No new IIMs, IITs opened in last 5 years: GOVT
No new Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) or Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) have been opened in the last five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed. In India, there are 23 IITs and 20 IIMs. However, 242 universities were opened in the last five years, which include 140 private universities and 90 state public universities, Minister of State for Education Dr Subas Sarkar said in a written reply. At present, there are 23 IITs and 20 IIMs functioning in the country, he said, adding that four Deemed-to-be universities were opened, while eight Central universities were started in last five years. In 2018-19, 60 universities were opened; in 2019-20 the figure was 34; in 2020-21, 46 universities came up, while in 2021-22, 62 new universities were opened.
57K kids in juvenile homes under govt scheme
Over 57,000 children are living in child care institutions under Mission Vatsalya scheme this year, the Rajya Sabha was told. The highest number of children are living in Tamil Nadu with 7,785 children housed in juvenile homes or child care institutes. While this year, 57,940 children are living in these juvenile homes, the number was 76,118 in 2021-22. In 2020-21, 77,615 children were living in juvenile homes, and in 2019-20, it was 77,765. In 2018-19, the figure was 74,683. West Bengal reported housing the second highest number of children in care homes, at 6,220. Other states that reported high numbers are Odisha (4,153), Maharashtra (3,654), Uttar Pradesh (3,238), Karnataka (3,182), Rajasthan (2,560) and Bihar (2,088).
RS passes bill to curb film piracy
A bill to curb piracy to help the film industry and improve the procedure for certification including the provision of age-based classification was passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the Opposition staged a walkout over the Manipur situation. The bill, which seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952, was passed by a voice vote. In the bill, the government has proposed a maximum three-year jail term and a fine up to five per cent of the production cost of a film for persons making pirated copies of movies. The bill also proposes to allow the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) grant certificates to films with perpetual validity.
Why no euthanasia law, panel asks govt
A parliamentary panel sought to know from the Union health ministry about the challenges in bringing a bill on a “sensitive subject” like passive euthanasia, an issue pending since 2018. The panel said it has asked the ministry to deliberate on the issue with all stakeholders so that an “informed and well-considered decision” is taken at the right time and there is “no inordinate delay” in coming up with the law. The committee noted that “three assurances relating to formulation of legislation on passive euthanasia” are yet to be fulfilled by the ministry. “The ministry has informed during evidence that a judgment of Supreme Court has come in this matter, and until a law is made, the same judgment is applied on a case-to-case basis, keeping in view the sensitivity involved,” the parliamentary panel said in its report ‘Review of Pending Assurances about the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.’
5,000 orphans recorded in 2023
There are over 5,000 orphans and abandoned children in the country, with Maharashtra recording the highest number of such children this year till now, the Rajya Sabha was informed. While the number of such children, including surrendered children, was 4,521 in 2020-21, while in 2021-22, the number was 5,106. In 2022-23, the number of orphan children registered in the portal so far is 5663, a rise of 25 per cent in the last three years.
MHA issues advisory on national flag
Ahead of Independence Day celebrations, the Ministry of Home Affairs has written to other ministries, government departments as well as the states and Union Territories to ensure that the national flags used by public on occasions of important national, cultural and sports events are not discarded on the ground after the events. Carry out an awareness programme in this regard through advertisements, government institutions were told.
14 students ended life in higher edu institutes
As many as 14 students committed suicide in higher education institutes, including in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) this year, Minister of State for Education Dr Subhas Sarkar informed the Rajya Sabha, while replying to a query from MP Sushil Kumar Modi. While in the IITs, seven deaths due to suicide were recorded, three of them belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC), while one belonged to Other Backward Caste. In AIIMS, three students ended their lives, of which two belonged to Scheduled Tribes, the data showed. In the National Institute of Technology, four students took the extreme step. One of them was an SC student. In 2022, 23 students, including nine in IITs died by suicide. In 2021, 11 students took the extreme step, including four from IITs and three from AIIMS. In 2020, nine students committed suicide, while in 2019, the figure stood at 18 – eight each from IITs and NITs.
Over 12K vacancies for teachers in KVs
The Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) are trying to fill up 12,099 vacant posts for teaching staff and have brought out an advertisement in this regard, the Rajya Sabha was informed. Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi said, “Advertise-ments for filling up 12,099 vacant posts of teaching staff (up to 2023) through direct recruitment had been notified in December 2022.” The minister said the vacancies arise due to retirement, resignation, promotion and additional requirement due to upgradation or sanctioning of new streams.