As per the latest report, OBC commission has urged UGC to direct Delhi University to extend the submission date of non-creamy layer certificate by 15-20 days. This was because of the administrative delays that were costing admissions of 100’s of backward classes students every year. 

Thousands of aspiring students of Other Backward Classes (OBC) group every year are in the hope of getting into Delhi University (DU), one of the most highly-esteemed Indian universities. However, among such aspiring candidates, almost 10% get their hopes dashed, not because they are undeserving, but on account of a technicality because their non-creamy layer (NCL) certificate wasn’t ready on time.

The admissions to undergraduate programmes in DU 2025 are already happening with the seats being filled through CUET-UG scores. In a total of 71,624 undergraduate seats, 27% are reserved for OBC candidates as per DU’s reservation policy. Yet, a big number of these students, particularly the rural or low income ones, are unable to acquire their updated NCL certificates at the right time and miss their seats. The  Delhi University OBC certificate deadlines are strict and delay in submission makes the deserving candidates miss their chance. This is happening because of many reasons such as slow local administrations, the technical mismatches when the certificate is not received by the format, language barrier as well as the absence of statements.

The result? Every year, approximately 10% of the eligible OBC students suffer because of not being able to meet Delhi University OBC certificate deadlines. It is not a mere figure, but hundreds of young lives whose academic futures are being compromised by the delay in paper work.

Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) and former members of the OBC Commission have also written to University Grants Commission (UGC) requesting them to urge DU to allow a grace of 15-20 days to submit OBC certificate. They have a straightforward point to make: the existing inflexible deadlines are not taking into consideration the real-life obstacles real-world faced by students with underprivileged backgrounds. A good number of these students hail in far-flung villages, where it may take weeks before official documents are issued because of administrative backlogs.

A collective voice of the DUTA members points out that this problem not only violates the constitutional values of social justice and inclusion but also supports the institution of inequity in higher education. 

“A large number of students, particularly from rural and marginalised communities, face significant delays in obtaining updated certificates due to inefficiencies in local administration,” the letter to the UGC chairman states

There is so much at stake. Refusal to admit deserving OBC students on technical process grounds is a retrogressive provision of the policy of inclusion in education. While the fact is that a large number of these students are CUET-UG and Class 12 toppers. The delay in paperwork is their sole ‘offense’. And citing this, the recent analysis revealed that with a mere expansion it might be possible to eliminate a significant proportion of meritorious students, being rejected by the universities annually.

The request is simple: allow OBC (NCL) certificates to be submitted 15-20 days later. Such a minor amendment would go a long way to make sure that none of the students is unjustly discriminated against and denied access because of circumstances he or she can not influence.

Although the postgraduate admission deadline of the DU was also extended recently to all the applicants, it is still pending as to when the OBC certificate submission will be done to achieve the undergraduate admissions. UGC and DU authorities have remained silent to queries directed to it.

Everyone is waiting to see what Delhi University and UGC will do as the admission cycle of 2025 continues. Are they going to use this chance to make the system more open and just? Or will they overlook the request? To thousands of OBC aspirants and their families, an answer to these questions could make or distort their future. 

Are you or someone you know affected by this issue? Share your experience with us and raise your voice.

Bilal Teli, 22-year-old Mangalorean, was arrested for trespass and unauthorized watching of IIT Bombay lectures, and complained for attending lectures without being an officially registered student or with any official authorization.

But he is said to have come to the campus, Teli first on June 4, 2023, and informed him that he had come to participate in a day's study program. The excursion turned sour when he decided to stay on campus after the function, breaking into classes of his engineering school and roaming around unperturbed for days.

The act came to light when a professor demanded his identity document while he was harassing him. As he had no chance of coming with any, Teli fled, and as a retaliatory measure, more deployment of security was done on the spot. While reviewing the CCTV, IIT Bombay security personnel chased and arrested Teli on June 19, catching him again at a lecture hall.

Zone X DCP Datta Nalawade further clarified that Teli was not permitted to reside or study on campus. "He told me that he arrived for a short term but remained from June 2 to 7, 2023, and June 10 to 19, 2023, against permission," he added further.

Educators were anxious and apprehensive at uncontrolled growth of Teli on the campus. "Where did he reside? Did he look into confidential laboratory information? What was his real motive?" asked a senior professor, recapitulating growing alarm among faculty members regarding adequacy of the security measures put in place.

No motivation for any violent act has ever been speculated, but the intruder has caused a general reconsideration of security on campus. Restricting access controls, enhancing tighter identification screening, and expanding surveillance at every gate are being considered as potential measures.

Meanwhile, Teli is being held in custody and an investigation is already underway. This strange incident was likened to "Rancho," the question-asking, questioning hero of Hindi films "3 Idiots" — but their real-life repercussions for infiltrating a world-class facility are far more dire than that of their film counterpart.

Yogi Adityanath, CM of Uttar Pradesh, made a significant move promoting inclusive education. He made a strong statement that no child should miss out on education just because their family doesn’t have enough money. He instructed the heads of Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad (MPSP) institutions on Saturday on the same, emphasizing equal opportunities for all.

In Gorakhpur there was a review meeting held where CM Yogi ji said, “it is the responsibility of every institution head to make sure that money problems do not obstruct the  student’s learning journey and that full support  is extended to students who belong to financially weaker  backgrounds.”

The CM also stated that the schools shouldn’t make education a mere formality but a mission. He underlined facts appealing to all the heads of the institutions to be diligent and focus on encouraging healthy competition, innovation, discipline, and management. There are more than 1.5 million primary schools in India and the government has promised to provide all the children with equal learning opportunities. But still around 15% of those enrolled in schools drop out by the time  they reach secondary school. Also, in rural areas things are worse, where only 8% of children have proper internet facility, which makes learning online challenging.

An example can be taken of Uttar Pradesh. This year 1.65 lakh children have been qualified under the Right to Education (RTE) Act to be admitted in the private schools. However, 72,044 was the actual figure of students who got the admission. This clearly shows that more than half of the children who were meant to get a seat didn’t get it. This proves that the issue of money remains a huge obstacle in the learning journey.

The government is understanding this situation and is implementing different policies. New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is introduced that revolves around providing a fair chance to every child. It has brought in a new 5+3+3+4 regime replacing the 10+ 2 system, and is concentrating on ensuring that by Grade 2, kids are able to read and also solve simple math problems. Over 105 universities have a four year degree program now and entrance tests such as JEE and NEET can now be given in 13 Indian languages so it has become easier for students belonging to different backgrounds.

CM Yogi Adityanath has insisted that schools need to do their part.  Emphasizing the development of a strong culture of campuses, he said, “MPSP is not merely a body that runs schools, colleges, universities, or hospitals. Its core mission is to contribute to social development and nation- building through education, healthcare, and services. Despite challenges, the parishad has remained unwavering in its commitment to producing responsible citizens dedicated to the national cause.”

He also made a bold statement highlighting that when a child is already entitled to schooling under the RTE Act, the schools must accept them without excuses. The state is currently monitoring very closely to ensure that schools abide by the regulations. This is vital since most people criticize the existence of the private schools in India whose student population numbers 12 million students yet most of them are accused of selecting and choosing among the students to be admitted and educated there.

Naturally, not everything is smooth. India only spends 3.1% of its GDP on education as compared to what experts would have it spend. Many rural schools still lack good teachers and basic facilities. And here’s a worrying fact: less than 40% of students in Class 8 can read a simple story in their own language

However, it is not all in vain. Things can be made better with more emphasis on skill based learning, teacher training and smart utilization of technology. The government is making a big effort, but it is time that schools, teachers and communities get onboard.

It is time for India to focus on the roots, because all children deserve an equal opportunity to be educated, regardless of the financial condition of their family, in order to allow India to develop and be among the world leaders, more so become the vishwaguru it aims to be. The intentions are there and the policies are present. We all must now ensure that no child gets left behind. After all, the true might of a country is represented by dreams and talents of its children/youth

One of the city's National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) applicants has accused the NTA (National Testing Agency) of tampering with the OMR sheet posted on its website under her name, and it did not reflect the answers she had written during the exam.

Student Spurthy S of Soundarya PU College expressed her views at a press conference. She reported that she saw a stark difference between answers she had provided and the ones in the OMR sheet given on the website.

In a letter addressed to NTA, she stated: "On trying to download my OMR sheet, I faced preliminary technical glitches. When it did become available, I noticed that shaded bubbles for the register number were accurate but the handwritten number looked overwritten. I also distinctly recall putting the time below my signature as advised by the invigilator while taking the exam. But the time written on the OMR sheet is not visible in the scanned version. It created doubts about potential technical misread or mismatch at the time of assessment."

"Numerous attempts I made and marked are not shaded. A few questions I failed to attempt are shaded. This has resulted in a difference of close to 174 marks, contrary to my performance and expectation," she complained.

She said that whereas now her rank stands at about 93,000, it would have been approximately 200, according to answers she said she had attempted and marked.

