April 9, 2017

The largest youth festival on social change, DATE WITH DEVELOPMENT 2017, brought together over 6500 people and was organised on Wednesday, 5 April at Kamani Auditorium, Mandi House by Leaders For Tomorrow, a not for profit youth organisation.

Mr. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi addressed the youth gathered at the event, engaging them in a conversation of how the youth can be a part of development and the role education plays in achieving this dream.

Youngsters from colleges across Delhi/NCR, including University of Delhi, Indraprastha University and other private colleges came together to celebrate young changemakers. The event was based on the theme of “India 2030: Achieving Development through SDGs” and was aimed at increasing the awareness among the youth about overcoming India’s development challenges.

The festival included panel discussions and sessions on achieving the sustainable development goals by Ms. Atishi Marlena (Advisor to Deputy Chief Minister), Dr. Ritesh Malik (Forbes Asia 30 under 30 Entrepreneur), Mr. Ankit Kawatra (Founder, Feeding India), Dr. Sanjai Bhatt (President, National Association of Professional Social Workers), Mr. Martand Shardul (Representative for Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth in South Asia) and Ms. Ritumoni Das (Co-founder, Katkatha).

The event also included cultural displays from different states and conducted final competitions in fifteen categories, including music band performance, opportunities fair, etc.

“It is very exciting to see so many young students here today, who have voluntarily come together. This shows that the youth wants to make a difference and that we are willing to work towards creating a better world”, said Mansi Saluja, one of the core organising team members of the event.

About Leaders for Tomorrow

Leaders For Tomorrow is a not for profit youth movement aimed at awakening the social consciousness of the youth by encouraging them in volunteerism and skill development. We work in the campuses to conduct social action events and leadership programmes to create true LEADERS FOR TOMORROW.

Contact details:

Prabhu Kunwar Singh Chetna Saini

9971394831 9255667466

Email: [email protected]

Image credits: Leaders for Tomorrow Team

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Admissions 2017

Delhi University Masters and research programs to have online entrance from this year

By Srivedant Kar April 9, 2017

Delhi University has decided to conduct online entrance test for Masters and Research programmes like M.Phil and PhD. Several of its undergraduate courses for which entrance was conducted across different cities of the country will also be going online from the commencing academic year. This will delay the regular entrance schedule normally followed by the university by nearly a month. The registration for entrances which earlier started in the first part of April will now start in May. “There is a delay in the application process, but admissions will be conducted on time as online tests can be completed in three to four days. The application process can be announced in the first week of May,” said a senior official at the examination branch.

The entrance test for Master’s , research programmes and selected UG programmes like BEd, Law, B.A(Hons.), Business Economics, Bachelor of Business Studies and Bachelor of Financial and Investment Analysis will be held in nearly 18 centres across the country. For every 10,000 applicants there will be one facilitation centre. As per the plans the online tests will consist of multiple choice questions, with a duration of two hours. Every day the tests will be conducted in three shifts between 8AM and 6PM.

The responsibility for conducting this entrance test will be outsourced to a third party, which will facilitate the process in cities across India for which the university has already floated a tender this Wednesday. The organisation which bags the tender will also have to create facilitation centres to familiarise the candidates with the computer-based tests, which are expected to function from at least one month in advance.

Earlier this month, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) protested against the online based entrance system.

Image Credits: www.du.ac.in

Srivedant Kar

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

The Destructive Wave of Flawed Feminism

By DU Beat April 9, 2017

It is often said that films are a representation of the real world and movie stars are very often the people we draw inspiration from and look up to. With the mass appeal they have, it is only natural to expect responsible and cautious statements from them, but a lot of times movie stars unconsciously end up saying statements which might be wrongly construed.

Mira Rajput added her name to the long list of celebrities speaking out the wrong thing. On being asked about choosing to stay at home with her daughter, Mira Rajput retorted,
“I am a housewife and wear that label with pride.” She said that her daughter Misha wasn’t a puppy and she didn’t want to spend just an hour a day with her and rush off to work.

The statement has triggered the fury of many feminists who took offence to her ‘new wave of feminism is destructive’ statement. They accused her of being regressive and having spoken from a position of privilege from where she failed to look at and understand the deeper dynamics of the circumstances under which women rush off to work and often do so to support their families. Her statement wasn’t well received and she was charged of belittling women who choose to not stay at home.

It is only human to err but all said and done, movie stars need to understand the profundity of their appeal and the influence they can have over people. As they say, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Image Credits: Mid Day.com
Akshara Srivastava
[email protected]

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Around the Campus

DU continues to face financial crunch despite access to funds

By Niharika Dabral April 9, 2017

“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Judging by the current fiscal situation, these lines from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge fit the University of Delhi quite well. While state-funded educational institutions in India are struggling for funds, Delhi University has a different problem – it is unable to utilise the given endowment.

Recently in March, Delhi University had to return Rs 108 crore to the University Grants Commission (UGC) because it was unable to spend it. Between 2012 and 2017, an amount of Rs 300 crore was given to DU, of which only 100 crore was put to use. From the remaining Rs 200 crore, Rs 105 crore lapsed as this amount was time-bound. The remaining Rs 95 crore was to be spent by March 31^st, or else would be terminated. As this realisation drew upon the officials, they proposed to use the remaining Rs 95 crore to buy Delhi Development Authority (DDA) flats across Delhi which will be used as hostels and living quarters for staff. This abruptly-planned proposal is already being contested by Residents Welfare Associations and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Other than this, an amount of Rs 56 crore designated to Faculty of Management Studies for expanding the buildings is also about to lapse. In their defence, the officials have reasoned that the building of Management Studies is in the Ridge area and the University could not get environmental clearances for the revamp. However, this fund was allocated ten years ago so the varsity had enough time to look for a solution.

Of surplus and scarcity

In February, Lady Irwin College was forced to increase its fees because the UGC reduced its bankroll. So while on the one side there is surplus, on the other there is scarcity. Besides, it is a well-known grievance how clubs and societies in various colleges suffer while seeking the meagre ECA grant. Even the workers, non-teaching staff, ad-hoc teachers as well as the lab attendants who protest frequently against low wages and delayed bonus are told off on the grounds of “insufficient fund”. Therefore, in this situation it is nothing but ironic that a university is unable to utilise the allocations. The officials can put forth many excuses in their defence, but the truth is that lack of accountability and sheer laziness are the reasons why this problem exists.

Image Credits: India Today

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

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