MBA Seats For Cash: This is India

IT dept raids Welingkar's Director

In raids that stretched for almost 48 hours, the Income Tax (IT) authorities over the November 20 weekend searched the residences and office of Dr Uday Salunkhe, Director of Welingkar Institute of Management, Matunga, Mumbai. While it is learnt not a lot of cash was found, documentary evidence has been seized to help with further investigation.

The raids that started on Saturday were apparently spurred by a lone complaint filed by a student last year, that of being charged illegal capitation fee for a seat in the institute's MBA-equivalent program. However, this complaint was made a year ago during the 2009-10 admission season but for want of time and other pressing matters, no action was taken then. "This student was persistent over the months and so the decision to raid was finally taken," said an IT official on the condition of anonymity.

The Income Tax raid was spurred by allegations that Dr Salunkhe, an engineer-MBA and a PhD who holds important positions at the Mumbai University, was charging capitation fees and admitting students through the backdoor instead of through the normal process of entrance exams and interviews. IT officials were not willing to admit or deny that Salunkhe's bank lockers in both Pune and Mumbai had been sealed. One IT official told us that the Director had totally denied amassing any ill-gotten wealth and had claimed that whatever wealth was seized from his residence or the Welingkar campus belonged to the trustees of the institute. IT officials have also questioned some more staff of the institute.

According to sources, the board of trustees of Welingkar Institute of Management have been embroiled in bitter rivalry since some time. "There is already an issue brewing among the trustees and some licenses were revoked a couple of years ago when similar raids were carried out," added the IT official. In 2004 and in 2008, the IT department had carried out similar raids and discovered irregularities in the trust's functioning.

Both the IT officials as well as sources from Welingkar Institute of Management told us that the raids were linked to the internal rivalry among the institute's board of trustees. "For years now, there have been factions in the trust and all these raids have happened at a time when elections in the trust are round the corner," said an official from the college, implying that such tipoffs to the IT department were part of the rivals' gameplans against each other.

"It is easy to target Dr Salunkhe since Welingkar Institute is the most famous of all the institutes run by this particular board of trustees and nets in the highest revenue. Those who want to gain control will naturally want to target Dr Salunkhe," the official added.

LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research is part of the Shikshana Prasaraka Mandali, Pune. The charitable trust SP Mandali manages 43 educational institutions in Maharashtra including the well-known Ruia College and Poddar College in Mumbai.

While media reports have stated that huge sums of money were found in the residences of Dr Salunkhe and some of the other Welingkar staff, IT officials refused to confirm or deny it. "We cannot tell you what we have found or its quantity but it is enough for us to investigate further." IT sources told us that had the raids been carried out during the admissions season, may be the find would have been different.

For now, the IT officials are concentrating on unearthing clues from documents and email correspondences of the institute. Further evidence garnered through such investigation will decide the future course of action.

"Emails and other important correspondence is usually stored in servers abroad which make our job difficult. But we have learnt to combat these issues as well," said the IT official. The IT person adds that what they have got as evidence until now could probably be just the tip of the iceberg.

The IT official, from his experience in dealing with such issues, said that in IT violation cases related to education, things get complicated as so many educational institutes are run by politicians or influential people who find it easy to flout the law. "And besides, there are those institutes not run by government and do not get government aid. If these want to start something new or advance the existing facilities, they don't see any way out but to charge capitation fees. Since capitation fees are not legal in our country, people find alternative ways to collect them."

Rajasthan-based Atul Bapna, who is a career counsellor and is also in the business of facilitating management quota seats says that except for very few b-schools, most in the country charge capitation fees.

"There is a management quota in every b-school and use is made of that quota to get in the revenue for the college. It is a well-known fact. These things become an issue only when some student or parent does not get the admission at the discussed rate and decides to take action. Such raids does not affect the functioning of any institute. Capitation fees are here to stay," he says.

Bapna adds that the process of admission via the capitation fee route is carried out behind closed doors in these colleges. Lack of transparency in b-schools' functioning aids such activities.

The day the raids were carried out, was also the convocation day for Welingkar Institute of Management's 2010 graduates. Apparently, Welingkar officials had discussed this with the IT officials who first agreed to let the convocation happen. However, the institute and the officials could not sustain that agreement and the convocation got cancelled. "We had students coming from all over the world. They had to just go back. When we were told that we had to cancel so we sent SMS, called and emailed as many as we could to not come to the institute that evening, but so many still did," said an official from the college.

