Mangaluru: Bearys Institute of Technology organized a student interactive session on "Social Responders for a Better Tomorrow!" in collaboration with the ISTE Chapter, on Thursday at the International Seminar Hall.

The event aimed at highlighting the invaluable efforts of individuals and organizations dedicated to creating a positive impact on society. The interactive session commenced with invoking the blessings of the Almighty, followed by a welcome address by Dr. SI Manjur Basha, Principal of BIT.

Misbah Shahid, who has worked for more than 15 years in the field of education and development, including teacher training, spoke on self-awareness as a fundamental aspect of becoming a social responder. She emphasized the significance of understanding oneself, including one's strengths, weaknesses and values, in order to effectively contribute to the betterment of society.

Mohammed Ali Shariff, Director of Rehbar, a firm that has innovated ethically compliant structures to provide equipment and funds for the growth of SMEs, spoke next, about the initiative to serve all levels of society and the importance of inclusivity and reaching out to marginalized communities. He stressed on the need for social responders to extend their support beyond superficial boundaries and make a genuine difference in the lives of those in need.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Aziz Mustafa, Principal of BIES. Prof. Joyson of Basic Science was the Master of Ceremony. The faculty members and students of various institutes attended the session.



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Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.

The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.

Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.

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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.

"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.

"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.

Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.

"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.

Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.

The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.

Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.

"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."

The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.

"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.