IIT Madras Challenges QS World University Rankings 2025, Calls It "Disappointing And Demotivating"

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti expressed disappointment and frustration with the QS World University Rankings 2025, which ranked the India's number one ranked engineering institute at 227th position globally. Despite significant efforts and achievements, IIT Madras saw only a marginal improvement from its previous ranking of 285.

Director Kamakoti termed the rankings as "thoroughly demotivating" and emphasised that the institution had expected a much better position, ideally between 150 and 200. He highlighted IIT Madras's numerous achievements, including: Running the largest sustainability school, unique sports admission program, successful startups like Hyperloop and Agnikul Space Tech that has had successful rocket launch. He also highlighted the Discovery Campus and overseas campus in Zanzibar initiatives and collaborations with the Tamil Nadu government as outreach.

Kamakoti questioned the ranking methodology, feeling that IIT Madras is being judged on criteria that don't align with its strengths and diversity. He emphasised the need to understand the ranking process better, saying, "We feel we are writing an exam out of syllabus."

IIT Bombay which ranks behind IIT Madras and stands No. 3 in India's NIRF ranking has significantly improved it's QS WORLD rankings from 149 to 118. 

NDTV has sought for a comment from QS RANKINGS and is awaiting a response. 

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"Assembly Elections In J&K Scheduled For September": Union Minister G Kishan Reddy

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in September, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday, urging people in the Union Territory to vote the BJP to power for maintaining the "development tempo" and rooting out terrorism.

He said the activities of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI have been largely curtailed in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on August 5, five years ago and warned the neighbouring country against supporting terrorism in the Union Territory.

Reddy, who is also election in-charge of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, was addressing 'Ekatma Mahotsav' rally organised by his party on the fifth anniversary of Article 370 abrogation at the Bana Singh Stadium here in the outskirts of Jammu. BJP national general secretary in-charge J&K Tarun Chugh and J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina were among the other prominent speakers.

"The Assembly elections will be held in September and we are sure that the people will vote the BJP to power with full majority given the changes which have been brought by the party by revoking Article 370 and extending B R Ambedkar's Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir," the minister said.

Lashing out at opposition parties, especially the Congress and the National Conference, he said they are talking about re-implementing Article 370, which has only brought "death and destruction" to Jammu and Kashmir through Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

"People have to decide which government they want in J&K, the one which is talking about article 370 or the BJP-led government which wants to take J&K to new heights of development, peace and prosperity," he said.

Terming the abrogation of Article 370 a "proud moment" for the country and the people of J&K, he said nobody had ever thought of such a development even as the foundation for it had been laid by Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who laid down his life while opposing the controversial constitutional provision.

"After a long struggle, the people of J&K finally got freedom from Article 370 which led to granting of rights to the women and other deprived sections of society. A new J&K came into being where terrorism, stone-pelting, hoisting of Pakistani flags and insult to the tricolour have become history," he said.

Asking people not to vote for the Congress and the NC, Reddy said if they return to power there is possibility of revival of terrorism and separatism.

Reddy said the BJP is the only party which can ensure peace by not allowing Pakistan and its sponsored terrorists to target Indian citizens.

In an apparent reference to the recent terror activities in the Jammu region, he said, "We want to warn Pakistan that we will not allow terrorism to grow in J&K despite its continuous efforts. We will completely wipe out the menace of terrorism and protect our people...we are ready to die for the country." 

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"Did You Make Crores By Growing Onions?" DK Shivakumar Jabs Union Minister

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday termed the opposition BJP and JD(S)' ongoing 'padayatra' against alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment scam, seeking to corner the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as a march for "redemption from their sins".

He also questioned JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy about the source of his family's wealth and said he could not have made thousands of crores through farming.

"BJP-JD(S) padayatre is a "Paapa Vimochana Padayatre" (a foot march for redemption from their sins)... it is the march of the corrupt, by the corrupt and for the corrupt," Mr Shivakumar said.

Speaking at the 'Janandolana' event, a public meeting by the Congress to counter BJP-JD(S)' padayatra, he accused BJP leaders and their family, Mr Kumaraswamy and his JDS leaders and their families of indulging in corruption.

The week long 'Mysuru Chalo padayatre' by BJP and JD(S) from Bengaluru that began on Saturday is against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.

Noting that he runs a business along with farming, Mr Shivakumar said while Mr Kumaraswamy has clearly said he is the son of the soil and does only farming. "Did he make thousands of crores of wealth just by growing potatoes and onions?" He also sought to know about Mr Kumaraswamy's elder brother H D Balakrishna Gowda, a retired KAS officer, and his family's assets.

"Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy), you can discuss my assets. Start from the first, your brother -- Balakrishna Gowda, his wife, her father and family -- in Mysuru, Srirangapatna and Bengaluru. Also their benamis. How much land is in their name, you have to answer it. A government employee, how many thousand crores is he worth?" he asked.

Averring that he hasn't yet spoken about the alleged denotification and mining scams involving Mr Kumaraswamy, the Deputy CM said, "I am yet to release your family's assets, but I will soon...." JD(S) won 136 seats under his presidency, but JD(S) secured only 19 seats inder Kumaraswamy, SMr hivakumar said.

"Now, you (Kumaraswamy) have joined your hands with the BJP to save your party. You are an expert in hit and run and you are a blackmailer... You said you will not attend the padayatra but why are you attending now. You are trying to ruin JD(S) for the sake of power." 

Channapatna Assembly segment will be facing the by-polls soon. The date is yet to be announced.

The bypoll in Channapatna is necessitated, following Kumaraswamy's election to the Lok Sabha from Mandya.

Speculations are rife within the Congress circles that either Mr Shivakumar or his brother D K Suresh, a former MP, who unsuccessfully contested from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, are likely to be Congress candidate from Channapatna.

"Whoever may be the candidate in Channapatna, but your vote goes to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. The Congress party symbol is the real candidate. I will work for this constituency like a legislator, give me an opportunity by supporting Congress," he appealed.

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"Trump Running Scared": Kamala Harris' Campaign On Fox News Debate Offer

Kamala Harris's campaign branded Donald Trump "scared" Saturday after he proposed to change the presidential debate schedule ahead of a rally in Georgia where he will try to halt the vice president's surging momentum in her bid to become America's first woman president.

In an overnight post on his Truth Social app, Trump said he was willing to debate Harris on the conservative Fox News network on September 4, while declining to participate in a previously scheduled debate on ABC.

Trump pitched the idea before going to a rally in Atlanta, where he will gather supporters in the same arena where Harris addressed an excited crowd of some 10,000 just this Tuesday.

Trump said he had "agreed" to the debate plan with Fox. And he said it would take place in Pennsylvania -- a crucial swing state in the US presidential electoral system -- in front of a live audience.

The Harris campaign dismissed this as "games."

"Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out," Harris's campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "He needs to... show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10."

The proposal to confront Harris on a network that has long supported him was the latest Trump effort to recapture the initiative in a campaign that had been entirely focused on a rematch against 81-year-old Joe Biden, until he dramatically dropped his reelection bid on July 21.

Since then, Harris, 59, has reenergized the Democratic base almost overnight.

She has raked in donations, reassembled the team behind Barack Obama's two historic election victories, and neutralized the solid lead that 78-year-old Trump had built against Biden in opinion polls.

On Friday, she secured the official Democratic nomination, backed by near unanimous party support.

Harris is due imminently to announce her vice presidential pick, with the popular governor of key state Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, a frontrunner. On Tuesday, she is set to launch a countrywide tour with her yet-to-be-named running mate.

Rally in battleground state

Late Saturday, Trump will be joined by his own vice presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance, at the rally in Georgia -- another battleground state that will help decide who wins the Electoral College majority on November 5.

Trump lost narrowly to Biden there in 2020 and the state was at the center of his unprecedented attempts to overturn the results of the election and refusal to accept defeat.

The size of Harris's rally on Tuesday was a warning sign to the Trump campaign, which has long touted its ability to draw thousands of passionate supporters, in contrast to Biden's usually meager crowds.

The situation is a remarkable turnaround in a campaign where Trump had been appearing to gather force while Biden -- hurt by a disastrous debate performance in June and mounting voter concerns over his mental acuity -- was steadily slipping.

Harris's rapid entry has left the Trump campaign scrambling -- and Trump now the oldest presidential nominee in US history.

Adding to the changed dynamics, Harris is vying to become the first woman president and the first of Black and Indian biracial heritage.

Trump drew gasps at a convention of Black journalists this week when he claimed that Harris, who has identified closely with her Black roots all her life, was only pretending.

"She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black," he said.

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Common Man "Fed Up" With Court Proceedings: Chief Justice's Push For Lok Adalats

Noting the plight of common men who are "fed up" with court proceedings, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted on Saturday the importance of Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

He stressed that the judicial process is a punishment for litigants, due to which they often desperately look for settlements to end tiresome litigation by accepting settlements even below their legal entitlements.

The CJI also cited several cases which were settled in the Special Lok Adalat. He cited a motor accident case in which the claimant was ready to settle the case for lower compensation despite being entitled to enhancement.

"Parties are ready to accept any sort of settlement because they want to get out of the system," said the CJI.