We spoke to students on the Welingkar campus at Matunga. One of them said that while there was a concern among the students about the IT raids, it had not affected their lecture schedule or studies. "Yes, we are wondering what is happening but we are not directly affected by it. Our lives as students are going on as usual."

There has been no official mail from the institute to the students explaining the current situation. Officials from Welingkar said that any such communication is sent out only by the Director.

When we visited the campus on Wednesday, it seemed its usual busy self. There were no hushed tones to be heard nor any alarm on the faces of students. Only the security officials seemed extra cautious and kept me waiting at the security office for a while till the institute gave a green signal for me to enter. Guess, the security guards may have been given strict instructions post the raids, not let in unknown faces, lest they turned out unfriendly too.

Source:pagalguy.com

US Consul General to Visit Nagaland During Hornbill Festival

Kohima, Nov 25 : The US Consul General, Kolkata, Beth A Payne will be attending the inaugural ceremony of the Hornbill festival as the state guest on December 1 next at Kisama Heritage village here.

According to official sources here today, Ms Payne is likely to inaugurate one of the events of the famous tourist festival which would be showcasing the culture and tradition of all the Naga tribes at the Hornbill festival.

The seven-day festival will begin at the Naga Heritage village in Kisama from December 1 next.

She will have a brief press interaction during her stay in Nagaland, official sources said.

Beth A Payne assumed her duties on August 1, 2008, the sources added.

Assam Activists Vandalise Vishal Mega Mart Stores

Guwahati, Nov 25 : Hundreds of activists of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) Thursday vandalised at least three Vishal Mega Mart shopping malls in Assam. About a dozen students were injured when police used batons to disperse them.

AASU accused the shopping chain of defaming it, two days after a newly floated students' forum released telephonic conversations between a Vishal Mart executive and an AASU leader regarding monetary transactions.

Malls in Guwahati, Jorhat and Dibrugarh were attacked, a police officer said.

'In all the three places, about 100 AASU activists sneaked past security barricades and started pelting stones. They then entered the premises and resorted to large scale vandalism,' he said.

At a press conference Tuesday, the Forum of Ex General Secretary Post Graduate Students Union of Gauhati University released an audio tape where AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya was heard talking about receiving Rs.2 lakh from an official of Vishal Mega Mart shopping chain.

AASU admitted to accepting donations from business houses, and said it was not doing 'anything wrong'.

AASU also forcibly closed down six Vishal Mega Mart malls Wednesday - in Guwahati, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Tezpur, and Silchar - and asked the management to tender a public apology before opening the outlets.

'There was no request from Vishal Mega Mart management for providing security. We were caught unawares by AASU activists,' the police officer added.

AASU has warned of more attacks if Vishal Mega Mart did not apologise.

AASU commands the support of an estimated five lakh students in the state. It spearheaded a violent six-year anti-outsider agitation in 1979.

It is active in raising issues of Bangladeshi migrants, mega dam projects, and corruption.

The Oldest Surviving Heart Patient in India From Mizoram

Aizawl, Nov 25 : VL Bela, who cut his 100th birthday cake on October 11, claims to be the oldest surviving heart patient in India. The retired schoolteacher, who now lives at Tuikual locality here, had created history by undergoing “stent angioplasty” in Kolkata at the age of 95 and became the oldest man in the world to survive the operation.

Dr Tarun Praharaj, director of Cardiac Catherisation Laboratory and senior interventional cardiologist at the BM Birla Heart Research Centre, successfully performed the angioplasty on Bela on April 23, 2005.

When his doctor visited him on his becoming a centenarian, he found him to be in good health. Stent angioplasty of coronary arteries at above 80 years of age is known to be causing acute cardiac and non-cardiac complications like renal failure and bleeding and eventually, resulting in death.

A team, led by Praharaj, went ahead with the angioplasty and cleared the blockade. The patient survived.

Bela had a history of chest pain and heart attack before he underwent the operation. Doctors in Aizawl said the pain was a result of age-related complications and an earlier heart attack.

