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The Hindu
2 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Fitness enthusiasts, students turn up for Intenational Yoga Day events
Institutions and organisations observed the 11th International Yoga Day (IYD) by conducting mass exercise sessions and awareness programmes on Saturday, centred on this year's theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health'. The Tiruchi Division of Southern Railway observed the day with mass yoga training sessions for officers and staff across various locations of the division. At Tiruchi, a yoga session was conducted at Rail Mahal under the leadership of M.S. Anbalagan, Divisional Railway Manager. The two-hour yoga training was conducted by experts from the Art of Living Foundation, Tiruchi. Participants were guided through a series of asanas and pranayama tailored to meet the physical and mental demands of railway staff. Yoga sessions were held for staff at multiple locations across the division, including Vriddhachalam, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Thanjavur, and Mayiladuthurai. A separate yoga training session was organised for employees of the Diesel Shed at Ponmalai, according to a release from the Tiruchi Railway Division. Over 500 persons participated in the mass yoga event organised by the Archaeological Survey of India in association with the 34(TN) Independent Company NCC, Thanjavur, at Sri Brahadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur. The yoga session in the early morning hours attracting the participation of NCC cadets and elderly temple-goers underscored the relevance of yoga as a timeless practice for harmony of body, mind and spirit, according to an official release. At an event organised at the Indoor Auditorium of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Community Centre of Kailasapuram Township, general managers, senior officials, representatives of employees' unions and associations and township residents participated in an hour-long yoga practice session. Trainers from Isha Foundation conducted the sessions which comprised of yoga postures, exercises and breathing techniques. Programmes were conducted for students from various campus schools of BHEL Tiruchi, including RSK Higher Secondary School, BHEL Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Boiler Plant Girls Higher Secondary School and Boiler Plant Boys Higher Secondary School. Educational institutions The National Service Scheme (NSS) cell of Bharathidasan University held a Yoga programme in association with the Centre for Spirituality and Yogic Sciences on Thursday. S. Jeyaprakash, managing trustee, Temple of Consciousness, Tiruchi, and his team demonstrated the yoga postures and trained volunteers. Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College's Centre for Ethics and Human Values and the Department of Physical Education, held a programme in hybrid mode in association with Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), Chennai. In her online address, Shobana Srinivasan, director, Department of Healing Chants and senior yoga therapist, KYM, highlighted how yoga is a timeless tool for transformation. The NSS cell and 4 TN Girls BN NCC (Army Wing), of the college jointly celebrated International Yoga Day with an exercise session. S. Sutharneswaran, founder, Svadhyaya Yoga Academy, Tiruchi, spoke on the importance of yoga in daily life.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
International Yoga Day celebrated in Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi
As per this year's theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health', the International Yoga Day was observed with great enthusiasm in Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi districts on Saturday. In Kanniyakumari, Minister of Dairy Development T. Mano Thangaraj participated in the event organised by the District's Yoga and Naturopathy Department under the Department of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy. The Minister performed yoga alongside students and other participants at the yoga session. More than 300 individuals took part in the event. In Thoothukudi, the International Yoga Day event was held at the Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital (TKGMCH). G. Sivakumar, Dean of TKGMCH, attended the programme as chief guest. Around 200 participants, including doctors and medical students, took part in the event. The doctors of TKGMCH including R. Padmanabhan, Medical Superintendent, V. Kalaivani, Vice Principal, Silas Jeyamani, Resident Medical Officer, and A.R. Arun Saravanan, NSS Programme officer, were also present on the occasion. Similarly, TNFJU-Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, celebrated the International Yoga Day with an event organised by the college's physical education and NSS units B. Ahilan, Dean of the institution, presided over the event. At the event he explained the origin of yoga in India and urged staff and students to practice yoga regularly. More than 250 students and staff participated in the event and practiced common yoga protocol on the occasion. V. O. Chidambaranar Port celebrated the 11th International Yoga Day at the port's community hall. Professional yoga trainers from 'Art of Living' emphasized the yoga's vital role in enhancing both personal wellness and collective harmony. Susantha Kumar Purohit, IRSEE and Chairperson of V. O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, in his message conveyed that yoga was essential for a healthy body, mind and overall well being. He stressed the importance of dedicating at least one hour each day to practice yoga. He also announced that yoga sessions will be conducted at least thrice a week for the port employees and staff under the supervision of the port's sports council.
