The News Caravan

Tag: university of kashmir (ku)

  • Preserving Natural Heritage

    Preserving Natural Heritage

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    With 60000 specimens, the 51-year-old Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH) is the only address for studying the diverse plant basket of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. In near future, it is planning to get digitized, reports Insha Shirazi

    Ralph R. Stewart1
    Mrs and Mr Dr Ralph R Stewart, the last major botanist who immensely contributed to the taxonomy in Kashmir.

    It has been a phenomenal growth. The Kashmir University Herbarium, founded in 1972 by AR Naqshi with a meagre collection of 500 species in a single room, has now blossomed into a haven of Himalayan plant specimens with a staggering 60,000 plant specimens. Known globally for its unique and endemic plant diversity, the herbarium is a magnet for plant enthusiasts and researchers. As early as 1980, the Herbarium was recognised by the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature based in New York, under the acronym KASH. Housed in the University’s Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT), it had only 12,000 plant specimens, then. In the last four decades, the collects have gone up five times.

    Index Herbarium puts this herbarium and rank three in the North-Western Himalayas of India. Although Central National Herbarium, Kolkata is home to more than 200000 plant specimens and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and IIIM of Jammu have more than 12000 plant specimens each, none of these major herbariums has a collection as diverse and unique as that of the Kashmir University Herbarium.

    Professionals associated with the herbarium have collected the plant species from diverse habitats across Jammu and Kashmir. It has plants that grow in Guraze, Tulail, Karnah, Keran, Badherwah, Doda, Kishtwar, Warwun, Marwah, Dachin, Padder, Rajouri, Poonch, Drass, Kargil, Zanskar, and Nubra. Part of the collection was sent to renowned herbaria including the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, besides various others within India.

    The Preservation

    “Herbarium is a dried plant specimen collected through different techniques. We go to the field and collect them, dry them in newspapers or blotting paper, depending on the moisture content,” Akhtar H Malik, Junior Scientist and Curator for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT) at the Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH), said while explaining the process of collecting and preserving plant specimens. “After drying, we paste these specimens on specialized sheets called herbarium sheets, which have an international standard size of 29×41.5 cm. On the bottom side of the plant specimen, we paste a special label known as the herbarium label that has data like the spot where it was collected, location, date, habitat, etc. After that, we transfer these plant specimens to the herbarium and arrange them according to the Bentham and Hooker systems. Nowadays, we arrange them in herbarium compactors according to the family of the plant specimens.”

    However, preserving these plant specimens for long-term storage requires more care. “We use chemicals to preserve these plant specimens at the time of pasting on specialized Herbarium sheet. Then, the second step is to use a small amount of mercuric chloride with glue because plants that we collect from different places, such as aquatic bodies, can be contaminated by pests. After that, we keep them in fumigation chambers with chemicals like Para dichlorobenzene and naphthalene for 10 days until these chemicals are exposed. Finally, we transfer them to herbarium compactors.” Malik added.

    These plant specimens last for a long time. “We have species that are more than 100 years old, collected by British botanists from Kashmir,” Malik said. “They collected a lot of specimens from the Himalayas of Kashmir and kept those specimens in Dehradun. We obtained 10 specimens from them and kept them in our Herbarium.”

    These plant specimens are not only important for scientific research but also for education and cultural heritage. “Every year we get students from schools, colleges, and Universities. If this herbarium would not be there a researcher or student might have to go to another place to submit their specimen,” Malik said.

    The Importance

    KASH (Kashmir University Herbarium) holds a huge collection and has emerged as a valuable resource for identifying unknown and rare plant species.

    “We have specimens of Kuth (Saussurea costus) and Kahzaban (Arnebia benthamii) that identify the genuine from similar plants, said Malik. “These specimens are not only useful for researchers and scholars but also for students who visit our herbarium to learn about plant diversity.”

    The curator at KASH herbarium in the Ubiversity of Kashir explianing things toi visitors. KL Image Special Arrangement
    The curator at KASH Herbarium at the University of Kashmir explains things to visitors. KL Image Special Arrangement

    Herbariums are crucial for documenting plant diversity. “We can create a flora or inventory of plant species based on herbarium data. We can also determine the location of a particular plant species with the help of herbarium specimens,” added Malik.

    Off late, KASH has also become a popular destination for students, scholars, and researchers from different colleges, schools, and universities. Besides, Herbariums represent Kashmir’s natural heritage of plants.

