Guwahati Education, Research and Information Technology thread

[sunny20rocky]

Post Bureau, Guwahati (Nov 8): After Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Assam may be the third state to have a sports university. This was disclosed by the chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi while attending the closing funct ion of sports awards distribution a nd closing ceremony of State-level Women Sports Competition at Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium at Sarusajai sports complex in Guwahati on Thursday evening.

“A sports university and an ambitious scheme will be taken up by the government to unearth latent talents in the rural areas in a big way,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi also said that the government would take up an ambitious s cheme by forming a high-level sports committee to bring to the fore the abundant talents available in the rural areas of the State.

“The rural areas of the state are a storehouse of talents. Our government, which has laid emphasis on sports, would focus on unearthing the latent talents by nurturing them through proper training so that they can compete in national and international events and bring laurels to the state and the country,” Gogoi added.

The chief minister further said that under the new scheme, sports tournaments would be held in an organised manner in the rural areas to bring to the fore the hidden talents. He further added that sports facilities in the rural areas would be further spruced up to create a congenial atmosphere for overall development of games and sports in the state.

Gogoi gave away one-time ex-gratia grant for 2011-12 to 20 sports personalities, the Chairman’s Award of NEC to the London Olympians Shiva Thapa and Jayanta Talukdar and trophies to the champions and runners-up of the state-level women sports competition.

Ministers Rakibul Hussain and Ajit Singh and director, sports and youth welfare, Gaurav Bothra gave away the cheques for Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively to the gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the 34th National Games held in Jharkhand in 2011.

Sports and youth welfare minister, Ajit Singh said that under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) the rural boys and girls have been getting the much needed exposure. He said that the government has provided 500 table tennis boards to high and higher secondary schools and sports items to 15,000 clubs.

“The initiatives taken by the government will bear fruit in the long run,” he said.

Panchayat and rural development minister, Rakibul Hussain in his address, said the participation of 1,200 girls from rural areas of 24 districts in the state-level women sports competition under PYKKA has provided the much-needed fillip to the sports scenario in the State. Hussain said the objective behind bringing the rural youth to Guwahati was to expose them to the modern infrastructure.

“The use of the modern infrastructure by the rural youth in the sports meet during the past few days have given them much confidence and helped to bring their sporting prowess to the fore,” Hussain said.

http://sevensisterspost.com/sports-u...-on-the-cards/

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GUWAHATI: The Regional Diagnostic Centre situated within the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital on Saturday became the first hospital in the entire northeast to start tele-ECG service. This facility was provided after the state government signed an agreement with the Apollo group of hospitals.

In this service, the ECG of patients will be uploaded through the internet to the respective Apollo hospitals from where senior cardiologists will monitor the EGC and prepare a report after proper interpretation. The reports will be given to patients within half an hour.

While launching the project, director of health services Dhrubjyoti Hojai said, "This project was undertaken as there was a lack of specialized cardiologists in the city. Patients are referred to other parts of the country due to dearth of cardiologists. So, the Assam government has decided to sign an agreement with the private hospital through public-private-partnership mode."

"At MMC, there is no specialized cardiologist. So, we have decided to start this project with the Regional Diagnostic Centre," he added. He said, "People can now avail this facility without going to other parts of the country. Moreover, the rate of tele-EGC is fixed as per government approved rate so that the poor can also avail this service. It will cost only Rs 150. At times, patients become serious and can't be taken to other specialized hospitals. So, tele-EGC will come handy at that time."

This tele-ECG network will also be started in Regional Diagnostic Centre situated within the Civil Hospital, North-Lakhimpur, Haflong, Barpeta and Kokrajhar.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/17261875.cms

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PHNOM PENH, Nov 20 – In an encouraging development having far reaching impact for human resources development, an ASEAN-India Centre for Skill Development and Vocational Education is likely to be set up in Guwahati.

The project proposal has been recommended by the high-powered Eminent Persons’ Report to the ASEAN Leaders submit here on Monday.

The recommendation suggests launching of an ASEAN-India skill initiative and establishment of a virtual network of existing, upgraded and new human resource and training institutions in identified strategic sectors.

The report, authored by experts drawn from various fields belonging to the ASEAN, identified Guwahati for setting up of the skill development centre because IIT Guwahati already exists there.

The ASEAN-member States and India have a rich reservoir of time-tested traditional skills such as in textiles, metallurgy, building architecture and medical herbs and holistic healing practices, the report said.

