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Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday stressed the need to make NSS a people's movement and asked students to inculcate positive thinking, work for the welfare of society, and be the driving force behind social reform.

He was addressing after awarding the NSS State Award for 2022-23 at a function organized by the State cell of National Service Scheme (NSS) and the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department at Raj Bhavan.

In his speech, Gehlot urged students to actively participate in NSS along with their studies.

Citing Swami Vivekananda, the Governor said, "Youth power is the foundation of any nation's progress," a statement issued by Gehlot's office read. He said that NSS volunteers, driven by Vivekananda's vision of self-reliance, bravery, and self-confidence, are contributing substantially to society and the country.

Their activities involve cleanliness campaigns, health awareness campaigns, tree planting, relief and rehabilitation in natural calamities, literacy drives, conservation of nature, and encouraging national integration and social harmony in rural as well as urban regions.

He also emphasized the NSS volunteers' active participation in large national campaigns like the Make in India campaign, which focuses on making India a manufacturing hub of the world; the Digital India program, which targets the conversion of India into a digitally empowered nation; and the Swachh Bharat Mission, aimed at building a clean and green India. Gehlot appreciated the outstanding work done by more than five lakh NSS volunteers in Karnataka and congratulated the awardees on their commitment and work.

Looking into the history of NSS, the Governor pointed out that since 1969 with 40,000 volunteers, it has turned out to be one of the largest youth volunteer organisations in the world.

"The scheme continues to help mould the personality and character of youth through social service." He reaffirmed the NSS motto, "Not Me, But You," which expresses the ethos of selfless service and compassion for others.

Quoting Swami Vivekananda once more, the Governor said, "Arise, be alert, and do not stop until the goal is achieved." He urged students to take inspiration from the visionary leader and work for the country as "responsible citizens." The NSS was further urged by him to work on all-round development by taking up backward regions in villages and urban areas and making efforts to bring down school dropout rates.

The Governor distributed a total of 48 awards during the ceremony, which included two best universities/directorates, two best NSS programme coordinators, 12 best NSS units, 12 NSS programme officers, and 20 best NSS volunteers who showed exemplary dedication to NSS activities, the statement further added.

The celebrated scholar is awarded for pushing back at conventional literary theory and broadening the boundaries of inclusivity in cultural discussions.

Scholar and theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak has received the Holberg Prize for 2025. Among the world's most prominent prizes for scholarship, the Holberg Prize annually recognises an excellent researcher within the humanities, social sciences, law or theology. It is sponsored by the Norwegian government and managed by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and has a cash award of $540,000. Spivak will be awarded the prize on June 5 at the University of Bergen in Norway.

Spivak became a University Professor in the Humanities at Columbia in 2007. A faculty member of Columbia's Institute for Comparative Literature and Society since its inception, Spivak is a revered academic figure. Spivak has been influencing literary scholarship since the 1970s: her landmark essay, "Can the Subaltern Speak? " (1988), remains at the center of postcolonial inquiry. It holds in it the basic principles of her critical and ethical research: that hegemonic discourse silences the voices of groups at the margins of society, and literature has no right to be inclusive or "universal" until it includes those voices.

Spivak has specifically centered her attention on subaltern women, both in discursive practice and cultural institutions. Spivak was born in Kolkata on February 24, 1943. She studied at the University of Calcutta and later at Cornell University. Down the years, Spivak has kept alive her connection with Bengal, working closely with academics and authors like Mahasweta Devi. Her translation of Devi’s short story, “Draupadi”, helped bring the powerful, disruptive text to a wider audience. She starts her foreword to the translation with the words, "I translated this Bengali short story into English as much for the sake of its villain, Senanayak, as for its title character, Draupadi (or Dopdi).

For in Senanayak I find the closest approximation to the First World scholar in search of the Third World, I shall speak of him first." For Spivak, translation is a profoundly political and philosophical enterprise because it makes knowledge democratic. She has translated French philosopher Jacques Derrida's book, Of Grammatology, and brought the theory of deconstruction—defined by the Britannica as "a form of philosophical and literary analysis. that questions the fundamental conceptual distinctions, or 'oppositions,' in Western philosophy through a close examination of the language and logic of philosophical and literary texts"—to English-speaking readers. Spivak deconstructs "Draupadi" with deconstruction methodologies in the aforesaid foreword. 

Spivak has taught in self-supporting primary schools in India's most impoverished sections as part of her ongoing attempt to empower the marginalized to express their experience on their own terms. According to the Holberg Prize citation, "For Spivak, rigorous creativity must intersect with local initiatives to provide alternatives to intellectual colonialism.

Nine books have been written by Spivak, most influential among which is A Critique of Postcolonial Reason: Towards a History of the Vanishing Present (1999). She has edited and translated some of the others. It has been translated into over 20 languages. The quote summarizes her accomplishments briefly: "Spivak's scholarship provokes readers, students, and scholars to "train the imagination" through extended engagement with literature and culture. Beginning with the centre of Western philosophy as a site of critical examination, she has made it possible, facilitated, and encouraged otherwise unimaginable trajectories of critical questioning—both at the centres and peripheries of world modernity.

