State ties up with British Council to train teachers

T o enhance the quality of English language taught in 67,000 state-run schools, the government of Maharashtra has signed a memorandum of understanding with the British Council to implement the English Language Initiative For Primary Schools. Sanjay Deshmukh, state project director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, and Rob Lynes, director (India), British Council, signed the MoU. 

“This MoU aims to enhance the level of English taught in state-run schools. British Council has selected 300 teachers who will take part in the training,” said Rajendra Darda, minister for school education. As per the state’s 2011-12 economic survey, there are 76,625 primary schools in the state, from which teachers of only 67,000 schools qualify. “Some schools are in remote areas where there could be 2-3 students and only one teacher. As this teacher can’t be sent for training, these schools haven’t qualified,” said sources. 

    According to Deshmukh, “We plan to teach 67,000 teachers, for which we have to train 1,700 master trainers. These trainers would travel across the state to train teachers from these schools, with 40 teachers for each master trainer.” Grace Pinto, MD, Ryan Group of Educational Institutions, said, “If the education minister calls upon Ryan Foundation to undertake this teachers’ training, we will support the Government’s plan. We’d do it as a social activity with the support of our NGO network. It’d be easy for us to implement it as the Ryan group has a network of educational institutions.” 

    VBalasubramanian, director, NES and SVB group of educational institutions, says, “It’s great that the state is taking up this English training initiative. It’s a global language and such efforts were long needed. The education minister’s initiative is commendable.”


Source::: The Times of India, 09-07-2012, p.06. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Study suggests social networking websites feed anxiety and insecurity:

Tools for choice and change - Times View
    The findings of a study by the University of Salford, that social networking websites can increase anxiety and make users feel insecure, do not necessarily invalidate the usefulness of these new-age tools of communication. These Web-based applications are not only helpful in staying connected with friends and relatives across the globe – rendering distance and time irrelevant – but can also be leveraged in a variety of ways from product marketing to espousing a social cause. True, concerns such as privacy do exist. But like the internet itself, social media too is an evolving creature, constantly engaged in the process of improvement. And as technology becomes more accessible, greater numbers are expected to join the social media revolution. 

    The main driving force behind social media is its democratic character. It allows users to express themselves in their own unique way. In that sense, online avatars are a virtual extension of the real self, enabling like-minded people to network and share ideas. This was amply demonstrated during last year’s Arab Spring movement across the Middle East and north Africa. From Morocco to Bahrain, youth groups effectively leveraged social networking websites to mobilise support for their pro-democracy rallies and demonstrations. Similarly, protesters in Russia and China too are increasingly turning to social media
to dissent against authoritarian regimes. 

    On the business front there are opportunities galore. By combining old-fashioned word-of-mouth publicity with the reach of the internet, social networking websites can provide a fillip to businesses of all shapes and sizes. It is no surprise then that the same principle is being increasingly exploited by politicians and statesmen to reach out to their constituencies. From Queen Elizabeth II to Mamata Banerjee, those in positions of power have indeed woken up to the utility of social media. At the end of the day, social networking websites are what users make of them. Their success lies in their versatility. 

More trouble than it’s worth Anil Thakkar - Counter View
    The University of Salford study merely provides empirical backing for what many social media users already know from experience. And it isn’t the first study to link social
media usage and feelings of insecurity and anxiety, even depression. There have been a slew of them of late – from the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) warning of a problem called ‘Facebook Depression’ affecting teenagers, to researchers at Flinders University in Australia finding that teenage girls spending long hours on social networking sites are more likely to suffer from self-esteem issues. And a study at Utah Valley University in the US has also shown a correlation between Facebook use and depression. 

    The causes aren’t hard to discern. Our online personalities become an exercise in brand management where the brand is the individual. Thus, most users end up selectively putting information online that makes their lives seem far more interesting than they might be in reality. In a time where a significant number of people are always connected, this leads to a form of constant hyper-competition where they are comparing their lives to the essentially make-believe lives of others via status updates and vacation photos. There are other problems as well. The AAP points out that having the number of ‘friends’ on a person’s profile be clearly visible paradoxically leads to a feeling of isolation when other people are seen to have more. And relationships can also be complicated by online social networking, whether because of personal information that is best kept private becoming public or reconnecting with old romantic partners – something reflected in the growing incidence of divorces where these sites have a role to play. Ultimately, what could have been a useful communication tool has been turned into an online popularity contest. And that has made it more trouble than it’s worth.

Source::: The Times of India, 10-07-2012, p.14. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

NO WORK ON JULY 11-12

Lawyers gear up for strike

Swati Deshpande TNN 

Mumbai: Representatives of allthreelawyers’ associations in Bombay high court, which have nearly 5,000 advocates, have met Bombay high court Chief Justice Mohit Shah to informhim aboutthetwo-day strikeon July 11-12. 

    The strike call, which is bound to adversely affect many litigants, especially those who require urgent orders, was given by the Bar Councilof India toopposethe Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011, which seeks totake awaythecontrolofBCI over legal education. It is supported by the Bar Council of Maharashtra andGoa andthe Advocates Association of Western India. The Bombay Bar Association has given no specific command to its memberstoobey thestrikecall,but most lawyers, including senior counsel, could be seen discussing the “dilemma” they faced as many “realized” that the strike was “illegal” and would be flouting a Supreme Court order against such strike by legal practitioners. 

