Latest news with #Kumari
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
In Ghaziabad, man unleashes German Shepherd on discom team, it attacks cop
Ghaziabad : A 44-year-old man set his German Shepherd on a team of power department officials who visited his house to collect outstanding electricity bills in Muradnagar area on Sunday. According to Manu Kumari, the enforcement team in-charge, the incident occurred around 11.15am when she, along with junior engineer Sanjay Kumar and a team of police personnel, visited the house on Pipeline Road. The inspection was being carried out on the orders of executive engineer Durgesh Kumar after the house owner stopped paying bills. "When we arrived and explained the purpose of our visit, Rashid, who opened the gate, became hostile. Despite our repeated requests to enter the premises for inspection, he released his German Shepherd on us," Kumari said. The dog attacked constable Amar Singh, tearing his uniform and damaging his mobile phone. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida The situation worsened when Javed, the house owner and Rashid's landlord, arrived at the scene and allegedly misbehaved with the inspection team. "Constable Amar Singh, who had severe injuries, was rushed to Muradnagar community health centre by constable Mohit Kumar and lineman Shanu. He is stable now," Kumari added. DCP (rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari said an FIR was registered. While, Rashid was arrested, Javed is untraceable. "Teams have been formed to apprehend him," Tiwari said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Matter being taken very seriously: Rajasthan Deputy CM Diya Kumari on Jhalawar school roof collapse incident
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari expressed grief over the Jhalawar school roof collapse incident that claimed the lives of seven students. She said that all government buildings were being reviewed to prevent such incidents from recurring. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics healthcare Data Science Leadership Product Management Degree Project Management Artificial Intelligence Others Healthcare Operations Management Finance Design Thinking others Cybersecurity Digital Marketing Technology MCA CXO Management PGDM Public Policy Data Science MBA Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details "This is a tragic accident. I pay my tributes to our deceased students and express my condolences to the affected families. Immediately after this incident, the Chief Minister held meetings. This matter is being taken very seriously, and all government buildings, regardless of the department to which they belong, are being reviewed. This issue is being addressed with priority. We are fully focused on ensuring such accidents do not happen again," Kumari told ANI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo As the celebrations for the festival of Teej begin, the Deputy CM said that a 'Maha Aarti' will be organised at Chhoti Chaupar in Jaipur, and a two-day fair will be organised where female entrepreneurs will handle the stalls. "We are organising the procession of Teej on a large scale in Jaipur. A Maha Aarti will be organised in Chhoti Chaupar. Governor and CM are invited to this. A 2-day fair will be organised, where female entrepreneurs will handle the stalls. This is a special festival for women. It is celebrated throughout Rajasthan. Proper sitting arrangements have been made for the tourists. Safety and security have also been taken care of. We have invited many ambassadors from the Embassies," Kumari said. Live Events Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday assured that action would be taken against those found guilty in the Jhalawar school roof collapse incident that claimed the lives of seven students. He informed that the Rajasthan government has given direction to conduct audits of public buildings, including schools, to prevent such incidents from recurring. "Action will be taken against those found guilty. The issue is that we should assess all such schools and public buildings and conduct audits to prevent such incidents in the future. The Rajasthan government has directed the concerned authorities to conduct such audits of all government schools in the state," Shekhawat told ANI. The roof collapse happened at Piplodi Primary School in Jhalawar district on Friday morning. Following the incident, the Rajasthan government has decided to prioritise the repair of dilapidated school buildings, government institutions, and Anganwadi centres across the state. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma announced that the permissible allocation under the Dang, Magra, and Mewat Regional Development Plan for the repair of government institutions, including school buildings and Anganwadi centres, would be increased from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
Student suicide highlights ICC failures in HEIs; a case for campus safety in NIRF rankings
The father of a 20-year-old student of Odisha who recently committed suicide held members of her college's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) 'solely responsible' for his daughter's death by self-immolation. He alleged that the ICC members prepared a 'biased report' and blamed the student following her complaint of sexual harassment by a professor. He claimed that based on the ICC report, the principal told his daughter that she was at fault and may be punished for making a false allegation against the teacher who is the head of the Education department. The second-year Integrated student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore immolated herself shortly after coming out of the Principal's chamber. 'I hope the system will improve following the death of my daughter,' he said. Though the ICC is mandated by the University Grants Commission, in many of the institutions they are barely functional. Many students and activists make a case that social aspects such as student safety should be an important parameter for ranking HEIs so there is some pressure on the governing bodies and managements to act. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)'s current methodology makes it mandatory for the Universities to have a functional ICC, but this doesn't influence the rankings. 