Scuffle between NEHU students not communal

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 19: The North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) today said the recent scuffle among students residing in the hostel was in no way related to communal issues.

The Monday night incident, which involved a verbal altercation and physical confrontation among students residing in the hostel, was related to disagreements regarding the rules and regulations governing hostel life.

Immediate action was taken to diffuse the situation and ensure the safety and well-being of all students involved.

The Dean of Students Welfare, the Warden of Hostel 19 and the University’s Security Officer promptly arrived at the scene to pacify the situation and maintain order.

Furthermore, local law enforcement was notified of the incident, and they promptly arrived on the NEHU premises to assess the situation and assist in maintaining peace and order.

The NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof PS Shukla today convened a high-level meeting to address the incident comprehensively. The meeting was attended Registrar, the Dean of Students Welfare, Proctor, Security Officer, and the Warden of Hostel No. 19.

“The purpose of this meeting was to thoroughly discuss the matter and ensure that due disciplinary actions are taken in accordance with the rules and regulations of the University,” NEHU PRO Dr Davidson Pyngrope said in a statement.

“NEHU wishes to emphasize that the situation has been brought under control, and the incident was in no way related to communal issues, as falsely reported by various sources. The University remains committed to upholding a safe and inclusive environment for all students, and any breaches of conduct will be addressed with utmost seriousness and adherence to established protocols,” he said.

Meanwhile, NEHU urged all stakeholders, including staff, students, parents, and the general public, to rely on official statements and verified information provided by the University to avoid spreading baseless rumours or misinformation.

“The University remains dedicated to the holistic development and well-being of its student community and will continue to take all necessary steps to maintain a harmonious and conducive learning environment,” Prof Pyngrope said.

Govt to review Shillong, Tura medical colleges

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 2: The state government will soon review the status of the proposed Shillong medical college and under-construction Tura medical college.

“We will be reviewing these matters sometime by mid-April,” Minister-in-charge of Health & Family Welfare Ampareen Lyngdoh told reporters.

Lyngdoh said she is not completely privy to the status of the Shillong medical college but there are some problems regarding the location and that decision has to be first taken there.

“We will also have to ensure that this PPP formula that will be implemented in Shillong is a formula that will be good for the state of Meghalaya,” she asserted.

“Therefore, we will review the status (of the proposal) so that we have a better idea as there are so many components to a PPP model in a medical college. We would like to get the best deal out of the offers which have come before the state,” she added.

Lyngdoh further informed that the progress of the Tura medical college is satisfactory.

Last month, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had informed that talks are on for setting up of the Shillong Medical College in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

This was after the government had cancelled the MoU signed with the earlier partners for setting up the Shillong medical college after nothing moved even after 10 years have lapsed.

The government has already identified a land of 50 acres in the new city area where the medical college would be set up.

Earlier in his budget speech, the Chief Minister said his government is committed to establishing medical colleges in the state.

He informed that the physical progress of the Tura medical college is about 40 per cent and said, “We are taking steps to fast-track its construction.”

“The proposal for setting up a medical college in Shillong in PPP mode is being actively considered and we expect to initiate this project in 2023-24,” the CM had assured.

IIM Shillong holds 14th annual convocation

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 3: IIM Shillong, hosted its 14th Annual Convocation today with 5 Doctoral Scholars conferred PhD degrees, whereas 238 students from the PGP-2021-23 batch (2 years full-time residential programme), 43 students from the PGPEX batch of 2022-23 (1-year full-time residential programme), 16 students from PGPWE2020-22 and 47 students from PGPWE2021-23 batch (2 years programme for Working Executives) where conferred with MBA degrees.

While delivering the welcome address, the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Shishir Kumar Bajoria, congratulated the students on their achievements and emphasized the importance of skill development in shaping India’s future. He urged the students to leverage their learning from IIM Shillong to make a positive impact on society. You are the products of New India, since 1947 India received 950 Billion dollars of FDI of which 532 Billion was last 3 years. The growth of India is bottom-up. The growth of the first GDP was 3.5 trillion dollars which took 67 years, while 2nd trillion took 8 years and 3rd trillion took 5 years. From the 10th largest economy in 2015 to 5th largest leaving, Russia, Italy, Brazil, France and the UK and knocking at the door of Germany for the 4th position. This is New India. 65 per cent of our GDP was driven by domestic demand. 1.4 billion population, about 1 billion are young Indians with an average age of 29 years. India is World’s youngest country and will continue to be for the next 70 years and dear students, you are going to participate in that as Young Indians.

The event was graced by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as the Chief Guest (through virtual mode) and Gaurav Swarup, Co-Chairman & Managing Director of Paharpur Cooling Towers Ltd, as the Guest of Honour,

While delivering the Convocation Address, Rajeev Chandrasekhar expressed his gratitude for his part as the Chief Guest of the 14th convocation of IIM Shillong. India has been fortunate to have been globally growing, with initiatives such as Digital India contributing to the country’s growth. While many countries are grappling with recession and other challenges, India continues to grow and emerge as a global leader. I firmly believe that India is the country of the decade, and I urge the students of IIM Shillong to leverage their education to contribute towards the country’s progress and make a positive impact on society. Further, he mentioned that New India offers tremendous opportunities for Young Indians to pursue dreams and achieve goals and based on their own hard work and abilities. Chandrasekhar congratulated all graduating students and wished them a bright future.

The Guest of Honour, Gaurav Swarup, congratulated the students and emphasized the importance of leveraging their education to positively impact society.

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The Director of IIM Shillong, Prof. D.P. Goyal, expressed his pride in the achievements of the students and lauded the faculty and staff for their efforts in imparting industry-relevant education. Professor Goyal further said, “As they embark on their professional journey, I urge them to uphold our institution’s values of integrity, empathy, and excellence, and to use their knowledge and skills to contribute towards building a better tomorrow.”

The convocation ceremony witnessed the participation of 238 students, who received job offers from 63 recruiters across various fields, including Consulting & Strategy, Finance, General Management, Human Resources & Operations, IT & Analytics, and Sales & Marketing. The gender makeup of the class was equally split, with 45 per cent females and 55 per cent males. With an average CTC of 26.96 LPA, Median CTC of 26.09 LPA and Highest CTC of 71.30 LPA, IIM Shillong continued to cherish the moment and congratulated the graduating students of the PGP batch for such achievements.

The Chief Guest highlighted the Government’s initiatives to create a conducive ecosystem for startups and urged the students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

The convocation ceremony concluded with a Pledge by the graduating scholars and students led by respective program chairs, that creates a sense of pride and accomplishment as the students looked forward to making their mark in the corporate world, armed with the skills and knowledge imparted by IIM Shillong.