Guwahati incidentally has slowly started becoming hub of ASEAN activities. The ASEAN Car Rally is being flagged down in the city, which would play host to the Commerce and Economic Ministers of ASEAN for the India ASEAN Economic Ministers’ meet.

Meanwhile, in another piece of good news for the region, the northeastern region is set to become the gateway to the bustling markets of the South East Asia, with an ambitious project envisaging road connectivity to Vietnam and Cambodia getting a fresh boost at the ongoing ASEAN and East Asia Summit.

Confined only to drawing board stage so far, the new proposal got a fresh boost with the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons’ Report to the ASEAN Leaders strongly backing the project.

With the targeted date for completion of the Trilateral Highway Project having been firmed up, the deck is being cleared for extending the road links up to Cambodia. The project is now being fast tracked.

The proposed new highway project, connecting India, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR-Vietnam and Cambodia and

extension of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to Lao PDR and Cambodia, as well as development of Mekong-India Economic Corridor connecting Southeast Asia to South Asia on the eastern part of India should receive high priority in order to add greater momentum to the growing trade and investment linkages between ASEAN and India, the report recommended.


http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/...d=nov2112/at08

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STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, Dec 1 – An emphasis on holistic education is the guiding force of the Assam Don Bosco University, which will cater to a cross section of youths offering a wide range of innovative programmes.

The university, the first in the private sector in Assam, “aims to be a hub for culture, knowledge, research and intellectual ferment … for critical thinking and analysis of whatever shapes and impacts human life…”

It was on March 29, 2008 the State Government gave a Letter of Intent to establish the university, and the Government passed the Assam Don Bosco University Ordinance, 2008 on December 3. The first graduate courses in Technology and Engineering (B Tech) started on August 11 that year.

Speaking exclusively to The Assam Tribune, VM Thomas, the Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University, revealed the salient features of the institution. “The stress is on all professional education with focus on inclusive higher education with collaborating partners in India and abroad,” he noted.

Among other innovative courses, a number of online courses are on offer with ample opportunities for thorough assessments. Around 20,000 students will benefit from the various courses on offer. When in full steam, 30,000 to 40,000 youths may be trained as technicians in tune with the ambitious ‘Skilling India’ programme.

According to Vice Chancellor and the chief architect of the university project, Dr Stephen Mavely, “Piloting this project has been like chasing a dream. But its success lies in the fact that Don Bosco University Project has been and continues to be the shared dream of a cross section of individuals, organisations and agencies.”

“During these last four years, much has been achieved. However, as the Assam Don Bosco University develops and spreads its wings, the core values will remain intact. It will continue to strive to make professional and higher education accessible to the weaker sections of society. It will spare no effort to ensure that the graduates become dependable and truly human leaders with a strong sense of commitment to the poor, the disadvantaged and the needy,” Dr Mavely added.

Research will be a key area for the new institution, according to its founding members. Tea, conflict resolution, and environment have been identified as major subjects which students will be able to study.

Inauguration of Doctoral Programmes (Ph D) on August 23, 2011 was a step in promoting research in various disciplines. A total of 22 scholars began their studies within the ambit of eight disciplines – Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Physics, Chemical Sciences, Social Work, Forensic Science, and Northeast India Studies.

The temporary headquarters of Don Bosco University is at Azara, but the permanent main campus will be at Tapesia nestled amid tea gardens off National Highway 37. In a pioneering move, a master plan has been prepared for the University that will have academic and administrative blocks, staff and student residences, recreational and sports facilities, jogging tracks and cycle paths along with a school, a healthcare centre and an amphitheatre.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/...dec0212/city07

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Calcutta, Dec. 6: Assam health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today stressed the importance of government expenditure on infrastructure to facilitate business in rural areas and tap the potential at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

He was speaking here at Infocom 2012-Conference and Exhibition, a Businessworld initiative on rural empowerment.

Sarma started with a reality check. “It is true that a lot of money is earmarked for the poor in every budget but it is not to change their fortune but to pacify vote banks and win the next elections,” Sarma added.

To truly change the fate of the people at the bottom of the social pyramid, there must be a partnership between the government and the private enterprises, he added.

“In this partnership, the government only acts as a facilitator to provide good infrastructure, ensure safety and a conducive environment for business,” he said.

When a government gets too involved in a business, it inevitably ends up as a loss-making unit, the minister pointed out.

The education minister also offered an innovative idea of a rural call centre. “Cities like Bangalore are getting too expensive to open new offices for BPOs. But to run a call centre one does need proximity to a city if the resources can be provided in a village. All that is needed is connectivity and human resource of English speaking individuals,” he said.

