Ragging helpline tips - How to Use it.

The helpline aims to help victims of ragging within minutes of their complaints. It will be operational at all hours. A four-digit, toll-free number will become operational once the helpline is launched. The steps being planned:

Step 1: A ragged student or a friend calls the helpline.

Step 2: The distress message is automatically stored in a central database with time, location and details of caller.

Step 3: The message is instantly replayed from the central control room, simultaneously alerting the head of the institution, the warden of the hostel and an appointed nodal officer of the affiliating university.

Step 4: An officer at the central control room will decide, immediately after the distress call, whether the case needs immediate intervention from district officials and police. If so, the message will be relayed to the district magistrate and the superintendent of police.

Step 5: The complaint will be placed on a website to enable the media and citizens to keep track of follow-up action.

Step 6: At the institution, its head will be required to act "immediately" on receiving the complaint. The head and the hostel warden will be held responsible for follow-up action.

Step 7: The head and the warden will have to alert an anti-ragging squad they are required to constitute in the institution. This squad is to consist of students and representatives of the staff. Its mandate is to be prepared for physical intervention in ragging cases 24x7.

Step 8: The squad is expected to intervene at the offence site, stop or prevent any ragging, and collect any evidence, including witness testimonies. If the victim called after the incident, or the anti-ragging squad could not arrive on time, the squad will initiate action against the accused.

Step 9: The institute head has to decide, within 24 hours of receiving the call, whether to register an FIR. Independently of any police action, the institute must complete its inquiry and action must be completed in seven days.

Step 10: The central database will also store the status of the action taken. It will also be made available to an NGO nominated by the Centre.

Step 11: Failure by the institute to act can lead to a range of punishments — from disciplinary action against the head, warden or members of the staff to declaring the institute doesn't meet academic standards.Source:.telegraphindia

TOLL FREE ANTI-RAGGING HELPLINE- Started on 20th June 2009.

TOLL FREE ANTI-RAGGING HELPLINE (24x7)

 

1800-180-5522   AND

155222 - Under Implementation

 

 

Make Use of it. Don't misuse it.

 

New Delhi: With an aim to curb the increasing incidents of ragging, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is all set to start a national call centre to enable ragging victims from across the country to register their complaints by dialing a toll free number from today.

The helpline is equipped with software that will pass on the complaints directly to the head of the institution within 15 minutes to help the administration protect the victims.

The functioning of the helpline will be monitored by the UGC and it will be operational around the clock.

The Education Consultancy India Ltd (ECIL) has been entrusted with the job of setting up of the national call centre.

A strict guideline was issued by the UGC to set up the national call centre to enable ragging victims from across the country to register their complaints by dialing a toll free number.

The decision has been widely hailed by teachers and students, who feel this, would check the growing instances of ragging.

Further, under the Anti-Ragging Law, offenders can be fined up to Rs.2.5 lakh or rusticated for one to four semesters if found guilty.

The new provisions laid down by the UGC also requires that the parents and students give a written undertaking, at the time of admission, that they are aware of the ragging guidelines and will report any such incident.

"This is a welcome step taken by the UGC. It will boost the confidence of new students," said a fresher.source:indiaedunews.net

Apple unveils new 3GS iPhone, cuts price of 3G to $99

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc unveiled a speedier iPhone on Monday, but contrary to rumor its convalescing Chief Executive Steve Jobs did not make an appearance.

 

The new iPhone 3GS is twice as fast as its predecessor, and features an improved digital camera and a new service that lets users locate their phones if they have been lost or stolen. The 3GS will cost $199 for 16 GB of memory, and $299 for 32 GB of memory.

The existing iPhone 3G will get an immediate price cut to $99.

Shares in Apple were off 0.6 percent to $143.83, after a 6.5 percent climb in the week leading up to the much-anticipated event. The stock was hit earlier in the day after reports that Apple planned to price its new iPhones aggressively.

