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Economic Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
More non-engineering students breach B-school wall
India's leading business schools, once primarily the domain of engineering graduates, are on a drive to diversify their classrooms with an enhanced focus on non-engineers. This shift stems from the growing belief that not only the institutes, but also a rapidly changing corporate world requires varied perspectives and problem-solving abilities. ADVERTISEMENT In a first, non-engineers at 50.12%, outnumbered engineers for the 2025-27 batch at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. At IIM Kozhikode, 53% of the latest batch is non-engineers, while at IIM Lucknow, it is at 49.3%. Both SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai, and Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon have 42% non-engineers in the new batch. In comparison, till about a decade ago, non-engineers comprised only 10-15% of the class at IIMs. While efforts to balance the skew have been ongoing for a while now, through initiatives such as awarding extra 'diversity points', giving less weightage to the Common Admission Test (CAT) score, and focusing more on personal interviews, the momentum gathered pace in the last two-three IIM Ahmedabad, for instance, in the last three years, the share of non-engineers has risen from 33.5% to the current 50.12% Rai, director at IIM Indore, attributes this to the growing recognition among both academic institutions and recruiters that successful managers can emerge from a wide array of academic backgrounds. Business schools, he says, are placing greater emphasis on diverse thinking styles, strong communication abilities, and domain expertise from fields such as statistics, economics, humanities, commerce, design, and law. ADVERTISEMENT "Today, this shift is not only deliberate but also necessary. Modern business challenges are complex and multifaceted, demanding more than just quantitative prowess; they require interdisciplinary insight and varied perspectives," said Rai."The success of business education lies in academic diversity," noted Prof Jyotsna Bhatnagar, dean-graduate programmes, MDI, Gurgaon. "This not only makes it more relevant but also way more future-proof than what even the smartest AI is yet to replicate. A healthy mix of student portfolios helps in more meaningful conversations and better problem-solving abilities." ADVERTISEMENT "The rise of non-engineering students in our B-schools is a welcome shift," says Supratik Bhattacharyya - chief talent officer, RPG Group, which recruits from top IIMs, FMS, XLRI, SPJIMR and MDI, among others."Despite RPG being rooted deep in engineering and technology driven businesses, we strongly believe that diverse minds lead to better decisions, richer problem-solving, and more inclusive leadership," said Bhattacharyya. ADVERTISEMENT "We see immense value in bringing together talent from varied academic backgrounds, because real-world challenges demand as much analytical thinking as it does creative problem-solving, empathy and communication. Only a mix of perspectives can help us build more agile, innovative, and human centric organisations." At IIM Kozhikode, this holistic approach ensures a richer and more varied learning experience for all students, bringing diverse perspectives to classroom discussions, said admissions chairperson Ram Kumar PN. IIM Bangalore has 170 non-engineers (28%) in the flagship two-year MBA (PGP and PGPBA) - highest in the last four years, said Prof Mukta Kulkarni, dean of Academic Programmes. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
More non-engineering students breach B-school wall
Live Events Interdisciplinary Insight a Must (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India's leading business schools, once primarily the domain of engineering graduates, are on a drive to diversify their classrooms with an enhanced focus on non-engineers. This shift stems from the growing belief that not only the institutes, but also a rapidly changing corporate world requires varied perspectives and problem-solving a first, non-engineers at 50.12%, outnumbered engineers for the 2025-27 batch at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. At IIM Kozhikode, 53% of the latest batch is non-engineers, while at IIM Lucknow, it is at 49.3%. Both SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai, and Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon have 42% non-engineers in the new comparison, till about a decade ago, non-engineers comprised only 10-15% of the class at IIMs While efforts to balance the skew have been ongoing for a while now, through initiatives such as awarding extra 'diversity points', giving less weightage to the Common Admission Test (CAT) score, and focusing more on personal interviews, the momentum gathered pace in the last two-three IIM Ahmedabad, for instance, in the last three years, the share of non-engineers has risen from 33.5% to the current 50.12% Rai, director at IIM Indore, attributes this to the growing recognition among both academic institutions and recruiters that successful managers can emerge from a wide