Night curfew imposed in Maharashtra from today

Night curfew imposed in Maharashtra from today

Curbs on number of people in gyms and restaurants

25/12/2021

People shopping at a market in Bandra, Mumbai, on Friday.PTIPTI

Staff Reporter Mumbai

Maharashtra has announced night curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning December 25 in view of rising number of COVID-19 cases. This was announced by the State's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab in the Assembly on Friday.

Flight services to Singapore from Dec. 29

Flight services to Singapore from Dec. 29

25/12/2021

Staff ReporterCoimbatore

Direct flight services from Coimbatore International Airport to Singapore will commence from December 29 under the air bubble arrangement, Airport Director S. Senthil Valavan said here on Friday.

Singaporean budget carrier Scoot Airlines will operate three flights per week to the Changi Airport in Singapore from the Coimbatore International Airport, he said.

The flights will arrive in Coimbatore Airport at 10.45 p.m. and will depart to Singapore at 11.45 p.m. from December 29.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation recently approved the air bubble arrangement between Coimbatore and Singapore, Mr. Valavan said.

The only other approved air bubble route from Coimbatore Airport that is available is between Coimbatore and Sharjah International Airport, the Airport Director said.

Air bubble flights are an arrangement made between two countries to allow air travel as regular international flights remain suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

West Bengal CM may become Chancellor

West Bengal CM may become Chancellor

Govt. to strip Governor of the responsibilities

25/12/2021

special correspondent Kolkata

West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu on Friday said the government was considering a proposal to nominate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as Chancellor of all State universities.

He cited differences with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is the Chancellor now, as the reason. “There is no cooperation and only hostility,” Mr. Basu said indicating that the government was studying the legal feasibility of constitutional amendments for the change.

Kerala Governor’s move

“If files are kept pending for an indefinite time and there is not even a little cooperation, we can think of what the Governor of Kerala has done, for an interim period, we can have the Chief Minister as the Chancellor,” the Minister stated. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take over as the Chancellor of universities.

‘Shocking unionism’

Earlier in the day, Mr. Dhankhar tweeted that no Vice Chancellor or representatives of private universities had turned up for a meeting with him and described the development as “shocking unionism”.

He had called a meeting of Vice Chancellors of private universities on Friday. He tweeted it being worrisome, tagging videos and photograph of empty chairs and Raj Bhavan.

The developments on Friday mark a new low in the relations between Raj Bhavan and the government.

While the Kerala Governor has voluntarily decided to give up the post of Chancellor, the West Bengal government is considering to strip the Governor of the responsibilities as Chancellor.

All pass for Class 11 in Telangana

All pass for Class 11 in Telangana

25/12/2021

Special Correspondent HYDERABAD

The much-awaited trouble shooting following poor pass percentage in the results of Intermediate first year exams happened on Friday with the Telangana government deciding to pass all the 4 lakh students who took the exams and presently pursuing their second year.

All those failed would be awarded minimum qualifying marks of 35, Minister for Education P. Sabitha Indra Reddy said.

The results led to a huge uproar in the State as the pass percentage was just 49% and four students took their life allegedly due to the poor scores.

Half of tested Omicron cases had 2 doses: ICMR

Half of tested Omicron cases had 2 doses: ICMR

Several States announce night curfew

25/12/2021

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI

With India identifying nearly 358 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, an analysis of 183 of them by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that nearly half of them were fully vaccinated. A little over a quarter had no international travel history but had likely come into contact with those infected. None of those evaluated had severe symptoms, with close to 73% being asymptomatic. Of them, 60% were men.

This was disclosed by the Health Ministry on Friday.

Of the 17 States where the variant has been confirmed, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have announced night curfews.

‘Vaccination certificate or RT-PCR must for darshan’

‘Vaccination certificate or RT-PCR must for darshan’

25/12/2021

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Friday reiterated that only those with vaccination certificate, or negative report of RT-PCR test done 48 hours in advance will be allowed to visit Tirumala.

