Retired IIT professors and government scientists as well as bright students on the verge of finishing their Ph.D could soon become the target of IIT faculty recruitment, with the government suggesting a special package to woo them.
As the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, kicked off its golden jubilee celebrations on Thursday, the spotlight shifted from the achievements of the past to the challenges facing the elite technical institutions in the future.
With the mushrooming of engineering institutions, including six new IITs being launched this year, “shortage of faculty is an area of acute concern,” Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari, said at the inauguration function. “The quality of their graduates would depend on the quality of their teachers… Compounding this problem is the fact that there is a drain from teaching and research into other, more lucrative fields.”
One way of dealing with this problem would be for the IITs to “consider providing a special package for those faculty members retiring at the age of 65 as well as for eminent scientists retiring at the age of 60 from CSIR laboratories, DRDO laboratories or some private corporations,” said the Minister.
She also suggested that the IITs take a proactive approach and compile data on potential young candidates available abroad. If the IITs could recruit students on the verge of completing post-doctoral research either in India or abroad, once they were earmarked as potential faculty, they could be given support to continue post-doctoral research in any premier institution of their choice, she said. “The IITs can also consider employing adjunct faculty from the ranks of those working in industrial R&D establishments as well as faculty members of Indian origin working in American and European universities,” she added.
The IITs should look to retain the 1,000 Ph.D scholars passing out of their own institutions every year, as well as attract the 50,000 Indian students doing their Ph.D. abroad, said R.P. Agrawal, secretary, Higher Education, in the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development. He said the Ministry was aware of the questions of quantity trumping quality arising as the new IITs opened their doors.
“There are concerns about the new IITs … that brand equity will get diluted. We are alive to these concerns and are taking measures to ensure that quality does not go down,” he said. “The challenge is to expand with equity and excellence, to retain our core values while being open to the healthy winds of change.”
For a curious mix
IIT-M has attempted to keep that mix of tradition and innovation throughout the last 50 years. It was inaugurated as India’s third IIT on July 31, 1959, with West German cooperation.
The German links are still alive, testified German Ambassador to India Bernd Mutzelburg. One reason why so many German companies had invested in Tamil Nadu was the IIT connection, he said. “It has become, in some sense, the pride of Germany as well…The most important investment we ever made [in India] was into IIT-Madras, because it was into the brains and hearts of Indians. It pays out now in so many ways for our strategic interests.”
Human resource
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said IIT and other high quality educational institutions were responsible for the vast pool of trained human resource that made Tamil Nadu such an attractive State for industrial investors.
He invited the IIT faculty, students and alumni to become part of the Information Technology Academy being launched by the State government to improve the quality of technical manpower.
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
IIM-A students set up PE, VC interest club
Five post-graduate programme (PGP) students of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) have set up a Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) club to help students get hands-on experience by involving PE/VC players from India and abroad. Unlike finance clubs run by most B-schools in the country, this club exclusively focuses on PE and VC funding.
The lack of opportunities and experience in the PE and VC space led five students to set up the club called 'Leverage'. With around 50 students interested in being members, the club will be a forum for students interested in all aspects of private equity and venture capital.
"We came up with an initial skeletal structure of the PE club by looking at institutes like Harvard and others from the Ivy League. But the end product has been entirely our idea of how a PE club should be. Although we prefer to call it an interest group for the time being, we plan to run a full-fledged club with more activities soon," says Anirudh Singh, a member of the club.
"PE as an industry has boomed in India and we plan to invite speakers to the campus, hold conclaves, workshops and other events to provide a platform for the students and corporates to interact. Also, we are looking forward to hold intra-institute events, where the students can write an investment proposal and a panel of faculty members can judge them.
We have no restrictions when it comes to corporates as we would be involving both top- and middle-level players to encourage more and more activities in the field of PE and VC," says Gagandeep Singh, another member of the club.
As part of formalising the club, the students are holding the first intra-institute event called the 'Zen of Investing', where the club plans to invite alumni working in the area of private equity, besides involving the faculty and students for the activity.
The club also has plans to tie-up with Post-Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) students to getter a better perspective of private equity. "The PGPX students would be able to share their experiences about private equity and with their support, we plan to involve ourselves with the corporates in a deeper way through various activities, including projects and case workshops," adds Anirudh Singh.
The club is in talks with a few corporates, who have shown interest in sponsoring the club.
"We are considering more options for funding besides the institute and the corporates we are in talks with. Currently, we are in the stage of gauging the responses from the people about the club," says Anirudh Singh, before adding, "Although we have started out PE and VC, we may consider branching out to other areas like micro finance later."
The lack of opportunities and experience in the PE and VC space led five students to set up the club called 'Leverage'. With around 50 students interested in being members, the club will be a forum for students interested in all aspects of private equity and venture capital.
"We came up with an initial skeletal structure of the PE club by looking at institutes like Harvard and others from the Ivy League. But the end product has been entirely our idea of how a PE club should be. Although we prefer to call it an interest group for the time being, we plan to run a full-fledged club with more activities soon," says Anirudh Singh, a member of the club.
"PE as an industry has boomed in India and we plan to invite speakers to the campus, hold conclaves, workshops and other events to provide a platform for the students and corporates to interact. Also, we are looking forward to hold intra-institute events, where the students can write an investment proposal and a panel of faculty members can judge them.
We have no restrictions when it comes to corporates as we would be involving both top- and middle-level players to encourage more and more activities in the field of PE and VC," says Gagandeep Singh, another member of the club.
As part of formalising the club, the students are holding the first intra-institute event called the 'Zen of Investing', where the club plans to invite alumni working in the area of private equity, besides involving the faculty and students for the activity.
The club also has plans to tie-up with Post-Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) students to getter a better perspective of private equity. "The PGPX students would be able to share their experiences about private equity and with their support, we plan to involve ourselves with the corporates in a deeper way through various activities, including projects and case workshops," adds Anirudh Singh.
The club is in talks with a few corporates, who have shown interest in sponsoring the club.
"We are considering more options for funding besides the institute and the corporates we are in talks with. Currently, we are in the stage of gauging the responses from the people about the club," says Anirudh Singh, before adding, "Although we have started out PE and VC, we may consider branching out to other areas like micro finance later."
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Learning the ropes WHAT THEY DON`T TEACH YOU AT B-SCHOOL
B-school education is certainly a quantum jump over the education that one obtains at a typical arts, science, commerce or engineering college in India.
However, there are certain areas that at times get left out. These do not relate to academic inputs, including latest case studies, but to certain other points which do not get considered.
Negotiation and the zero-sum game: Lessons learnt from our elders in the art of negotiation dictate that we must win in the negotiation game, and win at any cost.
This game is frequently played out with hapless street vendors who are vanquished and exploited. It is dangerous to bring this attitude to the corporate sector, where you need partners to support you in the long run, and not the equivalent of the street vendor, who has been pushed into the red through robust and relentless negotiation.
The nuts and bolts of business: This may be a broad generalisation, but I find young B-school grads reluctant to spend their first few years learning the ropes of how a business runs.