With less than a week left for the Common University Entrance Test - Undergraduate (CUET UG) 2025 registrations, students are stuck in confusion over choosing subjects with the recent alterations in admission policies.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has allowed candidates to appear for the CUET UG in subjects they did not study in Class XII, but universities like Delhi University (DU) have clarified that admissions will be given on the basis of school subjects studied. Therefore, students now have to personally check each university's admission requirements, adding more challenges.

CUET UG 2025 registration ends on March 22, and the entrance test will be the door to undergraduate admissions in 302 Indian universities. According to Navbharat Times, in NTA's information bulletin, the name of 46 central universities is mentioned, but in another portion of the same paper, 47 universities are mentioned. CUET UG 2025 comprises:

47 central universities

42 state universities

34 deemed universities

10 other government-aided colleges

169 private universities

Adding to the suspense, NTA has not issued the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document for CUET UG 2025 yet, in contrast to last year when 127 questions were solved in an official FAQ list.

Career counsellor Alok Bansal added that FAQs are important, since students cannot always read the whole information bulletin. "FAQ is a necessary process since it gives students short answers to frequent queries," he said.

To sail through these uncertainties, students are taking the help of school teachers. SK Gupta, Chairman of VSPK Education Society, mentioned that teachers are getting lots of calls from students asking for help in the application process.

In the same way, Dr Sanchita Gupta, Principal of VSPK International School, Rohini, also asserted that teachers are personally helping students by reading the information bulletin and offering required clarifications.

The CUET UG 2025 is still an important step in the process of undergraduate admissions, but without definite directions from NTA, students have the task of identifying subject eligibility themselves.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has declared the results of the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT 01/2025) today. All the candidates who appeared for the test can check their results from the official portal afcat.cdac.in.

AFCAT 2025 Exam Details

AFCAT 01/2025 was held on February 22 and 23, 2025 and for a duration of two hours. The test had 100 questions for a total of 300 marks. Questions were framed on the following subjects:

• General Awareness
• English Ability
• Verbal and Numerical Ability
• Reasoning
• Military Aptitude Test

Marking Scheme

• Correct Answer: +3 marks
• Incorrect Answer: -1 mark
• Unattempted Questions: No marks credited or deducted

How to Check AFCAT 2025 Results?

The following steps can be followed by the candidates to see their results:

• Go to afcat.cdac.in
• Click the AFCAT 01/2025 result link
• Enter your login details
• Submit and download your result

Selection Criteria

The candidates need to obtain the minimum qualifying marks independently in the written test as well as the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) test according to IAF's prescribed standards. The final merit list would be prepared on the basis of aggregate marks scored in both stages. 

AFCAT 2025 Vacancy Details

The vacancies include Flying, Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches.

Flying Branch

Men: 21

Women: 9

Ground Duty (Technical)

Men AE (L): 95

Men AE (M): 53

Women AE (L): 27

Women AE (M): 14

Ground Duty (Non-Technical)

Weapon Systems (WS) Branch

Men: 14

Women: 3

Administration

Men: 42

Women: 11

Logistics

Men: 13

Women: 3

Accounts

Men: 11

Women: 2

Education

Men: 7

Women: 2

Meteorology

Men: 7

Women: 2

Shortlisted candidates who qualify in the selection process will be trained and commissioned into the Indian Air Force.

For further updates, check the official website of AFCAT.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has defended the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) amid ongoing controversy. Sangma emphasized the university's commitment to high standards of education and the high number of students using its facilities. He also addressed the arrest of Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, who was arrested on charges of allowing unfair means in exams. Sangma promised that the case would be handled according to legal procedures.

In an interview with journalists, CM Sangma reiterated that the university has always adhered to all laid-down procedures, rules, and laws while ensuring high standards of education. "I have said this time and again without any fear," said Sangma, referring to the quality of education and mentioning that a lot of students are availing the institute's facilities.

Not mentioning the arrest of Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, Chief Minister referred to a recent case involving the university and made it clear that it comes under the jurisdiction of the Assam police. He stopped there, since the case was still pending in another state.

Sangma promised that law would take its course and everything would be dealt with as per legal procedures. USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque was sent to judicial custody by the Sonitpur Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court at Tezpur on March 14, after his arrest by the district police.

Hoque was arrested on charges of promising students that he would permit unfair means in exams. CJM H J Kashyap heard the arguments of Haque's lawyer as well as the public prosecutor, and ordered that he be produced in court on March 18.

Aspirants have to hold on for the final result to confirm admission at the allotted college

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the provisional seat allotment result for the special stray vacancy round of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2024.

The candidates who attended this counselling round can verify their allotment status on the official MCC website, mcc.nic.in, according to Times of India.

According to an official notice issued by MCC, "It is for the information to all candidates that the Provisional Result for Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET PG Counselling 2024 is now available."

But candidates should keep in mind that the provisional result will not ensure admission. After the final results are announced, they can download the allotment letters and go through the admission process at the instituted colleges.

How to check the NEET PG 2024 stray vacancy provisional result

The candidates can follow these steps to check the result:

Go to the official website mcc.nic.in

Click on the NEET PG tab on the homepage

Choose.Provisional result for special stray vacancy round PG 2024

Clicking on this link will open a new page with a PDF file showing the details of allotment

Download and check the result for future reference

The final seat allotment list will finalize admissions, and only after that can candidates report to an allotted seat. More information about this round of NEET PG counselling is given below on the MCC website, as per Times of India.