Lufthansa to axe 33k flights in winter

Lufthansa to axe 33k flights in winter

24.12.2021

Lufthansa plans to cut 33,000 flights from its winter schedule due to the spread of Omicron related travel restrictions, CEO Carsten Spohr said. “From mid-January to February, we see a sharp downturn in bookings,” he said on Thursday, adding that 33,000 flights was equivalent to about 10% of the flight plan. Lufthansa was feeling the absence of passengers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium, which are being hit particularly hard by the pandemic, said Spohr. He said the German airline would have cut even more flights if it didn’t have to comply with EU rules on slot usage. REUTERS

After 400 hearings in 35 yrs, man acquitted for lack of evidence

After 400 hearings in 35 yrs, man acquitted for lack of evidence

Mohd Dilshad TNN

Muzaffarnagar:24.12.2021

After 400 court hearings and 35 years of legal battle, 85-year-old Dharampal Singh – booked in 1986 for allegedly making pesticide illegally in his house -- has been acquitted for want of evidence by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-2 Mukeem Ahmed. “It feels like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulder,” said Dharmpal, a farmer of Haran village in Shamli district.

His brother, Kunwarpal, was a co-accused but he died five years ago without getting justice. Another person, Liyakat Ali, booked in the case was earlier declared an absconder by court. “I have lost my reputation, money and mental peace during the long legal battle. It took long to get justice, but now I am happy that truth has prevailed. I would like to thank the honourable court for giving me relief. I have lost a lot of money and time making rounds to court for appearing in nearly 400 hearings in the case.”

On November 11, 1986, Thana Bhawan police booked two brothers, Dharampal and Kunwarpal, and one Liyakat Ali for allegedly making pesticide without licence. Police had also claimed to have recovered 26 bags of pesticide while they were being loaded into a truck.

KIC slaps ₹10K penalty on BU vice-chancellor

KIC slaps ₹10K penalty on BU vice-chancellor

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:24.12.2021

Karnataka Information Commission imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on KR Venugopal, vice-chancellor of Bangalore University, payable to social activist Veeraiah Hiremath.

The penalty is over the VC’s failure to provide information, despite being the public information officer, and for not appearing before the commission despite being directed to do so.

A bench headed by State Information Commissioner HP Sudham Das directed Venugopal to appear before the commission on January 20 with relevant records pertaining to compliance of directions issued by the commission.

Hiremath had filed RTI applications in October 2017, seeking information on various issues, including cutting of sandalwood trees in the biological park, parking chaos, sound pollution and alleged illegal activities on the university campus.

He told TOI that on July 29, 2021, the commission had directed the VC to submit in 15 days details regarding implementation of the 11-point resolution at a July 24, 2018 meeting over protecting BU’s property. But it was not done despite several opportunities provided by the commission to the VC, he added.

Medico out on bail: Counsel

Medico out on bail: Counsel

Bengaluru:24.12.2021

A postgraduate orthopaedic student, Vijay Bharadwaj, who was arrested by Amrutahalli police on charges of abusing a homemaker and her daughter travelling in a four-wheeler before stalking them, was released on bail by a local court on the day of his arrest and not as reported earlier, said his counsel HL Jayaramu.

Based on the case filed by the homemaker, police had arrested Bhardwaj under section 354A (sexual harassment) and 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) of IPC on December 14. TNN

CBI gets nod to prosecute top DME officials in Vyapam scam

CBI gets nod to prosecute top DME officials in Vyapam scam

P.Naveen @timesgroup.com

Bhopal:24.12.2021

The Madhya Pradesh government has permitted CBI to prosecute a former director and a joint director of the state medical education department for their alleged role in the Vyapam scam related to pre-medical test-2013.

CBI officials say this would be ‘the end’ of their investigations into the Vyapam scam. “It was only after a letter from the central vigilance commission that the state government released their sanctions,” said a CBI officer, adding that the charge-sheet would be filed before December 30.

