TOP 10 indian educational institutions-2023 RANK UniversityScore 86.69 1 1 IISc, Bengaluru 83.09 1 3 IIT Delhi 82.16 1 4 IIT Bombay (Source: NIRF) IIT Madras 1 2 81.28 1 5 77.23 IIT Kanpur 72.14 1 6 AIIMS, Delhi 1 7 71.82 IIT Kharagpur 71.66 1 8 IIT Roorkee 68.78 1 9 IIT Guwahati tirupati l tuesday l june 06, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Nirf rankings 2023 out, iIT-M best institution for 5th year running Seven IITs — Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Guwahati — figured among the top 10 in the overall rankings 67.44 1 10 JNU, Delhi IISc, AIIMS, JNU among top 10 institutions Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (2 ), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi (6th), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (10th) are among the top 10 non-IIT institutions in the overall ranking. K L College of Engineering, Vaddeswaram and Andhra University in Visakhapatnam secured 50th and 76th rankings in the overall top-100 best institutions list | P3, P7 8th edition Miranda house ranks as best college ■ nd While IIT-Madras retained the top spot in the overall rankings and in the engineering category, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was adjudged the best university and Miranda House the best college in the country ■ For management studies, the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is the best as per the rankings while for medical, it is AIIMS, Delhi of the rankings was released by Union MoS for Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Sabotage through remote control suspected in crash GRP files FIR against unnamed Rly officials RAJ E SH KU M AR THAKUR @ New Delhi Rajnath Singh with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, in Delhi on Monday | Express India, US firm up roadmap on def industrial ties New framework ahead of Modi’s visit to US M AYA N K SI N GH @ New Delhi India and the US on Monday concluded a roadmap for defence industrial cooperation that is expected to create access to cutting-edge technologies besides co-producing military platforms, at a meeting defence minister Rajnath Singh had with visiting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin here. The US Department of Defence (DoD) said the roadmap “will fast-track technology cooperation and co-production in areas such as air combat and land mobility systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions; and the undersea domain.” The initiative aims to change the paradigm for bilateral cooperation, including specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge tech and support defence modernisation plans, the DoD said. Sources said the discussions included General Electric’s proposal to manufacture GE414 express read Margadarsi case: SC to hear AP govt’s plea Delhi: The SC on Monday issued notices to Margadarsi Chit Fund Private Limited (MCFPL) and other respondents while hearing a plea filed by the Andhra Pradesh government seeking transfer of the petition related to the case against the company pending in the Telangana High Court to the AP HC. The plea will be heard on July 18 | P4 Shah’s Vizag visit postponed to June 11 Visakhapatnam: Public meeting of Union home minster Amit Shah, scheduled to be held on June 8 in Visakhapatnam, has been postponed to June 11, BJP State president Somu Veerraju announced on Monday. This is the first time Shah will be holding a public meeting in the city | P4 jet engines in India, which is “in a mature state”. The Indian side asked the US to increase local sourcing for manufacture. The US was requested to establish MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities in India for equipment in use with the Indian armed forces. Sources added that capacity building, including maritime domain awareness and strategic infrastructure, were also discussed. The Ministry of Defence said, “Both sides will identify opportunities for co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems.” The regional security environment was also discussed, including the IndoPacific. Austin also held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. His trip was meant to do the spadework before bigticket deals are announced later this month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his of ficial state visit to Washington. The horrific train tragedy in Odisha is believed to have been caused by the illegal manipulation of the Indian Railway’s highly secure electronic interlocking system. Sources said this sophisticated maneuvering could have been carried out remotely Odisha with the assistance of train software experts. Railway insiders in- tragedy The station manager’s dicated that the decision room at the Bahanaga Bazar to involve the CBI was railway station in Balasore | PTI made after careful consideration of the circumstantial evi- tion. Therefore, there is a clear dence, which puzzled the rail- need for a scientific investigaway’s technical experts. tion to determine the causes “This cannot be dismissed behind train accidents,” stated as a mere system failure. In- a senior railway official while stead, it appears to be a delib- requesting anonymity . erate attempt to disrupt the The Centre aims to wrap up system’s functioning through both probes — by the CBI and advanced software manipula- the Commissioner of Railway tion,” said a railway source. Security — within 90 days. “The Railway’s electronic “The CBI will primarily fointerlocking system is among cus on establishing how the the world’s most secure and ef- electronic interlocking system ficient systems, with a failure was breached, which digital rate of just 0.1% during opera- gateway was