Latest news with #VJTI
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
City colleges join hands to offer students more electives
Mumbai: From the coming academic year, students in Mumbai will be able to enrol for electives outside their chosen stream and institution as many colleges have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to share resources and offer elective courses to students from other institutions. This move is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages multidisciplinary learning and allows students to choose a minor subject from any department, including outside their own stream. The minor subject will account for 18-20 credits spread over three years. As part of implementation of the NEP, many colleges located in the same neighbourhood or managed by the same entity have signed MoUs to enable students to step beyond traditional academic boundaries. For example, the principals of Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College in Matunga and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), a premier engineering college, recentlt signed an MoU which allows Ruia College students – mainly from arts and science backgrounds – to enrol for courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning at VJTI. Reciprocally, VJTI students will be able to enrol in the critical thinking course taught by Ruia's faculty. Sachin Kore, director, VJTI, said the MoU with Ruia College would open up exciting opportunities for academic and research exchange. 'It's a perfect example of how the NEP can help institutions work together to benefit students,' he said. Students at Ruia College will also be able to enrol for a course on food and nutrition offered by the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT). Meanwhile, three colleges in Thane and Mulund have come together to launch a joint MSc in information technology programme. Students from any of the three colleges – Vaze-Kelkar College in Mulund, Mulund College of Commerce, and BN Bandodkar College in Thane – can enrol for the course while lectures will be held across the three campuses based on a shared timetable and rotation of students and teachers. The setup will not only expose students to a wider range of subjects and teaching styles but also utilise existing resources in a better way. Institutions under the same management are also signing MoUs for collaboration. For instance, Sathaye College, Dahanukar College, and Mulund College of Commerce – all run by the Parle Tilak Vidyalaya Association – have signed an agreement to offer students a broader range of elective courses. 'Under the NEP, colleges must offer students more elective choices alongside their main subjects,' said Madhav Rajwade, principal, Sathaye College. 'With this collaboration, we can now offer over 100 electives designed by our three colleges.' Until now, students could only enrol for electives offered by their own college, Rajwade said. 'No single college can offer everything. These collaborations solve that problem and make sure students get the choices the NEP promises,' he said. The University of Mumbai welcomed these collaborations and encouraged more colleges to follow suit. 'These colleges have taken a highly commendable step,' said Prof Ajay Bhamare, pro-vice-chancellor of the university. 'Under the NEP, colleges are expected to collaborate for the benefit of students. We are happy to see institutions moving in that direction. Many more colleges have signed similar agreements and the university fully supports such efforts.'
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
IIT-B to helm centre's ‘Pushpak' drone mission
MUMBAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has been appointed to lead the central government's 'Pushpak – National Mission on Drone Technology', which promotes the development of indigenous drone technology across various sectors. The mission, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has a grant-in-aid of ₹82.7 crore and includes seven premier institutes, each with a specific focus area relating to drone technology. The mission officially commenced a few weeks ago and will span four years. In addition to IIT-B, the other participating institutions include: CDAC-Thiruvananthapuram, CDAC-Bengaluru, IIT-Gandhinagar, IISER-Bhopal, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) Mumbai, and Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education in Tamil Nadu. Designed to boost India's self-reliance in drone capabilities, Pushpak will integrate advanced Research and Development (R&D), strategic partnerships with industry, real-world testing facilities, and rapid commercialisation of drone technologies. The mission will operate under the guidance of a National Steering Committee (NSC), comprising senior government officials and domain experts. IIT-Bombay's focus area in the mission will be the development of hybrid drones, indigenous processors and unmanned aerial systems tailored for disaster management, coastal monitoring and other specialised uses. The institute will also facilitate the collaboration between academia and industry to build next-generation drone solutions. VJTI Mumbai has been tasked with developing secure embedded systems and drone communication security. According to sources, VJTI is in the process of establishing a dedicated drone security lab, which will also serve as a forensic unit for drones. This lab is expected to work closely to develop strategic applications to track drone flight patterns within India's aerial boundaries and enhance drone-related threat detection. The lab will also contribute to long-term solutions for drone cybersecurity, which could play a vital role in both civilian and defence applications. This marks a significant step in building a comprehensive drone security framework within the country. Kedare said the drone mission will help reduce dependency on foreign technologies, create jobs and enhance safety and security standards. He added that the programme would also focus on the development of core capabilities in AI integration, UAV traffic management, and indigenous drone manufacturing, suited specifically to Indian requirements. Pushpak is designed to fast-track technology transfer from labs to the market. It will also offer start-up incubation support and advanced training opportunities for students and researchers in drone-related fields.
