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The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
DU issues apology over UG admission form error
Delhi University (DU) issued an apology on Saturday regarding an 'inadvertent error' in its undergraduate admission form earlier this week, where names of communities and religions appeared in the language section, drawing criticism from teachers who termed it 'insensitive' and 'embarrassing'. Teachers who were critical of the move pointed out that Urdu had not been included in the UG admissions form, but 'Muslim', 'Hindu', and 'Bihari' were listed under the languages section. DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said that as soon as the issue was brought to the administration's notice, the option on the online portal was disabled. In a statement, DU said, 'The university sincerely regrets the inadvertent error. We acknowledge your concerns and are committed to addressing them. However, attributing ulterior motives to this entirely unintentional oversight is unwarranted. We request all not to vitiate the university's diverse environment.'
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Is India's premium at risk? As Israel-Iran conflict sparks FPI outflows, valuation debate rages
Cautious investor sentiment because of the Israel-Iran conflict has sparked a significant flight of foreign capital from India, reversing recent inflows. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have already pulled nearly ₹8,423 crore from domestic equities in June. This outflow follows ₹19,860 crore and ₹4,223 crore of inflows in the preceding two months, respectively. FPIs remain net sellers for the year, and experts anticipate further outflows if the conflict extends. 'FPIs are free birds and aren't under any compulsion to buy stocks at specific prices to support the counter like we do," said Apurva Sheth, head of market perspectives and research at SAMCO Securities. 'Their latest position in the derivatives segment shows that they are heavily bearish on the Indian stock market." But experts also say such concerns might be transitory as India still offers the best growth story in an era of global slowdown. 'India's macro fundamentals are head and shoulders above any other top 10 economy in the world," said Vikas Gupta, chief executive and chief investment strategist at OmniScience Capital. 'From GDP growth numbers to inflation control, building forex (foreign exchange) reserves to maintaining forex stability, even controlling the fiscal and current account deficits, from all angles we are one of the strongest worldwide." Naturally, India has been commanding a premium over its global peers, particularly in the previous five years. The benchmark Nifty 50 is trading at 23.3 times its one-year forward earnings estimate, a level that, while having moderated, sits closer to September when the domestic markets had peaked, Bloomberg data indicates. A premium valuation made sense in the past because Indian Inc's earnings grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 24% in the last four years, said Jaiprakash Toshniwal, fund manager and senior equity research analyst at LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management. '(However,) we need to keep in mind that earnings growth is expected to be in the lower double digits in the medium term based on consensus estimates," he added. Still, that would be a step up from India Inc's performance in 2024-25, which was mostly dismal throughout the fiscal year. According to a recent Kotak Institutional Equities report, Nifty 500 companies reported a 5% year-on-year (y-o-y) sales growth in Q4FY25, although net profit grew 7%, mainly aided by benign raw material prices and cost-cutting measures, it said. Also read | India Inc's report card: Headwinds take a toll in Q4 A glass half full A broad-based future earnings downgrade suggests that demand woes will persist in the economy for some time. Yet, on the macro front, Ranju Rajan, head of managed accounts at Axis Securities, insists the Reserve Bank of India's ongoing liquidity measures, including a 100 basis-point rate cut this year, and a pickup in government capital expenditure will spur economic growth in FY26 and FY27. Echoing this optimism, Seshadri Sen, head of research and strategist at Emkay Global, said India will see the effects of monetary and tax stimuli playing out this financial year, particularly in the second half. 'Next year, we will see an upward revision in the government's pay commission, and then tech-related hiring will pick up from 2027," Sen said, adding that these factors will pave the way for a consumption revival. 'So I think we are at the bottom of a medium-term consumption cycle." Ample liquidity in the market has also been pushing up India's valuation premium, according to Sheth of SAMCO Securities. 'DIIs (domestic institutional investors), including mutual funds, are investing ₹1,300 crore in the Indian market almost daily, creating a situation where huge liquidity is chasing fewer stocks, resulting in their premium valuations" he said. But rising crude oil prices due to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict may weaken the arguments for India's high valuation, Kotak Institutional Equities said in its report. If crude touches $90-100 per barrel, it can derail any hopes of India Inc's earnings recovery in FY26, as raw material costs would go up significantly, noted experts. Also read | Israel-Iran conflict: How will rising crude oil prices affect India? This bearish outlook, however, finds a counterpoint in the views of some analysts. 'We have seen that 90% of the time crude reacts much more than the actual event," said Sumit Pokharna, oil and gas analyst at Kotak Securities. 'The situation definitely remains fragile, but global demand for crude is falling and there is enough supply to keep price rises in check." As a result, several experts expect that high crude oil prices might not sustain for long. But sectors dependent on oil, such as paints, tyres, petrochemicals, automobiles, and even consumer goods, might see a dip in earnings for a quarter before bouncing back for the broader part of FY26. For now, 'insurance, cables and wires, renewable energy, and select pharma companies offer promising return potential from a growth and valuation standpoint", said Ajit Mishra, senior vice president of research at Religare Broking. These sectors are backed by compelling long-term themes of under-penetrated markets, a private capex revival, strong government-led infrastructure push, global energy transition commitments and changing demographics of the country, Mishra said. Meanwhile, India's equity market on Thursday barely reacted to the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep US benchmark interest rates unchanged at 4.25-4.5% as this was in line with expectations. Also read | Israel vs Iran could be worse for markets than Russia vs Ukraine. Here's why.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
No Fee Waiver For DU Asst Prof Applicants
