The Indian Express | 3 days ago | 08-01-2023 | 05:40 pm
Australia is one of the most popular destinations in the world when it comes to higher education abroad. According to the data from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), the number of Indian students commencing academics with Australian universities was 52,186 until June 2022.Considering the popularity of the country among international students, the Australian government provides several scholarships that Indian students can apply for, to pursue their dreams of studying in Australia.There are a number of scholarships and grants available which can help Indian students study in Australia, while keeping their finances in check. — Student’s return airfare to and from Australia— Establishment allowance— Living allowance— Academic and other compulsory fees— Basic health insurance [Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)]Students are also advised to apply for Australian Government scholarships a year in advance after receiving an offer from the respective Australian university.This scholarship is given to exceptional graduate Indian students who have enrolled for bachelor, master, and doctoral courses programmes in engineering, construction, energy and resources, security, and strategic studies at leading Australian universities. Applications for this scholarship open in the month of February and continue till April every year. An important thing to remember here is that students who get this scholarship must return to India after completing their programme.Website: www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/australia-awards/australia-awards-scholarshipsAmount/Expense covered:— Full tuition fee— Return air travel fare (economy)— Establishment allowance— Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE)— Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)— Introductory Academic Program (IAP)— Pre-course English (PCE) fees— Supplementary academic support— FieldworkEligibility: — Minimum age of 18 years— Fulfill admission requirements set by your targeted university.— Meet expected minimum scores on entrance testsIELTS- 6.5, minimum 6.0 for every bandTOEFL- 84, minimum 21 in all subtestsPTE- 58, minimum Communicative skill score not 50These scholarships for international students are awarded by individual universities on behalf of the Department of Education. The application procedure, as well as the selection, differs from university to university. It is given to students who take up research masters and research doctorate programmes. It will cover one or more of the tuition fees, cost of living, and other study-related expenses. A research masters scholarship is valid for two years ,while the research doctorate scholarship is valid for a minimum of three years and a maximum of four years.Website: www.education.gov.au/research-block-grants/research-training-programAmount/Expense covered: — Up to $124,000— Tuition fee— StipendEligibility: — Completed postgraduate studies— Academic merit— Research potentialThe Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) nurtures the interests of committed researchers to work with them by providing various scholarship options every year. An annual vacation scholarship programme and other various scholarships let deserving researchers work with world-class scientists. The areas of the research study are as per the focus of CSIRO, so the candidates must check every year on the CSIRO website.Website: www.csiro.au/en/careers/scholarships-student-opportunitiesEvery year, 50 scholarships are given to “outstanding graduates who enroll each year at Australian tertiary institutions.” It is for up to three years and can be extended for the fourth year.Amount/Expense covered: — The amount is variable with programme. However, the applicants can expect a better one-time payment.Eligibility:First-class Honors or H1 or equivalent degree in a relevant discipline of engineering/science— Minimum English language requirements— Adequate oral and written communication skills— Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary research team— Meet RMIT’s entry requirements for the PhD by research degreeThe Destination Australia Scholarship funds students to pursue their education in tertiary Australian universities and institutions. The idea of the scholarship is to extract the socio-cultural and economic benefits brought by international students to empower regional Australia. The candidates are expected to live and study in the remote and regional parts which are defined as areas outside the major Australian cities.Website: education.gov.au/destination-australiaAmount/Expense covered: — Up to $15,000 per year— Maximum duration is four yearsEligibility: — As per guidance published by the specific university— Academic merit— Applicant’s personal statementFocusing on STEM subjects, It is one of the PhD scholarships in Australia that offers two types of awards — Data61 PhD scholarship and Data61 top-up scholarship.The Data61 PhD comprises a full stipend, while the Data61 top-up scholarship provides additional support if you receive the university/government/third-party funded scholarship.Your offer letter will contain the benefits you will be getting which can be only a PhD scholarship, only a top-up scholarship, or both PhD and top-up scholarships. The validity of the scholarship is a maximum of 3.5 years. Based on university processes and the number of applications, application rounds are held 2-4 times a year.Website: data61.csiro.au/en/Our-Network/Students/Scholarship-ProgramAmount/Expense covered:— $10,000 per annumEligibility:— Completion of postgraduate studies— Research interest in a STEM topic that aligns with the CSIRO’s priority interests— Required academic merit and research potentialOffered by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the John Allwright Fellowship is awarded to scientists from partner country institutions