Scotsman
11 hours ago
- General
- Scotsman
The 17 UK universities ranked best for student satisfaction
As any student will know, there's a lot more to what makes a university a great place to learn than its exclusivity or the research it pumps out. The end of the summer exam season is now just days away, and many A Level candidates have already begun the lengthy wait to find out how they did - with results day falling on August 14 this year. Many will have university offers hanging in the balance, and once their place has been confirmed, they can finally set out on an exciting new time in their lives - university, and all that comes with it. As well as wanting an amazing student experience, they'll no doubt be hoping to achieve good grades with expert teaching and guidance, leaving with a degree that will open the door to exciting careers or further study opportunities in the future. Most of them will also probably be taking out hefty student loans, and will no doubt want good bang for their buck. The Complete University Guide has this month released its brand new UK university league table for 2026, to help keep this coming year's university hopefuls in the loop. This comprehensive annual ranking compares dozens of institutions based on their entry standards, the proportion of students who stay on after their first year, research quality, how much they spend on academic services and facilities, student-to-staff ratio, and more. One of the factors it considers is how satisfied each institution's students are with their education. They've each been given a score out of four based on responses to The National Student Survey (NSS), a poll of final-year undergraduates. We've used this data to compile a league table of all the UK universities that scored around 80% or more when it comes to student satisfaction - so that prospective students can get an idea of how happy with their education current students are. Many are schools which didn't make it to the upper echelons of the Complete University Guide's overall performance table, but which each shine in their own unique way. Here were the 17 universities that came out on top: 1 . University of St Andrews The fourth most highly ranked university overall - and the top Scottish institution on the list - this prestigious university is based in St Andrews, Fife. In the Complete University Guide's new list for 2026, it had a student satisfaction score of 3.32 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Peter Thompson/Photo Sales 2 . Bishop Grosseteste University Moving to the East Midlands of England, Bishop Grosseteste is a university based in Lincoln. It came in 118th place overall on the new league table. It had a student satisfaction score of 3.31 out of 4 - or about 83%. |Photo Sales 3 . Wrexham University Wrexham University is based in northeast Wales, and came 129th overall in the Complete University Guide's latest league table. It had a student satisfaction score of 3.30 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Google Photo Sales 4 . Plymouth Marjon University Marjon is a university in Plymouth, Devon - in the South West. It ranked 100th overall. It too had a student satisfaction score of 3.30 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Google Photo Sales Related topics: UniversitiesStudentsBoost
United News of India
2 days ago
- United News of India
Kerala CM to launch 'My Family, Drug-Free Family' campaign
Thiruvananthapuram, June 19 (UNI) 'My Family, Drug-Free Family' campaign with the involvement of residential associations will be launched by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as part of the fifth phase of Kerala's anti-drug state-wide campaign to be held on June 26. In connection with the 'International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking', the campaign will run until January 30, 2026. Stating that Kerala is moving forward strongly in the fight against drugs, the Chief Minister said, "As part of the Operation D-Hunt, conducted between June 10 and 16, 13,700 people were screened, 730 cases registered, and 769 people arrested." "Authorities seized 378.375 grams of MDMA and 24.833 kg of cannabis. During this period, 274 source reports related to drug activity were forwarded to respective district police chiefs, and follow-up action is ongoing, he said. "Between June 8 and 14, the Excise Department seized 19.937 kg of cannabis, 20.71 grams of MDMA, and 0.6 grams of methamphetamine. About 238 cases were registered and 221 individuals arrested in this regard," he said. Drug awareness rallies will be organised in schools and colleges under the leadership of NSS, SPC, and anti-drug clubs. School parliaments will be conducted in high schools and higher secondary schools under the local self-government and the education departments, focusing on the theme 'Drug-Free, Safe Campus: A Child's Right'. All government offices across the state will take an anti-drug pledge at 11 am on June 26. The Public Education Department has launched robust school-centred strategies to counter drug abuse. Various programmes have been implemented to prevent drug misuse and addiction among students, including awareness campaigns, community empowerment, and support systems for promoting healthy lifestyles. Training programmes have begun for teachers to identify drug abuse and aggressive behaviour among students. The training also aims to enable teachers to provide preliminary counselling. UNI DS ARN
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
India's informal sector isn't off the map: It's being tracked better than ever