Any opportunity to rough it out and spend some time on learning the basics of selling, financial accounting, programming, handling in-coming calls must be welcomed with certain humility.
There are hundreds of valuable lessons that one learns in the first five years of work. Even if you have had work experience, you will find it valuable to start at a grass-roots level. This helps you to have a fresh look at various aspects of a business.
Soldiering on when the chips are down: Businesses have many ups and downs and the lessons learnt in a downturn or startup are very valuable.
While turnaround stories are the stuff of many case studies, there is often not much romance when one starts working on a turnaround. These are usually stories of sweat and toil and of getting little things done with a lot of discipline, logic and self-belief.
The lessons from karma yoga: One needs to maintain and enhance self-esteem at all times, and explain the rationale behind one's action.
Work without attachment to the fruits does not mean that one is not goal-oriented, but that one does not get so obsessed with the results that everything else becomes secondary. Building the right culture is one of the greatest challenges faced by a leader today.
An MBA gets into a position of leadership very quickly. What must be the attitude of a leader, how would he approach work, success or failure, which includes his own failure, and his team's failure, are all moot points.
At a collective level and at an individual one, there is a need for a value system, a philosophy of life and attitude to work.
D Rajiv Krishnan graduated from XLRI, Jamshedpur in 1984
However, there are certain areas that at times get left out. These do not relate to academic inputs, including latest case studies, but to certain other points which do not get considered.
Negotiation and the zero-sum game: Lessons learnt from our elders in the art of negotiation dictate that we must win in the negotiation game, and win at any cost.
This game is frequently played out with hapless street vendors who are vanquished and exploited. It is dangerous to bring this attitude to the corporate sector, where you need partners to support you in the long run, and not the equivalent of the street vendor, who has been pushed into the red through robust and relentless negotiation.
The nuts and bolts of business: This may be a broad generalisation, but I find young B-school grads reluctant to spend their first few years learning the ropes of how a business runs.
Any opportunity to rough it out and spend some time on learning the basics of selling, financial accounting, programming, handling in-coming calls must be welcomed with certain humility.
There are hundreds of valuable lessons that one learns in the first five years of work. Even if you have had work experience, you will find it valuable to start at a grass-roots level. This helps you to have a fresh look at various aspects of a business.
Soldiering on when the chips are down: Businesses have many ups and downs and the lessons learnt in a downturn or startup are very valuable.
While turnaround stories are the stuff of many case studies, there is often not much romance when one starts working on a turnaround. These are usually stories of sweat and toil and of getting little things done with a lot of discipline, logic and self-belief.
The lessons from karma yoga: One needs to maintain and enhance self-esteem at all times, and explain the rationale behind one's action.
Work without attachment to the fruits does not mean that one is not goal-oriented, but that one does not get so obsessed with the results that everything else becomes secondary. Building the right culture is one of the greatest challenges faced by a leader today.
An MBA gets into a position of leadership very quickly. What must be the attitude of a leader, how would he approach work, success or failure, which includes his own failure, and his team's failure, are all moot points.
At a collective level and at an individual one, there is a need for a value system, a philosophy of life and attitude to work.
D Rajiv Krishnan graduated from XLRI, Jamshedpur in 1984
Professionals across streams enrol for MBA
The trend of doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and even journalists doing an MBA — to help them change professions mid-stream or increase their job market value — continues this year too with professionals from disciplines like medicine, fashion technology etc. taking up courses at premier B-schools like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Xavier Institute of Management and Indian School of Business (ISB).
B-schools are also encouraging professionals from diverse profiles to do an MBA.
Bhuvana Ramalingam, senior director of communication, ISB, says: "Anyone can do an MBA. Earlier, engineers made up a chunk of MBAs. Today, it's people from backgrounds as diverse as journalism and defence. Diversity is important in business education as it enhances discussions in the classroom."
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai, has changed the selection criteria to incorporate as many disciplines as possible. Unlike last year, when 95 per cent of students came from engineering backgrounds, this year only 60 per cent of students are engineers.
A consideration of 12.5 per cent on past academic records is now applicable to students from all the disciplines under the revised selection criteria, as against last year when only engineering students received this consideration.
The institute has also cut down the consideration on work experience from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent, and has broadening the eligibility to include aspirants from other disciplines as well.
Satish Deodhar, chairperson, admissions at IIM, Ahmedabad, said: "Another trend in IIM-A is that of Chartered Accountants (CAs) doing MBA. Earlier there were many economic students opting for MBA. But today, they have been outnumbered by engineers and CAs as there is more scope for economic graduates in the field of BPO or hospitality."
The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar, (XIMB), has more than 60 per cent of engineers this year.
Many feel that an MBA is a favoured programme for all as offers a complete learning experience. But why switch career for an MBA degree, especially when you are in a good profession, already?
The answer seems to be the competitive advantage the programme confers.
"Management education gives students a jump start. The salaries are attractive after an MBA, for instance the average salary for an MBA from IIM is 10 lakh. There could be other reasons for opting for an MBA like tedious jobs, the urge to break the glass ceiling and to broaden the niche market for one's own profession," explains Deodhar.
A section of MBA aspirants feels that the course helps them bridge the gap in their established domain of education.
B-schools are also encouraging professionals from diverse profiles to do an MBA.
Bhuvana Ramalingam, senior director of communication, ISB, says: "Anyone can do an MBA. Earlier, engineers made up a chunk of MBAs. Today, it's people from backgrounds as diverse as journalism and defence. Diversity is important in business education as it enhances discussions in the classroom."
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai, has changed the selection criteria to incorporate as many disciplines as possible. Unlike last year, when 95 per cent of students came from engineering backgrounds, this year only 60 per cent of students are engineers.
A consideration of 12.5 per cent on past academic records is now applicable to students from all the disciplines under the revised selection criteria, as against last year when only engineering students received this consideration.
The institute has also cut down the consideration on work experience from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent, and has broadening the eligibility to include aspirants from other disciplines as well.
Satish Deodhar, chairperson, admissions at IIM, Ahmedabad, said: "Another trend in IIM-A is that of Chartered Accountants (CAs) doing MBA. Earlier there were many economic students opting for MBA. But today, they have been outnumbered by engineers and CAs as there is more scope for economic graduates in the field of BPO or hospitality."
The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar, (XIMB), has more than 60 per cent of engineers this year.
Many feel that an MBA is a favoured programme for all as offers a complete learning experience. But why switch career for an MBA degree, especially when you are in a good profession, already?
The answer seems to be the competitive advantage the programme confers.
"Management education gives students a jump start. The salaries are attractive after an MBA, for instance the average salary for an MBA from IIM is 10 lakh. There could be other reasons for opting for an MBA like tedious jobs, the urge to break the glass ceiling and to broaden the niche market for one's own profession," explains Deodhar.
A section of MBA aspirants feels that the course helps them bridge the gap in their established domain of education.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mukesh may foot intl faculty salaries at IIM-B
Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani is understood to have expressed interest in footing the salary bills of international faculty at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore.
A source said Ambani, who is on the governing board of the premier IIM, had emphasised that the institute should recruit international faculty to become world class at the institute's recent board meeting.