involved in the research projects of ACIAR. The beneficiaries of this fellowship would get the opportunity to undertake postgraduate training in Australia with standard coverage of their expenses. ACIAR focuses on agribusiness, crops, and forestry-related research in India.Website: aciar.gov.au/scholarships/john-allwright-fellowshipAmount/Expense covered:— Full tuition fee— Return air travel fare (economy)— Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE) – AU$ 30,000/year— Establishment allowance- AU$ 5,000 onceEligibility criteria:— Belonging to a developing country that has a partnership with ACIAR projects— Degree equivalent to an Australian bachelor’s degree in the relevant discipline—Scientist or economist from the developing country partner actively involved in ACIAR projectsThe Australian government funds Endeavour postgraduate scholarships to Australians who wish to study abroad as well as to non-Australians who desire and deserve to study masters programme in Australia. This scholarship covers an amount up to AU$ 27,500, including various expenses a student has. Sponsored by the Australian government’s Department of Education, Skills, and Employment, the scholarship scheme is known as Endeavour Leadership, indicating that the beneficiaries are potential leaders of the world.Website: internationaleducation.gov.au/scholarships/Scholarships-and-Fellowships/Pages/default.aspxAmount/Expense covered:— Tuition fees— Travel allowance- AU$ 3,000— Establishment allowance- AU$ 2,000/4000— Monthly stipend- AU$ 3000/month— Health insurance— Travel InsuranceEligibility criteria: — Citizen/permanent resident of a participating country— 18 years or more age— High-level academic excellence or work experience in the relevant field— Not applied in a category in which Endeavour scholarship was received once— Applicant receives no other scholarships in AustraliaStep 1: Research about the Institute and select a Scholarship.Step 2: Check for the minimum eligibility requirements for the scholarship.Step 3: Contact supervisors for supervision approval.Step 4: Submit an expression of interest.Step 5: Fill in the application and submit it.Step 6: Wait for the reply.Scholarships in Australia are offered on the basis of merit-based, need-based, student-specific, or course-specific grants. The amount of an Australian scholarship differs depending on the profile of the student ranging from $2000 up to 100 percent of the tuition fee. Doctoral degrees in the country are usually fully funded.These are a few scholarships exclusively for international students who wish to study in Australia. These Australian government scholarships are offered for full-time study in Australia for undergraduate, master, or technical courses.
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If there is one wish I would like to make for 2023, it is for shared peace and prosperity for all.All efforts to propel economic growth are for the prosperity of people. But GDP growth rates, the absolute size of GDP, and even per capita income, do not fully capture the prosperity of the masses. Increasing inequalities are a reality in India and most developing nations. Simon Kuznets told us decades back that it is going to happen as economies open up and growth accelerates, before it stabilises and even declines as those left behind start catching up. But how do they catch up with the front runners? It can happen only when one invests heavily in their skills, education, access to finance (capital/technology) and innovative models of development that dovetail inclusiveness with faster growth plans.In 2022, India has registered the highest growth rate amongst all G20 countries and it is likely to do so even in 2023. That’s a matter of pride. And within India, when we talk about growth and wealth creation, one name stands out — Gautam Adani. In a recent interview with India Today, he revealed that his rise started with the liberalisation of economic policies during Rajiv Gandhi’s time, and got momentum with the 1991 reforms. But the year 2022 has seen the most explosive growth with his net worth rising to about $125.8 billion (as per the Forbes list on December 28, 2022) making him the richest man in Asia and third-richest in the world.Many critics say this is all due to his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But then, why is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan hosting him as he announced plans to invest about Rs 65,000 crore in setting up a mega solar power plant of 10,000 MW, expanding a cement plant, and upgrading the Jaipur airport? Similarly, why did the Tamil Nadu government support him in setting up one of the largest solar power plants at Kamuthi? Even the West Bengal government has been wooing him for investment and the upgradation of its ports. The reality is that most of the top business houses work with all governments so long as it makes economic sense to them. Be it Adani, Reliance, Tatas, Wipro, and others — they all create wealth and millions of well-paid jobs. That’s their contribution to society. But they also give back to society through their CSR activities as well as through family foundations and trusts.A few years back, Azim Premji pledged to give away about half of his wealth to the society through Azim Premji Foundation. He topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List in 2020. How many people are aware that Gautam Adani’s foundation is committing Rs 60,000 crore to give back to society through promoting better health, education, and skill development? This, said Adani, was the best gift on his 60th birthday.While all this is commendable, I feel there could also be an alternative model for shared prosperity. And that is making the less privileged partners in the journey of wealth creation. Let me elaborate. Since Gautam Adani is committing Rs 60,000 crore through the Adani Foundation to give back to society, here is a small idea that can