In its 90th year, TISS to unveil two missions to strengthen India, global presence
Mumbai (PTI): The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Friday said it is planning to start academic expansion through two missions to strengthen its global as well as domestic presence.
On global front, the deemed to be university and grant-in aid institute under the education ministry is looking to collaborate for joint research with universities in western countries and also become a global hub for rural innovations.
"We are going to start Mission Bharat and Mission Global as part of TISS Navati. This will be part of TISS 90-year celebrations in February 2026," Vice-Chancellor Badri Narayan Tiwari told reporters.
TISS is completing 90 years in 2026, and these initiatives will be part of the institute's decade-long preparation for centenary celebrations, he noted.
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As part of Mission Bharat, TISS is planning to create awareness among students about the institute and opportunities it presents in states from where student intake is less, Tiwari said.
"Our focus will be in the northeast, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhy Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, among others. For this we are going to form a strategy and our professors will visit colleges in these areas, especially in marginalised areas, and present all aspects of the institute. Through this, we want to project that TISS is for everyone and not just for the elite," the VC stated.
Under Mission Bharat, TISS will also focus on skilling.
"We are also expanding our skill education network, which is already operational in 67 locations globally. On this, we will not only work in India but also in countries where there are skill gaps like in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America," he informed.
Tiwari stated that the prestigious institute is planning academic expansion covering a range of courses, including under-graduate, post-graduate and executive PhD programmes.
Under Mission Global, TISS will collaborate for joint research with universities in western countries.
"Besides collaboration, we also looking at expanding our dual degree programme, which we currently have with four universities," the VC noted.
TISS is also looking at becoming a global rural innovation hub as part of Mission Global, he said.
"Under this, we will record rural and grassroots innovations and present them to global audience. For this, our Tuljapur campus in Maharashtra (Dharashiv district) will be the hub. Similarly, we will extend the same in countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, among others," Tiwari maintained.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