“I would have died five years ago had I accepted what the doctors here told me and not insisted on going to Kolkata,” Bela recollected. After arriving in Kolkata, Bela enquired about the treatment available.

On being informed about angioplasty, he wanted to go for it. The spirit shown by him at such an advanced age amazed the doctors.

“He was stubborn and desperately wanted us to perform the procedure on him. We held a meeting and decided that nobody is too old not to enjoy life for a few more years.

There was a case reported from London aged 91 and one from Brazil.

To the best of my knowledge, no case has been reported in this country earlier,” Dr Prahajar said.

Bela is stated to be the longest surviving heart patient not only in India but also in South East Asia.

Meghalaya Produces World’s Best Carnation Flowers

Shillong, Nov 25 : West Khasi Hills District Horticulture Development Officer S Kharlukhi today said Meghalaya is known as the carnation belt in the country. The carnation flowers of the State are famous not only in the country, but also all over the world.

Talking to newsmen today, S Kharlukhi said that though  West Khasi Hills District was lagging behind in many aspects, the district was blessed with the world’s best carnation flowers.

“In the recent International Flower Show at Sikkim, carnation flowers from Meghalaya were considered the best in quality when compared with such flowers from abroad,” Kharlukhi said, and added: “In India, only four States — Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya — plant carnation flower, and among them Meghalaya has been graded as one of the States that can produce best quality of carnation flowers.”

“The carnation flowers in West Khasi Hills have been planted by the District Horticulture Department. The department is also trying to  bring awareness among the people on carnation plantation that can be one of the best ways to earn their livelihood and to increase economy of the State,” Kharlukhi said.

Last year, Nongstoin had produced about 2,50,000 pots of carnation flowers. The flowers were exported to countries like UAE, Holland, Belgium, Brazil, and China, said Kharlukhi, adding that the department was also trying to send flowers to other countries as well.

“At Nongstoin, in each square metre of land 20 carnation flower plants can be planted. The Horticulture Department planted carnation flowers over 2,000 square metres of land,” he said, and added that the main uses of carnation flowers were decorations and gifts. Besides carnation flowers, Nongstoin Horticulture also planted strawberry, and the yearly yield is two tonnes, said Kharlukhi.

Besides ZOPAR Marketing Company, the department has also signed an agreement with the North Bengal Floritech Company for marketing carnation flowers.

Manipur Girl Gang Raped in Delhi

After 40 mins, rape victim dumped at Mongolpuri

By Rahul Tripathi

New Delhi, Nov 25 : A 30-year-old BPO employee, from Manipur, was picked up by four drunken men near Dhaula Kuan and gangraped for over 40 minutes in a moving vehicle early on Wednesday morning. The woman was forced into the vehicle near Nanakpura gurdwara at 1.21am and found in a semi-conscious state in Mongolpuri Industrial Estate at 2am.

According to the police, the woman has been staying in the area for the past four years. She and her colleague, also from the northeast, had told the cab driver to drop them outside the gate of their colony at 1.15am.

They were walking towards the gate and were barely 100 metres from it when four men, who were sitting inside a tempo goods carrier, grabbed one of them. The other woman managed to escape.

The four then took the woman to the rear of the tempo, which was open at the top, and sped off on Ring Road around 1.21am. Her hands were tied and mouth gagged by three of the accused.

The other woman had, meanwhile, managed to run into the colony. She informed the PCR at 1.25am after which a manhunt was launched but the cops failed to trace the vehicle. Due to thin police presence and virtually no patrolling, the accused had a free run.

The four then took turns in raping the woman at the rear of the vehicle and stopped a number of times to swap positions. One of them was driving while the other three were at the back.
Around 2 pm, they dumped the woman at Mongolpuri Industrial Estate after which the traumatised victim somehow managed to call up her friend from her own mobile.

A police team rushed to the spot and took her to the hospital. Joint CP (southern range) Amulya Patnaik told TOI: ``We have registered a case and are investigating the matter. The four will be arrested soon. From the description given by the victim about the assailants, they appear to be workers or labourers.

The cops have launched a verification drive of goods carriers in the area with the focus on all the places where goods were delivered in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the victim who has been under trauma is being counselled by an NGO.The cops said they have also informed the family members and an organization that caters to Manipuri women.

