‘India can become a developed country in near future’

October 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - India's Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal is in the US to seek partnership with leading American universities for an initiative to set up 14 innovation universities in India to push research and development. Sibal will meet senior officials at the Departments of State and Education as also presidents of several US universities as part of an endeavour to forge greater collaboration in the field of education.

September 26th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday expressed concern over the poor enrolment from schools to colleges in India, and observed that the national average was "just above" that in the sub-Sahara African countries. "The gross enrolment ratio - that is admission of students from high school to college - in the US is 50 to 70 students per 100 whereas in the Scandinavian countries it is above 70 percent," said Sibal here Saturday.

September 26th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - In the backdrop of the row between the faculty of premier education institutes and the union ministry, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said here Saturday that education is neither about autonomy nor about flexibility, it's about taking the country forward. "Institutions demand more flexibility in their working and more autonomy from us.

September 21st, 2009 GUWAHATI - An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked parts of Assam and other northeastern states of India Monday afternoon. The tremors were felt at 2.26 p.m.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Helping India attain universal primary education, an Australian university Tuesday joined hands with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to train elementary teachers in rural regions. The teachers training programe will be conducted through IGNOU centres across the country, authorities of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - An Australian university Tuesday joined hands with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to train elementary teachers in rural India and to help the country attain universal primary education. The teachers training programe will be conducted through IGNOU centres across the country, authorities of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said.

August 16th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The National Service Scheme (NSS) will build herbal gardens in schools and colleges in Chandigargh that have its units, an official said Sunday. "These herbal gardens would be developed, monitored and maintained by NSS volunteers.

August 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India, expected to become one of the largest global economies, can set international benchmarks in research and development, President Pratibha Patil said Friday. India had been playing a leading role in the knowledge economy and was "well placed to face the future with confidence", Patil said in her address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day.

August 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Stating that the education system in India needs to undergo a thorough change, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said his ministry would work towards freeing it up in the coming years. "We need to free up the education system.

July 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to India having broadened the frame of US-India relations, Washington says it now looks forward to deepening cooperation in areas they have agreed to work together. "I think Secretary Clinton reflected in a number of occasions that we were very satisfied with the trip to India and the launching of a strategic dialogue and an expansion of the range of issues that we will address in future meetings," State Department spokesman Philip J.

July 16th, 2009 LONDON - India, which has a strong new government and moral authority", should now lead global negotiations on climate change, a leading British expert has urged. India's low emissions and its challenge of poverty reduction give her moral authority on climate change.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Saying the government was committed to improve education standards in India, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday a new apex panel on higher education will be formed soon. The National Commission for Higher Education and Research, which will encompass in itself the existing professional councils and regulatory agencies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Medical Council of India and the AICTE, is likely to be formed within the first 100 days of the new government, Sibal told reporters.

June 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amid concerns over safety of Indian students in Australia after a series of racist attacks on some of them, an Australian university has fielded cricketer Brett Lee, who is very popular in India, to assure the Indian student community of a safe and secure environment to study in his country. Faced with the outcry in India over attacks on Indian students in Australia, Australian universities are working overtime to give assurances students and their parents.

February 16th, 2009 BANGALORE - Infosys Technologies chairman and chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy Tuesday called upon Indian scientists to focus more on research and innovation to catch up with their counterparts in the developed countries.

January 4th, 2009 SHILLONG - Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said he visualises India in 2020 as a country free from terrorism and a secure place to live in with people proud of the country's leadership.