TOIhemali

#NEETUG2026 #NTA #May3 Registrations for NEET (UG) up by around 3,000, even as a significant expansion in MBBS seats is expected for the upcoming academic session, offering a potential easing of pressure. A @timesofindia report 👇 timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/neet-202…

For all the comfort that the Aqua Line has ushered in, the last mile connectivity is a huge problem. A senior lady has been standing with a heavy bag and no auto is ready to drop her. Rickshaw drivers only accept bookings via Uber where the fare is 2x. @BESTMumbai @AshwiniBhide

Not a shop but a scam. Bought 3 jersey-shorts from Galleria Sports Centre, paid Rs 1000 extra for kids’ name prints. One wash & the names vanished. Owner’s response? Blame my detergent& washing m/c. When fraud is so casual, why is the shop still open? @PowaiRotary @MumbaiPolice

@BJPWARD122 @Adani_Elec_Mum Complete darkness at Cliff Avenue Street, Hiranandani gardens, Powai, due to foot path works past 3 months. One side footpath work is completed, “ Why are the street lights not fixed back” on the completed footpath side.

I am surprised at the outrage over the Robodog and Orion. Academic fraud is inbuilt into Indian education systems and sanctioned by the powers that be. When India created an incentive structure where business benefits are tied to rankings, this had to happen. Autonomy, graded autonomy, opening fresh campuses, starting new courses, permission to offer online degrees was all tied to rankings – NIRF or QS.  At a governmental level, the diktat is to get into QS so that India can make big claims, each year. Even the PM tweets when the rankings are declared. Here is an example of how rankings benefit businesses: “HEI can be entitled to offer online programmes (i.e., entered into the “entitled list” without requiring prior approval every time) if it meets one of the following: - Valid NAAC score ≥ 3.26, OR - Rank in Top 100 in the University category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework at least twice in three preceding cycles. The warning signals were always there. It is just that we chose to ignore as we can continue to make tall claims: 1. When we saw that all the IITs together aren’t doing as much research as a few private universities on their own, we should have questioned the quality of research. 2. In THE rankings, IISc  has a research Score of 51.6 while 5 private universities have a score of 90+. There are 70+ universities that are ranked above IISc in research alone. 3. We have patent filings increasing while patents granted was never increasing. We had four private universities filing for more patents, individually, than the combined IITS added together. 4. In Oct 2024, Chemistry World did an article: Are Indian higher education institutes gaming the ranking system?” 5. In Aug 2025, Nature Magazine wrote: India’s research retraction surge sparks call for reform 6. In Sep 2024, The Print wrote: “India’s research crime is getting worse: Scientists are gaming peer-review system” 7. In Jan 2025, Retraction Watch wrote “The 14 universities with publication metrics researchers say are too good to be true”. 4 of the 14 are from India and all are private universities. 8. In Jan 2026, ToI wrote: “Universities rush to file patents for rankings, few acquire commercial value” The only way we can achieve a 50 GER target with no corresponding investment is to do away with questioning quality and auditing numbers. We have to enable a few institutions to give online degrees and produce degree mills so that we can claim a 50 GER in 2020. It is systemic and well planned. I repeat - Academic Fraud is systematically inbuilt into India’s Education system.

So, this vice president from a large coaching institute called up one of my team members threatening a defamation case for disclosing data without taking their consent and representing them badly. I wish I received that call!!! The coaching industry has a very thin skin. They will claim everything, allocate the best faculty only in select classes which produces toppers, have multiple claimants for a single student, mislead students, segregate them based on merit and dump them in classrooms with toppers and non topper, sell hope to students who don’t stand a chance, just so that they don’t lose a ‘customer’.. The list is endless… However a little scrutiny and questions on the student outcomes has them twisting around. They are not used to anyone making a serious effort to understand the number of students they enrolled and the results they delivered to those students. When you ask them to disclose students enrolled to 99 percentiles has them all riled up. If regulated colleges have to disclose placement data under regulatory regime, the least that coaching institutions should be mandated is the students they enrolled and the scores they got.. This should be made mandatory…

@maheshperi We have been noticing this disturbing trend and have reported about this. State govts need to wake up.. google.com/amp/s/timesofi…

Forget demographic dividend. We will soon face a demographic nightmare. In the last 10 years: 1. 93000 schools closed down. 2. Enrolment in schools fell 2.41 Crores 3. Population shot up by 15.4 Crores. In 2015, India had 20.7% people enrolled in schools. In 2025, we have 16.8% enrolled in schools. We saw a 19% drop in school enrolment in proportion to population in a decade. All this is UDISE data, which is government data.

@rupeshkumarshah Dined at mia cucina, powai, only to find that the premises is infested with cockroaches. It's a restaurant we head to on every special occasion. Today was a disaster :(

Pain and fear in #Powai Mumbai about unprecedented rising commercialisation of properties in residential area. #Traffic #Pollution timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/co…

@narendramodi @CMOMaharashtra @MPLodha @palakshahjourno @AmitShah Drugs are offered to kids returning from schools,young boys in Eden market come racing on bikes every evening and smoke hash. Street brawls, loud music, balloon vendors selling drugs. Powai has become very unsafe

@mybmcWardS @mybmc @CMOMaharashtra Please help! This photo is taken at 4.36 pm. There is demolition of Powai hill going on along with the Chitrarth Bunglow at Powai Hiranandani. They are flaunting all the norms in day light. Noise & Air pollution made tax payers life hell!

Why is the state govt sleeping? The hills of powai are being brazenly razed down. A letter to the environment dept was forwarded without any action taken to the BMC. Here is an environmental disaster in the making. @CMOMaharashtra @narendramodi @mybmc

Now this sight will no longer be seen! These trees in front of Godrej are about to be cut down! Citizens, raise your protest. @TOIMumbai @nauzerbTOI

@palakshahjourno @MumbaiPolice This should be taken seriously by the #MumbaiPolice

@aakancvedi timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

Something strange is happening in India Private Equity firms like KKR, Kedaara, Apollo, etc are pouring billions of dollars in Indian schools! But here's why it is weird, schools in India are required to be non profits by law! So why are PE funds investing in them? 1/7

@aakancvedi timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

@RC2208 @aakancvedi Of course.. everyone with cash, everyone wanting to grow that cash timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

@aakancvedi Ambani and Adani have an interest?

@Sharad9Dubey @aakancvedi timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

@aakancvedi Very interesting

@Keshav_Lohiaaa @aakancvedi Here's more timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

@aakancvedi Quite an interesting deep dive. Would love to read the substack

@DarshanRajguru5 @aakancvedi You got it right timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-ti…

@aakancvedi So.. up and above the exorbitant school fee, they also charge for add-on accessories from sister companies and that's where the PE firms are investing: add-on accessories selling sister companies?