News Digest: RUSA undermining role of regulator: UGC chief

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, May 27, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		RUSA undermining role of regulator: UGC chief The meeting of Parliament’s standing committee on HRD had an awkward moment on Tuesday when UGC chairperson Ved Prakash said the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan should be reviewed as it has undermined the regulator’s role and could potentially affect research in the country. Greenpeace violated norms: Govt The Union home ministry on Tuesday accused Greenpeace India of violating Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by opening multiple accounts to divert foreign funding and merging it with domestic contributions. Bypolls in 6 seats; Jayalalithaa may contest The Election Commission on Tuesday announced bypolls to six assembly seats across five states, including Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar from where Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa is likely to contest. More India News»

		Business
		Subramanian backs cut in interest rates Chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian on Tuesday backed a reduction in interest rates, arguing that inflation will remain under control despite the prospects of deficient rains, and suggested that the rupee may be allowed to depreciate to ensure that Indian exports remain competitive. CVC leads race for $400m Serco arm CVC Capital Partners, a global private equity house managing $71 billion in funds, has emerged the preferred bidder to acquire the Indian unit of business process outsourcing (BPO) major Serco Plc, valued at about $400 million, or Rs 2,500 crore, multiple people familiar with the matter said. Is Arun Bhatia looking to exit AirAsia India? Budget airline AirAsia India (AAIPL), a JV between Tata Sons and Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia, may see a change in shareholdings. More Business News»

		Environment
		Adopting 'tree and art' in her own unique way “If an orphaned baby can be adopted, why can’t saplings be adopted too?” asked Ninu Jacob Kaliyath whose installation ‘Ente Thaikkunju’ (My Baby Sapling) left the visitors wondering about the message it gave. Forest programme to be launched in June: Javadekar The Centre will launch Urban Forest Programme on June 5 under which saplings will be planted across the country with the participation of people. 48 tigers in non-protected Chandrapur forest areas: survey As many as 48 tigers have been found to be inhabiting outside the protected areas in forests of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra, taking the total number of such animals to 120 in the zone which is home to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) More Environment News»

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		Entertainment
		Bajrangi Bhaijaan: First Look First look of Salman Khan from Kabir Khan’s family entertainer Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Big B's two letters were my two medals: Kangana Every creative person, more so if you are an actor, craves for appreciation. Her recent double role in Tanu Weds Manu Returns has got her appreciation in abundance and the interesting difference is that each one is congratulating her twice, once for playing Tanu and once for playing the other Kangana lookalike in the film, Datto. Kangana’s victory as an actor in the film is that as audience, she makes you root for both women and while you become a fan of Datto, you cry with Tanu and finally remain in awe of Kangana. Police complaint filed against Censor Board chief The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) found itself in the midst of controversy again when the authorised certification agent, Pravin Mohare filed a police complaint against the chairman Pahlaj Nihalani in Malabar Hill Police Station, on May 20. He alleged that Nihalani raised his hand on him twice and used abusive language. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Battle ropes are the new workout craze in US gyms Battle ropes, the thick and heavy ropes that look as if they could tether a ship to shore, have become go-to fitness tools in gyms for people seeking a tough workout that is also engaging and fun. We may become cyborgs within 200 years: Expert Humans may “upgrade” themselves to become cyborgs within the next 200 years, merging man and machine to potentially live forever, according to a Hebrew University professor. CIIMS lab develops better meningitis test Meningitis is a serious infection that can also kill. It is caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses. More Science News»

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		Technology
		How not to be smartphone boor Today, smartphones have become an integral part of our lives - they have entered our homes, workplaces and classrooms. PM Narendra Modi reaches out to his twitter followers through DM In a unique way to directly reach out to people on social media and micro-blogging sites, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent 'personalized' message to all his followers, sharing details of the Centre's works in past 12 months, on first anniversary of his government on May 26. Google I/O: Here's what to expect It’s Google I/O time again, the time of year when the internet giant holds its annual developers' conference in San Francisco. More Technology News»

