Prof. Faisal Devji, Shaheen Group’s Dr. Abdul Qadeer to receive Sir Syed Excellence Awards by AMU
Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Sir Syed Excellence Awards, which will be presented during the Sir Syed Day Commemorative Ceremony on October 17. The day marks the birth anniversary of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Prof. Shafey Kidwai, Director of the Sir Syed Academy and convener of the jury, informed that the International Sir Syed Excellence Award will be conferred upon Prof. Faisal Devji, Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History at Balliol College, University of Oxford.
Prof. Devji, a noted scholar in South Asian studies, Islam, globalization, and ethics, earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Intellectual History from the University of Chicago and a B.A. (Double Honors) in History and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
Born in Tanzania, he has previously taught at Yale, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. His well-known works include Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam, Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea, and The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence. His essay Apologetic Modernity explores 19th-century Muslim engagement with modernity, particularly through the ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement.
The National Sir Syed Excellence Award will be presented to Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chairman of the Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar, Karnataka in recognition of his significant efforts in advancing education among marginalized communities. Founded in 1989, the Shaheen Group today educates more than 20,000 students with a faculty strength of over 500 across 13 states. The group runs schools, PU and degree colleges, and provides coaching for NEET, JEE, and UPSC examinations, along with Hifz-ul-Quran Plus and Madrasa Plus programmes.
The awards carry cash prizes of ₹2,00,000 for the international category and ₹1,00,000 for the national category. They honour exceptional contributions in fields such as Sir Syed Studies, South Asian Studies, Urdu Literature, Medieval History, Social Reform, Communal Harmony, Journalism, and Interfaith Dialogue.
The winners were chosen by a distinguished jury chaired by Prof. Azarmi Dukht Safavi, with members Prof. Anisur Rehman, Prof. A.R. Kidwai, Prof. Imtiaz Hasnain, and Prof. Shafey Kidwai, and were finally approved by AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