    Climate Change

    The herbarium can be used as a tool to determine how the phenology of plants changes due to climate change. Now, some plants flower in February. “We can take historical data from the Herbarium of these plants whose flowering was preponing, by one month,” Malik said. “The collectors collected these plants for the herbarium when the flowering was seen in March but now it is February. It clearly explains the climate change impact.”

    The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared at least six medicinal and aromatic plant species on the red list of extinction in Jammu and Kashmir. “We can do mapping of extinct plants. We write the herbaria data of the plant specimens, location, its geo coordinates and make a map about their distribution range then and now,” Malik said. “Suppose we have 50 locations in herbarium specimens but on the ground, we can locate 10 or 15 locations and we go for their In-situ conservation.”

    The data on medicinal plants in the herbarium is collected by scholars from different locations of Kashmir like Gulmarg, Kokernag, and Daksum.. When they go to collect the specimens after 30 years and fail to locate the particular specimen, it reflects a shift in climate change, land use patterns, population expansion, habitat fragmentation or any other reason.

    A Rich Collection

    “I have visited the KASH 8-10 times. In comparison to established herbaria, it is an active herbarium of northwestern Himalaya and houses a rich collection of Jammu,  Kashmir and Ladakh regions. This has a collection of very remote areas which are not found in any other herbariums,” Dr Priyanka, Principal Scientist CSIR, National Botanical Researcher Institute Lucknow (NBRI) said. “If we want to study plant diversity of Jammu and Kashmir and Himalayan you can sit in Kashmir University herbarium and compile a lot of data on plant diversity.”

    Priyanka is working on the Himalayas. Though the Herbarium of Kolkata has an almost 200 years old collection, the specimens are not in good condition.

    “My 20 students have visited KASH because it is mandatory. It is important for Kashmir and Ladakh flora as they are representing a good amount of plant diversity in India,” Priyanka said. “The main collectors of the KASH are well-renowned taxonomists. The specimens are well-identified and well-researched and represent the Standard reference diversity.”

    Plant Collectors In Kashmir

    Improvement

    With technology shifts in knowledge management, KASH is also changing. “We will go for digitization of all the specimens and we have submitted the proposal also,” Malik said. “We can use a high-end digital scanner and can scan the specimens and we can keep all those scanned images of all the plant specimens on the website by which the student and scholars across the world can asses those scanned images of plant specimens at home. It will take 3-4 years to execute this plan.”

    The Financial Assistance for Science and Technology (FIST) grants the Kashmir University herbarium 10 lakh rupees for the herbarium compactors.

    “Many herbariums in India and outside India have digitized their herbariums. If the herbarium of Kashmir gets digitized it would be the very fantastic job and it will be very useful for the researcher from outside Kashmir to assess the plant specimens sitting at the home. It will save time and money,” Dr Priyanka said.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Rotatory Internship: KU To Hold Counselling Session For Foreign Medical Graduates On Monday

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    SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir will be holding the counselling session on Monday for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) whose general merit list is available on the University website to finalise their admission and preferences for the rotatory internship in affiliated colleges of the University.

    The counselling programme will be held at Centre for Career Planning and Counselling (CCPC), Main Campus, University of Kashmir, from 9.30am to 5pm in two sessions. The candidates figuring in merit list from Serial No. 01 to Serial No 200 shall report at CCPC from 9.30am to 1pm, and the remaining candidates from Serial No. 200 onwards shall report at 1pm onwards to 5pm at the venue.

    This will be the last and final opportunity for the eligible candidates to finalise their admission and preference, following which no claim for admission or preference shall be entertained by any candidate under any circumstances whatsoever.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • NET Aspirants Of KU’s Kashmiri Department Allege Paper Leak

    NET Aspirants Of KU’s Kashmiri Department Allege Paper Leak

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    SRINAGAR: Students of Kashmir University’s Kashmiri Department are demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged National Eligibility Test (NET) paper leak for the subject that was conducted on February 22.

    As per reports, the aggrieved students on Sunday alleged that despite sending a representation to the Vice-Chancellor of the varsity, Dean Academics, and the concerned Head of Department (HoD), the matter has not been taken care of, thus marring the career of hundreds of students who have toiled hard for the exam.

    Daily Excelsior reported that, one of the aspirants who appeared for the exam said that the examination was held on February 22, and the result came out a few days ago. He added that soon after the exam, they got in touch with the concerned officials with their apprehensions but to no avail.