array of academic backgrounds. Business schools, he says, are placing greater emphasis on diverse thinking styles, strong communication abilities, and domain expertise from fields such as statistics, economics, humanities, commerce, design, and law."Today, this shift is not only deliberate but also necessary. Modern business challenges are complex and multifaceted, demanding more than just quantitative prowess; they require interdisciplinary insight and varied perspectives," said Rai."The success of business education lies in academic diversity," noted Prof Jyotsna Bhatnagar, dean-graduate programmes, MDI, Gurgaon. "This not only makes it more relevant but also way more future-proof than what even the smartest AI is yet to replicate. A healthy mix of student portfolios helps in more meaningful conversations and better problem-solving abilities.""The rise of non-engineering students in our B-schools is a welcome shift," says Supratik Bhattacharyya - chief talent officer, RPG Group, which recruits from top IIMs, FMS, XLRI, SPJIMR and MDI, among others."Despite RPG being rooted deep in engineering and technology driven businesses, we strongly believe that diverse minds lead to better decisions, richer problem-solving, and more inclusive leadership," said Bhattacharyya."We see immense value in bringing together talent from varied academic backgrounds, because real-world challenges demand as much analytical thinking as it does creative problem-solving, empathy and communication. Only a mix of perspectives can help us build more agile, innovative, and human centric organisations."At IIM Kozhikode, this holistic approach ensures a richer and more varied learning experience for all students, bringing diverse perspectives to classroom discussions, said admissions chairperson Ram Kumar PN. IIM Bangalore has 170 non-engineers (28%) in the flagship two-year MBA (PGP and PGPBA) - highest in the last four years, said Prof Mukta Kulkarni, dean of Academic Programmes.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Delhi bans fuel for old vehicles from July 1: How will defaulters be tracked?
Starting July 1, Delhi will stop supplying fuel to all overage vehicles. As part of this effort, the Transport Department, the Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will work together to identify hotspots that see a high number of such vehicles attempting to pass through the city. These vehicles will be identified by ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras that have been installed at 498 fuel stations, officials said Friday. According to directions issued earlier this year by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), all end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) — 10 years for diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol ones — will be denied fuel starting Tuesday. From October 31, the plan comes into effect in five high-vehicle-density districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Sonipat. Niharika Rai, Secretary-Cum-Commissioner, Transport Department, said the number of ELVs arriving at a fuel station will be noted, as it could be a proxy for vehicle owners residing in nearby areas. Targeted action will be taken at such fuel stations, Rai said. 'Joint teams of the transport department, traffic police and MCD will be deployed at all identified fuel stations reporting a high number of such vehicles.' Ajay Chaudhary, Special Commissioner (Traffic), Delhi Police, said, 'The departments are still assessing how the teams should be deployed as a few fuel stations work around the clock, but others work for a few hours.' He emphasised that there will be no loopholes and the plan will be implemented stringently, as all staff at fuel stations have also been trained. The ANPR cameras have been installed at 498 fuel stations in Delhi, including 382 petrol or diesel stations and 116 CNG filling stations, and 3 ISBTs across the Capital, said CAQM officials on Friday. The cameras will cross-verify the number plates, captured in a few milliseconds, with the VAHAN database containing a vehicle's registration details, fuel type, and age. The fuel station operator would then receive an alert if the vehicle is flagged as an ELV. This will also be shared with enforcement agencies to take action, such as impoundment and scrapping. According to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for fuel stations, there has to be a mandatory display of signage on denying fuel to ELVs. Staff should be trained in implementing the drive. Station operators also need to maintain logs, either manual or digital, of such fuel denial instances and report them to the Transport Department weekly. The Transport Department will deploy teams at fuel stations where maximum visits of such ELVs are observed and take action against any violating fuel stations. It has to submit a list of violating fuel stations to the CAQM and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas every week. Dr Virender Sharma, Member-Technical at CAQM, said that although laws had been in place to not allow overage vehicles to ply in Delhi, as per the Supreme Court's 2018 directions, the liquidation of such vehicles can only be