'The ICC should be an integral part of these ranking systems. It should matter a lot how the oppressed – including women – are treated in our educational institutions. Do they feel safe? Do they have equal opportunities?' questioned Geeta Kumari, former JNU Students Union president and a Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) student representative. GSCASH, a body established to address sexual grievances, was replaced with ICC on the campus in 2017. Ms. Kumari served in GSCASH from 2015 to 2017. Among the various parameters of the annual ranking system, Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practices, Graduation Outcome, and Peer Perception play a critical role but student safety aspects such as a functional ICC are often not taken into consideration. In a quick and random survey, three highly ranked HEIs had several lacunae in ICC functioning — with many students unaware of the very existence of these committees meant to safeguard their dignity. A skewed system The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which ranked second in the University rankings of NIRF, replaced the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) with the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in 2017, but students attest that the change doesn't make much difference on the ground and the campus remains unsafe for students. 'The university administration disbanded the GSCASH and constituted the ICC, citing the UGC's standardization policy. But the move actually came in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations against faculty members that year,' said Parvathy P, a PhD scholar at the Centre for Law and Governance, JNU. She mentioned that the current structure of the ICC is biased against the students. 'The current ICC has nine members—six nominated by the administration and three student representatives elected through campus polls. Despite this, the structure remains skewed in favour of the university management, which continues to hold significant control over all decision-making,' said Ms. Parvathy. Recalling a recent case, Ms. Parvathy said, 'A UG student faced sexual harassment in 2024, but the administration failed to follow a transparent process to ensure justice. When she staged a sit-in protest at the university gate, demanding action, the administration imposed a fine on her instead of acting against the perpetrators. She was ultimately forced to pay the fine to continue her studies.' 'ICC is filled with people who do not understand gender and its complexities. The first chairperson of ICC made comments such as 'umar ho gayi shaadi bache karo' to female students when they were protesting,' Ms. Kumari said. Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi that is ranked fifth in the University rankings of NIRF has an ICC. 'We are completely unaware of such a body in the campus. Even the official BHU website does not list ICC members,' said a BHU research scholar on condition of anonymity. IIT-BHU, which had a noted sexual harassment case in Nov 1, 2023 , has no elected student representative in its ICC. The Uttar Pradesh police arrested the three accused on December 31. The research scholar said there is no security verification at the gates of BHU, and anyone from the public can enter freely. 'The three accused in the case were reportedly involved in other incidents of molestation on campus. It shows that little has changed on the ground. What has now become routine is that each time a sexual harassment case surfaces, there's an immediate wave of student protests. But within days, the outrage fades, and the administration carries on as if nothing happened,' he said. 'Dissatisfied with functioning' Mehina Fathima Shihab, student member of the ICC, Delhi University, main campus, which ranked ninth in the NIRF ranking, revealed that she isn't happy with the committee's functioning. 'The constitution of the committee itself is a problem, as ICCs are mostly nominated bodies with little or no autonomy. The committee is not fully elected by the stakeholders of the university, and its nominated members often show a loyalty towards the institution rather than upholding the rights of the student community,' she said, reiterating that the ICCs of all of the DU campuses have room for improvement. The body often faces internal criticism from the elected student members over decisions taken by the committee. 'There are fundamental conflicts between elected members and nominated members, as elected student representatives want to make sure that the campus is safer for everyone. Since not all the nominated members are democratic, conflicts take place whenever we meet. The demand for GSCASH is still very relevant as it can function much better than the ICC,' said Ms. Shihab. GSCASH was an independent body proctor with no interference from the college administration, whereas ICC has become an administrative tool, where confidentiality is compromised, she says. Ms. Shihab also disagreed with the NIRF ranking scores as its structure does not fully assess the safety and security of students within the campus premises. 'The NIRF ranking scales are faulty when it comes to assessing the social aspects of an institution. The Delhi University campus is very unsafe for women. Sexual harassment cases are being reported on a monthly basis. The UGC regulation, which constituted ICC, clearly mentions the list of responsibilities of institutions in making their campus safer for women, and most of them are ignored, including basic measures like ensuring campus spaces are well-lit,' she said. But the University's faculty members say that the DU's Miranda House has an effective ICC. 'I will not claim that all of our students know about the ICC but it has increased awareness,' said Abha Dev Habib, Associate Professor, Miranda House, Delhi University. While the functioning of the ICCs differs from college to college affiliated to the University, Miranda House is on the right track, Abha Dev Habib said. 'Our ICC has three student members. We ask every class of students to give representation and these representatives come together to elect the members. We have been receiving a lot of sexual harassment complaints and a strong ICC is something we do not compromise,' Ms. Habib said. Better implementation 'Many universities conduct superficial inquiries simply to silence the survivor. Instead of ensuring justice, some ICC members indulge in character assassination, prioritising the university's reputation over the victim's rights. In such cases, the ICC becomes a mere puppet of the administration. Its fundamental duties are often diluted or ignored altogether,' Abdul Wahab, State Secretary of SFI, Uttar Pradesh said. He also alleged that universities don't care to conduct elections to select student members into the ICC and often function with nominated faculty members. 