering How can a biology student do engineering? There are several entrance exams conducted by universities which offer btech in biotechnology, food technology and agriculture for PCB group students. We have covered the detailed information below in this article.

There are a lot of options to choose for PCB students, we have sorted the best career options on the basis of scope, job opportunities and payscale.We have also provided the courses offered and average salary for different career paths alongside .

1. Engineering
2. Clinical research
3. Genetics
4. Bioinformatics
5. Pharmacy 
6. Biotechnology
7. Agriculture
8. Life sciences
9. Microbiology
10. Psychology                
11. Paramedical 
12. Physiotherapy
13. Ayurveda
14. Naturopathy
15. Dental sciences
16. Veterinary
17. Unani medicine
18. Homoeopathy .       

 

1.Engineering

It is the most sorted and widely accepted career path after Medicine. One can easily land a good job with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. It is one of those fields in which a masters degree is not necessary for getting a good job.

 

Various ways to enter engineering field being a PCB student: Some states like Uttar Pradesh conducted their own entrance exams like UPCET but now most of these universities have merged into CUET(Central universities entrance test). Some private universities like Amity University also allow PCB students to do Btech.

 

2. Clinical research

It is the best path for those who have a keen interest in research .It involves conduction of experiments and research by professionals to find answers of scientific questions in medicine and biomedical zones. The roles one can get in this field are clinical researcher, research associate, project manager and research pharmacist Courses:

• B.Sc. clinical research
• M.Sc. clinical research

Other bachelor’s courses in chemistry, biology and life sciences can also be opted for pursuing research.

Salary- median salary is around 3.5 lakhs per annum in India

3.Genetics.

Genetics and molecular biology are very blooming fields in recent times ,it is expected that the scope of this field would increase many folds in upcoming years. It is a less chosen path because of lack of awareness, but if you are interested in scientific principles of genetics and applied genetics, this field is for you. Genetics is changing lives of people by gene therapy and treatment of genetic diseases. The recombinant DNA technology and DNA fingerprinting have been very useful for us 

Courses:

B.Sc. genetics

M.Sc. applied genetics

M.Sc. Human genetics

M.Sc. biomedical genetics

Salary- average salary is around 4 lakhs INR

4.Bioinformatics

This profession incorporates the use of biology, computer science and information technology to analyse and interpret biomedical data. If you are interested in computers, this field is a classic fusion of biology and information technology.

Courses:

B.Sc. bioinformatics

M.Sc. bioinformatics

Salary- a high pay scale of 9 lakhs can be achieved in this

5.Forensics

Forensic science has a very major application in criminalistics .The main job of a forensic scientist is to analyse crime scenes and evidence, record the observations and findings .

Courses:

B.Sc. forensics 

M.Sc. forensics 

Salary – basic salary starts from 3-6 lpa for freshers

5.Biotechnology 

It is a fusion of biology and technology and is providing many job opportunities for students interested in technology but having PCB group in their 10+2. Manufacturing of new vaccines and amplification of genes to detect diseases is an example of application of biotechnology 

Courses:

B.Sc. biotechnology

M.Sc. biotechnology

Salary- around 5 lakhs

6. Pharmacy

Various pharmaceutical companies hire pharmacy graduates for the roles of medical representative,research and product managing.

Courses: 

B.pharmacy

D.pharmacy

M.pharmacy

Salary-3-6 lakhs

7.Life sciences

Very reputed universities like Delhi University and other central universities offer Bachelor’s degrees in life sciences which can further be continued for research or educational professions. These universities conduct entrance examinations and admission are done on the basis of entrance results.

Courses:

B.Sc. botany 

B.Sc. zoology

B.Sc. environmental sciences

B.Sc microbiology

 Salary- 3.5 lakhs 

Other courses like BPT (Bachelor’s of physiotherapy), BDS(bachelor of Dental surgery), BAMS(bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery), BUMS(bachelor of unani medicine and surgery), BHMS(bachelor of homoeopathic medicine and surgery), BNYS(bachelor of naturopathy and yogic sciences), BVSc(bachelor of veterinary sciences) and nursing can be opted directly from NEET as these are medicine related courses other than MBBS.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

We know anxiety is more than just “worries”. It can influence classroom performance just as much any other learning disability. Anyone who is worried and anxious isn’t doing it on purpose, the nervous system is acting automatically. That’s why “just relax” or “calm down” won’t be doing wonders.

As a student you’ve got a lot on your plate so sometimes stress can get in the way of this juggling act. Normal levels of stress from time to time are expected and can sometimes  be beneficial depending on the circumstances. But, when stress continues at unhealthy levels for an extended period, it can impact studying, concentration and self esteem. When not properly treated, stress affects all aspects of daily life. It can prevent students from reaching their academic goals, which can then lead to developing anxiety or other mental health conditions.

Although often used interchangeably, stress and anxiety have a couple of differences.

Physical Symptoms of stress include:

• Headache, dizziness or shaking
• Chest pains or racing heart
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching
• Aches and pains
• Trouble sleeping or exhaustion
• High blood pressure
• Weakened immune system

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Stomach pain, nausea or digestive issues
• Headache
• Insomnia or waking up frequently
• Weakness or fatigue
• Pounding or racing heart
• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Sweating, trembling or shaking
• Muscle tension

 

When you recognize that you have become overwhelmed with stress or anxiety are struggling to work through solutions, it’s a good time to ask for help or adopt strategies to help you manage your triggers more effectively.

Exercise

‘Regular exercise can help relieve stress in many ways.’ There is breathing centered exercise like yoga, which is good for grounding and breathing management. Aerobic exercise can equally manage stress hormones, release tension and increase endorphin levels creating a ‘feel good’ vibe. Sports and activities can add a social dimension that can additionally support someone with stress management, as we know that social engagement benefits our mental health and wellbeing.

 

Mindfulness

A relaxation technique originating in Buddhism, mindfulness is a popular coping mechanism for those tackling stress or anxiety. One of the most accessible ways to practice this is through the use of free smartphone apps. There is evidence that regular practice can improve the body’s response to stress and anxiety.

 

Talking to someone

Isolation can have an extremely negative impact on your happiness. Accepting that you need help and talking to someone is the first step to feeling better.

Talking about what is stressing you out can be useful. Try to be clear on whether you are looking for advice or just need someone to listen.

Speak to your friends and family- they know you best and care about you the most.

Time management

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day? Well you aren’t alone. We often get stressed when they feel that they are running out of time to complete a task. However, simple time management techniques can help you to feel more relaxed and focused.

Try creating a written schedule, breaking your tasks down into manageable chunks, planning accordingly and allocating yourself time everyday to relax.

 

Getting enough sleep

This might sounds like an obvious solution but it’s often overlooked. Your mental health and wellbeing relies on you getting enough sleep, as we can’t function at 100% when we are tired.

Try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day. This might not be realistic every night but aim towards this goal more often than not.

Sleep is important for recuperating the body’s systems and allowing us to process. If we don’t get enough sleep, this can make us more irritable, impact on our concentration, coordination and make us more vulnerable to mental health problems.

 

Other stress-busting methods:

1. Take your mind off it. Do something you enjoy and that will distract you for a while like listening to music, reading etc.
2. Eat healthy and consume fresh food.
3. Change your mindset and adopt a positive attitude.
4. Take a break from social media. Comparing yourself and your productivity to others is a recipe for disaster.
5. Laugh (It’s a lame one). But yes laughing out loud actually increases oxygen and blood flow, which immediately reduces stress. So spending  time with a funny friend might help.

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Article by Avantika Gurjar

Uncertainty surrounds the city’s name, Goa. Many different names, including Gomanchala, Gopakapattana, Gopakapattam, Gopakapuri, Govapuri, and Gomantak, were used to refer to Goa in ancient literature. Goa has also been known historically by the names Sindapur, Sandbur, and Mahassapatam.

 

One of the most important dates in Goa’s history is Goa Liberation Day, which is celebrated on December 19 each year throughout India. Goa is one of India’s smallest states and is situated around 250 miles south of Mumbai. For the previous 450 years, Goa was a Portuguese territory. The day on December 19, 1961, when Indian armed forces liberated Goa from Portuguese domination, is commemorated as Goa Liberation Day. The day is particularly significant for celebrating the accomplishments Goa has made recently, including setting landmarks in the tourism industry and preserving its status as the Indian state with the highest per capita income.

 

 

Stages of Goa’s Liberation

8,500–300 BC

The Usgalimal rock engravings show some of the earliest signs of human habitation in India, and the Mauryan and Satavahana Empires ruled over modern-day Goa during the Iron Age. Despite being the smallest state by area in India today, Goa has a long and varied history.

 

1510

Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, captures Goa despite though it wasn’t one of the places he was supposed to take control of. This leads to the Portuguese invasion of Goa.

 

1947

India gains independence from the British after nearly 200 years of colonial control, but the Portuguese are adamant about keeping Goa.

 

1961

The 451-year Portuguese era in the area comes to an end as Indian troops retake the Goan territory.

 

History of Goa’s Liberation 

 

Estado da India was the aggregate name for the Portuguese settlements in India. They were India’s first colonial holdings and were founded in the 1400s. It included the Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli districts. In spite of India’s separation from the British Empire in August 1947, Portugal kept its enclaves.

 

Tristóo de Bragança Cunha, a French-educated Goan engineer who established the Goa Congress Committee in Portuguese India in 1928, is credited with giving Portuguese resistance its first concrete form in the early 20th century.

 

After the 1940s, the Portuguese cracked down on the Goan independence movement harshly, making numerous arrests and firing cops. Throughout the time, there were a lot of peaceful protests and large-scale demonstrations. Armed groups like the Azad Gomantak Dal and the United Front of Goans carried out violent attacks in addition to the nonviolent protests to undermine Portuguese control.

 

On February 27, 1950, the Indian government started diplomatic talks to peacefully give over the enclaves. António de Oliveira Salazar, the prime minister of Portugal, argued that Goa and the other enclaves were not colonies but rather a part of metropolitan Portugal, making their transfer into Portugal impossible.

 

Cunha was chosen as the Goa Congress’ first president. The Goa Congress was also made an affiliate of the Indian National Congress, which was founded on December 28, 1885. Salazar further argued that Goa’s Portuguese authority predated the republic of India because it did not exist at the time. On June 11, 1953, India retracted its diplomatic delegation from Lisbon after further negotiations fell apart.

 

When unarmed Indian activists seeking to enter Goa were fired upon by Portuguese police on August 15, 1955, resulting in between 21 and 30 deaths and sparking resentment against the country’s ongoing Portuguese presence, tensions between Lisbon and New Delhi reached a breaking point. India closed its consulate in Goa as a result of this incident in September 1955.

 

On December 17, 1961, in the early hours, hostilities started in Goa. The Portuguese garrison in Goa was routed by the Indian Army’s superior numbers in a combined Land, Sea, and Air campaign.

 

The majority of Goa had been conquered by Indian soldiers by the evening of December 18th. Goa was to be held at all costs until troops could be sent from Portugal, according to the directives from Lisbon. A scorched earth policy was to be implemented as a last-ditch effort to keep Goa from succumbing to Indian forces if the situation became even more precarious.

 

Governor-General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva decided to surrender despite Prime Minister Salazar’s orders after weighing the Indian troops’ numerical advantage against his own forces’ access to food and ammunition. He was aware that no reinforcements would arrive because Egypt had prevented the Portuguese Navy from entering the Suez Canal. The Egyptians took the step in retaliation for India supporting Egypt during the 1956 Suez Crisis.

 

Silva gave the Indian forces the order to accept the surrender of all Portuguese soldiers under his control. The document of surrender was signed during a ceremony on December 19 to officially end Goa’s 451-year Portuguese rule. In the course of the two-day conflict, 4,688 military personnel were taken prisoner, while 22 Indian and 30 Portuguese soldiers lost their lives.

 

After Goa was freed, Major General Candeth assumed control as military governor. On June 8, 1962, the Central Government nominated Goa’s first lieutenant governor, and the government was handed over to civilians.

 

In the general elections that took place in December 1962, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) won. The first popularly elected administration was sworn in on December 20, 1962, with Dayanand Bandodkar serving as the first chief minister.

 

An effort to unite Goa with Maharashtra was started soon after because of the two states’ strong linguistic and cultural links. According to one theory, the Goans decided against merging and instead chose Union Territory status (direct rule by the central government).

 

After a brief period of military control, civilian governance took over on June 8, 1962, when Lieutenant Governor Kunhiraman Palat Candeth appointed a non-binding Consultative Council of 29 nominated members to help him manage the region. The first Chief Minister of Goa, Daman, and Diu is Dayanand Bandodkar. On May 30, 1987, Goa became the 25th state of India. 

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Article by Sujata Bayan

 

Everyone visits Kota to prepare for competitive Exams but Kota has so much more to offer. Be it Museums, wildlife reserves or parks. There are ample of beautiful places one can visit in a budget of under rupees 100 that are in and around Kota. So, maybe take this weekend to unwind and visit these places with your friends.

1. Garadia Mahadev

At an altitude of around 500 feet from mean sea level, lies a gorge through which runs the river Chambal. Gigantic cliffs lie on either side of the gorge. The winds blowing seem to be chanting the Shiva stotras in your ears to arouse the feeling of devotion in you. Garadia Mahadev Temple lies on one of the cliffs. The rituals are performed by a local priest who generally stays in the shrine till around 5:30pm. Late nights are not recommended. The place is picture perfect like a painting made by God himself. You can actually realise the bliss of solitude by sitting here for some time. The place has served many as a spot for picnics . The largest tributary of Yamuna, river Chambal is known for being the abode of many water species. Sitting on a cliff you may catch a glimpse of the crocodiles, turtles etc.

 

2. Chambal Garden

On the bank of the Chambal River, one can notice a well groomed park known by the name of Chambal Garden. Stroll on the lush green garden or enjoy the view of the shimmering Chambal Lake, this park is a perfect sight for all the nature lovers. Located next to the retreat, Amar Niwas, this place was the royal retreat for all the rulers of Kota. Nature lovers can also spend their day studying the thousands of plant species that add life to this place. There are some plants that are typical to this region and are of much interest to the students, especially botanists.

 

3. Seven Wonders

Never been able to visit the seven wonders across the globe? Not to worry! You can now witness all of them in a single go. Seven Wonders Park in Kota comprises miniatures of all the Seven Wonders of the World. These include Taj Mahal, Great Pyramid, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower, Christ the Redeemer of Brazil, Colosseum, and Statue of Liberty. The project which was undertaken to build this garden was worth 20 crores by the Urban Development Department. It took more than 150 workers to complete the project.It has become a famous tourist spot and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. These miniatures have been built on the bank of the Kishore Sagar Lake thereby enhancing its beauty. People flock to the park to enjoy a lovely picnic with friends and family. Cameras are allowed in the park so that happy moments can be captured. Also, facilities such as food stalls with delicious food at a nominal rate, lockers, and washrooms are offered to the general public.

 

4. Godavari Dham Temple

Resting by the banks of the Chambal river, Godavari Dham temple is quite a famous religious place which is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. This temple holds an importance among the devotees and is known for the special morning and midnight aarti held on Tuesdays and Saturdays.Its glory attracts thousands of devotees every year and people come here to seek blessings.

 

5. Khade Ganesh Ji

Khade Ganesha Ji Mandir situated in Kota is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The temple is situated near a lake which adds extra beauty to the temple. Devotees flock to the temple to worship the deity.  The temple looks spectacular during the festivals especially on Ganesha Chaturthi. As the temple is situated near the lake it stands as one of the best places to  watch birds and can also spot Peacocks at the lake near the temple.

 

6. Kishore Sagar

This is an artificial lake which was constructed around the year 1346, its picturesque beauty makes it one of the best places to visit in Kota. Built by Bundi Prince Dehra Deh, this is one of the attractive highlights of the Brij Vilas Palace museum.

Just in the middle of this lake rests the Jagmandir which is a beautiful architecture made of red sandstone. One can witness the surreal view of the reflection of the palace falling on the surface of the lake.

 

7. Government Museum Kota

Those who want to delve deeper into the history of Kota and are looking for a place where they can gaze at ancient marvels, they must make a stop at Brij Vilas Palace Government Museum. The building of this museum looks like a big palace, thus making it one of the best Places to visit in Kota.

Not only do you get to click beautiful pictures with amazing backdrops but here one can also find information about how the city was before industrialization. The statues, the coins, documents and paintings here have made it one of the most visited tourist places in Kota.

 

8. Shivpuri Dham

 

One of the most sacred dham of Hindu Culture is considered as one of the tourist places in Kota Rajasthan. The Shivpuri Dham is dedicated to the Destroyer – Shiva and around 525 Shiva Lingas reside in the temple premises.

The temple attracts flocks of tourists everyday and hosts a fair at the times of Mahashivratri. Considered as one of the most ancient temples in Rajasthan, the temple premises are loaded with safety and cleanliness equipment.

 

9. Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary

The Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 250 sq. kms and is strategically located 50 kms. away from the town of Kota. In the days of yore, Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary used to be the royal hunting ground of the erstwhile maharaja of Kota. This sanctuary is densely wooded and is spread over a hilly terrain. The Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary was officially declared as a protected area in 1955. Some of the resident species of this mysterious sanctuary are wolf, cheetah, nilgai, deer and wild boar. The Forest Department runs a Rest House at Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary but the amenities are basic and at best sketchy. A visit to Darrah sanctuary can be complimented by a visit to Jhalwar, which is in close proximity to the sanctuary. There is a marvellous fort but is in urgent need of restoration. The Jenana Khas is particularly very attractive and is located inside the fort

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Article by Rohit Baljot

 

Registrations for 1st session of JEE (Main) 2023 — January are open today (15 December 2022)

In 2019 NTA was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting this exams and has done so till date. JEE main is conducted in 2 sessions — session 1 (January) and session 2 ( April).

Dates for online submissions of Application forms: 15 December, 2022 — 12 January 2023 ( upto 9:00 pm)

Last Date of Successful Transaction of fees: 12 January, 2023 (upto 11:50pm)

Date of Examination: 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 January 2023.

Mode of Examination: ONLINE only.

Students can register at

www.nta.ac.in

And https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/

JEE main has 3 papers.

PAPER 1 for B.E/ B.Tech : Questions from Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Each subject has 2 sections having 20 and 10 questions respectively.

PAPER 2 for B. Arch: Questions from Maths (20, 10), Aptitude (50) and Drawing (02).

PAPER 3 for B.Planning: Questions from Maths (20,10), Aptitude(50) and Planning (25).

 

 

 

 

 

Because of many sources of distraction, students frequently struggle in class to focus. It can occasionally be due to the use of technology in class. Focus issues could also result from improper organization or a failure to understand what is being taught in class.

 

The biggest difficulty of taking an online course, in my opinion, is maintaining discipline. It makes sense to pay attention, take notes, and learn something when you attend a traditional class in a classroom because you are already “trapped” there for the entire class session. There can be a desire to divert from the material being presented to you in an online course that you can complete at your own pace.

Things that can occupy a student’s attention while taking an online course include-

‍Online gaming

At this point, online gaming is at its height. Demands for online gaming are rising daily. One of the problems affecting pupils’ academic performance is the distractions that the various online game programmes cause in classrooms.

Social Media

The majority of students’ time is spent on social media. They are also psychologically and emotionally impacted by these, which makes them uninterested in their education and extracurricular activities.

Entertainment Videos

Smartphones are also capable of accessing streaming services. This greatly distracts from the task at hand. Additionally, it causes ongoing distractions because students’ use of their devices and the content they access cannot always be watched.

Apps for Online Messaging

Students conversing on their internet messaging apps during lectures is another illustration of a distraction in the classroom. This distracts not only individuals who are using their devices but also the other pupils who are in the room.

Ineffective Learning

On websites and blogs, students can get a lot of information. Reading these during lectures can be disruptive, even though some of it may be helpful. The learning that takes place in the classroom is impacted, and pupils frequently miss out on essential information that their teachers might share with them.

How, therefore, can you maintain your concentration while taking and studying for an online class? Here are some tips:

 

Learn Your Weaknesses and Strengths

Each person experiences distractions differently. What may help one individual tune out distractions may inadvertently distract another. To assist block out distractions from their environment, some students might prefer to listen to music while they write or read.

But for certain people, a focus-aiding tool could become a distraction. The lyrics of a song or the captivating melodies of instrumental music can easily draw one in. While reading, students can find themselves singing along instead. Detecting distractions is the first step in eliminating them.

 

Create a designated study space

Avoid using your dining room or kitchen table as a classroom. Instead, create a calm desk where you won’t be interrupted by noise from your home. An established study space is a crucial component of focusing on an online course and maintaining it.

 

Pace Yourself

Break up your study session to prevent yourself from being too exhausted because taking online classes may be a real chore. You may, for instance, study for 30 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. There are numerous benefits to taking a 5-minute walk break during extended study sessions, according to research.

 

Every night, get adequate rest.

Most focus issues can be resolved with a good night’s sleep. Poor sleep can leave you drowsy, unfocused, and just generally “out of it.” Knowing your limits is one of the finest pieces of advice for online learning. Avoid studying so late at night that you have trouble falling asleep and can’t concentrate in class the next day. Your list of things to accomplish will be useful in this situation. To make sure you have time in your schedule to unwind after a hard day of learning, set a goal to finish everything by a certain time.

 

 

 

Students’ productivity is hampered by interruptions in class, which also makes them more stressed. Students will receive the assistance they deserve if they understand what creates distractions. Additionally, it will stop others from being disturbed while in class, which will enhance the environment and academic success of each student.

 

However, by employing the proper methods consistently, these issues can be resolved. High school children can overcome these challenges, learn to use their technology responsibly, and improve their concentration in class with the support of their parents’ or teachers’ supervision.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

For clearing any competitive exam or for being a successful student, having a productive Sunday routine is very important. As Sunday is the only day in the whole week which we have completely to ourselves without any classes , utilising your day in an effective manner is a must.

What is the importance of Sunday in student life?

Everyday is equally important for a student, but weekdays are quite hectic and organising your weekdays according to yourself is quite tough as the time gets distributed in classes , but one can easily plan their Sunday in the most effective way to utilise every bit of it. By utilising Sunday, doesn’t only mean studying the whole day, that’s practically impossible. There are other things too, which will make your Sunday more profitable. As a productive Sunday will boost you up for the week ahead.

 

If you want to utilise your Sundays properly, the following list is a great place to start:

Wake up early, complete your daily chores

Set your goals

Prioritise your mental well-being

Analyse past mistakes and volatile topics

Clean your study space

Devote time to friends and family

 

What is a productive Sunday?

Taking Sunday as an extra credit and doing all your vitally important extra curricular things is considered as having a productive Sunday. This helps in yielding favourable results for the upcoming days.

Things you can do for utilising your Sunday:

1. Set goals

Set your weekly goals and targets. Make time to decide a tentative study plan for each day seperately.Long term study plans tend to seem vast and non-achievable, and not completing it on time would put you under pressure whereas short term study plans are more realistic and productive. You can make your short term plans for a week or for every single day in particular. Try to complete your targets, even if you are not able to fully stick to it, still it would motivate you for the next day to stretch your limits and do more.

 

Make sure you take some time out for  physical fitness in your schedule as it is scientifically proven that physical activities can increase your productivity. According to studies, students who participate in physical activities get better sleep and this increases their ability to focus and manage stress. It reduces the risks of anxiety and depression among students.

 

 

2. Give time to mental health

After a hectic week of studying, your brain also needs some rest . Although sleep can help in rejuvenating your nerve cells, another very important aspect for mental well-being is meditation. It does not only relax your mind but also helps you build concentration and focus. You already know the value of both for a student. It also helps in sharpening your retention power. In 2013, researchers found meditation can help in reducing anxiety and depression too. So, starting your Sunday with a light meditation and exercises would be very beneficial. For references, you can search out guided meditation on your browser or YouTube .

 

3. Analyse past mistakes and revise volatile topics

You must be facing topics which are hard to remember .Sunday is the day when you can alot at least 2 hrs to revise your previous volatile topics to remember them for a longer time.

 

Tests and mock tests are very important during preparation, but analysing your mistakes in paper and why you committed those mistakes have a greater importance. For instance, one should go through the paper after test and see for the conceptual errors, silly mistakes and new questions to jot down in a separate notebook,referred as mistake notebook.  Toppers reveal that they review their mistake notebook multiple times so that they do not repeat the same mistake. On Sundays you can revise your mistake notebook and short notes .

 

4. Cleaning your study space and room

Organising your room and study space tends to look a bit tedious task during weekdays but it can be done on weekends or every alternate Sunday. A clean study space helps in concentrating more. It spreads a whole new energy to your room.

 

5. Spend time with friends and family

Spending leisure time with your kith and kin fills you with joy and enthusiasm. If you are living away from home, take out time and talk to your parents or go for an outing with friends.

 

6. Hobbies

As students ,we don’t devote much time to extra curricular activities, but hobbies are what keeps us alive during continuous study time.  One can easily revisit their hobbies on Sunday.

 

 

In these ways , you can plan your day according to the  time slots which suits you best.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

Navy day in India is celebrated on 4th December every year to acknowledge and honour the role and achievements of the Indian Naval Forces to the country. 4th December was chosen as on that day in 1971, during Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels during the war of 1971. To commemorate the attack and to pay tribute to all the Navy personnel who sacrificed their lives serving the nation, Indian Navy Day is observed. Every year, a different theme is proposed to celebrate Indian Navy Day. The theme for Indian Navy Day 2022 is ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ marking 50 years of India’s victory in the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971.

The Indian Navy is a well-balanced three-dimensional force, capable of operating above, on and under the surface of the oceans and safeguarding our national interests. Its objective is also to improve circumstances in Indian Ocean Zone.

To the young men and women of the country, Indian Navy has a variety of jobs to offer. Now the series of questions arise, how to join Indian Navy? What are the necessary qualifications required to join the Indian Navy? Which organisation conducts the required exam? What is the procedure? Don’t you worry! This article will be answering all the queries.

How to Join the Indian Navy?

There are several exciting answers for how to join the Indian Navy to show leadership skills and also gives you a huge number of responsibilities at a very young age.

RECRUITMENT OF OFFICERS IN THE VARIOUS BRANCHES OF THE INDIAN NAVY IS UNDERTAKEN THROUGH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MODES:

1. UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC)

• Combined Defense Services Examination (CDS)

• National Defense Academy (NDA)

• National Defense Academy (Naval Academy)

• NCC

2. DIRECT ENTRY: PERMAMNENT COMMISSION FOR UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

10+2 (B.Tech)

3. DIRECT ENTRY: PERMAMNENT COMMISSION FOR GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRIES

• Sports

• Musician

• Law

4. INDIAN NAVY ENTRANCE TEST (INET): PERMANENT COMMISSION/SHORT SERVICE COMMISSION FOR GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRIES

• Pilot (MR)- for men and women

• Pilot (NMR)- for men only

• Observer – for men and women

• Air traffic control (ATC)- for men and women

• General service – Executive

• Hydro – for men only

• General service (Technical-Electrical and engineering)

• Naval architect – for men and women

• Information technology – for men only

• Logistics – for men and women

• Education – for men and women

• Naval Armament Inspectorate Cadre (NAIC)- for men and women

Union Public Service Commission:-

For NDA and Naval Academy the entry is controlled by UPSC. It consists of written examination which is conducted by UPSC, followed by an interview and a medical test by Indian navy.

For appearing in the test conducted by UPSC, candidate must have done 12th with physics and mathematics and English as main subjects.

Training Centre – All the candidates selected for the post of officers have to undergo Naval Orientation Course at the Indian Naval Academy situated in Ezhimala, Kerala and professional trainings at various training unit.

NOTE:- The vacancies for Naval Wing Senior Div NCC certificate holders with B.E./B.Tech degree are published along with CDSE but no written test is conducted for this entry. The eligible candidates can directly forward their applications and based on merit and qualification they are deputed for SSB interview.

Permanent Commission For Undergraduate Level:-

There is a provision of direct entry as well after class 12, namely 10+2 (B.Tech) direct entry which requires a minimum 70% in 10+2 PCM and JEE(Mains) rank.

The selection procedure also has a SSB interview followed by physical efficiency tests(PET) and medical examination.

Permanent Commission For Graduate Level Entries:-

The post of musicians require 10th/10+2 with any stream and basic knowledge of theory of music and practical knowledge of any instrument. A written test and musical ability test is conducted followed by a PET and medical test.

Indian Navy Entrance Test (INET):-

Indian Navy Entrance Test is the officers entry under the control of IHQ MoD (Navy)/DMPR and caters for both Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission. The INET is conducted twice a year and is a computer based examination.

About INET-

Eligibility Criteria:-

• All applying candidates must be Indian nationals.

• Candidate must be between 18-24 years of age.

INET is a computer based exam which has four sections and candidate has to pass all the four separately with minimum of 40% marks. The exam is of 2 hours duration. It will contain 100 multiple choice questions comprising questions on English, reasoning and numerical ability, general knowledge, general science and mathematical aptitude.

The candidates are shortlisted strictly on the basis of INET rank.

Then SSB interviews for short listed candidates are scheduled.

Merit list is prepared based on marks of INET and SSB interview.

Candidates recommended by the SSB and declared medically fit will be appointed for training.

How to join Indian Navy after 12th for women?

There is no provision for women in the present for joining Navy after 12th. This dream can be fulfilled only after graduation. Though there are many excellent options for women too.

Women can be inducted in Indian Naval Forces as Short Service Commissioned Officers. They are commissioned as Navy Officers in branches like education, naval architecture, pilot, air traffic control, law etc.

Hence, options for women are limited but there are many prospects available after graduation.

We hope you found this article helpful. Comment and let us know if you have questions or suggestions about future blogs. 

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Article by Avantika Gurjar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AIDS, the acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (sometimes called “slim disease”) is a fatal illness caused by a retrovirus known as the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) which breaks down the body’s immune system, leaving the victim vulnerable to a host of life-threatening opportunistic infections, neurological disorders, or unusual malignancies.  Among the special features of HIV infection are that once infected, it is probable that a person will be infected for life. There is no HIV cure. Strictly speaking, the term AIDS refers only to the last stage of the HIV infection. AIDS can be called our modern pandemic, affecting both industrialized and developing countries.

The World AIDS Day 2022 theme is “Equalize”.

We wear Red Ribbon to show support to HIV patients .

 

WHY IS AIDS A BURNING ISSUE?

 

• In 2019, there were 38.0 million (31.6 million-44.5 million) people living with HIV.
• 2 million (30.2 million-42.5 million) adults.

 

• 8 million (1.3 million-2.2 million) children (0-14 years).

 

• 81% (68-95%) of all people living with HIV knew their HIV status.

 

• About 7.1 million people did not know that they were living with HIV.
• 7 million (55.9 million-100 million) people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic.

 

HOW HIV SPREADS?

 

Sexual transmission – AIDS is first and foremost a sexually transmitted disease. Any vaginal, anal or oral sex can spread AIDS. Every single act of unprotected intercourse with an HIV-infected person exposes the uninfected partner to the risk of infection.

 

Blood contact – AIDS is also transmitted by contaminated blood transfusion.

Among drug users who inject heroin, cocaine or other drugs, this route of transmission is significant because exposure is repeated so often, in some cases, several times a day. As a result, needle-sharing by drug users is a major cause of AIDS in many countries, both developed and developing, and in some it is the predominant cause. Any skin piercing (including injections, ear-piercing, tattooing, acupuncture or scarification) can transmit the virus, if the instruments used have not been sterilized and have previously been used on an infected person. It may be mentioned that transfusion of blood and blood products has played a minor role in the spread of AIDS in the developed countries.

