Delhi: IP University to introduce orphan quota
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (IPU) in Dwarka, west Delhi will introduce an 'orphan quota' across various programmes from the 2025-26 academic session, a university official said on Friday. In the last academic session, the university introduced a 'single girl child quota'.
'The university's academic council (AC) has approved the introduction of this quota, effective from the academic session 2025-26. Under this quota, one additional seat will be reserved in each of the university schools and programmes, and the selected students will be eligible for 100% fee waiver under the university's EWS scheme,' the official said.
The university's vice chancellor, Mahesh Verma, said that the university aims to provide education to all, including orphans who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons.
'The university will also provide financial assistance to these students under various government schemes,' Verma said.
The university held an academic council and discussed introducing a separate PhD programme for working professionals, lateral entry in MBA (Fire and Industrial Safety), and adding Spanish and other popular foreign languages to certificate courses.
'Other decisions include introducing a five-year BA-MA Philosophy program, four-year BEd Special Education programs in three new disciplines and a post-MSc Diploma in Radiological Physics. The university will also establish an in-situ centre for Indian Knowledge System (IKS) and technology innovation to promote Indian knowledge traditions,' the university official said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Airborne fungal spores may help predict Covid, flu surge: Study
New Delhi: Monitoring fungal spores in the outdoor air can predict surges in flu and Covid-19 infections, according to a study. Researchers from Lynn University in Florida, US, discovered that airborne concentrations of fungal spores -- but not pollen -- were strongly linked to increases in flu and Covid-19 cases. When airborne concentrations of fungal spores rose, the scientists often saw a jump in infections within a few days. The study models were able to predict flu and Covid-19 surges with high accuracy, particularly in the fall season. However, pollen didn't show the same connection or prediction. 'The findings from our study suggest that monitoring airborne fungal spore levels could help predict short-term outbreaks (spikes) of flu and Covid-19, giving public health systems an early warning signal,' said Felix E. Rivera-Mariani, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Lynn. 'Our findings also highlight the potential role of environmental factors -- not just person-to-person spread -- in contributing to the incidence of respiratory viral infections. That could open new doors for targeted public health alerts, especially in areas with high outdoor airborne fungi," Rivera-Mariani added. In the study, the team examined daily data from 2022 to 2024, in two major health regions in Puerto Rico—San Juan and Caguas. The data included the daily incidence of people diagnosed with Covid-19 and flu, and the concentrations of airborne fungal spores and pollen recorded on the same days. The scientists then implemented statistical and machine learning models to see if high levels of these environmental exposures could predict spikes in flu and Covid-19 cases within the same week or the following week (called lag-effect). 'The findings may help inform environmental risk alerts, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly or those with asthma and allergic rhinitis,' Rivera-Mariani said. The study was presented at ASM Microbe 2025 in Los Angeles, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
What you need to know about the ‘razor blade' Covid variant
Covid-19, it seems, can never stay out of the news for very long. One variant of the virus has been making headlines recently for being behind a spike in cases, particularly in China and the United States, and for causing 'razor blade' throats, or a severely painful sore throat. What do you need to know about this? Read on, to find out. The 'razor blade' throat, reports indicate, is being caused by the NB.1.8.1 variant of the virus, an Omicron-descendent variant dubbed as 'Nimbus' and currently accounting for a large number of cases worldwide. On May 23, 2025, the World Health Organization classified this variant as a 'SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring (VUM) with increasing proportions globally, while LP.8.1 is starting to decline.' A technical document by the WHO states: 'Considering the available evidence, the additional public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is evaluated as low at the global level. Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease. Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalizations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation.' Symptoms remain similar to those caused by other Covid-19 strains and include fever, a sore throat, cough, runny nose and tiredness. Media reports indicate some patients complaining of a sharp, stabbing pain while swallowing, often at the back of the throat, akin to 'swallowing a razor blade'. However, it is unclear if this is a distinctive symptom of this variant The WHO, in its technical document, had said spike mutations in this variant could increase its transmissibility. In India, according to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), one case of NB.1.8.1 was identified in April in Tamil Nadu and four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May. As of May, the most common variant remained JN.1, comprising 53 % of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 %) and other Omicron sublineages (20 %). In June, a media report stated about 163 cases of the COVID-19 variant XFG, had been detected, according to INSACOG data. Earlier this week, Naveen Kumar, Director, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, said surveillance and genome sequencing have been scaled up. He said genomic analysis had revealed the surge was due to the JN.1.16 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant, and that since May 2025, it had been replaced by the XFG (LF.7 and LP.81.2) recombinant variant. Doctors in India have reiterated that Covid-19 is now co-circulating with other seasonal infections and that they do not expect any major waves of the kind seen in 2021 and 2021. Spikes and dips however, may continue. Personal protection and hygiene measures such as hand washing, avoiding crowded places when possible or masking up, and protecting vulnerable segments of the population must continue, they have said. As of Friday, June 20, 2025, India's tally of active Covid-19 cases dipped to 5,608 from the 7,000 plus mark last week, and four new deaths were reported, taking the total toll this year to 120.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Professor Suman Chakraborty appointed Director of IIT Kharagpur
Professor Suman Chakraborty, institute chair professor in the Mechanical Engineering department, was appointed Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur on Thursday (June 19, 2025). His appointment will end after a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post. On December 31 last year, Professor Amit Patra, Director of IIT, Benaras Hindu University, had taken additional charge as the interim Director of IIT Kharagpur until the regular incumbent took over. Professor Chakraborty is a former student of Jadavpur University in Kolkata as well as of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. Currently a J.C. Bose National Fellow, he is also a visiting lecturer at Stanford University in the United States. His illustrious career as a scientist is centred around developing several 'affordable, simple-to-execute, and innovative diagnostic solutions' related to common clinical challenges like anaemia, cancer, COVID-19, tuberculosis etc. 'I sincerely appreciate the steadfast support of our IIT family and well-wishers. I eagerly anticipate our shared journey toward cultural transformation, innovation, and excellence as we work together to position our institute among the world's leading academic institutions,' Professor Chakraborty told The Hindu. Earlier this year, he was awarded the 2026 TWAS Award in Engineering and Computer Sciences by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In his long career, Professor Chakraborty has been involved in the development of clinical diagnostic technologies like Covirap, a rapid COVID-19 detection test kit that was granted a U.S. patent for its rapid nucleic acid testing technology using DNA-RNA samples. He has also developed technologies that are currently available in the market commercially, like PrepapQR, a home test to accurately test vaginal Ph, and HemoQR, a simplified anaemia screening test.
