Another jumbo death .. BESU’s national status story mirrors changing Bengal politics ... BADA DASAI at 10.28 am .... 4 killed in Bihar ... 2 ULFA killed in Assam .. Indian Medalists of CWG 2010

TitBits

KalimNews: An elephant in Hathighisa was found dead near Bijay Nagar Tea Estate  in a paddy field. It is believed that the tusker aged about 25 yrs is either poisoned  or  died of injury near Indo Nepal border. 

BESU  in WB

Shiv Sahay Singh, IE, Kolkata:West Bengal became the first state to get the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) in the form of BESU, but the story of the university’s upgradation has meandered almost parallel to the changing fortunes of Bengal political parties at the Centre.

In the last six years under UPA-I and UPA-II governments, there have been occasions when the prospect of the BESU’s upgradation as a national institute swung between hope and despair with the changing political equations in the state.

In 2005, the UPA-I government led by Congress and supported by the Left Front from outside constituted Anadakrishnan Committee to evaluate and suggest a plan of action for upgrading seven institutes, including BESU, which had earlier been identified by Prof S K Joshi Committee. The expert committee recommended the establishment of Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology (IIESTs) as institutes of national importance through a Central Act. The committee recommended upgradation of five institutes to IIEST and BESU featured at the top. In December 2007, the HRD ministry in principle agreed to upgrade BESU to a national institute and a letter in this regard was sent to the Left Front government in West Bengal.

But things changed after August 2008 when the Left parties pulled out their support to the UPA-I government over the nuclear deal.

In January 2009, the Centre sent a regret letter to Governor of West Bengal saying that BESU’s upgradation has been put on hold and cited media reports of frequent violence on the campus. The issue then almost was kept in backburner till political equations changed in the state. In the 2009 general elections, Congress tied up with Left’s rival Trinamool Congress in the state and returned to power at the Centre under a new set of alliance partners. This time, the Trinamool wielded the maximum clout in the new coalition — UPA-II — as it was the second largest party in the government. 

With no progress made on Besu’s promised upgradation, a section of university’s faculty approached Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee — who was now a Union Minister — urging her to intervene. On July 14 this year, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal urging him to bestow IIT status to BESU, if the Centre finds it difficult to upgrade the institute to an IIEST. Within three months, the Union Cabinet decided to upgrade BESU’s status to IIEST.

The Left Front government, however, doesn’t want to give credit to the Trinamool. State Education Minister Sudarshan Raychowdhuri on Friday thanked Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and not Trinamool’s Mamata Banerjee for helping the BESU get the Central institute status. 

BADA DASAI at 10.28 am

My Republica, KATHMANDU, Oct 17: The 10th day of the Bada Dashain is being celebrated all over the country on Sunday with great enthusiasm by receiving Tika and blessings from elders.

On the day of Vijaya Dashami, the idols of the Goddess of the festival should be disposed of in rivers and ponds as per religious rituals from 7:23 am and the auspicious hour of receiving Tika is 10:43 am NST (10.28 am IST), according to Dr. Madhav Bhattarai, President of the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee.
One does not need auspicious hour for receiving Prasad of Devi, but the time was fixed only for those who seek it, he added.

The worship of Sri Durga Bhawani at Dashainghars over nine days concludes formally on the day of Bijaya Dashami after the sprinkling of holy water takes place marking the beginning of Tika.
People receive Tika and Jamara till the full moon day.

It is believed that one need not seek an auspicious hour if one undertakes any new assignment, campaign or journey on the auspicious day of Bijaya Dashami.  

Four killed in Bihar Stampede

PTI, Banka: At least four persons were killed and 16 others injured in a stampede on Saturday night during a ritual at a Durga temple in Bihar's Banka district on the occasion of Navratri festival. Around 30,000 devotees had thronged the temple at Tildiha village under Sambhuganj police station area for offering prayers and sacrificing goats when the stampede occurred, DGP Neelmani told PTI in Patna.

Four devotees died on the spot while 16 others were injured as people started running and trampling each other after some rumours.