Recently, Indian GDP measurement came under considerable discussion in the media on account of an observation emanating from the Niti Aayog based on a projection made by the World Bank—that India has become the world's fourth largest economy. As part of this discussion, some commentators speculated that Indian GDP is underestimated because 'a very significant informal sector is not measured in the GDP." This allegation can be fairly easily dismissed. The 'informal sector' is a term that is loosely used by many economists. There are two different conceptual approaches to defining this term. First, by the International Labour Organization, which tends to focus on 'informal employment,' primarily referring to work that happens without written contracts, job security and often on daily wages. Second, by the UN's System of National Accounts (SNA), which refers to value added within the household sector, covering those establishments that do not maintain regular books of accounts. Also Read: GDP's dirty little secret: Why we should be tracking GVA instead Since 2011-12, the Indian System of National Accounts has used this globally accepted definition to measure the informal economy. If we look at the recent National Account Statistics 2025 released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, in chapter 7 we will find various aggregates pertaining to the household sector of the economy. This alone is enough to indicate that the informal economy is included in India's GDP measurement. A second type of criticism arises from the argument that the informal sector in GDP data is actuallyoverestimatedin the current series. This criticism has been around since the series was revised in 2015, with proponents arguing that demonetization and GST introduction had a severe impact on the informal sector and since this was not 'adequately' reflected in the data, the numbers may be faulty. Subsequently, the covid pandemic was also added to this list. This criticism requires more careful analysis, and understanding it requires a closer look at the composition of the household sector (shown in the pie-chart for 2023-24). Remember that national accounts calculate value added in each of these segments differently. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | India's GDP: A key test lies ahead The contribution to gross value added (GVA) by agriculture and construction (which account for over 56% of the household sector), is computed through a 'commodity flow' method. The production data for these sectors is separately and independently verifiable, leaving little scope for under- or over-estimation. For the remaining segments, GVA computation in the base year 2011-12 was done using employment data from the National Sample Survey's (NSS) employment-unemployment numbers and establishment-level value added data from the 2010-11 NSS on unincorporated enterprises. The major innovation introduced in the revision was to use a measure of effective labour that assigned different weights for different types of employment (regular, casual, etc). In years after the base year, the GVA was moved using different indicators; in transport, the indicator was based on growth in commercial vehicles; in trade, it was drawn from sales tax collections (which probably shifted to GST post 2017); and in manufacturing, it was drawn from the Index of Industrial Production and Annual Survey of Industries. In other segments, it was based on the growth in the corresponding corporate segments. Also Read: Kaushik Basu: Redefine prosperity; GDP tunnel-vision could prove costly The possibility of mis-measurement then depends on the dissonance between the chosen indicator and the sector itself. In this context, it should be noted that the mere introduction of GST does not by itself lead enterprises to formalize, since enterprises under a certain size ( ₹20 lakh in services and ₹40 lakh in goods) are not required to register. Even those above this norm with a turnover up to ₹1.5 crore can pay a fixed tax rate under the GST composition scheme and are not required to maintain books of accounts. In effect, enterprises with turnover below ₹1.5 crore remain in the household (i.e., informal) segment. Also Read: It's time to lay the great Indian GDP controversy to rest Since 2017-18, the NSS has been conducting annual and quarterly surveys of employment, which from this year have become monthly. Since 2021-22, it has also been conducting an annual survey of unincorporated enterprises. As of now, three years of data from this survey are available. The survey is conducted on a design similar to the earlier quinquennial survey of unincorporated enterprises done in 2010-11 and 2015-16. Data from these surveys taken together suggests that the informal sector has been growing robustly, undermining simple arguments of over-estimation. In fact, the employment survey seems to indicate that employment in the informal sector is now better than at any time in the last 20 years. However, its compositional character has shown changes, with a very rapid growth in employment within household enterprises. Going forward, the concept of effective labour requires us to carefully assess its impact on value added. Also Read: TCA Anant: How India's statistical system could win the ongoing war of narratives The timeliness and regularity of informal sector data now available through the NSS is better than it has ever been. This creates an opportunity for the ongoing base revision to measure informal sector value added in a manner that offers more clarity. It should be possible for us to reduce our dependence on episodic base revisions and have a genuinely continuous series of national accounts. Base revisions could then be undertaken (as is done globally) only to account for changes in the global methodology as and when they occur. The author is a visiting professor at the Institute for Studies of Industrial Development and former chief statistician of India.