    The aspirants are demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry to ascertain the facts and to find out how a few candidates managed to score 96 out of 100 and 100 out of 100 in some cases.

    Students have urged the LG administration to initiate a probe to identify the culprits while noting that they are sure that the paper was leaked.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  •  Scholar’s Allegations Against Supervisor Investigated Promptly, As Per Law: KU

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    SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir said on Friday that its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) investigated the complaint filed by a PhD scholar against her then Supervisor promptly and as per the law, refuting that any “obstruction” was created in the matter.

    Referring to a news report on some social media platforms which came into the notice of the University about the instant matter, a KU spokesperson said the University took all steps necessary to address the alleged complaint with promptness and to facilitate the complainant in completion of her PhD degree.

    “Upon receiving the alleged complaint from the National Commission for Women, New Delhi, the University referred the matter to its Women’s Empowerment and Grievance Committee without delay. Since the complaint involved allegations of sexual harassment, as well as a complaint about the delay in the complainant’s PhD thesis submission, the matter was also referred to the University’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC),” the spokesperson said in a statement to GNS, adding that the ICC provided the complainant with a fair opportunity to record her statement freely and without fear, and the faculty member against whom the complaint was made was also provided with the same opportunity.

    To arrive at a just conclusion, the Committee also contacted the teaching and non-teaching staff at CCAS to record their observations. According to the complainant’s recorded statement before the ICC, she alleged that she was harassed in 2016 while she was preparing her synopsis and had not yet registered for her PhD,” the spokesperson said.

    “However, she did not file a complaint with the authorities until December 2019 i.e. a gap of almost three years. As per the provisions of UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in HEIs) Regulations, 2015, an aggrieved person/complainant can file a written complaint within three months of the incident. However despite this time lapse, the ICC went ahead with the investigating the complaint and subsequently submitted its report to the competent authority,” the spokesperson said, adding that the ICC’s report concluded, among other things, that the complaint was a result of “animosity resulting from non-compatibility between the scholar and the supervisor.”

    “In view of the non-compatibility, a Co-Supervisor was nominated by the University to Co-supervise the complainant’s PhD and undertake all the process including evaluation/examination, academic clearance, formulation of panel of examiners, supervisor’s report, viva-voce, and any other necessary formalities. The co-supervisor, from the Department of Sociology, was also authorised to assess and examine the thesis of the complainant and undertake all other formalities leading to the award of the PhD degree.”

    The PhD degree was subsequently awarded to the complainant on 12.12.2022.

    The University strongly denies any obstruction of action in the matter at hand. The University reiterates that it is fully committed to address any complaints related to sexual harassment and it recognises the importance of handling such complaints with utmost sensitivity. We are deeply committed to creating a fully secure academic institution/workplace for our students and women employees in all our campuses, and we will continue to ensure that complaints related to sexual harassment are handled in a timely, just and fair manner,” the spokesperson said.

    The allegation that the University delayed action in the matter is far from the truth and is strongly refuted. “The University reserves the right to take appropriate legal action in case of furnishing wrong information since it involves the prestige and reputation of the institution,” the spokesperson said. (GNS)

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • ‘The Biggest Challenge Is To Find Out How 98% of DNA Regulates The Rest of It’

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    A young geneticist, Dr Rais A Gania was surprised to see his takeaways from his PhD were part of the text well before he entered the classroom as a teacher. Credited for identifying a particular enzyme that helps in crucial DNA copying, he is serving the IUST’s molecular medicine centre. In a freewheeling interview, he opens up about his research and future plans

    TheNewsCaravan (KL): You studied in Kashmir and worked in different universities all over the world. How was your learning curve and what were the challenges you faced?

    DR RAIS A GANAI (DRAG): I was born and brought up in the Posh-Kirri village of Anantnag. I did my primary schooling at Government Primary School in the same village. Later, I went to the Government Middle in the nearby Hugam village. Later, my father suggested me to complete further studies in Srinagar, as he was working at the University of Kashmir. Then, I went to the Starland High School Zakura and completed my matriculation there.

    In Srinagar, I found it very difficult to compete with students because of the language barrier, as the medium of instruction was different. It was a challenging task to learn English and Urdu languages. It took me a lot of time to cope with the level of the students.