make millions prosperous, if he takes it up as a priority.The largest share of India’s working population is engaged in agriculture (about 46 per cent). Their education levels are low and the average holding size is small (1.08 ha). The average household income hovers below Rs 20,000 per month at current prices. Of course, many marginal farmers earn even less than this. This is not enough to provide a sustainable demand base for a manufacturing revolution in India. Educating these people at a large scale or even creating new skills may be a long-drawn process. So, here is an idea that can augment their incomes substantially and quickly.Adani aims to be the largest player in green energy, especially solar. Solar farms today need a lot of land that is degraded. But land is scarce in India and I am not sure how far this model can be scaled up. The alternative is to have solar as a third crop on farmers’ fields. The designing of solar panels and structures has to be done in a manner that allows enough sunlight to come through for photosynthesis of crops below. Farmers can keep growing two crops below these solar trees that are about four meters high. The investment in solar panels will be done largely by entrepreneurs (say Adani Green Energy) with some equity participation by the farmers (say 10 to 15 per cent). Farmers will maintain these solar trees regularly. Power will be generated throughout the year and it can be fed to the grid at an agreed price. The farmer will get rent for his land and a share in the profits of power generation.This idea is being tried in a number of countries, including India. Our research in this area led to the setting up of a pilot in Ujwa KVK in the Najafgarh area in Delhi with the help of former Lt Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal. Just two kilometres from the site of the pilot project, an entrepreneur, Surinder Ahuja (CEO, SUNMASTER), has tried out this idea on four acres and he is offering Rs 1.25 lakh per acre/year to farmers for using their land for solar and agriculture activities. This doubles farmers’ income within six months.The question is whether Adani can scale it a million times and create a revolution with farmers generating solar power along with food crops. Only then can the farmer become not only anna daata but also urja daata (giver of food as well as solar energy). This will be a true shared prosperity model.Gulati is Distinguished Professor at ICRIER. Views are personal
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the decision to make Yo-Yo and Dexa fitness tests mandatory for selection for emerging players, citing his own example to make his case. In his characteristic sardonic humour, he also questioned the absence of “bio-mechanists, body science experts as selectors”.“Many years back, when this physical fitness fad had started, we had two former team-mates who had retired and now were the managers of the team for different series that season,” he writes in his Mid-Day column. Gavaskar also added that neither were particularly fit during their playing careers but insisted on mandatory long-distance running.“Ever since I have been a schoolboy cricketer, I have suffered from a condition called shin splits where doing even a couple of laps of ground would make the muscles around shin seize up and make it painful to walk.” He says the managers insisted and the shins seized up. “I told them to drop me if they were going to pick the eleven based on who ran most… fitness is an individual thing and there is no such thing as one size fits all. Quick bowlers need different level than spinners, wicket-keepers need an even higher level, and batters perhaps the least. Cricket fitness should be prime consideration.”It’s a point that perhaps the fittest Indian cricketer of all time Kapil Dev too has spoken about it in the past. “”Sunil Gavaskar may not have enjoyed running more than 15 minutes as a part of his fitness drill but he could bat for three days. Even the likes of Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly may or may not have cleared this version of the Yo-Yo test but they turned out to be some of the best players India has produced … Even football legend Diego Maradona wasn’t the fastest runner but whenever he had the ball, he was the fastest. Similarly, every cricketer has a different way of responding to fitness drill,” Kapil Dev had said in 2018.Harbhajan Singh too had blasted it, then. “There is this new drama of Yo-Yo test, which for me does not exist in cricket. This is for footballers and hockey players because in this test, you can run forward once and then run back, which never happens in cricket. And because of this test a very in-form batsman like Ambati Rayudu could not make his place in the Indian team.”In 2018, The Indian Express had spoken to the inventor of Yo-Yo Test, the Danish sports scientist Dr Jens Bangsbo. He had then said that the test is used to optimise training and improve endurance. However, the man who has been the assistant coach at Juventus FC and the Denmark national side had a word of caution for those who use this test as a selection criteria.“You have to be careful about using this as the sole test for selection. You have to be always careful in using it as a selection criteria in sports like cricket. It’s not bad, though, to have a lower level (16.1 is lower spectrum) as everybody needs to have a minimum level of fitness. But whether you should use this for selection criteria is up to the federations but I would say you have to be careful; as there are other qualities that one seeks in a sportsman,” Bangsbo had told this newspaper. “The test is a tool to measure the individual’s capacity. What is more important is to use this as a tool to measure and get better. This is a useful tool to find out how we train and how to improve the training to get the players fitter. This is how it is used by football clubs and that’s the constructive way.”