He added that the government must also facilitate the growth of local skills giving it a larger platform using technology. He also asserted on the importance of vocational education.

The other speakers at the session were Amit Mukherjee, chief operating officer of Sahaj e-Village Ltd, Pradip Bhowmick, executive director/partner PricewaterhouseCoopers and Venugopal Ramanathan, head of sales, Trimax IT. B. Hari, founder and managing director of Ontrack Systems, chaired the session.

Later, talking to The Telegraph, the minister discussed his plan to modernise recruitment of teachers in the state. On being pointed out that every year several students leave for elite educational institutions across the country, he said he does not consider it a brain drain but an intellectual investment.

“I do not see this as a loss. The students inevitably come back and contribute to the state at some point in their life,” Sarma said.

He added that if a student has to go out as the state lacks good colleges, it is a matter of concern. But if someone moves out to get an admission to a medical or engineering college paying capitation fees, “it is their problem”.

He said to woo students studying outside to return and contribute to education in the state he has done away with the interview system. There was apprehension that the interview system is not objective, he explained.

Sarma is also introducing a new method in the recruitment of college teachers.“The marks of three shortlisted candidates will be put up on the Internet. These candidates would be asked to teach for a day and the students would select the teacher,” he said.

He added that to prevent the opinion of students from getting influenced, the process would be executed as fast as possible.

Sarma, who was touring Gujarat campaigning for his party ahead of the Assembly polls there, said he is confident of a thumping victory for the Congress in the coming Assam panchayat polls.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/112120...p#.UMF1xK9YWSo

[sunny20rocky]

In the education sector, it is setting up a university in Kamrup district for which it has already got the letter of intent. “Land acquisition has been completed and the 30-acre campus is scheduled to be completed by 2015,” Jain said.

The university will focus on those areas where skills are most required in the Northeast.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/112121...p#.UM6gMK9YWSo


private universities in guwahati :

1. Donbosco University

2. Assam down town university

3. Royal university ( soon)

4. S M group's private university

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Post Bureau, Guwahati (Dec 21): Eastern India is all set to have Rs 400 crore as investment in school education sector in next 4 years. And if everything goes well, Guwahati too could well be having another set of multi facility school hubs. The Mumbai based Taurian Group is the initiator in this project.

The Group has already set up a 1500 student capacity boarding School in Ranchi Said Amith Bajla, Director of Taurian Group and Chairman of Taurian World School Ranchi, “We have decided to build 10 similar kind of ultra modern schools in next 4 year in the Eastern India with a corpus of Rs 400 crores out of which Rs 100 crores would be invested by our group. We are in talk with various interested parties like banks and other investors in this regard and keeping our record in Ranchi School in mind, lots of them are showing keen interest.

“Detailing the plan Bajla conveyed that the group had decided to set up Ranchi type schools in Kolkata, Asansol, Durgapur, Guwahati, Patna, Mujaffarpur, Benaras and Allahabad in next 4 years. For the Guwahati project the group has already done preliminary survey.

According to plan, a 5 acre multi facility campus would be therin Guwahati with nearly Rs 30 crore investments. All proposed schools in Kolkata, Asansol, Durgapur & Guwahati would not be having hostel facility.

Bajla said, “The eastern region of the nation lags behind other parts in terms of investment despite having some of country’s most precious natural wealth. At there lies a huge virgin market waiting to be tapped, our group has chalked this investment plan. Based on our Ranchi project we are confident that multi facility modern schooling system could be made available to eastern India.”

http://sevensisterspost.com/mumbai-f...ols-in-region/

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Jan. 29: The geology department of Cotton College today started a six-month certificate course on geoinformatics.

A student-teacher meeting was organised at the department on the launching of the course. Ten students, including professionals, from different parts of the state have enrolled for the course.

The department has been conducting a month-long course on geoinformatics since 2004.

Geoinformatics is the science and technology that develops and uses information science infrastructure to address the problems of geography, geosciences and related branches of engineering. Information science is concerned with the analysis, collection, storage and dissemination of information.

The head of geology department, H.D. Sarma, said the department has already conducted 37 courses on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) and two other courses on principles of remote sensing and satellite image processing. Altogether 384 students, teachers and professionals from various institutions and organisations of the Northeast have successfully completed the courses.

“Three special training programmes on GIS and GPS have also been conducted for the district officers of the disaster management cell and officers of the revenue department of the state government and for the officers of SSB frontier headquarters in Guwahati,” he added.

The new course is aimed at meeting the long-standing need of professionals and students of the region for a comprehensive course on remote sensing, GIS and GPS technologies.

