Hyderabad India Online » Information

Tech Colleges in AP Apply for Closure

TR — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:44:37 +0000

56 technical institutions in the state have applied to AICTE requesting for closure. The reason is poor response to admission. There were as many as 150 such applications received by AICTE for closure across the country and AP topped the list.

The colleges from the state include 28 MCA colleges, 14 MBA colleges, 5 engineering colleges, 5 pharmacy, and 3 technical campuses that offer all kinds of professional courses. Most of these are located in suburban and rural areas. More than a dozen colleges are in the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The other states from where applications for closure of professional institutions came were Rajasthan (18), Uttar Pradesh (17), Gujarat (13), Maharashtra (7) Punjab and Haryana (6 each), Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka (5 each), Chhatishgarh (4), West Bengal and Tamil Nadu (2 each), Uttarakhand Bihar (1 each).

Source: DC

Tech College Fee Hike Too Burdensome for State

TR — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:59:40 +0000

As per Supreme Court order, the colleges which pay the faculty as per AICTE pay scale can hike the tuition fee. The state government has made initiation to look into the matter to find the exact nature of the financial burden it is going bear.

The government reportedly allocated Rs. 3,500 crore for fee reimbursement this year to aid about 27 lakh social and economically weaker section students to pursue professional and other curses in higher education. The government expects the expenditure would increase to Rs. 10,000 when the fee is increased by 40%.

The SC allowed 13 colleges to hike fee provided they submitted all the financial statements. It also stated other colleges seeking for fee hike have to give their undertaking to the apex court within a week from May 9, regarding implementation of AICTE pay scales for faculty.

Source: DC

Fee Hike Urged by Tech Colleges

TR — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:58:36 +0000

The managements of engineering colleges opined at the fourth general body meeting of the Consortium of Engineering and Professional Colleges Managements Associations of AP that if the government does not hike fee, it would be hard for them to impart quality teaching.

The amount fixed currently payable annually is Rs. 31,000 which is not adequate. Because of such paucity of resources they are unable to pay good remunerations to the teaching faculty. They instead employ B. Tech candidates for the purpose and hence the low quality of instruction. The managements complain that even for primary education in India is changed a much higher amount than the amount charged for engineering course. They demanded the hike as per the order of Supreme Court.

They also urged the government to scrap quota pattern in categorization into convener and management quotas.

Source: DC

New Safety Regulations for High-Rise Hospitals in the City

TR — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:31:04 +0000

The recent fire accidents in two leading hospitals in the city have prompted government to make the following as mandatory:

Hospitals operating in high-rise buildings must provide enough open space, fire lifts and integrated building management system with modern automated fire and life safety system in the building.
The height of the ambulatory patient wards should be at least 3.6 metres and the height of all critical treatments areas like ICUs should be four metres.
There should be at last one horizontal exit provided on every floor and there should be vertical stairs on all floors with width according to the National Building Code.

Source: Times of India

Engineering Colleges Drop-Out on the Rise

TR — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:28:19 +0000

An estimated 2.93 lakh students have applied for EAMCET this year. Despite the craze for engineering course, there is increasing drop out among the students admitted in various engineering courses.

A recent study by JNTU shows that about three to four per cent students drop out every year. The absolute number approximates to thousands.

As per the study, three per cent of the 1.6 lakh students who took admission in engineering college have dropped out midway. Four per cent of the 1.3 lakh students had chosen to leave the course in 2011.

Source: Times of India

Work on Three More Piers in Metro Rail Starts

TR — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:26:55 +0000

As shuttering arrangement for the first pillar of (pier) Hyderabad Metro Rail goes on Nagole -Mettuguda section, three more piers are going to be started between Nagole and Uppal. Along with this, construction of train maintenance, repair workshops, and stabling yards are to start at Uppal Depot.

To cover time lags in the project, hectic efforts were made complete the maximum possible work before the onset of the Monsoon.

To facilitate work, 60 acres of leased land adjacent to the Uppal depot has been made ready for beginning casting of the segments. Each segment having dimensions 30 feet by 10 feet and weighs 35 tons approximately would be required for the erection of metro rail viaduct for all three corridors of 71.16 km.

About 10 segments are going to be fixed normally between two piers separated by a distance of about 31 metres. In all 28,000 segments would be used for the project.

Source: The Hindu

Office of Honorary Consulate General of Bulgaria in Hyderabad

TR — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:25:06 +0000

Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh inaugurated the honorary consulate general of Republic of Bulgaria. According to the minister it was a matter of pride to have consulate general’s office in A.P.

It is expected that the move would pave way to strengthening the values of freedom and democracy shared by India and Bulgaria.

Source: The Hindu

Aadhar Cards to be Scrapped in Old City

TR — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:28:33 +0000

The registration of Aadhar cards in old Hyderabad undertaken by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL & FS) is going to be scrapped. The reason is said to be IL & FS indulged in unscrupulous action leading to fake enrollment apparently to meet the dead lines. Consequently, the probing agencies looking into the matter are unable to determine the correct estimates of such fake registration of Aadhar Cards.

Source: Times of India

New City Police Chief, A. K. Khan Moves to RTC

TR — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:44:55 +0000

As per government orders, Mr. Anurag Sharama is the new commissioner of police of Hyderabad. Mr. Sharma was earlier the commissioner in-charge. Mr. A. K. Khan has been posted as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, APSRTC. Mr. B. Prasada Rao has been appointed as ACB chief.

Mr Sharma reportedly said, “Maintaining law and order will be the top priority and there will be no lenience towards the communal situation. I will also try to improve crime detection. Providing friendly policing to ensure that the police wins the heart of Hyderabadis is another priority”.

Source: DC

Demand to Ban 33 Drugs in India

TR — Tue, 22 May 2012 07:57:26 +0000

Medical body, All India Drug Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC), has strongly recommended to the Union Health Ministry, to ban 33 drugs. The AIDCOC has alleged that the Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) has given permission for the marketing of these drugs without carrying prior clinical trials in India.

Widespread Sale of Antibiotics without Prescription
To buy antibiotics in India is easy as it does not require a physician’s prescription. Despite restriction in the form of government regulations, the sale of antibiotics without any prescription is widespread.

Observation made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC)
The PSC made the following observation on certain drugs sold in India. For drugs Everolimus (Novartis), Colistimethate (Cipla), Exemestane (Pharmacia), Buclizine (UCB), Pemetrexid (Eli Lilly), Aliskiren (Novartis), Pentosan (West Coast), Ambrisentan (GlaxoSmithKline), Ademetionine (Akums), Pirfenidone (Cipla), and FDC of Pregabalin, ethylcobolamine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Pyridoxine & Folic Acid (Theon), no clinical trials were conducted.

For Dronedarone (Sanofi) and Aliskiran (Novartis) clinical trials were conducted on just 21 and 46 patients respectively as against the statutory requirement of at least 100 patients.

For Irsogladine (Macleods), trials were conducted at just two hospitals as against legal requirement of 3-4.

No mandatory phase III clinical trials are conducted and no expert advice is sought.

Source: DC