VTU

AICTE

These activities can be spread over the years as per students’ convenience. By the end of eighth semester they should have done one of these activities ­ –AS Despande, VTU registrar

90 hours of socially relevant activities will be reflected in 8th SemNow, engineering graduates need to earn activity points before their graduation or they won’t be awarded the degrees. Students should earn these activity points by working in rural places and coming out with technological initiatives to beat the civic crisis in the city and State.The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has come up with a 15-point activity programme for students to take up to earn stipulated points. All the Visvesvaraya Technological University () affiliated colleges have been informed about this and students are instructed to follow theorder.According to the AICTE, a regular student admitted to the four-years degree programme and student now entering the four-year degree programme through lateral entry shall earn 100 and 75 activity points respectively for the award of degree through AICTE Activity Point Programme. It also said that students transferred from other universities, directly to the fifth semester are required to earn 50 activity points from the year of entry.Officials stated that this new rule was applicable to Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Technology (B.E or B.Tech) students, admitting into VTU from 2019-20 academic year.Activities prescribed by AICTE include helping local schools to achieve good results and enhancing their enrolment in higher or technical or vocational education; preparing an actionable business proposal for enhancing the village income; developing sustainable water management system; tourism promotion innovative approaches; promotion of appropriate technologies; reduction in energy consumption; to skill rural population; facilitating 100 per cent digitised money transactions; setting of the information imparting club for women leading to contribution in social and economic issues; developing and managing efficient garbage disposable system; to assist the marketing of rural produce; food preservation or packaging; automation of local activities; spreading public awareness under rural outreach programmes; and contribution to any national level initiative like Digital India or Skill India or Swacch Bharat Internship, etc.The officials said that the programme is a non-credit programme can be taken up any time during the semester weekends and holidays. Professor AS Deshpande, registrar of VTU said, “These activities can be spread over the years as per students’ convenience. By the end of eighth semester they should have done one of these activities. This is to ensure that engineering degree is not only about technical knowledge but students can also have some contribution towards the society and hence students need to take up societal activities.”However, this Activity Points earned shall be reflected on the student’s eighth semester Grade Card. These activities are spread over 80-90 hours and the AICTE has asked students to take up these activities even during their holidays.