    Then I completed my 10+2 from Soura Higher Secondary School. Afterwards, I went to the Islamia College of Science and Commerce, where from I completed my graduation. Even though there was not an ample structure at that time but the laboratories were well established. Attendance of labs was mandatory, due to which my scientific temper got developed.

    After that, I was selected at the University of Kashmir for a couple of courses but I chose to study Biotechnology. After completing the Master’s degree in Biotechnology, I went to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where I worked under the mentorship of Prof Umesh Varshney and worked intensely on various Biotechnological challenges. He invested a lot of money, time and effort and taught me many new things due to which my interest in the research further deepened. During this time a few of my research papers were published.

    Then I went to Sweden in 2009 for my PhD and completed it in 2015 and later got an international Postdoc fellowship offer in Sweden amounting to Rs 2.5 crore. I used that fellowship and immigrated to the USA. There I joined the NewYork based Howard Huges Medical Institute. I did research there for almost 2-3 years under the well-known researcher Danny Reinberg.

    Then I came back to Kashmir as a Ramanujan Fellow. Initially, I joined the Central University of Kashmir and later moved to the IUST’s Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine in 2020.

    KL: The work on genetics has been going on in all major universities throughout the world. However, we still have not understood the gene fully. What are the various challenges in understanding the gene, and what are the different goalposts we still have to reach?  

    DRAG: The gene is actually a small DNA sequence made of sugar bases like Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, and Cytosine (A, G, T, C). They are about 3 billion sugar bases called Nucleotides (made of Deoxyribose sugar, the Phosphate group, and the Nitrogen base) in a DNA molecule arranged in a chain structure. All the Nucleotides in a DNA molecule do not constitute genes, but only 1-2 per cent makes the genes and the rest 98-99 per cent of the base pairs do not attribute to the genes.

    Scientists have identified most of the genes in our body and their functioning but the functioning of the rest 98 per cent of the non-genomic sequences (regulatory sequences) is still not known. We only know that these contain non-genomic sequences that regulate the genes, but the biggest challenge is to find out how 98 per cent of DNA regulates the 1 per cent of DNA.

    The other major challenge was to understand the three-dimensional structure of DNA and its arrangement inside the cell. The chromosomes are arranged in compartmental structures. How and when these compartments are formed is yet to be discovered. How these genes are activated and repressed in the cells is still a challenge.

    The actual structure of a DNA molecule has a three-dimensional chromatin architecture. These DNA molecules are present on the chromosomes. Our body contains 46 chromosomes in each cell that are intertwined inside the cell. The intertwined structure of chromosomes helps in the better expression of genes during cell division and cell formation. All the required genes express together and activate simultaneously in order to form a complete cell.

    KL: What was your PhD all about and what were the major takeaways from your research?

    DRAG: As I mentioned that DNA is a small molecule contained in a cell. A cell contains two meters of intertwined DNA, which if stretched is equivalent to at least four times the distance between the sun and the earth. During cell division and cell multiplication, this DNA is replicated/ duplicated which has to be very accurate. Genetic defects during cell division cause mutations/errors, which lead to genetic diseases, metabolic disorders, or even cancer.

    During my PhD, my research was about the role of an enzyme called DNA polymerase in DNA replication. This enzyme reads, copies, and then makes the exact copy of a parent DNA molecule. The three billion nucleotides of a DNA molecule in a cell are copied accurately without any error or defect with the help of this enzyme. Besides, it also rectifies the errors, which are caused during cell division and helps in errorless duplication. Thus, the DNA polymerase enzyme not only plays a role in DNA replication but also fixes the errors caused during DNA replication, if any.

    I also studied the functioning of various other enzymes but the pivotal research was about DNA polymerase. The majority of DNA polymerase enzymes look like, if I can say, a right-hand structure, containing a thumb, a palm, and fingers. The DNA polymerase, we studied has an additional domain called the P-domain, unlike the other DNA-Polymerase enzymes which only have three domains. The majority of DNA-Polymerase enzymes require a scaffold or support (called PCNA) for DNA copy and replication, but the DNA-polymerase we studied does not require PCNA rather it has the inbuilt P-domain that helps in DNA synthesis and thus does not require an outside scaffold. This was the biggest takeaway from my PhD research.

    To my surprise, I later found when I was at the Central University of Kashmir, that our work and findings were published in textbooks, and are being taught to students in different Universities all over the world.  It was a very difficult project to work on because nobody prior to us had worked on this. Our work was then published in the Journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, which now is a part of the textbooks and is being taught.

