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The students of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar, has been asked to vacate the campus on May 9. Bus services to railway and bus stops  have been made by the administration; the move comes at a time when enhanced security and blackout measures are being initiated in Punjab's Majha region, except in Gurdaspur.

The Amritsar government, headed by Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Sakshi Sawhney, had previously announced that if required, a complete blackout would be implemented with advance notice through sirens. Unlike usual mock drills, the authorities have made sure that this one is genuine and citizens are supposed to adhere to it strictly, on their default, legal action may ensue.

By 8:30 PM, there was a total power failure in Amritsar and Pathankot districts. Contributing to the general unease, reports of explosions in Pathankot, not confirmed, heightened the sense of tension among the people.

To the students of NIT Jalandhar, the unexpected evacuation order has added to confusion. The students are concerned today with short-term accommodations, safety, and how this is going to affect their study focus, particularly since there are exams and projects currently underway. Some students used social media to ask questions regarding a lack of communication and transparency on the part of the administration.

Though there has been no formal statement connecting the evacuation of the NIT campus to the blackout in Majha, the timing coincidence has caught people's attention. Authorities remain silent on whether step by step security measures are responsible for the order.

As the region stays on red alert, residents, students, and parents are all anxiously waiting for more news. The accident brings to mind the need for open communication between students and schools, especially during moments of crisis, to avoid panic and maintain safety.

A record wave in government of the people, by the people, and for the people, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed appointment letters to 494 assistant teachers and 49 lecturers at Lucknow's Lok Bhawan convention hall on Thursday. The candidates were chosen under the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) Prayagraj.

Talking about the day, CM Yogi said that "UP's new work culture modelled by 'fair and transparent recruitment process is an earning of pride for Uttar Pradesh". It is UP government jobs where the appointments are done on merit only, and not on recommendation, bribe, and arbitrariness.".

The newly appointed teachers appreciated and mentioned that they tried their best to acquire their respective roles seriously and were sincere while imparting education and sincere.

Ballia's Shailendra Kumar Singh, who was given the post of lecturer, said, "This is a dream come true. The process was totally transparent, and I will perform my responsibilities with honesty." Likewise, Ashish Kumar Singh, who was given the post of assistant lecturer in Social Science from Ballia, thanked the Chief Minister and said, "For the first time, the appointment was made without recommendations or any kind of allegation whatsoever."

Preeti Sharma from Aligarh, posted as assistant teacher Arts in Mathura, welcomed the "fair selection". Secondly putting forth the same opinion, Pooja Yadav from Mau and Ramesh Kumar from Mirzapur also thanked Chief Minister for the same.

Over 6 Lakh Recruitments Since 2017

According to government data, over 6 lakh youths have been recruited in UP government offices since the Yogi government took power in 2017.

CM Yogi instructed the newly appointed teachers to work hard in their responsibilities, emphasizing to them that the future of the children and of the country rests in their hands. Again, he reminded them that this trend of appointments is a motivating model before all those who want to be part of the state cadre.

Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has announced two new programmes — Master's in Political Science and Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) — from next year's 2025-26 academic year. Vice-Chancellor Anu Singh Lather made the announcement during a press meet while releasing the university's postgraduate and undergraduate programme admission brochure.

According to Lather, the university will this year offer 1,491 postgraduate and 1,123 undergraduate scholarships. She enumerated the affordability and accessibility of study at AUD on mentioning that it is government-financed and renders inclusive financial scholarships to deserving learners. "We have significantly subsidized Ons fee, and nothing is charged for SC, ST, and PwD students," Lather further added. ₹6.26 crore have been provided to scholarships and students' welfare schemes during last year," she also added.

The introduction of the Master's in Political Science will enrich the social sciences curriculum of the university, and the D.Litt programme is a benchmarking attempt towards research and development of scholarship. In contrast to most institutions awarding the D.Litt as an honorary degree alone, AUD will confer it as an earned higher learning degree. The program will discover and recognize outstanding scholarly contribution in literature, humanities, social sciences, and design.

Lather further added that AUD's efforts in the direction of rationalizing its academic courses on NEP 2020 lines, i.e., experiential learning. "In keeping with the field work emphasis of the NEP, our students are already being taken to the relevant places such as Rakhigarhi in Haryana so that they could see it themselves," she said.

Through these programs, AUD continues to be a pioneering institution prioritizing academic as well as social impact, setting new standards for students and researchers next year.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is closing the application window for the University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) exam 2025 today, May 7. The eligible candidates who wish to appear for the exam can submit the online application form up to 11.59 PM tonight. Direct link to apply online for UGC NET June session is available at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. While the registration window will be shut by tonight, applicants can pay their exam fee for UGC NET up to May 8, 2025 (11.59 PM).

The UGC NET exam 2025 is scheduled tentatively from June 21 to 30, 2025 in 85 subjects. The UGC NET will test the candidates' eligibility for admission into Ph.D. programmes, award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and appointment as Assistant Professors in Indian Universities and Colleges.