"The board discussed hiring international faculty but we have not yet worked out a detailed plan on this front. We will be taking a call on the issue in the next couple of months and could put a proposal in front of all board members," said a board member.
The institute could also approach the board members to raise funds for the purpose.
Last year, Mukesh Ambani, who is also an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), had sponsored a GSB and IIM-B student exchange programme under which 16 students of the institute visited Stanford on a seven-day trip.
"Sponsoring the recruitment of international faculty could be another step towards raising IIM-B's international portfolio and international research," added the source.
None of the seven IIMs has international faculty on their rolls. Last year, IIM-Ahmedabad was in talks with an international professor but the deal fell through.
For IIMs, recruiting and retaining international faculty is a challenging affair.
"Though we always welcome visiting faculty, we find that they do not want to stay on a permanent basis on campus. However, NRI faculty, who have been working with universities abroad do show interest in joining us," said a professor from IIM Calcutta. Two new NRI professors have joined IIM-C from the UK.
A major hindrance in attracting international faculty to IIMs is the salary. At any IIM, an assistant professor's monthly income is anywhere between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 (it varies depending on the consultancy fee from corporate assignments). An associate professor's monthly income is Rs 40,000-45,000 and a professor's around Rs 54,000.
Conservative estimates peg a professor's salary in the US at anywhere between $4,000 (around Rs 1.8 lakh) and $5,800 (around Rs 2.61 lakh) per month. This income is over and above consultancy fees from corporate assignments.
A source said Ambani, who is on the governing board of the premier IIM, had emphasised that the institute should recruit international faculty to become world class at the institute's recent board meeting.
"The board discussed hiring international faculty but we have not yet worked out a detailed plan on this front. We will be taking a call on the issue in the next couple of months and could put a proposal in front of all board members," said a board member.
The institute could also approach the board members to raise funds for the purpose.
Last year, Mukesh Ambani, who is also an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), had sponsored a GSB and IIM-B student exchange programme under which 16 students of the institute visited Stanford on a seven-day trip.
"Sponsoring the recruitment of international faculty could be another step towards raising IIM-B's international portfolio and international research," added the source.
None of the seven IIMs has international faculty on their rolls. Last year, IIM-Ahmedabad was in talks with an international professor but the deal fell through.
For IIMs, recruiting and retaining international faculty is a challenging affair.
"Though we always welcome visiting faculty, we find that they do not want to stay on a permanent basis on campus. However, NRI faculty, who have been working with universities abroad do show interest in joining us," said a professor from IIM Calcutta. Two new NRI professors have joined IIM-C from the UK.
A major hindrance in attracting international faculty to IIMs is the salary. At any IIM, an assistant professor's monthly income is anywhere between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 (it varies depending on the consultancy fee from corporate assignments). An associate professor's monthly income is Rs 40,000-45,000 and a professor's around Rs 54,000.
Conservative estimates peg a professor's salary in the US at anywhere between $4,000 (around Rs 1.8 lakh) and $5,800 (around Rs 2.61 lakh) per month. This income is over and above consultancy fees from corporate assignments.
Asian School of Business to set up own campus
The Thiruvananthapuram-based Asian School of Business (ASB) is investing Rs 63 crore to set up its own campus near Technopark.
G Vijayaraghavan, member-secretary, ASB, said 16 acres of land at Pallipuram, near Kazhakoottam where Technopark is located, has been identified for the new campus and the plan is ready.
"An investment of Rs 63 crore is envisaged and the B-school will move out of its leased premises at Technopark as soon as the first phase becomes operational," he said.
Spread over three phases, the first phase of the campus will be completed by the middle of next year. It is expected to incur a cost of around Rs 30 crore, he added.
Work on second and third phases is scheduled to begin by the last quarter of 2009 and early 2011 respectively. While the second phase is estimated to cost Rs 12 crore, the third phase would involve Rs 21 crore.
On completion of the first stage, the ASB campus will have 1,20,000 sft of space and comprise a conference hall, library, hostel to accommodate 150 students, guest house, cafeteria and recreation facilities. It will accommodate 200 students.
G Vijayaraghavan, member-secretary, ASB, said 16 acres of land at Pallipuram, near Kazhakoottam where Technopark is located, has been identified for the new campus and the plan is ready.
"An investment of Rs 63 crore is envisaged and the B-school will move out of its leased premises at Technopark as soon as the first phase becomes operational," he said.
Spread over three phases, the first phase of the campus will be completed by the middle of next year. It is expected to incur a cost of around Rs 30 crore, he added.
Work on second and third phases is scheduled to begin by the last quarter of 2009 and early 2011 respectively. While the second phase is estimated to cost Rs 12 crore, the third phase would involve Rs 21 crore.
On completion of the first stage, the ASB campus will have 1,20,000 sft of space and comprise a conference hall, library, hostel to accommodate 150 students, guest house, cafeteria and recreation facilities. It will accommodate 200 students.
LIST OF AXIS BANK BRANCHES: CAT 2008 APPLiCATION FORMS
ANDHRA PRADESH: Chittoor (Prakasam High Road), Hyderabad Main (Begumpet Road), Hyderabad (Kukatpally), Secunderabad (Rashtrapati
House), Secunderabad (Tarnaka) Kakinada (Subhash Road), Kurnool (Railway Station Road), Vijayawada (Rajagopalachari Street),
Vishakhapatnam (Dwaraka Nagar), Warangal (Station Road); ARUNACHAL PRADESH: Itanagar (Teli Plaza); ASSAM: Guwahati (Dispur), Jorhat(A.T. Road); BIHAR: Bhagalpur (Patal Babu Road), Muzaffarpur (Club Road), Patna (Boring Road), Patna (S.P. Verma Road); CHATTISGARH:
Bhilai (Off. GE Road), Bilaspur (Near New Bus Stand), Korba (Power House Road), Raipur (Jeevan Bima Marg); DELHI: Delhi Main (Barakhamba
Road), Daryaganj (Netaji Subhash Marg), Defence Colony, Greater Kailash-II, Janakpuri, Karol Bagh (Padam Singh Road), Malviya Nagar, Mayur
Vihar (LSC), Paschim Vihar, Rajouri Garden (Vishal Enclave), Sector 7, Rohini (Main Road), Shakti Nagar (G.T. Karnal Road), Swasthya Vihar
(Vikas Marg), Vasant Kunj (Nelson Mandela Road); GOA: Panaji (Dr. Atmaram Borkar Marg); GUJARAT: Ahmedabad Main (Ellisbridge),
Ahmedabad (Maninagar), Ahmedabad (Vastrapur), Baroda, (Race Course Circle – North), Bhavnagar (Waghawadi Road), Rajkot (Kalawad
Road), Surat Main (Ghod Dod Road), Vallabh Vidyanagar (Near HM Patel House); HARYANA: Ambala Cantt. (Jagadri Road), Gurgaon (Sector-
14), Faridabad (NIT), Kurukshetra (Railway Road), Panipat (GT Road), Rohtak (Delhi Road); HIMACHAL PRADESH: Shimla (Kasumpti);
JHARKHAND: Dhanbad (Bank More), Jamshedpur Main (Bistupur), Jamshedpur (Sakchi), Ranchi (Main Road); JAMMU & KASHMIR: Jammu
(Rail Head Complex); KARNATAKA: Bangalore Main (M.G. Road), Bangalore (J.P. Nagar), Bangalore (Jayanagar), Bangalore (Koramangala),
Bangalore (Marathahalli), Bangalore (Malleswaram, Sampige Road), Bangalore (Vijaynagar, West of Chord Road), Bellary (Main Road), Belgaum
(Congress Road), Davanagare (PB Road), Gulbarga (Super Market), Hubli (Deshpande Nagar), Karwar (Green Street), Mangalore (Bunts Hostel
Circle), Mysore (Temple Road); KERALA: Kochi (Rajaji Road), Kottayam (Near YMCA), Kozhikode (YMCA Cross Road), Thiruvananthapuram (MG
Road), Thrissur (City Centre); MADHYA PRADESH: Bhopal (MP Nagar), Gwalior (Madhavrao Scindia Marg), Indore (Main), Indore (Sapna Sangita
Road), Jabalpur (Shastri Bridge Chowk), Satna (Rewa Road); MAHARASHTRA: Ahmednagar (Tilak Road), Amaravati (Near Jaistamb Chowk),
Aurangabad (Adalat Road), Kolhapur (Station Road), Mumbai (Main Fort), Mumbai (Andheri West), Mumbai (Bandra West), Mumbai (Borivli West),
Mumbai (Mulund West), Mumbai, (Powai), Mumbai (Shivaji Park), Navi Mumbai (Nerul), Navi Mumbai (Vashi), Nagpur Main (Sitabuldi), Nashik
(Sharanpur Road), Pune Main (J.M.Road), Pune (Camp), Pune (Kothrud), Pune (Pimpri Chinchwad), Pune (Sahakar Nagar), Thane Main (L.B.S.