Although she wrote to NTA on June 3, the agency responded on June 12 informing her that the OMR sheet belonged to her. "We want to assure you that the OMR sheet shown on the portal is identical with the one sent by you to the exam centre. The sheet contains the information entered by you, your roll number (both in numbers and bubbled form), question paper booklet number and series code, and has your signature and the invigilator's signature on it. The image which you can see is a scanned version of the original OMR sheet obtained from the centre in accordance with due procedure. Responses which are being displayed have been entered by you while appearing for the exam. We hope you are satisfied now," the reply stated.

The student claimed she is going to approach Karnataka high court regarding the issue. "I have got 625 out of 625 marks in SSLC and 99% in II PU. I got rank 1,386 in CET," she added.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Friday claimed that more than 700 Kashmiri students are still stuck in different parts of Iran including the capital city Tehran, Kerman, Gilan, Shiraz, Arak and other regions and attempts are underway to rescue them.

"They have not yet been evacuated and relocated. We are in continuous communication and are in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian Embassy in Iran, and the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister's Office for their safety and evacuation in a timely manner," the association said in a statement.

The Indian students stranded in various parts of Iran are being evacuated and safely repatriated to the nation under India's Operation Sindhu.

"Efforts have been initiated to first shift the students to secure places before evacuating them through Mashhad and other authorized border routes. We are assuring parents that all students are safe at the moment," the statement further added.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students' association has also stated that the two Kashmiri students who were injured have already been relocated to safer locations, and arrangements are being made for their evacuation within the next two days.

"We are committed to the welfare of all stranded students and will continue to work hand in hand with all concerned authorities until all of them are safely returned home," the statement further said.

"We regard Indians as our nationals. Iran's airspace is closed but due to this problem, we are making plans to open it for the safe passage of Indian nationals," Mohammad Javad Hosseini, deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, told a media briefing on Friday.

Flights bringing close to 1000 Iranian students into Delhi arrived on Friday evening and on Saturday after the airspace of Tehran was opened in view of the dispute ongoing between Iran and Israel.

Divya Deshmukh beats world no. 1 female chess player Hou Yifan at just 19 years of age!

Not many could have guessed when Divya Deshmukh, sat across the board from the world number one chess player, Hou Yifan, at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in London, that she could cause such a stir over the board. This was a game of nerves and tactical skills combined and the 19-year-old Nagpur girl did not simply win a game but defied the expectations, rewrote the history of Indian chess and established herself as a force that the world can't ignore any more. Her win not only meant a personal triumph but was also an inspiration to the up and coming prodigy of Indian chess players looking to topple the likes at the world championships.

The story of Indian chess grandmaster Divya Deshmukh is an example of life-long grit and precocity. She was born in December 2005 in Nagpur, the daughter of doctors after which she learned chess at the age of only five. At the age of seven, she already was a national champion, and at twelve years old, she had already two world youth titles in her pocket. She achieved Woman Grandmaster in 2021, then in the year 2023 she became the International Master. She has also grown through steady performances that culminated in her taking the World Junior Girls Title U-20 in 2024 in a sweeping 10/11 points.

Divya had lost the first leg of the blitz semifinal against Hou Yifan who is a very feared figure in women chess. However in the second game where she was assigned white pieces as Hexamind Chess Club she turned the tables around. This game turned into a nervous endgame with 74 moves, as Divya had the advantage of having a rook against the bishop held by Yifan. When one has to compete with seconds and time management in blitz, Divya showed exemplary control. This pressure worked out as she was manipulating the world champion, and she won the game that left commentators and fans astonished. 

The win by Divya was important in ensuring that India achieved a third position in the Blitz and second position in the Rapid style in the championship - a feat that is uncommon in the world podium. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded her performance and said her grit and determination was something to look up to by aspiring chess players across the country.

PM Modi’s post on X said, “Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours.”

Indian chess grandmaster Divya Deshmukh replied to this message saying, “Thank you, Respected Sir. It is a great honour and encouragement for me to be recognised by the Prime Minister.”

Divya has won at a time when Indian chess is booming youngsters like Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are getting limelight. Her win over Hou Yifan, after Gukesh beat Magnus Carlsen in a tournament in the recent past, marks the passing of the generation: Indian talents are no longer merely promising, they are now world-changers too.

This is what Sets Divya Apart

1. Mental Resilience: Making a recovery after a poor first leg performance, Divya has the composure to get over a bad performance and beat the pressure against her is what champions do.
2. Team Spirit: As she expressed herself, the team efforts and the national support were “incredible” and it highlights the team spirit that had made India prosper in chess.
3. Role Model for Girls: As a world junior champion and now a giant-killer at the senior level, Divya is inspiring more Indian girls to take up chess, which is a field where female participation is still growing.

Coached by the distinguished coaches, such as IM Prathamesh Mokal, Divya has always had a careful balance of training in classical literature, tactical practice, and actual tournament competition. She dedicated multiple hours per day to studying grandmaster games, endgame study, and working on her calculations to improve through online blitz and rapidplays. It is not only training with the board, she also trained on the physical fitness and mental endurance, as stamina and concentration are very important in long tournaments.

The challenge that Divya has had to keep up with is probably the pressure of expectations and she must have found it difficult to cope with it as she went from being a youth prodigy to a senior participant on the international platform. The years of the pandemic gave new challenges, and there were small over-the-board tournaments and the transition to online games, which required rapid adaptation to new conditions and blunderers. 

Nevertheless, Divya attributes her family support and the advice of her coaches (who guided  Divya to not get distracted or be impatient) to their ability to keep her focused and driven.

What is next? Divya is already gearing up towards the future in other competitions: she is set to compete in the FIDE Women Grand Prix series and in the Chess Olympiad, where she wants to further demonstrate that she belongs to the elite in the world. Her short-term aim is to reach the aforementioned Grandmaster (GM), which would make her the third Indian female to gain such a status. 

With the three medals in this championship and the world following her, Indian chess grandmaster Divya is about to experience a new height in her career. Her experience does not only represent her personal accomplishments, but also the upward trend of Indian chess in the global sphere.

As Divya herself said after the tournament, “What seemed like an eternity is over... Had an amazing experience with the team!” For Indian chess fans, this is just the beginning of a new era. 

The triumph of Divya Deshmukh is not just another fait accompli as the title suggests but rather it is an indicator of the Indian youths' newly found pride in world chess and a hope to those young players who are aspiring to make it to the international board. 

Life today is deeply intertwined with technology, internet, and gadgets. As humans are advancing, their needs, creativity, and horizon are also expanding. It is a positive thing, however, every coin has a flip side. Crime, injustice, and cunning use of technology for scams, etc is increasing simultaneously. This is creating a high demand for law enforcers, experts in the field of justice and science. As a result, it has made forensic science a trending and dynamic field of study, one of the most interesting career options that India is fast becoming proud of. 

If you are an Indian student who qualified 12th grade but now is standing at the crossroads of career options, you can consider making a career in forensic science in 2025. It is a trending course promising opportunities and a path towards a brighter future. 

What Is Forensic Science? 

Forensic science is an interesting field which contributes in revealing the truth in the court. The term was derived from the Latin word ‘forensis’ which translates to ‘mean public’ or ‘belonging to debate.’ Thus, forensic science can be described as a study that deals with the use of scientific knowledge to assist the law.

Forensics in simple words is any science utilized to resolve legal issues. It is applied worldwide to end a crime, solve a conflict and safeguard the health of the general population. Forensic scientists are known to be a key player in this game as they analyze evidence, take the witness stand and make the legal system flow. So be it in reconstructing a crime scene, comparing DNA samples or serving as an expert witness, forensic scientists are driven by their ambition to find the truth and the pursuit of justice. 

Now, if you are questioning, “how to become forensic scientist India” first understand what these people do, who they are and what role they play in the field of forensic science. 

Who are Forensic Scientists?

Forensic scientists are forensic experts who apply science to crime solving and assist administering justice. Forensic scientists examine physical evidence that crime scenes leave behind, including fingerprints, DNA, blood, digital information, and many others, to assist law enforcement agencies in finding the truth and securing justice. 

The Role of a Forensic Scientist.

• Analyze Evidence: Examine crime scene samples (blood, hair, digital records, etc.) in laboratories or on-site to reconstruct events and identify suspects.
• Document Findings: Write detailed scientific reports which are employed in investigations and in courts.
• Work in Court: Act as expert witnesses, describing the scientific findings to judges and juries in a non-biased and orderly way.
• Teamwork: Partner with police, lawyers and other specialists to find solutions to complicated cases.

Reason Behind Popularity of Forensics Science in India

• Advancement in technology: DNA sequencing, digital forensics and biotechnology have increased the accuracy and rightful investigations.
• Diverse Career Paths: Opportunities are expanding in government agencies (CBI, police, IB), private labs, law firms, and even IT security.
• Social Impact: The work of forensic experts is vital in the field of establishing justice, hence the career assures a person of great satisfaction and honor.

What is The Process of Becoming a Forensic Scientist in India?

After 12th (Science Stream): Enroll in a BSc Forensic Science program, a 3-year undergraduate course covering forensic analysis, criminal investigations, fingerprinting, DNA profiling, and legal procedures. Once you have completed your UG degree, MSc and later PhD in Forensic Science can be pursued for research or high-level work. There are other choices such as MBBS and MD in Forensic medicine if you yearn to go into the field of medical forensics.  

