65% rise in girls joining IIT-Delhi

New Delhi: IIT-Delhi has witnessed a significant rise in the number of girls at the undergraduate level। The intake this year has increased by 65 per cent.

“For the last two to three years the number of female students had remained pretty much constant। In 2007, 50 out of the 550 students — 9 per cent — were girls. This year, however, female students have taken up 83 out of the 626 seats, which is 13 per cent. This is a significant increase,” said S.R. Kale, dean, undergraduate studies.

Electrical, chemical and bio-chemical engineering are the popular options among them।

The increase comes across as a pleasant surprise as engineering normally doesn’t figure high on girl students’ list of career options। While girls do better than boys in science subjects in the board examination, not too many make it to engineering.

M। Balakrishnan, dean, postgraduate and research, feels it is the entrance examination that acts as a deterrent.

However, the few who do enroll in the undergraduate courses do better than their male counterparts and are “more focused” in class। In 2007 girls bagged three of the 14 silver medals for undergraduate students.

Though the change is positive, professors at the institute find it difficult to attribute it a particular reason।

“This doesn’t have much to do with the increase in seats as the increase in female students’ enrollment is proportionately a lot larger। Since this is the first year it is difficult to attribute the jump to one reason. It would only amount to speculation,” added Kale.

UP: SP, Cong to jointly contest LS polls

The Samajwadi Party and Congress on Monday decided to jointly contest the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with the SP also seeking alliance in four other states including Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra and Karnataka ।

After a marathon four-hour-long talk with a Congress delegation led by party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, SP general secretary Amar Singh said that the seat-sharing would be carried out with "winnability" as the ।

Sending out a signal of warmth and goodwill towards the Congress leadership, Singh told reporters that if in any eventuality, the alliance does not work out, "we will not oppose Sonia Gandhi and Rahul in their constituencies"।

The SP leader said that talks in which AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi also participated, were held in cordial atmosphere and the overriding sentiment was one of unity to face the challenges ahead।

"Just like the Congress is asking for more seats in UP, despite being weak there, similarly we also asked them to help us in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, where we have a marginal presence," Singh said implying thereby that the SP was in favour of a broad-based alliance comprising several states।

"Though Digvijay Singh and Rita Bahuguna Joshi are not authorised to speak about any other state apart from UP, I took the advantage of Rahul's presence and sought the Congress' alliance in other states also," the SP leader said।

He added that in UP, both the parties would field strong candidates with grassroot support and who could give a tough fight to their opponents.

CPM blames RSS, BJP for unrest in Jammu and Kashmir

Kakinada Minggu, Agust 31 2008 : The CPI(M) Polit bureau member Sitaram Yechuri today blamed the RSS, BJP and other saffron outfits for the turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir and Orissa।

Addressing a party workers meeting at the Ambedkar Bhavan here he said RSS, BJP and other Sangh Parivar outfits were trying to consolidate the "Hindu vote bank" by arousing communal hatred and disharmony among the people।

'The situation is explosive in J and K where communal clashes and extremists activities were taking place posing a grave threat to the very integrity of the nation। It is nothing but exploiting the situation for political ends'. 'We oppose this trend in the interest of the nation.' he said.

Mr Yetchury said that the CPI(M), in a bid to prevent the communal forces from spreading their wings was trying to forge alliance with secular parties to preserve the country's integrity। Pointing out that the World Bank has mentioned that 82.8 per cent of the country's population was struggling below the poverty line, he said the UPA government had miserably failed in controlling the spiralling prices and inflation.

Attributing the present skyrocketing prices to speculative business, he said, the government, despite bringing enormous pressures by left parties could not control the speculative business on more than 17 essential commodities। As a result, the entire economy was in doldrums leading to hike in intetrest rates and credit squeeze.

It has resulted in steep fall in industrial investments and thereby reduction in industrial growth by 50 per cent, Mr Yechury said, addding that only an alternative effective economic policy would set right the present maladies. Giving out the reasons for CPI(M)'s opposition to the UPA government's nuclear policy, he said, it was detrimental to the country's sovereignity as it has to bow down to the dictates of US regime. The country was at a cross road and political polarisation was taking place rapidly, he said and added that elections to the Lok Sabha seemed imminent three months ahead of the schedule poll.

Hooda to Tata: Welcome to mecca of automobile industry

Gurgaon:Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his government would welcome the Tatas if they expressed interest in setting up their factory for the Nano car project in the state।

As a number of states line up to woo Ratan Tata to shift his project from Singur in West Bengal, IT and automobile hub Haryana has also put up a strong claim to attract the project।

Hooda cited the presence of auto giants like Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Hero-Honda, Yamaha, etc।, in the state.

While terming the state as a Mecca of automobile industry, Hooda said his government has mega infrastructure building plans to turn the state into a corporate hub of the country।

Hooda told Hindustan Times: “Haryana is the ideal destination for automobile companies। Haryana is manufacturing more than 50 per cent passenger cars, 35 per cent tractors and 50 per cent of the motorcycles being produced in India. We also manufacture more than 25 per cent bicycles of the country. We already have India’s biggest car producer Maruti Udyog Limited in collaboration with Suzuki, the manufacturers of two wheeler Honda Motorcycles, Hero-Honda, Yamaha and Escorts tractors in Haryana.”

