Yogesh Avasthi

Students can create customised courses to replace elective so that they can specialise in their area of interest at undergraduate level Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, February 22, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/20140222201402220146534374f7106cd/GTU%E2%80%99s-final-year-students-to-chart-their-own-course.html Meritorious students in final year at Gujarat Technological University will now be able to study subjects of their liking. Usually, students have to take up a post-graduation course to specialise in aspecific stream, but this new structure will allow bright students to specialise in their area of interest at undergraduate level. “This will be applicable to courses like BE (degree and diploma), MBA, MCA and Pharmacy,” said GTU Vice- Chancellor Akshai Aggarwal. In place of electives, students can choose a new subject by combining portions from various streams. “The method will raise their creativity and impart flexibility,” said a GTU official. This option is avai

Prospects this year are nearly the same as last year’s, say college officials; two students land jobs with UAE-based firm Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/201402182014021802273778e7e469aa/LD-Engineering-students-land-jobs-abroad.html The general fear of economic slowdown does not seem to have any impact on the placement of the students of L D College of Engineering. Since July last year, as many as 240 students have been placed in various companies with compensation packages touching Rs 8.5 lakh per annum. The figures are roughly the same as last year’s. Among those placed, 10 are from civil, 42 from mechanical, 22 from electrical, 33 from electronics and communication and 42 from information technology, said a source at the college. In a significant development, for the first time two students from plastic engineering branch have landed jobs with UAE-based company on a package of Rs 6.48 lakh per annum each. Principal M N Pa

RTI activist Harinesh Pandya endeavours to steer and guide people through the movement for transparency Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, February 10, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/20140210201402100149098598acb4b6e/Leading-RTI-revolution.html When the Right to Information (RTI) Act came into existence in 2005, many people considered it as a second Independence of sorts – this time independence from corruption. Almost 10 years later, the RTI is on its way to becoming a revolution against the corrupt system, thanks to activists like Harinesh Pandya who have been encouraging people to make optimum use of the tool. Pandya’s initiative to help people use RTI has given birth to the ‘Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel’, a forum of organisations and activists working to spread awareness on RTI. The forum has so far helped more than two lakh people use RTI effectively. These beneficiaries also include government officials who were ignorant of RTI rules. “After RTI was implemented, the

A project by AG High School and G & D Parikh Higher Secondary School students to check consumption and wastage of water in their school won them Earthian award by Wipro and Azim Premji Foundation Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Sunday, February 02, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2014020220140202024306796280a79f1/TEENS-AUDIT-SCHOOL%E2%80%99S-WATER-USAGE-GRAB-BEST-PROJECT-AWARD.html Water crisis ranks as the third highest concern in the world according to the Global Risks 2014 report released by World Economic Forum. While majority of us acknowledge water crisis as a serious problem, initiatives to save water on an individual level leaves a lot to be desired. But five students of AG High School and G & D Parikh Higher Secondary School have shown us the way forward by executing a water audit — they collected data regarding their school’s water usage, leakage and quality. The project by class 9 students Aksha Thakkar, Jainesh Shah, Shrey Patel, Disha Shah and Muskan Swamin

Marks for engineering practical papers have been increased from 10 to 50 and external teachers introduced for exams in all eight semesters now; the move will force colleges to give importance to practicals and address industry’s concern at quality of graduates who are found wanting on shop floor Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, January 06, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2014010620140106014309380f94c042f/GTU-BRINGS-IN-EXTERNAL-EXAMINERS-TO-PREVENT-MALPRACTICE-UP-QUALITY.html Engineering students, you better pull up your socks. External teachers will conduct practical examinations in all semesters in colleges affiliated with Gujarat Technological University. Until now this happened only in the last two semesters, leaving the scope of unfair evaluation in the first six semesters. The new rule comes in the wake of complaints that practical exams were being ignored by several colleges which would award marks arbitrarily to cover up for their lack of facilities and teaching s

Students and staff of MG Science Institute and SM Patel Institute of Commerce will use bicycle or public transport today; while they would like to make it a monthly or more frequent affair, many of them have begun exploring vehicle pooling Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, January 01, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2014010120140101023024458e80036da/5000-students-usher-in-2014-in-public-transport.html As the city reels from traffic woes and the world from environmental hazard, about 5,000 youngsters in two city colleges ring in New Year by using public transport. Encouraging them will be their teachers who, too, will give up their personal vehicles for the day. About 2,000 students of MG Science Institute and 3,000 of SM Patel Institute of Commerce have added to the ‘college days’ something which, if replicated by other Amdavadis, holds the promise of easing the city’s traffic bottlenecks, pressure on fossil fuel and some relief to their wallets. While MGSI begins its

Senior citizen Chandra Shah had forgotten to keep the money in her locker; bank traced her through CCTV footage Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Thursday, December 12, 2013 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2013121220131212023618958a95073af/Couple-returns-Rs-35K-found-near-bank-locker.html A 49-year-old Manekbaug resident’s vigilance and honesty has helped a bank return Rs 35,000 to the rightful owners. Satish Zaveri (49) stumbled on two bundles of 1,000 denominations when he was operating his locker at the Central Bank of India, Bhudarpura branch. Rather than pocket the money, he informed the bank manager and ensured the amount was returned to Pravin Shah (77) and wife Chandra (75). Felicitated by the bank on Wednesday, Zaveri, who owns a jewellery store, said, “On November 22, I had come to the bank with my wife Jayshree (45) to operate a locker. Since the locker is at a height, we dragged the ladder when a bundle tumbled down. We found two bundles of notes of 1000 denomination, arou