You can take the entrance exam right after completing schooling to pursue it. There is no obligation to take NEET. The university-specific entrance tests such as CUET, CET, or AIFSET (All India Forensic Science Entrance test) are ways of gaining admission in the top forensic science universities in India. 

If you dream to  be a forensic scientist, here are the key skills you need to have: 

• Strong foundation in science (biology, chemistry, physics)
• Critical thinking and attention-detail
• Report-writing and communication skills
• Integrity and free judgment

Forensic Science Courses in India

Undergraduate Courses:

• BSc Forensic Science
• BSc (Hons) Forensic Science
• BSc Forensic Science with Minor in Cyber Forensics
• BSc Forensic Science and Criminology
• BSc Digital and Cyber Forensic Science

Postgraduate Courses:

• MSc Forensic Science
• MSc Forensic Chemistry
• MSc Forensic Biology
• MSc Forensic Psychology
• MSc Forensic Toxicology
• MSc Digital Forensics

Diploma and Certificate Courses:

• Diploma in Forensic Science
• Diploma in Cyber Forensics
• Diploma in Forensic Toxicology
• Certificate in Forensic Science
• Certificate in Digital Forensics

Future Scopes and Trends

The demand in the employment market of all forensic science graduates is booming in 2025 due to the necessity of scientific investigation of crimes and digital security. Additionally, high-level DNA testing is transforming the evidence profiling and forensic science is becoming more accurate and valid. Furthermore, Indian forensic professionals are also being employed in international bodies or research laboratories.

Forensic science salary India 2025

Top Recruiters: CBI, Police, Central/State Forensic Labs, Intelligence Bureau, Private Detective Agencies, Law Firms.

Is Forensic Science the Right Career Choice?

Just in case you are very much interested in the field of science, like solving mysteries, and would like to work to achieve a considerable impact on society, forensic science may be your perfect profession. The discipline demands tolerance, inquisitiveness and ethical up-bringing.

Steps to follow: 

• Select a top university with great industry contacts and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities.
• Attend internships and workshops to grab some experience.
• Keep abreast of the recent technologies and legal norms of forensic.

See, forensic science is not a job, but a chance to serve justice, use innovative technology, a profession leading to a better future. Proper training and professional knowledge can help Indian students to open the possibilities of effective work in the sphere of law enforcement, research, and others. So, if you are seeking to pursue a career that is not only rewarding but also of a good cause, forensic science is your calling! 

Note: Explore forensic science courses here at AIFSET, take the test and build your future without delay.

Mansi Jain, the East Delhi student with the NIFT 2025 All India Rank 1, stands at a critical juncture. Topping India's biggest fashion entrance test would be the icing on the cake for most, but Mansi remains undecided — owing to another superlative achievement: ranking AIR 10 in CEED 2025, which has paved the way for a Master's in Design from IIT Bombay.

Talking to ET.com, the Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate revealed her preparation process, academic course, and the special place she is in today.

"For most, design isn't the initial career aspiration," Mansi said. "But for me, it was a natural course of things. I'm from a fine arts background and I always knew I wanted to do design seriously." She shared that she spent 2–3 hours a day on sketching practice, employed resources such as ChatGPT for design aptitude, and learnt intensely on creative problem-solving versus contemporary issues.

Though she had a definite interest in design, Mansi is still not sure which college to choose. "I will go for the counselling in NIFT first. Then i will check out which branch i am getting then i will decide"

Mansi's strategy was to use her strengths. "I did not give too much time to GK. I worked more on developing my creative thinking through my blog and observing other art works," she replied.

When asked what sustained her during the gruelling preparation period, she gave credit to her fine arts studies. "Fine art studies meant I was always drawing. It never seemed like an added load," she said.

Her message to prospective contenders is uncomplicated but compelling: "Stay assured and don't lose your potential. Your attitude is as important as your preparation."

With 19 schools and top-of-the-line campuses such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, NIFT offers a tempting opportunity. But so does IIT Bombay, generally considered India's best design school.

The General Practitioners Association (GPA) has finally emerged victorious, after a two-year legal and investigation war, with the arrest of one man on charges of practicing medicine and nursing at several hospitals without qualification.

Jobin Babu, Perambra resident, was nabbed by the Ambalavayal police in Wayanad. He is accused of having presented fake qualifications to get jobs at some hospitals in Kozhikode and Wayanad. The arrest followed the Kerala High Court accepting a writ petition submitted by the GPA that uncovered systemic failures in identifying and prosecuting quacks.

While arrest is a relief to the GPA and the medical fraternity, doctors were stunned at how for years Jobin treated patients without being checked. Jobin had also made false representations that he holds an MBBS degree from Pariyaram Medical College.

It was his estranged wife, a registered medical doctor, who filed a complaint with GPA's anti-quackery cell that he was employing her registration number to issue forged certificates. "We had submitted proof to the police and the district medical officer two years ago. Nevertheless, he was permitted to continue practicing. He was so unscrupulous, he did not even try to escape," said Dr Ashik Basheer, state president of GPA.

Dr Basheer also referred to another such remarkable instance of a dropout of a medical college who, after being caught in Mavelikara, simply shifted to Idukki and continued his illegal practice. Instances like these, he said, made the need for an immediate regulatory mechanism even more pertinent in order to identify and get rid of impersonators.

The GPA alleged the government acted only after it petitioned the HC for a reporting system and stopping medical impersonation. The writ petition also criticized the Kerala State Medical Council (KSMC) for lethargy and inaction. "The KSMC was not inclined to accept complaints at first. It began to respond only after we made them a respondent in the case," said Dr Basheer.

Though the KSMC can register and govern clinical practitioners in Kerala, it has failed to come up with a proper mechanism to identify and deal with quacks. Dr Harikumaran Nair G S, president (modern medicine) of the KSMC, was not answering repeated phone calls by TNIE.

Only those enrolled with the KSMC - the successor of Travancore-Cochin Medical Councils - can practice modern medicine in Kerala under regulations.

In India, detecting gunshot residue (GSR) has been an issue in Indian investigators encountering the problems with conventional methods during many years. Traditional methods are time-consuming, costly, and they do not capture important evidence- not to mention when a suspect washes his/her hands or switches clothes. This is where a new chemical reagent is going to prove of great use. This reagent reacts with the smallest amounts of lead in shooting residue, which reacts on a suspect's hands or clothes when sprayed. Magic occurs when a UV lamp is used: even the slightest amount of lead will show up a vivid green and all such evidence would have remained invisible.

The Reason Why India Requires This Now

The cities of India are experiencing an increase in gun-based crimes. The National Crime Records Bureau shows that gun crimes have increased by almost 15 per cent in 10 years. The difference between acquittal and conviction in many instances really depends on forensic evidence. Indian police might finally have the results at the time they take them with this new technology One instant and the police get the results without having to wait days to get results in the lab and losing evidence.

What is the Specialty of this Breakthrough?

• The new test is capable of revealing the presence of lead residue despite attempts by suspects to clean it using water, unlike older tests.
• In recent trials, even bystanders as far as two meters away from a shooter can carry traces detectable. This would assist detectives in providing the correct details as to who was in the scene.
• This glowing technology can also be helpful to detect the presence of deadly lead in water and soil which is a major health problem in few Indian states.

How Does This Work? 

• Spray Reagent: The special spray is applied on hands, clothing or surfaces by the investigators.
• Put UV light on: Spots of any lead shine in green (no microscope is required).
• Immediate Results: Signs of evidence are noticeable in minutes, at the scene. 

Since there are now more than 50 Indian universities that teach forensic science, this innovation is likely to find its way in the curriculum. Indian startups also see a massive potential of developing and providing these kits locally at affordable prices to the police departments of the country.

It is not only a new tool, it is a step forward to justice in India. This glowing gunshot test is also faster, reliable and easy to operate, helping in crime solving, protection of innocent people and even in cleaning up our environment.

With the coming of forensic science to the street, Indian organisers, students and innovators have the opportunity to be at the head of the pack. And the next time a crime scene looks like it is radiant with light it may well be the light of justice! 

From Victorian grain warehouse to factory-chic campus, take a peek inside these stunning schools of thought that are creating tomorrow's design masters.

From Philippe Starck's dreamlike product design to Zaha Hadid's curvaceous building forms, the world's most acclaimed design schools have constructed our world with built environments on six continents. Not only have these schools of design produced iconic alumni, they've even spawned full-fledged movements, from Bauhaus modernism to Scandinavian minimalism. It was in the corridors of Design Academy Eindhoven that Marcel Wanders' then-blaphemous Knotted Chair was conceived, and it was in the corridors of the Rhode Island School of Design that Airbnb was conceived when three students envisioned the potential to reimagine the rooms for hospitality. These are 10 sanctums of holy corridors, sometimes within miraculous structures of architecture themselves, where destinies are made. 

Royal College of Art, London, UK

The RCA has served as a platform for design heroes, from James Dyson to Thomas Heatherwick.

Herzog & de Meuron (2022 completion) Battersea campus boasts a striking skinnable-brick tower with angled cut-outs for sunlight pouring into studio space. Dating back to 1837, this campus school is famous for being the first time a multidisciplinary curriculum was incorporated into its curriculum, incorporating art, design, and technology and opening doors onto the first design interaction course to explore human and computer interface interaction that went on to inform everything from smartphone screens to car dashboard systems.

 Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands

With the enduring influence of Dutch fashion on current style, it's no wonder that among the world's best schools of design is located in the Netherlands.

Design Academy Eindhoven is perhaps one of the riskier options provided, and rich soil for fresh talent and creative thinking. Consider Drift Studio, Formafantasma, and the entire Dutch Design Week celebration, it's where concepts are so in your face because they're an epiphany. It is only appropriate that it assumes the space of the former Philips light bulb factory redeveloped as "De Witte Dame" (The White Lady), a modernist icon redeveloped in 1927 by Dirk Roosenburg and restored in 1998. The academy founded in 1947 has Marcel Wanders, Maarten Baas, and Piet Hein Eek among its graduates. Practice of DAE theory has played an important role in providing Dutch Design with its own distinctive mix of experimentation, minimalism, and functionality.

Rhode Island School of Design, New York, USA

Who first comes to mind when one considers the best school of design of the world is New York's Rhode Island School of Design.

Social environment is impacting Parsons School of Design's social influence. Established in 1896 as Chase School at Fifth Avenue and later consolidating with the New School in 1972, it currently boasts buildings such as the Joseph Urban Building and the University Center by SOM in 2013 with its typical brass-shingled exterior and arched glass windows. Parsons hired style icons Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander Wang to fashion and revolutionized the education of fashion with the first program in fashion design, bringing an artisanal approach to an academic subject through the utilization of scientific pattern-making and construction methods. ÉCAL (School of Art of the Canton of Lausanne), Switzerland This is a former stockings factory with an uncertain past it would rather forget, but which now hosts the headquarters of ÉCAL, renovated by architect Bernard Tschumi (2007) so that an industrial building present can be open to being remobilized as far as creative synergy.

It was founded in 1821 and has seen designers such as Ronan Bouroullec and Adrien Rovero pass through its doors, with particular note along the way being made of its groundbreaking digital fabrication. Our Editor selects to emphasize:.

ÉCAL transformed furniture design production processes, and its research laboratories pioneered some of the first uses of robot manufacturing in architectural products. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA If arguing that the world's finest design school is Providence-based New York-New England's Rhode Island School of Design, one is immediately impressed by.

Established in 1896 as the Chase School of Fifth Avenue, subsequently merged with the New School in 1972, it currently consists of buildings such as the Joseph Urban Building and SOM's University Center in 2013, whose brass shingle facade imitates the building and with sturdy glass windows. Parsons debunked and dispelled myths regarding fashion design professionals such as Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander Wang and mapped the fashion students' learning process anew by creating the very first curriculum in fashion design, analyzing an art of trade into a course of study with linear pattern-making and construction procedures. Politecnico di Milano, Italy Politecnico di Milano philosophy is in its walkway wherein the new buildings are being incorporated into conversation with the old buildings. It was established ages ago in 1863 when Milan design firm expanded and students were literally neighbors to Salone del Mobile with legendary firms like Alessi and Kartell walking distance away.

It is a special environment and one that is populated by the likes of Achille Castiglioni and Gio Ponti.

Their contributions – the contributions of thousands of Politecnico graduates – took ordinary items from office chairs to coffee machines and transformed them into intelligent tools for the good that became lifestyle in Italy and made Milan a world design capital. Aalto University,INK. Helsinki, Finland Formed in 2010 through the merger of Finland's Helsinki University of Art and Design, widely respected (founded 1871), Alvar Aalto and Eero Aarnio are among the alumni. Väre Building, Verstas Architects (2018) is Finnish design excellence achieved through the subtle fusion of wood, concrete, and light via an atmospheric atrium.

Its people-focused nature and sustainable ethos, Aalto University is resplendently Nordic design instruction.

The university has an inter-disciplinary co-operation environment where design and architecture students are instructed to employ both the conventional and the newer tools. RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Sean Godsell Architects' Design Hub (2012) features a motorized glass disc revolving facade with control of solar gain that creates dynamic patterns. RMIT, dating back to 1887, has had renowned alumni like industrial designer Marc Newson. RMIT initiated practice-led design research methods, subsequently taken up by schools globally, transforming the production and distribution of design knowledge with its initial school of design research. Central Saint Martins, London, UK

One of the cornerstones of Britain's design capital, Central Saint Martins in London has a cherished teaching faculty of design legends: from design genius Thomas Heatherwick and furniture gods Terence Conran and Mathilde Wittock to fashion royalty Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney and Mary Katrantzou.

King's Cross is upstaged by Central Saint Martins in turn, which dominated the remodeled King's Cross area when Stanton Williams Architects converted a Victorian grain warehouse into a beacon campus for the arts in 2011. The dramatic, point-of-punctuation "street" cuts across the Granary Building to create an open public promenade with gallery exhibitions and glass-wall studios – literally echoing the school's passion for cross-fertilisation of the mind.

As it has been in use since 1896 when the two vocation schools of art were combined, this London design school can have space for numerous courses such as performing and photography and animation, curation, 3D design, fashion communication and creative computing.

The £200m campus outside the original transit sheds and granary consists of two new four-storey buildings containing classrooms, workshops and a library. And a 350-seat student theatre. OCAD University, Toronto, Canada The final but by no means least on our roll call of the world's top design schools as sweet as they are crucial to the creation of tomorrow's design stars is Canada's longest-standing and most prestigious art and design school. OCAD goes far too far with a statement building in Will Alsop's 2004 Sharp Centre – a pixellated black-and-white box clumsily balanced atop brightly hued stilts towering over the old university building.

It started as the School of Art, Ontario, in 1876, OCAD went through several different incarnations before it was constituted a full university in 2010 and came out with firm object strands in aboriginal design themes and colours and in green practice.

By drawing on heritage successes such as Group of Seven artist Arthur Lismer, the university itself has carried on pushing the envelope with new ventures such as Digital Futures, where it's breaking new ground at the cutting edge of newer technology at the nexus of art, design, and media.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) once again reopened the edit window of the NEET PG 2025 on June 20, 2025, giving the candidates their last chance to edit and verify their already submitted applications before the examination on August 3, 2025. Open until 22 June, the window gives the aspirants time to rectify noticed details like date of birth, educational qualification, gender, category, PwD and EWS status, and re-loading necessary photos, signatures, and thumb impressions according to formats prescribed.

Whereas, there are some of these fields that are non-editable: name, category, nationality, email address, mobile number, and test city are non-editable as of now. This pre-correction facility is a demonstration of the strong tendency of NBEMS to keep administrative mistakes away and make the candidates more ready in dealing with this prior to NEET PG 2025.

Editable fields of NEET PG application form 2025

The following fields are editable by the candidates in their NEET PG application form:

Personal & Academic Updates

• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Category (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Classes/General)
• PwD & EWS Status

Academic Qualifications

Image CorrectionsPhotograph, Signature, and Thumb Impression—needs to be as per revised specifications. This window of image correction is available in two phases: pre-final and final—providing buffer to any sort of uploading problem to rectify.

Non-editable fields

Following prominent details are frozen and cannot be altered now:

• Name
• Category
• Nationality
• Email Address
• Mobile Number
• Test City

Steps to edit in NEET PG application form

Steps that will be undertaken by the applicants to rectify their NEET PG forms online are given below:

• Log on to natboard.edu.in and select the "NEET PG" option.
• Click the link to make the correction in the application.
• Enter the password and user ID.
• Make rational changes, re-load photos, if any, and then save and re-submit.
• Pay balance fees, if any, for category change or PwD status.

Also, never forget to check all the corrected entries before submission since now-done changes will be printed on your admit card, and a single error can cause trouble during counselling or admission.

At the time when the question of what traditional engineering education is good for lingers in the air, Polaris School of Technology (PST) is taking a silent but firm step towards defining the future of Indian tech talent students right after Class 12. Whereas most engineering students in India are stuck in theoretical studies during their first three years, 18-19 year olds at Polaris are already contributing to places like Google Summer of Code during their first years. It is not a coincidence, but an outcome of a long-term oriented educational model.

Support from cricket icon and former captain Sourav Ganguly is a key reason Polaris is among the first institutions in India to fully align with the National Education Policy (NEP).  As it has been emphasised in the recent governmental and educational reports, there is a considerable focus in this policy on the practical, skill-driven learning and experience, rather than the memorisation of the theory. The reason behind Ganguly supporting PST is not too different from his famous philosophy in nurturing the young talent, which has now earned a new home in the tech world where Ganguly has pushed PST forward with a mission to develop DOERS and not just exam-toppers.

The campus of PST is meant to depict its culture of real-world preparedness. The era of old fashioned chalk boards and obsolete labs have long gone. Rather, students are equipped with actual, working Drone, AR/VR, and IoT labs, so that day-one will come to them with hands-on experience working on technology as good as what happens in industry. Guidelines provided in NEP 2025 also mention that modern education requires such a combination of advanced technology and digital learning resources and PST is one of the pioneers.