The Cotton College geology department is the only centre in the Northeast where regular courses on geoinformatics are being imparted since 2004. The course is co-ordinated by Santanu Sarma of the department, with support from a few experts in the fields of geoinformatics as guest resource persons.

It was established as an undergraduate department under Gauhati University in 1959. In 1963, it started BSc (honours) course and attained post-graduate status in 1986 under Gauhati University.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/113013...p#.UQj9OttYWSo

[Sudden]

TISS guwahati too get Rs 100 cr grant...just announced by the FM!

[sunny20rocky]

Originally Posted by Sudden

TISS guwahati too get Rs 100 cr grant...just announced by the FM!

wonderful news . any more updates

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GUWAHATI, March 20 – The Union Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has approved the participation of Gauhati University in ‘A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE): Operation and Utilization’ project under the leadership of Dr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a professor in the Department of Physics of the University.

ALICE is one of the four major experiments being performed at Large Hodron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization of Nuclear Research, commonly known as CERN, Geneva.

Along with GU, two other institutes that have newly joined ALICE are IIT Indore and Bose Institute Kolkata. Other collaborating institutes of India that are participating in ALICE experiment include Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, IIT Mumbai, Variable Energy Clyclotron Centre, Kolkata, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, IoP, Bhubaneswar, Rajasthan University, Jaipur, Punjab University, Chandigarh, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh etc. More than 1000 physicists from 105 physics institutes of 30 countries are participating in ALICE collaboration.

In the ALICE experiment, two beams of lead (Pb) nuclei, accelerated with LHC machine almost to the speed of light, are allowed to collide with each other to recreate the condition that possibly existed just after the Big Bang, the starting point of the universe. The major objective of ALICE experiment is to recreate the condition of the nascent universe in the laboratory and allow the scientists to study a new state of matter known as Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). The QGP is believed to have existed soon after the big bang. Collisions in the LHC will generate temperatures more than 100,000 times hotter than the heart of the Sun.

It may be noted here that under the leadership of Prof. Bhattacharjee, Gauhati University is also participating in another international collaborative research work known as Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment of Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) of GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. This experiment is expected to collect its first set of data during 2018.

The participation of GU physicists in such cutting edge experiments would definitely raise interest among the young researchers of this region.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/...mar2113/city05

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Pranjal Bhuyan
GUWAHATI, May 6 – The Regional Science Centre (RSC), Guwahati, will be the site for one of the five Innovation Centres planned across India by the Union government. The Rs 1.2-crore Innovation Centre here is expected to be operational by early 2014.

RSC Guwahati Project Coordinator V S Sharma told The Assam Tribune that the Innovation Centre in Guwahati is part of the ambitious plan of National Council of Science Museums, Kolkota, and the Central government's National Innovation Council (NIC) to have one innovation centre in each district with the target group being schools, colleges and engineering students.

“RSC, Guwahati, has been selected as one of the five science centres in India to house an Innovation Centre which will be a facility to promote creativity and new ideas. The other RSCs where such centres are coming up are New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore,” he said.

He said the concept of Innovation Centre, also termed as Innovation Space or Khoj Kendra, is to provide a platform for students to convert their ideas into tangible form for application in daily life.

“The five centres are being set up as prototypes which will draw up a standard list of activities. With passage of time, they will act as coordination centres in each zone with the Guwahati centre being the coordinating centre for the northeastern region,” he added.

RSC, Guwahati, is working to form a panel of experts from institutions like IIT-Guwahati that will act as ‘mentors’ and guide the students. Sharma said NIC Chairman Sam Pitroda is monitoring the progress of work in setting up the five centres across India.

A 2,000-square feet building will come up at the RSC campus here for housing the Innovation Centre. The centre will have an Innovation Resource Centre, an Idea Laboratory and ‘innovation kiosks’.

The resource centre will include a library for referencing textbooks related to science and technology, facility for audio-visual presentations, film shows, computers and internet facilities for sourcing and sharing information related to science and technology innovation.

The Idea Laboratory will provide basic facilities to pursue activities in designing and prototyping of technology, besides a workshop with tools to make prototypes. Robotics, biotechnology, electronics and artificial intelligence-based activities are to be the thrust areas.

The innovation kiosks will showcase ideas and products that ‘transformed the world’ or made significant impact on human life.

“This year we will spend Rs 1.2 crore for creation of the building housing the Innovation Centre and for equipments. We have earmarked an area of 2,000 square feet and by September-October we will have the infrastructure in place and early next year we will officially launch it,” Sharma said.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/...may0713/city07