The drive called as the improvement of education quality through regular quality assessment has been launched by the university on the grounds of standard instruments of quality education suggested by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NACC).

The university has so far spent about Rs 10 lakh in the project which is being implemented at the college-level for the first time in its 50-year-long history.

In the second phase, the principals, registrars and official head of the concerned colleges will be apprised of the quality assessment procedure. After that the colleges are suppose to send a self-assessment report to the varsity.

Manager cheats firm of Rs 36 lakh
A branch manager of a cycle tyres and tubes company has been charged with misappropriating company funds to the tune of Rs 36.66 lakh. The alleged misappropriation took place between April '97 and June '98.

According to a complaint lodged by the sales manager Vinay Rozha of Bedrock company, the branch manager of the company office at Nana Peth, Ravindra Bindurao Deshpande, did not deposit the sales amount received from various dealers. Deshpande allegedly prepared bogus account sheets and thus misappropriated Rs 36.66 lakh. The Samarth police is investigating.

Bus kills youth
A 25-year-old youth Sanjay Vinayak Gaikwad was run over by a PMT bus on Sunday afternoon. Sanjay, a resident of 205 Shivajinagar Gaothan, came under the front wheels of the bus and died on the spot.

The mishap occurred at 2.40 pm at the PMT bus terminus near the Pune Municipal Corporation building. The bus was heading for Nigdi when the mishap took place.