According to one of the most senior faculty members at PST, it does not make sense to wait until the third year to work on the code or technology here. In the first semester, students build drones, create AI models, and work on real-world projects and pitch them. The practice follows NEP 2025 which fosters personalized, flexible, and competency-based learning, with students self-pacing and showing achievement mastery in concrete projects and results.

The outcomes of this practice-oriented skill-based practice are already observable. Not only do Polaris students publish research and build startups but also out-compete peers at elite colleges to win sought after internships, placements, and global fellowships. The new dynamic in PST is that firms are now paying preliminary visits to recruit prospective employees, a role played by job hunters in other areas outside the Indian IT parks.

It is a straightforward tie-up to the vision of the NEP 2025 through its idea of ensuring the students of higher education have at least 50% exposure to vocational and applied learning by 2025. This shift is reflected in the model of PST, according to which students are involved in industry projects, work-integrated courses, and real world problem solving at the initial stages of their course.

The change at PST cannot be in isolation. The NEP 2025 is instigating a silent revolution in learning systems and processes across India where the direction is on applied, skill-based learning differently. This involves fitting in aspects like smart classrooms, digital labs, and individualized learning paths that will equip the students to make it in the ever-changing world of labor. As opposed to the former situation, in which skills appeared to be a downstream thought, prominent colleges are integrating them in the very heart of the curriculum.

In many instances it is too late after Class 12 to become a computer science, AI or machine learning professional, but students who want this kind of future can use Polaris School of Technology since it is a strong alternative to four-year engineering institutions. Its community is aligned to NEP 2025, industrial liaisons, and hands-on learning, so it is not only producing graduates who are hire-able, but they are immediately ready-to-go innovators because of the training.

With the Indians shifting towards a more flexible, skills-based and competitive model of higher education that is relevant globally, the pioneering model of PST represents a glimpse of the future of engineering education where the students do not just study technology, they make it on the first day.

To sum up, Polaris School of Technology proves that Indian higher education could leave behind the old model and thrive in a future which appreciates skills, inventiveness, and the ability to succeed in a real-world environment. Through its strong connection to NEP 2025 and an investment in practical learning, enhanced infrastructure, and industry partnerships, PST is not only positioning students to work, but it is making students ready to create, innovate and lead in the future of the global tech industry. To Class 12 students who want to play a true role in the world of technology, Polaris is a guiding light of what can happen when the world changes and so should the student. 

NIFT results 2025 are declared! The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the final result today on its website. All the students who appeared for NIFT exams can now check it by logging in at https://exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT/  with their details.

As per the official data, there were 17,974 unique sign ups for "stage 1", and 31,061 actually took the exam, resulting in an attendance rate of 91.69%. In “Stage 2”, 1,973 students signed up and 1,519 took the test. 

How to check NIFT Result 2025?

• Visit exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT/ 
• Click the "NIFTEE Result 2025" link
• Put in the application number and password
• The "NTA NIFTEE Result 2025" will appear
• Download the scorecard PDF from  the download button

You have given your best in the NIFT entrance examination, patiently waiting to know your results and now here you are peering at a score card, which is not within the passing mark. Calm down, breathe deeply. Failure to pass NIFT is not the end of your dream as a designer. As a matter of fact, it is only a single chapter of a very big story. 

What is NIFT?

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is the pride of India in terms of fashion and design institutes, which was founded in the year 1986 under the power of the Ministry of Textiles. NIFT has 19 campuses in the nation and is renowned across the country due to its sensational courses in fashion design, technology as well as in management. The entrance exam of NIFT is very competitive and both creative and general skills are tested and only a few of them pass the exam every year.

Passing NIFT is a milestone, but failing in the same is too! A door closes so the other can open. Not passing NIFT does not mean that you cannot become a creative genius. Design is a big world and there are many more doors opened to you or perhaps just for you.

Each year thousands of students take NIFT to get admission to the courses such as B.Des, B.FTech and M.Des and so on. The result is announced on the internet and among the available few seats in NIFT campuses, only the high scorers are allowed. In case you did not get it, it should cheer you up that a large number of very successful designers and creative people have developed their way past NIFT.

Failed NIFT? Here is What You Can Do Next

1. Other Top Design Entrance Exams

NIFT is not the only source of access to a good design career. The latest All India Design Aptitude Test ( AIDAT ) is something to consider. NID DAT and UCEED are among the top national level design entrance tests of India. AIDAT is adopted in most of the leading design schools and colleges, and it is skill-based, creativity-based, and aptitude-based-which is the same case with NIFT.

2. Explore Top Private Design Universities

A diverse ecosystem of privately owned universities with world-class design education is found in India. Most of them accept AIDAT scores, or they run their own entrance exams. The following are the best private universities in your consideration:

• MIT Pune
• Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru
• UPES School of design, Dehradun
• Pearl Academy Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur
• World University of Design ( WUD ), Sonepat
• Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID), Ahmedabad
• Lovely Professional University (LPU)
• Vellore VIT School of Design
• Amity school of fashion technology 

All these institutes provide B.Des, M.Des and diploma courses in such fields as fashion design, communication design, product design, animation, interior design, and much more. Most of them have good ties with industries, overseas tie ups and good placement records.

3. Develop Your Talent and Projects

Your creative portfolio is important whether you do your application through AIDAT or to the individual universities to the private universities. This is your time to do some drawing, computer design, portfolio building or any other medium that presents your own style. Engage in online design challenges, workshops, and internships to increase your capabilities and confidence.

4. Stay updated

The design industry is not obsolete, new opportunities appear on the spot. Note down application deadlines, scholarships, and entrance exam dates on the university websites, design forums and social media.

5. Consider Alternative paths

Design is a field with a lot of opportunities that can’t be grasped with just a single exam or a course. There are alternative paths like opting for diploma courses, attending workshops or doing short-duration courses from platforms like Udemy, Learn vearn, etc.  

6. Network with People In the Field

The best way to find out what is good for you or aligns with your interest is through talking to real people. In today’s era, person to  person consultation is something gen z is avoiding, and this is where the chances of going wrong increases. Connect with students or professionals in the design field that interests you and get all the valuable insights and know what are the opportunities.

Design does not only mean fashion or sketching. It is not about fashion but rather solving problems, coming up with innovation and having an actual impact, be it designing clothes, apps, buildings or brands. The scale of the Indian design industry is rapidly expanding and talented designers are being sought up in fields such as fashion, technology, advertisement, film, games etc.

Not getting selected in NIFT is only a bump on the road, not a speed barrier. Your dream design career is closer than you think, especially through AIDAT that will help you secure a seat in the top private universities in India. Always concentrate on what you are good at, continue pursuing what you are passionate about, and never forget that creativity can never be denied!

 Have you ever wondered what stands between a catastrophic situation and India’s food crops? It is undetected-plant diseases! But do you know the comrades who are struggling with these enemies? They are known as plant pathologists or in simpler terms, plant doctors. 

Being a plant pathologist is no  different than being a doctor because these people are the ones who ensure we are eating good food. In 2025, this career is seeing a good trend. Students are searching for jobs and doing their research regarding agriculture careers. 

What is Plant Pathology?

Plant pathology is the study of diagnosis and interpretation of plant disease, and control of them. It can be called a medical field but for crops that is a trending career in agriculture after 12th. Plant pathologists instead of curing human beings ensure that rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables are healthy. They investigate fungi and bacteria, viruses and even stress in the environment that can adversely affect plants.

This is something that may shock you; India records around 20%-35% loss of crops annually owing to plant diseases. That is not a mere statistic, that is food that does not get to our plates and money that does not get to farmers. The financial loss? It incurs lakhs of crores every year. If even half of these losses could be prevented then IIndia would have greater food security and more prosperous farmers. 

It is not only the matter of today that plant Pathologists are needed. New diseases are increasingly appearing with the phenomenon of climate change. People are exposed to danger to crops that were initially safe. The increase in population of India demands more not less production of food. This is the reason why plant pathologists are needed so much; they are the people who find answers to the emerging problem.

What is the Scope? Which job can you have?

• Research and Teaching: Work in the best universities or research centers, or even study PhD.
• Government Jobs: Become part of the agriculture departments or regulators in order to assist in controlling outbreaks of the disease and establish policies.
• Private Sector: Join leading agrochemical companies like UPL Limited, Syngenta, or Bayer CropScience, or work with agri-tech startups such as CropIn and AgroStar that are innovating in disease management.
• Field Work: Urge farmers and conduct disease surveillance directly as well as facilitate the design of practical solutions.
• International Projects: Work with international agencies over food security and sustainable farming. 

What are you going to study?

Plant pathology courses are practical and encompass momentous choices. Here you will study about:

• Nematodes, bacteria, viruses and fungi
• Cutting edge diagnostic technology (one thinks of DNA analysis of plants!)
• Field disease management in the world
• State of art research projects 

Note that agricultural, botany and related fields bachelor degrees are required in most universities if you wish to pursue this course. The investment is modest compared to the vast career opportunities available. 

Why Now? What’s Trending?