Marg); MANIPUR: Imphal (Thangal Bazaar); MEGHALAYA: Shillong (Jail Road); MIZORAM: Aizwal (Charmari); NAGALAND: Kohima
(UT Complex), ORISSA: Angul (Main Road), Balasore (OT Road), Berhampur (Ganjam), Bhubaneswar (Kalpana Square), Bhubaneswar
(Satyanagar), Cuttack, (Badambadi) Rourkela (Kachery Road), Sambalpur (VSS Marg); PUNJAB: Amritsar (Court Road), Jalandhar (Mahavir
Marg), Ludhiana Main (The Mall), Patiala (Rajwara Road); RAJASTHAN: Ajmer (Kutchery Road), Bikaner (Rani Bazar Road), Jaipur Main (Ashok
Marg), Jaipur (Tilak Nagar), Jodhpur (Chopasni Road), Kota (Shopping Centre), Udaipur (Chetak Marg); SIKKIM: Gangtok (MG Road);
TAMILNADU: Chennai Main (Mylapore), Chennai (Adyar), Chennai (Annanagar), Chennai (Annasalai), Coimbatore (Avinashi Road), Madurai
(Goods Shed Street), Salem (Omalur Main Road), Tiruchirapalli (Salai Road), Tirunelveli (East Car Street); TRIPURA: Agartala (HG Basak Road);
UTTARANCHAL: Dehra Dun (Rajpur Road), Roorkee (Civil Lines), Rudrapur (Nainital Road); UTTAR PRADESH: Agra (Sanjay Palace), Aligarh
(Ramghat Road), Allahabad (MG Marg), Bareilly (Civil Lines), Gorakhpur (Bank Road), Jhansi (Civil Lines), Kanpur (The Mall), Lucknow Main
(Ashok Marg), Lucknow (Hewett Road), Lucknow (Indira Nagar), Meerut (Boundary Road), Noida (Sector 16), Noida (Sector 18), Varanasi (Shastri
Nagar); WEST BENGAL: Burdwan (GT Road), Durgapur (City Centre), Kharagpur (Malancha Road), Kolkata Main (Shakespeare Sarani), Kolkata
(Behala), Kolkata (Dalhousie Square), Kolkata (Golpark), Kolkata (Lake Town), Kolkata (Salt Lake City), Kolkata (Shyam Bazar), Siliguri (Sevoke
Road); CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh (Sector 17B), Chandigarh (Sector 34A); PONDICHERRY: Pondicherry (Bussy Street). JAMMU & KASHMIR:
Srinagar (Lal Chowk, Vijaya Bank).
Wherever location of the Axis Bank Branch is not indicated, please approach the Main Branch of Axis Bank in the city.
House), Secunderabad (Tarnaka) Kakinada (Subhash Road), Kurnool (Railway Station Road), Vijayawada (Rajagopalachari Street),
Vishakhapatnam (Dwaraka Nagar), Warangal (Station Road); ARUNACHAL PRADESH: Itanagar (Teli Plaza); ASSAM: Guwahati (Dispur), Jorhat(A.T. Road); BIHAR: Bhagalpur (Patal Babu Road), Muzaffarpur (Club Road), Patna (Boring Road), Patna (S.P. Verma Road); CHATTISGARH:
Bhilai (Off. GE Road), Bilaspur (Near New Bus Stand), Korba (Power House Road), Raipur (Jeevan Bima Marg); DELHI: Delhi Main (Barakhamba
Road), Daryaganj (Netaji Subhash Marg), Defence Colony, Greater Kailash-II, Janakpuri, Karol Bagh (Padam Singh Road), Malviya Nagar, Mayur
Vihar (LSC), Paschim Vihar, Rajouri Garden (Vishal Enclave), Sector 7, Rohini (Main Road), Shakti Nagar (G.T. Karnal Road), Swasthya Vihar
(Vikas Marg), Vasant Kunj (Nelson Mandela Road); GOA: Panaji (Dr. Atmaram Borkar Marg); GUJARAT: Ahmedabad Main (Ellisbridge),
Ahmedabad (Maninagar), Ahmedabad (Vastrapur), Baroda, (Race Course Circle – North), Bhavnagar (Waghawadi Road), Rajkot (Kalawad
Road), Surat Main (Ghod Dod Road), Vallabh Vidyanagar (Near HM Patel House); HARYANA: Ambala Cantt. (Jagadri Road), Gurgaon (Sector-
14), Faridabad (NIT), Kurukshetra (Railway Road), Panipat (GT Road), Rohtak (Delhi Road); HIMACHAL PRADESH: Shimla (Kasumpti);
JHARKHAND: Dhanbad (Bank More), Jamshedpur Main (Bistupur), Jamshedpur (Sakchi), Ranchi (Main Road); JAMMU & KASHMIR: Jammu
(Rail Head Complex); KARNATAKA: Bangalore Main (M.G. Road), Bangalore (J.P. Nagar), Bangalore (Jayanagar), Bangalore (Koramangala),
Bangalore (Marathahalli), Bangalore (Malleswaram, Sampige Road), Bangalore (Vijaynagar, West of Chord Road), Bellary (Main Road), Belgaum
(Congress Road), Davanagare (PB Road), Gulbarga (Super Market), Hubli (Deshpande Nagar), Karwar (Green Street), Mangalore (Bunts Hostel
Circle), Mysore (Temple Road); KERALA: Kochi (Rajaji Road), Kottayam (Near YMCA), Kozhikode (YMCA Cross Road), Thiruvananthapuram (MG
Road), Thrissur (City Centre); MADHYA PRADESH: Bhopal (MP Nagar), Gwalior (Madhavrao Scindia Marg), Indore (Main), Indore (Sapna Sangita
Road), Jabalpur (Shastri Bridge Chowk), Satna (Rewa Road); MAHARASHTRA: Ahmednagar (Tilak Road), Amaravati (Near Jaistamb Chowk),
Aurangabad (Adalat Road), Kolhapur (Station Road), Mumbai (Main Fort), Mumbai (Andheri West), Mumbai (Bandra West), Mumbai (Borivli West),
Mumbai (Mulund West), Mumbai, (Powai), Mumbai (Shivaji Park), Navi Mumbai (Nerul), Navi Mumbai (Vashi), Nagpur Main (Sitabuldi), Nashik
(Sharanpur Road), Pune Main (J.M.Road), Pune (Camp), Pune (Kothrud), Pune (Pimpri Chinchwad), Pune (Sahakar Nagar), Thane Main (L.B.S.