 

Mother to child transmission – HIV may pass from an infected mother to her fetus

Through the placenta or to her infant during delivery or by breast feeding.

 

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HIV?

 

• weight loss ≥ 10% of body weight

 

• chronic diarrhea for more than 1 month prolonged fever for more than 1 month (intermittent or constant).

 

• persistent cough for more than 1 month
• Recurrent common infection like ear infection, pharyngitis

 

 

HOW CAN I PREVENT IT ?

 

• Education – until a vaccine or cure for AIDS is found , the only mean available is health education to enable people to make life saving choices ( avoiding multiple partner, using condoms)
• One should avoid the use of shared razors and toothbrushes.
• Women suffering from AIDS or who are at high risk of infection should avoid becoming pregnant.

 

• Prevention of blood borne HIV transmission – people in high risk groups should be urged to refrain from donating blood, body organs , sperm and other tissues

 

 

The Sustainable Development Goal target is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. UNAIDS has led the development of a global strategy, “Fast Track: Ending the AIDS Epidemic by 2030“

 

1. A focus on population left behind by the HIV response, such as adolescent girls, key population (sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and transgender people), migrants and children;

 

2. A focus on locations where the greatest HIV transmission is occurring and with the greatest HIV burden, and the use of data to support the impact of programmes;

 

3. An integrated HIV response that expands the contribution towards universal health care, including health workforce, procurement systems, injection and blood safety, and treatment of coinfections; and

4. Sustainable programmes with transitioning to domestic funding of essential HIV services.

Let us know if you found this article helpful, in the comments below and ask away the questions you have.

बिहार की सुप्त शिक्षा व्यवस्था की पोल खुलना कोई नई बात नही है, इसका ताजा उदाहरण उच्च शिक्षण संस्थानों में NAAC द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थाओं कि संख्या में हुई बड़ी गिरावट के रूप में सामने आया है।

उल्लेखनीय है कि वर्ष 2013 में केंद्र सरकार ने पहली बार राष्ट्रीय उच्च शिक्षा अभियान के तहत वित्त पोषण के लिए NAAC मान्यता को एक अनिवार्य आवश्यकता बना दिया था। इसके बाद देश भर के उच्च शिक्षण संस्थानों में मान्यता प्राप्त करने के लिए होड़ मची हुई थी, लेकिन बिहार की शिक्षा व्यवस्था इस मामले में आराम फरमाती रही, इस तथ्य के बावजूद कि सभी शिक्षण संस्थानों को मान्यता प्राप्त करने के लिए 2022 तक का समय दिया गया था।

राज्य उच्च शिक्षा परिषद (SHEC) के पास उपलब्ध आंकड़ों के अनुसार, राष्ट्रीय प्रत्यायन और मूल्यांकन परिषद (NAAC) द्वारा वर्गीकृत संस्थानों की संख्या में बिहार में भारी गिरावट आई है, राज्य में अब केवल 34 मान्यता प्राप्त कॉलेज और दो विश्वविद्यालय बचे हैं। कुछ साल पहले NAAC से मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थानों की संख्या राज्य में 139 तक पहुंच गई थी, लेकिन अधिकारियों ने कहा कि कोविड-19 महामारी के दौरान और उसके तुरंत बाद खुद को फिर से वैलिडेट कराने और सेल्फ-स्टडी रिपोर्ट (SSR) जमा कराने में कई संस्थानों की उदासीनता की वजह से उनकी मान्यताओं पर असर पड़ा है। अब, अपनी वैधता को नवीनीकृत करने के इच्छुक संस्थाओं द्वारा SSR रिपोर्ट जमा करने की समय सीमा बढ़ा कर 31 दिसंबर 2022 कर दी गई है।

पहले राज्य में A श्रेणी के सात कॉलेज थे जिनमें से केवल दो – पटना वीमेंस कॉलेज और सेंट जेवियर्स कॉलेज – इस श्रेणी में अब रह गए हैं। इनकी वैधता 31 दिसंबर 2023 को समाप्त हो जाएगी।एएन कॉलेज की वैधता हाल ही में 29 अक्टूबर 2022 को समाप्त हो गई। कॉलेज ऑफ कॉमर्स, आर्ट्स एंड साइंस के लिए, वैधता पिछले साल ही समाप्त हो गई थी, लेकिन संस्थान द्वारा आवेदन करने के बाद कोविड-19 महामारी को देखते हुए इसे अक्टूबर 2022 तक फिर से वैध कर दिया गया था। इसके अलावा मिल्लत ट्रेनिंग कॉलेज की मान्यता भी 8 जून 2022 को समाप्त हो गई।

NAAC द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त विश्वविद्यालयों की बात करे तो उनकी संख्या पहले राज्य में कुल 7 थी जो अब घट के सिर्फ 2 रह गई है। चाणक्य नेशनल लॉ यूनिवर्सिटी (CNLU)और पटना यूनिवर्सिटी (PU) जिसे केवल तीन साल पहले पहली बार ग्रेड दिया गया था के अतिरिक्त कोई भी विश्वविद्यालय राज्य में ऐसा नहीं है जिसे NAAC के तरफ से मान्यता प्राप्त हो। हालाँकि, राज्य के कुछ विश्वविद्यालयों को कभी भी NAAC मान्यता मिली ही नहीं, जबकि कई जो पहले मान्यता प्राप्त कर चुके थे, वे इसे  जारी रख पाने में असफल रहे।

SHEC के अकादमिक सलाहकार एनके अग्रवाल ने कहा कि, “10 नवंबर को बैंगलोर में NAAC की एक बैठक हुई थी और हमने उस बैठक के परिणाम के आलोक में नए और लक्षित प्रयास शुरू करने की योजना बनाई है। आगे की राह पर चर्चा के लिए अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव (शिक्षा) दीपक कुमार सिंह ने 22 नवंबर को सभी कुलपतियों की बैठक बुलाई थी. हमें उम्मीद है कि हर जिले में कम से कम एक सबसे उपयुक्त संस्थान को मान्यता मिल जाएगी और बाद में इसे चरणबद्ध तरीके से बढ़ाया जाएगा।”

अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव ने कहा कि राज्य सरकार चरणबद्ध तरीके से सभी संस्थानों को मान्यता दिलाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है, क्योंकि यह कई लाभ प्राप्त करने के लिए एक बुनियादी आवश्यकता थी। उन्होंने कहा, “राज्य के रोड मैप पर चर्चा करने के लिए NAAC बैंगलोर की एक टीम के साथ राज्य के कुलपतियों और कॉलेज प्राचार्यों की एक बैठक भी विचाराधीन है।” ज्ञात हो कि, केंद्र की नई शिक्षा नीति के तहत, NAAC मान्यता एक बुनियादी आवश्यकता है, जो संस्थाओं के फंडिंग से जुड़ी है।

 

SHEC के एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी ने इस प्रकरण पर कहा कि, “बिहार में इस तरह की नरम गरम प्रतिक्रिया इसलिए है क्योंकि यहाँ के कई संस्थानों को अतीत में शिक्षकों की भारी कमी, छात्रों की खराब प्रतिक्रिया, अपर्याप्त बुनियादी ढाँचे, गैर-पाठ्यक्रम गतिविधियों की कमी, अनुसंधान की कमी, अनियमित कक्षाओं और देर से शैक्षणिक सत्र, नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूशनल फ्रेमवर्क रैंकिंग (NIRF) में अनुपस्थिति और चॉइस-बेस्ड क्रेडिट सिस्टम (CBCS) अभाव के कारण खराब ग्रेड मिले हैं। पटना विश्वविद्यालय किसी तरह इस साल से सीबीसीएस शुरू कर सकता है। अन्य जगहों पर सेमेस्टर प्रणाली भी अभी शुरू होनी बाकी है, जबकि दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय और अन्य विश्वविद्यालय नई शिक्षा नीति के अनुसार स्नातक स्तर पर चार वर्षीय एकीकृत प्रणाली की ओर बढ़ चुके हैं। इस सब कि मुख्य समस्या संस्थानों के स्तर पर पहल की कमी है। 2-3 साल की देरी से शैक्षणिक सत्र के साथ, मान्यता एक कल्पना मात्र है,”

SHEC के वाइस चेयरमैन कामेश्वर झा ने कहा कि पिछले साल मान्यता के मुद्दे को हल करने के लिए गठित एक समिति ने अपनी विस्तृत रिपोर्ट और एक रोड मैप प्रस्तुत किया था, वर्तमान परिस्थिति से निपटने के लिए उसके पालन की आवश्यकता है। उन्होंने कहा, “यह दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि संस्थान कोई दिलचस्पी नहीं दिखा रहे हैं और मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थाओं कि संख्या इतनी कम हो गई है। इसका असर भविष्य में उनकी संस्थानों के फंडिंग पर पड़ेगा। इससे भी बुरी बात यह है कि 95% कॉलेजों में नियमित प्राचार्य नहीं हैं और विश्वविद्यालय और कॉलेज दोनों स्तरों पर इस समस्या के समाधान हेतु कोई नेतृत्व नही है। प्रधानाध्यापक और कुलपति, जिनके पास अतिरिक्त प्रभार है, वे अच्छा प्रदर्शन नहीं करते हैं। पूर्व में भी, NAAC निदेशक और वहां से टीमों ने मान्यता के लिए कॉलेजों और विश्वविद्यालयों को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए बिहार का दौरा किया, लेकिन लगातार प्रयास करने के बावजूद कोई खास सुधार देखने को नहीं मिला है।”

The majority of suicide deaths worldwide occur in India. In order to identify the main obstacles and top priorities for suicide prevention, a study on the state of suicides in India was conducted as the Indian government developed a national suicide prevention strategy. The study focused on epidemiology, risk factors, and existing suicide prevention strategies. Indian women and girls continue to commit suicide at a rate that is double the world average. When compared to other causes of death, suicide accounts for the majority of deaths in the 15- to 39-year-old age range. The most popular suicide technique is hanging, which is followed by self-immolation, drug overdose, and pesticide poisoning. The risk of suicide appears to be influenced by a number of social and cultural factors in addition to depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders. Effective suicide prevention is severely hampered by the lack of a national strategy, inappropriate media coverage, ambiguous legal definitions of what constitutes punishable suicide, and insufficient multisectoral engagement. In order to navigate situations where a person might be vulnerable to and at risk of suicide, interventions that are given at the right time, intensity, and duration are helpful in reducing suicide rates. emphasises multilevel action priorities for preventing suicide across various sectors in addition to laying out research and data priorities. In India, there is a call for immediate action to integrate suicide prevention strategies into every aspect of public health, with a particular emphasis on developing and implementing a national suicide prevention strategy.

 

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy, a groundbreaking government initiative to prevent suicides as a top public health priority, was announced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday, November 21. In the upcoming ten years, the ministry’s policy will lay the groundwork for the promotion of mental health and the prevention of suicide.

 

The WHO’s strategy for the South East Asian region served as inspiration for the Strategy, which is etched with evidence-based practises to reduce the number of suicides. The Strategy ties together numerous sectoral collaborations to provide a cohesive strategy and achieve the intended reduction in the number of suicides. The Strategy aims to establish efficient surveillance systems within the next three years, psychiatric outpatient departments in every district over the following five years, and to integrate mental health into the curricula in educational institutions within the following eight years. The Strategy is on the right track to achieving its objectives thanks to its focus on issues that are important to India, such as alcoholism and pesticide access. But the Government must continue in this direction until the goals are reached. Naturally, in a federal nation, any success is only possible if States are enthusiastic participants in the implementation.

 

What exactly does India’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy entail?

The government claims that the strategy will lay the groundwork for promoting mental health and preventing suicides in the ensuing ten years. By 2023, the policy hopes to reduce suicide mortality in the nation by 10%. The strategy offers a framework for numerous stakeholders to carry out initiatives for the nation’s suicide prevention.

 

The strategy’s key goals are as follows.

-First, it aims to set up efficient suicide surveillance systems during the following three years.

-Within the next five years, it aims to establish psychiatric outpatient departments across all districts to offer suicide prevention services under the District Mental Health Programme.

-Third, it aims to integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions within the next eight years. In the following eight years, it seeks to implement a mental health curriculum in all educational institutions.

 

-The National Suicide Prevention Strategy’s fourth goal is to increase suicide surveillance and continue evidence generation through evaluation, which will guarantee programme quality improvement.

 

 

Structure for implementing the National Suicide Prevention Strategy that has been proposed:

– Developing community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention and reducing stigma associated with suicidal behaviors.

– Strengthening leadership, partnerships, and institutional capacity in the nation.

– Improving the capacity of health services to provide suicide prevention services.

 

 

According to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released in August, 1.64 lakh people died by suicide in 2021 — an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2020. This is 10 per cent higher than the COVID deaths (1.48 lakh) in India in 2020, and 6.8 times the maternal deaths (23,800) in the same year. The NCRB report also stated that more than 1,00,000 people die by suicide in the country every year. A total of 25,891 suicides were reported in the 53 megacities of the country during 2021, with the highest in Delhi. Most suicides in India are by youth and middle-aged adults — with 65 per cent of the suicides in 2020 being reported in the age group of 18-45 years.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

 

In India, November 17 is observed every year as National Epilepsy Day by the Epilepsy Foundation, to create awareness about epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a common brain condition which makes people have seizures. A seizure is when a discharge of electricity happens in the brain, and this causes a wide range of symptoms, including losing consciousness, jerking and shaking involuntarily, and making unusual facial movements.

Epilepsy affects both male and female equally

Causes

According to WHO ( World Health Organisation)

Epilepsy is not contagious. Although many underlying disease mechanisms can lead to epilepsy, the cause of the disease is still unknown in about 50% of cases globally. The causes of epilepsy are divided into the following categories: structural, genetic, infectious, metabolic, immune and unknown. Examples include:

• brain damage from prenatal or perinatal causes (e.g. a loss of oxygen or trauma during birth, low birth weight);
• congenital abnormalities or genetic conditions with associated brain malformations;
• a severe head injury;
• a stroke that restricts the amount of oxygen to the brain;
• an infection of the brain such as meningitis, encephalitis or neurocysticercosis,
• certain genetic syndromes; and
• a brain tumour.

Because epilepsy is caused by abnormal activity in the brain, seizures can affect any process your brain coordinates.

Symptoms

• Temporary confusion

• Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs

• Loss of consciousness or awareness

• Psychological symptoms such as fear, anxiety.

Symptoms vary depending on the type of seizure. In most cases, a person with epilepsy will tend to have the same type of seizure each time, so the symptoms will be similar from episode to episode.

Doctors generally classify seizures as either focal or generalized, based on how and where the abnormal brain activity begins.

When to see a doctor?

Seek immediate medical help if any of the following occurs:

• The seizure lasts more than five minutes.

• Breathing or consciousness doesn’t return after the seizure stops.

• A second seizure follows immediately.

• You have a high fever.

•  You’re pregnant.

• You have diabetes.

• You’ve injured yourself during the seizure.
• You continue to have seizures even though you’ve been taking anti-seizure medication.

Lifestyle Modifications

Lifestyle modifications can include

• Adequate sleep: Fatigue is one of the most common seizure triggers, and disrupted sleep can make the brain more vulnerable to misfiring.
• Avoid drugs and alcohol: These can be triggers for seizures in patients with epilepsy. Even one or two drinks can provoke seizures.
• Minimise emotional stress: Although there is not definitive proof that stress causes seizures, those who maintain healthy stress levels have reported that they believe it reduces their risk.
• Frequency of exercise: In addition to a range of health benefits, regular exercise can help reduce risk of seizure. However, you should consult your physician before starting a new exercise routine, as some exercise can, rarely, cause seizures.

Prevention

An estimated 25% of epilepsy cases are preventable.

• Preventing head injury is the most effective way to prevent post-traumatic epilepsy.
• Adequate perinatal care can reduce new cases of epilepsy caused by birth injury.
• The prevention of epilepsy associated with stroke is focused on cardiovascular risk factor reduction, e.g. measures to prevent or control high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, and the avoidance of tobacco and excessive alcohol use.
• Central nervous system infections are common causes of epilepsy in tropical areas, where many low- and middle-income countries are concentrated. Elimination of parasites in these environment and education on how to avoid infections can be effective ways to reduce epilepsy worldwide.

Please never self diagnose or self Medicate. This is an informational article. Always consult your doctor before making any changes in lifestyle.

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Article by Rohit Baljot 

 

 

 

It Happens Only in Kota since its inception has held just one very important ideology at its core, the well-being of students who come every year to this city. Students who come far away from their homes surely miss the warmth of festivities in midst of their struggle. It Happens in Kota has and will always try to bridge that distance, a step at a time. To make sure that the lives of students don’t lose their colours, IHOIK organises a few events from time to time. One such initiative bringing this ideology to life is Kota Light Festival (earlier Kota Lantern Festival). KLF is a congregation of blazing lantern show, foot-tapping music by renowned bands and gourmet dining. With it comes a reason of rejoice, with it comes an exuberance beyond measure, with it comes the evening of celebration. KLF is our very own reason of revelry.

Kota Light Festival saw its inception as Kota Lantern Festival in the year 2017 as an initiative to promote a clean and green Diwali. The festival has since evolved and so has its meanings but the core value is still the same. Today KLF celebrates students and acknowledges the much-needed respite in every student’s lives. It is the sole event in Kota that is organised with keeping in mind Students and locals alike.

The event has gain popularity with increasing number of editions and the footfall has always maintained an exponentially upward graph. From 1500 in 2017 to 3500 in 2018 and to a whopping 4500 in 2019, KLF has placed itself well above any other event in the town in terms of attendees.

This year IHOIK in collaboration with Utsav Events is organising Kota Light Festival sponsored by Unacademy and Student Walla on 20^th of November, 2022 from 5pm. The grandest event Kota has ever seen! The event is marked by spell binding performances and enchanting music. This year is even more special as we have 2 most awaited performances by DJ Deepika and NIKK. We don’t have just music; we’ll have a plethora of food stalls awaiting you with splendid and mouth-watering delicacies: Trikona Café, Thapa ji ke momos to name a few.

This year KLF is being organised on the Polytechnic Cricket Grounds. For directions on Google Map, click here. 5 pm onwards.

Book your Tickets today and get an exclusive discount. Scan this QR Code, or click here to get access. Hurry, the offer is valid only till 18^th of November.

KLF is also a great opportunity to update your social media profiles as we have an amazing photobooth and of course our very own Anshu Bhaiyya. Don’t miss this chance to get a selfie with him. Come, party with us and send us your amazing moments and pictures and we will publish the best ones. KLF is a festival of light, music and frolic but is dull and incomplete without you, our IHOIK family. Come, light lamps of joy with us this 20^th. We will be waiting for you, TOODLES!

World Diabetes Day is held on November 14th each year to commemorate the birth of Sir Frederick Banting who co-discovered insulin in 1922. Today, this day is observed in 170 countries and territories.

The theme of World Diabetes Day 2022 is “education to protect tomorrow,” The blue circle is the universal symbol for diabetes. It was introduced in 2006 to give diabetes a common identity.

World Diabetes Day is a global occasion on which people with diabetes, health professionals, diabetes advocates, media, the general public and government organisations unite to raise awareness of diabetes.

As the theme of world Diabetes Day is Education to protect tomorrow, so we are going to make you aware of Diabetes so you can be saved from Diabetes tomorrow.

 

 

Our main objective is to make you familiar with term Diabetes and some control measures so you , yourself and your loving one can be protected.

 

The term Diabetes describes a group of metabolic disorders characterised and identified by the presence of hyperglycemia,, it simple mean is that your blood sugar has been raised.

Now we should be knowing the normal value of blood sugar so we can look for increased level of sugar.

Blood sugar level can be measured in different ways like

• Fasting sugar – it means we had overnight fast of 8-14 hours and then we checked our sugar level in morning without consuming anything.
• Random blood sugar – it means at any time randomly you checked your blood sugar .
• Post prandial sugar – it means you just had your meal and after 2 hours of meal you check your blood sugar level.

 

There are different cut off level for blood sugar level for different scenerio mentioned above.

 

Fasting sugar	72-110 mg/dl
Random blood sugar	110-126 mg/dl
Post prandial sugar	> 140, <200 mg/dl

      

Please note only a single raised value of blood sugar level is never a indicator of confirmed Diabetes ,

Check at least 3 times before starting treatment.

 

 

There are some general symptoms that a diabetic patient observe so we should be knowing about those symptoms so an early approach to a doctor can be done.

 

Diabetes is of different types

• Diabetes inspidus
• Diabetes mellitus type – 1 that occurs in age below 30
• Diabtes mellitus type – 2 that occurs in age beyond 30
• Gestational diabetes – that occurs in females during pregnancy, etc..

 

 

The majority of burden is of Diabetes mellitus type – 2 ,so our symptoms, risk factors and preventive measures are mainly concerned towards Diabetes mellitus type 2.

A diabetic patient feels

• Polyphagia – it means feeling hungry and having the urge to eat again and again.
• Polydipsia – it means the urge to drink more and more water.
• Polyurea – it means the urge to pass urine again and again.
• Delay in wound healing – a simple cut can take longer time than usual in a diabetic patient

 

So if ever your loving complaints this type of symptoms please look for a doctor.

 

Risk factors for diabetes

• Sedentary lifestyle – your sedentary lifestyle will push you in the web of diabetes.

Add some minutes of exercise in your daily routine.

• Diet – A high saturated fat intake has been associated with risk of Diabetes.
• Malnutrition – Children who receive nutritional deficiencies in childhood are more prone to diabetes, so provide proper nutrition to your kids.
• Alcohol – Excessive intake of alcohol can increase the risk of Diabetes by damaging pancreas.
• Obesity – maintain a healthy weight
• Smoking
• Genetic factors – If both the parents are suffering from diabetes there are high chances of their kid to be diabetic.

 

What advice can be given to a person suffering from Diabetes

• Brisk walk – Do brisk walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes

Brisk walk means 100 steps in a minute

• Meal in parts – Instead of taking your meal in a single go divide your meal seating in 3-5 times.
• Dietary fibre – Add salad to your diet.
• Avoid fruits such as Mango , grapes, sweet potato ( shakkar kandhi)
• Keep toffe along with you so if you feel lethargic, breathless, palpitations consume that toffe to overcome symptoms.
• Monitor your BP on regular basis
• Foot care – As we have already discussed, in diabetes wound heals in a longer period so your foot care is a must thing otherwise a single small wound can turn into a giant problem. Wear shoes throughout the day
• Eye examination – Give advise to diabetic patient for regular eye check up

In later stages of diabetes your eyes functions can be compromised so a early approach is better to this than complete vision loss.

• Avoid alcohol and smoking

 

We hope these preventive measures will save you from worse tomorrow

Life is not over because you have Diabetes.

Make the most of what you have

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Article by Rohit Baljot

 

 

Being a student is hard, among the hardest we feel. With uncertainty of future, comes stress. With tireless hard work, comes fatigue. What’s important to carry on your journey of competitive examination prep is a healthy mind and body. Being a student, it gets really difficult to keep track of what you put inside that body of yours, and this can lead to severe deficiencies, which if gone unnoticed can hinder you from your goal. Fear not, we are here to help you through this too.

In this article we have made a list of Nutritional deficiencies which are rampant in students and how to deal with it. Internet has the typical examples to deal with, but we’ll teach you how to incorporate changes into your lifestyle, that too subtly.

1. Iron

As students, one is prone to neglecting the leafy greens in one’s diet. Hence, first in the list is Iron. Its deficiency is commonly termed as ‘low hemoglobin’. Yes, same Hemoglobin as in your organic chemistry chapter. If, you are a female with heavy menstrual cycles, you too fall at risk.

Iron is necessary for many functions in the body including formation of hemoglobin, brain development and functions, maintenance of Immune system.

Lack of iron also hinders with the oxygen reaching the brain and hence affects memory.

Ways to deal with it:

1. Include peanuts in your diet. Peanuts are nutritious snack alternatives. Snacking on a handful of peanuts can be a good way to introduce it in your diet.
2. Alternatively, you can snack on assorted nuts and Raisins. Raisins are a rich source of iron.
3. Substitute Sugar with Jaggery at least once a day. Personally, I like a spoonful of Jaggery with peanuts. Try it, its heavenly.
4. Try introducing leafy greens in at least one meal of the day.
5. If you are a non-vegetarian, meat and poultry should be a significant part of your diet. I personally go for mutton- livers.

 

2. Vitamin- B12

Now, this is a tricky one. Vitamin B-12 only comes from Animal sources. You see, animals have tiny bacteria in their gut that secretes vitamin B 12 which humans don’t have

So, one is more prone to falling deficient. Reports indicates that there exists more than 30% deficiency in adults and children in the country.

 

Ways to deal with it:

1. If you are a vegetarian, the choices are very limited for you. But fear not, Try introducing a glass of milk or a bowl of curd in your daily diet. Cheese is also good snacking alternative.
2. Non-vegetarians, you are good with your favorite meat delicacies.

 

3. Vitamin A

 

Now, for a student, vitamin A is very crucial. It is indispensable for normal vision. Very important to fight infections and some reports claim it can fight off cancers.

Ways to deal with it:

1. This is easy, to be honest. Look for orange and yellow food. Mango, papaya, you get it.
2. Like we said, leafy greens, the darker green, the better.
3. Try having an egg every day.

 

 

4. Calcium

“All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy” isn’t just a saying. Students tend to spend most of their wakeful hours inside and are hence deprived of sunlight. You see, sunlight helps in formation of vitamin D which helps in absorption of calcium. So, spending 10-20 min under the sun is recommended.

Ways to deal with it:

A glass of milk and a handful of Nuts, it can solve a lot of your problems, honestly.

 

While this is not an extensive list, these are good places to start. Some of these deficiencies only manifest when it’s too late, and if you consistently fail to consume healthy nutrient dense foods or supplement them, you will eventually develop one of these deficiencies. Also, the dietary advices here are not medical. Please consult your doctor before making any radical changes in your dietary regime.

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Article by Rohit Baljot

The period before Diwali Vacations was so much better and easier. All one could think about was going home. Some of you wanted to relax, while some had a list of topics you wanted to revisit and learn. Whether you ticked off your To-Do List or not, Diwali Vacations are over and now a new word has taken your fancy, MAJOR TESTS.

What are Major tests?

Coaching institutes conduct various types of tests of different formats through out the year. In this article, we’ll be covering Major tests and their importance. Major tests are conducted after every three minor tests in most institutes. They are named so because of the scope of syllabus covered in the respective tests. Major tests comparatively cover a wider scope of syllabus compared to other formats.

Why are Major tests important?

1. Preparing for major test is much similar to preparing for the actual test where you have to revise a huge number of topics efficiently in a short time.
2. Preparing for major tests sharpens your efficiency, time management and decision-making skills and helps you practice how to revise rapidly in a short amount of time.
3. Major tests cover a wide range of topics and syllabus and hence closely mimic the actual exams.
4. Major tests are better are evaluating your memory retention capacities as the topics are not closely related unlike Minor tests.
5. Major tests teach better time division skills because the scope of topics is wide apart.
6. Major tests better help evaluate your strategies you use to approach a test.
7. They also help you play your strength and weaknesses better and hence manage your time properly because the test syllabus is widespread.
8. Major tests also help to test your memory retrieval skill as you have to mentally skim through a broad syllabus in a small span of time.
9. The results of Major test help in better analysis of your shortcomings, as it is a close mimic of the actual test.
10. The ranks and percentile of major tests provide more accurate reflection of where your performance really stands.

Major Test or Minor test?

A lot of students tend to misjudge either format of test. While both tests are important if one has to choose between either, you should be well informed.

Minor tests deal with small number of topics, hence have the scope of covering a topic in intricate details. This might sound like a good idea but is only effective in 2 scenarios.

1. If you are a beginner and have ample time for covering a topic from scratch.
2. If you have covered your syllabus well and are confident. And you are looking to give your preparation an extra edge over other candidates.

Minor tests are a very bad idea to focus on if you are somebody with less time and have a perfectionist attitude.

Major tests might sound scary and might intimidate you at first but should be a go to option for anybody trying to wrap up their preparation, get over their perfectionism or revise the entire syllabus in small amount of time and a smaller number of tests. Since the scope of Major tests is enormous, examiners and test setters tend to focus on the most important topics of the syllabus. Which is exactly what happens in the actual test. The scope of questions mostly revolves around NCERT, the holy grail of Competitive exams.

Online or Offline?

While opting the format is a luxury only to those who go for exclusive test series, we will still be covering this question. Why? Well, cause where else are you going to look?

Online or Offline is mainly a decision of preference, but it would also be better to take into account the format of the actual exam you are aiming for. This will prepare you for challenges of the real life.

While Offline tests help you practice filling OMR, which trust us, is a very vital part of your preparations for the competitive exams, online exams have the leniency of changing your answers after you have marked them, and helps reduce negative marking due to silly mistakes.

So, like we said earlier, all formats of tests are important and crucial to your test prep, but in the event, you have to choose, we hope this article comes in handy. Manifesting nothing but success your way.

In Case Titled Janhit Abhiyan v. Union Of India with 32 connected matters | W.P.(C)NO.55/2019 and connected issues, the Supreme Court of India pronounced its verdict today on the validity of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment which introduced the provision for 10% reservation for Economically weaker section (EWS) in Public Employment and Education.

The case was heard by a 5 judge-bench constituted by Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, S Ravindra Bhat, Bela M Trivedi and JB Pardiwala.

The bench in a 3-2 verdict held that the provisions of the ammendment in concern is not in violation of the Constitution.

Chief Justice U U Lalit, at the outset, said there are four different judgements on pleas challenging the EWS quota.

As per Justice Dinesh Maheshwari , Reservation structured singularly on economic criteria does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution and Exclusion of classes covered by 15(4), 16(4) does not violate equality code and does not damage basic structure. Justice Trivedi and Justice Pardiwala concurred with Justice Maheshwari

While Justice Bhatt stated : It is declared that Sec 2 and 3 of the Constitution 103rd Amendment Act are unconstitutional and void on the ground that they’re violative of basic structure, with CJI concurring.

 

We all want to get successful in life whether we are students, preparing for competitive exams or anybody else in order to lead a happy and healthy life.

As a student, by success we mean to score good marks and picture ourselves in our dream college. As a good student, our first priority must always be studies and we must manage our time in an effective way by setting smart goals. But shouldn’t we get involved in other co-curricular and extra-curricular activities while preparing for exam to maintain a balance? If we manage the time effectively and stay punctual always we will be easily getting time to study and meanwhile enjoy our hobbies and get time to play our favourite sports. You must know even sugar intake is good if it is in some ounce.

Don’t bother much playing your favourite sports or getting involved in other activities is definitely not a waste of time, not only there will be a boost in your state of mind but also extracurricular enriches your survival in college as there are many clubs and groups which will make your four-five years of college a little better. Adding on, they are all around a lot of fun.

 “Get the most out of your student years”

 

If you think that being a student is all about hitting every page and line of a standard book, take comfort in knowing that this is far from the truth! There will definitely be times when you need to wave goodbye to your social life and other activities to make 100% of it but your student days are much more than exam and only exam and taking little breaks to rejuvenate is never a bad idea. So to make most of it and having a life ‘outside the classroom’ maybe these tips can help-

1.Choose subject that interests you.

This is the only beauty  you will see, once you pass your tenth boards you choose what you study so the best tip is to choose subjects that interest you. Look for the subject that challenge you or allow you to further develop an area of interest.

2. Avoid doing the bare minimum.

Change the mind-set that being a student is just about compulsory subjects and that one exam. Get involved in group discussions, debates and student programs.