    Dr Rais A Gania WCCMM
    Dr Rais A Gania (WCCMM)

    KL: What was your Post-doctorate research about, and what were your accomplishments and learnings during that period?

    DRAG: I mostly studied two things during my Postdoc research, the role of epigenetic factors in the development, and the development of stem cells into the cardiomyocyte.

    I actually wanted to expand and diversify my expertise, so I shifted to the field of epigenetics.

    Under epigenetics, we study how the genes present in the DNA are regulated.  Let us understand it this way – if we have two monozygotic twins and one of them is raised by the adopted parents and the other by the natural parents. Technically, after 30 years of age, both should be identical because of the principle of monozygotic nature, but because of the environmental effects, they would have developed variations over time. It is because the influence of environmental conditions affects the development of an individual and that regulates the body. Thus, the effect of an environment on the development over time, beyond the genetic basis and beyond DNA is called epigenetics.

    There are thousands of genes on a DNA molecule and there are specific factors that actually regulate the functioning of these genes. I also worked on these factors.

    DNA is wrapped around by the histone proteins. These proteins contain chemical modifications or tags that determine the function of the DNA sequence. I worked on early embryonic development, particularly on stem cells. I studied how differentiated development takes place from a single cell into different kinds of complex organs i.e., how a stem cell is transformed into a cardiomyocyte.

    KL: How could you make lawmen understand this differentiation of a stem cell into different complex organs? What really controls this differentiation of cells? Is this also part of epigenetics?

    DRAG: Nobody really knows how embryonic development occurs as it is not easy to study this field. People have now started research on it.

    During embryonic development, the fusion of egg and sperm results in the formation of a Zygote, which later undergoes the 2-cell stage and the 4-cell stage, and so on. From day one of development certain genes are activated which stimulates the Zygote division and this division activates other genes, which then cause muscle cell formation. More and more genes get activated that guide the muscle cells to transform into different complex organs. It is mostly like this, but there is still ambiguity on how embryonic development takes place through different stages of development.

    KL: What is your role at the IUST’s Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine and what are the different domains you are working on?

    DRAG: I am establishing my lab here for research purposes. Besides, I am also the coordinator of the B Voc course on the Medical Lab and Molecular Diagnostic Technology. I teach students also. I guide students on how to do diagnostic tests and the process of opening diagnostic clinics.

    The primary part of my job at the Watson-Crick Centre is to do research along with my students who work with me on the continuation of my PhD research work. We are studying the role of DNA polymerase enzyme other than the role of DNA synthesis.

    Secondarily, we are also studying epigenetics. Epigenetic marks at different positions of a DNA molecule, other than the normal positions cause diseases like cancer, and developmental and neurodegenerative diseases, among others. Therefore, our aim is to research epigenetics in detail in order to develop drugs for the treatment of these diseases.

    … Mujtaba Hussain processed the interview

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • LG Sinha Chairs 82nd Council Meeting Of Kashmir University

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    SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired the 82nd Council Meeting of the University of Kashmir, at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday.

    The Lt Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University of Kashmir, highlighted the vision of the National Education Policy-2020 in transforming and uplifting the education sector across the country.

    “NEP 2020 provides a roadmap to establish India as a knowledge economy. It should be implemented in letter and spirit and it is essential that through this transformation, our higher education institutions contribute to create prosperous society,” the Lt Governor said.

    The Lt Governor impressed on time-bound completion of various academic and research programmes and award of degrees to the students.

    The Lt Governor called for enhanced research activities on local problems and issues by the University. “Enhanced research activities will provide solutions to local problems and it will create comprehensive knowledge wealth that will be the key factor in all-round development.  He said many industries are coming up in JK and there is a need to put special focus on skill development and capacity building,” he said.

    “The University should build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and start-ups and the government will provide all the required assistance,” the Lt Governor said.

    The University Council approved the proposal related to introduction of several new courses at the main and satellite campuses of the University to cater to the growing needs of the students.

    These new courses include PG in Artificial Intelligence; Bachelor’s course in Economics, BBA-LLB and Medical Lab Technology programmes at South Campus, Anantnag; Integrated BSc-MSc Botany at North Campus, Baramulla and Integrated UG-PG programme in Arabic at Kupwara Campus.

    The Council resolved to run all courses strictly as per the guidelines and rules of the relevant statutory/regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE, MCI etc.