Marg); MANIPUR: Imphal (Thangal Bazaar); MEGHALAYA: Shillong (Jail Road); MIZORAM: Aizwal (Charmari); NAGALAND: Kohima
(UT Complex), ORISSA: Angul (Main Road), Balasore (OT Road), Berhampur (Ganjam), Bhubaneswar (Kalpana Square), Bhubaneswar
(Satyanagar), Cuttack, (Badambadi) Rourkela (Kachery Road), Sambalpur (VSS Marg); PUNJAB: Amritsar (Court Road), Jalandhar (Mahavir
Marg), Ludhiana Main (The Mall), Patiala (Rajwara Road); RAJASTHAN: Ajmer (Kutchery Road), Bikaner (Rani Bazar Road), Jaipur Main (Ashok
Marg), Jaipur (Tilak Nagar), Jodhpur (Chopasni Road), Kota (Shopping Centre), Udaipur (Chetak Marg); SIKKIM: Gangtok (MG Road);
TAMILNADU: Chennai Main (Mylapore), Chennai (Adyar), Chennai (Annanagar), Chennai (Annasalai), Coimbatore (Avinashi Road), Madurai
(Goods Shed Street), Salem (Omalur Main Road), Tiruchirapalli (Salai Road), Tirunelveli (East Car Street); TRIPURA: Agartala (HG Basak Road);
UTTARANCHAL: Dehra Dun (Rajpur Road), Roorkee (Civil Lines), Rudrapur (Nainital Road); UTTAR PRADESH: Agra (Sanjay Palace), Aligarh
(Ramghat Road), Allahabad (MG Marg), Bareilly (Civil Lines), Gorakhpur (Bank Road), Jhansi (Civil Lines), Kanpur (The Mall), Lucknow Main
(Ashok Marg), Lucknow (Hewett Road), Lucknow (Indira Nagar), Meerut (Boundary Road), Noida (Sector 16), Noida (Sector 18), Varanasi (Shastri
Nagar); WEST BENGAL: Burdwan (GT Road), Durgapur (City Centre), Kharagpur (Malancha Road), Kolkata Main (Shakespeare Sarani), Kolkata
(Behala), Kolkata (Dalhousie Square), Kolkata (Golpark), Kolkata (Lake Town), Kolkata (Salt Lake City), Kolkata (Shyam Bazar), Siliguri (Sevoke
Road); CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh (Sector 17B), Chandigarh (Sector 34A); PONDICHERRY: Pondicherry (Bussy Street). JAMMU & KASHMIR:
Srinagar (Lal Chowk, Vijaya Bank).
Wherever location of the Axis Bank Branch is not indicated, please approach the Main Branch of Axis Bank in the city.
CAT-2008 scores
CAT-2008 scores
* CAT RESULTS The results of CAT 2008 will be available from January 9th 2009 on the cat website: www.catiim.in. The scores can be accessed by keying in the test registration number and either the date of birth (preferred) or the cat application number.
* CAT-takers can also access their CAT-2008 scores by using SMS facility of mobile phones. For SMS, candidate can type ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy)’ or ‘CAT test registration number application number” for example: “CAT 5370082 030482” or “CAT 5370082 123456” and SMS to “57333”.
* CAT RESULTS by E-MAIL: Candidates who wish to get their results by e-mail should register themselves between October 17, 2008 and November 30, 2008 by sending an SMS to 57333 as follows: ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy) email id’ Please note that only one e-mail id will be registered against a test registration number.
* CAT RESULTS The results of CAT 2008 will be available from January 9th 2009 on the cat website: www.catiim.in. The scores can be accessed by keying in the test registration number and either the date of birth (preferred) or the cat application number.
* CAT-takers can also access their CAT-2008 scores by using SMS facility of mobile phones. For SMS, candidate can type ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy)’ or ‘CAT test registration number application number” for example: “CAT 5370082 030482” or “CAT 5370082 123456” and SMS to “57333”.
* CAT RESULTS by E-MAIL: Candidates who wish to get their results by e-mail should register themselves between October 17, 2008 and November 30, 2008 by sending an SMS to 57333 as follows: ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy) email id’ Please note that only one e-mail id will be registered against a test registration number.
CAT 2008 Schedule
Important Dates
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank STARTS :
JULY 14, 2008 (Monday)
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank ENDS :
AUGUST 8, 2008 (Friday)
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by IIMs ENDS :
AUGUST 13, 2008 (Wednesday)
* Last date for receipt of completed CAT Applications by the IIMs : SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 (Friday)
* COMMON ADMISSION TEST :
NOVEMBER 16, 2008 (Sunday)
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank STARTS :
JULY 14, 2008 (Monday)
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank ENDS :
AUGUST 8, 2008 (Friday)
* Issue of CAT Bulletins by IIMs ENDS :
AUGUST 13, 2008 (Wednesday)
* Last date for receipt of completed CAT Applications by the IIMs : SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 (Friday)
* COMMON ADMISSION TEST :
NOVEMBER 16, 2008 (Sunday)
Friday, July 11, 2008
IIM-A ropes in MIT hand to promote innovation
An innovation expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be visiting the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), in November to promote the importance of user-based innovations in creating successful companies.
"India and Indians residing worldwide have a wonderful record as innovators and entrepreneurs. I believe users tend to be the real developers of many important products. Recently, research by my colleagues has shown that many new companies are started by users who become entrepreneurs. Learning about how user innovations foster the creation of successful new companies will be very useful information for IIM students and others in India," says Eric von Hippel, professor and head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and professor of Engineering Systems at MIT.
It will be his first trip to India, which he also intends to use "to forge closer contacts with my colleagues at IIM-A, who have very similar research interests".