		Education
		Private CBSE schools fare better, govt's scores drop Private schools in the Chennai region, of which Maharashtra is a part, registered an increase the success rate in the CBSE class XII exams with the pass percentage increasing from 34.7% in 2014 to 38.4% in 2015. Mumbai University college admissions to begin with sale of forms for 2.5 lakh seats The admission process for degree colleges affiliated to Mumbai University will kick off on Wednesday, with the sale of admission forms. SPPU offers 15 more marks for activities Students studying in colleges affiliated to the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) will now get an extra 15 marks in examination if they excel in fine arts, National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC), cultural and sports activities, and debates among others. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Salman Khan to pay Rs 2 lakh as foreign travel security The Bombay High Court has asked actor Salman Khan to pay a cash security of Rs 2 lakh before flying out to Dubai. Party balloons led to Mumbai airport scare The unidentified aerial objects spotted near the airport on Saturday have turned out to be party balloons released during a cricket tournament. 'Mantralaya spent nearly Rs 5 lakh in five months on mineral water bottles' When average Mumbaikars are drinking BMC’s tap water by fixing water purifiers at their end, the Mantralaya is consuming a thousand times costlier mineral water despite every tap bearing an electric purifier. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Centre notifies land pooling norms Taking the city a step closer to another housing boom, the Union urban development ministry notified operational guidelines for implementing the land pooling policy on Tuesday. Delhi govt yet to notify 95 villages Though the guidelines for implementation of the land pooling policy have been notified by the UD ministry , it can't be implemented till the Delhi government notifies 95 villages as development areas. DDA plans Delhi's first adventure park for cycle sports in Dwarka In a first-of-its-kind initiative to promote use of non-motorized vehicles, Delhi Development Authority is planning to develop an adventure cycle and bike park in Dwarka. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Grand plans to put state on tourism map Flights from Bengaluru to Mysuru, dedicated police personnel for tourists, open streets and more — these are among a slew of measures being planned to ensure that tourists flock to Bengaluru and other cities in state. Cop suspended for cover-up act A traffic cop was suspended for dereliction of duty after his superior found him turning a blind eye to a youth implicating his car driver in a hit-and-run fatal accident that he had caused. Corruption killed contractor of BBMP, says elder brother A day after 34-year-old BBMP sub-contractor Ravikumar Srinivas committed suicide due to financial crisis, his elder brother Tirumalesh S said corruption in the civic agency and private financiers killed Ravikumar. BBMP had to pay him dues to the tune of Rs 1 crore. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Sunstroke toll rises to 800 in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Despite Andhra Pradesh and Telangana's best efforts to tackle heat wave deaths with awareness campaigns and makeshift medical camps, at least 50 more people fell to the fierce sun on Tuesday. Armed youths threaten cops Two motorcycle-borne armed youths created a flutter at Nakrekal village in Nalgonda district on Tuesday forcing the police to beef up security and launch intensive search operations. 'Magistrate has powers to expand probe scope' Justice U Durga Prasad Rao of Hyderabad high court has held that a magistrate has got powers to direct the police to carry out investigation under some more IPC sections, if he feels necessary. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Three arrested for 80-yr-old's murder after 3 months The St Thomas Mount police on Tuesday arrested three people for the murder of an 80-year-old man whose body was found in the toilet of his house in March. Rlys to push for metro-MRTS linking Now that the first metro rail line is ready for operation, Southern Railway plans to speed up integration of the Chennai Beach-Velachery MRTS line with the network. Temperature just below 40C but clouds give 'cool' feeling The mercury on Tuesday was just a touch below 40C, but to many city residents it felt like the sun had given them a break. Thanks to the cloud cover. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		In 1964, you could hunt lions in Gujarat for 300 The success of conservation efforts in increasing the population of lions in Gujarat — the only abode of the endangered big cats — makes it difficult to believe that as recently as 1964, you could legally hunt these lions just for a fee of Rs 300, And this was possible when Gujarat had come into existence as a state. Sanjay Gupta's bail plea rejected A special anti-corruption court has rejected the bail plea of former IAS officer and executive chairman of the Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA), Sanjay Gupta, in connection with an alleged Rs 113 crore scam. Sai arrives from Surat jail for mother's surgery Security was beefed up at a private hospital in Gurukul on Tuesday, where Lakshmi, wife of Asaram Bapu, is expected to undergo a surgery for cervical chord ailment. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		3 killed as train derails near Allahabad Three people were killed and eight others were injured when nine coaches of Jammu-bound Moori Express derailed on the busy New Delhi-Howrah route in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. CBSE class XII results allahabad region Lucknow boy Anirudh Deb of Delhi Public School, Eldeco, bagged first place from Allahabad region in class XII CBSE results by securing 98.4% marks. Of 492 marks out of 500, Aniruddh scored a centum in mathematics, 99 in physics, chemistry and computer science and 95 in English. Allahabad reaches boiling point as mercury touches 47 degrees C Citizens reeled under blistering heat and heat wave as temperature soared to 47 degree Celsius, highest of the season so far, on Sunday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Vocational courses in all colleges from coming academic year The state government is planning to introduce vocational courses in plus-II and plus-III level in all government and private colleges across the state from the 2015-16 academic year. Heatwave sweeps records in state The mercury went up a couple of notches across the state on Monday, with no respite in sight for at least in a week. CBSE exam: Bhubaneswar girl tops in region Namrata Mohanty, a student of DAV Public School, Unit-VIII, secured the highest marks in Class XII in the Bhubaneswar region of the CBSE examination, the results of which were declared on Monday. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		No relief from harsh weather extended run Residents faced searing heat on Monday as extended spell of hot weather conditions showed no signs of let-up. District panchayat member shot at in Mhow's Dhar A district panchayat member of Dhar district panchayat was shot at by unidentified assailants on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred at his house situated in Dahi town of Kukshi tehsil in Dhar. RGPV goes for recheck of OBC students' documents Trust Rajiv Gandhi Proudyigiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) to act in a bizarre manner. More Bhopal News»

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