    The University Council also held detailed deliberations on several academic, administrative and research-related matters aimed to bring further qualitative improvement in the higher education sector of Jammu Kashmir.

    Earlier, Nilofer Khan, Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir gave a detailed power-point presentation on the growth and progression of the University in areas of academics, research, extension education and extracurricular activities.

    Highlighting the University’s noteworthy rankings in NAAC, NIRF and QS, Nilofer Khan informed the Council that the University of Kashmir is holding the Y20 event in May 2023 as part of the country’s G20 presidency, while all departments are presently holding programmes to spread the country’s G20 message among the masses.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • KU Mulls Partnership With JK Bank To Facilitate Student Training Under NEP-2020

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    SRINAGAR: A team of senior academics from the University of Kashmir on Friday held detailed deliberations with top-level management of the JK Bank to develop a close linkage with the corporate sector for providing hands-on training to the varsity’s students.

    Speaking about the objectives of the developing such linkages, Vice-Chancellor KU Prof Nilofer Khan said the National Education Policy-2020 envisages students to be trained to tackle the real world problems and get exposed to working environments outside the University system.

    “The NEP emphasises that students will have to work in the field as part of requirement for completion of their degrees. Such linkages with corporate institutions like JK Bank are therefore very significant,” she said.

    The KU team, which held the marathon deliberations at the JK Bank’s Corporate Headquarters in Srinagar, was led by Dean of Academic Affairs Prof Farooq A Masoodi, and included Prof S Mufeed Ahmad from Department of Management Studies, Prof Aneesa Shafi, Dean of Students’ Welfare and Prof Bikram Singh Bali from Department of Earth Sciences.

    Giving details about the interactive session, Prof Masoodi said that a joint committee is being constituted to identify areas for mutual cooperation between the two institutions. He said the University of Kashmir proposed to offer some management development programmes (MDPs) for bank officers, besides providing its assistance in project evaluation, monitoring and field surveys.

    He said the University expects the bank to provide internship facilities to the varsity students in relevant areas of study.

    The management of the bank was represented by Mr Syed Rais Maqbool, Mr Syed Shafat Rufai, Mr Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat, Mr Shabir A Bhat and Mr Syed Arshid Qadri.

    The Bank officers desired periodical meetings with the University to make the linkages more productive.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • KU Issues Admission Notification For PG, Other Programmes For 2023 Session

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    SRINAGAR:  The University of Kashmir on Wednesday issued a detailed notification for Kashmir University Entrance Test (KUET) for admission to various PG, professional and other programmes for the academic session 2023.

    Vice-Chancellor Prof Nilofer Khan had earlier this month reviewed the varsity’s preparedness for the KUET and instructed timely issuance of the admission notification for timely start of the new academic session.

    The issuance of the admission notification comes in line with the admission calendar adopted at the Admission Advisory Committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.

    “On-line Applications are invited from the eligible candidates (who have done Bachelors in different subjects) for appearing in Kashmir University Entrance Test (KUET) for admission to Professional and Non-Professional Programmes for the academic session 2023,” reads the admission notification issued by KU’s Directorate of Admissions and Competitive Examinations.

    However, the candidates who have passed their qualifying examination under Choice-Based Credit System scheme are eligible/can apply for admission to the PG Programme(s) only in such subjects where he/she has earned/obtained at least 24 credits in Core or Generic Elective Courses at Under-Graduate Level.

    “For the courses/programmes where there is open eligibility like LL.B, MA Mass Communication & Journalism, MA Library & Information Science, MA Linguistics, MA Anthropology, MA Social Work etc., the candidates having passed their qualifying examination in any discipline are eligible/can apply for admission to said programmes,” the notification reads.

    The submission of online application forms starts on 20 March 2023 and the last date for submission of online application forms and deposition of online application/entrance fee is April 7, 2023.

    The detailed admission notification which includes guide to submission of online application forms, eligibility, subject combinations and all other additional information is available on the University website www.kashmiruniversity.net.

    “Eligible candidates must carefully go through the Admission Notification and all the detailed instructions therein so that the submission of applications becomes completely easy for them,” said Director Admissions, Prof Farooq A Mir.

    “The detailed datesheet for conduct of the KUET will be issued and notified separately,” he said.

     

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • KU VC Flags Off Rally On Eve Of International Women’s Day

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    SRINAGAR: Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Nilofer Khan on Tuesday flagged off a rally organised on the eve of International Women’s Day, celebrated across the world on March 8.