Among other incremental announcements, the consumer electronics giant showed off a new 15-inch notebook with improved battery life, a $300-cheaper Mac Air, its thinnest laptop, and, as expected, its highly previewed "Snow Leopard" Mac operating system software.  

Apple's new MacBook Air notebook now starts at $1,499. The company also unveiled a new 13-inch MacBook Pro starting at $1,199, and a 15-inch laptop with longer battery life, addressing a perennial consumer concern.

Apple's stock is historically volatile during the company's June developer conference. It dropped about 7 percent over the course of the conference in 2008 and about 4 percent in 2007.

Suspense and speculation had mounted in the months before Apple's annual Worldwide Developers' Conference, with hopes ranging from a cameo by Jobs, out till the end of June on medical leave, to revelations of a game-changing tablet computer.

Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, announced his leave of absence in January by saying his health problems were more complex than previously thought.

Despite a slowing product line, worsening consumer spending and an uncertain succession plan, investors have quickly got comfortable with the idea of a Job-less Apple. Shares in the maker of the iPod and iPhone have surged 85 percent since shortly after the bombshell was dropped on January 14.

Jobs, a college dropout, co-founded Apple in 1976 with his friend Steve Wozniak in a Silicon Valley garage. After a falling-out with the board, he left the company in 1985.

Apple floundered, setting the scene for his return in 1997. The company has flourished under Jobs 2.0, rolling out the concept of a computer as a 'digital hub' along with the now-ubiquitous iPod and iPhone. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Tata Tele announces launch of GSM services

India's second largest CDMA telecom operator Tata Teleservices today announced the launch of services in the GSM platform in partnership

with Japanese telecom services provider NTT DoCoMo.

The service, which would be branded 'Tata-DoCoMo', would be commercially rolled out towards the end of this month in the southern region, followed by the western and northern regions.

The company would be investing USD two billion in the operations, pan-India roll-out of which would be completed by this year-end, Tata Teleservices Managing Director Anil Sardana told reporters here.

Tata Teleservices has become the second telecom service provider after Reliance Communication to be providing services on both CDMA and GSM platforms under the dual-technology policy of the government. Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Rural telecom connectivity set to get a stronger line

NEW DELHI: The government plans to connect every panchayat to a broadband network in the next three years and increase phone usage in rural India four-fold in five years, so that two out of every five villagers own phones, President Pratibha Patil told Parliament on Thursday. The measures will be part the Bharat Nirman programme for improving infrastructure in villages.

As of April end, rural India, which houses more than two-thirds of India's population, had less than one-third of the country's 430 million telephone connections.

The plans to improve rural connectivity will most certainly result in increased allocation from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for setting up telecom infrastructure in interior India.

Since 2002, all telecom operators have been paying 5% of their annual revenues towards this fund and so far, the unutilised amount in this fund has crossed the Rs 25,000 crore. The communications ministry will soon invite bids for setting up over 7,000 telecom towers in rural areas with support from the USOF.

The new government also plans to use a part of this fund for augmentation of the optic fibre cable network across the country to enhance broadband connectivity. Interestingly, India's booming mobile phone industry is attracting more new users in rural areas. Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Nokia N97

Pitched as a personal computer, Nokia unveils N97 in India.

Price of Nokia N97 to be around Rs 34,000.(Pic: Reuters)

N97 will be launched nationwide within two weeks.

It will be the company's first phone to come preloaded with Nokia's just-launched Ovi store. (Pic: Amrendra Jha, ET Bureau)

Ovi comes packed with over 20,000 titles from launch, including both free and paid applications and also podcasts, wallpapers and ringtones.

N97 for the first time pairs a 3.5 inch touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard in a Nokia handset. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard is a full 3-row. The smartphone transforms from a touch slate to a landscape QWERTY device.

The phone offers a powerful 32GB memory with microSD for adding 16GB more (making it a staggering 48GB), 5 megapixel camera (with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash), support for Nokia's N-Gage gaming system and handwriting recognition.