After CBI chargesheeted 500-plus people, including some high profile businessmen in the PMT 2012 scam, Vyapam whistleblowers had accused the central agency of overlooking the PMT 2013 case in which they claimed around 200 state quota seats were ‘auctioned’ by six private medical colleges.

Dr Anand Rai, one of the whistleblowers in the Vyapam scam, had filed a complaint before Supreme Court, alleging that state quota medical seats were sold to ineligible students by private medical colleges in PMT-2013.

‘No panchayat poll without OBC quota’

The Madhya Pradesh assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday that panchayat polls should not be held in the state without OBC reservation. Last Friday, the Supreme Court had directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to stay the poll process on OBC-reserved seats in panchayats, and re-notify them for the general category. It triggered a political storm in Madhya Pradesh, with ruling BJP and opposition Congress blaming each other. This has led to noisy scenes in the assembly as well. TNN

Chennai-Salem highway: NHAI seeks TN help

Chennai-Salem highway: NHAI seeks TN help

Wants To Finish Social Impact Study

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:24.12.2021

The National Highways Authority of India has sought to revive the stuck Chennai-Salem greenfield expressway by urging the state government to issue directions to district collectors of Salem, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram to cooperate for completion of social impact assessment study and preparation of environment impact assessment report for the project.

The central agency, so far, has not received any written communication from the state government to drop the project, sources said.

The Supreme Court in December last had upheld the notification for acquisition of land for the ₹10,000 crore green corridor project and directed the NHAI to get environmental clearance for the project before carrying out land acquisition. “To get the environmental clearance, the Union environment ministry has suggested that studies have to be carried out on the field for which the state government’s cooperation is required. It is not forthcoming despite a communique to the top state government officials recently,” said an NHAI official.

The NHAI has to do a comprehensive socio-economic assessment with emphasis on the impact of ongoing land acquisition on the locals living around the proposed alignment. An assessment of impact on local biodiversity, wildlife corridors and its mitigation strategy, including baseline generation, wildlife movement, and identification of corridors along 277.3km corridor has been completed by the department of environmental science and engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad. Similarly, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, completed an ecosystem study.

In a related development, Union minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari had told Rajya Sabha last week that the project would be completed by 2025. “NHAI has appointed M/s KITCO (a Kerala government undertaking) to carry out the socio-economic study. After completion of this study, the environmental impact assessment report has to be prepared and submitted to the pollution control board to hold public hearings,” said the official. None of the collectors have responded yet.

Meanwhile, sources said chief minister M K Stalin in his memorandum presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, had requested the Centre to drop the project.

Chennai sees sharp rise in infections

Chennai sees sharp rise in infections

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:24.12.2021

Tamil Nadu reported a marginal increase in fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday when the state reported 607 new cases compared to 604 on Wednesday. The sharpest rise in infections was reported from Chengalpet, Chennai, Cuddalore, and Ranipet.

Two passengers each from Europe, the UK, and the US tested positive for the viral infection. In addition, three people from Andhra and two others from Bengal who came by road also tested positive.

Chennai, which continued to report cases in three digits, had the highest number of new cases on Thursday with 145 new infections.

The eight deaths, meanwhile, took the state toll to 36,707. At the end of the day after 689 discharges, there were 6,889 patients on the active registry. Thirty-one districts reported zero deaths.

Meanwhile, 1.8 lakh people took the vaccine on Thursday. “The mega vaccination camps will be held on Sundays (December 26 and January 2, 2022) instead of Saturdays for the next two weeks,” health minister Ma Subramanian said.

Pondy records 8 new Covid cases

Puducherry on Tuesday reported eight fresh infections of Covid-19 even as an equal number of patients recovered in the last 24 hours ending at 10am on Tuesday. The active number of cases remained at 146. Of them, 111 are under home isolation and treatment. The UT did not report any deaths due to the deadly virus maintaining the toll at 1,880. The fatality rate of the infection remained at 1.5% and thre recovery rate at 98.5%. Authorities have so far administered 13.63 lakh doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the beneficiaries. TNN

Rlys cancels seven trains, diverts two

Rlys cancels seven trains, diverts two

Chennai:24.12.2021

Southern Railway has cancelled seven trains including Chennai-Bengaluru-Chennai Shatabdi Express and Chennai-Jolarpettai Yelagiri Express, diverted two trains and will short terminate Mysuru-Chennai Superfast Express at Katpadi on Friday due to structural damage to a bridge between Mukundarayapuram and Tiruvalam on Arakkonam-Katpadi section.