    The SChadin the pastsaid at best a one-day token strike by lawyersfor compelling reasons could be condoned. One litigant in court— when told that the HC would be devoid of lawyersfor twodays—said, “If lawyers resort to strikes for issues that can well be addressed by deliberations, it is indeedshocking and a sadday for thejusticesystem.” 

    Several lawyers were in a quandary whether they ought to go ahead with their trip to other benches in Nagpur and Aurangabad for hearings on July 11-12 asscheduledor stay put in the city. The judges will besitting in court asusual.


Source:::: The Times of India, 10-07-2012, p.04. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Copyright bill gets RS nod sans movie royalty clause

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday approved the Copyright Amendment Bill which seeks to remove operational difficulties and address newer issues related to the digital world and world wide web. The Bill could, however, be passed with the government dropping a provision of giving royalty to the principal director of a film. 
    The bill, moved by HRD minister Kapil Sibal, also seeks to bring Indian laws originally enacted in 1957 in conformity with international norms and the World Intellectual Property Organization. 
    Replying to the debate, Sibal said a clause with a provision of giving royalty to the principal director of a film has been dropped in keeping with the suggestion of the Parliamentary standing committee. 
    “We wanted to actually give this right over royalty to the principal director. He is perhaps principal creator. But there was a feeling expressed by the parliamentary standing committee that time the is not ripe to give that right. So, we are dropping (it),” he said. 
    Initiating the discussion, nominated member and lyricist Javed Akhtar said that companies have sway over songs and the writers and singers do not get much from the commercial success. “Music companies dictate terms to even noted musicians like A R Rahman and others,” he said. 
    Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan talked about the widespread prevalence of pirated songs and music and urged that the bill should address the issue. She stressed that everybody associated with creation of a song of film should be rewarded as these are “created collectively”. 
    The Bill reflects seven broad areas, including right of author and music composer, right to visually impaired, extending compulsory regime to unpublished work, imposition of punitive actions among others. 
    Sibal said piracy issue has been dealt with properly in the Bill. “We are in the midst of new era, which I call digital era. In this digital era, the nature of rights of stakeholders need to be looked afresh.”


Source::: The Times of India, 18-05-2012, p.11 : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Govt raises income ceiling for poor in higher education 

    In a decision that will benefit 8.21 lakh students, the state cabinet has increased the income ceiling for economically backward class (EBC) students applying for reimbursement and fee waiver for higher education. The limit has been increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh per annum. Since 1960, in a bid to encourage higher studies among people belonging to low-income sections, the state government has followed the practice of reimbursing or waiving admission, tuition, library and similar fees. The ceiling was last revised in 1997, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said. The decision to increase the ceiling will cost the state exchequer Rs 8.93 crore.


SOURCE::: The Times of India, 17-05-2012, p.02. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1337232548171

Courts increase, yet 15,366 cases pending for 21 years

Rebecca Samervel TNN 

Mumbai: Despite government efforts to increase the number of courts, the problem of delayed justice continues to plague the city’s legal system. Figures accessed through RTI reveal that 15,366 cases that are 21 years or older were pending before metropolitan magistrates’ courts in the city as on March 31. Beyond this, the courts were still considering another 47,270 cases that were filed 11 to 20 years ago and a further 74,123 cases that 
were filed six to 10 years ago. 
    Legal experts and activists blamed the high pendency rate on several reasons, including shortage of judges and defence lawyers’ penchant for seeking repeated adjournments. “Delays occur because the accused, in many cases, are powerful and do not want their cases to come up for trial,” said former policeman-turned-lawyer Y P Singh. “They manage to get indefinite adjournments.” Taking cognizance of the problem, the government increased the number of magistrate courts from 68 in 2011 to 75 in 2012.

Source::: The Times of India, 14-05-2012, p.01 : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1336972726847

Builder giving hard time? Go to consumer forum

Rakesh Bhatnagar l New Delhi

All those who have been waiting for years to get possession of their flats or are unhappy with the construction work can now move the consumer protection forum against builders. The forum has been empowered to take cognisance of any deficiency in service by a builder. The builder will now have to ensure that ownership documents are registered in the flat owner’s name. Terming a builder “service provider” and an applicant for a flat under construction “consumer”, the Supreme Court on Friday gave buyers the power to move the forum against the builder. If a builder uses substandard material or makes false or misleading comments about the condition of the flat, it would “amount to denial of facility or benefit of which a consumer is entitled to claim compensation under the Consumer Protection Act”, a bench of justices TS Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra ruled. Dismissing an appeal filed by a group of contractors saying construction business cannot be termed “service” and a buyer cannot be called “consumer”, the court said when a builder undertakes to construct a house/flat, he has to “perform his obligation as agreed upon”. “A flat with a leaking roof or walls with cracks is denial of service.”

Source:: DNA, 14-05-2012, p.01: http://epaper.dnaindia.com/