Industry is expecting an aggressive pricing of Rs 33,000 for the handset.

Nokia N97 has everything that a smartphone user needs

Much-awaited N97 was globally unveiled in late 2008.Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com

Palm Pre is a smartphone

Palm Pre is a smartphone with touchscreen control, a slide- out keyboard and an operating system designed for trendy Web services such as social networks. Since the Pre made its debut at the Consumer Electronics show in January, excitement over the device has intensified.

Specifications of the Palm Pre

Width: 59.5mm (2.3 inches)
Height: 100.5mm (3.9 inches)
Thickness: 16.95mm (0.67 inches)
Weight: 135 grams (4.76 ounces)
Operating system: Palm webOS

3 megapixel camera LED flash Extended depth of field Keyboard: Physical QWERTY keyboard Email: Microsoft Outlook email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc) Messaging Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 Image Formats: GIF, Animated GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP Messaging: Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS Built-in GPS Memory: 8GB of user storage (~7.4GB user available) USB mass storage support Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, 801.1x authentication Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support Memory Headphone jack: 3.5mm stereo Connector: MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshowpics/4613269.cms

 

Acer's new netbooks

NEW DELHI: Acer has refreshed its range of netbooks with two new additions, Acer Aspire One AO751h and Acer Aspire One AOD250.

Weighing less than three pounds (2.75 pounds for the AO751h and 2.44 pounds for the AO250), both models come in choices of four colors: Diamond Black, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Seashell White.

The 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One A0751h has Wi-Fi support and is available with a six-cell battery for up to eight hours of power. There is choice between an Intel Atom N270 or Atom Z520 processor. The netbook packs 1GB of memory, a 160-GB hard drive, and Windows XP Home edition.

The 10.1-inch Aspire One A0D250 has the same memory capacity, hard drive, and operating system as that of A0751H. However, the netbook is available only with an Atom N270 processor.

The AO250's standard 3-cell battery can provide up to three hours and 15 minutes of battery life, while the 6-cell battery can provide up to six hours.

For connectivity, the new netbooks have Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and come with the option for 3G broadband wireless connectivity. Other key features of the models include three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet and VGA as well as Bluetooth. Both new models also feature a multi-in-one digital card reader. Source:Indiatimes infotech.

If you are a cellphone addict?

As terms like 'signal seeker', 'human antenna' and 'nomophobia' become a part of our tech-dependent life, is distance from the mobile the only way to keep the doctor away?

You step into the basement, the network signal goes weak, and you feel drops of sweat trickling down the back of your neck. It's way past midnight and you're up every hour to check for a missed call or an unread message. A low cash balance reminder on your cell gives you a headache. Sounds familiar ?

If your answer's yes, you're probably technology's latest victim. And, what's more, your tech addiction may actually pave the way for a trip to the doc! Read on to know if you're already in the danger zone.

 

Wrong signal

 

A class XII student, Payal Kumar, says, "I start worrying if the mobile signal is weak." IT executive Nitin Arora's story's no different. "When a signal bar goes missing it's enough to make me nervous," he says.

 

But, Nitin has a solution up his sleeve - he just holds his phone at a height. However, Faith Gonsalves, 21, says that she panics for all the right reasons. "I'm most worried about safety, especially when I'm out alone," she says. 
 
Lost and found

But that's not all. Says Deepti Kapoor, a homemaker, "The thought of misplacing a mobile is stressful and agitating. The day I couldn't find a mobile in my bag, I was very scared." And, she's not alone. "People can't think of life without a mobile, anymore. And, the moment they realise that they've either forgotten their charger or their mobile at home, they panic.

 

They suffer from disturbance and helplessness," says Dr Adarsh Kohli, additional professor of clinical psychology, PGI, Chandigarh. 
 

Ringing syndrome

 

Payal talks about another habit - "I keep staring at my mobile when I'm expecting a call." And, then there are some who imagine their phone is ringing or vibrating! Nishi Sharma, a first-year student of literature, is a victim of the 'phantom ring' or 'phantom vibration'. "I usually imagine my phone to be ringing when I'm at a crowded place or when I'm sleeping," she says.