The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital, he said, adding that senior officials have rushed to the spot.
Two ULFA militants killed in Assam  
IBNS, Guwahati, Oct 16 : Two United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Assam's Kokrajhar district on late Friday night, police said. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of army and police launched a massive operation at Patoliguri area near Gosaigaon along the Assam-Bengal border, where a group of militants opened fire on the security forces and bullets were exchanged. ''We had launched the operation on the basis of our information. The ultras opened fire on security forces and bullets were exchanged for 20 minutes, in which two of them were killed on the spot,'' a police official said. One of the ultras has been identified as Achyut Rabha. Security forces seized one 9 mm pistol, a carbine, two magazines, 45 rounds live ammunition from the slain militants. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)

CWG contractor paid twice for same job: CAG probe

TNN, NEW DELHI: V K Shunglu, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) who heads the investigation into the Commonwealth "scam", will have to hit the ground running, with evidence pouring in of irregularities in expenditure of public money. In a clear case of nexus between government agencies and contractors engaged for Games-related projects, a preliminary probe by CAG has established that the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) paid a contractor twice for the same job at Talkatora swimming pool complex. The first payment was made as part of the main contract worth Rs 200 crore. That should have been sufficient. But CPWD went on to show rare generosity to the contractor, Ahluwalia Constructions, handing them an additional contract for a job already covered by the main contract. In short, the contractor got paid twice for the same job. The alleged swindle confirms what has always been suspected: that the Games "loot- fest" was not limited to the Organizing Committee headed by Suresh Kalmadi. Central and Delhi government agencies entrusted with Games work also participated in it. The CAG's first set of "Preliminary Audit Memos" on projects linked to the Games have put the spotlight on the CPWD, which works under the Union urban development ministry. The Comptroller and Auditor General's first set of "Preliminary Audit Memos" on Games projects have put the spotlight on the CPWD, which is under the Union urban development ministry. The urban development ministry is headed by S Jaipal Reddy. CPWD carried out construction and related work on behalf of the Sports Authority of India in five stadia -- the Talkatora swimming pool complex, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, National Stadium and the Karni Singh Shooting Range. According to the "Running Account Payments" system, disbursals are made to contractors based on work progress before the "Final Payment" bill is submitted. CAG has found that CPWD released payments for the same service building in two separate instances. The total project size is about Rs 5 crore. The auditors have also raised questions regarding tax deductions, which yet again have raised doubts about the integrity of payment releasing methods. CPWD has paid taxes on behalf of the contractors, despite TDS being part of the total contract amount, the memos have pointed out. It's an indication of the number of irregularities that are emerging that the CAG has raised almost a dozen audit memos -- or queries about apparent irregularities -- in the Talkatora swimming pool project alone. Hence, the CAG is likely to focus on the larger projects. These are the first set of audit memos on any games related projects. The only other communication from CAG thus far has been the "Inspection Report" of the accounts of the OC issued in August. According to authoritative sources, the CAG's first formal reports on the Organising Committee, and agencies such as the Delhi government, CPWD and DDA will not be out before December. 

Strict education bills upset varsities 

TT, New Delhi, Oct. 16: A newly formed association of universities has criticised several proposed laws to reform higher education, saying they would “over-regulate” the sector and undermine the autonomy of institutes.

Among the bills the Indian Council of Universities (ICU) has opposed is the educational tribunals bill, which seeks to set up specialised tribunals to adjudicate disputes in higher educational institutions.

The ICU, which has some 50 institutions as members, most of them private universities, has also opposed two other bills tabled by the human resource development (HRD) ministry. They are the prohibition of unfair practices in technical educational institutions, medical educational institutions and universities bill; and the national accreditation regulatory authority for higher educational institutions bill.

“These bills seek to over-regulate the higher education system with a heavy penalty structure, including imprisonment for the administrators for any small violation of the norms prescribed on faculty position and infrastructure, etc. The autonomy of the universities will be scuttled by these laws,” said ICU secretary-general D.S. Chauhan.

The bill on prohibition of unfair practices lays down punishment structures, including imprisonment and fine, for malpractice.

The accreditation bill prescribes minimum standards for establishing and functioning of institutions.

The ICU held a meeting here today and discussed in detail the provisions of all the three bills, which have been introduced in Parliament.

The association also criticised the higher education and research bill, which is yet to be introduced in Parliament. This bill seeks to set up a national commission for higher education and research as an overarching body to regulate higher education.

