Latest news with #BTech
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
In a 1st among IITs, Kharagpur gets student well-being dean
KOLKATA: Arun Chakraborty, professor at Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences at IIT-Kharagpur, Friday became the institute's first dean of student well-being. TOI had earlier reported that IIT-Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty announced the appointment during the induction programme for the new BTech batch on July 26. The post was created to ensure students' mental health issues are not left unaddressed, especially after four student suicides on campus in seven months - the latest being fourth-year mechanical engineering student Ritam Mondal, who was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18. "This is possibly the first time in any IIT that a person of a dean's status has been assigned solely to look after students' overall well-being," said the director. "Our institute has a huge number of students, and it is necessary to have a designated dean of student well-being to give special emphasis to welfare activities." Chakraborty told TOI that while the role was challenging, it was essential. "We do not want any tragic incidents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play this game for 1 minute and see why everyone is addicted. Every student can approach us at any time. Even the smallest issues will be addressed. I've told students I am available 24x7 - they should not panic; we are here like parents," he added. IIT-Kharagpur has 21 hostels housing 16,000 students. While there is a dean of student affairs, the director pointed out that "student affairs" and "student well-being" are distinct. The new dean will focus on identifying and addressing personal issues, while dean of student affairs will handle administrative matters like accommodation and discipline. Measures already in place at the college include the AI-driven mental wellness platform SETU, a restructured counselling centre, "campus mothers," student task forces, and stress management workshops.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
In a first among IITs, Kgp campus gets dean of well-being to take care of students' wellness
Kolkata: Arun Chakraborty, professor of the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences at IIT-Kharagpur, on Monday became the first dean of student well-being at the engineering college, stressing the initiatives launched for students' welfare. TOI had reported that IIT-Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty had announced the appointment during the induction programme for the new BTech batch on July 26. This post was created to ensure any student's poor mental health, if any, did not go unaddressed, especially after four youths ended their lives on the campus in seven months. The last victim was fourth-year mechanical engineering student Ritam Mondal, who was found hanging in his hostel room at Rajendra Prasad Hall of Residence on July 18. "This is possibly the first time in any IIT in the country that a person of a dean's status has been solely assigned to look after students' well-being. As our institute has a huge number of students, we feel it is necessary to have a designated dean of student well-being to give special emphasis on all the welfare activities of students," the director told TOI. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Arun Chakraborty told TOI the new role was challenging but he looked forward to carrying it out. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Treatment That Might Help You Against Knee Pain Knee pain | search ads Find Now Undo "This move was a necessity to focus on the youths' well-being and the smooth running of the initiatives taken for them. We do not want any more tragic incident on the campus. We will ensure every student can approach us at any point of the day and night. Problems will be addressed immediately. I have spoken to students and told them however small a problem they might face, I am available for them 24×7. They should not panic. We are there to support them as parents. They are like our children," he said. IIT-Kharagpur has 21 hostels accommodating more than 16,000 students. The institute already has a dean of student affairs. But, director Chakraborty pointed out, that 'student affairs' and 'student well-being' were separate responsibilities. "It is practically not possible for the dean of student affairs to look into an individual's well-being. "The dean of student well-being will be responsible for anything and everything leading to the well-being of students and it will be easier to identify students' issues and address them. The job of the dean of student affairs will mainly be administrative work related to students, such as their attendance, accommodation, disciplinary matters," he added. Several IITs, including Madras, Bombay, Delhi and Kanpur, too, have a dean of student affairs each. Among the measures taken to help out the Kharagpur students are AI-driven mental wellness initiative SETU, restructuring the counselling centre, introduction of 'campus mothers', forming students' task forces at hostel wings and conducting workshops on stress management. The institute had earlier assigned two associate deans to look after students' physical and mental health. An assistant warden at each hostel is also designated to look into students' welfare, particularly at hostels. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘Hiring scam' by colleges leaves engg grads in the lurch
Hyderabad: Amid a slowdown in recruitments, several engineering graduates from Hyderabad are being taken for a ride by 'fake' job offers. And it isn't dubious consultancies but private B Tech colleges that are at the centre of this scam, students allege. According to them, at least a dozen colleges across the city – to lure more students with 'impressive' placement records – are tying up with small firms to issue fake offer letters that, soon afterwards, are withdrawn. In some instances, fresh graduates TOI spoke to said they landed up at work with these letters only to find that the firm is a sham and exists only on paper. Majority of them are being offered 'trainee engineer' or 'trainee developer' posts with modest starting salaries of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 a month. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad "A Hyderabad-based firm even gave me a joining date. But when I went there, I realised there was no such company running from that location," said B Balaji, who recently completed his electrical engineering from a college on the outskirts of Hyderabad. He alleged that the company hired hundreds of students in the placement drive, only to leave them high and dry. "When the company came for placements, we ran a background check. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When Knee Pain Hits, Start Eating These Foods, and Feel Your Pain Go Away (It's Genius) Read More Undo by Taboola by Taboola It had a LinkedIn page with a decent following. So, we assumed it was genuine," said Balaji, adding, "But later, when it was time for us to join, we found that the company had deleted its online footprint. There was no way we could contact anybody either as the phone numbers weren't working." B Tech graduate, Praneeth Kumar, from another mid-size private institute had a similar experience. "While the company recruited 10 students, the management gave job letters to over 25. I realised that the offer given to me was fake when the placement officer kept giving vague replies about my joining and eventually said the offer was rolled back," alleged the CSE graduate. Advertisement material Students claim colleges have turned them into advertisement material to showcase on placements boards even when they know these jobs are bogus. "My college's publicity material claims I got two job offers. In reality, one company hired me as an intern falsely promising a Rs 3.6 LPA salary after completion. The other, which offered Rs 4.5 LPA for a Salesforce developer role initially gave May 1 as joining date but has since gone silent despite repeated follow-ups. My college says it's not its responsibility," said Nithin B, a ECE graduate. 'Only way to save colleges' reputation' Shockingly, training and placement officers (TPO) at some of these colleges admit to this practice. They claim they are forced to manipulate students and create fake records to protect the college's reputation. "In the last two years, the job market has been very dull. So, to help colleges show placements, in order to attract fresh enrollments, we have been drafting fake offer letters in one of the recruiters' names or paying a firm that's willing to give job offers to students," said a placement officer working with engineering colleges for almost two decades. He added: "It is true that these jobs are often only on paper." Another TPO claimed that the count of such colleges increased by at least 30% this academic year. "Earlier, only a few colleges used this tactic. Now, many are doing this. They call companies even when they do not have job requirements and are issuing fake offers," she added. Members of the Telangana Schools Technical Colleges Employees Association said the issue has been brought to their notice by faculty from different colleges. "They have even filed complaints about this arrangement between college managements and firms. Both parties are aware that these offers will not be honoured," said A Santosh Kumar, president of the association, demanding action against such colleges. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
CUJ student supplied illegal arms to gangsters, reveals probe
An engineering student of Central University of Jammu (CUJ), from Bihar, who was arrested last month for his involvement in illegal arms trade has revealed that he supplied at least nearly a dozen firearms to gangsters in Jammu, said officials on Tuesday. The arrest of Kaif Ahmed, who is pursuing B Tech from the Central University of Jammu, followed an investigation into a firing incident outside a hotel in Miran Sahib during a function on February 23, a police spokesman said. (File) 'A major arms supply racket has been busted in Jammu with his arrest,' said a senior police officer. Kaif Ahmad from Siwan in Bihar was pursuing BTech at the CUJ. He was arrested by the Miran Sahib police. 'During interrogation, he admitted to have supplied at least 11 firearms to gangsters. He used to bring weapons from Bihar and sold them for up to ₹1 lakh,' said the officer. The arrest of Kaif Ahmed, who is pursuing B Tech from the Central University of Jammu, followed an investigation into a firing incident outside a hotel in Miran Sahib during a function on February 23, a police spokesman said. While two gangsters -- Rajat Raina and Raghunandan Kesar -- were arrested allegedly along with two pistols on the day of the firing, their third associate Balwinder Singh alias Goru Jatt of Vijaypur in Samba was nabbed allegedly with a pistol and some live cartridges after a hunt of six months, the spokesman said. One alleged gangster, identified as Manik from Suchani, who bought a weapon from Kaif, is still on the run, the officials said. Kaif was held on July 12. The accused had been orchestrating illegal trafficking of firearms and transporting weapons—specifically pistols and katta (country made pistols) from Bihar and selling them to local criminals. In this regard, a case under Section 3/25 Arms Act had been registered at Vijaypur police station and investigation is on, the officials added.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
BTech: KTU waives min credit requirement
Thiruvananthapuram: APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University has waived the minimum credit requirement condition for the promotion of undergraduate students to semester 5 and 7 for the academic year 2025-26. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per the BTech 2019 regulations, the following minimum credits are required for progression to higher semesters for registration to semester 5 21 credits from semesters 1 and 2 (out of 38) and for registration to semester 7 47 credits from semesters 1 to 4 (out of 82). These requirements, which were temporarily waived during the earlier academic years in view of the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, were reinstated in the 2023-24 academic year. However, the university received several representations from students and affiliated colleges highlighting the difficulties faced by a substantial number of students who remain ineligible for promotion due to credit shortfalls. "Based on the analysis by the academics branch, it was noted that for the BTech programme, around 4,208 students do not meet the credit requirement for semester 7 registration. Approximately, 6,428 students are ineligible for semester 5 registration," said the university order that announced the waiver. Such ineligible students constitute nearly 15% and 20% of the respective cohorts in BTech. As per the regulations, students unable to progress to semester 5 may be required to shift to the 2024 curriculum, leading to an additional academic burden due to transitory course requirements. Similar to the BTech programme, a significant number of students from other undergraduate courses are also at risk of losing academic continuity due to non-fulfilment of credit requirements. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Considering the academic implications and the scale of student impact, the matter was examined in detail. Based on the inputs of the academics branch, and in view of the need to ensure continuity and equity in academic progression, a proposal was placed before the vice-chancellor. Accordingly, evoking the powers under section 14 (5) of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Act, 2015, sanction was accorded by the VC to waive the minimum credit requirement for promotion to higher semesters in all undergraduate programmes for the academic year 2025-26," a university order said.