1. Food Security: A growing population of India will surpass 1.7 billion in 2050. Meanwhile, food production ought to be increased by 50% and more. It cannot be possible without improved control of diseases.
2. Climate Change: Diseases are arising at record-setting pace. The plant pathologists are on the forefront towards creation of climate resilient crops.
3. Tech and Innovation: Cutting-edge research in India now uses CRISPR gene editing to develop disease-resistant crops. Startups and research labs are deploying AI-based apps, like Plantix, to help farmers diagnose diseases instantly using smartphone photos.
4. Job Market: experienced and competent plant pathologists are in short supply. Yet very few universities have specialized courses and as such, potential skilled graduates are grabbed within no time.

What Is The Way To Start?

There are more than 30 agricultural universities as well as some of the Best institutes (such as ICAR-IARI, PAU Ludhiana and TNAU) that provide undergraduate and postgraduate education in plant pathology in India.

Plant pathology would probably be the best career in agriculture after 12th if you are wishing to have a future-proof profession, one that is meaningful, and has a lot of opportunities. You will be working right at the center of addressing one of the greatest questions India faces in feeding its growing nation sustainably. 

Thus, in case you love science and agriculture or simply wish to contribute to the real world, you can consider pursuing a career in pathology. The nation needs you more than ever before. Pursue a career that is not just rewarding but has an actual impact. Do your research about plant pathology programs at top Indian universities and be part of the next generation of plant doctors. 

Bangalore, which is known as the Silicon Valley of India, is at an inflection point. The image of the city as the startup hub in the country is a well-established one. But behind the unicorn announcements and VC investment rounds, something raw and certain is dawning on the city, and the people, that the city is burnt out. As Karnataka keeps arguing over a 12-hour workday proposal on IT workers, the discussion regarding work culture, founder-burnout, and Bengaluru startup dream has never been more intense.

The Viral Reality: Bangalore Startup Fatigue

A viral linkedin post by the founder, Karan Raghani, of a Bengaluru startup summed up what many people have been saying in the tech quarters of the city: Bengaluru is burned out. The post, which is edged with a veneer of satire and keen observation, depicts the essence of a city where the professionals run on caffeine, losing the WiFi connection, and the prospect of work-life harmony in the distance. The infamous Marathahalli bridge which used to be a pillar of expressibility of the city is now regarded as an analogy of how the days are wasted in expressibility. It was like people were spending too much time there than at their homes, the founder joked and the statement stands true in co-working spaces as well as boardrooms.

A Proposal on 12-Hour Workdays by Government 

It is in this state of exhaustion that the Karnataka government has proposed the idea of permitting IT employees to work 12-hour shifts ultimately sparking a raging controversy. The reaction is obvious but the government is looking from a different lens and proposing such a thing. 

Those in support of it believe that it has the potential of increasing productivity and being in sync with the rest of the world's tech hubs, whereas, unions and employees are resistant enough going through with it relating to burnout, mental disorders and overcoming the barriers between work and life. This has been triggered by the fact that the startup environment is already experiencing problems with employee retention, steep office rents, and intense competition in the table to get finances.  

The Burnout in Bengaluru: What is Really the Cause?

1. Kill or be Killed Culture: Things are more intense than ever in the startup ecosystem in 2025. Both founders and employees are ensnared in round-the-clock late-night work, meeting after meeting, and the ever-present pressure to grow. A report by YOURDOST indicates that Indian entrepreneurs are facing harsh stress 68%, and burnout is a major reason behind startup failures.
2. Infrastructure Sad Tales: The rush hour traffic jams, sky rocketed rent, and the rickshaw booking problems, are beyond a morning nuisance because they are costing productivity and spirits. The city is actually not ready for the in-office work because the prices, stress and human exhaustion are normalised here!
3. Regulatory Uncertainty: So much of these changes include policy changes on the labor side as well as funding regulations, which is another level of stress that founders must endure in order to maintain operations of the business.
4. Mental Health Crises: The cry on mental health is increasingly getting louder. Increasing numbers of founders and workers are complaining about the grind, prompting companies to reconsider their course on culture and sustainability.

Global Rise of Bengaluru

In 2025, Bengaluru saw the highest global ranking ever, and rose to the 14th position on the Global Startup Ecosystem Report, beating off some of the older technology centres. The driving force behind this growth is a new surge of investment: more than 48 million invested into deep tech areas of artificial intelligence, robotics and bio technology and a diversification into new fields like fintech, life sciences and clean technology. Ananya Rao, co-founder of one of the most fast-growing healthtech ventures, notes that international investors are now putting Bengaluru as a contender on the global scale, not only as a back-office location.

The state government has been keen on innovation and this can be seen with the open innovation platform such as Innoverse and the Karnataka Accelerator Network, which is linking local startups to international mentors and markets. In the space to nurture early-stage ventures, programs like ELEVATE 2024 are being nurtured, and in workforce upskilling to support the requirements of industries in the next generation, programs such as Nipuna Karnataka are being incubated. 

According to Prashanth Prakash, the chairman of the Startup Vision Group in Karnataka, the shift is towards the models of business based on intellectual property and deep technology. Founders observe that although scaling became more available, the greatest challenge faced in the ecosystem is the maintenance of talent and well-being in the context of growth. Such selective policies and investments are transforming the startup ecosystem of Bengaluru, and making sure that the city gets elevated in a broad-based and latest ready manner. 

The Future of Bengaluru Startup ecosystem.

Nevertheless, the startup spirit of Bengaluru is not crushed yet. The city keeps attracting skills and inventions as new disciplines such as AI, blockchain, and startups specializing in sustainability are emerging. Founders are now focusing more on mental health, hybrid work arrangements, and open leadership to lock in best talent and develop reality companies.

But the argument about work hours is an alarm. To be the innovation capital of India, Bengaluru has to handle empathy with ambition. The new mantra is sustainable growth, not scale growth.

To put it in short, the startup environment of Bengaluru is at breaking point. The inhabitants and laborers are the callers of the new deal in the city, and people are in need of it to respect them and the same value as their production. The rest of India is concerned as the debate on whether to introduce the 12-hour workday continues. Burnout or balance, which one Bengaluru will prefer? The response may spell the future of work and life in the country.

It is a year when scientists of Indian origin are making world headlines, and the win of Eshan Chattopadhyay in the 2025 Godel Prize is a remarkable achievement. This is an impressive scientific story and a major accomplishment of the theoretical computer science field as well as in the bigger context of the Indian academic world in general. This IIT-Kanpur alumnus solved a 30-year-old problem and bagged the prestigious Godel Prize for his 2016 paper, 'Explicit Two-Source Extractors and Resilient Functions'. 

Here is everything you need to know about this accomplishment, how it is significant, and what it represents to students, UPSC aspirants, and anyone who looks out to see what Indian science is doing in the international arena that is leading India’s path to be Vishwaguru once again.

Who is Eshan Chattopadhyay?

Eshan Chattopadhyay is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University, and a graduate of IIT Kanpur, the name that echoes with every Indian engineering student. He graduated with his PhD degree in 2016 at the University of Texas at Austin, after graduating with BTech in IIT Kanpur in 2011. His scholastic experience extends to post-doctoral associateships at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing at UC Berkeley. The work of Chattopadhyay revolves around pseudorandomness, circuit complexity and communication complexity, which are vital to the foundation of modern computing.  

This Godel Price is not the only award won by Eshan; he has also won NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Initiation Initiative award in 2019, NSF CAREER award in 2021, and in 2023 the Sloan Research Fellowship.

What is the Godel Prize and Why is it So Prestigious?

The Godel Price, named in honor of legendary logician Kurt Godel, is one of the most prestigious awards in theoretical computer science. It is presented jointly by the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) and ACM SIGACT, and it honours breakthrough work that establishes a foundation of knowledge by advancing the field.

Godel prize is an annual award with $5,000 prize money. To be eligible for this prize, one must have a paper published within the last 14 years. Past winners include giants whose work has shaped cryptography, algorithms, and complexity theory.  

After winning the prestigious award, Eshan Chattopadhyay said, “This recognition is truly an incredible honour. The Gödel Prize has celebrated some of the most beautiful and foundational work in our field. It feels surreal and deeply gratifying that our paper is being placed in that category.”

The Winning Work: solving a 30-year old puzzle

Chattopadhyay, together with his PhD advisor David Zuckerman, was awarded the 2025 Godel Prize  for the paper they published in the year 2016 titled, “Explicit Two-Source Extractors and Resilient Functions”. This academic paper meant more than a research work because it actually solved a problem that researchers had been struggling to solve for almost thirty years!

The Problem: 

The issue of randomness is everything in computer science and cryptography. However, the real world does not offer as much randomness. The majority of sources, such as hardware noise or the weak input of the user, which is to say they are not actually random. Here was the issue: How can two weak sources be combined to produce strong, reliable randomness?

The Breakthrough: 

They were the ones who showed for the first time how to construct an explicit two-source extractor that works even when both sources have a bit of randomness; technically, just polylogarithmic min-entropy. This is new because earlier every method that has been known with regards to this, required each source to be nearly half-random, which is a big amount. Not only did their technique completely resolve the randomness extraction problem, it also provided new avenues in the fields of complexity theory, cryptography and the construction of resilient Boolean functions.

Why Should This Matter?

1. Cybersecurity: Secure encryption, digital signatures and safe online transactions rely on reliable randomness.
2. Distributed Computing: Randomness aids in constructing systems that are fault-tolerant and can construct robust communication protocols.
3. Mathematics: These methods produced better explicit Ramsey graph constructions, an important combinatorial and theoretical computer science problem. 