The lecture is part of a two-week long 'Inventors of India' workshop by the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM-A. About 70 inventors and innovators of all ages and technical background are expected to be present at the event. Premier institutes could also be called to participate at the workshop.
"Eric will participate and may give the inaugural address at the workshop. In addition, he will interact with the faculty and students and explore possibilities of collaborative research. Apart from visiting some grassroot innovators, he will interact with our incubatee companies as well. Several things are being planned and we are quite excited about his visit. Also, we may ask institutes like National Institute of Design (NID) and Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), to pitch in," says Rakesh Basant, chairman of CIIE and a professor at IIM-A.
An expert in Principle of Developing Economics, Eric has made two of his books available openly on his website at no cost to the reader: Democratising Innovation, published in 2005 by the MIT Press, and Sources of Innovation, published in 1988 by Oxford University Press. Leading companies in the world have used practical methods based on his research.
Hippel is also expected to meet grassroot innovators at SRISTI, an NGO founded by Anil Gupta, a professor at IIM-A. Incidentally, Gupta too would be lecturing at MIT as part of the Amy Smith's International design and development course on July 16-17.
"India and Indians residing worldwide have a wonderful record as innovators and entrepreneurs. I believe users tend to be the real developers of many important products. Recently, research by my colleagues has shown that many new companies are started by users who become entrepreneurs. Learning about how user innovations foster the creation of successful new companies will be very useful information for IIM students and others in India," says Eric von Hippel, professor and head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and professor of Engineering Systems at MIT.
It will be his first trip to India, which he also intends to use "to forge closer contacts with my colleagues at IIM-A, who have very similar research interests".
The lecture is part of a two-week long 'Inventors of India' workshop by the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM-A. About 70 inventors and innovators of all ages and technical background are expected to be present at the event. Premier institutes could also be called to participate at the workshop.
"Eric will participate and may give the inaugural address at the workshop. In addition, he will interact with the faculty and students and explore possibilities of collaborative research. Apart from visiting some grassroot innovators, he will interact with our incubatee companies as well. Several things are being planned and we are quite excited about his visit. Also, we may ask institutes like National Institute of Design (NID) and Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), to pitch in," says Rakesh Basant, chairman of CIIE and a professor at IIM-A.
An expert in Principle of Developing Economics, Eric has made two of his books available openly on his website at no cost to the reader: Democratising Innovation, published in 2005 by the MIT Press, and Sources of Innovation, published in 1988 by Oxford University Press. Leading companies in the world have used practical methods based on his research.
Hippel is also expected to meet grassroot innovators at SRISTI, an NGO founded by Anil Gupta, a professor at IIM-A. Incidentally, Gupta too would be lecturing at MIT as part of the Amy Smith's International design and development course on July 16-17.
IIM-A to get 4 new subjects
In a regular course committee meeting held at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for Post Graduate Programme for Agricultural Business Management (PGP-ABM), the members approved at least four subjects for the fifth term beginning from end of September.
Students of PGP-ABM will now get to learn subjects like negotiations in agriculture, information technology (IT) for agriculture development, inclusive agriculture business, and agriculture and rural policy design, said a senior faculty member at the institute.
"The subjects are a result of several recommendations that the institute received around the year from faculty members, subject experts and students at the institute. While the committee has approved these subjects for the fifth term, the implementation will depend upon the instructors as well as students," he said.
Implementation of the subjects approved by the committee depends upon the number of registrations received from the students.
"There is an upper and a lower limit for registration of these subjects. If the registration doesn't fall in the limit, they are taken up as projects instead of subjects," added the faculty member.
Students of PGP-ABM will now get to learn subjects like negotiations in agriculture, information technology (IT) for agriculture development, inclusive agriculture business, and agriculture and rural policy design, said a senior faculty member at the institute.
"The subjects are a result of several recommendations that the institute received around the year from faculty members, subject experts and students at the institute. While the committee has approved these subjects for the fifth term, the implementation will depend upon the instructors as well as students," he said.
Implementation of the subjects approved by the committee depends upon the number of registrations received from the students.
"There is an upper and a lower limit for registration of these subjects. If the registration doesn't fall in the limit, they are taken up as projects instead of subjects," added the faculty member.
IITs set to implement quotas for faculty positions
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) — for the first time since their inception — have begun drafting plans to implement the quota for faculty members from this year onwards, despite protests from the IIT student community and opposition from some professors.
A few IITs are calling a board meeting next week to discuss the issue and chalk out a plan to this effect.
The HRD ministry has, meanwhile, assured the country's premier technical institutes that they can de-reserve the posts after a year if vacant till then.
IITs, according to a Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) directive, are expected to reserve 15 per cent quota for SCs, 7.5 per cent for STs and 27 per cent for OBCs in faculty positions.
However, till date, they only have had reservations for backward category candidates in administrative posts. They had not implemented quotas in faculty positions till date for "lack of a written directive", and neither had the HRD ministry clamped on them so far. Sources in the HRD ministry, however, allege that the IITs "skirted the issue till date".
The ministry has now written to the IITs asking them to furnish faculty data of the past three years. "We have given the details to the MHRD. We did try recruiting SC/ST faculty but could not do so as we could not find anyone with the required qualification," explains an IIT Guwahati professor.
"IITs always had quota for faculty. We, however, did not have a written directive from the MHRD on this issue. Besides, the clause that IITs can de-reserve the posts after a year, helps us put the quota in place," says an IIT director who did not wish to be named.
However, the severe faculty shortage issue at IITs may not get solved since "there being a dearth of quality faculty, the faculty seats anyway go vacant at the IITs. By reserving the seats for quota, it will not be much of a difference," said another IIT director. IIT Guwahati, for instance, had invited applications from candidates for the SC/ST faculty seats earlier.
It shortlisted four candidates, but could not recruit any as they did not match the qualification criteria.
Incidentally, last week, the IIT directors met in New Delhi at the meeting of the standing committee of the IIT council and requested that they should be exempted from making reservations for faculty like the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre and the University Grants Commission (UGC) on a petition challenging the policy of extending reservation for the OBCs to faculty posts in the IITs, the Indian Institutes of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.
A few IITs are calling a board meeting next week to discuss the issue and chalk out a plan to this effect.
The HRD ministry has, meanwhile, assured the country's premier technical institutes that they can de-reserve the posts after a year if vacant till then.
IITs, according to a Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) directive, are expected to reserve 15 per cent quota for SCs, 7.5 per cent for STs and 27 per cent for OBCs in faculty positions.
However, till date, they only have had reservations for backward category candidates in administrative posts. They had not implemented quotas in faculty positions till date for "lack of a written directive", and neither had the HRD ministry clamped on them so far. Sources in the HRD ministry, however, allege that the IITs "skirted the issue till date".
The ministry has now written to the IITs asking them to furnish faculty data of the past three years. "We have given the details to the MHRD. We did try recruiting SC/ST faculty but could not do so as we could not find anyone with the required qualification," explains an IIT Guwahati professor.
"IITs always had quota for faculty. We, however, did not have a written directive from the MHRD on this issue. Besides, the clause that IITs can de-reserve the posts after a year, helps us put the quota in place," says an IIT director who did not wish to be named.
