TOP 10 INDIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS-2023 RANK UNIVERSITY SCORE 86.69 IIT Madras IISc, Bengaluru 83.09 1 3 IIT Delhi 82.16 1 4 IIT Bombay (Source: NIRF) 1 1 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 HYDERABAD  TUESDAY  JUNE 06, 2023  `9.00  PAGES 16  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. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) evaluates institutions on various parameters like teaching, resources, research, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity etc | P2, 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 ■ Osmania University in Hyderabad secures 64th rank and the 36th position among the top 100 universities in India 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 Telangana’s IT growth outpaces India’s 3-fold EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad 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 S I N G H @ 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 Kerala 1st State to give free internet to poor EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ T’Puram SIX years after announcing its intention to make access to the internet a basic right, the Kerala’s Left government on Monday launched its most ambitious project to this end — the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON). A first-of-its-kind in the country the project aims to pro, vide free internet connectivity to 20 lakh economically-backward families. In its first phase, K-FON will aim to provide free internet to 14,000 households and 30,000 government offices in the state. So far, 17,412 government institutions and 2,015 homes have been serviced. Additionally, 9,000 households have been linked by cable. 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. TELANGANA’S Information Technology (IT) sector has outpaced the national average by three times, experiencing an astounding 31.44% growth and contributing a `2.41 lakh crore in IT exports during 2022-23 fiscal. This growth has surpassed the previous year’s exports by a whopping `57,706 crore. Revealing this during the release of the annual report on IT and Electronics for 2022-23, IT Minister KT Rama Rao pointed out that the increase in IT exports in the last year had exceeded the total IT exports of undivided Andhra Pradesh, which accumulated over nearly three decades. In 2014, Telangana’s IT exports stood at `57,258 crore, making the last ye a r ’s s u r g e eve n m o re remarkable. The State’s IT sector has been a significant contributor to employment growth, creating 1,27,594 new jobs during the same period. The total number of IT jobs in the State now stands at 9,05,715, a stunning year-on-year growth rate of 16.29%. Notably of the total , 2,90,000 new IT jobs generated DOMINATING THE DIGITAL WORLD `2,41,275 crore Telangana’s IT exports for 2022 - 23 Up by `57,706 crore over last year `1.83 lakh crore worth IT exports in 2022-23 IT Minister KT Rama Rao releases the annual report of the IT, E&C department for 2022-23 at THub in Hyderabad on Monday | VINAY MADAPU nationwide, Telangana accounted for a staggering 44% share. This substantiates Telangana’s pivotal role in fostering employment opportunities and solidifying its position as a prominent player in the Indian IT landscape, Rama Rao said. Employment generator He pointed out that Telangana’s IT job surged from 3,23,396 in 2014 to 9,05,715 in 2023, effectively tripling the number of jobs. “Since its formation, Telangana has generated 5,82,319 new direct IT jobs, underscoring its commitment to bolstering employment in the sector. 9,05,715 IT exports rose from `57,258 crore in 2014 to `2,41,275 crore in cumulative IT employment till 2022 - 23 Prior to State formation, the IT employment across undivided Andhra Pradesh was 3,23,396 in 2014, or just 9.83% of the total across the nation,” Rama Rao said. He pointed out that over the past nine years, Telangana’s net new employment in the IT sector reached an impressive 5,82,319, accounting for 27.6% of the national net new jobs during the same period, resulting in the State’s overall share surging from 9.83% in 2014 to 16.77% in 2023. Tier-2 cities in the GRID The growth of the IT industry 5,82,319 HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @ Bhubaneswar THE Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a case against unnamed railway officials for the horrific pile-up of trains on Friday that killed over 250 passengers. The FIR was booked under various sections, including 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt) of IPC. Culpability of railway employees will be determined during investigation, said the FIR registered at Cuttack. GRP sources said the probe will be done by two DSP-rank officers. The Railways began its own probe on Monday with a team led by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) of the south eastern circle, Shailesh Kumar Pathak, visiting the accident site. They also met the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the ill-fated Coromandel Express, who are Railway officials at the station ODISHA learn to have said manager’s room at the Bahanaga TRAIN that the signal was Bazar railway station in Odisha’s TRAGEDY green as the train Balasore district on Monday | PTI entered the loop line and that the speed of the train was within perfault in the interlocking missible limits. system. Their statements indicated a Both the loco pilots suffered self-regulate ticket prices. “The airlines must selfmonitor 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 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, said that it is very important for the government to set checks and balances to protect consumers’ interests, especially from price cartelisation by airlines. “ fresh body A should be enacted to monitor ticket prices on an ongoing basis. It is mandatory that common travelers should not suffer,” he said. The airlines must self-monitor airfares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union aviation minister ACTIVIST’S @ Hyderabad JUSTICE Mummineni