Beyond that, if you want to join a charity event where you can teach unprivileged class of society, don’t take the step back. Letting alone the college application, these are just things that make you a more productive member of society and a completely better human being.

3.  Passion over pressure.

Don’t to something just for the sake of “it will look good on application”. Don’t do something just because parents want you to. Don’t do something just because your friends are doing it. DO SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO! This is your future! Carpe diem it!

4. Quantity ? Quality.

Choose what you want to do wisely, as this is gonna be a BIG TIME COMMITMENT. Don’t be the one whose plate is too full to do anything valuable. It will be a lose-lose and won’t help anybody and you will end up stressed and wasn’t this supposed to boost your state of mind?

 

I feel that students can really shine bright outside the classroom either as volunteers, interns, sportsman, or just as a concerned member of a community or team.

(I will use myself as an example. I write for IHOIK)

 

Amidst of all this just to make sure you get the most out of your studies and to achieve success here are some necessary steps :

1. Keep studies your first priority and stay committed to studies
2. Set small yet SMART and realistic goals
3. Manage your time effectively
4. Pay attention to what teachers teach
5. Avoid distractions and scrolling social media
6. Don’t compare yourself and your performance in a particular mock with others (We all have our own speedometer, don’t we?)
7. Learn from your mistakes and note them down in your brain to not repeat.
8. Follow a healthy lifestyle

 

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           Report by Avantika Gurjar

The story of Kota began when V.K Bansal, an engineer by profession quit his job and started teaching students at his home for entrance exams. One of his students cleared the IIT-JEE exam in 1985 and the history of Kota changed its path in a new direction. It was the beginning of Bansal classes, the first coaching of Kota.

Nowadays, around 2 lakh students come to Kota every year for coaching of JEE and NEET in different coaching centers. If you come to Kota, you will see the hoardings of many coaching centers like Allen, Resonance, Motion, Vibrant, Bansal, and so on. A few days ago, just after the covid phase, Ed-tech companies like Unacademy and Physicswallah added their names to the list of offline coaching.  

 

Growth of Ed-tech companies in India:

We all have seen phenomenal growth of Ed-tech companies in the last few years, especially in the covid period. Since march 2020, the number of students studying online increased by a large number because of the lockdown. Schools, Universities, and also coaching centers moved online because no other option was left. According to Economics time during this covid period, ed-tech companies created a $1.7 billion market.

 

The ed-tech companies got the benefit of their technology during the covid period, but the giant coaching centers were unable to get this benefit. So, most of the students enrolled in ed-tech companies for their JEE or NEET preparation.

 

Why Students come to Kota: 

If you watch the famous web series “Kota factory” then you must know this dialogue “Kota mahol deta hai”. It’s true, Kota gives the environment to the students. According to a report by The Print, the coaching industry of Kota impacts the lives of more than 2 lakh people in this city directly or indirectly, including its 3,000 hostels and 20,000 paying guest (PG) accommodation owners, local vendors, shopkeepers, mess staff, auto drivers and security guards.

 

The reasons why students come to Kota:

• Highly Qualified Faculties.

• Comparatively relaxed timing.

• A systematic approach to teaching

• Personalized doubt-solving classes.

• National level competition.

• AIR ranks from Kota coaching.

 

Let’s analyze online and offline classes from different perspectives:

• Interaction: In online classes, students are unable to interact with their teachers and classmates face to face.

 

• Flexibility: Students can gain flexibility in online coaching as they can study as per their schedule but in the case of offline coaching has a strict timetable that has to be followed by students.

 

• Discipline: Discipline is the most important thing for a student to secure a rank in a competitive exam. And the system of Kota provides that discipline to a serious student.

 

• Study Materials: All offline institutes offr printed study materials while only a few online ones do so.

 

• Motivation: Online Ed-tech coaching centers may make the students a bit less motivated to keep up with their study schedule. But offline coaching centers in Kota will not let the students lose their motivation since they will be physically present in the class and will have to follow a tight schedule.

 

• Rank: We all know this fact very well that offline coaching centers provide us with All India Ranks every year and also during this covid period. But Online classes are one step far from great ranks.

 

Offline Classes after Covid: 

The world has almost recovered from Covid and is prepared to fight against this kind of situation. The whole system is getting its actual form and the Education system is not an exception. Students prefer the ‘mahol’ of Kota better than online classes from home. Ed-tech companies know this fact as well. So, the leading ed-tech companies opened their offline classes in Kota to survive in the business of Competitive coaching centers.

According to a report, a Record number of students came to Kota this year and one big single institute in Kota holds around 1.25 lakh students this year. So, it is clear that students prefer offline education rather than online classes from Ed-tech companies.

The giant Ed-tech company Byju’s acquired Aakash Educational Services in a nearly $1-billion deal after covid because of the potential of offline education. And Ed-tech companies like Unacademy and Physics wallah opened their offline centers in Kota for the large number of students who want to learn offline. 

 

Conclusion:

Educational hub Kota is attracting Ed-Tech companies to open offline institute in Kota for their business growth but the path is not easy for the Ed-tech companies to compete with previously established giant offline institutions. So the new offline coaching companies are facing lot of challenges in Kota.

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Article by Shahriar Alam

Someone once rightly said “Without proper strategy our plans are just wishes”.
This applies to every aspect of our life and the very same goes for the tests conducted by your respective coaching institutes. Weekend tests are very important part preparation for competitive exams.
If you have good strategy related to your weekend test, it will provide you a different domain in comparison to other students
So here we are going to discuss a lil about what you should or shouldn’t do as part of your test strategy.

Things you should do:

Before the test.

•  Divide your syllabus into particular days: Doing this will make sure your preparation is concise and not haphazard while simultaneously ensuring that you don’t get overloaded by syllabus a few days before exams
•  Create realistic time table: Don’t create unrealistic goals for yourself. You and only you know how much you can invest in a particular activity. So, be honest to yourself and make small, achievable goals. Making small goals on a daily basis will instill a sense of accomplishment and will work as a drive for the next goal.
• Studying strategy: Make sure you give enough time for studying theory, practicing questions. Examples should be studied thoroughly.
• Practicing previous year questions is mandatory
•  Complete your syllabus a day before the test: Doing so will help you relax and focus your mind a day before test. And trust me it makes a huge difference!
• Create short notes: Creating short notes will aid in quick revisions. Your notes are customized to your needs and will reduce the need to go back to comprehensive text books.
• Take proper sleep daily: It can’t be stressed enough how proper sleep boosts problem solving ability and memory. So proper sleep is a must.

During test

•  Proper time Management: At the beginning of the test assign proper time to each section and stick to it with 10 min remaining at the end. Use this time to revisit hard questions.
• Complete your paper in parts: Always solve the question paper in parts and never haphazardly. It helps avoid certain mistakes like missing a question or marking wrong OMR box.
• Don’t neglect the OMR: Make sure to mark the OMR after a certain number of questions so that it doesn’t pile up as a task towards the end of the test.
• Don’t stick to a question for a long time jump to next question and solve it in next turn.

After test

•  Rest: Always remember appearing for a test is a very exhausting task. So, make sure to rest after it.
•  Analyze your performance: Sit down with your paper and analyze your mistakes. Look up the right answer in your notes
• Work on weak topics and solve the questions which you made mistakes in or you were unable to solve
•  Start preparing for next test: Moving on after a test is the most important step to preparing for the next one. One shouldn’t let the results of previous test act as a demotivation.
• Keep observing your growth chart: Always look back to see how far you have come or the growth you have undergone
• Cover your backlogs

What you shouldn’t do :

• Don’t compromise with your current syllabus: Missing on topics is something inevitable at some point. What is important is we don’t lag on current topics while covering up for missed ones.
• Don’t compare yourself with others: Comparison is not at all productive or helpful to your growth. Growth is personal and comparison has no place in it.
• Don’t skip tests: If you are underprepared, one instinct could be to skip tests and convince yourself that you’ll prepare for the next. Big mistake! Never skip tests. Its okay to not do well.

Keep on improving yourself daily we wish you very good luck for your preparation.

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Article by Rohit Baljot

• Many students want to join the Indian Air Force after 12^th but are unsure how to do so. There are several ways to join Air Force after 12^th and cherry on the top is the career in Air Force is not limited to fighter aircraft piloting alone. The fighter aircraft pilot is the most popular rank that we all know but you need to know that Indian Air Force has three branches: flying, technical and ground staff. Getting selected for the IAF is a dream for many but a few get through. Joining the IAF requires courage, dignity, leadership, loyalty, discipline, determination and of course respect for nation and a heart & soul that want to serve the nation.  Career as an Air Force Official is full of challenges, experiences, recognition and rewarding as well. Just add on the pay scale that one gets.

 

What are the options in Indian Air Force after 12th?

Candidates who are willing to apply must know that the Indian Air Force is classified into three main branches which are Flying branch, Technical branch and ground branch/staff. Flying branch is further classified into three parts i.e., Fighter pilots, Helicopter pilots and Transport pilots.

 

The selection for these officer line and dignified posts go through the NDA entrance examination followed by a personal interview. Those who get through this selection procedure are then called for training at the Air Force Academy.

 

What is the NDA Exam?

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the NDA Exam twice a year. NDA is a common entrance exam conducted for admission to the Navy, Air Force and Army.

The exam is conducted in two stages – written test and SSB interview.

The questions asked in written test covers mathematics and general ability tests.

 

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility criteria for NDA exam and the minimum requirements for appearing in NDA exam is are decided by UPSC.

 

Nationality:

Indian

Note: could be a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962 to settle permanently (such applicants will have to get certificate of eligibility issued by government of India.

 

Educational Requirements:

Mathematics and Physics are supposed to be your main subjects in 12^th. Those who are appearing in the final year of examination may also apply.

 

Age Limit:

16 and ½  to 19 and  ½ years at the time of commencement of course.

 

Gender:

Only boys are eligible to join Indian Air Force after class 12^th, currently there is no provision for girls to join IAF after class 12^th. However, girls can join Air force after completing their graduation through AFCAT or CDS exam.

 

Marital Status:

According to the eligibility norms for NDA only unmarried males are eligible to appear in exam.

Note: Applicants must note that they cannot get married until they complete their full training.

 

Physical Requirements:

NDA has set some physical requirements for 12^th class graduates who wish to join Indian Air Force. All the candidates must fulfill the standards set by NDA.

The parameters are as follows:

1. Height Requirement: The minimum height required for the Air Force is 162.5 cms. There is a relaxation of 5 cms that is provided for Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern regions of India, Kumaon and Garhwal. While 2 cms relaxation is given to the candidates from Lakshadweep
2. Weight Requirement: Weight requirements vary with height which is mentioned in the table given below

 

 

Height  (in cms)	Weight (in kgs)
		16 years	18 years	20 years
152 155 157 160 162 165 167 170 173 175 178 180 183		44 45 46 47 48 50 52 53 55 57 59 61 63	45 46 47 48 50 52 53 55 57 59 61 63 65	46 47 49 50 52 53 55 57 59 61 62 64 67

 

 

 

3.Leg Length: 99 – 120 cms

1. Sitting height: 81.50 – 96 cms
2. Chest : Chest should be at least 81 cms

 

Visual Standards Required:

Hypermetropia not more than 3.5 D

Myopia should not be more than 2.5 D

 

Process of Joining Indian Air Force :

NDA exam is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Candidates can visit the official website of UPSC and fill the application form for examination.

 

The exam is conducted in 2 steps- first round is written test which is  900 marks test and the questions are asked from mathematics and general ability. Applicants who clear the cut off marks in written test are then called for SSB interview.

 

Selected candidates then take a step further and appear for PABT (Pilot Aptitude Battery Test) and CPSS (Computerised Pilot Selection Test).

 

Candidates who clear these 3 steps of selection procedure are then called for medical examination.

 

A merit list is prepared by considering the performances of the candidates in written test, SSB interview and Medical test. Candidates who all have performed well and are selected in the mentioned three steps are provided training for 3 years along with Naval Cadets and Military. After completing this training, candidates will be sent to the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad where candidates have to go through further training for 1 year and then you will be an officer in IAF.

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Article by Avantika Gurjar

Two years have passed since Kota last saw the vibrance and grandeur of its most awaited festival. A festival, which every citizen longs for all year round. After being deprived of it, the Kota Dussehra Mela 2022 is in full swing this year. The beauty of this festival is the talk of the entire country. Such is the splendor of this festival. Every year Kota celebrates the victory of good over evil in the most magnificent way and this article is going to give you a tiny glimpse into the magic.

This year the mela has already started from the 26th of September and is dated to continue till 21st of October, 2022.

HISTORY

History of Kota Dussehra Mela dates back to 1723 AD, the reign of of Maharao Durjan Sal Singh Hada. At that time, the celebrations were centered around various religious processions and offerings at different Temples. An interesting event that made its mark during this time was the ‘Darikhana’, an assembly of various ‘Thikanedars’ at the palace.
The Dussehra celebrations during this time lasted for 3 days with effigies Ravan being burnt. With generations, this tradition too was passed down, but the credit of turning this festival into the way we see it today goes to Maharao Ummed Singh II

THE EVENT

Cultural night and performance

Prominent artistes from all over the country are invited to participate in cultural programs who enthral the huge audience with their performances. Rich in courtly splendour and age old traditions , the Dussehra festival here is marked by a glittering procession which attracts thousands from the surrounding villages . Like all festivals in Rajasthan , it provides a good opportunity to the traders to display their attractive wares to the rural and urban buyers . Small effigies of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakhsman are very common works of sculpture.

Along with religious programs, many cultural programs have also become part of this astonishing event. On Vijayadashmi, somebody representing the erstwhile royal family shoots an arrow toward the effigy of Ravan which depicts the death of Ravan by the hands of Ram. More than 1 Lac people from Kota and nearby villages reach Dussehra Maidan to witness this event. From the next day onward the series of cultural programs starts. Prominent artists from all over the country are invited to participate in various cultural programmes. The events include Cine Sandhya, Kavi Sammelan, Sindhi cultural programme, Bhajan Sandhya, Rajasthani folk music and dance programme, all-India mushaira, Punjabi programme, qawwali night, Bhojpuri Night etc

If you want an early sneak peek into the magic, watch the documentary here.

Competitions

Various competitions like turban and moustache competition, All India Wushu competition, all India Chambal kesri wrestling competition, All India Wushu Competition, Mahendi, Rangoli, Mandana competition, Mr. & Mrs. Hadoti Competition, Hattha Mala Competition, Long Hair Competition, best bridal makeup competition, longest and shortest women & men competition etc are organised.

See the full list of events along with schedule here.

Dussehra Delicacies

Foods add more flavours to this mega festival every year.
Narisabad ki kachori,
Pannalal ke pkode will once again win our hearts and taste buds .

Exhibitions

Art and craft fairs are a perennial feature of the town but the annual Dussehra festival holds and unusual lure for everyone.
Rajsthani handcrafts are the prized possessions of this Mela.

 

SCHEDULE FOR KOTA DUSSEHRA MELA 2022

VENUE

The festivities are in full swing at5R8J+JRV, Shakti Nagar, Dadabari, Kota.

For Google Maps Direction click here.

HOW TO REACH

One can easily take an auto from any area of Kota to reach here. Also attached are the expected auto fares (one way)

Kota Junction —– ₹200

Vigyan Nagar —- ₹60- ₹80

Talwandi        —–  ₹60- ₹80

Indra Vihar    —– ₹120

Kunhadi (Landmark city) —- ₹150

Mahaveer Nagar —- ₹ 150

Indraprastha area (city mall) —- ₹150

Dadabari —- walking distance

 

Approximately 15 lakhs people are going to visit the fair. There will be around 1000 shops with different displays & more than 50 fun rides. We recommend visiting Kota Dussehra Mela with your friends and family.

We hope that this article answered all your questions. If this article was helpful, share with your friends and family. Team IHOIK wishes you a Very Happy Dussehra!

 

 

The cartographic coordinates of 25.18°N and 75.83°E, mark the existence of the city of Kota. Situated on the banks of river Chambal, Kota enjoys a lush green topography over the rocky and barren terrains of Rajasthan. The history of Kota dates back to 12^th century AD, which gives the city a unique cultural, historical and architectural bliss.

Upon taking a wide tour of the city and it’s outer, we were able to catalogue the top twelve places to visit in Kota.

Garadia Mahadev

At about a distance of 25 Km from Kota main city on NH76, lies a holy shrine of Lord Shiva at the banks of river Chambal. At an elevation of 500 meters above the sea level, Garadia Mahadev offers an incredible view of Chambal taking an ‘S’ shape turn in her way to reach Kota. The untouched beauty of the land and water along with the view of beautiful horizon makes it a picturesque place.

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Gaiparnath Temple

Away from the city lights, lies an old Shiva Temple in a deep gorge known as Gaipernath Mahadev. Situated in a deep trench, Gaipernath is blessed with several waterfalls gushing over the place. An unending path of stairs leads to the shrine of Lord Shiva, resting in the lap of waterfalls, huge boulders, and an ecosystem of its own. The best time to visit is in monsoons when the rain refurbishes the water reserves and greenery.

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Kishore Sagar Talab

Kishore Sagar is an artificial lake with a history dating back to 1346. It was constructed by the Prince of Bundi, Dehra Deh. Boat rides in the lake serve to make the evening more beautiful. Evening lighting of the place makes it more attractive. The reflection of the city, which falls on the water at night, is eye candy for the visitors.

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Jagmandir Palace

In the midst of Kishor Sagar Lake lies the beautiful Jagmandir Palace. It was built by the queens of Kota between 1743 to 1745. This redstone monument between the lake is a unique attraction of the city of Kota. It is built with the combination of Mughal and the Hindu architectural design, which provide it with unique essence. The night is marked by a mesmerising reflection of the lights of Jagmandir Palace forming upon the water of the lake.

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Seven Wonders Park

Along the waters of Kishor Sagar Lake lies the famous seven wonders park. It has the replicas of all the Seven Wonders of the World erected on it. It also houses small and beautiful sheds build in native Rajasthani type of architecture, which makes this place more picturesque. Some Bollywood movies like Badrinath Ki Dulhania  and  the  series  of  Kota Factory have featured this park recently.

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Chambal Garden

Located on the bank of river Chambal, it marks an excellent picnic spot in the city of Kota. The view of the flowing Chambers, the chimneys of the thermal power plant on the other side of the river and a lush green cover and bird diversity in the garden enhance its glory. Toy train rides give a complete tour of the garden. Being a part of National Chambal Ghariyal (Gavial) Sanctuary, it offers boat rides to have a close view of fish-eating reptiles (Ghariyal) in their natural habitat.

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Garh Palace

Also known as City Palace, this palace is a complex representation of the cultural and architectural richness of the Rajput dynasty. It contains the suites and apartments built by different Rajput rulers at different times, therefore giving a vast tour of the past to present of Rajput dynasty in a single visit. Being attached to museums, this palace offers a cultural, historical and an educational tour to the visitors.

 

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Abheda Mahal

Abheda Mahal is a medieval palace which served as a recreational spot to the rulers of Kota. It contains a lake in the middle which harnesses beautiful lotus and turtles. Reflection of Abheda Mahal forming on the lake is worth having eyes on while walking in its beautiful gardens.

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Kota Barrage

Kota Barrage is a dam built on river Chambal and is situated quite close to the city. It is marked for peaceful evenings and offers a thrilling view of water gushing through the barrage gates with a great force and valour. Kota Barrage provides an incredible view of the city and flowing Chambal from the height.

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Khade Ganesh Ji

Khade Ganesh Ji is a 600-year-old temple within city proximity. It holds the fact to be the only temple in India with the standing idol of Lord Ganesh. The occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi marks a very enthusiastic celebration in the temple when the procession is carried out with utmost spirituality and zeal. Temple attends a large number of devotees every year.

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Chattaneshwar Mahadev

Situated in the laps of nature, a beautiful Shiva temple Chattaneshwar Mahadev is a tourist attraction spot known for its scenic beauty. This place holds special religious importance and experiences a crowd of numerous shiva bhakts all throughout the year. With a beautiful waterfall as its source of attraction, this place is a must visit for all specially during the monsoon season.

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Chhatra Vilas Garden

Chhatra Vilas garden, popularly known as CV garden is a popular tourist attraction spot in Kota. With lush green grass and natural beauty this place also offers tourists with a treat to to some of the royal cenatophs inside the garden. A perfect place for family picnics and a center of attraction for historians and tourists, CV garden is not only a place for leisure but also historically significant and culturally rich.

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A report by Sumit Yadav 

If the spirits are strong, even the most difficult destination becomes easy. The promising son of a father selling panipuri has proved this to be true. He himself used to clean the plates at his father’s panipuri shop but now he will fulfill his dream of cleaning the blockage from the heart in the human body.

Alpesh Rathod from Meghraj in Aravalli district of Gujarat, who sells panipuri with his father, has taken a giant leap of success in his life.  Alpesh has cleared the NEET exam, he will soon be able to do MBBS from a government college. He has secured 613 marks out of 700 in the NEET exam and dreaming of becoming a cardiologist.

He says that, ‘After making a career in Cardiology, i also wants to move forward in Neurology.’ The great thing is that after getting his MBBS degree, Alpesh will be the first doctor not only from his family but from the entire Kenthwa village. Along with studies, Alpesh has also been sharing his father’s hand in work.

Regarding his daily routine, he says that till class 10th, he used to wake up every morning at 4 am and help in making pani puri and masala with his father Ram Singh. After this, he used to decorate a paani puri cart for his father. In the evening after finishing school, Alpesh used to sell golgappas to the customers as well as wash the leftover utensils of the customers.

Even with this routine, Alpesh was very smart in studies. Along with working at Golgappa shop, he studied and got 93% in 10th standard. These numbers made him realize that he can achieve big goals in life. According to Alpesh, his teacher Raju Patel and his wife guided him about many career options. In those days, Alpesh’s father was suffering from eye problem, and medicine affected him. In such a situation, Alpesh gave all his hard work in the preparation of MBBS entrance exam.

It was not easy for Alpesh’s father, who earned only 15 thousand rupees a month, to accept this decision of Alpesh. His family can hardly survive with this income. In such a situation, it was very difficult to arrange money for the coaching fees of NEET. His parents said on his decision that there is a lot of risk in it, which can ruin him financially, but Alpesh somehow convinced him. He did not allow his decision to be proved wrong and that is why his family is happy with his success today.

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Report by Devesh Kumar Sharma

Kota is a city of dreams, dreams of thousands of students who decide to embark on the Journey of NEET/JEE and choose Kota as their partner. Every year, students get down at Kota Railway station with a bag full of dreams and expectations on their young shoulders. But the question is ‘Has Kota been completely honest to them?’

As soon as one hails an auto from the railway station to their institute/hostel, their attention is caught by ginormous hoardings boasting the faces of toppers of that year. Hoardings of every institute, claiming their right on the topper who won the last race, putting everyone and everything behind. At that moment, one is bedazzled, bewitched, a gush of determination fills their heart. Such is the enthusiasm and magic of this city. Kota finally touches their hearts and sows the seeds of dreams, determination and motivation. It is nothing but truth when I say every student dreams of their face on the posters in that moment. But is it dream or a mere mirage they decide to chase in the moment? Are these posters the only and entire truth of this journey? Is your journey only successful if you reach these posters?

Not only this, as soon as the exam concludes, various institutes start claiming their position on the rank list. They have huge roadshows, posters about it. They felicitate the students even before the results are declared. And this escalates to a whole next level as soon as the results are out. Cash-prizes and expensive gifts and tours are announced for the toppers, there are interviews and exclusive sessions. So, is your journey only successful if it ends here?

No. Absolutely not!! Because what you see on these posters is far from even a portion of the truth of this journey. How come posters of different colours have the same faces? How come a single child enrolled in multiple courses over a course of a single year? Is it possible? NO! The topper that you see today was a student like you in the beginning of his journey, right? They got the same opportunities as you, right? NO!

We will never try and undermine the blood and sweat these students have put in to end up where they are. Of course, they did something extraordinary to end up victorious in this race. They put in hours, sacrifices, sheer hard work and focus. But we’ll also not let rest of you be deluded by a small part of the whole truth and question your capabilities.

So, here’s the thing, what you see is actually marketing and not the truth. It’s a way to ensure that the class rooms are filled in the following year. Institutes know completely well how to leave an imprint of young malleable minds. You will be told of success stories, glamourised struggles, spicy personal life titbits. What you will not be told of is the real truth. Truth about how the toppers had a slightly different path than you.

Every batch starts with a few students that have been part of coaching institutes as early as 8^th or 9^th class. In the first month, things are normal. But after the first test the dynamics start changing. The focus now revolves around the toppers of these tests. A few institutes take it up a notch and have special groups for rankers where they have exclusive tests and classes for them. Is it fair? We don’t know. We won’t be talking about that here, because life isn’t fair. We will only put the truth in front of you. However, this kind of distinctions remain in practice till the end of session.

A lot of these students sign up for DLP or change institutes and this is marketed by both the institutes to their profits when the results are out. This is you’ll see various institutes advertising their claim on the same student.

So, is the journey already meaningless before it even starts? No! What we don’t realise or acknowledge is the growth one underwent over the course of this journey. If you secured a college that is as good victory as anybody else, if you didn’t then you realise a new journey of self-retrospection. You either realise, your heart lies somewhere else, or you have a checklist of what not to do the next time. And its not all about whether or not you land up a college, it is also about the basic life skills you learnt, all the new things you discovered in yourself.

Another question that comes is, “So, Will we never make it to  posters?”. Well, we don’t know, neither does anybody else. All that is in your hand is being honest. Honest to yourself and your goals and your dreams.   Once you are honest to yourself, you get focussed. Know that there is no shortcut, there is no alternative to practice and persistence. With a lot of hard work, you never know!

 

 

 

 

Kota is not so very mysterious place, but is it a simple city? No. Kota is full of surprises and hence you should be prepared for what is coming unto your life when you first step here. Kota as most of you know is the study hub but it is just not limited to that. As a student you should expect myriad number of vibrant opportunities.

This article will tell you the Dos N Don’ts once you’re in Kota. Now this is not a hard layout but just a general guideline of what have been observed in the past few years. It is not targeted to devoid you of any experiences that you might want to have as a student coming to Kota, but in fact it will suggest you have the better form of the same experience so that it doesn’t affect your goal as a student in the long run.

Let’s kickstart with one of the most brutal foes of a student in Kota. Distraction. It is not a word but a sentence. Distraction may take various forms and depending on how invested you are in it; its affect can vary severely in magnitude.

The first thing that you would love to do in Kota when you come is to find the most optimal route from your place of stay to you coaching class. Now, to put emphasize on improving social skills it is heavily suggested to find seniors who go to same coaching classes and ask them the route they take. Google maps not always tell you the most optimal path of commute. Secondly, you must always have a backup route, public transport, that is. There will be times where you just didn’t make it on time for your class. You must know where you could find the nearest Auto-rickshaw (one of the most lament modes) to get you to your classes.

Next, work on your concentration skills. Sometimes people misunderstand it for long hours of study which is solely false. Concentration leads you to ‘active studying’. For some of you this might be a new term; active studying means the phase of your study time where your soul and shivers are invested in what you are doing. For people who have played some sport, might know it as the ‘Zone’. It is when you are at your peak efficiency and your learning abilities enhance multifold times. This zone is a bit strenuous on your body and you might want to start with as less as one minute for each session you plan for your studies. Remember, the goal is to reach 3 hours in a stretch because that is how long generally the competitive exams are.

Upcoming are right habits. There will be not much emphasis this as no habit is right or wrong. It is just the time that defines your act as correct or incorrect. For students, up to some context, right habits could be that of making a schedule and most important of all, be truthful to oneself. If you are unsure about what bad habits are, just ask yourself a question whether you would suggest yourself doing any specific activity if you were assigned as an advisor or counselor to yourself. This all roots from the step one of being true to your own self.

Let’s conclude this with one of the 2 most overlooked parts of a student life. They are sleep and food. According to a Harvard study, “high school students (ages 14-17) need about eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. For young adults (ages 18 to 25), the range is need between seven and nine hours” (Harvard). The key aspect that a lot of students miss here is the right time to have these hours of sleep. The 7 hours of sleep mentioned here is the nighttime of your sleep and is continuous rather than in parts. Some signs of chronic sleep deprivation include:

• Daytime sleepiness and fatigue

• Irritability and short temper

• Mood changes

• Trouble coping with stress

• Difficulty focusing, concentrating, and remembering

• Brain fog

 

The last thing to include here is the right nutrition. Healthy body directly corelates to a healthy mind. Some foods to avoid –

• Added Sugars
• Fried Foods
• High-glycemic-load carbohydrates
• Alcohol
• Nitrates (Preservative found in packed foods)

Sorry to put it in words, but cup noodles or any sort of noodles are not a good meal for any student. They can be used as a backup when you have run out of all options, but if they are a part of your diet, it is going to hinder your development in numerous ways.

If you are looking for what to add into your schedule, nuts, beans, green and colorful vegetables, dark chocolate, fermented food, spices, and herbs is the answer. They can enhance hair, skin, eyes, brain functioning capabilities, overall growth and many more.

The last thing that can be put in the list would be making memories, more good than bad and with the right people. These will be the days to look back and be proud throughout your life. It doesn’t matter if you performed a bit bad on this test or maybe your roommate isn’t good, or maybe even your parents put constant pressure on you, with right people around you everything will gradually be better. As one of the most hardworking athlete Cristiano Ronaldo said, “I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well” we must always stride towards better and not directly aim for best because in marathons people tend to take small steps and run rather than make huge leaps and injure themselves in short terms.

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay today released the results of JEE Advanced, 2022.

A total of 155538 students appeared in this exam (both paper 1 and 2), out of which 40712 have qualified.

The institute also released the list of toppers. R. K Shishir of IIT Bombay zone topped the examination, scoring 314 out of 360, while Tanishka Kabra of IIT Delhi zone was the female topper with a common rank list of 16. She scored 277 out of 360.

As per Respective rank list, a total of 10 students have secured AIR 1:

R K Shishir

Vangapalli Sai Siddhartha

Polisetty Karthikeya

Dyyala John Joseph

Lovesh Mahar

Ojas Maheshwari

Gaikoti Vignesh

Omkar Ramesh Shirpure

Prakash S Rathod

Tadar Simi

 

The result can be checked by all candidates on the official website, along with Final answer key. The exam was conducted on August 28^th, 2022. Students can check their results at https://result.jeeadv.ac.in/

Successful Candidates can appear for JoSSA . The process is scheduled to start on 12^th September. Students are advised to check the official website for any further updates.

On this Auspicious day of 5^th September, let’s commemorate our beloved teachers who have put every pinch of sweat and blood into moulding the futures of the nation. Let’s bow down to those who have bestowed unconditional and unrivaled effort for us students’ wellbeing through most of their lives. They have bigger issues in their daily lives and yet they show up to the class right on time with the exact same energy that they had on the first day of classes. We often take them for granted but it is only when we move further ahead in life we acknowledge how they have bolstered our future with their own hard work. Let us immortalize and salute some of the infinitely many teachers from Kota who have always looked up to Kota as an education hub and not some factory and have founded the most prominent institutes in Kota.

