Thursday, April 25, 2013

Shortage in teaching slots.

 IITs are supposed to be the top notch institutes of technology to train the students in various engineering courses.  It is reported that a grand total of 8,250 teaching posts are vacant which is roughly 45% of the sanctioned posts in the IITs and NITs. The position is much worse in the newly-sanctioned and established IITs and NITs.
One major reason for non filling of vacant posts is that there is a shortage of Ph.D., scholars who are only eligible to be teachers in those institutions. Such an anomaly has taken place due to less number of Engineering Graduates opting for doing research after their masters and M.Phil.  They mostly prefer jobs either in Government or Corporate sector soon after graduation rather than do research and become teachers in those institutions.
Manpower planning is missing at the macro level both at the all India and state levels.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Jumbo Scam Surfaces

Nitin Sethi  reports in Sunday Times of India on March 10, 2013 that the Chhattisgarh government fudged records, concealed facts, changed policy and altered decisions while the union environment ministry  overlooked all such illegalities to open up 1,899 hectares for mining in Hasdeo Arand, one of the best patches of forests.
It is strange that when a tug of war was going on between forest  department and the mining department  of Chhattisgarh, the State Government  claimed that the patch containing the coal blocks at Parsa East and Kante  Basan in Sarguja District was  rarely visited by elephant  herd and maintained that the  forest patch had no particular wild life species of value and accordingly had recommended the case  to the union environment  ministry for handing over the forest patch to the miners for getting forest clearance. It is reported that the region’s Divisional Forest Officer, on a site visit held just  four days  before this recommendation, noted that the area had not just elephants but also other protected species such as bear, wild boar, cheetah, barking deer,  Sāmbhar  and leopards.
Such reporting and recommendations contrary to each other resorted to under political or bureaucratic pressure are a common development in Chhattisgarh during the last few years. If a probe is ordered and the same is taken up in right earnest many skeletons would emerge out of State Secretariat’s cupboard.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Same-old Story

While awarding degrees to the students of National Institute of Technology, Kurushetra (Haryana State) at its 10th Convocation Day on April 09, 2013, the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee opined that there was a definite need to strengthen the University Education system and bring in reforms in the teaching methods in India. He drew the attention of the audience to the fact that  not a single university from India could find a place in the 200-list of leading universities in the world on a survey recently conducted by an international agency . This is the usual rhetoric we keep hearing from the dignitaries in India from time to time without knowing or revealing who would initiate and implement those changes badly needed without any further delay.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Change in office-timing.


While there is a pick and throw policy being practiced in the private sector for allowing the employees to work from their homes by different officers from time to time, one finds a welcome report that the R.B.I. has recently introduced what it termed as “ crucial four hours" during which every employee should be present in office. The employees can choose the remaining 4 hours according to their choice. To accommodate the new flexi policy the office now remains open between 8 A.M. & 8 P.M. While counting the four hours between 11 A.M. & 3 P.M. which includes lunch time, the officers get to choose any 8 hours that they wish to work from office.

One is glad to know the change in timing being effected by Reserve Bank of India and hopefully other government offices are also expected to follow suit. It would gradually reduce the overcrowding in public transport and avoid traffic jam during the usual peak hours of travel.