Sudheer Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Monday dismissed multiple writ petitions, including the lunch motion petition, demanding postponement of the Group-1 Preliminary examination scheduled for June 11, 2023, deeming them “not maintainable.” During the proceedings, counsels Avinash Desai and Palle Nageshwar Rao, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the SIT investigating the TSPSC question paper leak has not yet concluded its probe. They said that the higher officials and staff within the TSPSC, including the chairman, members, and spokesperson new direct IT jobs created has extended beyond Hyderabad, with Warangal emerging as an alternative hub. The city has attracted prominent companies such as Tech Mahindra, Cyient, and Genpact, among others. Also, tier-II towns in Telangana have witnessed the establishment of IT companies like LTI Mindtree, Genpact, HRH Next, and Hexad Solutions Pvt. Ltd, solidifying their status as emerging IT hubs. Mahbubnagar’s newly inaugurated IT Tower offers a conducive environment for companies and fosters the government’s innovation ecosystem, Rama Rao said. serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Though their condition is stable, the assistant loco pilot is scheduled to undergo a surgery . The probe team also inspected the panel and signal room at the Bahanaga Bazar station before interacting with the station manager, two station superintendents and other railway staff, who were present at the time of the accident. “We have started the inquiry . We visited the spot and inspected many things. The probe will take time. It will be premature to say anything now,” Pathak told reporters at the accident site. ought to be replaced, as no efforts had been made in this regard by the State government. However, Justice Sudheer Kumar dismissed these arguments, stating, “Don’t assume that the TSPSC is conducting Group-1 preliminary examinations without taking precautionary measures.” Advocate-General BS Prasad said that the writ petitions lacked grounds for maintainability He urged the petitioners . to support and display enthusiasm for the TSPSC’s decision to conduct the Group-1 preliminary examination. The A-G apprised the court of the extensive measures undertaken by the State and the TSPSC to ensure a fair and transparent examination CONTINUED ON P2 process. VIDEO Nudity is not obscene by default, rules Kerala High Court E X P R E S S N E W S S E 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 so- cial media in which her two minor children were seen painting on her semi-nude body . The prosecution sought to 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 judge watched the video in open court. The two-minute 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 Unfit for kids: Prosecution The prosecution arguer 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. 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. , IT jobs up from net new jobs created in FY 2023 HC rejects pleas, Group-1 Prelims set for June 11 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 2023 1,27,594 GRP books unnamed Rly officials, probe on AIRFARES AT STRATOSPHERE 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 Delhi-Chennai route, the prices ranged between `17,000 and `32,000. To address the situation, Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting with the Airlines Advisory Group and urged all airlines to EXPORT ZOOM SINCE STATE FORMATION SELF REGULATE: GOVT A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi JOBS GALORE “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. 3,23,396 in 2014 to 9,05,715 in 2023 27.6% Share in net new employment Investments in electronics Telangana’s success in attracting investments extends to the electronics and energy storage sectors as well. The State has managed to secure investments exceeding `38,000 crore, with the potential to generate approximately 31,000 more jobs. Key investments in the previous year came from industry giants such as Rajesh Exports (`24,000 crore and 1,500 jobs), Amara Raja Batteries (`9,500 crore and 4,500 jobs), Allox Advance Materials (`210 crore and 115 jobs), and Foxconn (1,00,000 jobs). HC junks GO leasing 15 acres to foundation run by BRS MP EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad THE Telangana High Court on Monday set aside the allocation of 15 acres of prime property in Hyderabad to the Sai Sindhu Foundation, chaired by B Partha Saradhi Reddy the chairman of , the Hetero Group and a BRS MP , to establish a cancer hospital. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy invalidated the Government Order (GO) issued in 2018 assigning the prime property in Khanamet, Gachibowli, to the Sai Sindhu Foundation Trust and directed the State government to review the allocation in accordance with the law, taking into account the points made in the order copy . The court was hearing a PIL filed by Suresh Kumar and medical anthropologist and human rights activist Dr Urmila Pingle, and others. The petitioners contested the leasing of the valuable property, estimated to be worth over `500 crore, for a nominal annual lease of `1.47 lakh for a period of 33 years. They argued that the market value of the land was `75,000 per sq yd, making its total worth well above `500 crore, and the yearly leasing fee was `50 crore as per the district Collector’s report. The petitioners also raised concerns about the Sai Sindhu Foundation facing charges of money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. They urged the court to examine these allegations closely . Defending the decision of the government, Advocate General BS Prasad cited the rising number of cancer-related deaths in the country, making it the second-leading cause of death after heart attacks. He said that the economic factor should not be a determining factor in this case as the land was allocated to establish a cancer hospital, which he said was urgently needed. Partha Saradhi Reddy is the CEO of Hetero Group, a prominent generic pharmaceutical company headquartered in Hyderabad.