 

 Bansal Classes

• • Shri V K Bansal

We will start with the Stephen Hawkins of Kota, Vinod Kumar Bansal. Born on October 26, 1949, in Jhansi, he was a bright student – winning scholarships throughout his education – Bansal completed his mechanical engineering from Banaras Hindu University (now IIT BHU) in 1971. When VK Bansal was diagnosed with a rare ailment of muscular dystrophy in his mid-20s, was worried about not being able to lead a professional life so early on in his career. Why not start teaching at home, asked a family friend, a doctor.  Bansal thought about it and was immediately on board. Between 1983 and 1985, he started teaching students at his home. He would teach Mathematics and tips and tricks on how to crack the engineering entrance examinations. His passion for teaching and ability to keep students engaged in his classroom by his songs and inspirational stories is what pass-outs from Bansal Classes recount.

 

Motion Career Institute

• • Shri Nitin Vijay

Next is our very own celebrity Nitin Vijay. He also is IIT BHU alumni who has devoted his life to the students and their wellbeing. Nitin Vijay is founder of one of the leading career institutes in Kota, Motion Career Institute. Nitin Vijay founded Motion Education in December 2007. Nitin Vijay started his entrepreneurial journey with only 10, 000 rupees when he was just 23-year-old. “When Netflix wanted to spin off Nitin sir’s character, they decided to keep it as ‘bhaiya,’ because students told them that he’s like an elder brother to them,” said a close confidante of Vijay. He is the heart of Physics in Kota. He more than teacher to students. From his examples of ‘Sundar kanya’ to his austere focus and concentration in his seminars, he is a full pack superhero who represents finesse of Kota teaching.

 

Allen Career Institute

• • Shri Govind Maheshwari

  • Shri Rajesh Maheshwari

  • Shri Naveen Maheshwari

  • Shri Brajesh Maheshwari

Founded on April 18, 1988 and named in the loving memory of Late Laxmi Narayan Maheshwari (L.N. Sir), father of four brothers Govind,  Rajesh, Naveen & Brajesh Maheshwari, Allen is one of the most famous coaching centers in Kota and moreover throughout India. How did this name came to be found? There are a few speculations which are listed, rest is up to you to see which one seems more viable to you – First, it was meant to be All Engineers so they took ‘All’ and ‘En’ from engineers to name it ‘ALLEN’. Second, It was metamorphosed from the acronym for L.N. sir or L.N. sahib to Allen. From being on Forbes India to almost all the posters and hoarding in Kota, Allen has traveled a long way since 1988 when it was established.

 

Resonance 

• • Shri Ram Kishan Verma

Ram Kishan Verma, an educational entrepreneur synonymous with success in cracking IIT-JEE, was born in a small village in the Kota district in the state of Rajasthan. He excelled throughout his schooling, in himself clearing the IIT-JEE and as an Electrical & Electronics Engineering student at IIT-Madras. He started the Resonance coaching institute with the motto of ‘No Pain No gain’ and a goal to sail his own ship in this sea of education. He stepped off from then trending Bansal Coaching classes as he believed in his own methodology of teaching. The dream of becoming an entrepreneur resulted in the genesis of Resonance, founded in 2001 at Kota. Since then, Resonance has taken leaps and bounds forward under his leadership and his persistent quest to take it to the pinnacle of success & excellence.

 

Vibrant Academy

• • Shri Nitin Jain

  • Shri Narendra Avasthi

  • Shri Neel kamal Sethia

  • Shri Vikas Gupta

  • Shri Pankaj Joshi

  • Shri MS Chauhan

  • Shri VK Jaiswal

Vibrant Academy was founded in 2009 by 7 HODs of Bansal Classes. Nitin Jain (BITS Pilani), Narendra Avasthi (NIT Jaipur),  Neel kamal Sethia (IIT Kahargpur hons.), Vikas Gupta (IIT Guwahati),  Pankaj Joshi (NIT Jamshedpur),  MS Chauhan (UOB), VK Jaiswal (LU). Vibrant as the name says is combination of the various colors which unite to form the most vivid image of the good education in Kota. Vibrant has been one of the leading coaching institutes in Kota since its establishment and it has proven itself time and again by giving profound results. These 7 teachers of Vibrant academy have published numerous books from University Physics to Physical Chemistry to Organic Chemistry to Inorganic and to the very famous, Black book, Yellow book and Pink book of mathematics. They are no less than gems for anyone preparing for JEE.

 

Career Point

• • Shri Parmod Maheshwari

We have Parmod Maheshwari from Career Point. He is an IIT – Delhi alumnus and a physics teacher. His father worked as a Grain Trader in Kota. Pramod has many calls from a renowned company. He was in a dilemma that either he takes a job in an MNC Company or go Abroad for further studies. Pramod Maheshwari was too much attached to his family and do not want to leave his place for Job. While he was puzzled about his future criteria. A student from a neighbor came to him regularly to ask for tips on how to clear JEE.

As many students came for tips with Pramod, an idea generated in his mind that he can also coach the student that How students can crack different competitive exams with few expert tips? Career Point has expanded well over from just coaching institute to university and much more in just this short amount of time and is continuing well to do so even more.

 

 

We thank all these teachers for putting such extravagant efforts into making kota a much more amicable and amiable place for students. They reform, reinforce and fortify the future of the students and make sure that they are always on their 200% even when we may or may not feel like our best. They are the reason behind the phrase “Kota Mahol deta hai”. So, let’s endow all our thanks to them because

                                    “गुरुर्ब्रह्मा ग्रुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ॥”

which means

The guru is Brahmā, the guru is Vishņu, the guru is Maheshvara (Śiva), the guru is the absolute. Salutations to that revered guru

The Indian government is taking the initiative to merge the two most important entrance examinations. Will this move be revolutionary, or just another failed attempt to modernize the education?

This is not a new examination but just an existing examination, Common University Entrance Test (CUET) that will confine the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). University Grants Commission (UGC) chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said on Friday that the government was looking at introducing the integrated entrance exam at the earliest, preferably by next year.

CUET being launched this year offers undergraduate admissions to 90 universities including 45 central universities. Responsible personnel mentioned 1.05 million students applied for CUET, making it the second biggest exam after NEET which received 1.8 million applications. Aiming to reduce the students’ burden, Kumar said, ‘one nation, one entrance’.

“NEET requires biology, physics and chemistry, JEE requires mathematics, physics and chemistry. All these subjects are already in CUET. Therefore, it won’t be an issue for medical and engineering colleges to use CUET scores for admission,” the UGC chairperson said.

Kumar showed concern toward the near running exam dates and said that they won’t make sudden changes, “We don’t want to announce anything in a sudden manner just a few months before the exams” (Kumar).

Experts from various fields would formulate a team and work in progress to make the examination much more viable and feasible. “The committee will work on preparing recommendations for an integrated entrance exam. These recommendations will then be shared with the stakeholders for consultation and feedback and based on that the ministry and UGC will decide the modalities of the exam. A lot of planning has to be done,” Kumar said.

There are possibilities of the examination being conducted twice a year, hence, giving students much better opportunities to bring their best performances to the front. Kumar also said, “We are also discussing if the NTA can come up with its own entrance examination centres in educational institutions across the country that can accommodate more than 300 to 400 students at a time. These centres can be used by educational institutions for the rest of the year,”.

In spite of all the similarities that align with his new examination CUET, the only wall that stands is the fact that the NEET examination is till on paper format and not over a computer based platform. Kumar said, “The question papers of all these entrance exams are strictly based on NCERT syllabus and are in multiple-choice format. NTA uses the same criteria for selecting experts for preparing these question papers. The only difference will be in the case of NEET, which is still OMR-based and not computer-based. Therefore, introducing a common entrance exam will be good both from a logistical point of view and the interest of the students.”

One of the involved NTA officials also mentioned, “Once a committee is formed and it submits its recommendations, NTA will start preparing for the integrated exam.”

The only wait now is to actually see how this excellent initiative runs out in future and whether it will prove itself to be amiable to the hardworking students.

 

 

Going to a new place is stressful in itself and being unaware of its climate can invite more unwanted stress. So, in this article we’ll talk about the climate of the city of Kota so that you can be well prepared. Along with it, we’ll include tips to make your Kota journey easier.

Summers- Probably this would be the time when you would be arriving in Kota. Summers start here as early as the April and then starts to get harsh in the upcoming months. May, June and July are equally hot and bright with massive heatwaves blowing throughout the day. Just in 2-3 days you will realise why along with Books and uniform, the coaching provided you with an umbrella.

Summer tips-

• Carry a bottle of water along with you

• Try to cover your head with umbrella or a cloth.

• Have juice and enough electrolytes.

• Save yourself from heatwave.

• Avoid moving out unnecessarily during the day

Rain- The summers are harsh. And by the end of July or August you would have surrendered to the might of the Sun. And then monsoons will bring relief to you. Monsoon in Kota is heavy. It sometimes rains continuously for a day or two.

Monsoon Tip-

• Umbrella obviously.

• Protect your books and notes from getting wet.

• Do not go to see water rushing through the gates of Chambal barrage.

• Avoid trips to Gaipernath Mahadev.

• While walking on water filled roads keep in mind for open manholes.

• Avoid going near the river bank.

• The sun would be off, therefore make sure your clothes are dried properly. There is a potent risk of fungal infections at this time.

September and October

September would be a mix of both rain and sun. The weather would be nice. You can plan for short trips of sightseeing within Kota this time. Transition to october is beautiful. Looking at the colours of the evening sky in the Chambal water on an October evening would be so peaceful. October slowly welcomes the arrival of the winter. The winds which were previously hot, then became cool and humid would now change to more cool and less humid. Just mark my words transition to October is beautiful. And October late evenings are beautiful too.

Tip-

• Time of going home would be coming near. Just don’t get distracted from excitement.

• Can try chai / coffee on weekend with friends in late october evening.

Winters- The arrival of winter in Kota does not depend on the calender. It usually starts when you come back from Diwali vacations. First the nights will start getting cold. Then the mornings and then at last the noon. Winters till mid December are moderate. And from about new year the nights and mornings start to get harsh. The winter winds directly strike the bones. Days are however not that cold. The sweatshirt provided by coaching is enough to beat the cold during the day.

Tips-

• Protect yourself from cold winds.

• Heavy quilts are not required. Heavy blanket is enough, just make sure cold winds are not entering your room.

• While going out in the night or morning wear proper clothes.

February and March

February will bid farewell to the Winters. Mornings however will continue to stay cold. March will witness Holi celebration. That would be the time you will realise that the tap water is not THAT cold and you can now stop wearing the winter clothing. To keep the fan on or off would be a tough choice to make. Just keep a leg out from the covers and you would be okay.

Tip-

• On a serious note, this is the time when almost everyone stop going to the classes. But the syllabus would still be running. So avoid making this mistake.

April and May

The most tensed time. The weather won’t matter to you now. Exams would be approaching and there would be a lot of things to revise. Just keep calm and focus. Weather now would be little warm. Not too much. Fans will do till the April and then coolers and fans will take over from May.

Tip-

• Just maintain the continuous nature of study.

• Do not demotivate or over motivate yourself.

• Make no changes in the schedule at last time. This is not the time to do experiment with mew schedules. Just continue with your already experienced schedule.

• Eat food on time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Students can credit an 8-month apprenticeship with companies or research institutes in their final year.

• Course catalogue includes – Data Visualization Design, Reinforcement Learning, Industry 4.0, and Algorithmic Thinking in Bioinformatics.

• The last date to apply is August 19, 2022 for the September 2022 term.

• Students who complete the 4-year BS can appear for GATE and pursue an MTech in India, apply for postgraduate degrees internationally.

• Class 12 students can also apply and secure admission.

 

Ranking number 1 in India, IIT – Madras has introduced a viable degree program for candidates without a JEE score. The course offers multifold of eccentricities with multiple entry-exit options via a BS degree in Data Science and programming, the sexiest job of 21^st century (Erik and McAfee). Encapsulating the Bachelor of Science (BS) level, students can do an 8-month apprenticeship or a project with companies or research institutes.

The exit options include a certification, a diploma, and/or a degree. This enhanced pliancy provides students myriad number of choices where they can pursue a degree in Data Visualization Design, Reinforcement Learning, Industry 4.0, and Algorithmic Thinking in Bioinformatics. The students in class 12^th currently can also enroll for this program. On the quirky side, students from any stream can enroll for this program and the declaration contains no age limit whatsoever. The classes are conducted online and hence there is no geographical obligation. Students who completed English and Mathematics in class 10^th are eligible to apply for the course.

The current enrollment numbers sky up to 13,000 students with majority from Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra. In the lines, “The institute is happy to offer this well-designed, contemporary BS in Data Science and Applications degree, which provides access to IIT quality education in an inclusive manner to learners across the country. Data Science is one of the emerging topics. This is a highly employment-oriented program in a domain where the demand is high for skilled resources.”, Prof V Kamakoti (Director of IIT – Madras) laid down the importance of the program. Furthermore, the professor in charge of the Data Science and Applications at IIT – Madras, Prof Andrew Thangaraj said, “As Data Science is a multidisciplinary domain, this BS degree from IIT Madras is open for students from all backgrounds. Students who are pursuing commerce or humanities can also earn a degree from IIT Madras. As content delivery is online and the in-person exams are conducted on Sundays, this degree can also be pursued while attending an on-campus degree or while working full-time.”

This kind of program allows students to study at one of the best Engineering institutions in India without the compliance of going through a bottle-neck competitive exam such as Joint Entrance Examination. The direct impact of this program lays foundation in the rural areas where students can’t afford the expensive amenity of JEE coaching classes. This program offers up to 100% tuition Scholarship which is both need and academic based.

Further, Dr. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Professor In-Charge, BS in Data Science and Applications, IIT Madras, said, “Admission to the BS program does not require qualifying JEE. Unlike any other entrance exam, the qualifying process for this program is very inclusive. The state-of-the-art pedagogy enables IIT Madras to admit all qualified candidates without any restriction on the numbers. With generous scholarships, IIT Madras has created one of the most inclusive models in the country.”

IIT Madras BS program is a rejuvenating opportunity which will accelerate the approach towards the higher studies and incite possible change in people’s perspective towards going to their ‘dream’ college. The IIT madras team is confident that this program will be a viable and exhilarating opportunity for anyone who believes that their love of the life is Science!

Deadline for applications for the September 2022 term is 19th August, 2022. You can apply through : https://onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in/

 

Works Cited

Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee and Erik. “Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Mar. 2022, https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century.

“IIT-Madras Offers 4-Year Degree in BS Programming and Data Science; JEE Score Not Required.” The Indian Express, 2 Aug. 2022, https://indianexpress.com/article/education/iit-madras-offers-4-year-degree-option-in-bsc-programming-and-data-science-jee-score-not-required-8063544/.

The Draft of much-awaited ‘New Education Policy’ of the Government of India was presented in front of the country in the year 2020 which has been implemented in the whole country from the academic session 2022. Its aim is to prepare for the future of this country with the rapid changes taking place in the world nowadays. It is noteworthy that through this, not only the nature and way of the traditional curriculum was changed, but keeping the all-round development of the students at the center, many new dimensions were also enshrined in the new education policy.

On the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the NEP, the university grants commission introduced an online portal with the aim of easier access to education for all and bridging the digital divide and enhance accessibility of higher education in remote parts of the country. The portal will be helpful in providing digital access and make e-governance services available to all the students especially those who are living in the rural India at their doorstep.

The UGC has tied up with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology  to integrate the e-resources with their over 7.5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSC) and Special Purpose Vehicle Centres to offer Over 23,000 higher education courses, including programmes on Artificial Intelligence, cyber security and early childhood care. these courses will be available from the forthcoming academic session of 2022-23. “As part of its efforts in making higher education accessible to all, the UGC has been constantly working in making digital resources available to students in English as well as regional languages,” UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said.

The courses include 23,000 postgraduate courses, 137 SWAYAM MOOC courses in emerging areas and 25 non-engineering SWAYAM courses. There are no charges for accessing these on the UGC portal. These can be accessed for free on the UGC platform.

Students can use these e-resources to strengthen their understanding of their subjects they are learning in their colleges or take upto 40% credit of their courses and store them in the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). These PG courses are in either text or video format like offered by National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). “Degrees will be offered only when the Digital University will be in place. Right now students can earn 40% of their course credits from these courses,” said M Jagadesh Kumar, chairperson, UGC.

 

 

 

 

Amidst global condemnation and cascading new sanctions Russia unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases of Ukraine while a three side attack formation commenced ground invasion. In this unprecedented scenario Ukraine has implemented martial law in the nation and thousands of lives are at stake. As the air raid sirens are blaring frequently in Kyiv, several countries have scrambled to
protect their own interests.

India, for all given reasons, has its own vested interests on both sides of the border and is minutely monitoring the situation.
To understand India’s position and the diplomatic dilemma, it’s important to go
through the statements made before and after the attack.

Earlier today, in emergency meeting of UNSC, India’s top diplomat at UN expressed regret and said that the situation is in danger of spiraling into a major crisis. Notably, he didn’t
condemned Russian aggression. Even when Russia recognized the independence of separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, India didn’t condemned the step.
Later on, when the Russian fighter crafts strategically bombed Ukraine’s capital and
nearby areas and reportedly eliminated Ukrainian air defense power, Ukraine’s
ambassador to India released a statement requesting PM Modi to intervene. The statement read “I think in this case your prime minister can address Mr. Putin. He can address our president. Many times in history, India played a peacekeeping role. We are asking for your strong voice to stop this war.”

I don't know how many world leaders Putin may listen to but status of Modi ji makes me hopeful that in case of his strong voice, Putin at least should think over. We are expecting for much more favourable attitude of the Indian govt: Dr Igor Polikha,Ambassador of Ukraine to India pic.twitter.com/YW4Z985eui

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022

As the day passed by, a build up of India-Russia conversation took the social space
by storm and later in evening the Prime Minister’s office released a statement
summarising the conversation between Modi and Putin. The statement said that
India sensitised it’s concern regarding safety and return of its citizen in Ukraine and appealed for immediate cessation of violence. As per PMO, Russian pres briefed Indian PM on the current situation and India reiterated its long standing conviction that differences between Russia and NATO shall be solved by dialog.

PM Narendra Modi speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pres Putin briefed PM about the recent developments regarding Ukraine. PM reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia & NATO can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue: PMO

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022

Afterwards, In a press conference, when asked if India will stand by US’ policy on
Russia, President Joe Biden said that the US is in constant communication with India and the outcome is yet to be seen.
Now, after being aware of India’s current stand, digging deep into political, strategic and historical ties with both the nations at war will help us figure out Indian role if the crisis continues.

India & Russia

India has always registered its concerns on expansionist policies. PM Modi has time and again stated that the expansionist ideology is the biggest threat to world’s peace. Having said that, there’s no denial to the fact that Russian ‘special military action’ is nothing but pure expansion approach. An attempt to gain control of strategically important land mass is definitely a bigger driving force to this war than the will of Donetsk and Luhansk. Similarly, current Indian government is very specific about Indian sovereignty and it strictly discourages any foreign intervention in its internal matters. But here, Russian intervention in Donetsk and Luhansk is a
clear breach of Ukrainian sovereignty. Policy wise, both these things push India to take a Pro-Ukrainian stand, but hold on! there’s a lot more to look at. There’s a lot more to balance this ethical dilemma. It’s a proven fact that for all good reasons, emotions come last in diplomatic checklist.
Indo-Russian relationship dates back to Soviet Union days. It’s not hidden that
India’s defence infrastructure has a fair share of Russian firepower. From fighter
jets to tanks, from ammunition to missiles, from submarines to guns; ‘Made in Russia’ is stamped on a big portion of Indian defence hardware. The navy giant ‘INS Vikramaditya’ is of Russian origin, frontline air warrior Su-30 MKI also finds it’s built in Putin’s country. The proposed AK-203 rifles are to be made in association of Russia. Russia has been a long-standing partner in areas ranging from nuclear energy to space expeditions.

Though the Russian share in Indian armament trade has seen a slump in recent past, obviously due to India’s will of diversifying its armory and its growing self-production capacity, it still stands around fifty percent.
Here, the notable point is, even after an evident degradation in geoeconomical
terms and lowering trade volume, Russia has never done any strategic harm to
India. PM Modi is one of only four foreign leaders to have been awarded with ‘the order of St. Andrew’, Russia’s highest decoration and this speaks volumes about the common understanding between these two nations. Also, India will definitely try
to stay relevant amidst the growing China-Russia relationship. Indian approach will directly impact Russian strategy in case of confrontation with China. The strategic, political and economical relationship with Russia is the reason behind India’s highly
balanced approach in the current crisis.

India & Ukraine

India’s biggest concern in Ukraine is it’s 20,000 students and nationals, many of
them live close to the action zone are enrolled in different medical universities of Ukraine. India was one of the first countries to recognise Ukraine as sovereign country and Delhi is home to Ukraine’s first mission in Asia. Ukraine is only second to Russia from USSR group in terms of trade with India. India exports pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronic equipment, plastic, oil seeds, grain, fruits, seeds and chemical products to Ukraine which accounts for 438.3 million Dollars and imports vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products and fertilizers which accounts for 2.1 Billion Dollars. Even though India and Ukraine has maintained healthy relations even since the fall of Soviet Union, there are certain incidents
which raise eyebrows, one to mention is Ukraine’s vote against India after its
nuclear test in Pokhran. All in all, India has no strong reason to go against Ukraine. As of now and with a big number of Indians stuck in parts of Ukraine, India will be last to wish any further escalation in Ukrainian territory.

Other Factors

Now, apart from direct interests, India has multiple reasons to support de-escalation. India’s energy security is a matter of concern as the never before rise in crude oil prices will definitely hamper India’s growth story. In 2021, India imported only 1% of its oil and only 0.2% of its gas from Russia, so the direct supply is not an issue but the uncontrollable growth in prices will kick in. Similarly, if the situation intensifies and the crisis leads to Europe, specifically Germany will curtail gas
imports from Russia and in that case other providers will shift the supply to Europe,
hampering supplies to Asian countries and hence will create a shoot up in gas
prices. If the war like situation prevails and sanctions on Russia intensifies, India will be faced with similar choices on taking defence supplies from Russia. Given all these situations, India’s stand of appealing for de-escalation and regretting the situation without taking names seems justified.

The current crisis has challenged Indian ability to avoid an impact on its economy
and future strategies, without taking sides and this needs careful diplomatic
handling, key to which lies in instant de-escalation.

---

Report by Ashish Ranjan

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2021) exam today from 2 pm to 5 pm in pen and paper-based mode. NEET 2021 question paper contained 200 questions from Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology sections, while candidates have to answer only 180 MCQs.

Now, different coaching institutes Will update answer key of the paper. You can access them all  at one place. Right here.

NEET 2021 Question paper

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NEET 2021 Answer Key

1. Answer Key by Goal Institute

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2. Detailed Answer Key By Aakash Institute(Code P3)

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Que&Ans_NEET-2021 (Code-P3

3. Answer Key By Allen Career Institute(Code M2)

4. Answer Key by Resonance (Code N2)

5. Answer Key by Narayana Medical Academy (Code N6)

Complete Answer Key by Allen

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neet-ug-2021-answerkey (6)

NEET 2021 Video Solution

By: Aakash Institute

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HynvKpAhKaQ&feature=youtu.b

By: Etoos India

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFNxGpFoEOc

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the NIRF Ranking 2021 on Thursday listing the top institutes and universities in India this year. The education minister went live from his Twitter handle with Minister of State Sanjay Dhotre and AICTE Chairman Anil Saharsrabudhe to announce the top universities of India. The live recordings an also be seen on YouTube and Twitter.

The top two institutes remain the same as last year in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). IIT Madras has topped the ‘Overall’ NIRF Rankings and the second spot was taken by IISc Bengaluru. The third spot has changed from last year’s IIT Delhi to IIT Bombay.

The number of Indian institutes registered for the NIRF ranking 2020 increased by 20 percent as compared to 2019. In 2020, 3,800 institutes participated in NIRF Rankings. In 2021, the number was 6000.

The top institutes and universities of India are judged on the basis of certain predetermined factors for the NIRF Rankings. These include — Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), Peer Perception.

Please note that depending on the category for which an institute has been judged, their scores may differ. The categories NIRF has chosen in 2021 to rank colleges in are:

Overall
Research
Universities
Engineering
Management
Pharmacy
Colleges
Medical
Law
Architecture

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 20 institutes in ‘Overall’ category

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.76

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 82.52

Rank 4: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 81.75

Rank 5: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur

Location: Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 76.50

Rank 6: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 75.62

Rank 7: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 71.40

Rank 8: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati

Location: Guwahati, Assam

Score: 69.26

Rank 9: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 66.61

Rank 10: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 63.10

Rank 11: Calcutta University (CU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 61.45

Rank 12: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 59.87

Rank 13: Jamia Millia Islamia

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 59.54

Rank 14: Jadavpur University (JU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 58.93

Rank 15: Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Location: Manipal, Karnataka

Score: 58.91

Rank 16: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 58.53

Rank 17: University of Hyderabad (UoH)

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 57.67

Rank 18: Aligarh Muslim University

Location: Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 57.38

Rank 19: University of Delhi (DU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 56.03

Rank 20: Savitribai Phule Pune University

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 55.83

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Research’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 86.48

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.01

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 80.93

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Universities’ in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 2: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 67.99

Rank 3: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 64.02

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Engineering’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 90.19

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 88.96

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 85.16

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Management’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Score: 83.69

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 83.48

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 80.04

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Pharmacy’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Jamia Hamdard

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 78.52

Rank 2: Panjab University

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 77.99

Rank 3: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS)

Location: Pilani, Rajasthan

Score: 75.57

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Colleges’ in India

Rank 1: Miranda House

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 75.42

Rank 2: Lady Shri Ram College For Women

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 69.44

Rank 3: Loyola College

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 69.28

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Medical’ colleges in India

Rank 1: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 92.07

Rank 2: Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER)

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 82.62

Rank 3: Christian Medical College (CMC)

Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 75.33

NIRF Ranking: Top 3 ‘Law’ colleges in India

Rank 1: National Law School of India University

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 78.06

Rank 2: National Law University (NLU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 74.55

Rank 3: Nalsar University of Law

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 72.39

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Architecture’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 82.65

Rank 2: National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut

Location: Kozhikode, Kerala

Score: 76.50

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 76.14

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Dental’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Manipal College of Dental Sciences

Location: Udupi Karnataka

Score: 81.30

Rank 2: Dr. DY Patil Vidyapeeth

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 80.72

Rank 3: Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 78.33

After a lot of uncertainty regarding the conduct of NEET exams, NTA has finally released the dates and the exam is scheduled to be held on September 12, 2021. Registration has begun on the official website and the protocols for conduct of exam has been communicated.
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a national level examination that is important for students who need to take admission in a medical/dental course.

Even since the opening of application portal, candidates are confused about the code of eligibility to be filled.

To be eligible for NEET (UG) – 2021, candidates need to refer to the following for qualifying examination criteria.

CODE: 01

A candidate who is appearing in the qualifying examination, i.e., 12 Standard in 2021, whose result is awaited, may apply and appear in the test but he/she shall not be eligible for admission to the Undergraduate Medical Courses if he/she does not pass the qualifying examination with the required pass percentage at the time of first round of Counselling.
Candidates who have appeared or are appearing at the qualifying Examination with English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology as the main subject and expect to pass the Examination with the required percentage of marks are also eligible to apply and appear in the Competitive Entrance Examination. However, their candidature will be considered only if they provide documentary evidence of having passed the qualifying Examination with the required subjects and percentage of marks.

Code 02

The Higher/Senior Secondary Examination or the Indian School Certificate Examination which is equivalent to 10+2 Higher/Senior Secondary Examination after a period of 12 years study, the last two years of such study comprising of Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology (which shall include practical tests in these subjects) and Mathematics or any other elective subject with English at a level not less than the core course for English as prescribed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training after the introduction of the 10+2+3 educational structure as recommended by the National Committee on Education.
Candidates who have passed 10+2 from Open School or as private candidates shall not be eligible to appear for the ‘National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test’. Furthermore, a study of Biology/Biotechnology as an Additional Subject at 10+2 level also shall not be permissible.
The candidates who have passed 10+2 level with Biology as an additional subject will also be eligible for MBBS Entrance Examination (as per Hon’ble High Court Order No. 2341/-W/DHC/WRIT/D-1/2019 dated 24/09/2019 in the Writ Petition (C) No. 6773/2019. If the institute has to consider an examination of an Indian University or of a foreign/university to be equivalent to the 12 Class under 10+2 scheme/intermediate science examination, the candidates shall have to produce a certificate from the concerned Indian University/Association of Indian Universities to the effect that the examination passed by him/her is considered to be equivalent to the 12 class under 10+2 scheme/intermediate science examination.

CODE: 03

The Intermediate/Pre-degree Examination in Science of an Indian University/Board or other recognised examining body with Physics, Chemistry, Biology /Biotechnology (which shall include practical tests in these subjects) and also English as a compulsory subject.

CODE: 04

The Pre-professional/Pre-medical Examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English after passing either the Higher Secondary Examination or the Pre-University or an equivalent examination. The Preprofessional/Pre-medical examination shall include practical tests in these subjects and also English as a compulsory subject.

CODE: 05

The first year of the three years’ degree course of a recognised University with Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology including practical tests in these subjects provided the examination is a University Examination and candidate has passed the earlier qualifying examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Biotechnology with English at a level not less than a core course.

CODE: 06

B.Sc. Examination of an Indian University provided that he/she has passed the B.Sc. Examination with not less than two of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany, Zoology)/Biotechnology and further that he/ she has passed the earlier qualifying examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English.

CODE: 07

Any other examination which in scope and standard (Last 02 years of 10+2 Study comprising of Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology; which shall include practical test in these subjects) is found to be equivalent to the Intermediate Science Examination of an Indian University/Board, taking Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology including practical tests in each of these subjects and English.

Provided also that to be eligible for NEET (UG) – 2021, the candidate must have passed in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English individually and must have obtained a minimum of 50% marks taken together in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology at the qualifying examination as mentioned in the regulation of NMC & DCI. In addition, they must have got a rank in the merit list of NEET (UG) – 2021 for admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses.

In respect of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (NCL), the minimum marks obtained in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology taken together in qualifying examination shall be 40% marks instead of 50% marks for Unreserved and General-EWS Candidates. In respect of PwBD candidates as per NMC and DCI Regulations, the minimum marks in the qualifying examination in Physics, Chemistry and Biology (or Botany & Zoology)/Biotechnology taken together shall be 40% instead of 50%.

Provided further that the students who have received education abroad and wish to seek admission into medical colleges in India must have passed in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English with 50% marks in class 12 and their equivalency determined by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as per regulations of the Medical Council of India and the concerned University.

The criteria for minimum qualifying marks to be eligible for admission to MBBS courses shall also be applicable to concerned INIs like AIIMS and JIPMER, reads the information bulletin reads.