New Delhi: Delhi University has withdrawn the application fee waiver for SC, ST, disabled and female candidates applying for the post of assistant professor — a move that marks a policy shift and has drawn sharp criticism of sections of the academic community. The university has also increased the application fee across categories, with aspirants in the unreserved (UR) category now required to pay Rs 2,000, a fourfold jump from the earlier Rs 500. The fee for OBC and EWS applicants has tripled from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 while SC/ST candidates, who previously paid nothing, will now be charged Rs 1,000. Persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) will be required to pay Rs 500. Teachers have termed the fee hike "unjustified" and called on Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and the Academic and Executive Council members to intervene and push for a rollback. The recruitment circular issued by Daulat Ram College dated June 10 inviting applications for the post of assistant professor listed the revised application fees and said submissions without the requisite fee would be rejected. "Fees once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances," the circular also said. While DU departments advertise their own faculty vacancies centrally, individual colleges are allowed to issue advertisements separately, though they are governed by university rules. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Order New Blinds Online & Get $199 Home Installation Learn More Undo "We have followed the same format as the university. Nothing special in it," Daulat Ram College principal Savita Roy told TOI. When contacted, DU registrar Vikas Gupta denied that the university had withdrawn any fee waiver. However, he did not respond to a follow-up question on the circular issued by Daulat Ram College which mentions the revised fees. A recruitment advertisement issued by DU as recently as Feb and accessible on its website confirmed the fee waiver policy for the select categories: "Rs 500 for UR/OBC/EWS categories. No application fee will be charged from applicants of SC, ST, PwBD categories and women applicants. Fees once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances." The move has drawn flak from several faculty members. A teacher posted on DUTA's social media handle, "Earlier the fee was Rs 500 for UR and OBC categories, and zero for SC, ST and female candidates. DUTA, AC/EC members and the university administration must take note of this and ensure the hike is rolled back. There should be more than just symbolic letters — actual performance and pressure are needed from DUTA. Several unresolved issues like past service count and PhD increments are still pending. Now another issue has been added to the list. Is it fair to burden applicants like this?." Mithuraaj Dhusiya, member, DU Executive Council, linked the hike to the university's financial liabilities under the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). "Ever since DU was pushed into debt through HEFA loans, we have seen a pattern of fee hikes — from admissions to exams," she wrote. "No grants, only loans — that's become the mantra of both the Central Government and DU administration. The latest hike in assistant professor application fees is part of this debt trap. Forced financial crises always begin with the most vulnerable. We strongly condemn this." Megh Raj, general secretary, Indian National Teachers' Congress, similarly criticised the hike. "This 400% fee hike affects not just ad hoc teachers but all unemployed applicants. Earlier, candidates above a certain API score were called for interviews. Now only 40 are called for the first post and 10 or 20 for the rest, forcing candidates to reapply. The higher fee will make it unaffordable for many. We urge the administration to withdraw this decision immediately. "
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Roads, sewer lines cleaned? MCG engineers to inspect, ready report
Gurgaon: The urban local bodies (ULB) department has instructed MCG's executive and junior engineers to inspect all sewer lines, roads, and streets within their assigned areas. The move comes after a recent meeting with ULB secretary and commissioner Vikas Gupta. The engineers were asked to ensure that the five-year performance and fault analysis of the current sewer lines had been completed. Assistant engineers (AEs) and executive engineers (EEs) will review these reports before issuing final certification. An additional commissioner of MCG will subsequently analyse all submissions and present a comprehensive report to Vikas Gupta. "We are developing a solution to identify our underground infrastructure. We plan to implement road asset management utilising ground penetration radar technology to examine subsurface infrastructure. We will also document expenditures and conduct performance assessments to track maintenance schedules of sewer lines. We are establishing a framework that addresses sewer-related concerns through physical inspections and performance evaluations of the drainage network of the city," MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said. MCG maintains a road network spanning 4,596 km, while the sewer infrastructure under its jurisdiction extends to 3,540 km. In the last fiscal year, MCG spent Rs 25.71 crore alone on the repair and maintenance of sewerage lines against the allocated fund of Rs 7 crore. However, MCG, in the current FY, has allocated Rs 28 crore. "All these plans remain merely on paper, and nothing is executed on the ground," said Lalit Suraj Bhola, general secretary of Sector 9A RWA. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
IP University introduces orphan quota, DU extends single girl child quota for postgraduate students
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (IPU) has introduced the orphan quota across all its courses. The new quota is separate from the single girl child quota which was introduced last year, an official said on Friday. Under the orphan quota, which will be effective from the academic session 2025-26, the university will reserve one additional seat for eligible candidates in each programme, and the selected candidate will be entitled to 100% fee waiver. IPU Vice-Chancellor Mahesh Verma said the move aims at providing education to all, including children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Delhi University (DU) had introduced the orphan quota in 2023. Meanwhile, DU has decided to extend the single girl child quota to postgraduate courses from the upcoming academic session. It had introduced the facility in undergraduate courses last year. DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said the single girl child quota was introduced to encourage girls to further their education, especially since many families do not prioritise higher education for girls even today. Both quotas are supernumerary, which means the reserved seats are extra and do not disrupt the existing seat matrix.