done by adopting stringent measures such as denying fueling. '… These steps will ensure better air quality, especially for Delhi's elderly and children, who suffer the most due to air pollution.' The CAQM also said in a statement on Friday, 'Delhi-NCR's transport sector contributes about 28% of PM 2.5, 41% of SO2, and 78% of NOX emissions to overall air pollution'. The enforcement mechanism -Targeted enforcement through ANPR camera data. Hotspots (fuel stations with high EVL numbers) to be identified -Joint agency deployment of Transport, Traffic Police, MCD department officials at fuel stations -Coordinated ops: A shared contact list of key officers will ensure smooth inter-agency coordination -Designated nodal officers at fuel stations will coordinate with enforcement -Police will be deployed to prevent issues arising out of fuel denial to overage vehicles -Transport Department will collect and share daily EVL identification and impoundment data to CAQM
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ex-MLA defends Indira Gandhi, criticises BJP
Mangaluru: Former minister and senior Congress functionary B Ramanath Rai said that the BJP has no moral right to criticise former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Emergency. "They BJP should remember that poor people benefited following the reforms introduced during the Emergency," said Rai. Rai told reporters on Friday, that the BJP levelled allegations against Indira Gandhi in the name of the Emergency. He stated that the people of Dakshina Kannada owe a debt to Indira Gandhi as they are beneficiaries of various pro-people policies of the then govt. The nationalisation of banks, land reforms, and other welfare programmes introduced by Indira Gandhi benefited the poor. Rai added that the opposition opposed Indira Gandhi and the Emergency for political reasons. Rai noted that after Indira Gandhi lost the election following the Emergency, the Congress candidate won in Dakshina Kannada due to the reforms introduced by Indira Gandhi. He said Indira Gandhi initiated the Blue Star operation for the unity and integrity of the country. Furthermore, he alleged that the BJP at the Centre is now misusing the Enforcement Directorate to target the opposition, including the Congress.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Six journalists booked by Varanasi Police, charged with spreading misinformation
Police in Varanasi have filed an FIR against six journalists on charges of inciting unrest and spreading misinformation through social media posts, officials said on Friday. The six journalists have been charged under various sections of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act.(Pixabay/representational) The complaint, registered at the Lanka police station, alleges that the journalists shared a video of a statue being cleaned and used it to incite communal sentiment. The action has triggered a political backlash, with the Congress condemning it as an attack on the freedom of the press. According to Lanka Station House Officer (SHO) Shivakant Mishra, two employees of the Public Works Department (PWD) were cleaning the statue of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya located near the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) gate on the night of June 25. Mishra said a video of the cleaning process was recorded and shared online by some journalists, who allegedly used caste-based commentary to provoke hatred and disrupt law and order. The FIR was filed based on a complaint by the Sankat Mochan police outpost in-charge. The accused include Arshad (admin of 'Khabar Banaras'), Abhishek Jha, Abhishek Tripathi, Sonu Singh, Shailesh and an X (formerly Twitter) user Nitin Rai. They have been booked under Sections 356(3) (publication of defamatory material), 196(1) (promoting enmity between different groups) and Section 67 of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act. The journalists have denied any wrongdoing, stating that their job is to highlight developments, good or bad, for the administration to take note of. "If something wrong happens in the city, it is our responsibility to report it," one of the accused said. Reacting sharply, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai issued a statement condemning the FIR. "Filing a case against journalists for questioning a viral video of someone climbing Malaviya Ji's statue is deeply unfortunate. The BJP government won't act against the guilty, but those who raise questions will be treated as criminals," Rai said. Calling the move cowardly, Rai added, "This government cannot tolerate a mirror being shown to its face. That is why it is punishing those who speak the truth. But the Congress will not tolerate the humiliation of journalists." He demanded that the "real culprits" be punished and the "false cases" against journalists be withdrawn immediately, affirming that the Congress stands firmly with the media. BJP MLC and former journalist Dharmendra Singh offered a more cautious view. "Journalism is a sensitive profession. Journalists must maintain their dignity and avoid haste in reporting. But if the journalists' rights are at stake, I will stand with them," he said.