A case under section 365 (kidnapping) and 376 (g) (gangrape) has been registered at Dhaula Kuan police station.

No Takers For 'Mr India', Film On HIV Positive Body Builder

Panaji, Nov 24 : 'Mr India', a documentary film depicting the struggles and triumphs of HIV positive body builder Pradeep Kumar may have won several international awards, but is finding no takers for a theatrical release in India.

Filmmaker Haobam Pabankumar is disappointed that the film will go to DVDs directly despite winning more than 12 national and international awards.

The documentary film from Manipur was screened in the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

"Getting a theatrical release in India is very difficult but we have found a distributor and some theatre owners in Manipur are interested in screening the film but otherwise it will go to DVDs," Paban told reporters here.

Documentary films find it hard to get a theatrical release in India but Paban said that the film had a message which should reach people.

The director seemed disappointed that not many people saw the movie, which he made to help Pradeep in his struggle. The money earned from different awards and DVD sales go to Pradeep, who needs nutrition supplements to continue his effort even as he fights the deadly disease.

Paban said that his friends from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute pitched in with the money and even the cameraman did not charge for the two year long work.

"It took two years to make the film but my friends were very helpful. They all wanted Pradeep's story to be told to the world and it is an effort to help Pradeep because he needs about Rs 40,000 every month to spend on his supplements," the director said.

Pradeep was detected with HIV in 2000 but decided to go public with his disease in 2007 after winning a medal in the Mr India competition.

"My family has supported me throughout, that is why I am standing here. But when my closest of friends came to know about it they left me and that's when I decided to do something that even they could not do. I wanted to prove that a person living with HIV AIDS can lead a normal life. I will be happy if my story helps fight the stigma. All we need is moral support from society," said Pradeep.

Paban continues to travel with his film and even though he seemed disappointed with the poor turnout at the screening, he is confident that the film will help take the message forward.
IFFI this year has two stories about AIDS. Apart from 'Mr India', the festival is also screening 'Going the Distance', a 24-minute documentary by Tiainla Jamir, which shows a woman's journey right from the day when she discovers her HIV positive status.

Mizoram Cracks Down Against Non Locals

By Laishram Shamungou

Imphal, Nov 25 : Mizoram is no place for those who have no Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the implementation of ILP system there is such that non-Mizos who do not possess the document are transported beyond the boundary of the State in terms of truck loads every day.

A team of 13 journalists who recently conducted a tour of Mizoram witnessed strict implementation of ILP system by the State administration.

In the interest of protecting the indigenous people, Mizoram Government does not allow settlement of any outsider who do not have Inner Line Permit in any part of the State.

Mizoram Chief Secy and DGP interact with scribes from Manipur

Every day Mizoram police round up non-Mizos who do not possess ILP and transported them in trucks beyond the State boundary.

In fact, the touring journalists saw a large number of non-locals being transported in trucks for not possessing Inner Line Permit.

Most of the shops in Mizoram are also run by the local people and it is rare to see non-locals engaging in such enterprises.

Interacting with media-persons in connection with implementation of ILP system, Chief Secretary of Mizoram Van Hela Pachou, however, maintained that Mizoram has been rather flexible with regard to implementation of ILP system.

He also pointed out that out of the total population of 8.8 lakh in Mizoram, non-Mizos constitute around 1 lakh.

In response to a question on reported handcuffing of non-Mizos and more particularly Manipuri Meiteis and keeping them in custody, although they are not criminal, last month, the officer clarified that there is no such report.

DGP of Mizoram Lalrokhuma Pachou, who was also present during the meeting with the Chief Secretary, explained that the drive against non-Mizos who do not possess ILP had been conducted under the supervision of ADC and SP of Aizawl.

All the Manipuris should have ILP if they are staying in Mizoram, the DGP said.

When asked why only the Manipuri Meiteis have been targeted and the Manipuri tribals settling in Mizoram have not been arrested, the Chief Secretary and the DGP failed to give any comment.

It may be noted here that apart from a large number of Manipuri Engineer, Policemen and teachers, there are many labourers working in Mizoram.

Many Mizos including former Chief Minister of Mizoram Zoramthanga and those who went on to become IAS and IPS officers have been educated from Manipur and there are a large number of Mizos living in Manipur.

via The Sangai Express