Speaking at the commemoration function of the Special Lok Adalat, CJI said, "Log itna trast ho jate hain court ke mamlon se wo koi bhi settlement chahte hain... Bas court se dur kara dijiye (People are so fed up with the matters of the court that they just want a settlement). This is also a problem that we see as judges. This process is the punishment and that is a cause of concern for all of us as judges."

He said there is a need for institutionalising the process of dispensing justice through Lok Adalats.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also attended the event and said that mediation is a part of Indian culture. He said Lord Krishna attempted to mediate between the Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata.

The Supreme Court today organised a commemoration function for the Special Lok Adalat week that began on July 29 and ended on August 2.

During this week, the court heard Lok Adalat matters every afternoon in an attempt to settle cases.
Lok Adalats are an essential part of the judicial system, facilitating alternative dispute resolution to expedite and encourage amicable settlements.

As per the Supreme Court, the number of cases selected for the Special Lok Adalat was 14,045. 4,883 cases were listed before the Lok Adalat benches and 920 cases were disposed of.

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Not Possible To Locate People Under Landslide Debris Using Space Tech: ISRO Chief

In view of the recent natural disasters like the landslide in Kerala, where many people are trapped under debris, ISRO chairman S Somanath on Saturday said only a certain depth of filtration is possible with space technology and could not be relied on for finding the victims.

The ISRO chief was answering a question in this regard in the outreach programme organised by ISRO, #asksomanathisro on Instagram.

“There are limitations of space-based sensors to locate objects that are buried under debris, which is currently an issue. It is not possible to detect what is deep under the ground from space. A certain depth of filtration is always possible by radar signals, but it is not possible to find, say, underground channels or petroleum deposits and deep minerals,” added Mr Somanath.

Answering another question during #asksomanathisro, on the Space Flight Agreement with NASA-identified service provider announced on August 2, through which two ‘Gaganyatris' will train to be backup mission pilots, Mr Somanath talked about what it could mean to ISRO.

“The process of going to the International Space Station itself gives you so much learning. One of our astronauts is going to be trained in the whole ground process of preparation. That will tell us how one should prepare Gaganyatris for the Gaganyaan mission,” said Somnath.

According to him, when Gaganyatris really go through the flight experience, working with international crew who are already up there, it will really give them the type of knowledge and skill, which will make ISRO ready for India's mission.

The ISRO chief also spoke about the initial failures of ISRO, which eventually paved the way for its successes.

“We have had enough share of our failures, and all those failures are behind us. But it is particularly important to look back at failures and understand why they failed in the first place. It is also important to speak about them,” said Mr Somanath.

“One of our first launches, the PSLV failed. The first launch of SSLV failed, we also could not soft land on the moon with the Chandrayaan 2. They were all realities and when a failure occurs, we have a very solid mechanism within the organisation to understand and go through the analysis of the failure and then find the reason why it failed,” said the ISRO chief.

This is how ISRO learns how to mitigate those failures, he added.

“So, as a space scientist, I can tell you that it is crucial when one engineers systems to ask oneself how it can fail and follow this with appropriate design interventions,” said Mr Somanath.

He also said that he is excited about the very first National Space Day to be celebrated on August 23, to honour the historic landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the southern side of the moon on August 23, 2023.

During the one-hour session that saw about 2,000 people log in, Somnath also answered technical questions about the functioning of certain missions.

He also answered many queries on how a civil engineer or a person with a background in life sciences or biology can pursue a career in space science.

The session is held once a month and usually on a weekend.

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Abandoned Homes Being Looted, Say Wayanad Landslide Survivors

Residents of landslide-devastated villages in Kerala's Wayanad district who were forced to flee their homes have reported thefts from their abandoned properties, prompting police to increase night patrols.

The displaced residents suspect that thieves might be taking advantage of the state's biggest humanitarian crisis to steal valuables.

Some of the affected people have urged the authorities to identify and punish those who enter the area at night with the intention of stealing.

"We are the ones who have lost everything in the tragedy," an affected person told reporters.

"We had abandoned our homes to ensure our safety during the landslide tragedy. But when we returned to check the state of our home after that, we found the doors broken open." He complained that thieves had even targeted their room in the resort where they are currently staying and stolen their clothes.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the authorities said that police patrols had been launched in the disaster-hit areas, including Chooralmala and Mundakkai.

"Action will be taken against those who enter the affected areas or homes of the victims at night without permission," the statement said.

"No one is allowed to enter the affected areas or homes, either in the name of rescue operations or otherwise, without police permission at night," it said.

As rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas of the district entered their fifth day, rescuers unearthed more bodies and body parts, bringing the death count to 215, with around 206 people still reported missing. 

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