Volvo S60 Cross Country launched at Rs 38.9 lakh

Volvo Cars has launched the S60 Cross Country, a mid-sized luxury sedan, in India, further expanding the Swedish car maker's product range in the country. The new offering has been launched with a sticker price of Rs 38.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The S60 Cross Country was first unveiled by the company at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show.
The Volvo S60 Cross Country will target the booming crossover segment in the country. Under the hood, the S60 Cross Country is powered by a 2.4-litre 5-pot turbo diesel engine which pumps out 192PS of max power and 420N of peak torque. The same D5 engine, which does duty in the standard version, has been de-tuned for the S60 Cross Country. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and is equipped with an all-wheel drive configuration.
The Volvo S60 Cross Country looks identical to its front-wheel drive sedan variant. The main noticeable difference is in the profile of the crossover which is now 65mm higher above the ground against the S60. At the rear, the addition of AWD badge on the tailgate and 'Cross Country' lettering on the bottom scuff plate highlights the Volvo model.
Volvo has launched only one variant of the S60 Cross Country, called the 'Inscription'. The new offering from Volvo currently does not have any direct competition in the Indian market yet.

PhD Research Period is also Teaching Experience: UGC official notice

The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently approved a proposal in this regard at a meeting here.

“The period of active service spent on pursuing research degree, ie, for acquiring PhD degree simultaneously without taking any kind of leave may be counted as teaching experience for the purpose of direct recruitment/promotion to the post of associate professor and above.” the commission decided .

PhD/M.Phil Notifications Across India

The commission’s decision was seen in the academic circles as an effort to primarily facilitate filling up of posts lying vacant in large numbers across the country’s universities and other higher educational institutions.

Many of the universities and other higher educational institutions demand at least two to three years teaching experience for recruitment to vacant posts of faculties.

Teaching Faculty Job Notifications Across India

“We have large number of unemployed meritorious PhD holders. The decision to treat the period spent by them in acquiring a PhD degree as teaching experience will not only open doors of employment to many of such degree holders, but also facilitate institutions fill up their teaching positions lying vacant for years,” official sources said.

Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat

Minister for Railways

Suresh Prabhu

on Friday launched the 'clean my coach' service where a passenger can request for a dirty coach to be swept and cleaned by sending an SMS on mobile number 58888. Prabhu had announced the scheme in the Rail Budget last month.

The service, which is in keeping with the railways' cleanliness drive 'Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat', was launched from Rail Bhavan through video conferencing in New Delhi/Northern Railway, Mumbai Central/Western Railway and Lucknow Jn/North Eastern Railway.

Under the scheme, a passenger can also use theandroid app 'Cleanmycoach Indian Railways' or webpage 'cleanmycoach.com' for logging the request, which will be immediately acknowledged via SMS on mobile phone along with a code.

A message will also be sent by the server to the mobile number of On Board House Keeping (OBHS) staff travelling on the same train along with the details of the passenger such as coach number and seat number.

Speaking on the occasion, Prabhu said the railways was connected to every citizen of the country and it was all the more necessary to maintain clean environment in trains and at stations. He said dustbins had also been put in the non-AC coaches and that the railway administration and citizens were equally responsible for maintaining cleanliness in and around railway premises.

He said foreign tourists who come to see India, should take good memories of comfort travelling in Indian trains.

Prabhu promised more passenger-friendly measures for a better travelling experience on trains. He said the railways was on the fast track in the field of digitalization, cleanliness, passenger amenities, coach designs, mechanized laundries, on board services and social media.

Source : Times India