YIMS students commemorate S. Janaki

The management of Dhanekula Institute of Engineering and Technology (DIET), at Ganguru near Vijayawada, in a release stated that the institute has been officially recognised as the AI practice school by the USA-based Calibo AI Academy.As part of this recognition, faculty members and students will gain access to an AI Sandbox Platform, which will enable them to acquire hands-on experience in AI technologies. Through this platform, they will work on real-time industry problems, develop AI-driven solutions, and enhance their practical skills. This initiative, the management said, will encourage students to move beyond theoretical learning and acquire industry-relevant competencies.A delegation from M/s MagicSoft USA will visit the campus on August 23, 2026. The visit will focus on academic collaborations in emerging domains such as the Artificial Intelligence, student skill enhancement, internships, future joint projects.On a sidenote, the management in the release also mentioned that 65 students from the three departments of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Electronics Engineering have secured core internships and placement opportunities with Bosch, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Motors. These opportunities offer an annual package of more than ₹6.5 lakh per annum, according to the release. Published - August 03, 2026 08:54 pm IST

Kerala Minister for Youth Affairs O.J. Janeesh on Sunday (July 26, 2026) said the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan does not bring closure to the controversies surrounding examination irregularities, and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi answer for the deaths of 90 students allegedly driven to despair by repeated examination-related scandals.Interacting with the media here, Mr. Janeesh said the country had witnessed question paper leaks on five different occasions, and Mr. Pradhan should have accepted moral responsibility and resigned immediately after the first such incident.“Instead, the resignation was deliberately delayed, with Narendra Modi challenging students, youth and the nation as a whole. The resignation has finally come only because the government had no option in the face of mounting public outrage,” he said.CJP protestResponding to criticism from Left intellectuals over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, Mr. Janeesh said many of those raising the question were themselves absent from the protest venue as well as from other demonstrations organised in support of the cause.He said the agitation was not conducted under the banner or framework of any single political party but was a broad-based movement involving people with diverse political views.“If the Congress had formally entered the protest venue, there was a concern that the movement would be branded as a party-led agitation, which could have weakened the larger public campaign. That is why the Congress chose to extend its full support from outside rather than participate directly,” Mr. Janeesh said.He maintained that the Congress had stood firmly behind the protesters while respecting the non-partisan nature of the movement. Published - July 26, 2026 05:52 pm IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah. File. | His remarks came after Mr. Pradhan resigned on Saturday (July 25, 2026) amid mounting pressure due to the protests over the NEET paper leak controversy."The Modi government respects the sentiments of the country's youth and is committed to implementing the necessary reforms against paper leaks," he said in a post on X late Saturday (July 25, 2026) night."For the BJP, the nation, our youth and students hold far greater importance than any position," he said.The decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure strict punishment for those guilty of paper leaks are commendable, Mr. Shah said."I am fully confident that these steps will ensure complete justice for the students who succeeded in the NEET examination," the Home Minister said.Mr. Shah said Mr. Pradhan has brought about significant reforms in the effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), arrangements for examinations in mother tongues, expansion of PM SHRI Schools, promotion of digital education, skill development, and strengthening industry-academia coordination during his tenure."His efforts toward making the examination system more inclusive and student-centric have also been noteworthy. His tenure is a testament to his dedication to the resolve of making India a developed nation," he said. Published - July 26, 2026 09:56 am IST

Teachers and students at Jami Zilla Parishad High School in Vizianagaram. | Ramsundar Reddy and District Educational Officer U. Manikyam Naidu on Saturday (July 25, 2026) urged parents to track the academic performance of their children attending government schools by downloading the Leap App on their smartphones. Mr. Manikyam Naidu submitted a report to the Collector on the feedback received during mega parent meetings held in 2,250 schools across the district.Speaking to the media, Mr. Manikyam Naidu said that the PTMs have provided the teachers a great opportunity to inform nearly two lakh parents about the importance of their active role in tracking attendance, performance in examinations, and extracurricular activities of their children.Jami Zilla Parishad High School Headmistress P. Malathi informed higher officials that over 300 parents attended the crucial meeting. She also noted that many parents downloaded the Leap App during the meeting and entered details about their children to track their studies and other relevant information. Published - July 25, 2026 07:53 pm IST

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference amid the ongoing protest over the alleged NEET paper leak issue, in New Delhi, on July 25, 2026. | Gandhi said their demand for the ouster of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is non-negotiable, and nothing short of it will be acceptable.Claiming that he had heard that a section of the Union Cabinet is suggesting moving Mr. Pradhan to another ministry, Mr. Gandhi said any such move will be of no help.“The demand of the students is to sack Dharmendra Pradhan, and that is non-negotiable,” he said.“There are three non-negotiable demands [of the students]. Dharmendra Pradhan, who is corrupt, incompetent and misaligned, must be sacked,” Mr. Gandhi said.The Congress leader also said that he told the students that no amount of pressure by the Centre can force their removal from the protest site at Jantar Mantar.Terming the students the future of the country, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the past and the “past can never fight the future”.“I told the students not to worry. No amount of strength can move them from there [Jantar Mantar]. They can shut down [internet] and intimidate, but the students will not go away,” Gandhi said.The remarks come amid raging protests in the capital led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding reforms in the examination system and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, among others. Published - July 25, 2026 04:53 pm IST