 

Graphic designer Tabrez Ali's problem is more peculiar. "I bought a new mobile phone a couple of months back, but I still keep hearing my old phone's ringtone," says the 24-year-old. And then, there are other sounds that grow on us. Tathagata Ray, a third-year student, confesses that he can't imagine a day without the sound of his mobile keypad. 

 

What's the solution?

 

But, is there a solution to it all? Switch off your phones, suggests Aritra Hore, who works for an NGO. "Switching off or just being away from the mobile can be a relieving experience," opines Aritra.

 

An IT executive, Pooja Midha vouches for the same. "I try switching off my phone for just an hour every second day, and it relaxes me no end. Though, initially, I would look at the watch for the hour to end, now I am comfortable doing that," she says. 

 

Are you a victim too?

 

Check out if you too are showing any of the following warning signals.

 

Nomophobia: The fear of being out of mobile phone contact. It's the abbreviation for 'no-mobile-phone phobia.' It could be a result of low battery, broken phone, a no-cellphones-allowed sign, no signal, low balance, etc.

 

Phantom Ring: Imagining the mobile to be ringing or feel it vibrating in the pocket, when it's actually not.

Pocket Patter: Patting your pockets to check if the mobile is still there.

 

Human Antenna: Stretching your arm to hold the phones at a height in the hope that it'll get the strongest signal. Source:Indiatimes Infotech
 

Nokia's new low-cost phones

The world's top handset maker Nokia, which saw its worst-ever quarter in January-March, has made three new additions to its low-cost cellphone portfolio.

Targeted at the emerging markets, the new launches include a sub-Rs 6K 3G phone. With the launch the mobile giant aims to further solidify its marketshare at the low-end. In fact, Nokia's wide offering at the low end has kept it ahead of its traditional rivals like Samsung Electronics, though the Finnish firm has been losing marketshare at the top end to rivals like Apple and Research in Motion.

Here's looking into the specs sheet of the Nokia's three new low-cost additions.

 

Nokia 2730 classic

 

Candybar Nokia 2730 Classic is the cheapest 3G phone to date. Equipped with a 2-inch QVGA (320x240) display, the phone has a micro USB connector, 30MB of expandable memory and Bluetooth 2.0.

The 3G ready phone also supports EDGE. The phone has a 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. Nokia 2730 classic also comes with a standard 3.5mm jack. The phone offers 3.3 hours of talktime (or about 17 days of standby). It also has Ovi Mail and packs Nokia's Life Tools.

Nokia says the phone will be available in the second quarter of this year at a price of Rs 5,300. The company also says that the new 3G handset is targeted at entry-level prepaid users in both developing and developed markets.

 

Nokia 2720 fold 

 

Clamshell Nokia 2720 fold sports a 1.8-inch display with a resolution of 128x160. The phone packs 32MB of memory and has no further memory expansion option. The phone has 1.3 megapixel camera and offers Bluetooth 2.0 support.

The phone, however, is not 3G ready but supports EDGE. Nokia says the phone will make its debut in the fourth quarter of this year at an expected price of Rs 3,600.

Nokia 2720 fold also includes Ovi Mail, Nokia Life Tools and supports up to 18 days of standby time and approximately 5 hours of talk time. The phone also has an FM radio with the ability to record radio, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), Bluetooth and MP3 ring tones

Nokia 7020

 

The other low-cost phone from Nokia is 7020. The clamshell phone sports a 2.2 inch, QVGA display. The phone comes with 45MB of internal memory with support for further memory expansion.

Nokia 7020 has a 2 megapixel camera and is a Quad band GSM phone with EDGE support. The phone like Nokia 2730 classic does not supports 3G. Nokia says the phone will be available from the fourth quarter of this year (October) at an approximate price of Rs 6,000.Source:Indiatimes Infotech