used, and who @ Vijayawada The State government on Monday decided to regularise around 7,000 contract employees who have completed five years of service. The decision was taken during the Joint Staff Council meeting conducted by the Group of Ministers (GoM), consisting of Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana (Education) and Adimulapu Suresh (Municipal Administration and Urban Development), Government Advisors Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy (Public Affairs) and Chandrasekhar Reddy (Employees Welfare) with the representatives of several employees associations at the Secretariat was responsible for this intrusion,” a railway source said. The railway minister has said changes were made to the point-setting track mechanism, a task that requires the expertise of a skilled software engineer or a professional familiar with the configuration of electronic interlocking systems. Additionally, there is suspicion of a plot to tarnish the gover nment’s ima g e through such a accident,” said a retired senior police officer. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Out of the 387 MoUs signed at the Global Investment Summit in Visakhapatnam, 100 MoUs were signed by the Trade and Industry department, while 13 MoUs were realised, bringing in `2,739 crore investments and creating job opportunities for 6,858 people, the State officials informed Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy . The Chief Minister, who chaired a meeting with the officials at his camp office in Tadepalli on Monday, took stock of the implementation of the MoUs inked in March during REPORT CARD A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi Airfares have surged sharply over the weekend, especially on routes that were earlier serviced by Go First. In some cases, the fare is now 10 times higher than what it what just days ago. On Monday, the cost of an economy class ticket on a non-stop Delhi-Mumbai flight for Tuesday ranged between `16,000 and `30,000. On the DelhiChennai route, the prices ranged between `17,000 and `32,000. To address the situation, Union aviation minis- ter Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting with the Airlines Advisory Group and urged all airlines them to self-regulate their ticket prices. “The airlines must self-monitor airfares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late, particularly those that were earlier being serviced by Go First. A mechanism for ensuring reasonable pricing within the high RBDs (Reservation Booking on Monday. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will chair a cabinet meet on Wednesday to discuss and give its approval for the regularisation of the contract employees. After the cabinet’s nod, the order for regularisation of services will be issued. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, education minister Botcha Satyanarayana said, “The government took the decision to regularise the services of contract employees as per the promise made by Jagan Mohan Reddy during his padayatra. The orders to this effect will be issued soon.” Asserting that the employees are part of the gov- Designator) may be devised by airlines. This shall be monitored by the DGCA,” Scindia said after the meeting with the Airlines Advisory Group. Go First stopped flying on May 3, which led to a reduction of capacity at a time when the peak domestic air travel period is around the corner. IndiGo and the Air India group have been accused of using the demand-supply mismatch to raise ticket fares. Mark Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Consulting, The airlines must self-monitor airfares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union aviation minister ernment, Botcha went on to elaborate that the government would extend all possible support to them and work towards resolving their issues. While stressing that the government has been committed to provide a better pension scheme for the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) employees, the minister reiterated that the matter will also be discussed in the Cabinet. The GoM also assured to pay the pending arrears of the Pay Revision Commission in four years. Botcha also said that the Cabinet will also take a decision on constituting the 12th Pay Revision Commission (PRC). 100 13 Total MoUs signed at GIS MoUs signed by Industry dept MoUs realised Formulate an action plan to provide a separate wing for MSMEs in the industries department at the Secretary-level and extend the required technology — CM Jagan tells officials said that it is very important for the government to set checks and balances to protect consumers’ interests, especially from price cartelisation by airlines. “A fresh body should be enacted to monitor ticket prices on an ongoing basis. India is one of the world’s largest aviation markets and therefore it is mandatory that common travelers should not suffer on account of duopolies (referring to IndiGo and Tata Group airlines),” Martin told this newspaper. Meanwhile, Scindia urged airlines to provide free cargo services to the families of those who died in the Odisha rail accident. 