Why is this a Special Win to India?

This success proves Chattopadhyay is an example of world-leading talent that can be produced by Indian institutions such as IIT Kanpur. It is a moment of pride among the Indian diaspora that demonstrates that the researchers of Indian-origin are not only subjects of the world's scientific progress but are heads of it. This has been called a “shining milestone” by the IIT Kanpur alumni community.

Takeaway For UPSC Aspirants and Students

• Interdisciplinary Impact: The contribution combines the fields of mathematics, computer science, and actual cybersecurity and demonstrates how maximal generating research leads to actual innovation.
• Persistence Pays: It is a lesson in resourcefulness and hope to find the solution to a problem after 30 years of worldwide endeavor.
• Vishwaguru Bharat: Scientists of Indian origin are hitting headlines across the globe proving once again that the genes of our intelligence still reside within us, and when manifested correctly, it can lead us to be at the top of the world as Vishwaguru.

If you are an aspiring or current UPSC student, or someone who loves to keep up with the latest Indian news on Indian accomplishments, the life story of Eshan Chattopadhyay is a tale of visions, perseverance, and of the worldwide impact of Indian talent in the future technology. 

Making the career choice in design is a big step, more so in India because the creative industry is booming and new age-specializations are coming up every year. Initially the question was between art and craft, then came the choice between art,craft, and specialised design, and today the design field has evolved into a set of all the types of design. 

If you are a design aspirant who is confused whether to choose Bachelor of Design (B.Des) or Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) or Diploma in Design, this guide can assist you compare these courses on the basis of course structure, career scope, entrance exams, and salary trend so that you could make a wise, future-oriented decision.

What is Bachelor of design (B.Des)?

Bachelor of design is a professional degree in the field of applied design, i.e., product design, user experience/user interface (UX/UI) design, fashion design, interior design, or communication design. The curriculum is technology and focused on practical skills, fusing together creativity and problem-solving, which has massively changed the B.Des graduates into professionals that the technology companies, start-ups, and international brands highly want to recruit.

1. Entrance exams: UCEED, NID DAT, NIFT, AIEED, AIDAT
2. Specializations: Product, Graphic, Textile, Fashion, UI/UX, Industrial, Interior, Jewelry and so on.
3. Leading Recruiters: TCS, Infosys, Flipkart, Myntra, Tata Elxsi, design studios and MNCs.
4. Salary Trends: Product designers and UX/UI designers can be paid up to 12.5 lakh/yr and other designers and/or freshers have a salary range of 3.3-6.7 lakh/yr.
5. Ideal for: Students who enjoy creativity and combining the art with technology as well as being a team player and aspiring a career with a variety of high-paying jobs in India, which is a rapidly developing design industry.

What is Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)?

Bachelor of Fine Arts is an undergraduate degree in visual arts and performing arts- painting, sculpture, animation, photography, etc. The course is suitable to students interested in traditional or digital art and wish to develop a portfolio to work in the art, animation, or teaching field.

1. Entrance examinations: NID DAT, BHU UET, JMI, CUET, AIDAT.
2. Specialization: painting, sculpture, applied art, animation, photography, visual communication.
3. Careers Scope: Fine Artist, Animator, Art Director, Art Teacher, Gallery Curator, Multimedia Artist.
4. Salary Trends: The entry-level pay is between 1.2 to 8.7 lakh across per /yr, with the highest paying jobs (such as Art Director or Actor) with 20 lakh per /yr.

Ideal for: Students with strong creativity who wish to study personal/ commercial art or become interested in animation, galleries, or even teaching.

What is a Diploma in Design?

Design Diploma programs are shorter (1-3 years) skills-based programs, and tend to be less costly. They suit students who wish to get into the workplace as quickly as possible, upskill, or specialize in such directions as graphic design, animation, web design, or interior design.

1. Eligibility: 10+2 
2. Career Scope: Junior Designer, Assistant, Freelancing, Primary school teacher 
3. Salary Trends: Entry-level jobs pay in between - 1.8-4 lakh/yr.
4. Best suited to: People who need practical skills, wish to enter the workforce sooner, or use community or technical college as a bridge to a 2- or 4-year degree program.

So Which Path is the Right Path?

1. Go for a B.Des if you want to be a professional designer, pursue a design career in India, love solving problems, and want to work in the area of technology, business, or creativity.
2. Go for a BFA degree if you are an art lover and yearn to possess a creative portfolio or hope to work either in animation, fine arts or education.
3. Go for a diploma in design if you need to get into design fast, you can’t afford a UG degree in design, or you need practical problem-solving skills to start working.

Most Recent Trends & Insights (2025)

1. Generative AI in Design: B.Des and even Diploma courses are starting to integrate AI tools into their curriculum to quick-prototype and do digital artwork, UX research and a lot more.
2. Hybrid Careers: Graduates of B.Des pursue careers in the startups, e-commerce, and digital marketing fields and those of BFA pursue careers in animation, gaming, and OTT content creation industry.
3. Demand: UI/UX, product design and animation have been classified as some of the best-paying and highest-demanding design jobs in India as per the 2025 placement data.

Indian design education has it all, something of interest to every creative mind. Select the one that suits you the best whether B.Des, BFA or any Diploma. It is better to align your choice according to your strengths, interests and career aims. Check college rankings, consider internships, research entrance exams and create a good portfolio. Remember, the Indian design industry has a bright future ahead, make the right choice and be prepared to become a big name in the design industry. 

As a society, we often prioritise academic achievement over the emotional well-being of our children. The stress of shifting schools and cities can have a profound impact on young minds, leading to feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and isolation.

Reminiscing 2020’s global house-arrest and with campuses being closed and online learning being pursued, edtech push by COVID is now stronger than the fintech push by demonetization. The teacher-student model has ceased to exist for ever now, and we are moving to a qualitatively different mentor-learner model not just in the current digital learning phase, but also in the post pandemic times ahead. Beyond this complete campus lockdown phase, during which time mentoring-learning-assessing has gone online globally, we shall be moving towards blended phygital education ahead, which will be the new normal ahead, and will make the new model of mentor-learner firmly entrenched.

Learning or academics or education broadly has three functions: creation of learning content through research, writing, packaging with visuals; dissemination of learning through classes, lectures, notes, self-study, discussions; & assessment and evaluation of the education of the learner by various methods. All these three have been majorly impacted by the self-isolation imposed to ensure social distancing so that the learners and the mentors may first be protected from the spread of the infection of COVID19. The lockdown across the world is simultaneously a boon and a bane for the teaching-learning community today.

Teacher to Mentor:

The teacher was a sage on the stage, introducing every new topic, speaking the last word on it, sticking to a structured syllabus as prescribed, interpreting it as s/he deems right, finishing the syllabus and focusing on examination and evaluation to complete the cycle of delivery of education. He often demands respect, and relies on the power to punish to set things right (not always, though). Teacher teaches and often sermonizes.

Each premise noted above is changing now.

Mentor today is a co-learner, may be the first stimulus for a topic but never the last word, starts from a structured syllabus but is expected to move towards organic learning depending upon the variegated interest areas of groups of learners, aggregates learning resources from multiple sources and shares with the learners, is more a guide, second parent and agony shelter of sorts for the learners. Examination also is diverse and evaluation is just one more function and not the ultimate yardstick of learning and brilliance of the learner. Mentor may often be less informed about an issue, but with a better perspective to guide. Mentor engages and inspires.

Learning Resources Aggregation & Delivery:

To begin with being the new age mentor, a massive train the trainer and capacity building is needed today. For this, first the mentor has to be a digital personality with smartphone and net connection, and with laptop and wifi connection. Next, one has to learn how to create, deliver and engage in content across multiple online platforms, and how to take matter learnt online to matter practiced offline face to face. Third, one has to now learn assessment with open book through analysis and application, through quiz, through applied projects, through phygital presentation and actual work in labs and studios after using virtual labs and studios.

Creating the learning resources was quite easy earlier. There were the books, often called text and reference books, then the power-point presentation of the teacher, and then chalk and talk. And the topic was first introduced in a class, post which notes were given, books were mentioned, and later examination was conducted to check memory and a bit of understanding.

The game is changed now. And totally so.

The concept of proprietary content (the mentor’s own videos, audio or podcast content, power-points, cases, info-graphics etc), aggregated content (books, monographs, videos, podcasts, URLs, pdfs, cases, etc taken from the internet, YouTube and Vimeo, etc), and also massive open/closed online learning resources (free ones like Swayam or NAPTEL, paid ones like those of Coursera or LinkedIn, and the university’s own online courses): these three are the learning resources today.

The mentor is expected to make a mix of proprietary, aggregated and online learning resources, suitably arranging them from the easies one to the toughest one and offer to the learners digitally (using Google Class, emails, or better, Learning Management Systems like Canvas or TCSion, Blackboard or Collaborate, etc,) at least a week or more before they meet digitally or physically to discuss the content. This is called Flipped Classroom where the learners get learning content much in advance, read, watch or listen to the same asynchronously at their own time, place or pace, note down things they have not understood or have questions on, and come to the digital/physical classroom synchronously, to clarify doubts, discuss cases, debate on conclusions drawn and participate in quiz or analytical or applied assignments. Delivery of the online session can be on any platform: MS Teams, Zoom, Webex, Google Meet and can move from the synchronous digital classroom to asynchronous digital chatroom debates and discussions for further clarification.

