Get passport in a week by giving four documents

PUNE: The ministry of external affairs has announced two major changes that will fast-track the process for first-time passport applicants and make it more convenient to secure an appointment at the local passport seva kendra.

Citizens will be granted a fresh passport under the normal category in a week if their applications are accompanied by three documents - copies of Aadhaar card, electoral photo identity card (EPIC) and PAN card - besides an affidavit in the format of Annexure-I (declaration of citizenship, family details and no criminal record).

Until now, the process would take a month, with the police verification eating up a lot of time.

Police verification of such applications will be conducted after the passport is issued. There will be no extra charge for the service, a statement issued by the ministry said. The process is subject to online validation of the Aadhaar number while processing and an approval from the granting officer. 



In addition, EPIC and PAN cards may also be validated, if required, through respective databases in real time, before the application is approved. Besides, passports may also be impounded and revoked later, in case of adverse police reports.

The idea of the upgrade is to liberalise the process without compromising on security, explained Anil Kumar Sobti, director of the passport division in the ministry. "There are plenty of inbuilt safeguards in our system which can instantly spot fake identities and forgeries. Most importantly, our system is linked to the Aadhaar database which helps conduct real-time verification of the applicant while s/he is still at the passport seva kendra," he said.

"We are trying to integrate EPIC and PAN cards as well. Additionally, the granting officer interviewing the applicant can use his discretion to extend or withhold the facility. Besides, the option of impounding or revoking the passport post issuance is always available and we have exercised it several times in 2015," Sobti said.

hinges on accurate and complete 

Hailing the change as an applicant-friendly initiative, Pune's regional passport officer Atul Gotsurve said, "A smooth rollout of the facility documentation furnished by the applicant.

"Adverse police reports can be avoided if applicants themselves play a pro-active role in their verification to ensure that it is completed within a month since the passport is issued. We will also institutionalise measures to prevent an increase in such cases."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Get-passport-in-a-week-by-giving-four-documents/articleshow/50749610.cms

Now, get edu documents in stipulated time

Now, get edu documents in stipulated time

 

Deadlines Fixed Under Right To Services Act

 

A year after the enactment of the landmark Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, higher and technical education secretary Sanjay Chahande on Saturday promulgated an order to provide retotaling of marks, duplicate marksheet, duplicate degree, verification of documents and migration eligibility certificate within stipulated period.

“We have issued an order to provide basic services linked with the higher and technical education department. If the competent authority fails to provide the documents within the stipulated period, stringent action will be taken against himher as per the provisions of the act. Besides disciplinary action, the law provides for fine for erring officials,“ a senior bureaucrat told TOI.

Giving the specifics, the bureaucrat said that now it bureaucrat said that now it will be mandatory for the competent authority to complete retotaling of marks within 15 days; provide duplicate marksheet and duplicate degree within 15 days; and migrationeligibility certificate and document verification within 30 days. For the examinations conducted by the directorate of technical education, score card of common entrance test will be issued in 30 days, duplicate marksheet within 15 days and for the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Examinations, it has been mandatory to provide migration eligibility certificate within 21 days.

The bureaucrat said the order promulgated by the higher and technical education, which controls all the universities in the state, will go a long way in ending red tape and harassment of students. “In the absence of stipulated time, students seeking duplicate documents, verification of documents and migration or eligibility certificate faced a difficult time. The students were at the mercy of the clerks in universities. This are also the main areas where students face harassment and corruption at educational institutions,“ the bureaucrat said.

 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Now-get-edu-documents-in-time-bound-period/articleshow/50701113.cms

Google Docs Now Supports Voice. Bye-bye Keyboard!

Type, edit and format with your voice in Docs—no keyboard needed!

February 24, 2016

We launched Voice typing in Docs to help you capture ideas, compose a letter, or even write the next great novel—all without touching your keyboard. Starting today, you can also edit and format your documents with your voice.

To get started, select "Voice typing" in the "Tools" menu when you’re using Docs in Chrome. Say what comes to mind—then start editing and formatting with commands like “copy,” “insert table,” and “highlight.”

Check out the full list of commands in our Help Center or simply say “Voice commands help” when you’re voice typing.
It’s a quick and easy way to get ideas out of your head, and into a doc. So try out Voice typing (and editing and formatting) today!

