IITs asked to close courses with vacant seats

The ministry has also asked the institutions to introduce new courses and disciplines after analysing market opportunity, employability and requirement of higher education. This information was shared by Minister of State for HRD, Mahendra Nath Pandey in response to a written question in the Rajya Sabha. “All Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), which are participating in joint counsellings have been asked to review the position of vacant seats in the last three years and to revise the number of seats in each discipline after considering employment opportunities, national requirements, available infrastructure and scope for future,” the minister said.

US gives list of 271  ‘illegal’ Indians: Sushma 

The US has given a list of 271 people claiming they were illegal migrants from India, but the government has not accepted it and would allow their deportation only after proper verification, union minister Sushma Swaraj said. “We have not accepted this list and have sought more details. We have said that it is only after we verify the details, can we issue an emergency certificate for their deportation,” the External Affairs Minister said. 

Addressing concerns by members during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, she said it would not be correct to say that there has been a change in the US policies after the Trump administration has come to power. Several members expressed concern over the effects of the steps being taken by the Donald Trump administration on Indian citizens including skilled professionals living there. Referring to skilled workers, she said regarding H1B and L1 visas for professionals, four bills have come to the US Congress but they have not been passed. She said the government was engaging with the US at the highest level to ensure that the interests of Indian people or the IT industry are not affected.