7 women dead as tractor turns turtle in Guntur E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Guntur In a ghastly road accident, seven women lost their lives and at least 20 others suffered serious injuries after a tractor turned turtle in Vatticherukur in Guntur on Monday . According to police and eyewitnesses, a group of people, who hailed from Kondapadu in Prattipadu mandal, were heading to Jupudi in Chebrolu mandal in a tractor to attend a function. When the tractor crossed the petrol bunk near Vatticherukur around 2.40 pm, the vehicle lost control and plunged into the canal. Nearly 30 people were travelling in the tractor. The police rushed the spot after being informed by the locals and shift- Tractor overturned in Vatticherukur in Guntur on Monday I Express ed the injured to Guntur GGH. While three women died on the spot, three were announced brought dead, and one woman died while receiving treatment, police said. The deceased were identified as M Nagamma (50), G Meraamma (45), G Rathnakumari (52), K Nirmala (50), G Suhasini (48), G Saloni (50) and M P4 Jhansi Rani (48). mega drug seizure Tirupati cops bust international drug peddling gang, eight arrested E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Tirupati In a major drug burst, Sullurpeta police Monday arrested an eight-member international gang allegedly involved in smuggling ganja from Anakapalle to Sri Lanka via Tirupati. Interestingly the gang trans, acted in gold instead of cash. A total of 240 kg of the contra- band, meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka, was seized on the Nellore-Chennai highway (NH16). According to Superintendent of police P Parameswara Reddy the police officials acted , on a tip-off and conducted vehicular checks at Holycross circle in Sullurpeta. The team found a vehicle moving suspiciously from Nellore and intercepted it. The police seized the contraband, packed and concealed in 120 packets during the search operations. Police also recovered another car, which was moving as a pilot vehicle. The police learnt that the accused were part of a bigger network engaged in drug smuggling activity during the probe. The members of the gang were identified as C. Ananda Velu (48) from labour colony in Gindi in Chennai, Bala Kishan (60) from Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu, Ch Tirumala (38), K Raghunandan (41) from Chennai, J Varadarajan (37) from Dindi, D Lav Raju (28), K Venkataramana (25) and B Ravi (41) from Anakapalle district. Of the eight nabbed, five accused belonged to the Ananda Velu group and three others from Appalanaidu group in Anakapalle. “Ananda Velu has been procuring ganja from Appalanaidu the GIS. When the officials told Jagan that 38 companies would begin their work in the State before January 2024 and 30 oth, er companies before March next year, the latter directed them to ensure that all companies, which signed MoUs, begin work by February 2024. , Jagan was informed that out of the 25 MoUs signed on energy projects, eight of them were awaiting State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) clearance. “While Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) are getting ready for another eight projects, the work on four projects will begin soon,” the P4 officials explained. 387 Airfares surge 10X, govt for self-regulation State govt to regularise 7,000 contract employees E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Bhubaneswar: The Government Railway Police has registered a case against unspecified railway officials for the deadly train crash on Friday. The FIR was booked under various sections, including 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) of the IPC. In a related development, the Commissioner of Railway Safety Shailesh Kumar Pathak visited the accident site on Monday ‘`2,739 cr investments flowed to State since GIS’ and smuggling the same to Sri Lanka through coastal areas in Chennai, Rameswaram, Velangini, Nagapattinam, Tuthukudi and Tiruchanduru via the sea. The gang uses small boats to export the cannabis to its recipient, Khadar Bhai, a Sri Lankan national. Smugglers have been exchanging gold instead of cash for selling P4 ganja,” said Reddy . GSDP rate 16.22% 11.43% 2021-22 2022-23 activist’s video Nudity not obscene by default: Kerala High Court E x p r e s s ne w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi The Kerala High Court on Monday observed that nudity should not be tied to sex and the mere sight of the naked upper body of a woman should not be considered as sexual or obscene by default. The court made the observation while discharging activist Rehana Fathima in a case registered for posting a video on social media in which her two minor children were seen painting on her semi-nude body . The prosecution sought tio argue that the naked upper body of the petitioner is exposed in the video, and hence, it is obscene and should be considered pornographic material that involves children. The court watched the video in the open court. The twominute video shows the petitioner’s son carefully, with utmost professional concentration, painting the image of a phoenix in the upper part of her body A little girl is . also seen in the video painting on paper, the court said. “There is no reason to believe that an ordinary man viewing the video would become depraved, debased and encouraged to lasciviousness. In the strict sense, the petitioner did not show her bare chest, as the body paint covered her breast. It can never arouse any sexually explicit feeling in the mind of a prudent man,” Justice Kauser Edappagath said. The court observed that the depiction of the naked body of a woman cannot per se be termed obscene, indecent, or sexually explicit. The body is the most fundamental space over which an individual shall have autonomy, the court stated. “Every individual is entitled to the autonomy of his/her body — this is not selective on gender,” said the court. Painting on the upper body of a mother by her children as an art project cannot be characterised as a real or simulated sexual act, nor can it be said that the same was done for sexual gratification or with sexual intent, the court observed.