The meeting was attended by Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, the chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on human resource development. The parliamentary panel had recently suggested a number of modifications to the educational tribunals bill. The bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, has been deferred by the Rajya Sabha after leaders from across the political divide opposed it.

ICU president Surjit Singh Pabla, who is also the vice-chancellor of Sikkim Manipal University, said Fernandes asked the ICU members to put their views on the reforms bills before the parliamentary panel.

He said the ICU had been formed a few months ago to work for autonomy of universities and to facilitate involvement of chancellors and VCs in education reforms.

The ICU is seen as a rival to the Association of Indian Universities, which counts over 250 varsities as members but hardly any private university.

Working moms, for kids’ sake relax- Study says return to jobs soon after birth can adversely affect children

NEWBORN BEFORE WOR

Tim Ross, TT, London, Oct. 16: Middle-class mothers who return to work too soon risk turning their children into unruly pupils who perform badly at school, research suggests.

But women from poorer backgrounds who take jobs soon after giving birth tend to benefit their children by providing positive role models and bringing in extra income, the University of California study found.

However, for higher and middle-income families, the benefits may be outweighed by the emotional disruption that leaving children at nursery can have, says the report.

Academics reviewed 69 studies conducted over 50 years in the US for the research, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Bulletin.

Rachel Lucas-Thompson, who led the research, analysed the behaviour and school results of children whose mothers returned to work either part-time or full-time within three years of giving birth.

She found that pupils from more affluent, two-parent families whose mothers returned to work before their first birthday tended to fare less well academically.

They were also found to be slightly more aggressive and their teachers were more likely to report behavioural problems.

Dr Lucas-Thompson said for higher-income families, “it’s possible that alternative care arrangements may not be as emotionally supportive as the child’s mother”.

The findings indicated that politicians should consider encouraging employers to allow more generous maternity leave.

“If parents could postpone work or if they were allowed to work fewer hours during that first year, I think it could only have positive effects on children,” said Dr Lucas-Thompson. 

Indian medal winners in various disciplines at the 2010 Commonwealth Games:

Archery:
Gold
Rahul Banerjee – men’s recurve (Individual)
Deepika Kumari, Dola Banerjee, Bombayala Devi – women’s recurve (Team)
Deepika Kumari – women’s recurve (Individual)

Silver
Chinna Raju, Jignesh Chittibomma, Ritul Chaterjee – men’s compound (Team)

Bronze
Jayanta Talukdar – men’s recurve (Individual)
Gagandeep Kaur, Jhanu Hansda, Bheigyabati Chanu – women’s compound (Team)
Dola Banerjee – women’s recurve (Individual)
Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai (Sikkim)– men’s recurve

Athletics:
Gold
A.C. Ashwini, Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose – women’s 4×400m Relay
Krishna Poonia – women’s discus throw

Silver
Vikas Shive Gowda – Men’s discus throw
Harwant Kaur – women’s discus throw
Prajusha Maliakkal – women’s long jump

Bronze
Kashinath Naik – men’s javelin throw
Seema Antil – women’s discus throw
M. Rahamatulla, Sathya Suresh, Shameermon and Abdul Najeeb Qureshi – men’s 4×100m relay
S. Geetha, Srabani Nanda, P.K. Priya and H.M. Jyothi – women’s 4×100m relay
Renjith Maheswary – men’s triple jump
Kavita Raut – women’s 10,000m
Harminder Singh – men’s 20 Km race walk

Aquatics:
Bronze
Prasanta Karmakar, para sport – men’s 50m freestyle,S9

Badminton:
Gold
Saina Nehwal – women’s singles
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa – women’s doubles

Silver
Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, Chetan Anand, Jwala Gutta, V.Diju, Ashwini Ponnappa, Rupesh Kumar, Sanave Thomas – mixed team

Bronze
Parupalli Kashyap – men’s singles

Boxing:
Gold
Manoj Kumar (64kg)

Suranjoy Mayengbam (52 kg)
Paramjeet Samota (+91kg)

Bronze
Jai Bhagwan (60kg)
Amandeep Singh (49kg)
Dilbag Singh (69kg)
Vijender Singh (75kg)