'According to UGC norms, ICCs must include elected student members, faculty, and external representatives from NGOs or activists working in the field. But in reality, most universities either handpick members or fail to maintain a functional ICC. How can an entirely nominated body function impartially?' he asked. The ICCs are not supposed to function as a punitive body, but rather as a body that ensures sexual harassment does not happen within campus premises. 'Gender sensitization workshops take place once every two years. There is no consistency, and its reach is quite limited. NIRF rankings often overlook the functionality and a mere presence is enough to secure a good rank,' Ms. Shihab said. Attempts were made to reach out to the managements of Sharda University, JNU and BHU and IIT-BHU via phone calls and email. There has been no response. (Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
IIT-Guwahati researchers develop bamboo-based composite for greener automobile interiors
NEW DELHI: Offering a practical, eco-friendly substitute for plastic components in cars, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a bamboo-based composite that can be used in dashboards, seat backs, and door panels, combining high mechanical strength with low environmental impact. These composites can even replace plastic or wood parts in electronics, furniture, and building materials The material, made using Bambusa tulda, a fast-growing bamboo species from Northeast India, is reinforced with biodegradable polymers and has demonstrated strong performance in terms of thermal stability, tensile strength, and moisture resistance, key requirements for automotive interiors. The research, led by Poonam Kumari, professor in the department of mechanical engineering, addresses the growing need to reduce plastic waste and transition towards renewable materials in industrial applications. The team tested four bamboo-based formulations using both bio-based and conventional epoxies, evaluating them on 17 parameters including tensile strength, thermal resistance, water absorption, and production cost. To identify the most balanced formulation, the researchers applied a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, which pointed to a bio-epoxy blend made with FormuLite as the most suitable option. This variant demonstrated high tensile strength (144.76 MPa), significant thermal stability (glass transition temperature of 111.72°C), and the lowest moisture absorption (4.49%). The cost was also competitive at Rs 4,300 per kilogram, making it suitable for components like dashboards, seat backs, and door panels. 'These composites can replace plastic or wood parts not just in automobiles but also in electronics, furniture, and building materials,' said Kumari. 'Their use aligns with India's Green Tech Revolution and Make in India goals, and supports several Sustainable Development Goals.' The team also performed a life-cycle assessment of the material, with plans to scale up production using industrial processes like resin transfer and compression moulding. The research has been published in Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer Nature), with Kumari co-authoring the paper alongside her PhD students Abir Saha and Nikhil Dilip Kulkarni. The initiative builds on IIT-Guwahati's broader sustainability agenda, reflected in its high ranks in both the NIRF and global SDG-based rankings. With this development, the institute adds momentum to the use of indigenous materials in high-performance engineering applications.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Standard
IIT Guwahati converts bamboo into high-performance automotive materials
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed an eco-friendly composite material made of 'Bambusa tulda', a fast-growing bamboo species in northeast India, combined with biodegradable polymers, officials said on Thursday. Due to its properties, such as high strength, thermal stability, low moisture absorption and cost effectiveness, the developed composite is a suitable replacement of conventional plastics used in automotive interiors. The findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journal, Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer Nature). Led by Poonam Kumari, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, the research not only addresses the problem of plastic waste, but also provides a solution to the growing global demand for greener materials, particularly in the automotive manufacturing industry. "The researchers tested four bamboo-based composite formulations consisting of Bambusa tulda fibres reinforced with bio-based or petroleum-based epoxies. By treating the bamboo fibres with alkali, the team improved its compatibility with the base polymer, resulting in enhanced durability for real-world use. "The developed formulations were then evaluated on 17 different parameters to test their tensile strength, thermal resistance, impact durability, water absorption and cost per kilogram, among others," Kumari said. While these formulations had distinct strengths, none of them had all the properties to provide a balanced and high-performing option. To identify the same, the team used Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), a structured evaluation method. "The results observed bamboo composite made with bio-based epoxy FormuLite as the best performing option with low moisture absorption, significant thermal stability, and mechanical strength. The cost-effective nature of the composite, priced at Rs 4,300 per kilogram, makes it an eco-friendly solution for automotive parts, such as vehicle dashboards, door panels and seat backs, among others," she said. "Developed composite can be used for designing components/parts in consumer electronics, automobiles, aerospace and sustainable building materials etc. The product will replace wood/iron/plastic components and will have similar cost and lead to fulfilment of SGD goals. This development is in line with Make in India policy under Green Tech Revolution," she added. The team is currently conducting a full life cycle assessment of the developed composite to measure its environmental impact from production to disposal. As the next step, the research team is planning to apply industrial techniques such as compression modelling and resign transfer to scale up the production.
