A petition filed by a number of students through Counsel A.D.N. Rao, alleged that this year, medical colleges across the country did not contribute as many as 700 seats to the all-India quota.

Many students who cleared the common entrance examination missed out on a seat in an institute of their choice after the second counselling for the all-India quota seats in medical and dental colleges was over. Moreover, there was no provision for a third conselling.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam agreed with the petitioners saying that 70 out of 117 medical colleges and 22 out of 27 dental did not furnish information about the vacant seats.

The Bench comprising Justices B.N. Aggarwal, H.S. Bedi and S.G. Sighvi ordered the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), which conducts the counselling, to find out the exact number of vacant seats from each college latest by September 5.

The Bench said, "The DGHS will compile the information latest by September 12 and will conduct an extended second counselling on 13th and 14th September at Delhi".

IGNOU has entered into a tie-up with the Aeronautical Engineering Research Organisation (AERO), Pune, to form a joint core group to oversee the planning and development of the programme and also to undertake and execute all such activities required for the fulfilment of the objectives described above. AERO will set up fully-equipped office infrastructure for the project on the IGNOU campus.

Initially four centres will be activated in the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western regions of the country. Course material will be developed in collaboration with experts in the aviation sector.
IPR and cyber laws

IGNOU is also exploring the educational avenues opening up in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR) and cyber laws.

The university has come up with a two-year Master's programme in IPR in collaboration with reputed Indian institutes and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. The objective of the course is to develop awareness, knowledge and practical skills in IPR issues. In addition to legal skills, the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and scholarship are the other features of the course.

Courses: (a) BSc in Medical Lab Technology (three-year); (b) BSc in Clinical Microbiology (three-year); (c) Diploma in Operation Theatre (one-year); (d) Diploma in X-Ray Technology (one- and two-year); (e) MSc / MLT/ Microbio/ Biotech (two-year)

Eligibility: (a) to (d) Class XII; (e) BSc Bio/MMLT. Contact the institute for details

How to apply: Prospectus and application form can be obtained from the institute on payment of Rs 300 in cash and Rs 400 by post

Contact: Delhi Institute of Paramedical &Technical Education, RZ-C-117, Gopal Nagar, Najafgarh, New Delhi-110043 Phone: 28011469, 28012349

E-mail: dipte@indiatimes.com

Website: www.orthoplusdipte.org

A. he Government of India conducts examinations through the UPSC and state public service commissions for appointing welfare officers at the central and state levels. The position is that of gazetted officers in family welfare, education, social welfare, tribal development programmes, prisons etc.

National bodies like the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) and National Institute of Public Co-operation & Child Development (NIPCD) and major community development projects also appoint welfare officers. Some of these jobs are also open to PG degree holders in related fields like sociology, psychology and economics.

As a social welfare officer, your functions would be primarily that of an executive. You would be involved in programme planning, funding, execution, monitoring, evaluation and auditing procedures.

On the occasion of signing the MoU with IGNOU, Dr. Rajesh Tandon, President - PRIA said, "This is a historic occasion where a premier civil society organization PRIA is partnering with a nationally reputed university IGNOU to launch a new educational programme to prepare human resources for the effective implementation of development projects in the country".

"The collaboration with IGNOU will enable PRIA to deliver its academic programme to learners from India and abroad, and will give diploma status to the academic programmes. This will increase the employability for the learners", Tandon added.

According to Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, "The partnership with PRIA will enable IGNOU to build a cadre of professionally trained project managers who can undertake responsibilities in implementing various development programmes of the government, the private sector and the NGOs in the country and beyond".

Research opportunities are available for eligible scholars/ candidates in the specialized areas of Biotechnology, Chemical Technology, Information Technology, Basic & Applied Sciences, Humanities & Social Sciences, Management Studies, Environment & Disaster Management and Law & Legal Studies in respective School of Studies of GGSIPU.

Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, the constituent college of University is also offering research programmes in different areas of engineering including, Computer Science Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical and Automation Engineering.

Eligible and short-listed candidates will be called for an interview and to make a presentation for about 30 minutes about his/ her research plan before the School Research Committee (SRC), to test the comprehension of his/ her field/ area of research, academic preparations and potential to carry out the proposed research.

The Gautam Buddha University, which will be entirely residential, will open its innings with only the Master of Business Administration course. But soon it will also offer other courses including pure sciences, humanities, law and more.

Revealing this, university registrar Ombir Singh said: "We will even have courses in the latest fields like bio-technology and information and communications technology. But for all that to begin it will take about five years, with courses being added as the infrastructure grows."

Gautam Buddha University, so called because it happens to be located in Gautam Budh Nagar, will reportedly have 5,000 single rooms for as many students.

Much of the construction of the university has already been completed, particularly its imposing outer gates and walls. It has been built on a campus spread over 511 acres, "which is difficult to expect for a new university on Delhi's borders," said Singh.

The university, when completed, will have a covered area of a whopping 54 lakh square feet. The university has long been a priority for chief minister Mayawati. Soon after she took charge this time round on May 13 last year, several heads rolled in the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), and other concerned departments, for the "delays" in the university's construction.

"In addition to our rigorous classroom teaching methods, we are embarking on a major distance learning project," IIT Delhi director Surendra Prasad told IANS.

"Apart from regular students, we at IIT Delhi want to help as many industry professionals as possible through the distant learning mode," Prasad added.

For this, industry professionals need not come to IIT Delhi, but classes would reach their offices - in "an effective and time-saving formula for both parties".

M. Balakrishnan, dean, postgraduate studies of IIT Delhi, said this semester two live classroom courses are being beamed to a Noida-based IT company through two-way video and audio links on an experimental basis.

"This is a pilot project and once it delivers results, it will provide a major boost for industry professionals. We may soon have a full fledged set-up for this distant education mode," Balakrishnan said.

Those who have passed Plus Two or equivalent examination with at least 50 per cent marks (45 per cent for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category) in aggregate in English, physics, chemistry and biology and have passed each subject separately are eligible to apply.

Applicants should be aged between 17 and 21 years as on August 1, 2008.

Prospectus and application form can be obtained from the Principal, College of Nursing, Dr. R.M.L Hospital or Safderjung Hospital, New Delhi, by sending a requisition letter. Attested copies of cla ss 12 mark sheet, 10th class certificate as proof of age, a demand draft for Rs.200 drawn in favour PAQ, Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi, and a self-addressed envelope (size 30x24 cm ) affixed with stamps for Rs.50 should be sent along with the request so as to reach the addressee on or before August 20.

Admission details are available on the website www.ipu.ac.in or http://www.mohfw.nic.in. Duly filled in applications should be submitted directly to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasatha University, New Delhi.

Last date for receipt of applications is August 30.The common entrance test will be conducted on September 20, 2008. For more details, visit www.ipu.ac.in.