This makes the task for Content Creation and Content Delivery for the mentors much more diverse, tech-savvy, and tougher than the traditional teacher’s job.

Learners’ Engagement & Evaluation:

Further, education will now move from a system imposed disciplined endeavour to voluntarily participated and internalized process. It will be truly a learner-centric education now in the new normal, and shall be far more participative than the past. The learner in the digital or blended mode is learning voluntarily and not on the basis of an imposed discipline on campus through a web of rules and power dynamics. While voluntary learning will throw many non-interested or apathetic learners out of the learning circle, it will also make many focused learners internalize education better and apply it in a more focused manner at his or her individual level.

Also, with Artificial Intelligence, robotics, automation, Machine Learning and internet of things being the other emerging realities, the skills for mass production or education to do the same work repeatedly will be totally irrelevant ahead when machines will take over almost all such work (more than three fourths of all human work today). Hence, new age skills, apart from technology use, have to be in areas like creativity, innovation, incubation, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, design thinking, empathy, emotional intelligence and risk management. Each of these can be qualitatively and quantitatively mentored to any youth from an early age of say 15 years till 25 years of age, and will become his or her second nature.

To deliver such a learning, the learners’ engagement techniques have to be more tech-savvy (google forms, polls, surveys, quiz, virtual lab and studio, AI tools, etc) and also with higher emotional quotient (use of humour, videos, info-graphics, empathy in the class, allowing diversity of opinion, wellness conscious, etc).

Even the evaluation or assessment has to be diverse. Assessment refers to learner performance; it helps us decide if students are learning and where improvement in that learning is needed. Evaluation refers to a systematic process of determining the merit value or worth of the instruction or programme; it helps us determine if a course is effective (course goals) and informs our design efforts. Assessment and evaluation can be both formative (carried out during the course) and summative (carried out following the course). There can be many ways for the same. Mentors can make learners aware of expectations in advance (e.g. one week for feedback from deadline) and keep them posted (announcement: all projects have been marked). For example, one can create tests that are multiple choice, true/false, or short answer essays and one can set the assessments to automatically provide feedback.

When online, evaluation can be on the basis of proctored digital examination or open-book analytical and applied evaluation with non-google-able questions. And this is surely not an easy task for the mentors as teachers of the past were used to repeat past questions, had set patterns of questions, examinations were ‘suggestions’ and memory based, and not application based in general. Online quiz, open book examination with time-managed and proctored question paper delivered online, applied questions not based on memory but comprehension, telephonic interview etc have been the usual ways of digital assessment and evaluation of learning.

There will be offline evaluation also. Here, the assessment can be based on offline written examinations, field-survey based presentation or report writing, debates, lab/studio-based practical, or a peer-group work, or a submission of a long-term real life or live project.

Digital Learning Tools Today:

The pandemic requires universities to rapidly offer online learning to their students. Fortunately, technology and content are available to help universities transition online quickly and with high quality, especially on the digital plank, though at a cost and with the risk of several teachers and administrators being forced to go out of the system.

Digital learning on the go or from distance calls for tech-led holistic solutions. It requires several content pieces to be transmitted digitally. These content pieces can be in the form of pdfs, ppts, URLs, YouTube links, podcast links, case-studies, etc. There can also be e-books, audio-books, kindle based content, magzter sourced magazines, etc. Then this can involve learning without being face to face through boxes, as in Google Class, or learning face to face as in Zoom live audio-visual discussions. People may also use GoToMeetings or MicrosoftMeet sessions also. Attendance can be taken on Google Spreadsheet and through WhatsApp Group chat of a batch of students too.

Then there are MOOCs, collaborative distance learning, wikis, blogs etc. Individual resource-rich institutes develop their customized secured and IPR protected Learning Management Systems, through the use of BlackBoard or TCSion LMS. Other LMS options like Kaltura or Impartus allowing video recording of talks also ar in use in many places. There are CourseEra courses, Swayam online lessons from UGC and similar other avenues to learn online.

Learning digitally can be further assisted with Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) which can take the viewer to an enhanced experience even integrating scenarios which are yet to happen creatively bringing them within the learning experience. These are immersive and contextual experiences, and artificial intelligence driven chatbots can further enhance the digital interface of the learner and the mentor.

Digital Learning Value-adds:

Incorporating big data analytics and content management, educators can develop an individualized curriculum that enhances how each student learns (e.g. playlist of learning content in WiseWire changing for each student). Many in the West have started the use of the millennials' language and style: Khan Academy video lessons, YouTube use, distinct style and language for young learners. Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, Imessage, Instagram, Facebook & Whatsapp are being creatively integrated with school education. There is a case of a management school in India, where the professor sends a 3 minutes interesting video on the subject he is taking up next through group whatsapp to increase interest in the batch towards the topic being taught.

In the US, the smart-phone applications like Socrative and Plickers are helping teachers interact and assess students’ progress, collaborate via cloud-based applications to work and solve a common goal. Teachers can publish real-time quizzes and polls for students via mobile devices to keep them engaged.

Further, using anything from iMovie to WeVideo, learners can create video as a learning resource. YouTube (with privacy settings) and SeeSaw or Flipgrid are also alternatives learners can make use of. The benefits of SeeSaw and Flipgrid are that students can add voice recordings or text sharing feedback with peers. Students became the co-creators of content and as a result, more engaged, including their parents. Useful apps like Book Creator, Explain Everything and EduCreations can be utilised towards this end. 

There are various software used to create digital content, like Camtasia, Raptivity, Captivate, Articulate Online, etc.

Yes alongside, social media use extensively will support learning online. Facebook Page can broadcast updates and alerts. Facebook Group or Google Hangout with advanced features in G-suite can stream live lectures and host discussions. Twitter can act as a class message board. The 256 characters help to keep messages succinct. Instagram can be used for photo essays. One can create a class blog for discussions. There are many different platforms available, such as WordPress, SquareSpace, Wix, Blogger for that. And, one can create a class-specific Pinterest board as well.

Students to Learners:

With mentors replacing teachers, the students cannot be the pre COVID typical students any more going ahead.

Students study in classroom, are taught by teachers, limited to given syllabus, and study for marks, grades, degrees. Students give exams in written and on the basis of suggestions or set patters of evaluation.

Learners study within and beyond the classroom, from mentors, peers, personal experience, books, digitally aggregated content, through projects and through assignments. Learners learn for lifetime application, and hence learn to learn further as things learnt today are obsolete soon. Self-learning or learning to learn is hence a major cultivated skill for the present day learners, especially in higher education, as techniques and technologies are changing in the work-place in less than five years now. Learners also learn organically. While structured syllabus must be completed for foundation and examination, organic learning is about self-driven learning in few chosen areas out of interest, assisted by the mentors.

Yes, for this, doubling public education expenditure, digital access to the hinterland, considering digital connectivity as a human right, digital literacy as a fundamental pre-requisite in any work, providing cell phones and laptops or tabs en masse, announcing cheaper data packages for students, CSR in the field of domain of digital connectivity by corporate houses, etc and more would be needed soonest to bridge the yawning digital divide in the otherwise class divided society. It must be noted that even UNESCO has noted that only 48% of Indian learners’ community of 283 million is receiving some sort of online education today, the rest 52% going bereft of any form of formal learning whatsoever for more than a year now! And among these 48%, the girl-students are having a worse fate in the poorer families due to limited digital devices to which the sons have a higher access than the daughters.

Conclusion:

India has been speaking of digital education for long but it has stayed on as a possibility and not a reality for more than a decade now. Even IITs and IIMs have used digital platforms on the side for sharing of content and debating on issues sporadically. The larger mass of 1300 plus universities and some 44,000 colleges have actually not digitized their content, not made access to online learning mainstay of their teaching-learning process, except the distance learning universities. In fact, the old school educationists looked at online and distance education with some disdain all across South Asia. They are in for a major shock now. The digital divide needs fast bridging through the promise of 6% of the GDP for public education, through 2% of profits for CSR given here, and through civil society initiatives like getting smart-phones, laptops and tabs for the less privileged.

It is clear that going ahead digital access will be a human right, and those in governance must wake up to the reality that youngsters need in expensive tablets and easy data access. A nation that spends less than 3% of national budget for public education (lower than Tanzania, Angola and Ghana, et al), with the states putting in 2.5 (Bihar) to 26% (Delhi), with Delhi being the only state in double digits, cannot ensure digital education for the masses, unless allocation of funds and their transparent spending happen.

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Prof. Ujjwal Anu Chowdhury

The author is Vice President, Washington University of Science and Technology and Editorial Mentor, edInbox.com

The last two years have clearly shown that technology-aided remote schooling is neither fully possible nor completely desirable. 

Lest we forget that India is a nation of more than one-third of the population in the 15 to 25 years age-bracket, the most promising period of life when one decides career path, subjects for learning, types of work to do, and becomes self-dependent in the process.