    The rally, which was attended by faculty, research scholars and students, was organised by Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the University as part of its day-long awareness-cum-sensitisation programme on ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace’.

    Congratulating the ICC for organising regular sensitisation programmes involving students and civil society, Prof Nilofer said such programmes reinforce our institutional commitment to create a congenial work atmosphere in the campus and also reiterate the message of ‘zero tolerance policy’ for sexual harassment at workplace.

    The Vice-Chancellor said both men and women have to come forward and join hands to achieve gender equality and make the society a better place to live in.

    “Our University recently held a Civil20 Working Group Meeting on Gender Equality as part of India’s G20 Presidency. The meeting evolved a number of resolutions which are being submitted to the G20 platform for consideration. This shows that academic institutions can play a great role in spreading the message of gender equality,” she said.

    Dean Research KU Prof Irshad A Nawchoo, Presiding Officer ICC Prof Aneesa Shafi, Director EMRC and Media Advisor Dr Salima Jan, Joint Registrar Asmat Kawoosa and other senior academics, officers and ICC members were present on the occasion.

    The rally, led by Prof Aneesa Shafi, later passed through the main campus roads and culminated at Gandhi Bhawan, where academics and experts joined deliberations on Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace.

    Prof Aneesa Shafi delivered the welcome address and introduced the theme of the programme after which three technical sessions were held.

    In the first technical session, Ms Sleet Shah, SDPO Cyber Crime, spoke about ‘Sexual Harassment and Role of Police’, while Dr Heena Basharat, Assistant Professor, School of Law KU shared her experiences gained through an empirical study on the subject. In the second technical session, Dr Anil Kumar, Assistant Professor (Sociology), Department of Law at Central University of Kashmir talked about PoSH Act from 2013 to 2023 and Dr Salima Jan dwelt on PoSH Act and role of media. In the third technical session, Dr Himabindu M, Coordinator Department of Politics and Governance spoke about the ‘Impact and Intention: Outcomes of PoSH Act 2013’ while Dr Saima Farhad, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work KU, spoke on ‘PoSH Act and UGC Regulations’. Dr Mir Junaid Alam, Assistant Professor, School of Law KU talked about ‘Information Technology and Harassment Against Women’. The technical sessions were chaired by Dr Aliya Ahmad, Head, MERC KU and Prof Tabassum Firdous, Director CCAS KU.

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    #Flags #Rally #Eve #International #Womens #Day

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • KU To Invite Online Applications For PG Entrance Test In THIRD Week Of March

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    SRINAGAR: Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir,  Prof Nilofer Khan on Monday chaired the Admission Advisory Committee to review the varsity’s preparedness for admissions to various PG programmes and other professional courses for the academic session 2023.

    Prof Nilofer said the University’s admission process is recognised in academic and social circles as completely transparent and it is therefore important to maintain this benchmark through and through.

    Asserting that the standard of the admission process has a direct bearing on the reputation and image of the institution, the Vice-Chancellor emphasised the need to make greater use of technological advancements to ease the admission process right from submission of online applications by the aspirants to declaration of the results.

    After threadbare discussions on various issues, the Advisory Committee decided that the University’s Directorate of Admissions and Competitive Examinations (DACE) will invite online application forms for admission to all programmes offered through University of Kashmir in the 3rd week of March 2023, following which the Entrance Test shall be conducted in the last week of April, 2023.

    For convenience of aspirants hailing from far-off areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the Vice-Chancellor instructed that besides the main campus, the entrance examination shall be conducted at all satellite campuses  of the University including South Campus (Anantnag), North Campus (Baramulla) and Kupwara Campus for the session-2023.

    “Our endeavor should be to take the admission process to the doorsteps of the aspirants,” she said.

    Calling for close monitoring of the Entrance Test by observers on the entrance test days, Prof Nilofer instructed that efforts should be made to ensure that the entire admission process culminates within the set timelines so that the academic session starts in time and the degrees are eventually awarded to the students in time.

    The meeting was attended by Dean Academic Affairs Prof F A Masoodi, Dean College Development Council Prof Khurshid A Butt, Registrar Dr Nisar A Mir, Director Admissions Prof Farooq A Mir, Controller of Examinations Dr Majid Zaman, In-Charge Director IT Dr Maroof Qadri, besides other members of the Admission Advisory Committee.

     

     

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    #Invite #Online #Applications #Entrance #Test #Week #March

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )