Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan released the India Rankings 2024, which implements the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) drafted for this purpose by the Ministry of Education in 2015. Secretary, Higher Education, Shri K. Sanjay Murthy; UGC, Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar; Chairman, AICTE, Prof. T.G. Sitharam; ,
Chairman, NETF, Prof. Anil Sahasrabuddhe; Member Secretary, NBA, Dr. Anil Kumar Nassa, Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal; Joint Secretary, Shri Govind Jaiswal; Chairman, and other academicians, heads of the institutions, etc. were present on this occasion.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan stressed that knowing the quality, performance and strengths of an academic institution is a right of students and parents. Therefore, all the 58,000 HEIs in the country must come under the ranking and rating framework. Shri Pradhan stated that employability and skills are a priority.
Shri K. Sanjay Murthy in his address mentioned how several workshops at national and regional levels for achieving better rankings are conducted by the Ministry of Education and specifically mentioned one that was organized during the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on 29th July 2024.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration among academic institutes in the country and international institutes.
This is the 9th consecutive edition of India Rankings of Higher Education Information System(HEIS) in India. Four distinct additions to the 2024 edition of India Rankings are as follows:
i) Introduction of three new categories namely State Public Universities, Open Universities, and Skill Universities; and
ii) Integration of “Innovation” ranking into the India Rankings using NIRF framework.
With the addition of three categories, i.e. Open Universities, State Public Universities and Skill Universities,
the existing portfolio of India Rankings has increased to 16 categories and subject domains that have been ranked in India Rankings 2024.
During the maiden year of India Rankings 2016, rankings were announced for Universities as well as for three domain-specific rankings, namely Engineering, Management, and Pharmacy.
Over nine years, seven new categories and five new subject domains were added to bring the total tally to eight categories, namely Overall, Universities, Colleges, Research Institutions, State Public Universities, Open Universities, Skill Universities, and Innovation Institutions, and, 8 subject domains, namely Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Architecture & Planning,
Medical, Law, Dental and Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
Five Broad Categories of Parameters and Weightage
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), launched in November 2015 by the Ministry of Education, was used for this edition as well as for the previous eight editions of India Rankings released for the years 2016 to 2023.
A total number of 18 parameters are used for ranking of HEIs in different categories and subject domains. Institutions are ranked based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.
Historically, 100 institutions have been ranked in the Overall, Universities, Engineering and College categories since inception of India rankings.
In addition, 100 institutions each are ranked in Overall and Universities categories in two rank bands of 50 each. 200 additional institutions each are ranked in Engineering and Colleges in three rank bands consisting of two rank bands of 50 each, i.e. 100-150 and 151-200 and one rank band of 100 each i.e. 201-300.
In Management and Pharmacy, the number of ranked institutions increased from 75 to 100 each from 2022 onwards with additional 25 institutions each ranked in these two disciplines in a rank band of 25 each. For subject domains such as Architecture & Planning, Law, Medical, Dental, Research Institutions, Agriculture & Allied Sectors, ranked institutions range from 40 to 50.
As newly introduced categories are concerned, 50 State Public Universities are ranked this year with additional 50 in rank band of 51-100. However, only three institutions each are ranked in the Open Universities and Skill Universities categories. In case of Innovation Institutions, while 10 institutions are ranked, addition 40 institutions are ranked in rank bands of 11-50
Indian Institute of Technology Madras retains its 1st position in Overall Category for the sixth consecutive year, i.e. 2019 to 2024 and in Engineering for 9th consecutive year, , i.e. from 2016 to 2024.
Top 100 in Overall category consists of 23 state public universities, 22 private deemed universities, 16 IITs, 9 NITs, 7 each central universities 7 private universities,
4 each AIIMS, IISERs, and Govt. deemed universities, 3 Other CFTIs, and 1 college.
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru tops the Universities Category for the ninth consecutive year, i.e. from 2016 to 2024. It stood first in the Research Institutions Category for the fourth consecutive year, i.e. from 2021 to 2024.
IIM Ahmedabad tops in Management subjects retaining its first position for the fifth consecutive year, i.e. from 2020 to 2024. It was ranked amongst the top two in Management subject of the India Rankings from 2016 to 2019.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi occupies the top slot in Medical for the seventh consecutive year, i.e. from 2018 to 2024.
Moreover, AIIMS is ranked at the 7th position in the Overall category. It was ranked at 6th position in the Overall category in 2023.
Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi tops the ranking in Pharmacy this year. Jamia Hamdard was ranked at 1st position for four consecutive years, i.e., from 2019 to 2022. It was ranked at 2nd position in Pharmacy in 2018 and 2023.
Hindu College secured the 1st position amongst Colleges for the first time replacing Miranda House which retained its 1st position for seven consecutive years, i.e. from 2017 to 2023. Hindu College was ranked at 2nd position in 2019, 2022, and 2023, and at 3rd and 4th positions in 2020 and 2018 respectively.
IIT Roorkee retained its 1st position in Architecture and Planning for the fourth consecutive year, from 2021 to 2024. IIT Roorkee was ranked in 2nd position from 2018 to 2020.
National Law School of India University, Bengaluru retains its first position in Law for the seventh consecutive.
Colleges in Delhi maintained their dominance in rank year, i.e. from 2018 to 2024.
The Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai takes the top slot in Dental subjects for the third consecutive year.
Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi takes the top slot in Agriculture and Allied Sectors for the second consecutive year.
Anna University, Chennai tops the State Public Universities Category introduced in 2024.
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi tops the Open Universities Category introduced for the first time in 2024.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur tops in the Innovation category.
Symbiosis Skill and Professional University (SSPU), Pune tops the Skill Universities category ranked this year for the first time.
The National Institute for MSME (NI-MSME), an Organisation of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, has been awarded with Accreditation Certificate on the successful completion of the National Standards for Civil Services Training Institutions (NSCSTI) process in recognition of excellent services in the field of promotion and development of MSMEs.
The assessment was made based on the inspection of all Standard Operating Procedures and Methodologies followed by the Institute at different levels. The team from Capacity Building Commission (CBC) & ICARE conducted On-site assessment and awarded the Certificate of Accreditation with the grading of UTKRISHT, a 3 Star Rating.
During the Civil Services Training Institutions (CSTI) Convention, Director General, NI-MSME received the Accreditation Certificate from Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology. National Institute for MSME (NI-MSME), a pioneer institute under the aegis of Ministry of MSME is playing a major role in the field of Entrepreneurship & Skill Development,
For providing a pro-business environment to foster the progress of MSMEs towards success and prosperity. The Institute is associated with prestigious world bodies such as UNIDO, UNDP, DCAC, UNESCO, ILO, CFTC, UNICEF, AARDO, and GIZ.
NRCD has intervened in the development of more than 150 clusters. The institute has recently established two new Centers of Excellence namely FinRISE (Financial Research & Innovation for Sustainable Enterprises) and Biochar Unit.
The Government of India has declared August 23rd as "National Space Day" to celebrate the remarkable success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, which accomplished safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander and deployed the Pragyaan rover on the lunar surface near the South Pole.
This achievement is being celebrated across the country during July and August 2024, to engage and inspire the younger generation in the field of Space Science and Technology. To commemorate the remarkable success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, the Department of Fisheries is organizing a series of seminars and demonstrations on,
“Application of Space Technologies in Fisheries Sector” in coastal States and UTs under the guidance of Dr. Abhilaskh Likhi. These seminars and demonstrations are being organized across 18 locations, covering topics such as Space Technology in Fisheries – An overview, the Communication & Navigation System for the marine domain, space-based observation.
Shri Raj Kumar Chaudhary, a seasoned civil engineer with over three decades of experience in the hydroelectric power sector, has been appointed Chairman & Managing Director of NHPC Limited. At 59 years old, he brings a wealth of expertise to the role, having joined NHPC in 1989 as a Probationary Executive (Civil) at the Koel Karo Hydro-Electric Project in Jharkhand.
In addition to his new role, Shri Chaudhary serves as a Nominee Director at Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited. His appointment as Chairman & Managing Director marks a new chapter in NHPC’s leadership, underscoring the company’s commitment to leveraging his extensive experience in hydroelectric power development.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched the PNB ANTAH DRISHTI Braille Debit Card,a new debit card specifically designed for visually impaired customers.This contactless NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) Debit Card is available on the RuPay network. Visually impaired individuals with savings or current accounts in PNB are eligible to obtain this debit card from PNB branch
The ATM limit (cash withdrawal) per day is Rs 25,000, and the PoS and eCom limits (combined) per day are Rs 60,000. Contactless transactions are accessible for individual transactions up to Rs. 5000/- without a PIN at NFC capable POS Terminals, with a daily overall limit of Rs. 5000.
This initiative also aims to enhance financial independence and convenience for visually impaired individuals, empowering them to manage their finances with greater ease and confidence.
(Braille is a system of touch reading and writing for blind persons in which raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet.)
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) have collaborated to launch ‘One India-One Ticket’ initiative to enhance the travel experience for passengers on Indian Railways and Namo Bharat Trains.
It will allow passengers to book Namo Bharat tickets through the IRCTC platform with flexible cancellation and payment.
IRCTC in a statement said that passengers can generate Unique QR codes for Namo Bharat train tickets. The code will be valid for 4 days around the journey date options.
Namo Bharat tickets can be booked up to 120 days in advance, aligning with the current Railway reservation window. The fare for Namo Bharat tickets will be collected alongside the IRCTC convenience fee (Rs 5 + taxes) via online payment methods on the IRCTC platform.
Gentari Green Mobility India (Gentari) has partnered with Amazon to boost the e-commerce major’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet for last-mile deliveries as the US-headquartered company targets to increase its fleet strength to 10,000 units by 2025.
Amazon India and Gentari announced a strategic fleet management partnership to support Amazon’s last-mile electric fleet programme locally, providing delivery service partners (DSPs) access to more 3-wheeler EVs for deliveries. The partnership comes at a time when the e-commerce firm aims to scale up its EV adoption across more than 400 cities in India.
Amazon India has already deployed over 7,200 EVs last year and targets to have 10,000 EVs in its India delivery fleet by 2025. Gentari Green Mobility India offers electric mobility solutions including vehicle leasing and charging points (CPs). Gentari Green Mobility India CEO Nikhil Thomas said the collaboration exemplifies its dedication to deploying state-of-the-art EVs.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been sworn in for a fourth term after sweeping to victory in an election last month with more than 99 percent of the vote.
Democratic Green Party leader Frank Habineza scraped into second place with 0.5 percent of the votes against 0.32 percent for independent Philippe Mpayimana.
Kagame took the oath of office before Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, pledging to “preserve peace and national sovereignty, consolidate national unity”.
The outcome of the July 15 poll was never in doubt for Kagame, who has ruled the small African nation since its 1994 genocide, first as de facto leader and then president.
India’s net direct tax collection, with refunds adjusted, grew 22.5 percent to Rs 6.93 trillion between April 1 and August 11 of FY25.
In the same period last year, tax collection was at Rs 5.65 trillion, according to the Income-Tax (I-T) Department’s latest data released.
Of the tax mop-up, personal income tax (PIT) outpaced corporation tax. PIT stood at Rs 4.47 trillion (net) as against Rs 3.44 trillion in the same period a year ago.
Corporation tax was reported at Rs 2.2 trillion, an increase of 5.7 percent, which is lower than the growth rate of 12 percent set for this financial year.
Direct taxes comprise PIT and corporation tax. Securities transaction tax, part of PIT, has jumped to Rs 21,599 crore from Rs 10,234 crore in the same period a year ago. Gross collection (before refunds) stood at Rs 8.13 trillion, marking a 23.99 per cent rise from the previous financial year, according to the tax department.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tightened norms related to public deposit acceptance by housing finance companies (HFCs), which were so far subject to relaxed prudential norms compared to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). According to the revised guidelines, the RBI has reduced the ceiling on the quantum of public deposits that a deposit-taking HFC,
which complies with all prudential norms and minimum investment grade credit rating, and can hold — from 3 times to 1.5 times its net owned fund (NOF). As a result, deposit-taking HFCs holding deposits above the revised limit will not accept fresh public deposits or renew existing deposits till they conform to the revised limit.
However, the existing excess deposits will be allowed to run off till maturity, the RBI said. The central bank said the norms were revised to harmonise the guidelines for NBFCs and HFCs. There are 97 HFCs in the country, while deposit-taking NBFCs, including HFCs, are only 26.
The regulator has not allowed any new NBFC to accept public deposits for close to two decades now. Deposit-taking NBFCs accounted for 14.6 percent of the total assets of the NBFCs at the end of March 2023. LIC Housing Finance and PNB Housing Finance are some of the deposit-taking HFCs.
Additionally, the RBI has directed deposit-taking HFCs – which are currently required to maintain 13 percent liquid assets against public deposits held – to maintain, on an ongoing basis, liquid assets to the extent of 15 percent of public deposits held by them, in a phased manner. Accordingly, by January 1, 2025, these HFCs have to maintain 14 percent liquid assets,
which include unencumbered approved securities. And, by July 2025, they have to hold 15 percent of total liquid assets as a percent of public deposits. Furthermore, the RBI has said that HFCs shall ensure that full asset cover is available for public deposits accepted by them at all times and they have to inform the National Housing Bank (NHB),
in case the asset cover falls short of the liability on account of public deposits.
The RBI has also said that public deposits accepted or renewed by HFCs have to be repayable after 12 months or more but not later than 60 months. However, existing deposits with maturities above 60 months can be repaid as per their repayment profile.
Currently, HFCs are allowed to accept or renew public deposits repayable after a period of 12 months or more but not later than 120 months from the date of acceptance or renewal of such deposits. Also, the central bank has said that regulations governing NBFCs on branches and appointment of agents to collect deposits will be applicable to deposit-taking HFCs as well.
Among other instructions issued in the revised guidelines, the RBI has said that like NBFCs, all HFCs will now be allowed to hedge the risks arising out of their operations and to issue co-branded credit cards. Non-deposit-taking HFCs, with asset size of Rs 1,000 crore, have now been allowed to participate in currency options exchanges.
International Youth Day is celebrated every year on August 12. This special occasion celebrates the potential, accomplishments, and contributions of young people around the world.
The theme of International Youth Day this year is 'From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.' Youngsters are at the forefront of digital adoption and technology.
Jakson Engineering Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Bank of India (SBI) to set up solar projects to a wide range of consumers across commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors. This partnership comes under the Surya Shakti Solar Finance initiative. It will combine SBI’s banking experience and Jakson’s solar technology expertise.
This initiative will promote energy sustainability and lower power costs.
The Surya Shakti Solar Finance initiative aims to provide financial assistance to consumers and help them adopt solar energy. SBI is offering loans worth Rs 100 million to commercial and industrial users for the same.
World Biofuel Day is observed every year on August 10 to spread awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative for humanity. The day also attempts to highlight the government’s efforts to encourage the biofuel sector. “Sustainable Biofuels: Fueling a Greener Future” is the theme of 2024.
Dhruva Space, an Indian space engineering solutions provider, has collaborated with Singaporean space semiconductor maker Zero-Error Systems (ZES) to improve its onboard computer (OBC) subsystem. The collaboration will deploy ZES’ highly efficient LDAP-IC-ZES100 in Dhruva Space’s OBC for future flights to safeguard commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics from radiation,
induced micro-SEL/SEL.
This strategic partnership entails the incorporation of semiconductor technology advancement into the OBC subsystem of Dhruva Space that oversees the running of satellites as well as controls the payload.
The Reserve Bank of India on imposed penalties on five entities, including CSB Bank, Union Bank of India and Muthoot Housing Finance for contravention of various regulatory norms. A penalty of Rs 1.86 crore has been imposed on CSB Bank for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the RBI on 'Guidelines on Managing Risks and,
Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by Banks' and 'Master Circular on Branch Authorisation'. In another statement, the RBI said a penalty of Rs 1.06 crore has been imposed on Union Bank of India for non-compliance with certain norms on 'Creation of a Central Repository of Large Common Exposures-Across Banks' and 'Know Your Customer (KYC)'.
A fine of 5 lakh has been imposed on Muthoot Housing Finance Company for non-compliance with certain provisions of the 'Non-Banking Financial Company - Housing Finance Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2021'.
The RBI has also imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Nido Home Finance Limited and Rs 3.1 lakh on Ashoka Viniyoga Limited for non-compliance with norms.