भारत में कोरोना के मामलों में बेतहाशा वृद्धि के साथ-साथ अलग-अलग राज्यों से वैक्सीन की कमी के खबरों से हलकान आम जनता के लिए रविवार को एक राहत की ख़बर आई। कोविशिल्ड और कोवैक्सिन के बाद अब स्पुतनिक V वैक्सीन को भी वैक्सीन मामलों की विशेषज्ञ कमिटी SEC के साथ साथ ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल ऑफ इंडीया की भी मंजूरी मिल गई है।

#COVID19 | Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved emergency use authorisation of Russian vaccine, Sputnik V pic.twitter.com/lrUH18I9nP

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2021

भारत में हैदराबाद स्थित डॉक्टर रेड्डीज लैब ने इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल किये थे जिससे प्राप्त आंकड़ों के आधार पर भारत के ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल के समक्ष इसके आपातकालीन प्रयोग की मांग रखी गई थी। खबरों के मुताबिक सेंट्रल ड्रग स्टैंडर्ड कंट्रोल ऑर्गनाइजेशन (CDSCO) की सब्जेक्ट एक्सपर्ट कमिटी (SEC) ने इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल आंकड़ो को तय मानकों के अनुरूप पाया है और इसके इस्तेमाल की अनुमति देने की अनुशंसा की है। इस मामले में आख़िरी फ़ैसला लेते हुए सोमवार के अहले सुबह ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल ऑफ इंडिया (DCGI) ने वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन उपयोग की अनुमति दे दी है।

ज्ञात हो कि भारत में भारत बॉयोटेक की कोवैक्सिन और ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी एवम एस्ट्राजेन्का के तत्वधान में सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया द्वारा निर्मित कोविशिल्ड वैक्सीन को पहले हीं आपातकालीन प्रयोग की अनुमति मिली हुई है। प्राप्त आंकड़ो के मुताबिक अब तब भारत में वैक्सीन के 10 करोड़ 45 लाख से भी अधिक डोज लगाए जा चुके हैं।

स्पूतनिक V का निर्माण गामालेया नेशनल सेंटर ऑफ एपीडेमियोलॉजी एन्ड माइक्रोबायोलॉजी तथा रशियन डाईरेक्टरेट इंवेस्टमेंट फंड के संयुक्त तत्वधान में हुआ है। ये कोरोना पर दुनिया का पहला रजिस्टर्ड वैक्सीन है जिसे 2020 के अगस्त महीने में रजिस्टर कराया गया था। निर्माताओं के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन कोरोना रोकने में 91.6 फीसदी तक कारगर है वहीं कोवैक्सिन और कोविशिल्ड कि सफलता दर 80 प्रतिशत के आस-पास है। कुछ मामलों में स्पूतनिक V वैक्सीन लगाने के उपरांत बुखार, थकान, सरदर्द जैसे साइड इफेक्ट्स भी देखे गए हैं, पर जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के साइड इफ़ेक्ट अन्य वैक्सीन के मुक़ाबले कम है। भारत से पहले कुल 59 देश स्पुतनिक V के आपातकालीन प्रयोग की अनुमति दे चुके हैं। बाजार में इस वैक्सीन के दो डोज की कीमत 10 अमिरिकी डॉलर यानी तकरीबन 750 रुपये होगी जो कि फाइजर और मोडर्ना क वैक्सीन के मुकाबले काफी कम है। इस वैक्सीन को 2 से 8 डिग्री सेंटीग्रेड के तापमान पर स्टोर किया जाना है और इसके दो डोज के बीच का अंतर 21 दिन का होगा।

स्पूतनिक V के प्रयोग की अनुमति मिलने के बाद भारत में दैनिक वैक्सीन उत्पादन क्षमता में उछाल आने की संभावना है जिससे मांग और आपूर्ति के बीच की खाई को और कम किया जा सकेगा। साथ हीं, इस वैक्सीन के प्रयोग में आने से अन्य दो वैक्सीन निर्माता कम्पनियों (भारत बॉयोटेक और सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया) से भी दबाव घटेगा।

भारत में रूस के राजदूत निकोलय क़ुदशेव ने भी स्पूतनिक V के प्रयोग की संस्तुति पर हर्ष व्यक्त किया और इसको डीसीजीआई अप्रूवल मिलने की उम्मीद जताई।

We note reports that a committee of experts recommended Sputnik V for use in India. This step would definitely contribute to the efforts of Indian govt to counter #COVID19 pandemic. We hope approval by the DCGI will be completed soon: Nikolay Kudashev, Russian Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/I8POGs5czk

— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2021

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हेल्थ डेस्क के लिए आशीष रंजन की रिपोर्ट।

In an unprecedented move that would have big impact on future of engineers produced in the country, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made mathematics and physics at Class XII-level optional to get admissions to BE and B.Tech courses from 2021-22.

Students who are seeking admission into engineering colleges must have passed 10 + 2 with three of the following subjects:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Electronics
• Information Technology
• Biology
• Informatics Practices
• Biotechnology
• Technical Vocational Subject
• Agriculture
• Engineering Graphics
• Business Studies
• Entrepreneurship

In its handbook AICTE said that candidates will have to score 45 per cent marks, and 40 per cent if in reserved category, in the above subjects taken together. “The universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as mathematics, physics, engineering drawing for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve learning outcomes of the programme,” it said.

The move has proven to be a controversial one with many experts stating that physics and mathematics are absolute essentials for a course in engineering. Many experts have urged AICTE to reconsider its decision.

AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe told that the choice of three mandatory courses as input to engineering has been expanded. “Hence for different disciplines there could be different three mandatory courses,” he said. He said that this would give a lot of flexibility in line with National Education Policy but acknowledged that physics and math are important to understand engineering otherwise a lot of bridge courses would be required.

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Report Based On Inputs from News Agencies and handbook released by AICTE

The second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India has begun. It aims to cover 10 crore people across the country. So far, more than 1.5 core people have received Covid-19 shots.
States and UTs have been asked to keep a vaccination scale-up plan ready which includes the granular weekly and fortnightly plans for scaling up the vaccination sites both within the government and private facilities and also the number of vaccine doses administered.

Eligibility

People who are above the age of 60 and people within the age bracket of 45 to 59 years with specified co-morbidities are allowed to take the Covid-19 vaccine shots.
The government has released a list of 20 comorbidities that are covered for vaccination.

Here’s the list of 20 comorbidities:

1. Heart failure with hospital admission in past one year
2. Post cardiac transplant/ Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
3. Significant Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF < 40%) 4. Moderate or Severe Valvular Heart Disease 5. Congenital heart disease with severe PAH or Idiopathic PAH 6. Coronary Artery Disease with past CABG/ PTCA/ MI and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment 7. Angina and Hypertension/ Diabetes treatment 8. CT/MRI documented stroke and Hypertension/Diabetes on treatment 9. Pulmonary artery hypertension and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment 10. Diabetes (>10 years or with complication) and Hypertension on treatment
11. Kidney/Liver/Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: Recipient/ On wait-list
12. End stage Kidney Disease on haemodialysis/ CAPD
13. Current prolonged use of oral corticosteroids/ immunosuppressant medications
14. Decompensated cirrhosis
15. Severe respiratory disease with hospitalisations in last two years/ FEVI <50%
16. Lymphoma/ Leukaemia/ Myeloma
17. Diagnosis of any solid cancer on or after July 1, 2020 or currently on any cancer therapy
18. Sickle Cell Disease/ Bone marrow failure/ Aplastic Anemia/ Thalassemia Major
19. Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases/ HIV infection
20. Persons with disabilities due to Intellectual disabilities/ Muscular Dystrophy/ Acid attack with involvement of respiratory system/ Persons with disabilities having high support needs/ Multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness.

Registration Process

Registration will open on 1st March-2021

Please convey below message to your parents and other senior citizen members.

How to register for COVID Vaccine for senior citizen

◐ Use Co-Win app, Aarogya Setu app or log on to cowin.gov.in

◐ Enter your mobile number

◐ Get an OTP to create your account

◐ Fill in your name, age, gender and upload an identity document

◐ If 45+, upload doctor’s certificate as comorbidity proof

◐ Choose centre, date

◐ Up to 4 appointments can be made by one mobile number

Other options are also available for senior citizens who are not tech-savvy.

They can go to common service centres and get themselves registered.

A call centre number – 1507 – can also be availed for the same.

 

Eleventh day of February witness the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2015. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is implemented by UNESCO and UN Women, in collaboration with intergovernmental agencies and institutions, as well as civil society partners. The aim of the day is to promote women and girls in science and recognize the crucial and vital role women and girls play in science and technology. Also, the day resonates on the promotion of equal access for participation in science for women and girls.

The exponential increase in the undergraduate degrees of women over the past two decades was appreciated but it still was not able to harness the efficiency and productivity of women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women were holding only half the degrees as compared to men in STEM. This was alarming. Women being the equal participant of the world affairs was lacking behind. At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent). Hence, it caught the attention of the world and an international day was designated for the purpose of bringing women up to their designated deserving place. This was also included in the 2030 agenda for Sustainable development.

The hindrance in women progress might be due to long standing biases and gender stereotypes or various social or economic reasons. But today on 11^th of February let us grab a cup of coffee (if chai, then heaven) and have a look to some of the contributions of women and girls in science.

MARIE CURIE

• Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867–1934) was the first person ever to receive two Nobel Prizes.
• The first in 1903 in physics for the discovery of the phenomenon of radioactivity
• The second in 1911 in chemistry for the discovery of the radioactive elements polonium and radium.
• She is the only woman to win to win the award in two different fields.

ALICE BALL

• American chemist Alice Ball was the first woman and first African American to receive a master’s from the University of Hawaii and went on to become the university’s first female chemistry professor.
• Ball developed a groundbreaking treatment for leprosy — a disease which previously had little chance of recovery and forced victims into exile.
• Prior to Ball’s research on leprosy, the best treatment available was chaulmoogra oil, which was difficult for patients to ingest or apply topically and too thick to inject. Ball developed an easily injectable form of the oil that ultimately saved countless lives and became the best treatment for leprosy until the 1940s.

ROSALIND FRANKLIN

• British chemist and DNA researcher Rosalind Franklin was the first to demonstrate the basic dimensions of DNA strands and reveal the molecule was in two matching parts, running in opposite directions.
• Her data was used by James Watson and Francis Crick to get their research on the DNA model across the finish line, and was published separately as supporting data alongside Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins’ research articles in Nature.

TESSY THOMAS

• Known as the ‘Missile Woman’ of India is the Director General of Aeronautical Systems.
• She was the former Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• She is the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India.
• She has contributed in guidance, trajectory simulation and mission design at the DRDO. She designed the guidance scheme for long-range missile systems, which is used in all Agni missiles.

RITU KARIDHAL

• Dubbed as the ‘Rocket Woman of India’ Ritu joined ISRO in 2007 and was also the Deputy Operations Director to India’s Mars Orbiter mission, Mangalyaan.
• As Mission Director of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, Ritu Karidhal was feted for role in helming one of India’s most ambitious lunar projects.
• She was responsible for detailing and the execution of the craft’s onward autonomy system, which independently operated the satellite’s functions in space and responded appropriately to malfunctions.
• In 2007, she also received the ISRO Young Scientist Award from APJ Abdul Kalam, then President of India.

MANGALA MANI

• Also known as the ‘polar woman of ISRO.
• Mangala Mani is ISRO’s first woman scientist to spend more than a year in the icy landscape of Antarctica.
• In November 2016, she was part of the 23-member team that went on an expedition to Bharati, India’s research station in Antarctica.
• She spent 403 days at the southernmost continent operating and maintaining ISRO’s ground station.

The contribution of women in the field of science cannot be made limited to just these faces. There are several other countless works of women that had went unnoticed or unrecognized from the eye of the world. Yet from the very limited ashes the world gave to women, they have been making it possible to convert theses ashes into the stardust with par elegance. To every beautiful women out here reading this, I wish to say, the world might have stayed rough on you in the past, But if you are reading this, the world needs your help. Take this as an appeal but take this as a humble request, to come forward and be the light which will outshine all the darkness the world has and will see in the future. On this day of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I invite you to come forward and be the momentum which will lead the world.

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Report by Sumit Yadav

Ever noticed how even a casual rash hurts in winters more than it would hurt on a  normal sunny summer day? You must have felt how you start to feel like a really  aged person, and even your body seems to get fatigued more quickly when it’s  cold! An increase in magnitude of joint pains, the worsening of old  injuries… Winter can be blamed for a lot of things! It isn’t your body’s fault or any  sort of medical emergency but rather a very common phenomenon which is  observed worldwide. 

Imagine how you go to your offices, classes and other working spaces in such  throes of this dazzling winter. If you are not a fan of winters, you would just want  to sit in your blanket for the whole day long and have some modern fun like  “Netflix & Chill”, but that isn’t the case for everybody and it doesn’t answer our  problem too. Many of you think of just hovering over internet and look up for answers about “How to get over the winter pain” but generally end with some  really complex things like change in barometric pressure, a decrease in muscle  and tendon elasticity with decreased temperatures, decreased blood flow to the  joints, and even seasonal affective disorder which could make you feel even more  numb and you would end up in blankets.

After going through a bit of already made research, I came up with a more plausible  theory which seems to involve a systematic functioning of our nervous system and some other body parts which make our body capable of dynamicity. Initially it  might seem to be complicated to you but here I have tried explaining this infinitive concept of “Our Nervous System” in a few key terms – knowledge of these will explain the whole problem to you in a snap.

The Nervous System Explained:

The nervous system can be explained with the example of an “information train” which simply runs in your whole body moving from one end to the other. All your  sensation, feelings, desires, impulses, vital signals are transported to your brain (The processor) by your “Nerve Trains”. A really important work, isn’t it? Our  Nervous System consists of the brain, nerves, and the spinal cord. The peripheral nerves carry the impulses through the spinal cord to the brain, where the brain will do  the rest of the processing part. Believe it or not, you won’t have feelings -of pain  and pleasure- without these precious nerves (Alas! that heart of yours plays no  role in it). 

Our sensory organs and nerves send signals to the brain through the spine. Imagine  how frequently you would get tired if every signal that came from all such millions  of sensory points went to the brain for processing. The brain would not be able to  handle such amount of constant stimulation, further causing a delay in processing, and a lag in processing may lead you to death – imagine how it would  be to start feeling the burning sensation when half of the body is already burnt.

So, any impulse that is to be sent to the brain must cross a sensation limit to  bypass the key to unlock the way to the brain, i.e. it may be allowed to travel  through the spinal cord only if it is past that limit. Our brain adjusts the threshold  limit, however, if the sensation remains constant for a longer period of time, supporting the fact that many times you forget where you kept the pen even  when you’re holding it in your hand or how you forget to take your glasses off.  You may not feel absurd or heavily burdened upon wearing clothes as your body  fine-tunes itself for that threshold of stimuli.

The nervous system follows a “Deal or No deal” system – there will be either no  input (sending off of impulse) at all or there will be a complete transmission of  stimulus. 

What is the relation between cold and pain?

Well, the answer lies in the nervous system and it is high time to unfold the truth  of that extra pain. What causes that pain to be felt as more painful is the crossing of the impulse of stimuli above threshold with a greater margin. When you  encounter any pain or other such sensation, it is boosted by the preoccupied  sensation of cold. Since the body is already fine-tuned by the sensation of cold, all it (stimuli) needs to do is to cross that small amount of sensation limit to pass the threshold. This tricks our trustworthy brain, and it combines the stimuli of pain  with cold and treating the impulse to be of higher measure and dispatching  signals for intense pain so that we may be aware of that treacherous substance  that is causing us pain and back off far away from it – this is a life-saving  mechanism at times!

The sub thresholds might also be present in forms of arthritis, old injuries,  fibromyalgia and other conditions that get egregious in such low temperature  conditions of winter.

Are there any other possible reasons too? 

Yes, there are more such phenomena that take place to make this sensation  happen or even make it worse sometimes! The skin in winters gets rigid and  sensitive due to lesser blood supply. This binds up a full-fledged bad experience  when our arms or fingers get hit when they are cold, as compared to when they  are warm, soft and flexible. The blazing wind of winter, exacerbating the  situations, drains all of the moisture content present on our skin (that the body  secretes), making it more vulnerable to the scratches and unnecessary rashes.  

As you might guess, the descendance temperature drops the atmospheric pressure too. People suffering with arthritis often report about excessive pain and  swelling in joints. The lower pressure subsequently leads to enhanced swelling in  the previously inflamed tissues, stimulating pain in those nerves and causing more  pain. The temperature on the other hand shrinks down tissues which causes  stretching in nerves, further worsening the previously spoilt conditions. To your  curiosity, many predict the onset of winters by the pain they start to feel in their  joints or by a general feeling of numbness throughout their body. Although there  has not been scientifically said over the effect on joints with the weather, a  few people behold this as a natural phenomenon that is part of a human life. 

Conclusion:

• The problem of feeling more pain in winters is a common effect and is felt  by everyone around the globe. 
•  We can say that the feeling of excessive sensation of pain is a combined  work of many parts of the body. 
• Although the weather is not a totally certified indicator of joint pains but it  affects our bodies in other ways like making it susceptible to rashes and causing dryness in the more sensitive parts of body (example: eyes) which  causes itching and irritation. 
• The pain is caused due to a cumulative effect of shrinking of tissues,  sensitive nervous stimuli, swelling in previously inflamed tissues (if any),  swelling of tendons and stretching of nerves due to low pressure and  temperature.

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Report by Sashit Vijay

Happy National Girl Child Day! Yes, fortunately the ministry of women and child development initiated the celebration of this day from 2008, to spread awareness on gender based discrimination that a girl faces and to bring change in the attitude of people towards girls.

A very famous quote speaks all about those unpopular people who are & who will be excelling in their lives like anything, “Women aren’t created to do things a man can do, but women can do even the things a man can’t do”.

Today, we are stepping into a hi-tech digital world where on one side, we proudly announce the victory of women in different fields, but, on the other hand, we still have keen interest in knowing the gender of the unborn  child, unburden ourselves from a baby girl without knowing the perks of being blessed with a girl in the world where there’s no field in which women aren’t excelling.

With time, we will understand how tremendously a girl, a woman can perform anything and everything. Even today, there are many amazing women personalities who will leave us amazed:

1. Bhawna Kanth
2. Arunima Sinha
3. Hima Das
4. Seema Rao
5. Smita Sabharwal

Bhawana Kanth:

One of the first women in the list of India’s Female Fighter Pilots. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with her two cohorts, the trio was first selected after the government of India decided to bring women fighter pilots into Indian Air Force.

She was the first female fighter pilot to be a part of republic day parade based on the theme of make in India. Her bravery made the nation proud and women more empowered. In 2020, she was honored with Nari Shakti Puruskar by Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Thus, she is the one who inspires all of us to always look for the things out of the box.

Arunima Sinha:

She is an Indian Mountain climber and a sportsperson who reached the heights of mountains with the zeal and the burning desire for her passion even with the physical disability she is suffering with. She was the world’s first female amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013 and has again set another record by climbing Mount Vinson, the highest peak of Antarctica. She never made her disabilities define her. She is one of the most inspiring woman of the nation, today even with all the amenities we are ready to escape from, to make excuses for her life, her achievements are the biggest lessons to be learnt and inspired from.

Hima Das:

“Dhing express”, is a 21 years old Indian sprinter from the state of Assam. She holds the current Indian sprinter from state Assam. She holds the current Indian national record in 400 meters with a timing of 50.79 s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships.

At such a young age, bringing medals to the nation is not an easy job to do. Hats off to her performance.

Seema Rao:

India’s wonder women, is India’s first woman commando trainer, having trained Special Forces of India for over two decades without compensation. It seems like she has mastered the art of fighting in tight proximity, and is involved in training many Indian forces. She even holds a black belt in Taekwondo and Krav Maga, in addition to that, she has 8th degree black belt in military martial arts. She is also the world’s highest qualified women instructor in Bruce Lee art of Jeet Kune Do. In the country of traditional martial arts, nothing can be more beautiful than seeing her bravery act.

Smita Sabharwal:

“People’s officer”, the youngest aspirant to clear UPSC exam in Telangana, also the first lady officer to be appointed at chief minister’s office. Apart from this, she even motivates women for active participation of women in productive work and in the issues they are facing through. Another most inspiring woman of India.

In a country where girls are regarded as Goddess and never leave anybody down by their performance in any field. Today, women are excelling in every field without any exception. There’s no limit to the achievement of a woman; they are not just matching the pace with men but also leading with dignities.

This will probably never come to end but here’s to the limit ending with a beautiful saying let’s just keep empowering women and celebrate their victory.

“If we educate a boy, we educate one PERSON, but if we educate a girl, we educate a FAMILY”. 

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Report by Sneha Verma

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday said that students will be asked questions in the upcoming board exams on the basis of the revised syllabus. Further, the minister said that engineering and medical entrance tests JEE Main 2021 and NEET 2021 will also be held on the basis of reduced syllabus.

“Those preparing for JEE Main and NEET have doubts in their minds as the syllabus for boards have been reduced. I can assure that you can study based on the revised syllabus and not be at a disadvantage as the JEE Main 2021 will have more options than usual and students who have studied the curtailed syllabus will find questions from the parts they have studied in it,” Nishank said during an interaction with teachers and students of Kendriya Vidyalaya.

"शिक्षा संवाद": Interacting with the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya. #EducationMinisterGoesLive @EduMinOfIndia @PIB_India @MIB_India @DDNewslive @KVS_HQ https://t.co/WZY780Kp9C

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) January 18, 2021

The JEE-Advanced test for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology is scheduled for July 3. The relaxation in admission requirement of 75 per cent marks in class 12 which was announced last year in view of COVID-19 pandemic will be offered this year as well.

For admissions to IITs, apart from qualifying the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced, the candidates are required to secure either minimum 75 per cent marks in class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

While JEE-Main is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, it is considered as a qualifying test for JEE-Advanced.

Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct board exams for classes 10 and 12 physically from May 4 to June 10. Practical examinations will be conducted by schools from March 1. The results of the board exams will be announced by July 15.

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With inputs from Times Of India and NDTV India

In a worrying development, 23 elderly people died within a short time of receiving their first coronavirus vaccine shots in Norway. However, there is no confirmation yet if there is direct correlation between the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jab and these deaths.

Although a direct correlation between the Pfizer jab and these deaths is yet to be established, experts have said that 13 out of 23 people who died showed common side effects of mRNA vaccines such as diarrhea, nausea and fever.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has cautioned against vaccinating elderly people above 80 years of age saying those with a short life span may not benefit much from the jab. The Norwegian regulator further told Bloomberg, “For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences.”

Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian authorities to investigate the deaths in Norway. According to Pfizer, the regulator discovered “the number of incidents so far is not alarming and in line with expectations”.

Experts are of the strong opinion that doctors need to exercise strong caution in vaccinating people in the wake of deaths of 23 elderly people. The Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a recent report that 21 women and 8 men reported side effects. Apart from the 23 deaths, nine people have reported serious side effects without fatal outcomes such as allergic reactions, strong discomfort and severe fever. Seven people reported less serious side effects such as severe pain at the injection site.

Meanwhile, Norway had administered at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines to approximately 33,000 people by end of December.

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Every year on January 12, the country celebrates the National Youth Day to honour Swami Vivekananda. It was on this day in 1863 that the youth icon was born. The day is also known as Yuva Diwas and is observed at schools and colleges with functions, speeches and so. Let’s know more about the monk who underlined the importance of youth making a better nation and changed the world with his modern thoughts.

Born on Jan 12, 1863, in a Bengali family, Narendra Natha Datta was a precocious child who was what we call nowadays, an all-rounder, excelling in music, studies and athletics. His father Vishwanatha Datta was a well-known attorney. As a youngster, Narendra suffered a crisis of faith and met Sri Ramkrishna in Dakshineshwar near Kolkata. He became his disciple and nursed him when he was unwell, even though his own father had passed away and his family was forced into poverty. Upon Sri Ramkrishna’s death, along with other disciples, Narendra took the sannyasa.

Following this, he went on a long journey across India, where he was shocked to see first-hand the appalling poverty of the masses. To fight the malaise of poverty, he chose to bring in effect a ‘machinery’ which would come to be known as the Ramkrishna foundation, which included educational, economic and religious betterment.
It was 1893 that would be defined as his annus mirabilis when he addressed the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago where he presented his Master’s message to the world. His welcoming address there earned him a standing ovation. Here’s the starting of the speech:
Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects. My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.

His speech was so well-received that he spent the next three and a half years in USA and London in the UK spreading Sri Ramakrishna’s message of Vedanta. He finally returned to India in 1897 and delivered a series of lectures here as well which sought to increase religious awareness as instil pride in Indian culture. He also looked to help increase awareness about practical Vedanta. Later that same year, he opened the Ramakrishna Mission, which provided various forms of social service, including running hospitals, schools, colleges, rural developments centres and hostels and also do relief work.

A year later, he acquired land on the Western bank of the Ganga where he built his monastic order that started earlier at Baranagar. Among his disciples were Margaret Noble (Sister Nivedita), Josephine McLeod and Sara Ole Bull. His health deteriorated and he passed away in 1902 but not before changing how the world viewed Hinduism

Core companies are the companies which offer jobs to aspirants in a particular domain which is excelled by them during their academic years. It allows them to explore knowledge and test their abilities. For instance, electrical engineers are offered jobs in companies which deal with power generation, transmission and distribution. Similarly, for mechanical engineers and electronics engineers jobs offered are usually in automobiles, machine design sectors and design of circuit chips respectively. These companies are critical to the economic growth of the country. Thus, they ensure greater stability and job security to the employees.

In other words, it can be said that core companies such as Bajaj, Mahindra, etc. are those companies which do not indulge in bulk-hiring like IT or Sales & Marketing companies. Nowadays after completing B.TECH, engineers are mostly hired by mass hiring IT or Sales & Marketing companies like WIPRO and INFOSYS. It’s a common thing how engineers fail to secure their jobs in the core companies and the main reason behind this is the poor quality of technical education provided by technical Institutes in India, except IITs and some other technical Institutes. Most of the engineering colleges in India provide a substandard education to students.

CP Gurnani, CEO & MD of Tech Mahindra, says that 94% of engineering graduates are not fit for hiring. According to the data provided by the HRD Ministry, India has 6,214 engineering and technology institutions which are enrolling 2.9 million students. Around 1.5 million engineers are released into the job market every year. But the pathetic condition of higher education in India results in inadequate skills which lessens the chances of an individual of being employed. As many as 97% of graduating engineers want jobs either in Software Engineering or Core Engineering while only 3% engineers have suitable skills to be employed in Software or Product Market, and just 7% of engineers can handle Core Engineering tasks. Presently, it’s a common thing how most of the engineers join an IT sector job instead of their core sector and there are a lot of reasons behind it, which are as follows:

• Incapable engineers: After getting a B.Tech degree, no engineer is capable of doing work without at least 6 months or one year of training. This is a burden for companies so they are putting freshers aside with a simple word “experience”. But the point is that if no one will hire freshers then how will they get experience? To gain experience, they need to work, but the funny thing is that almost every company rejects freshers by saying them, they don’t enough work experience.
• Outdated syllabus: The technology is changing drastically but the syllabus of the colleges is not changing linearly. In India, we have a very outdated syllabus for studies in almost every field. How can someone studying old mechanisms and technology can work well in these days where technology changes rapidly? Courses are not oriented towards areas which will be helpful in real-world problems. There is a huge difference between what the need of the job market is and what is included in the syllabus of future employees. Mr. Siddharth Bharwani once said, “The traditional education sector in India has not evolved at the same pace as the industry. The expectations that the companies have from their candidates and the skills that engineering graduates bring in, do not match.”
• Less capable teachers: In institutes, it’s seen that many faculty members have not achieved the level of quality which is required for teaching higher studies students. Teachers just want to finish the syllabus and leave the students. They try to follow a traditional way of teaching which is inefficient. They should motivate the students to focus on learning rather than studying.
• Going for higher studies: Some students just assume in their mind that a Bachelor’s degree is not enough to get a good job and because of this instead of putting the effort in Bachelor’s degree they just start their preparation for Master’s degree.
• The state of the economy also plays a major role in employment generation. Industry insiders say that in a strained economic condition, companies do not want to spend much on training and would prefer candidates with some skills sets who can be made billable soon.
• IT sector development: For the past 10 years, I.T sectors developed all over India and many people got jobs but some core sectors like Electronics, Communication, Mechanical, Electrical etc. so students are not enrolled in this type of core department.
• Below standard facilities provided by institutes: Even in this modern era, our studies are highly rated by theories and marks. In India, many colleges don’t have good labs, ponder how one can make a car just by studying theory!? We focus on theory papers much more in our academics and put the practical aside, then how can one imagine that engineers can face real-world problems? Suppose there are 2 students, one has a very strong theoretical knowledge about making of a transformer and the second student has a piece of practical knowledge about the same thing, according to our education system, the former student is very good as he will be able to get a job because he will secure good marks in exams and the latter student will not! But this is a wrong assumption.
• Lack of soft skills and communication skills: “The lack of ability of the individual to deliver his views effectively at the interview leads to the rejection of even the most brilliant candidate. This is because training institutes do not make an effort to ensure that the candidates develop their skills in a wholesome manner which can contribute towards client-handling and team communication skills”, says Siddharth Bharwani. Even the IT sector requires employees who are fluent and well versed in English but the reality is 73.63% engineers lack in English communicative skills and 57.96% have low analytical and quantitative skills.

• ‘The big colleges’ hype: According to some reports, companies only tend to visit top colleges to hire aspirants and thus usually they neglect job applications of students who belong to not well-known colleges.

Despite all these reasons, lack of innovation and research in the academic years and lack of skill-based education system are the biggest elements behind the unemployment of the engineers. In this 21st century, we are teaching our students in a very old manner. We are focused on ‘studying’ not on ‘learning’, further, theoretical knowledge is rated as higher than practical knowledge and the funny thing is, the practical knowledge provided to engineers is also outdated! Higher education bodies of India need to sit and think about it and have to address this issue as soon as possible because it’s an alarming situation for the development and stability of the nation.

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Report by Devesh

Almost all of us are familiar with a black hole. A region in space time where gravity is so strong that even light can’t defy its gravity. But what if you are on a trip of cosmos and you find a white hole. Not sure, may you find one? Tighten your seat belts, now it’s your turn to explore a thrilling creature of cosmos.

A white hole is a time-reversed black hole or simply white holes are mirror twins of a black hole. in simpler terms, all the properties possessed by a black hole when reversed we simply get a white hole. Both share precisely the same mathematics and geometry, this makes the white hole more interesting. Imagine you are watching footage of black hole just pauses it and rewind it, now the footage on your screen is of a white hole.

A white hole is a sphere of no admission. Even light can’t enter a white hole. It simply means light can only leave the white hole. A white hole can be considered as a sphere whose center is a singularity and boundary is called the event horizon. For a black hole event horizon is a point no exit and for the white hole, it is a point of no entry.

Here we come across a term singularity. What singularity is? Okay, come let’s do some math. Take a sphere of mass 10kg and volume 1m^3.calculate its density. It’s quite simple, 10kg/m^3 is the right answer. What if the volume of sphere tends to zero, its density will become infinite. Now u have a sphere with an infinite density or we can say all of its mass compressed into a single point. This is what we call a singularity. Along with infinite density, it adds up the property of infinite gravity too.

Ideas for the formation of a white hole:

1. A black hole devours every object which comes under its way and shatters it into atomic or subatomic particles. Every object has information in it which get stored in a black hole. Black hole evaporates slowly and gets vanished. As the black hole evaporates, what about all the information within? This is what called black hole information paradox. According to some astronomers, the black hole has a hole inside it which opens into a white hole through a tunnel called a wormhole or Einstein Rosen bridge. Einstein Rosen Bridge is an imaginary shortcut to another universe. White hole let all the information escape in another universe. But what if matter falling into the wormhole will cause it to collapse, closing the passage between the black hole and the white hole. Some astronomers suggest that wormholes are made up of exotic matter. Anti-gravity is one of the unique feature of such matters. Exotic matter repels another object instead of pulling it. Exotic matters may be the cause of our accelerating expansion of the universe.
2. More or fewer things often come in binaries and are complementary to each other like male-female, day-night, dusk-dawn. White holes to feel like a necessary balance to the black hole. When a black hole is in its last stage it eventually turns into a white hole and spews all the matters gathered by a black hole.

3. It have been speculated that big bang is itself a white hole. A bang was a blast which spewed all the raw material of the universe and no one can enter in the bang itself. This bang looks, mathematically at least, much like a white hole.

Feasibility of a white hole:

What do you think the white hole follow the laws of nature, of course not. Every natural reaction is irreversible and highly spontaneous. Every spontaneous reaction follows SLOT (second law of thermodynamics). SLOT tells about the entropy of the isolated system. According to SLOT, if we consider a system as isolated its entropy never going to be decrease. Entropy is a measure of the degree of disorderliness. Black hole follows SLOT but the white hole fails to follow it.

For instance, let’s consider an apple. It has some value of entropy. Now cut into 4 parts, by doing so the randomness of the apple increase and so does the entropy. This is what happens near a black hole. Any object near a black hole undergoes a process called,” spaghettification”. Spaghettigication is a process by which an object would be stretched and ripped apart by gravitational forces. If you are near a black hole, your head and toe experience a different gravitational pull of nearly infinite magnitude and u will shatter into pieces. Now come back to the apple try to fix the apple pieces into a whole apple. You can’t do so, if somehow you managed to do fix it, you are just lowering its entropy. This is what a white hole do, fix all the shattered part of an object undergone spaghettification and spew it into another universe. As white holes do not follow SLOT, the possibility of its existence is quite negligible. Our universe is vast may white holes exist in some part of the universe.

Do white holes exist?

What if you are told, whatever, you are reading is just a fictional description of mathematical imagination. Yaa, that’s true, in the real universe no white holes exist, or more correctly no white holes discovered so far, May it exists. Like black holes, white holes too are a possible solution to Einstein theory of general relativity. Don’t feel disappointed.  There are some evidence which point out the existence of a white hole. In 2006 NASA’S Swift satellite recorded an extremely powerful gamma-ray outburst and named it “GBR060614”. These are the most luminous energetic explosion known to the world till now. The mesmerizing fact of this outburst is that, this burst didn’t happened in the part of the universe where it was expected. Its property is also different from gamma rays observed from a supernova burst. It lasts long for 102 seconds. This outburst was hypothesized to have been an observation of white holes.

If we date back in the ’90s   black hole too was just a paper fantasy. But now scientists had discovered the black hole and successfully captured its image by telescope named “EVENT HORIZON”. Maybe a white hole too get discovered in near future, maybe not?

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A report by Shekhar

वर्तमान राजनीतिक परिदृश्य में, जहां किसान सिर्फ और सिर्फ एक चुनावी मुद्दा बन कर रह गया है, वहां किसान दिवस की क्या अहमियत रह जाती है यह बताना तो मुश्किल है लेकिन वर्तमान समय में भी उस व्यक्ति कि एक बार चर्चा करना तो अनिवार्य है जिसने किसान और उससे जुड़े मुद्दों को कागजी फाइलों से निकाल कर संसद से लेकर सड़क तक एक ज्वलंत मुद्दा बना दिया। वह नेता जो किसानों के दिल के इतना करीब था, उनके मुद्दों से इतना जुड़ा हुआ था कि उसके जन्मदिन को देश ने किसान दिवस के रूप में मनाना शुरू कर दिया, हम बात कर रहे है भारत के पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री और देश के खेत खलिहानों से निकल कर संसद तक का सफर करने वाले किसानों के प्रिये नेता, चौधरी चरण सिंह की। चौधरी चरण सिंह ही वह व्यक्ति थे जिन्होंने किसान के जुड़े मुद्दों पर खुल कर बोलना शुरू किया और इसे चंद फाइलों से निकाल कर देश के राजनीतिक पटल पर कुछ इस तरह स्थापित किया कि आज भी देश का राजनीति और चुनाव बिना इस चूल्हे में अपने वादों की रोटी सेके आगे नहीं बढ़ पाता। हालांकि इसी सिक्के का दूसरा पहलू ये भी है कि चरण सिंह ने इस मुद्दे को भले ही इसलिए मुख्य पर्दे पर लाया हो क्युकी वो उस परिवेश से भली भांति परिचित थे और अपने तरफ़ से किसानों के बेहतरी के लिए पूरा प्रयास भी किया हो लेकिन उनको इस बात का तनिक भी अंदाजा नहीं रहा होगा कि किसानों का यह मुद्दा आने वाले दिनों में राजनीतिक दलों के सत्ता के भूख को मिटाने वाली एक रोटी मात्र बन कर रह जाएगी। चरण सिंह एक कांग्रेसी थे लेकिन इसके बावजूद भी पंडित नेहरू से उनके कई मुद्दों पर मतभेद थे और वो खुल कर कहा करते थे कि पंडित जी को किसानों के वास्तविक हालत और जमीनी हकीकत का तनिक भी अंदाजा नहीं है। यही नहीं जब पंडित नेहरू ने देश में सहकारी खेती को बढ़ावा देने का विचार किया तो चरण सिंह उनके विरोध में उतरने वाले सबसे मुखर आवाज थे, पंडित नेहरू को भी उनके कद का अंदाजा था और उन्होंने भी अपने इस विचार को जाने दिया। चरण सिंह कि विचारधारा आरंभ से ही शोषित,गरीब, मजदूरों और किसानों के हित से जुड़ी थी और इसका एक बहुत बड़ा प्रमाण तब मिला जब 1952 में उन्होंने जमींदारी उन्मूलन विधेयक पारित किया, इससे नाराज होकर उस समय करीब 27000 पटवारियों ने इस्तीफा दे दिया, लेकिन चरण सिंह इससे घबराए नहीं, उन्होंने नए तरीके से पटवारियों कि भरती शुरू कि जिन्हें आज लेखपाल कहा जाता है, इसमें उन्होंने 18% सीट हरिजनों के लिए आरक्षित किया। चरण सिंह को देश भले ही एक मजबूत प्रधानमंत्री के रूप में याद न रखे लेकिन एक सशक्त किसान नेता कि उनकी छवि हमेशा बनी रहेगी। आज जब देश में किसान और सरकार आमने सामने खड़ी है ऐसे में किसानों को एक मजबूत नेतृत्व के लिए चरण सिंह कि कमी जरूर खल रही होगी, एक ऐसे नेता कि कमी जो अपने किसी भी व्यक्तिगत स्वार्थ को दरकिनार कर किसानों के मुद्दों और उनके हितों के लिए किसी भी चुनौती से टकराने का माद्दा रखता हो। देश में जब वर्तमान परिस्थिति ऐसी हो कि एक साल में (2019 में) देश ने 10,281 किसान आत्महत्या करता है, अर्थात प्रत्येक घंटे करीब 1 किसान, उनके मसलों को सिर्फ एक चुनावी मुद्दा से आगे बढ़ा कर मुखर रूप से देश के पटल पर रखने के लिए और उसके समाधान के लिए देश एक मजबूत किसान नेता के कमी को निश्चित ही महसूस कर रहा है।
देश कि संसद ने 20 सितंबर 2020 को 3 कृषि विधेयक को पारित किया जो अब कानून बन चुके हैं, देश के कई हिस्सों में इसका विरोध होना शुरू हुआ, इन कानूनों को लेकर दोनो तरफ़ से अपने अपने पक्ष रखे जा रहे हैं, सरकार का कहना है कि देश की तकरीबन 70% आबादी प्रत्यक्ष अथवा परोक्ष रूप से कृषि पर आर्थिक रूप से निर्भर है, इसके बाबजूद भी अर्थवयवस्था में कृषि का योगदान मात्र 16% है, अतः इसके योगदान को बढ़ाने के लिए एक ‘टोटल रिफॉर्म’ कि जरूरत है और ये सारे कानून इस दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है, वहीं किसान संगठन इन कानूनों से अपने लिए पैदा होने वाले संकटों को लेकर आंदोलन कर रहे है। यह आवश्यक है कि दोनों तरफ के बातों को समझा जाए और फिर यह निर्णय लिया जाए की किस पक्ष को किस मुद्दे पर बात करनी चाहिए और किस प्रकार इस गतिरोध को खत्म किया जाए।
(1)कृषि उपज व्यापार और वाणिज्य (संवर्धन और सरलीकरण) कानून, 2020—- यह कानून किसानों और व्यापारियों को अपना फसल APMC के मंडियों के बाहर देश के किसी भी कोने में बेचने को छूट देती है, बिना किसी रोक टोक के वे एक राज्य से दूसरे राज्य में जा कर अपना फसल बेच सकते हैं, किसानों के लाभ को बढ़ाने के लिए मार्केटिंग और ट्रांसपोर्ट खर्च को कम किया जाएगा, अगर किसान मंडी के बाहर फसलों को बेचता है तो उस पर कोई टैक्स नहीं लगेगा, किसान बिना किसी बिचौलिए के अपना फसल बेच सकते हैं, मंडियों के इतर किसान अपना फसल सीधे कोल्ड स्टोरेज, वेयरहाउस अथवा प्रोसेसिंग यूनिट वालों को बेच सकते है तथा इलेक्ट्रॉनिक व्यापार को बढ़ाने के लिए एक सुविधाजनक ढांचा का विकास किया जाएगा।
(2)कृषक (सशक्तिकरण व संरक्षण) कीमत आश्वासन और कृषि सेवा पर करार कानून, 2020—- यह कानून देश में कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग को बढ़ावा देने के लिए एक बेहतर और राष्ट्रीय स्तर कि प्रणाली बनाए जाने कि बात करता है, इसके तहत छोटे किसान भी किसी बड़े निर्यातक, व्यापारी, फार्म अथवा कोल्ड स्टोरेज वालों से कॉन्ट्रैक्ट लेकर कृषि कर सकते है जिसमे उनके फसल कि कीमत पहले से ही निर्धारित होगी, फसल कि कीमत बढ़ने कि परिस्थिति में किसान को भुगतान नए बढ़े हुए कीमतों पर किया जाएगा, इस प्रकार किसान बाजार के अनिश्चितता के खतरो से बाहर रहेगा और उसे बीज कि आपूर्ति, तकनीकी मदद और फसल बीमा इत्यादि आसानी से प्राप्त होगी। इसके अतिरिक्त किसी भी तरह के विवाद को 30 दिनों के भीतर SDM के द्वारा हल किए जाने कि व्यवस्था कि गई है और साथ ही कृषक उत्पाद समूह (FPO) का निर्माण किया जाएगा जो छोटे किसानों के हितों की रक्षा करेगा।
(3) आवश्यक वस्तु (संशोधन) कानून, 2020—- इस कानून के मदद से अनाज, दलहन, तेलहन, खाद्य तेल, आलू और प्याज को युद्ध, प्राकृतिक आपदा, दामों में अत्यधिक वृद्धि जैसी आपातकालीन स्थिति को छोड़ कर कभी भी मनचाही मात्रा में भंडारित किया जा सकेगा अर्थात अब इन सब को आवश्यक वस्तुओं के सूची से बाहर कर दिया गया है। सरकार का कहना है कि इससे कृषि के आधारभूत ढांचे में निवेश बढ़ेगा, एक बेहतर बाजार का विकास होगा जिससे खाद्य वस्तुओं के बर्बादी को कम किया जा सकेगा।
ये तीनों ही कानून अपने आप में बेहतर मालूम पड़ते है और ऐसा लगता है कि कृषि क्षेत्र के आधारभूत संरचनाओं में परिवर्तन के लिए बेहतर साबित होंगे, लेकिन ऐसे में यह सवाल उठता है कि आखिर इन कानूनों का विरोध क्यों किया जा रहा है, ऐसे में तीनों कानूनों को लेकर किसान संगठनों के बीच जो डर है उन्हे समझना भी आवश्यक है, अतः यहां हम एक एक करके तीनों कानून को लेकर किसानों के रोष का कारण जानने का प्रयास करेंगे।

कृषि उपज व्यापार और वाणिज्य (संवर्धन और सरलीकरण) कानून, 2020

वर्तमान में FCI राज्य सरकार के साथ मिल कर बिचौलियों के मदद से मंडिया लगता है जहां किसान न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य पर अपना फसल बेचता है। सरकार फसल कटने से पहले CACP के सिफारिश पर न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य (MSP) कि घोषणा करती है, हालाकि सिर्फ 6% किसान ही अपना फसल MSP पर बेच पाते है। किसानों का कहना है कि नए कानून के आने से APMC कि मंडी बंद हो जाएगी और न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य भी खत्म कर दिया जाएगा। बाजार में निजी कंपनियों के आने से शुरुआत में तो किसानों को फायदा होगा लेकिन कुछ समय बाद बाजार पर निजी कंपनियों का ही एकाधिकार हो जाएगा और वो अपनी मनमानी शर्तों पर बाजार चलाएंगे। किसानों का यह डर वाजिब इस कारण भी प्रतीत होता है क्युकी जब बाजार में निजी कंपनी आएगी तो वो बड़ी कीमतों पर फसल खरीदेगी और ऐसे में कोई भी किसान मंडी में अनाज नहीं बेचेगा जिससे मंडी व्यवस्था धीरे धीरे कमजोर होगी और अंत में उसका हाल वहीं हो जाएगा तो निजी टेलीकॉम कंपनियों के आने से बीएसएनएल का हो गया। वैसी परिस्थिति में बाजार निजी कंपनियों के द्वारा नियंत्रित किया जाएगा और वो मनमानी कीमतों पर फसल खरीद करेंगे। चुकी मंडी में बेचने पर टैक्स लगता है और नए कानून के मुताबिक बाहर बेचने पर टैक्स नहीं लगेगा, इसलिए सब कोई अपना फसल मंडी के बाहर ही बेचेंगे जिससे मंडियों का ढांचा कमजोर होगा और ये बंद होने के कगार पर पहुंच जाएगी। नए कानून में एमएसपी का जिक्र ना होने से किसान घबराए हुए है, हालाकि यह सच है कि एमएसपी कभी भी कानून नहीं था, सरकार स्वामीनाथन आयोग के सिफारिशों के अनुसार हर साल एमएसपी की घोषणा करती है, अब किसान चाहते हैं कि एमएसपी को लेकर कानून बनाया जाए जिससे ये सुनिश्चित हो सके कि निजी कंपनियां अपने मनमानी कीमतों पर फसल ना खरीद पाए।

कृषक (सशक्तिकरण व संरक्षण) कीमत आश्वासन और कृषि सेवा पर करार कानून, 2020

इस कानून को लाकर कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग को बढ़ावा देने कि बात कि गई है लेकिन किसानों का कहना है कि छोटे किसान,जिनकी संख्या भारत के कुल किसानों का लगभग 85% है, ये किसान प्रायोजकों से बात चीत करने में, अपनी राय रखने में तथा फसलों के खरीद बिक्री पर चर्चा करने में कमजोर होंगे, उनका ये भी कहना है कि बड़ी कंपनियां शायद छोटे किसानों को तबज्जों ना दे और चुकी मंडी बंद होने का डर उन्हें है ही, ऐसे में छोटे किसानों के पास अपनी फसल कम कीमत पर या यूं कहे कि कंपनियों के शर्तों पर बेचने के अलावा और कोई रास्ता नहीं होगा, साथ ही किसी भी तरह के विवाद के परिदृश्य में किसानों के मुकाबले प्रायोजक मजबूत स्थिति में होंगे। चुकी विवादों के निपटारे के लिए एसडीएम के पास शिकायत करने का विकल्प दिया गया है लेकिन किसानों को डर है कि ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में बड़ी कंपनियां और अधिकारी आपस में मिली भगत करके किसानों के हक को दवा सकते है ऐसे में विवादों के निपटारे का कोई ठोस विकल्प किसानों के सामने नहीं सूझता है।

 आवश्यक वस्तु (संशोधन) कानून, 2020

इस कानून के मदद से अनाज, दलहन, तेलहन, खाद्य तेल, आलू और प्याज जैसी वस्तुओं को आवश्यक वस्तुओं के सूची से बाहर रखा गया है और सामान्य दिनों में इनका अब किसी भी हद तक भंडारण किया जा सकता है, अब ऐसे में कंपनियां, कोल्ड स्टोरेज या वेयरहाउस वाले लोग बाजार को अपने हिसाब से नियंत्रित करेंगे, साधारण सी बात है जो बाजार पर नियंत्रण रखेगा वो दाम पर नियंत्रण करेगा, मनचाही भंडारण के सूरत में किसानों को कम कीमत पर फसल बेचने पर मजबूर किया जा सकता है साथ है बाजार में उन्ही सामानों को मनचाही कीमतों पर बेचा जा सकता है।
कई जगहों पर ऐसा कहा जा रहा है कि इन कानूनों का विरोध कुछ चुनिद्दा राज्यों में ही क्यों हो रहा है, उसका कारण यह है कि पंजाब, हरियाणा, राजस्थान ये अब वैसे राज्य है जहां ज्यादातर किसान एमएसपी की कीमतों पर सरकारी मंडी में जा कर अनाज बेचते है, अतः उन्हें एमएसपी और मंडी का डर सबसे ज्यादा है और वे मुखर रूप से इसका विरोध कर रहे हैं। बिहार में इन मंडियो को खत्म करने से उत्पन्न दुष्परिणाम देश के सामने है, दूसरे राज्य के किसानों को भी ऐसा ही डर सता रहा है और इसी कारण से ये लोग तीनों कृषि कानूनों को वापस लेने, एमएसपी के ऊपर कानून बनाए जाने, स्वामीनाथन आयोग के सिफारिश को पूरी तरह से लागू करने, एनसीआर और उससे जुड़े क्षेत्रों में एयर क्वालिटी मैनेजमेंट से जुड़े अध्यादेश को रद्द करने, कृषि कार्यों में उपयोग होने वाले डीजल के दाम में 50% कि कटौती करने आदि मांगो को लेकर देश भर में और विशेष कर दिल्ली से सटे सिंघू बॉर्डर पर आंदोलन कर रहे हैं।
किसानों के आंदोलन के जवाब में सरकार के तरफ से कई तरह कि सफाई दी गई और बातचीत भी कि गई लेकिन अभी तक सभी कोशिश नाकाम ही साबित हुई है। सरकार का कहना है कि एमएसपी जारी रहेगी और इसके उपर वो लिखित में देने को भी तैयार है साथ कि एपीएमसी कि मंडी भी लगती रहती और किसान अगर चाहे तो एमएसपी पर अपनी फसल मंडी में भी बेच सकते है, नए कानून सिर्फ किसानों को अपना फसल बेचने के लिए नए रास्ते प्रदान करता है, इससे मंडिया बंद नहीं होगी। इसके साथ ही सरकार का कहना है कि कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग के सूरत में किसान फसल कि कीमत अपने अनुसार बिना किसी दवाब के तय करेगा और पैसों का भुगतान उसे 3 दिन के भीतर हो जाएगा, साथ ही छोटे किसानों के हितों के रक्षा के लिए किसान संगठनों का निर्माण भी किया जाएगा, इसके अतिरिक्त फसल खरीदने वाली कंपनियां खुद खेतों से फसल ले जाएगी किसानों को किसी भी प्रकार का का खर्च यातायात के साधनों में नहीं करना पड़ेगा और किसी भी प्रकार के विवाद के निपटारे के लिए स्थानीय स्तर पर पारदर्शी ढांचा का विकास किया जाएगा। हालांकि सरकार के इन वादों के बावजूद किसान संगठन अपनी मांग छोड़ने को राजी नहीं है और मजबूती से अपने मांगो को लेकर आंदोलन में डटे हुए हैं।
ऐसा नहीं है कि इस प्रकार के कृषि कानून देश में पहली बार लाए गए है, इससे पहले साल 2017 में भी एक इसी तरह का कृषि कानून लाया गया था जिसमें साल 2022 तक किसानों कि आय दो गुनी करने के लक्ष्य से कई तरह के प्रावधान किए गए थे। लेकिन ऐसे में बड़ा सवाल यह है कि आखिर इन नए कृषि कानूनों में ऐसा क्या हो गया कि अन्नदाता आज अपनी मांग को दिन रात एक कर के सड़क पर बैठा है। वह किसान जो चुनावी मौसम में एक ऐसा घोड़ा होता है जिस पर सवार हो कर हर कोई अपनी राजनीतिक महतवाकांक्षा कि रेस को जितना चाहता है, आज उसकी आवाज को दिल्ली के कानों तक पहुंच क्यों नहीं रही है? आखिर क्यों उसका भरोसा अपनी ही चुनी हुई सरकार और उसी सरकार द्वारा किसानों के हित कि बात कहकर लाए गए कानून पर नहीं है? यह निश्चित तौर पर सरकार और किसानों के बीच संचार कि कमी का परिणाम है। यह तय करने का वक्त नहीं है कि कौन अपने जगह कितना सही और कितना गलत है, यह समय है जल्द से जल्द किसानों और सरकार के बीच टूट चुकी भरोसे के बांध को फिर से खड़ा करने कि जो कि लगातार बातचीत से ही संभव है। यह बेहद आवश्यक है कि अन्नदाता और सरकार के बीच विश्वास कि डोर बंधी रहे। किसान अपने खेत में हल पकड़े ही अच्छा लगता है, दिल्ली कि सड़कों पर अपनी मांग के लिए हाथ उठाया हुआ बिल्कुल भी नहीं। सरकार जितनी जल्दी इनका विश्वास, भरोसा,यकीन जीत कर और आवश्यक कदम उठा कर इन्हे इनकी खेतों के तरफ भेज दे, देश के लिए उतना ही अच्छा होगा, बाकी चुनाव आते ही किसान हितों के बात कि चूल्हा तो फिर से गर्म होगी ही और आज किसानों के बिरयानी खाने से जिनको दिक्कत है वो भी और जिनको नहीं है वो भी, दोनों अपनी भूख मिटाने के लिए राजनीति कि रोटी इसी चूल्हे में सेकेंगे। बाकी हमारे और आपके लिए ये बेहद आवश्यक है कि हम अपनी भूमिका तय करे और इस पूरे प्रकरण में अपने आप को कहां खरा पाते है ये सुनिश्चित करे, इसलिए नहीं कि आज किसान दिवस है, इसलिए कि हमारे और आपके शरीर का एक एक बूंद खून इन किसानों के पसीनों से बना है। यह आवश्यक नहीं है कि सभी मुद्दों पर हम किसान के साथ खड़े हो या फिर सभी मुद्दों पर सरकार के साथ खड़े हो, आवश्यक ये है कि हम हितों के रक्षा में और सच के साथ हमेशा खड़े रहे।
जय जवान ! जय किसान !

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Report By: Devesh Kumar

National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. For the budding mathematicians of the country, who want to pursue the field but are unable to continue their higher education due to lack of funds, here is a list of institutes and organisations which offer scholarships and fellowships for students aspiring to make a career in mathematics.

Institute of Mathematical Sciences

It provides doctoral, postdoctoral fellowships for undergraduate, and postgraduate students. The junior research fellowships are awarded to PhD students. The fellowships include a month-long stipend ranging from Rs 25,000 to 28,000. While, for post-doctoral fellowships, the stipend varies between Rs 30,000 to 40,000 a month.

For both junior research, postdoctoral fellowships, applicants need to have a PhD. The fellowships are awarded for up to five years, the duration can be extended based on the candidate’s performance. The candidates are selected through a written test and interview.

Chennai Mathematical Institute

It offers a scholarship programme for its undergraduate programme. The candidates’ eligibility will be reviewed every semester and renewal of scholarship will depend on their academic performance.

The students eligible for a full scholarship will get a waiver on tuition fees and a monthly allowance of Rs 4000, while a half scholarship will consist of tuition fees being waived. Meanwhile, all students will receive an additional monthly scholarship of Rs 1000.

Indian Statistical Institute

It offers six months research fellowships at the postgraduate and postdoctoral levels. The candidates in their first and second year will get a stipend of Rs 16,000 while Rs 18,000 in the subsequent years. The candidates with a postgraduate degree in statistics, mathematics, electronics, computer science can apply for the programme. The interested candidates can mail their applications at scc@isical.ac.in.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore)

It offers an integral PhD programme in mathematical sciences. The fellowship amount offered varied between Rs 16,000 to 35,000 as per the merit of the students. Apart from it, the institute offered fellowships of Rs 31,000 to 35,000 to PhD students, Rs 12,400 to MTech, MTech (residential), MDes programme students. The institute also provides government scholarships, fellowships for selected students who are GATE/JEST/JAM and ME/MTech/MSc (Engg) qualified.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

The Centre For Applicable Mathematics, TIFR has an integrated PhD programme in mathematics, among other doctoral programme. For the integrated PhD programme, the eligible students receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 21,000, while fellowships between Rs 31,000 to 35,000 for other PhD students. The fellowship students also get accommodation facilities. The admission process usually commences in August every year.

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With inputs from The Indian Express

 

Is it real?

According to the general theory of relativity by Albert Einstein, gravity is nothing more than an imagination or illusion defined by us. Let’s debunk the theories or prove ourselves wrong in this piece of writing. Albert Einstein once said that one of his most satisfying works was his thought of the man falling off of a roof (he was not a sadist though). His observations were quirky and appealing. He observed that when a man is falling from the roof, he wouldn’t feel his own weight and that while falling if he drops something that he was holding or observed something that was falling along with him, the items would be stationary with respect to him and that they will fall with same the speed as the man.

Seeing it the way Einstein saw it

Try imagining that you were in a space shuttle in the outer space. Since there is no noticeable gravity there, you will feel weightless ,and anything that you exert force on will continue to move with a uniform with velocity in a straight line indefinitely.

The fun fact is that you will perfectly suffice the soul boundaries of inertial observer, i.e.

• No acceleration
• No gravitational field
• All the laws of physics are applicable

Hence, no way to distinguish your inertial frame from any other. Here comes the climax. Einstein saw these two scenarios to be exactly the same, not only equivalent on papers, but also in physical terms. Stating this, he said that man falling from roof is under no gravitational field and that there is no gravitational field! He said that the man is not accelerating and that he is an inertial observer like the man in outer space.

Woah, what?

Wait, hold up! Are you crazy boy? The man is clearly falling from roof under the influence of gravity and that he is accelerating with 9.8 m/s². With every second passing by, the man would crash harder into the ground, making him realize that things like gravity are real!

I know that these two scenarios might seem way different, but Einstein’ Equivalence Principle points out the portion we need to look out for- The Experience Of The Observer. It is the restatement of the fact that if they feel weightless, then they surely are in the inertial frame of reference.

Now, let’s say that the space shuttle (which we talked about earlier) comes near a planet or any such planetary mass (with appropriate mass). The straight path of the rocket would be disturbed and it will change its course slightly towards the planet. The fun fact is that for the man inside there is no force experienced by him even though the shuttle would be moving with an increasing velocity as it moves closer to the planet. The man in it would be unconscious of this fact. The man still feels ‘weightless’ and for him there is nothing erratic about the journey. Even the accelerometer wouldn’t budge a bar and that the man wouldn’t notice until he crashes onto the planet (his frame is inertial up to the point he crashes). So, can you tell when the switch of frame from inertial to non-inertial happened.

But wait… So

How do you explain the deviation of path in first place?

Are you out of your brain cells? The rocket obviously swayed from its path due the gravitational field of the planet. (or not… maybe… let’s see.)

Here comes the fun, Einstein once explained the phenomena of ‘curved space-time’.  Initially, let’s concentrate on what the man in space shuttle felt – movement with constant velocity in a straight line. As he went nearer to the planet, the path curved, or did it? The crux lies in the fact that he was still in a straight line of the space-time plot, and that near such masses, the space-time graph is curved.

This is the sole reason his path appeared curved to a distant observer.

As Quirky as it could get

You can imagine it in an easier way. The plane tries to accomplish the journey with the shortest route possible, moving in straight line on the globe, but since our planet is a sphere (I know it’s geoid, but let’s keep it simple here), the path appears to be curved when seen on a 2-D representation of earth (basically on world map, written in a complex way to make the article seem nicer.)

These curved paths are called ‘Geodesics’, and the same notation is used to name the curved path followed by the shuttle in the inertial frame of reference. Imagine another scenario. You and your friends, who are 1000km apart in equator travel to north pole in a straight line.

You both will eventually bump into each other at north pole, coming closer as if there was a force acting on you, but you didn’t feel it at all. Gravity is analogous to that force. It doesn’t actually exist!

People think that the bent sheet experiment can explain the special theory of relativity, but it is pretty much misleading instead. It makes us resemble a lighter body falling in the space-time well created by a heavier body, but what we should be thinking is a bit different. It is due to the fact that the space-time is curved around heavy masses that the body starts moving circularly, and not because it is falling into the well.

The quotes by John Wheeler best define the situation, “Matter tells Space-Time how to curve, and the Space-Time tells matter how to move.”

Going Shallow:

Imagine the space shuttle once again. Let’s say that the shuttle starts acceleration with an acceleration of 10m/s². To a distant observer it would seem as if the floor of the shuttle is accelerating into the objects inside it which would presumably be stationary to the observer. Different is the case with the one inside, the observer inside the shuttle would feel a force against that accelerating floor. Isn’t it similar to what we feel on earth? Let me tell you the answer… it is.

As a reader, do you believe that you are an inertial observer, or that you are in an inertial frame of reference? No. The situation you face, or I face is pretty much like the one faced by an observer on that accelerating shuttle, and by pretty much alike, I mean exactly the same, gravity doesn’t exist and you are or we are accelerating! Wrap your head around as it is going to get even crazier.

What The Force!

According to the Newtonian Physics, each body faces an equal and opposite normal force in reaction to the one applied by the gravitational acceleration. The theory of special relativity defies it. According to theory of relativity, there is no such force by the gravity and that there is only a normal, which accelerate you upwards. But I am not moving up or going anywhere around? So, let’s say for a moment that you were moving around due to this acceleration, but relative to what? Everything else around you, say table, fan, floor etc. are in the same frame of reference and that is not inertial. (Relative to everything in the train, you are not accelerating while sitting in it.) So who can see this acceleration? Remember that guy who was falling from the roof, he was in the inertial frame of reference and he could see you moving up with an acceleration of 10 m/s².

So if everything is moving up with us, am I implying that the earth is expanding? No, absolutely not. Here comes the theory of relativity to fill the loop-holes, according to which, it is possible that you can accelerate without changing your spatial co-ordinates. According to the double derivative equation of position for space-time, you need to accelerate, just to stand still in curved space-time.

All of this must be mind boggling, and yes Newtonian physics is easier, but this theory of relativity can explain one of the most basic questions that why all objects fall with the same rate. The way of understanding this was that the gravitational force equals the external force (force = mass*acceleration).

This way we cancel out the mass of the body from both sides of the equation as you can see and the accelerations remains the same. The twisting thing here is that the mass on the left side of the equation, is the gravitational mass (mass that leads to the experience of a gravitational field), while on the right is the inertial mass, then why these two conceptually different properties are numerically equal.

With years of experimenting, scientists have proven that these two types of mass are really the same. Here is the thing about the general relativity theory, there are no such mysteries, all the things fall the same way because they are just following a straight line in the space time and not accelerating.

Einstein really had something wrong in his head. This was as much shocking in 1915 as it is to you guys now. Being a super-human as he was, he came up with a measurable prediction to prove his works. He claimed that if we shone a lit ray from one end of the shuttle to the another (while shuttle was accelerating), the light must bend (the photon leaving at this instant would reach after a certain time to the other end, making up to only the lower point on the other side, hence not a straight line). Although this observation was really microscopic, but it baffled scientists. This showed that an accelerating frame of reference will bend light! Pretty cool, isn’t it ?

So, Einstein reasoned that light must also bend while it passes a large mass. Does it ring any bell? (supposedly with the name ‘black hole’ it might) Well we can talk about it in the next article.

What’s Next with theory of relativity?

The theory of relativity has answered almost all the virtually asked questions, but there are some which haven’t been answered, which aren’t yet logistically feasible to carry out. Let’s talk about one, and let others know in the comments what you think (who knows, maybe you are the one to crack this later). We know that accelerating charges radiate electromagnetic radiation. So here is one conceptually simpler test – comparing the behavior of a stationary in a gravitational field to a free-falling one. According to the theory of relativity, the free-falling charge is moving in a straight line and hence, no acceleration is there; while the one that is stationary must be acceleration to be standing still, and hence it must radiate radiation. So, what do you think will radiate electromagnetic radiation, the stationary one or the free falling one?

So, what do you think? Is gravity an illusion?

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Report By: Sashit Vijay

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday made 10 years of medical service mandatory for post-graduation medical students in the state health department. Anyone failing to complete the mandatory service period and leaving the service would be fined Rs 1 crore.

The announcement was made by Principal Secretary (Health), UP, Amit Mohan Prasad on Saturday. Declaring that if PG medical students in the state drop out of the government job before completing 10 years, they will be fined Rs 1 crore, Amit Mohan Prasad also said that such students will be debarred from the course for the next three years.

UP Government mandates 10 years of service in the department for medical students undergoing Post graduation course in the state. Anyone failing to do so has to pay a fine amount of Rs 1 crore: Amit Mohan Prasad, Principal Health Secretary

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 12, 2020

According to reports, this decision by the Uttar Pradesh government was taken to deal with the shortage of specialist doctors in state-run hospitals and medical establishments.

Moreover, with the present order, those MBBS doctors who have been serving in rural areas for a year would be given a weightage of 10 marks in NEET for PG courses. Similarly, those who are serving for two years in rural areas would get a weightage of 20 marks and those who have completed three years of service in rural areas would get a benefit of 30 marks. These doctors would also be allowed to take admission in any diploma along with a PG course.

In 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had introduced two years Compulsory Rural Service Bond also in medical courses.

As per the guidelines, MBBS/BDS students must fill a designated bond of Rs 10 lakh, MD/MS students Rs 40 lakh, PG Diploma/MDS students Rs 20 Lakh, and DM/MCh students Rs 1 crore, in case any medical student acts contrary to the bond.

This rule was passed in compliance with the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill which was passed to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body.

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भारत के प्रधानमंत्री ने शनिवार को हैदराबद, पुणे और अहमदाबाद में कोविड-19 के वैक्सीन निर्माण के प्रक्रिया का जायज़ा लिया। अहमदाबाद स्थित जाइडूश बॉयोटेक पार्क, हैदराबाद स्थित भारत बॉयोटेक लैब और पुणे स्थित सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया में रिव्यू विजिट के दौरान प्रधानमंत्री ने विशेषज्ञों से टीकाकरण से जुड़े बारीक़ पहलुओं पर चर्चा की।

Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility. pic.twitter.com/PvL22uq0nl

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2020

भारत समेत पूरा विश्व कोविड-19 की समस्या से जूझ रहा है और अब राहत की इकलौती उम्मीद वैक्सीन से ही है। अलग-अलग देशों में वैक्सीन के अलग-अलग चरणों का ट्रायल चल रहा है और एक्सपर्ट्स के मुताबिक जल्द हीं सफलता मिलने की उम्मीद है। संक्रमण के लगातार बढ़ते मामलों से त्रस्त आम जन के मन में सबसे बड़ा सवाल है कि आखिर उन्हें कोरोना से निजात दिलाने वाली वैक्सीन कब मिलेगी?

अंडर ट्रायल वैक्सीनों की फेहरिस्त में जो पाँच वैक्सीन सफलता के सबसे करीब है, हमने इस रिपोर्ट में उनपर तफ़सील से जानकारी देने का प्रयास किया है।

MODERNA mRNA 1273

सूची में सबसे पहला नाम है MODERNA-mRNA 1273 का जिसका अमेरिका की ‘नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ एलर्जी एन्ड इन्फेक्शस डिजीज’ के सहयोग से ट्रायल चल रहा है। ह्यूमन ट्रायल के फेज में पहुंचने वाली ये कोरोना की पहली वैक्सीन है। तकरीबन 30 हज़ार अमेरिकी नागरिकों ने इसके ट्रायल के लिए अपना नाम दिया और कई स्टेज की ट्रायल्स के बाद आये आंकड़े उत्साहवर्धक है। बिना किसी साइड इफेक्ट वाली ये वैक्सीन ह्यूमन ट्रायल के दौरान 94.5 फीसदी तक कारगर रही। एक्सपर्ट्स के मुताबिक़ इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत 35 अमेरिकी डॉलर यानी कि लगभग 2600 रुपये होगी। इस वैक्सीन के अमेरिकी बाज़ार में उतारे जाने के तारीखों का ऐलान होना अभी बाकी है।

Pfizer

इस सूची में दूसरी वैक्सीन है फ़ाइजर (Pfizer)। अमेरिकी फार्मा कम्पनी फ़ाइजर और जर्मन फार्मा कम्पनी बायो एन्ड टेक ने मिल कर इस वैक्सीन को तैयार किया है। स्वास्थ्य मामलों के जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के सबसे पहले प्रयोग में आने की संभावना है। निर्माता कम्पनियों के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन 95 फीसदी तक कारगर है और दिसंबर 2020 तक इसके 5 करोड़ डोज तैयार हो जाएंगे, वहीं अगले साल तक एक अरब तीस करोड़ डोज तैयार करने की योजना है। इस वैक्सीन के भारत पहुंचने को लेकर फिलहाल कोई स्पष्ट जानकारी नहीं है साथ हीं इसके भंडारण के लिए आवश्यक बेहद कम तापमान को हासिल कर इसके सुचारू वितरण को सुनिश्चित करने की प्रक्रिया का सामने आना भी अभी बाकी है।

Sputnik V

इस फेहरिस्त में तीसरे स्थान पर है रूस की गामालेया नेशनल सेंटर ऑफ एपीडेमियोलॉजी एन्ड माइक्रोबायोलॉजी तथा रशियन डाईरेक्टरेट इंवेस्टमेंट फंड के संयुक्त तत्वधान में बन रही स्पुतनिक-V का। ये कोरोना पर दुनिया का पहला रजिस्टर्ड वैक्सीन है जिसे इसी साल अगस्त के महीने में रजिस्टर कराया गया था। निर्माताओं के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन कोरोना रोकने में 92 फीसदी तक कारगर है। कुछ मामलों में वैक्सीन लगाने के उपरांत बुखार, थकान, सरदर्द जैसे साइड इफेक्ट्स भी देखे गए। हैदराबाद के डॉक्टर रेड्डीज लैब को भारत में इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल की अनुमती मिली हुई है और भारत तथा रूस की सरकारें पूरी प्रक्रिया पर नजदीकी से नजर रख रहीं है। स्वास्थ्य मामले के जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन की कीमत अमेरिका के मोडर्ना वैक्सीन से कम होगी।

COVISHIELD

अब जानते हैं ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी और स्वीडिश ब्रिटिश कम्पनी एस्ट्रॉजेन्का द्वारा बनाई जा रही वैक्सीन AZD1222 की। भारत में इस वैक्सीन को ‘कोविशिल्ड‘ नाम दिया गया है। इस वैक्सीन के निर्माण और ट्रायल की प्रक्रिया में पुणे स्थित ‘सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया’ भी सहयोगी है। भारत में इस वैक्सीन के आख़िरी फेज़ का ट्रायल चल रहा है। भारत के साथ ही यूके, साउथ अफ्रीका, अमेरिका और ब्राज़ील में भी इस वैक्सीन का ट्रायल किया गया। ट्रायल से प्राप्त आंकड़ो के अनुसार ये कोरोना को अधिकतम 90 प्रतिशत तक रोकने में कारगर साबित हुई है, हालांकि इस वैक्सीन की औसत सफलता दर 70 फीसदी के करीब है। कई देशों में कई तरीके से हुए ट्रायल के वजह से औसत और अधिकतम सफलता दर के आंकड़ो में बड़ा अंतर नजर आ रहा है। जिन लोगों को वैक्सीन का पहला डोज आधा और एक महीने बाद दूसरा पूरा डोज दिया गया, उनमें वैक्सीन की सफलता का प्रतिशत 90 के करीब रहा पर जिन्हें एक महीने के अंतराल में दो पूरे डोज दिए गए उनमें वैक्सीन की सफलता का प्रतिशत गिर कर 62 रह गया। एस्ट्राजेन्का ने ब्रिटेन के ड्रग रेगुलेटर से 29 नवम्बर को वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन प्रयोग की इजाज़त मांगी है जिसपर आधिकारिक जवाब आना बाकी है। भारत में उपलब्धता की कतार में ये वैक्सीन सबसे आगे खड़ी हैं। सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया ने इसके चार करोड़ से अधिक डोज तैयार कर लिए हैं। सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी आधार पूनावाला के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत सरकार को तकरीबन सवा दो सौ रुपये (3 अमेरिकी डॉलर) और आम जनता को तकरीबन 600 रुपये पड़ेगी। सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट पहले भारत के वैक्सीन जरूरतों को पूरा करेगा फिर इसे अन्य देशों को निर्यात किया जाएगा।

COVAXIN

पूरी तरह से भारत में बन रही अगली वैक्सीन है कोवैक्सीन(COVAXIN). इसका निर्माण हैदराबाद स्थित भारत बॉयोटेक और ICMR की नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ वायरोलॉजी द्वारा किया जा रहा है। इसके पहले और दूसरे फेज के ट्रायल पूरे हो चुके हैं और तीसरे फेज के ट्रायल जारी हैं। इसके सभी स्टेज के ट्रायल्स अगले साल तक पूरे होंगे। भारत बॉयोटेक के एमडी डॉक्टर कृष्ण एला ने कहा है कि इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत एक पानी के बोतल से भी कम होगी।

रेस में सबसे आगे चल रही इन पाँच वैक्सीन का भारत समेत तमाम देश बेसब्री से इंतजार कर रहे हैं। वैक्सीन के लांच की कोई तय तारीख नहीं है और यही बात प्रधानमंत्री ने मुख्यमंत्रियों के साथ हुई बैठक में दुहराई पर सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट के सीईओ आधार पूनावाला के अनुसार दिसम्बर में भारत के ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल से वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन इस्तेमाल की इजाजत मांगी जाएगी। इजाजत मिलने की स्थिति में सबसे पहले कोरोना से जंग में कार्यरत फ्रंट लाइन वर्कर्स, जो कोरोना मरीजों के सीधे संपर्क में आते हैं, को वैक्सीन लगाई जाएगी, उसके बाद सीनियर सिटीजन्स की बारी आएगी। पूनावाला आगे बताते हैं कि आम लोगों के लिए वैक्सीन के अप्रैल में उपलब्ध होने की उम्मीद की जा सकती है।

अलग-अलग प्रयोगशालाओं में अलग-अलग वैक्सीनों के पूर्णतः तैयार होने के बेहद करीब पहुंचने को मद्देनजर रखते हुए प्रधानमंत्री ने सभी राज्यों के मुख्यमंत्रियों को वैक्सीन वितरण का खाका तैयार करने के निर्देश दिए हैं। कुल-जमा लब्बोलुआब ये की अप्रैल के पहले आमलोगों को वैक्सीन मिलना सम्भव नहीं है इसलिए कोरोना से जंग में सावधानी ही हमारा हथियार है। मास्क और हैंड सैनिटाइजर के प्रयोग से कोरोना को हराना सम्भव है और जब तक वैक्सीन आ नहीं जाती हमें इनके प्रयोग को लेकर कृतसंकल्पित होना होगा।

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Colleges and universities across the country were closed since March 16, 2020.

Now the University Grant Commission (UGC) has released new guidelines for reopening of colleges. It consists of several measures that need to be taken, from entry to exit and from hostel facilities to classrooms, everything will be monitored. Colleges and universities need to follow all the guidelines in order to reopen. The Colleges/Higher Education Institutions outside the containment zones may be opened in a graded manner after consulting the concerned State/UT Government.

For Centrally Funded Higher Education Institutions, the Head of the Institution can decide regarding the opening of the institution based on the prevailing conditions and then decide accordingly. All other Higher Educational Institutions, e.g., State Universities, Private Universities etc., can open the physical asses as per the decision of the respective State/UT Government.

Listed below are all the guidelines and the measures issued by UGC to be followed by the educational institutions:

Measures:

1. Universities and colleges may plan opening the campuses in phases, with such activities where they can easily adhere to social distancing, use of face masks and other protective measures. This may include administrative offices, research laboratories and libraries etc.
2. Thereafter, students of all research programmes and post-graduate students in science & technology programmes may join as the number of such students is comparatively less and norms of physical distancing and preventive measures can be easily enforced.
3. Further, final year students may also be allowed to join for academic and placement purposes, as per the decision of the head of the institution.

However, for the points mentioned above, it should be ensured that not more than 50% of the total students should be present at any point of time and necessary guidelines/protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are observed.

4. For the programmes, other than those mentioned in paras 3.3 (ii) and (iii) above, online/distance learning shall continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and shall be encouraged.
5. However, if required, students may visit their respective departments in a small number for consultation with the faculty members, after seeking prior appointments to avoid crowding, while maintaining physical distancing norms and other safety protocols.
6. Some students may opt not to attend classes and prefer to study online while staying at home. Institutions may provide online study material and access to e-resources to such students for teaching-learning.
7. Institutions should have a plan ready for such international students who could not join the programme due to international travel restrictions or visa-related issues. Online teaching-learning arrangements should also be made for them.

Institutional Planning:

1. Institutions should prepare details of opening the campus in a phased manner with a complete roster for all departments and batches of students in different programmes.
2. The institutions must ensure appropriate sanitization and disinfection process and procedures.
3. It should be made mandatory for the Teachers, Officers, Staff and Students to wear the Id cards.
4. The faculty, student, staff should be screened regularly to protect and avoid infecting one another.
5. All preventive measures, preparedness and necessary support system to deal with the COVID -19 positive cases should be monitored and reported to local authorities on a day to day basis.
6. Teaching hours in a day may be extended, as per requirements of the institution.
7. Six-day schedule may be followed so that classes can be conducted in phases and the seating arrangement be made keeping in view the requirements of physical distancing.
8. Universities and colleges may consider reducing the class size and break them in multiple sections to maintain physical distancing during the classes.
9. Depending on the availability of space in class rooms or learning sites, up to 50% students may be allowed on a rotation basis to attend the classes.
10. Faculty should be trained for online teaching-learning practices.
11. The visitors should either not be allowed at all or their entry should be drastically restricted. The conditions of the entry for visitors should be strictly laid down and displayed on the entry point(s). Complete contact details of the visitors be maintained along with the names of persons whom he/ she meets.
12. There should be adequate isolation arrangements for those having symptoms and also for those who test positive for COVID-19 (however the two need to be kept separately), either at the level of the institution or in collaboration with the Government authorities.

Safety Measures at Entry/ Exit Point(s):

1. Adequate arrangements of thermal scanners, sanitizers, and face masks should be made available at all entry and exit points, including the reception area.
2. Crowding must be avoided at entry/ exit points. Staggered timings of entry and exit with limited strength for different programmes should be followed.
3. For ensuring queue management, inside and outside the premises, specific markings on the floor with a gap of 6 feet may be made and be adhered to.
4. In case the institution has more than one gate for entry/ exit, all the gates should be used, with adequate care, to avoid crowding.
5. Monitoring of the entry and exit of the students should be done.
6. Screening of students, faculty and staff, wearing of face covers/ mask, sanitizing of hands etc. must be ensured at all entry points.
7. Those having symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty in breathing should not be allowed to enter.

Safety Measures during Working Hours

Classrooms and other Learning Sites:

1. Proper sanitization at all learning sites should be ensured. Cleaning and regular disinfection (using 1% sodium hypochlorite) of frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, chairs, benches, washroom fixtures, etc.) to be made mandatory in all class rooms, laboratories, (and also) lockers, parking areas, other common areas etc. before the beginning of classes and at the end of the day. Teaching materials, computers, laptops, printers, shall be regularly disinfected with 70% alcohol swipe.
2. Sitting places in classes, laboratories, computer labs, libraries etc. should be clearly marked, keeping in view the norms of physical distancing. At least one seat should be left vacant between two seats.
3. Wearing face cover/ mask is a must at all times and at all places inside the campus.

Inside the campus:

1. Cultural activities, meeting etc. may be avoided. However, such extra-curricular and sports activities may be allowed where physical distancing is feasible and is in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines, issued under Disaster Management Act, 2005 from time to time.
2. Adequate arrangements for safe drinking water should be made on the campus.
3. Hand washing stations with facilities of liquid soap should be created so that every student can wash her/ his hands frequently.
4. Regular and sufficient supply of face covers/ masks, heavy duty gloves, disinfecting material, sanitizer, soaps etc. to sanitation workers should be ensured.
5. Wearing of face cover/ mask by all students and staff should be ensured.
6. Proper cleanliness should be maintained inside the entire campus.
7. Arrangements should be made for sanitizing the entire campus, including administrative and academic buildings, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, common rooms, toilets, water stations, furniture, learning material, teaching aids, sports equipment, computers etc.
8. Physical distancing should be maintained at all places and crowding must not be allowed at any place under any circumstances.
9. An adequate supply of water in toilets and for hand- washing should be ensured.
10. Proper sanitization of buses, other transport and official vehicles of the institution should be done.
11. Spitting in the campus must be made a punishable offence.
12. Dustbins must be cleaned and covered properly.
13. Dustbin for collection of used facemasks, personal protective equipment, hand gloves and their disposals should be ensured as per safety norms. Provision for proper disposal of used personal protection items and general waste should be followed in accordance with CPCB guidelines
14. For air-conditioning/ventilation, the guidelines of CPWD shall be followed which emphasizes that the temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-30oC, relative humidity should be in the range of 40-70%, intake of fresh air should be as much as possible and cross ventilation should be there.

Hostels:

1. Hostels may be opened only in such cases where it is necessary while strictly observing the safety and health preventive measures. However, the sharing of rooms may not be allowed in hostels. Symptomatic students should not be permitted to stay in the hostels under any circumstances.
2. Since residential students may be coming from different locations, they shall remain in quarantine and self-monitor their health for a period of 14 days before being allowed to attend classes or as per the policy opted by the State Government for quarantine (even if they bring a negative test report or the university/college plan to test them on arrival).
3. There should be no crowding in hostel areas where students live in close proximity and share common facilities and utilities. Hence, their numbers need to be limited appropriately to avoid crowding. Also, hostel students should be called in phases.
4. Thermal Screening of all resident students should be ensured.
5. They will be referred to the nearest COVID treatment facility for clinical assessment and treatment.
6. Density in dining halls, common rooms, playing areas should be limited, keeping in view the requirement of physical distancing.
7. Hygiene conditions should be regularly monitored in kitchens, dining halls, bathrooms and toilets etc.
8. Cleanliness is to be maintained in dining areas. Meals should be served in small batches, avoiding over-crowding. Take away options should be available for students and staff.
9. It must be ensured that the meals are freshly cooked. A senior staff should monitor the same.
10. Utensils should be properly cleaned.
11. Wearing of face covers/ masks and proper sanitization of hands of the staff engaged for the preparation and distribution of meals should be ensured.
12. Resident students and staff should avoid or limit visiting the markets. As far as possible, essential items may be made available within the campus.
13. Hostels may define the number of students in dining halls at any point in time.
14. Mess timings may be increased to avoid overcrowding.

 Regular Monitoring of Health:

1. Every institution should regularly monitor the health of its students, faculty, and staff.
2. Faculty, staff and students should also be sensitized on self-monitoring of their health.
3. Faculty, Staff and students should submit self-disclosure, if any of their family members have been infected/availed treatment for COVID-19.

Measures for Containment:

1. As soon as a student, faculty or staff is detected COVID-19 positive, such person should be immediately isolated as per the directive/advisory of the Government. Room-mates and close contacts should be quarantined and symptomatic ones to be immediately tested.
2. Universities and colleges should have a ready plan to provide healthcare support to those resident students and staff who test positive and are isolated.
3. The guidelines restricting social and physical contacts and mobility in such parts of residential places in the campus, where positive cases have been found, should be strictly enforced. Measures like holding no class, not leaving the rooms for hostellers, if applicable, no take away arrangement of food from mess etc. may be enforced, depending upon the severity of the situation.
4. Universities and colleges should also plan in advance, in case shut down are ordered by the Government due to outbreak in campus or the surrounding region.

Sensitization of Students, Teachers and Staff:

1. Awareness programmes regarding COVID-19 as to how the infection spreads, common symptoms, and precautions and measures required to contain its spread may be launched.
2. Maintaining hygiene, e.g., how to wash hands, how to cough or sneeze into a tissue or elbow, avoid touching of face, eyes, mouth and nose should be regularly told to the students and the staff.
3. The necessity of physical distancing, wearing face covers/ masks, hygiene etc. should be brought home to all.
4. Activities to stay fit, physically and mentally, should be encouraged like doing exercises, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, etc.
5. To improve resilience and mental health, students should be encouraged to share their feelings with friends, teachers and parents, remain positive, grateful, and helpful, have focussed approach, take a break from work, eat healthy and sleep timely etc.
6. Eating healthy food and fruits, avoiding junk food, frequently drinking warm water, adopting ways to increase immunity etc. should be encouraged.
7. Students should be told to regularly sanitize their laptops, audio, video and other media accessories.
8. Factual information regarding COVID-19 and consequences of infection, without making them stressed or fearful, should be disseminated.
9. Posters and stickers should be pasted at appropriate places in the campus to create awareness about the risk of infection from Coronavirus.

10.. All support and facilities should be provided to persons with disabilities (Divyangjan).

11. No discrimination based on caste, creed or gender should be allowed to take place.
12. Sharing of books, other learning material and eatables be discouraged.

Role of Stakeholders:

Central/ State Government(s)

1. The Government should help educational institutions to prepare an effective plan for reopening their campuses. The plan may vary from institution to institution, keeping in view the situation regarding spread of COVID-19 pandemic in a particular area/region/zone.
2. The Governments may issue clear instructions to the universities and colleges to ensure the safety and health of all concerned. This may include instructions for wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and the number of students in a class, library, hostels, and dining halls etc.
3. State governments, in consultations with higher education institutions, should prepare an estimate of requirement in each of their districts and zones, of disinfectants, facemasks and prepare a plan in advance for their procurement and distribution. Universities and colleges should ensure sufficient supplies of these items to their students, faculty and staff.
4. Keeping in view the varying conditions in any state at district and zonal levels, the Government concerned should prepare a region-specific plan, instead of a uniform plan for the entire state.
5. State health departments should remain in touch with the universities and colleges and work to ensure that the campuses are well prepared to maintain the safe and healthy conditions and also to deal with the COVID-19 related unexpected situations.
6. The Governments should keep a constant touch with the universities and colleges regarding the status of COVID-19. The government may call information regarding COVID-19 related condition in the campuses and also call meetings at appropriate intervals with the Head of institutions through video conferencing.

 Head of the Institution

1. Vice- Chancellors/ Principals may get Standard Operating Procedures(SOPs) worked out in view of COVID-19 outbreak, in accordance with the Government orders and guidelines.
2. A detailed institutional plan which may, inter alia, include sanitization, safety and health measures should be prepared and kept ready, before reopening of campus. Proper implementation of the institutional plan should be ensured and regular monitoring should be done with the help of faculty and the staff.
3. Tie-ups may be established with nearby hospitals, health centres, NGOs, health experts for help and support in fighting COVID-19.
4. A plan for all academic activities, i.e., the academic calendar, teaching-learning modes, examinations, evaluation etc. should be kept ready well in advance.
5. A Task Group should be created to handle varied situations and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such Task Group may consist of senior persons from faculty and staff, students, volunteers from communities, NGOs, health organizations and Government officials etc. as the case may be.
6. Teachers, students and staff should be made aware of all relevant plans and activities on the campus.

Teachers

1. Teachers should make themselves fully aware of institutional plans and Standard Operating Procedures.
2. Every teacher should prepare a detailed teaching plan for the subjects taught by him/her, including time table, class size, modes of delivery, assignments, theory, practical, continuous evaluation, end- semester evaluation etc.
3. Teachers should keep themselves updated with the latest teaching- learning methods and availability of e-resources.
4. Teachers should make the students aware of the COVID-19 related situation, precautions and steps to be taken to stay safe and healthy.
5. Teachers should monitor and keep track of the physical and mental health of their students.

 Parents

1. The parents should ensure that their children observe safety norms at home and whenever they go out.
2. Parents should not allow their children to go out, if they are not feeling well.
3. Parents may be advised that the ‘Aarogya Setu App’ has been downloaded by their children.
4. Parents should sensitize them of healthy food habits and measures to increase immunity.
5. Parents should ask them to do exercise, yoga, meditation and breathing exercises to keep them mentally and physically fit

Students

1. Self-discipline is most important to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic through social distancing and maintaining hygienic condition.
2. All students should wear face covers/ masks and take all preventive measures.
3. May consider installing ‘Aarogya Setu App’ in the mobile.
4. It is important for the students to be physically and mentally fit to handle any exigencies. By remaining fit, they can take care of others also.
5. The students must inculcate activities that will increase immunity-boosting mechanism which may include exercise, yoga, eating fresh fruits and healthy food (avoid fast food), sleep timely.
6. Discrimination of fellow students in respect of whom there is a history of COVID-19 disease in the family be avoided.
7. Give support to your friends under stress due to COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Students should follow the guidelines, advisories and instructions issued by the Government authorities as well as by the universities and colleges regarding health and safety measures in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

In view of the present scenario and future uncertainties:

1. The universities may adopt and implement these Guidelines in a transparent manner by making alterations/ additions/ modifications/ amendments to deal with particular situation(s) in the best interest of students, educational institution and the entire education system, except in respect of those guidelines that are mandatory.
2. In case of educational institutions located at places where the Government (Centre/ State) have imposed restrictions on gathering of public, the institutions may plan accordingly. In any case, the above recommendations shall not cause any restrictions on the guidelines/directions issued by the appropriate Government/ competent authority.

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With inputs from UGC circular

The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the result of the premier medical undergraduate entrance NEET-UG on 16.10.2020. Ever since the announcement, a new controversy has taken the internet with a buzz. Many students who appeared in NEET-UG have reached the National Testing Agency with claims of variation in score cards released on the result day and the one which are currently available. Some students are also claiming that their OMR answer sheet is changed/tempered. The rising number of cases claiming discrepancy has brought the scrutiny process of NTA under the radar of doubt.

The matter got more fuel when media reports claiming that a student who has 650 marks has been awarded only 329 marks surfaced in local news portals. In wake of this, The National Testing Agency issued a press release and denied any such incident. The NTA also cleared that it will entertain all genuine grievances but on the other hand it strictly warned the candidates to refrain from making any false accusation in the media. The press note from the apex examination body further adds that suitable legal action will be taken as per the laws of the land in case of manipulated and fabricated claims.

In order to get to the crux of this controversy, our team reached the concerned student. Mridul Rawat, a resident of Gangapur City in Rajasthan is making headlines. Mridul claims to score 650 marks as per the official answer key released by the National Testing Agency, but his initial and current scorecard reads only 329 marks.

Here’s what Mridul has to say on the chronology of events which occurred:

When the first official answer key was released, I was scoring 655. When the answer key was re-released, I was scoring  650. But, when the results were announced, my scorecard reflected only 329 marks. Baffled and shocked by this huge difference, I wrote a mail to NTA stating my problems, I also attached my admit card, OMR and the answer key with the mail. Going further, I also tweeted the matter, tagging the authorities. After this I got an email from neet@nta.ac.in stating that they are looking into the matter and an updated scorecard will be uploaded soon. After this, a change in scorecard was made but the marks in figures and marks in words were still showing discrepancy. After a few hours, a final updated result was published in which everything was correct. But when I rechecked the scorecard on the next day, it was again showing 329.

This is the claim being made by Mridul Rawat, he adds that he received a call claiming to be from NTA on the evening of 20th October and he was warned about legal repercussions he will have to face.  The concerned student further added that:

I got a call from NTA, they were saying that they will charge me with an FIR as I have made fake claims against them. I am looking forward to move to the court as there’s no stepping back from this point.

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Another student, Vasundhara Bhojane, from Amarawati has moved to the Nagpur Bench of Maharashtra High Court after getting zero out of 720 in her final results. She claims that she was expecting 600/720 marks. Bhojane, in her petition has deamnded original OMR sheet to be produced before the court and an interim stay on medical admission process.

Issuing notice to the respondents, a division bench of Justice Atul Chandurkar and Nitin Suryavanshi listed the petition for next and final hearing on October 26. Now, the National Testing Agency is bound to file a response before the aforementioned date.

Note: IHOIK don’t affirm or deny any of the claims made above. This is reported as claimed by the concerned students. ihoik.com posses a copy of the claimed e-mail conversation between two parties, but due to privacy infringement laws, we can’t attach that here. Our correspondents tried to converse with NTA authorities to know their side of the story, but the helpline number didn’t work.

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A report by IHOIK education desk based on inputs from concerned students.

How does our thinking process work?

For most of us, thinking is somewhat unpleasant or less preferable. Why would you like to use your head unnecessarily? Avoiding thinking part is a really good choice for most of us. Many of us even payback hard due to the actions we do while we are not thinking. Thinking plays a paramount role in every human’s life.

Many precedents have been established, proving the fact that not thinking is more of a general trend among people. For example, there was an activity conducted where people were asked this one simple question- You go into a grocery store, there is a carrot and a broccoli; together they cost 1.10$ and the broccoli costs a dollar more than the carrot. What is the cost of the carrot?

Come on guys, you can do this. Did you answer 0.10$? Well, this is wrong. Same happened with a lot of people during this analysis… So don’t worry, you are not alone dude! If you think about it just for a second, you will realize that the carrot can’t cost 0.10$ because if the carrot costs 0.10$, then the broccoli will cost 1.10$ and that will add up to 1.20$ which sums up to a wrong amount. The correct answer is 5 cents (0.05$) and the broccoli would cost 1.05$.

So, the whole point of the question is that these questions are not difficult questions and that the people would easily check their answers and find the mistake, but the point is that they didn’t want to check! This is because thinking is uncomfortable and you won’t do something that makes you uncomfortable (it’s like why would you admit that your rank is lower than your friend’s in public!). It all comes down to the point that thinking takes effort.

These mistakes could be turned down to stupidity, unless you are smarter and wouldn’t fall for them. Well, guess what? You might be fooling yourself. Many say that these examples reveal our blind spots in all of our thinking due to the fundamental way our brains operate.

How does our brain work?

To understand the role of brain or more like working of the brain, we will try to remodel brain as two parts – ‘the flash’ and ‘the alpha’. Although psychologists call them system one and system two but here we will call them the flash and the alpha as mentioned earlier.

You are Alpha, he represents your conscious thought or more like the self you talk to when deciding anything or just randomly talking to yourself. Alpha is the one to follow the instructions and he is the one who executes in steps. Say, when you try calculate 13*18, the Alpha responds. The thing that makes Alpha ‘The Alpha’ is that he is really lazy and would deflect the work towards flash. It takes good efforts get Alpha do anything. Duh, that’s why he is alpha, but he is the careful one, capable of catching and correcting the mistakes.

Now, meet Flash. He is the agile, reflexive and synaptic one. These qualities are one of the leading assets of Flash as he constantly copes up with enormous amount of information and processes a lot of stuff that comes in through your senses. He evaluates each stuff into important or irrelevant. This is most of his job and it is fascinating that Flash is zappy that he responds automatically and you have pretty much no control over it. For example, when you spot some text, flash reads it before you even decide whether to read or not. He fills the gaps, he relates all stuff in a way that they make sense. For example, you can read pretty much everything from even a really gross handwriting (if you have knowledge of the topic). This is the whole point of Flash. He would keep in checking the previous information and would respond when ever you find something relatable.

You can easily read it as ‘the cat’, even though the letter ‘a’ and the letter ‘h’ are written in the exact same manner. Flash made the correct assumption!

So even though Alpha is unaware of what the Flash is doing, but it’s the perception of Flash that becomes the foundation of your conscious thoughts. The way you would like to think of them will be like each of these two characters play a crucial role in your main memory structures. Flash’s responses are due to the long-term memory, the hall of fame of your experiences that you have built over your life. With contrast, Alpha completely stays in the working memory and is only capable of holding 4 to 5 things at a time and simultaneously processes them. It is among the lead finding of known human psychology that tells us how limited the Alpha is, and that how less capacity we have of holding and manipulating the things. Like when you try to remember a string of random numbers (say 9102), it is not so easy and in fact, sometimes it is really hard. But this limitation is overcome if the number is somehow relatable (say 2019, the digits are just the same but it is easier now!). You can clearly notice how remembering ‘9102’ would take up most of your working capacity but ‘2019’ is just simpler. This process of grouping stuffs together is called ‘chunking’, and generally 4 to 5 chunks are adequately held in the working memory. So this means that the larger the chunks are, more amount of information you can manipulate at one time.

 Is muscle memory a reality?

Learning is the process of building bigger chunks over a period of time. In other words, essentially passing off the tasks from Alpha to Flash. But the things is that for this to happen, Alpha has to engage himself in hours of straining work and effort for multiple times. For example, when you were first learning the alphabets you would be singing a rhyme in order to remember them, but over the period of time you did it so many times that many of you can now recite it in your sleep. The point was that Alpha didn’t have to worry about it anymore because now Flash took the hold of it. Many musicians, gymnasts, sports stars and other people refer to this as muscle memory. Although there is nothing as muscle memory and it is all in the head but the muscle is used in a specific manner so many times that it is now the job of Flash to hold it on to the mark.

Slow, gentle, determined practice often leads to finesse and perfection. Remember Michael Jordon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Phelps, and many other stars burnt themselves through the furies of hell, practicing their stuff over and over again and now we know that they define their sports.

Researchers say that 99% of what seems to be many times a super-human ability is result of spontaneous automation of Flash, developed by hell hours of Alpha (come on, that’s why he is the Alpha). Hard work of Alpha can be clearly seen by looking at a person. Try this quiz: There will be 3 digits on the screen and you have to read them out loud and say each number back every second, but adding one to each digit (add one task). The digits are: 147. The answer will be 258. Its was really simple, but when you do such kind of tasks, this makes Alpha hold digits in memory while you do manipulation task. Now try another pattern with 4 digits and then next with 5 digits. You will notice how involved your thinking process gets. This is even proven by a set of experiments where the participants were asked similar questions and were asked to respond after manipulating the answers.

Researchers found out that as the things got more complicated, the involvement of Alpha is not only noticed mentally but also physiologically, sweat production, increased heart rate and dilation of pupils. There was a significant observable change in the size of pupils of the participants as they performed the ‘add 3’ and ‘add 4’ tasks. Researchers also found that when the participants were casually chatting and not performing mathematical or other brainstorming problems, they didn’t show physiological changes. This proves the fact that these types of tasks are really strenuous for Flash, and that it is a stroll in a park for Alpha because almost all day to day life tasks are handled by Flash. This doesn’t need to sound like a bad thing. It is just how our brains evolved for best use of resources. For repetitive tasks, we developed automatic ways of doing things while using Alpha’s limited capacity to the things that really need attention.

What can go wrong?

In some circumstances, there can be mix-ups. For example, if you turn the switches in your house upside down, there is a really strong possibility that you would try to turn the light on the other way each time. You can also think this as the cap of your bottle, if you have a bottle which shuts anti-clockwise you have strong chances of getting an overshoot while twisting the cap (most bottles close with twisting clockwise).

This also explains the error space in the carrot and broccoli problem. It’s the Flash who perceives the first key pieces of question and it hastily gives up the quicker answer. Since Flash had an immediate answer, he blurted out immediately and the Alpha didn’t reconsider the choices of Flash (They trust each other you know).

How to make Alpha work more?

The researchers found one way to make it somewhat happen. They gave the students a crystal-clear paper with questions finely printed on it which had questions similar to one like the carrot and broccoli one, and 85% got at least one wrong. But when they gave the tests in a really hard to read font to students, the error rate dropped drastically to 35%. A harder to read test resulted in more correct answers! The explanation is pretty simple and obvious. Since Flash couldn’t quickly jump to an answer, he just forwards it to Alpha and the games begins! More interest to the plot is that when Alpha finds something challenging, it puts more efforts into solving the task and you are more likely to get a correct answer.

Where are these tactics used?

You will find ads on T.V. or other hoardings that make completely no sense, rather than telling what the product does or how it is better, they just use some ‘dumb’ abstract things and quotations that don’t make much of a sense. Previously the goal of the advertisements was to enable the information about the product to the user in as simple way as possible, but if you look at some of the effective advertising techniques today, you will find these things missing. Advertisements nowadays are more confusing. You can clearly notice how desparate figures are used for a simple advertisement. You would have also noticed that how the candy ‘poppins’ used to advertise using a phrase “Aee… Du kya?” and how this had no relation to the actual candy ad. But the fun fact is that you still remember it! You can take another example of ‘Thumbs Up’ soft drink – how can a soft drink be related to the phrase ‘Aaj Kuchh Toofani Karte Hain.’ even when it is not an energy drink.

Now that the advertising is everywhere, Flash has found a way to filter out all the normal advertisements, it has just become automatic. But something really different happens when you see a totally confusing or erratic ad nearby – Flash can’t bear it, so it transfers it to Alpha, and that’s what the companies want!

Similar is happening in education. The old forms of education have been mostly casted out. The smart boards have taken place, the theorems are given funny names by teachers that make no sense, there have been songs written with periodic table elements’ name initials, there has been a quadratic formula song… I mean what else is needed for a daily life example!

Even we use these tricks to make ourselves trigger a pathway to Alpha. You can clearly recall how you learned the noble gases (Hema {Helium} Neena {Neon} Aur {Argon} Kareena {Krypton} K X-ray {Xenon} Rangeen {Radon}). These don’t make any sense with periodic table, so Alpha comes up.

The institutions have started to organize workshops, peer lessons and make classes more interactive rather than a monologue (students are repetitively asked questions) and thus, Alpha is made to put effort. This is hard, but this is how learning happens. Many don’t like this because it’s hard or it makes them uncomfortable. Just as it’s hard to motivate someone to get off the couch and exercise, it’s hard to get Alpha put in full effort. There is an appeal to do things that you already know, say for the musician it is the feel to play the same familiar song again and again that Flash has already automated. It can be the videos that give you the sensation of understanding without learning anything, or it can be driving with GPS on so u may never get lost, but the thing is that you never learn that way.

If you want to better at anything than the rest, if you want to achieve expertise in anything, you have to get uncomfortable because thinking takes effort, it involves fighting through the confusion and for almost all of us it is not very preferable.

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A report by Sashit Vijay

The Medical Counselling committee has announced the counselling schedule of NEET qualified students for various medicine related courses. The national eligibility cum entrance test(NEET) for the admission in Private & Government medical colleges across  India was conducted in two phases, on 13th September and 14th October. The 2nd phase was conducted only for those students who missed the phase-1 examination on account of being Covid positive or for those who were in containment zone.

The result was declared by NTA on 16th October, following which the process of counselling will start.

The counselling process is mandatory for every qualified student to get admitted in MBBS, BDS & AYUSH courses.

Here’s a step by step guide of the counselling process.

The counselling of NEET is divided into two phases, i.e. All India Quota (AIQ) counselling and the State counselling. 85% of the total seats are filled up through the state counselling whereas the remaining 15% is filled up by the AIQ counselling. The counselling for All India Quota will be conducted by the MCC while the state counselling will be looked after by the counselling body of respective states.

Counselling procedure for AIQ:

Soon after the release of NEET 2020 results, the medical counselling committee (MCC) will release an official notification and the dates for the counselling for NEET 2020 soon after the release of the results on the NEET website.

1. Registering on MCC website:

The candidates can register for this counselling on the official MCC website. This registration is applicable for admission in both MBBS and BDS college for private and government colleges across the country. After visiting the official website select the option that shows ‘UG medical counselling’ and register yourself. The registration portal will ask for the following details:

• Application No.
• Roll No.
• Name of candidate
• Date of birth

2. Take printout of the registration slip and keep it safe for future references.
3. Visit the website and login on the website with your ‘login credentials’
4. Choice filling:

After logging in to the website, start the process of choice filling. Select all the colleges you want to get yourself enrolled in according to the priority order. Once the choice filling is completed and you submit the form, you can’t make any changes in the priority list.

One has to submit a refundable tuition fee and a non refundable registration fee after completing the choice filling.

5. Release of mock list:

Once the process of registration is completed, MCC releases the mock seat allotment according to the counselling schedule. This mock list will help to determine whether a candidate got a seat in the college of his/her preference.

6. Choice locking:

Once the candidate is sure about the choices filled and mock allotment… They have to lock their choices before the deadline. Failing to do so would result in inability to be a part of the counselling process.

The AIQ counselling takes place in 3 steps… The first round, the second round and the mop up round of counselling. After the list for counselling and allotted seats are released, the candidate has to revisit the website, login with the created id and password and look up for the remaining available choices. The process continues till the mop up round.

The seats allotted to students through AIQ counselling, if not joined, get reverted to the State quota. That’s the reason why there are less than 15% students from AIQ in every college.

Counselling procedure for State counselling:

The process of state counselling is the same as AIQ counselling. The schedule for counselling will be released by the state and registration will begin on the state’s website.

Documents required while appearing for counselling:

1. Class 10th and 12th marksheet.
2. Class 10th and 12th passing certificate.
3. ID proof
4. Birth certificate
5. Domicile certificate (for State counselling)
6. EWS certificate (if applicable)
7. Category certificate (if applicable)
8. 6 passport size photographs
9. NEET admit card
10. NEET rank card

India is a land of diversity and hence it becomes really important to uplift people of different sections and help them move ahead at the pace of nation’s growth. Keeping this in mind the government of India runs various scholarship schemes for helping and rewarding the meritorious students.

A scholarship is financial support awarded to a student, based on the academic achievement or other criteria.

Listed below is information about such scholarship programme that are to be availed after class 12th.

 CENTRAL SECTOR SCHEME OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India provides scholarships under the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students. This scholarship domains for class 12th pass students who are studying in College/University.

Aim:

  To support the meritorious students from financially weaker sections by providing them financial assistance for their day-to-day expenses incurred while pursuing higher studies.

Eligibility:            

• Be above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream in class 12th or equivalent of respective State board examinations.
• Should be pursuing a regular course such as Medical and Engineering in a College/Institution recognized by the AICTE, Dental Council of India (DCI), Medical Council of India (MCI) and other respective regulatory authorities.
• Annual family income not more than INR 8 Lakhs from all sources.
• Not be in receipt of any other scholarship under Central

Not Eligible:  Students pursuing degree courses through distance mode or correspondence and diploma courses are not eligible.

Benefits:            

• At graduation level, a scholarship of INR 10,000 per annum for the first three years.
• At the post-graduation level, an amount of INR 20,000 per annum will be provided.
• For 5-year professional courses, INR 20,000 per annum will be provided in the 4th and 5th year.
• In the case of technical courses such as B.Tech and B.E., the selected candidates will receive a scholarship for up to graduation level.

Scheme Closing Date: Open till 31-10-2020

Defective Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Institute Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Top Class Education Scheme for SC Students

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment provides scholarships under Top Class Education Scheme to Scheduled Caste students who have taken admission at undergraduate or postgraduate level. A total of 1,500 fresh scholarships are disbursed every year under this scheme.

Aim: 

To recognize and promote quality education beyond class 12th among Scheduled Caste students.

Eligibility:

• Should belong to Scheduled Caste category.
• Provided for higher courses therefore must have completed class 12
• Should be enrolled for a full-time course in a notified institution through general selection criteria prescribed by respective institutions.
• Must belong to a family where the annual income is not more than INR 6 Lakhs from all the sources.

Benefits:

• Full tuition fee and non-refundable charges of up to INR 2.00 Lakhs per annum for private sector institutions and up to INR 3.72 Lakhs per annum for private sector flying club for Commercial Pilot Training and Type Rating Courses.
• Living expense: INR 2,220 per month.
• Books and stationery: INR 3,000 per annum.
• Computer/Laptop with UPS and Printer of any reputed brand: INR 45,000 (one-time assistance.

Scheme Closing Date: Open till 31-10-2020

Defective Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Institute Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities:

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India offers Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities. This scholarship is provided for both undergraduate and post graduate course. A total of 300 scholarships are given under this scheme.

Aim:

To recognize and promote quality education amongst students with disabilities by providing them with full financial support.

Eligibility:                    

• Should be pursuing studies at Graduate/Postgraduate degree/diploma level in notified institutions of excellence in education.
• Have more than 40% disability and a valid certificate for the same.
• Have an annual family income of less than INR 6,00,000.

Benefits:

• Reimbursement of tuition fees and non-refundable charges paid/payable to the institute: Up to INR 2 Lakhs per annum (subject to actual amount).
• Reimbursement of expenses for the purchase of a computer with accessories: INR 30,000 (one-time grant).
• Reimbursement of expenses for the purchase of Aids and Assistive Devices: INR 30,000 (one-time grant).
• Maintenance allowance for hostellers: INR 3,000 per month.
• Maintenance allowance for day scholars: INR 1,500 per month.
• Book grant (Hostellers and Day Scholars): INR 5,000 per annum.
• Special allowances: INR 2,000 per month.

Scheme Closing Date: Open till 31-10-2020

Defective Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Institute Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Merit Cum Means Scholarship For Professional and Technical Courses CS

The Ministry of Minority Affairs welcomes applications for Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses from minority community for students who are pursuing technical or professional courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Aim:

To provide suitable financial assistance to meritorious and underprivileged students belonging to minority communities.

Eligibility:               

• Must belong to Minority communities (Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jain and Parsis/Zoroastrians).
• Must be pursuing a technical or professional course at undergraduate or postgraduate level from a recognised institution.
• Must have scored at least 50% marks or equivalent grade in the previous final examination.
• Annual family income should not exceed more than INR 2.50 Lakhs from all the sources.
• Must get admission on the basis of the competitive entrance examination or must have scored at least 50% in class 12th or graduation. (in case of direct admission)

Benefits:

• Course fee (for Hostellers and Day Scholars): INR 20,000 per annum or actual, whichever is less.
• Maintenance allowance for Hostellers: INR 1,000 per month for 10 months in an academic year.
• Maintenance allowance for Day Scholars: INR 500 per month for 10 months in an academic year.

Scheme Closing Date: Open till 31-10-2020

Defective Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Institute Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme For Central Armed Police Forces And Assam Rifles

The Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB), Ministry of Home Affairs runs a scholarship called Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles for the dependent widows and wards of Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles personnel.

Eligibility:

Primary Criteria:

The applicant must:

• Be a ward or widow of a deceased CRPF and AR personnel who died in harness at work/election duty, OR
• Be a ward of personnel who became disabled due to causes attributable to Government service, OR
• Be a ward of Ex-CRPF & AR personnel in receipt of Gallantry awards, OR
• Be a ward or widow of a retired and serving CRPF & AR personnel (below officer rank)

Qualification Criteria:

The applicant must:

• Be pursuing first professional degree courses in the field of Engineering, Medicine, Dental, Veterinary, BBA, BCA, B.Pharm, BSc (Nursing, Agriculture, etc), MBA, MCA, etc.
• Have secured 60% marks in the qualifying exam i.e Class 12th, diploma, Graduation or equivalent.

Benefits:

• INR 3,000 per month for girls
• INR 2,500 per month for boys

Scheme Closing Date: Open till 31-10-2020

Defective Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Institute Verification: Open till 15-11-2020

Inspire (MANAK) scholarship

Department of Science & Technology under the Government of India is successfully implementing ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research’ (INSPIRE) scheme since 2010. This scheme covers students from different age groups under various categories.

Under this scheme, students will be invited from all government or private schools throughout the country and will be asked to send original and creative technological ideas/innovations focusing on common problems and come up with solutions on their own. Once the student has thought of an idea, he/she can submit their ideas to the Principal/Headmaster of their schools.

Steps of organization of this scheme:

• Top 1,00,000 ideas, with potential to address the needs of the society through Science & Technology are shortlisted by NIF. A total of INR 10,000 is transferred to the bank accounts of students under Direct Benefit Transfer scheme.
• Similarly a District Level Exhibition and Project Competition (DLEPC) is organized by District/State authorities and 10,000 best ideas/innovations are shortlisted for State Level Exhibition and Project Competitions (SLEPC).
• A State Level Exhibition & Project Competition is organized for shortlisting of top 1,000 ideas/innovations. At this stage, NIF will provide mentoring support to students for the development of prototypes.
• Finally 1,000 best ideas/innovations are showcased at the National Level Exhibition & Project Competition (NLEPC) and top 60 innovations are shortlisted for national awards and future direction.

Bihar Students credit card

This scheme was launched by the Bihar government on October 2, 2016. This scheme aims to provide financial assistance to those students who are not financially sound but are willing to pursue their higher education. Under this scheme the government provides an education loan of up to 4 Lakhs to the students at nominal rate of interest.

Documents required:

• 10+2 Mark Sheet.
• Resident Certificate
• Selection Certificate from recognized Institute for Higher Education.
• A detailed document of fee for higher education, issued by Institute.
• PAN Card
• Self-attested copies of application form with passport size photographs.
• Last 6 Months Statements of Parents Bank account.
• Form -16 and Family income certificate of last year.
• Income Tax Return of last two years.
• Other identification documents like AADHAR Card, Voter Card, Passport, etc.

After the successful submission, all the documents are examined by the government officials. This process of verification takes around 15 days. Once the documents are verified, the details are shared with the bank which then approve or disapprove the loan. Once the loan is approved, the students visit the bank to fulfill the desired formalities.

We hope that these programs would find the right recipient and will help the students in their higher studies. Apart from these schemes, numerous other scholarships are given by state governments and private institutes as well with varying criteria and benefits.

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A report by Sumit Yadav for IHOIK Education Desk

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has announced a list of 24 “self-styled unrecognized institutions” in the country, declaring them as “fake”. The list contains 8 universities from Uttar Pradesh, 7 from the national Capital Delhi, 2 each from West Bengal and Odisha and 1 each from Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

“Students and public are informed that currently 24 self-styled, unrecognized institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, which have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree,” the notice issued by UGC reads.

Section 22(I) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 provides that a degree can be awarded only by a university central, state/provincial Act or an institution deemed to be University under section 3 of the UGC Act or an institution specially empowered by an act of Parliament to confer the degree. Any institution except those fulfilling at least one of the above criteria can not claim to confer a degree.

UGC is releasing this list since 1994 and surprisingly 12 out of these 24 Universities are repeatedly appearing in the list. 6 institutions named in the list released on October 7, 2020 were also in the fake universities list of year 2015.

List of institutions declared as “Fake Universities”

Delhi

• Commercial University Ltd. Daryaganj, Delhi
• United Nations University, Delhi
• Vocational University, Delhi
• ADR-Centric Juridical University, ADR House, 8J, Gopala Tower, 25, Rajendra Place, New Delhi — 110 008
• Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, New Delhi
• Vishwakarma Open University for Self-employment, India, Rozgar Sewa sadan, 672, Sanjay Enclave, Opp. GTK Depot, New Delhi — 110 033
• Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University), 351-352, Phase-1, Block-A, Vijay Vihar, Rithala, Rohini, Delhi — 110 085

Karnataka

• Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Gokak, Belgaum

Kerala

• St. John’s University, Kishanattam, Kerala

Maharashtra

• Raja Arabic University, Nagpur

West Bengal

•  Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, 80, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata — 20
• Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, 8-A, Diamond Harbor Road Builtech inn, 24 Floor, Thakurpukur, Kolkata — 700 063

Uttar Pradesh

• Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyala, Varanasi, U.P./Jagatpuri, Delhi
• Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya, (Women’s University) Prayag, Allahabad (U.P.)
• Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag, Allahabad (U.P.)
• National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltal, Aligarh (U.P.)
• Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura (U.P.)
• Maharana Partap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh (U.P.)
• Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Institutional Area, Khoda, Makanpur, Noida Phase-2, (U.P.)

Odisha

• Nababharat Shiksha Parishad, Anupoorna Bhawan, Plot No. 242, Pani Tanki Road, Shakti Nagar, Rourkela — 769 014
• North Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, University Road Baripada, Distt. Mayurbhanj, Odisha — 757 003

Puducherry

•  Sree Bodhi academy of Higher Education, No. 186, Thilaspet, Vazhuthavoor Road, Puducheey — 605 009

Andhra Pradesh

• Christ New Testament Deemed University, # 32-23-2003, 7″ Lane, Kakumanuvarithota, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh — 522 002 or # fit No. 301, Grace Villa Apts., 7/5, Srinagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh — 522 002

Note: The case of Bhartiya Siksha Parishad, Lucknow is subjudice in Lucknow District Court

Understanding the difference:

You might wonder why playing video games makes you feel much better as compared to studying for your next assignment. You may wonder that playing games for three hours isn’t just as much tiring as is studying for 3 hours. Is it because recreation is fun? Is it because it’s simple? Is it related to some sort of science?

Even though you know that studying, working and all such productive stuff is incredibly helpful in the longer term, you rather prefer to scroll on Instagram or Facebook than to turn the pages of your assignment. You might have noticed that why focusing on a PS4 game (that you like) is much easier than concentrating on the book for same amount of time. This dilemma might strike people with simple answer that one activity is ‘EASY’ while the other activity is ‘HARD’.

You also might have met people who clearly seem to have no problem with studying or concentrating on the stuff which may not be that easy for you. This brings us up to our new question that why tackling these things is easy for someone, while it is clearly hard for the rest. To answer this question, we have to dig into Science.

Dopamine:

As a few might have guessed, the magic whip here is ‘Dopamine’. Dopamine is coined as the ‘pleasure molecule’ but the fact is that Dopamine harnesses the desire for things. The infinitive wish to get more of what you may like is due to presence of this chemical. This desire motivates us to get out of the bed and do the work (from the easiest to the hardest).

Power of Desire!

If you second guess the inevitable power of human desire that is stimulated by this chemical, you must continue reading. This claim is corroborated by a series of experiments that scientists conducted a few years back.

The scientists implanted a set of electrodes in the mouse’s brains to guarantee their claim of influence of desire in a living being. They kept the rat near a lever, such that, whenever the rat pulled the lever, a machine would generate an electrical impulse in the brain of mouse which would trigger the release of dopamine in the mouse brain. This led to a development in a desire that was so strong that the rat would pull the lever over and over for hours just to suffice its carving for dopamine.

The rats would deny other survival preferences such as sleep, food etc. and would keep the cycle of pulling the lever. It was ultimate exhaustion which would stop them from pulling that lever.

To the other side of the experiment, scientists just reversed the whole concept and this time they deprived the mouse of any kind of dopamine release and the results were utterly threatening as the rat became so lethargic and hopeless that getting up to get water became unbeatable like climbing the hills barefoot and that it wasn’t worth the effort. They wouldn’t eat, they wouldn’t mate as if all craving had just vanished out of the blue. However, if the food was placed directly into the mouth, the rat would enjoy the food as it did before. It was just lack of motivation that would prevent rat from doing any kind of work.

Along with hunger and thirst, the dopamine plays a key role in our will to eat and survive.

Effect of dopamine level:

Those experiments might seem like extreme cases, but the observation claims that similar results are seen in humans.

The priority of an activity is largely influenced by the amount of dopamine it releases. Often the activities with lower dopamine levels are below on the priority list.

If the brain knows that there will be an immediate reward for an activity than it will prefer to do it over any other activity that does not bear such short-term reward. This could be easily complied by your choice of a can of Coca Cola over Aloe Vera juice (Seriously, who would take Aloe Vera!). Every time you are going to drink the Cola, the brain releases Dopamine signaling you that you will feel better and you must have it. Possibly, you might end up throwing up everything else in your stomach (it wasn’t needed).

Your brain doesn’t care if high Dopamine levels might be damaging to your body. It just craves for more.

A typical example of this damaging nature of brain is of a drug addict. He knows that what he might take today will harm his rest of the life, but the important fact here is that brain needs more dopamine.

Yes, that is true! Besides making you high, cocaine, heroine and other such drugs release unnatural amounts of dopamine in your brain, leading as principal reason of addiction. Although everything releases some amount of Dopamine (imagine the satisfaction of drinking water after an hour or two workout routine) but the highest dopamine release takes place when you receive a random, unexpected reward (you might find yourself extravagant after scoring a good rank in the test).

Why should it concern me?

Well, in today’s world we are exposing ourselves to myriad numbers of dopamine releasing activities. We might not even know before we start getting addicted to it and falling in the loop (say, of endless scrolling over Instagram). Some other examples of the activity when we get ourselves high dopamine strikes unknowingly is watching YouTube, playing video games, and eating junk food and as you might guess watching pornographic visuals.

Brain anticipates a reward with each of such activities and we always feel an unusual drive for doing them over and over. This captures the same reason why we constantly check our mobile phones or keep the track of our notifications.

We eventually turn out to be those rats, looking for the very next opportunity to pull the lever, demeaning the consequences.

Hey Dude, I have control over my body; don’t judge me by my internet usage, it’s just some fun. Really, is it so?

The body’s biological system of ‘Homeostasis’ tries to regain the default structure whenever an imbalance occurs in the body. But when it is continuously fed by the similar imbalance, it shifts its default value to a newer default value (routine alcohol takers don’t get high in the first shot). This leads to higher craving of dopamine as the receptors have been viciously damaged by the activities of addicts. It’s no more different than your desire to spend more time in front of the screen, playing games, watching T.V. shows, or watching internet pornography. Formation of this new ‘tolerance’ will just push the limits to a next level.

The problem occurs when these new dopamine levels create a greater setback to the things that you already do not prefer to do in the first place- they just don’t release enough dopamine after all.

This the very same reason that supports the scenario that a drug addict might quit more easily in real life than a normal healthy person. The other things just do not matter to them as they just crave to do things that can fill up their dopamine can up to unnatural levels. Their dopamine desire is just so high that a normal life can’t outscore it. This is not just for the drug addicts, people using a lot of smartphones, internet, and pornography fall in the same category too. Nothing else is much enjoyable to them. They are like the rats in the previous experiment. Once their dopamine levels are high, lower ones do not suffice their demands.

How do I prevent it? Can it stop?

The answer is

Dopamine Detox

As you might have guessed by now, Dopamine detox will be the process of reducing the overflowing levels of dopamine in brain.

The extreme approach might be to stop the usage of anything that is really pleasurable to you. You will make a list of activities that you think drive your dopamine levels high and other of the activities that you do not like to take interest in. In case if you are a drug addict, a doctor is strongly recommended as you might have developed a physiological and psychological dependence of the drug and any extreme measures can lead to fatal changes in the body.

Hopping back to our original ride, let’s talk about detox. For one day you will try to have minimum amount of fun.

Being Sad For One Day Will Make All Others Better

Key to be Happy is being Sad:

Some of you might question the viability of this method. Imagine this to be something like sleeping on the floor for next few months, this hard surface becomes your new normal. Now try sleeping in the bed with the usual mattresses, you either feel that it is incredibly soft or might not be able to even sleep. But then, you find yourself in a place where you have to sleep in a damp area, you will find that uncomfortable soft bed is way better. It is all about setting new preferences.

This is what dopamine detox does. It starves you of all such pleasures and then gives you a new default, which would then help you to suffice with low dopamine levels from those uninteresting stuff. Surprisingly, the hard stuff now becomes desirable and hence what we can say ‘EASY’.

In simpler words, you are so bored that even less interesting stuff seems to feel great.

A lesser extreme version of this is that you pick a day in the week when you will not access any kind of pleasures, be it mobile, laptop, junk food, internet pornography etc. This would weekly revise the dopamine levels in your body and make your receptors healthy once again to take in great pleasures from those low dopamine works.

This can even increase your overall productivity as you would now do the activities which you generally left earlier, as they weren’t much attractive.

Although high dopamine levels are normal and healthy for say once in a week but you must focus on directing your high dopamine counts to other activities which might actually benefit you (like physical exercises, reading novels, etc). This might be an incentive to work on things that actually help in longer term.

A report by Sashit Vijay

Kota stone is an excellent variety of stone found in Kota district of Rajasthan. Hundreds of mines are located in or near the town of Ramganj Mandi and in the Kota district. This excellent flooring material connects Rajasthan with other states of India, providing a new identity to Rajasthan. Although it is not environment friendly, but with natural limestone and different conditions, it is better than most local alternatives.

The stone has a beautiful greenish-blue shade which is complimentary with most interiors. Various colors, for example, chocolate clay colour, are additionally accessible, although with less notoriety. For a long time, marble and rock controlled the scene, as part of the latter option, especially for uninvited areas. But people now realize the benefits of using Kota stone as flooring.
It is durable, performs well under excess use, reflects cleanliness, reduces elusive obstructions and surface residues are not immediately ineffective.
There are five colors of Kota Stone: Blue, Brown, Black, Grey and Red.

Kota Blue Limestone:

Kota Blue Limestone is very popular due to its excellent texture. This Limestone is light green and bluish-green when it is dry and has a more rich green or bluish-green color when wet.

Kota Brown Limestone:

Kota brown limestone is produced in small quantities, so its availability is low, that’s why its price is higher than Kota Blue Limestone. It is available only in limited sizes, its color form is also high.

Kota Black Limestone:

Black limestone is an ebony stone with an excellently finished surface. This Black limestone gives a contemporary look to any area.

These Limestones are very durable, non-water absorbent, non-slippy, non-spongy and have a fantastic stain removability. It is breakable in surface and profoundly harsh. It can resist all types of climate easily, be it cold, scorching heat or heavy rain.

Thickness:

The thickness of Kota stone generally ranges between 1 inch to 1.5 inches but if you want a stone of 2-inch thickness, then the price will increase.

Standard Sizes:

2 x 2 (feet)

2 x 1 (feet)

4 x 2 (feet)

Production:

Kota stone is produced in very large quantities. Being cheaper, its demand in the market is high. A small factory provides around 1000 to 1200 slabs in 12 hours and there are thousands of such factories here. You can estimate the production of Kota Stone from this number.

Uses:

The Kota Stone is used in two finishes; rough dress and polished finish. It is an excellent building stone for flooring and wall cladding, Pathways, corridors, garden areas, temples, lobby areas, railway stations, hospitals, stair areas, etc. It is also used in chemical industries (due to its resistant properties).

Note: Kota stone is not used in kitchens, as it is not acid-proof.

Export:

Kota stone is exported all over India and also in various countries like U.S, U.K, Indonesia, Japan, France, Nepal, Canada, Bangladesh, etc.

Hubs:

In the vicinity of Ramganjmandi, there are thousands of mines. A large amount of Kota stone is taken out from these mines. After that, stones are taken to factories where they are cut, polished and prepared.

Based on the above mentioned points, we can conclude that Kota is the hub of Kota stone.

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A report by Salman Raza