Direct link to register for UGC NET exam 2025

The application process for UGC NET June 2025 session began from April 16. Interested candidates can apply online at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. Here is the direct link to fill the application form:

Applicants must make sure that the email address and contact number they provide in the application form are their own or their parents/guardian's only. All the information regarding the UGC NET 2025 exam will be shared with the applicants through their registered contact details.

UGC NET Application Fee 2025

Aspirants can pay their UGC NET application fee on or before May 8, 2025. The fee varies from category to category. Category-wise UGC NET fee is as follows:

General/Unreserved: Rs. 1,150

General-EWS/OBC-NCL: Rs. 600

SC/ST/PwD/Third Gender: Rs. 300

When UGC NET June 2025 exam will be held?

As per the announced schedule by the NTA, the UGC NET exam is tentatively scheduled to take place from June 21 to June 30, 2025. In case of any alteration in the date sheet of the exam, the students will be informed by the NTA through a formal notice on the examination website.

The UGC NET 2025 admit card will be published a few days before the examination date. The same will be notified to the registered students through the official NTA website.

The Ministry of Education has informed that Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has been appointed as the national coordinator for Institutions of National Importance (INIs) in the SWAYAM platform.  The decision was ratified in the 26th meeting of the SWAYAM Board. Dr Ashutosh Mohan of Banaras Hindu University's Institute of Management Studies has been appointed as the national coordinator for SWAYAM.

The University will now be monitoring the quality and progress of the online courses developed by over 160 Institutes of National Importance (INIs) in the nation, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Central Universities.

As per a statement released by the University, Dr Mohan asserted that he will "ensure that online education provided by India's top institutions is of international standards of quality, accessibility, and relevance."

"We are committed to improving the user experience, making academic credit transfers easier, and streamlining the course life cycle in full compliance with the 2024 SWAYAM Guidelines," he added further.

Prof Sanjay Kumar, ad-interim vice-chancellor and rector, Banaras Hindu University, congratulated the BHU SWAYAM team for the success and assured his determination to offer all necessary support and coordination towards establishing BHU as a norm on the platform.

The contribution of BHU will be academic and administrative facilitation to INIs, enabling institutions to fulfill SWAYAM 2024 guidelines, prevent duplication of contents and maintain curriculum relevance.

The varsity will also rationalize examination and certification norms in consultation with the regulatory agencies, and facilitate credit transfer and UGC, NTA-suitable certification on the basis of examinations.

BHU has been very active on the SWAYAM portal, with 37 courses already in the process of being developed and another 63 to be started by July 2025. The institution also has a dedicated digital studio for content development, as per a university release.

With this appointment, BHU joins the list of small group of national coordinators on the SWAYAM platform, which also includes nine other prominent institutions like All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), University Grants Commission (UGC), NPTEL–IIT Madras, NCERT, NIOS, IIM Bangalore, and IGNOU.

K V Rabiya, whose tough frame has become the face of Kerala's adult literacy campaign, passed away at her residence in Malappuram on Sunday. She was 59.

From Vellikakkad, Malappuram district, Rabiya struggled through hardships and personal losses, right from childhood days itself, to work tireless in the cause of the differently abled and inspired a thousand women to enter the field of writing.

She was awarded the Padma Shri award for social work in 2022.

Even at the age of 12, as a school-going girl, Rabiya fell victim to polio, which would go on to paralyze her below the waist and leave her paraplegic. Not discouraged by this, she finished school and enrolled in a college. She was not able to finish the degree course, however.

Rabiya then plunged into books, reading science to literature. Wheelchair-bound now, Rabiya also began teaching tuition classes to local children for a nominal charge.

It was by chance that Rabiya was involved with Kerala's literacy movement, which started in the late 1980s. It had to be a college certificate holder for becoming a teacher for literacy. But a teacher, not able to pursue the course, requested help from Rabiya. And this was the beginning of a social worker and the beginning of her legacy.

She began teaching literacy classes in June 1990, and local housewives and elderly women were her pupils. She tried to persuade orthodox family women of the importance of education, and narrated motivational stories of global leaders and social reformers to pique their interest in taking her classes.

When her roll of students began to increase, Rabiya became a full-time literacy teacher. Subsequently, she also set up a women's library and played a key role in the progress of her region, which lacked basic facilities like roads and electricity, telephone, and water supply.

She later started a voluntary organization called Chalanam (movement), which also organized literary programs.

Her intervention was not confined to literacy only. She initiated six special schools for children and empowered and trained over 250 women through a small-scale production unit. She was just as much of a trendsetter in the movement against dowry and superstitions. In the following years, she was also a part of the e-literacy project, Akshaya, in Malappuram.

In 2000, Rabiya also developed cancer, but regained her health and went on to do social work later.

The inspirational life story of how she made her dreams come true was chronicled by Rabiya in her autobiography, Swapnangalkku Chirakukalundu (Dreams Have Wings). She wrote four other books apart from the memoir, Mouna Nombarangal (Silent Pains). There was also a film documentary on her life, titled Rabiya Moves.

She was awarded several awards, the Kannagi Devi Stree Shakti Puraskar, initiated by the Union government's Child Welfare Department, in 2000. She received the Youth Volunteer against Poverty award, initiated by the Union Youth Affairs Ministry along with the United Nations Development Programme.