However, the severe faculty shortage issue at IITs may not get solved since "there being a dearth of quality faculty, the faculty seats anyway go vacant at the IITs. By reserving the seats for quota, it will not be much of a difference," said another IIT director. IIT Guwahati, for instance, had invited applications from candidates for the SC/ST faculty seats earlier.
It shortlisted four candidates, but could not recruit any as they did not match the qualification criteria.
Incidentally, last week, the IIT directors met in New Delhi at the meeting of the standing committee of the IIT council and requested that they should be exempted from making reservations for faculty like the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre and the University Grants Commission (UGC) on a petition challenging the policy of extending reservation for the OBCs to faculty posts in the IITs, the Indian Institutes of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.
How to build teams, groom individuals
The two years I spent at IIM-Calcutta were arguably the most important and formative years of my life. From engineering to management is perhaps more than mere education or a simple branching out, as some of us wrongly assume.
It can be, and in my case, certainly was, a transformation that prepared me for the challenges that life in the corporate world throws up. While acknowledging the rigour, discipline, and breadth and width of academic knowledge that one was subjected to at this premier management school, I must also talk of what work teaches us, or more aptly, has taught me.
Starting out in office equipment sales and moving on to IT services, I have a few observations, which are worth considering, about the value of practical experience that no classroom, however well-equipped, can ever hope to offer.
You are only as good as your team: Management education and theory emphasise on execution and attention to detail. Successful managers, we were taught, are those who are able to get things done. But there is a small and yet vital difference when it comes to the practice of this theory.
How do managers achieve results at the work place? Managers and leaders get things done through others or more simply get their team members to deliver. So a leader's most critical job is to build a team comprising individuals who have their strengths and also the capability and competence to combine to work strategically and synergistically as team members to further the organisation's gains. This skill is built through live experiences at the work place.
Building a successful team: We have read about teamwork in successful global companies. The challenge here is to create our own success story. It starts with identifying the right talent. Often, the best of talent may not want to join your company and herein lies the first practical challenge for managers.
How do you motivate the prospective employee to be part of your dream? While the value of money as a motivator is often overemphasised, I think the greatest challenge is to sell the job. Can you get your people to share your dream of success?
It is also important that we don't oversell the job, the environment and the opportunities and ensure that we set the right expectations. So it probably makes sense to under-promise and over-deliver on employee engagement, just as much as we do with customer service.
It is important to remember that successful managers know that the individuals they recruit come with skills that are different from their own. Look for skill sets that are diverse and complementary to yours while recruiting subordinates. If you are a strategist, find someone who is strong on execution and so on.
Having a team in place is the first important step but there are miles to go before we deliver as a team and as an organisation. Teams that are motivated, charged and empowered will deliver even against odds and superior competition. It is the job of the leader to tell the team that each one of the team member has a role to play in the success of the company.
Often, the individual's role in the success of the company as a whole has to be reiterated and reinforced. They also need to realise that their tasks and goals, however mundane, have a larger implication in the context of the company's growth plans.
Creativity matters: Individuals have an innate capability to be creative. Organisations often do not provide an opportunity for individuals to continue to be creative, think out of the box, or offer innovative solutions. It is the duty of the manager to provide an environment where every individual can contribute with ideas.
It can be, and in my case, certainly was, a transformation that prepared me for the challenges that life in the corporate world throws up. While acknowledging the rigour, discipline, and breadth and width of academic knowledge that one was subjected to at this premier management school, I must also talk of what work teaches us, or more aptly, has taught me.
Starting out in office equipment sales and moving on to IT services, I have a few observations, which are worth considering, about the value of practical experience that no classroom, however well-equipped, can ever hope to offer.
You are only as good as your team: Management education and theory emphasise on execution and attention to detail. Successful managers, we were taught, are those who are able to get things done. But there is a small and yet vital difference when it comes to the practice of this theory.
How do managers achieve results at the work place? Managers and leaders get things done through others or more simply get their team members to deliver. So a leader's most critical job is to build a team comprising individuals who have their strengths and also the capability and competence to combine to work strategically and synergistically as team members to further the organisation's gains. This skill is built through live experiences at the work place.
Building a successful team: We have read about teamwork in successful global companies. The challenge here is to create our own success story. It starts with identifying the right talent. Often, the best of talent may not want to join your company and herein lies the first practical challenge for managers.
How do you motivate the prospective employee to be part of your dream? While the value of money as a motivator is often overemphasised, I think the greatest challenge is to sell the job. Can you get your people to share your dream of success?
It is also important that we don't oversell the job, the environment and the opportunities and ensure that we set the right expectations. So it probably makes sense to under-promise and over-deliver on employee engagement, just as much as we do with customer service.
It is important to remember that successful managers know that the individuals they recruit come with skills that are different from their own. Look for skill sets that are diverse and complementary to yours while recruiting subordinates. If you are a strategist, find someone who is strong on execution and so on.
Having a team in place is the first important step but there are miles to go before we deliver as a team and as an organisation. Teams that are motivated, charged and empowered will deliver even against odds and superior competition. It is the job of the leader to tell the team that each one of the team member has a role to play in the success of the company.
Often, the individual's role in the success of the company as a whole has to be reiterated and reinforced. They also need to realise that their tasks and goals, however mundane, have a larger implication in the context of the company's growth plans.
Creativity matters: Individuals have an innate capability to be creative. Organisations often do not provide an opportunity for individuals to continue to be creative, think out of the box, or offer innovative solutions. It is the duty of the manager to provide an environment where every individual can contribute with ideas.
EDI plans Rs 16 crore expansion
Taking a cue from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Gandhinagar-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) is all set to introduce two year Post Graduate Programmes (PGPs) into its curriculum.
The move is a part of the institute's expansion plans for the upcoming academic year at an investment of Rs 16 crore.
While two of these programmes including PGP for Executives (PGPX) and PGP for Corporate Entrepreneurship will be introduced for the first time at the campus, the institute has sought an All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval to convert its one-year Post Graduate Diploma in NGO Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Entrepreneurship into two-year full-fledged courses.
"We are planning for an expansion at our Gandhinagar campus and will soon be inviting applications for these courses. While we have a faculty strength of 35, the institute is inducting 15 additional faculty members this year," said Dinesh Awasthi, director of EDI.
The move is a part of the institute's expansion plans for the upcoming academic year at an investment of Rs 16 crore.
While two of these programmes including PGP for Executives (PGPX) and PGP for Corporate Entrepreneurship will be introduced for the first time at the campus, the institute has sought an All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval to convert its one-year Post Graduate Diploma in NGO Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Entrepreneurship into two-year full-fledged courses.
"We are planning for an expansion at our Gandhinagar campus and will soon be inviting applications for these courses. While we have a faculty strength of 35, the institute is inducting 15 additional faculty members this year," said Dinesh Awasthi, director of EDI.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
OBC quota for faculty posts in IITs challenged
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre and the University Grant Commission on a petition challenging the policy of extending reservation for the Other Backward Classes to faculty posts in the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Management, the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. A Bench consisting of Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal issued the notice on the petition from Citizens for Equality contending that implementation of reservation in posts at the level of associate professor and professors would amount to diluting teaching standards to accommodate the political mandate.