Gymnastics (Artistic):
Silver
Ashish Kumar – men’s vault

Bronze
Ashish Kumar – men’s floor

Hockey:
Silver
Men’s team

Shooting:
Gold
Omkar Singh, Gurpreet Singh – men’s 10m air pistol (Pairs)
Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra – men’s 10m air rifle (Pairs)
Vijay Kumar and Harpreet Singh – men’s 25m centrefire pistol (Pairs)
Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh – men’s 25m rapid fire pistol (Pairs)
Gagan Narang and Imran Hasan Khan – men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (Pairs)
Heena Sindu and Anuraj Singh – women’s 10m air pistol (Pairs)
Anisa Sayyed and Rahi Sarnobat – women’s 25m pistol (Pairs)
Vijay Kumar – men’s 25m rapid fire pistol
Gagan Narang – men’s 10m air rifle
Gagan Narang – men’s 50m rifle 3 positions
Anisa Sayyed – women’s 25m pistol
Harpreet Singh – men’s 25m centrefire pistol (Singles)
Omkar Singh – men’s 10m air pistol
Omkar Singh – men’s 50m pistol

Silver
Abhinav Bindra – men’s 10m air rifle
Samresh Jung, Chandrasekhar Kumar Chaudary – men’s 25m standard pistol (Pairs)
Omkar Singh and Deepak Sharma – men’s 50m pistol (Pairs)
Ronjon Sodhi and Asher Noria – men’s double trap (Pairs)
Mansher Singh and Manavjot Singh Sandhu – men’s trap (Pairs)
Tejaswani Sawant and Lajja Gauswami – women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (Pairs)
Vijay Kumar – men’s 25m centrefire pistol (Singles)
Rahi Sarnobat – women’s 25m pistol
Tejaswini Sawant – women’s 50m rifle prone (Singles)
Heena Sidhu – women’s 10m air pistol
Ronjan Sodhi – men’s double trap

Bronze
Suma Shirur and Kavita Yadav – women’s 10m air rifle (Pairs)
Meena Kumari and Tejaswani Sawant – women’s 50m prone rifle (Pairs)
Samaresh Jung – men’s 25m standard pistol (Singles)
Manavjit Singh Sandhu – men’s trap (Singles)
Gurpreet Singh – men’s 25m rapid fire pistol

Table Tennis:
Gold
Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha – men’s doubles

Silver
Poulomi Ghatak, Mouma Das, Shamini Kumaresan, Madhurika Patkar, Mamta Prabhu – women’s team

Bronze
Sharath Kamal – men’s singles
Sharath Kamal, Soumyadeep Roy, Subhajit Saha, Amalraj Anthony and Abhishek Ravichandran – men’s team
Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das – women’s doubles

Tennis:
Gold:
Somdev Devvarman – men’s singles

Silver
Sania Mirza – women’s singles

Bronze
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuptahi – men’s doubles
Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi – women’s doubles

Weightlifting:
Gold
Ravi Kumar Katulu – men’s 9kg
Renu Bala Chanu – women’s 58kg

Silver
Soniya Chanu – women’s 48kg
Sukhen Dey – men’s 56kg

Bronze:
Rani Devi Sandhya – women’s 48kg
Sudhir Kumar Chitradurga – men’s 77kg
Monika Devi Laishram – women’s 75kg
V.S. Rao – men’s 56kg

Wrestling:
Gold
Anita – women’s 67kg free style
Yogeshwar Dutt – men’s 60kg free style
Geeta – women’s 55kg free style
Sushil Kumar – men’s 66kg free style
Alka Tomar – women’s 59kg free style
Narsingh Panch Yadav – men’s 74kg free style
Anil Kumar – men’s 96kg (greco roman)
Rajender Kumar – men’s 55kg (greco roman)
Sanjay – men’s 74kg (greco roman)
Ravinder Singh – 60kg men’s (greco roman)

Silver
Nirmala Devi – women’s 48kg free style
Anuj Kumar – men’s 84kg free style
Joginder Kumar – men’s 120kg free style
Babita Kumari – women’s 51kg free style
Manoj Kumar – men’s 84kg (greco roman)

Bronze
Anil Kumar – men’s 55kg free style
Suman Kundu – women’s 63kg free style
Dharmender Dalal – men’s 120kg (greco roman)
Sunil Kumar – men’s 66kg (greco roman)