When asked about the probable location where the state would offer land to the Tatas, the Chief Minister said, “Haryana has a number of options which we will show them only after they express their desire for the same।”

When asked whether he had had formal or informal discussion with the Tatas on the issue, Hooda said he had not had a formal talk।

The housing division of Tata Group recently launched its first housing project, Raisina Residency, in collaboration with Raheja Group at Golf Course Road in Gurgaon।

The Chief Minister said industrial units in Gurgaon had exported goods worth Rs 20,000 crore during the year 2006-07। Out of this, exports worth Rs 14,000 crore was in IT sector, Rs 2,500 crore in automobile sector, Rs 2,000 crore in the sector of readymade garments and of Rs 1,500 crore in other sectors.

The main items being exported from Gurgaon included cars, motorcycles, software, readymade garments, sports goods and rice to UK, Algeria, Hungary, Denmark, Netherlands, Columbia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Australia, Korea, South Africa, USA, Europe, Austria and Mexico.

Flood situation in Bihar worsens as fresh areas go under water

Patna, Aug 31 (PTI) With the water of river Kosi engulfing fresh areas in Bihar's North Eastern 16 districts, the flood situation in the state worsened today affecting more than 30 lakh people।

However, there was some good news for the first time since the region was gripped by the deluge about two weeks ago with a senior official saying the flood situation would improve as the flow of water from Nepal has come down।

Over 30 lakh people in 16 districts are in the grip of floods, with 23 lakh in worst-hit Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and Araria districts alone।

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said five army columns have been pressed into service for relief and rescue, while the state has requisitioned 25 more columns।

IAF helicopters and army columns deployed to assist the state government's flood fighting machinery continued relief and evacuation operations।

The floods caused by the breach in the eastern afflux embankment at upstream Kuaha village in Nepal on August 18 is the worst in the region।

The area was considered secure against the possibilities of floods after construction of hundreds of miles of embankments and Bheemnagar barrage more than four decades ago।

Though Disaster Management Additional Secretary Pratayaya Amrit said while over 4।75 lakh people have been evacuated, lakhs more were in dire need of being shifted to safer places.

Amrit said about two lakh people were taking shelter in 17 relief camps set up by the state governments and many more being run by non-government organisations (ngos)।

Amrit said Nepal government had agreed to help India in taming the river which causes huge damage to infrastructure in Bihar.

MNS can't hold city to ransom

Mumbai, Aug 29, 2008 The Bombay High Court on Thursday told the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) it cannot "hold the people to ransom" and warned it against using violence to enforce Marathi signboards in Mumbai।

The court, which was hearing an application filed by a trade association, restrained MNS leader Raj Thackeray and his party members from "in any manner whatsoever disturbing" traders in the city, defacing or damaging their properties and assaulting or threatening them।

A division bench comprising Justices J N Patel and K K Tated also restrained Raj personally from giving any provocative or intimidating public speech regarding the issue of putting up signboards in Marathi in commercial establishments and shops।

Viren Shah, Secretary of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, has filed a petition which alleges that MNS had sent letters to shopkeepers warning them to display signboards in Marathi or they would be taught “a lesson in their own way''। The MNS deadline ends on Thursday.

"There is a hidden threat in this letter," Justice Patel said, asking what action was taken against Raj and whether "this gentleman has been interrogated।"

"Nobody can hold the people to ransom," Patel said।

The court ordered the police commissioners of Mumbai and Thane to safeguard the petitioners and to protect them from violence by MNS workers।

The court asked the state government to explain what it had done to protect traders and flayed it for failing to tackle MNS activists। It asked the government to announce a compensation package to the shopkeepers, who were targeted by the MNS for not displaying boards in Marathi.

The government lawyer told the court that 811 MNS activists had been arrested since August 26 and government was committed to maintaining law and order।

Thackeray has not commented on the court’s order but indicated that the MNS campaign for Marathi signboards would continue. “Whatever happened has happened. From now on, Maharashtra is for Marathi people (and) all those who are staying here from outside should remember this. Who is Shah to go to the court on an issue of Marathi pride,” he said.

Son of policeman opens fire in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 29, 2008 A teenaged son of a Head Constable allegedly opened fire at his neighbours, injuring four of them, following an altercation in the national capital, police said on Friday।

The incident took place on Thursday night in Meeta Nagar of north-east Delhi।

Avinash, the son of Head Constable Ramvir posted at Parliament Street police station, allegedly opened fire from a double barrel gun during the arguments with his neighbours।

He allegedly fired two-three rounds at his neighbours in which four were wounded।

The injured -- Nikhil Kumar, Vijay Pal, Ramesh and Sangeeta -- were rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital। They were discharged this morning after treatment.

Both the families were not on good terms and constantly indulged in quarrelling, a senior police official said।

The official denied reports Avinash allegedly opened fire as he was disturbed over the extramarital affairs of his father।

The teenager was arrested and the gun was seized, he said।

A case has been registered and further investigations are on.