Source: http://googledocs.blogspot.in/2016/02/type-edit-and-format-with-your-voice-in.html

Visitors to the Display of Project Reports

Display of Project Reports - BE CMPN, BE INFT and BE ExTC

BE - Project Reports are on display from February 22 - 29, 2016 in the Library. 

Come and have a look!

CMPN Project Reports

ExTC Project Reports

INFT Project Reports

• 17 Feb 2016
• Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
• HT Correspondent ■ hteducation@hindustantimes.com

Build your own app with Google

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If you’re a student with a great idea for a mobile app, here’s your chance to make money. AdMob, Google’s mobile advertising platform specifically designed for mobile apps, is inviting entries for the 2016 AdMob Student App Challenge.

ISTOCKWinners will visit Google’s headquarters in California. The winning app will feature on the Google Play Store.

To compete, applicants need to register their team of not more than five people. If you are looking for other students to join your team, you can visit collabfinder.com.

The second step is to build your app. Once this is done, it’s time to promote the app so that people can see it and start using it. Then, submit the app to Google play Store or Apple’s App Store.

After approvals, send your mobile app to Google by using a form available at www.google. com/admob/mobile-app-submission.html and also submit your business report. The last date for submission is June 28, 2016.

In the first round, teams will earn points for user ratings, downloads and other factors. The top ten teams from each of the four regions – North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific will advance to the next round where the overall qualities of the app will be assessed, including its design and intuitiveness, its value to users, and other factors listed in the terms and conditions.

One finalist will be chosen from each region (four regional finalists in total) to advance to the final round. Finally, the panel of six independent judges will review the regional finalists’ business reports and award the grand prize to one team.

The grand prize winner will enjoy a week-long trip to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View and take home a nifty bag of goodies, including a Google device.

Four regional finalists will take home Google devices and have their app featured on the AdMob website. For more information, visit www.google. com/admob/challenge.html

Source: Hindustan Times e paper dated February 17, 2016

There’s an app for that

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BEYOND BOOKS To prepare for the upcoming board exams, Class 12 science students are using mobile apps and YouTube channels that break down experiments, have quizzes and question banks, and aid last-minute revision

Students often use websites for question banks. Apps for study are a great idea, but it does depend on how one uses them. If not used sensibly, it can be a big source of distraction as well. MANJU NICHANI, principal of KC College, Churchgate

With her Class 12 board exams just a few weeks away, Sharanya Hegde, a student from New Horizon Public School, Airoli, is busy with last-minute revision. To help jog her memory, she has traded in textbooks for technology.

IMAGESBAZAAR

“I watch videos related to my math and physics syllabus on YouTube,” she says. “Since I need to work harder at physics, I use videos on Khan Academy for topics on integration, and professor Pradeep Kshetrapal’s YouTube channel for electrostatics. This helps me revise my concepts.”

Another Class 12 student, at Royal Junior College in Dombivli, Shivani Deshmukh, says, “I use an app called Robomate, which has lecture videos for physics, chemistry and math. It also contains test papers and chapter summaries — it’s convenient, because I can study these on my way to and from college, on a portable tablet.”

Like Hegde and Deshmukh, several Class 12 students preparing for the upcoming board exams are using new apps, YouTube channels and websites to grasp the syllabus better.

“The best thing about such channels is that they promote self-learning,” says Dhrubesh Deb Sharma, 18, a first-year engineering student of SRM University, Chennai. “I studied organic chemistry and nomenclature through the videos. In school, they would skim through the surface of the syllabus. Here, they would explain each topic in detail, so you really understand what you’re learning.”

Particularly for science students, the practical components of the exams carry substantial weight. “We get to perform each experiment just once in the college laboratory, and that is often not enough. In these videos, the practical experiments are performed live and explained in detail, and going through them a few times before the exam can help refresh your memory,” says Shweta Kuse, Class 12 student of Holy Angels School and Junior College, Dombivli.

While students are using technology for self-study, colleges, too, are turning to it as a teaching tool.

“We use YouTube to discuss case studies with the students, and we share PowerPoint presentations about various subjects through Google Groups for students,” says Indu Shahani, principal of HR College in Churchgate. “We find that this is an effective method that keeps students engaged.”