“State onus ignored”
Senior counsel K. K. Venugopal, appearing for the petitioner, said these measures were sought to be substantiated solely on the principle of amelioration of the backward classes while ignoring the onus on the state to develop centres of research excellence and merit.
The petitioner said the measures adopted by the government as well as the Central grant-in-aid institutions to introduce and further reservation in the faculty posts up to and including the professorial level were reprehensible. The JNU, which was an institution based purely on merit and excellence, should now dilute its high standards to accommodate the political mandate.
The petitioner questioned the UGC direction to implement 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs in all grant-in-aid-institutions, except minority institutions, funded by the Centre.
There could be no quota in institutions of excellence in research and super-specialisation, where the sole criterion was merit.
“State onus ignored”
Senior counsel K. K. Venugopal, appearing for the petitioner, said these measures were sought to be substantiated solely on the principle of amelioration of the backward classes while ignoring the onus on the state to develop centres of research excellence and merit.
The petitioner said the measures adopted by the government as well as the Central grant-in-aid institutions to introduce and further reservation in the faculty posts up to and including the professorial level were reprehensible. The JNU, which was an institution based purely on merit and excellence, should now dilute its high standards to accommodate the political mandate.
The petitioner questioned the UGC direction to implement 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs in all grant-in-aid-institutions, except minority institutions, funded by the Centre.
There could be no quota in institutions of excellence in research and super-specialisation, where the sole criterion was merit.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
IIM-B asks for Rs 114 cr, gets only Rs 33 cr
The premier management institute, IIM-Bangalore, is in a bind. It had asked for Rs 114 crore to build infrastructure to accommodate additional students under the OBC quota.
However, the Centre has sanctioned only Rs 33 crore. IIM-Calcutta, too, had asked for around Rs 200 crore. It's awaiting a response.
Moreover, since the funding will come to IIM-Bangalore in phases over five years, this could seriously affect its plans for more classrooms, hostels and upgradation of IT infrastructure, according to IIM-B Director Pankaj Chandra.
"For the last three years, we had not asked the government for a single paisa. Since we can't wait for government funds to reach us, we are initiating expansion plans from our internal funds earmarked in the annual budget," Chandra told Business Standard.
Chandra explained that the implementation of the 27 per cent OBC quota would result in a 54 per cent increase in the number of seats for the flagship two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP). The number of seats will increase by 130 over the next three years to reach 340 seats in the next three years.
However, the Centre has sanctioned only Rs 33 crore. IIM-Calcutta, too, had asked for around Rs 200 crore. It's awaiting a response.
Moreover, since the funding will come to IIM-Bangalore in phases over five years, this could seriously affect its plans for more classrooms, hostels and upgradation of IT infrastructure, according to IIM-B Director Pankaj Chandra.
"For the last three years, we had not asked the government for a single paisa. Since we can't wait for government funds to reach us, we are initiating expansion plans from our internal funds earmarked in the annual budget," Chandra told Business Standard.
Chandra explained that the implementation of the 27 per cent OBC quota would result in a 54 per cent increase in the number of seats for the flagship two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP). The number of seats will increase by 130 over the next three years to reach 340 seats in the next three years.
Country's seventh IIM starts tomorrow
The first academic session of the country's seventh IIM, the Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) in Shillong, will begin tomorrow.
Meghalaya chief minister Donkupar Roy will inaugurate the first batch of Post Graduate Diploma in Management in the presence of Chairman, Board of Governors, RGIIM, Prof R N Dutta, Chairman Headstrong Inc USA and founder member of HCL Arjun Malhotra and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K Nair, the institute's Director Prof Ashoke K Dutta said.
Dutta said the institute will commence its first academic session in the Mayurbhanj Complex in Nongthymmai, which previously housed the North Eastern Hill University. Work will soon commence on a 120 acre site for the permanent campus.
The Institute offers the Post-Graduate Programme in Managment [PGP], which is a two-year full time residential programme for graduate students from all disciplines wanting to choose a career in management.
The Institute envisages for its flagship programme, namely, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), an annual student intake capacity of 60 in the first year.
This is planned to be increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year.
The institute will conduct courses with Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management, fellowship programme in management, management development programmes, tourism and hospitality management, tele-services and telemedicine, information systems and technology and subjects of local relevance such as tourism, horticulture and hydel power.
Meghalaya chief minister Donkupar Roy will inaugurate the first batch of Post Graduate Diploma in Management in the presence of Chairman, Board of Governors, RGIIM, Prof R N Dutta, Chairman Headstrong Inc USA and founder member of HCL Arjun Malhotra and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K Nair, the institute's Director Prof Ashoke K Dutta said.
Dutta said the institute will commence its first academic session in the Mayurbhanj Complex in Nongthymmai, which previously housed the North Eastern Hill University. Work will soon commence on a 120 acre site for the permanent campus.
The Institute offers the Post-Graduate Programme in Managment [PGP], which is a two-year full time residential programme for graduate students from all disciplines wanting to choose a career in management.
The Institute envisages for its flagship programme, namely, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), an annual student intake capacity of 60 in the first year.
This is planned to be increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year.
The institute will conduct courses with Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management, fellowship programme in management, management development programmes, tourism and hospitality management, tele-services and telemedicine, information systems and technology and subjects of local relevance such as tourism, horticulture and hydel power.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
IIT faculty too will have quota
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will introduce reservations in faculty positions for the first time since their inception. A Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) directive mandates that the apex technical institutes will have to reserve 15 per cent quota for SCs, 7.5 per cent quota for STs and 27 per cent quota for OBCs in faculty positions.
The IITs so far had claimed that they have been granted exemption from reserving faculty positions. MHRD sources, however, say that the IITs have been violating regulations so far. "They have never been granted exemption from quotas for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and Other Backward Classes.
They have just been skirting the issue for a long time," said a source from MHRD. The IITs, hence, will have to implement the quotas in all future appointments. The decision was taken at a meeting of the IIT standing committee in May where the government was of the view the institutes will have to enforce quotas with immediate effect.
The government had introduced 22.5 per cent reservation in administrative jobs at the IITs for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes following amendments to the Constitution in 1951.
Based on the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report, the quota was extended by 27 per cent in the early 90s to cover the Other Backward Classes.
The IITs so far had claimed that they have been granted exemption from reserving faculty positions. MHRD sources, however, say that the IITs have been violating regulations so far. "They have never been granted exemption from quotas for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and Other Backward Classes.
They have just been skirting the issue for a long time," said a source from MHRD. The IITs, hence, will have to implement the quotas in all future appointments. The decision was taken at a meeting of the IIT standing committee in May where the government was of the view the institutes will have to enforce quotas with immediate effect.
The government had introduced 22.5 per cent reservation in administrative jobs at the IITs for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes following amendments to the Constitution in 1951.
Based on the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report, the quota was extended by 27 per cent in the early 90s to cover the Other Backward Classes.
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