Graduating students taking an oath during the annual convocation of the Institute of Allied Health Sciences, St. John's Medical College, in Bengaluru on Friday. | John’s Medical College, at its annual convocation held in Bengaluru on Friday.The graduating batch included students from various allied health science programmes. As many as 14 graduates and postgraduates also secured ranks in examinations conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).Among them, Maria Renita Swathy secured the first rank in Master’s in Hospital Administration programme, while Payel Chakraborty secured the first rank in MSc Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT). Sandeep secured the third rank in MSc MLT (Haematology and Blood Transfusion).In MSc MLT (Microbiology and Immunology), Dhanasree Varrier secured the second rank, Bhat Divyashree Mahabala the third rank, and Muhammed Shiyas the fourth rank.Overall, the institute secured 14 university ranks, including two in BSc, three in Master’s in Hospital Administration, one in Master’s in Physiotherapy, and eight in MSc MLT programmes.Addressing the graduates, P. Ranganath Nayak, senior consultant interventional cardiologist, urged the graduates to uphold integrity and professional values in their careers. He emphasised that quality healthcare depends on teamwork and encouraged the graduates to remain committed to the oath they had taken and the patients they would serve.Rev. Fr. Jesudoss Rajamanickam, director of St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, and other faculty members and dignitaries were present at the ceremony. Published - July 24, 2026 11:21 pm IST

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao raising slogans along with students demanding resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at a protest held in Hyderabad on Friday. | Speaking at a protest organised by the BRS student wing, BRS Vidyarthi, at Indira Park here on Friday to express solidarity with students protesting in Delhi on the NEET question paper leakage issue, working president of BRS K.T. Rama Rao said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing with fire by trying to suppress the voice of Gen Z. He condemned the attempts to brand the protesters as terrorists, anti-nationals and anti-social elements.Had the Centre been sincere, it would have already held dialogue with the protesters several times to resolve the issue instead of resorting to oppression and intimidation. There was no leader or the party behind the protesting youth and students, the BRS leader said, adding that voluntary support in the form of various means was an indication of the growing unrest among the youth against the Union Government.Stating that the country was witnessing a dangerous trend in which those demanding accountability were being targeted instead of those responsible for the failures, Mr. Rama Rao said the voice of India’s youth could not be silenced through force or intimidation and asserted that every attempt to suppress democratic dissent would only strengthen such a movement.Turning to the State government, he said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was helping divert public attention from the Centre’s failures and alleged that instead of leading a united fight against the Centre on an issue affecting students across the country, Mr. Reddy had chosen to target the BRS for political gains.He accused Mr. Revanth Reddy of displaying double standards by avoiding any confrontation with the BJP while attempting to divert attention through attacks on the opposition. Published - July 24, 2026 06:57 pm IST

People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India's (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) | They also condemned the proposed demolition of buildings at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh.Slogans on students’ needsThe protest was led by the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) and saw participants carrying placards with slogans such as “Students Need Classrooms, Not Chaos” and “Justice for Students, Justice for Jauhar”. Soon after Friday prayers concluded at the Mecca Masjid, many other young men joined the peaceful demonstration, raising slogans against what they described as the government’s anti-student policies. They also sought the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.DemandsThe protesters demanded strict action against those responsible for irregularities and question paper leaks. They further demanded an establishment of a transparent, accountable, corruption free and student friendly exam system, and protection of the democratic right to peacefully protest. People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) | He added that question paper leaks were a result of corruption and administrative negligence which had severely taken a toll on the confidence of students and parents across the country. The future of lakhs of students, he said, could not be jeopardised on account of a flawed examination system.He alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had failed to discharge its duty of conducting examinations in a fair, transparent, and credible manner. Protesters demanded the immediate resignation of Mr. Pradhan and called for the abolition of the agency. People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) | He said that students spend a great deal of time to prepare for such tests. Condemning the police action against peaceful protesters in the national capital, he said that in a democracy, voices of dissent must be heard rather than suppressed.People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) | Video Credit: NAGARA GOPAL Published - July 24, 2026 06:20 pm IST

Image used for representation | Velankanni Raj The Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission (TNEA) 2026 committee has released the tentative allotment for the first round of general category students for academic and vocational courses.The committee has issued tentative allotments to a total of 35,214 candidates in all categories and courses of study, a press release from the TNEA stated. Last year, the figure stood at 36,731.For the academic courses, 31,221 students received allotments under the general category while 2,427 candidates received under the horizontal reservation category (7.5% reservation for government schools students). Last year, 32,663 general category students were issued tentative allotment in round one.For the vocational courses, 1,318 general category candidates and 248 candidates coming under the horizontal reservation category were issued tentative allotment.The students would now have to confirm their seats using the confirmation option in the portal, which is mandatory. The TNEA committee stated that if the students failed to confirm their allotted seat, it could lead to cancellation of the allotment.Out of 37,976 eligible general category students in the academic courses stream, only 32,250 had filled choices for seats, the TNEA release noted. Among students coming under the horizontal reservation category, a total of 2,434 students had filled their choice out of a total eligible pool of 2,570 students.In the vocational stream, 2,205 general category students were eligible and 1,493 filled their choices. Similarly, out of 524 eligible candidates under the horizontal reservation category, 310 had filled choices, the release added. Published - July 24, 2026 01:26 pm IST