MHT-CET 2023: The State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, Maharashtra today released the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT CET) 2023 exam schedule. Interested and eligible candidates can check the MHT CET 2023 schedule at the official website of MHT CET — cetcell.mahacet.org.As per the schedule, BTech/BE examination for Physics, Chemistry and Maths (PCM) will be held from May 9 to 13, 2023 and for Physics, Chemistry & Biology (PCB) will be held from May 15 to 20, 2023.B Pharmacy exams will be held on May 20, 2023.MAH-MBA / MMS-CET exams will be held on March 18 & 19, 2023.MAH-MCA-CET/ exams will be held on March 25 & 26, 2023.MAH-LLB 5yrs exams will be held on April 1, 2023, and MAH-LLB-CET 3yrs exams will be held on May 2 and 3, 2023.There are more examinations that are conducted under the State Common Entrance Test, Maharashtra, for more details candidates can visit the official website of MHT CET — cetcell.mahacet.org.
An “atmosphere of intolerance” currently prevailing in India will not last long and that people will have to unite to fight against it, Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen on Sunday said.Interacting with students, teachers and research scholars during a programme organised by Pratichi Trust in Kolkata on his maternal grandfather Kshitimohan Sen’s concept of ‘Yukta Sadhana’ at the Amartya Sen Research Centre, the eminent economist said, “This situation will not last long. People are being beaten up if they don’t agree or simply do not listen to others. People will have to work together. Differences must be sorted out. We need to reduce the distances between us.”Asked by a seventh-grade student on the “benefits of a combined pursuit”, Sen quipped, “Is diversity always good? Of late, India has had diversity which was not there before. There is a need to look at both advantages and disadvantages of diversity.”Asked by a teacher as “how can we retain the country’s diversity”, the Nobel laureate reminded the audience of the words of Mahatma Gandhi. “Gandhi said during the initial phase of the struggle for Independence that we should reduce the distances between ourselves. Our ability to respect others is decreasing. And this is one of the reasons we are lagging behind,” he said.Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, “We welcome his statement. He is actually criticising the situation wherein the BJP is dividing the entire country on the basis of religion, caste, gender and language.”CPIM state secretary Mohammad Salim said, “He expressed his understanding as a true thinker. The is a torchbearer of the tradition of pluralism and unity that India has carried from the likes of Rabindranath Tagore.”BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, however, said, “He is an economist. But did he say anything about the economy? Sen does not have to think about India which has now emerged strong globally. But yes, the situation in Bengal will not continue like this for long. Mr Sen should know that there will be a change here.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on January 13 flag off the 51-day luxury Ganga cruise from Varanasi to Dibrugarh, via Bangladesh, a 3,200-km river voyage being pitched as the world’s longest.The ship, MV Ganga Vilas, will sail across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh, with the journey packed with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage spots, national parks.According to a government statement issued Sunday, the cruise ship will pass through major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam, before reaching Dibrugarh, where it is expected to arrive on March 1.“This will herald a new age of river cruise tourism for India,” said Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, adding that the idea is to explore the immense wealth that the country’s rich river system has to offer.MV Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the luxury amenities. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey. The tourists will board the cruise on January 10 and complete local sightseeing, before the ship sets sail from Varanasi on January 13.The journey will cost approximately Rs 25,000 per person per day, the operators told The Indian Express.While the cruise is being managed by private operators, the Inland Waterways Authority of India, under the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways, has supported the project.The Ganga cruise will make pit-stops to cover various historical, cultural and religious spots, including the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam.The travellers will also visit the Bihar School of Yoga and Vikramshila University. The cruise will also traverse through the Sunderbans in the Bay of Bengal delta, as well as Kaziranga National Park.Highlighting the need to develop river cruise tourism in the country, Sonowal said that the sector would generate employment opportunities in the hinterland. He said the river tourism circuits will be developed and integrated with the existing tourism circuits for maximum exposure and rapid development of this sector in the country.
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