Counsellors say students can create Facebook or WhatsApp groups with classmates and teachers to discuss doubts. When on study break, students can contact teachers via video conference and create a virtual classroom.

“YouTube is very informative, especially for practical experiments, as you can learn outside the labs as well,” says Shilpa Pathak, counsellor at RN Podar School in Khar (West).

With a few weeks to go for the board exams, here are some apps and YouTube channels you can check out for your final leg of preparation.

TOPPR LEARNING

What: A YouTube channel for HSC and CBSE physics practicals

How i t works: If physics practicals are all Greek to you, and converting galvanometer to voltmeter seems alien, this channel may be your answer. It breaks the experiments down with simple l anguage, and demonstrates live experiments with school-grade equipment.

The practicals are designed to be the same as what is to be taught in the syllabus. The channel is a couple of months old, and clocks more than 5,000 views on most videos.

“I used Toppr Learning to study for the practical component of the exams, and it was great. I had missed some practical sessions in school and had some doubts about those concepts, but the videos helped clear them up. Also, they use the same apparatus as we do in school, so there was little confusion,” says Swayam Pal, Class 11 student of DAV Public School, Panvel.

Where: bit.ly/1R6a5Wb

CBSE PRACTICALS

What: A YouTube channel dedicated to CBSE students, to help them prepare for physics and chemistry practicals

How it works: The video usually begins by explaining the theory on which the experiment is based. With animated videos and live demonstrations, experiments are explained in simple terms. The channel also links viewers to related videos and topics.

CBSE Practicals was launched in September 2015, and has about 5,000 subscribers.

“Because of large class sizes in college, it is difficult to approach professors for every doubt,” says Kuse of Holy Angels school. “We only got the chance to perform each experiment once, and I used the CBSE Practicals and other YouTube channels to revise them.”

Where: bit.ly/1Tlnn39

EDUNOVUS ONLINE

What: For physics and chemistry, CBSE and state-board Class 12 exams

How it works: The videos use a combination of demonstration and animation. Some videos also show related experiments that may not be in the syllabus, but enhance a student’s understanding of a particular concept.

“Physics and chemistry both have theories that are complicated and can be better learned using animation,” says Sagar Malasani, director of Edunovus Online. “Animation helps simplify concepts, and allows for better recall. We have experienced lecturers on board to help formulate the content.”

“The videos are clear and explain the theories well — this, in turn, helped me prepare better for the practicals,” says Deepthi Reddy, Class 12 student of Sai Chaitanya College, Hyderabad.

Where: bit.ly/1QiSr4t

STUDY - NCERT CBSE ICSE & MORE

What: An app built by online learning portal MeritNation, and aimed at students of Class 6 to Class 12, of CBSE and ICSE boards

How it works: Much like the MeritNation website, the app includes solution papers to help revision in the final weeks.

The app, with about 10 lakh downloads, lets you take tests, and provides you with percentile score, so you understand where you stand with respect to other students also taking the tests. It also holds more than 14,000 videos on concepts that are part of the CBSE syllabus.

Once you understand the concept, you can take an unlimited number of same question papers to test yourself.

“For last-minute preparation, our app has revision notes, study material and sample papers,” says Prayag Panchwadkar, vice-president, marketing, MeritNation, which has five apps on the Google Play Store. “The idea is to help students learn on-the-go, on their cellphones or tablets.”

“I have been using the app for quite some time, and find the expert answer section — where students can post questions and get answers — particularly useful. The app also has easy solutions to NCERT questions,” says Jahanavi Dahanke, Class 12 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Nagpur. Cost: Free

Where: Available on Android

and iOS

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

What: Covers topics related to organic chemistry

How it works: While the app is not tailored to the syllabus of any particular board, it features more than 70 organic reactions and their properties, explains complicated reactions, including alkanes and alkenes benzene, phenol and diazonium salts. It also has chapters on naming compounds and isomerism, important in the Class 12 chemistry syllabus.

“Organic chemistry is a vast topic, but this app helps break it down. The mechanisms and reactions are explained with colour-coded text, which makes it easy to understand. Using the app helped clear my doubts,” says Shreya Mandal, 18, Class 12 student at DAV Public School, Panvel.

Cost: Free Available on: Android

Source: Hindustan Times e paper dated February 17, 2016