Several passengers were affected on Thursday night after three trains were cancelled and seven diverted after the crack was detected.

TNN

Murder of college student: Three girls among 9 arrested

Murder of college student: Three girls among 9 arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:24.12.2021

The Tiruvallur police on Thursday arrested nine people including three minor girls for the murder of a Mannivakkam college student whose body was exhumed at Eechangadu near Arambakkam on Saturday.

Police said that the arrested minor girls — two school students and one from a college — were sent to an observation home. While the main accused — Ashok Kumar, 21, of Kandigai village and Levin, 22 of Red Hills — surrendered on Tuesday, the other accused were identified as Moses, 21, Stephan, 21, Praveen Kumar, 21, and Jeganadhan, 20, of Ponneri. Police said they were employed at factories in the locality.

The deceased college student — Premkumar of Mannivakkam, — threatened the two schoolgirls with recordings of their phone conversations and a few videos and extorted ₹50,000 from each. He even warned that he would show up at their houses if they did not part with the money.

One of the girls then approached her elder sister, a college student, who in turn sought help from Ashok Kumar, her Instagram friend, police said.

As instructed by Ashok Kumar, the girls asked Prem Kumar to come to an appointed spot in Red Hills. They had asked him to erase their photographs and phone recordings in Prem Kumar’s possession, but he and his friends kidnapped Prem Kumar on a two-wheeler and took him to Eachangadu where the gang members smoked ganja. Premkumar’s friend, who accompanied him to the spot, fled and after Ashok and the others began to attack Prem Kumar. “The girls were part of the crime as they did not approach us till the body was exhumed,” said an officer.

The girls were also part of the crime as they did not approach police till the body was exhumed, said an officer

Video of fire officer ‘demanding’ bribe viral on social media

Video of fire officer ‘demanding’ bribe viral on social media

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:24.12.2021

A video of a fire and rescue services department officer in Kancheepuram demanding a bribe of ₹3 lakh to issue an NOC to a private medical college building goes viral on social media.

Sources said an officer in the Vellore zone fire and rescue services department and Kancheepuram fire department had recently inspected a building constructed at a medical college in Thandalam for NOC.

When a representative from the college approached the Kancheepuram officer about issuing NOC, the officer asked for ₹3 lakh.

However after a long bargaining, the officer was seen agreeing for a sum of ₹1.50 lakh as advance.

The representative who was seated opposite the officer, secretly shot the video on his mobile.

Efforts to contact the fire officer proved futile as severalphone calls went unanswered. A senior fire officer said that they too had seen the video and that an internal probe is on in the case. “The action would follow based on the report,” he said.

When a representative from the college approached the officer about issuing NOC, the officer asked for ₹3L

TN CBSE schools leaking question papers, manipulating results: Plaint

TN CBSE schools leaking question papers, manipulating results: Plaint

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:24.12.2021

Some CBSE schools across Tamil Nadu have been manipulating Class X and Class XII exam results by leaking question papers and getting their teachers to help students answer them, according to a complaint to the school board.

The whistleblower is the CBSE Schools’ Management Association (CSMA), an umbrella organisation of such schools in Tamil Nadu. It has asked the Central Board for Secondary Education to cancel the exams, which began in December first week.

This academic year, CBSE had introduced a new exam pattern for Classes X and XII. The first phase, in December, had multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and the second phase, scheduled for March, requires descriptive answers.

The CBSE allowed all schools to conduct and evaluate the December exam papers on their own, with only one external supervisor. The CSMA says the fraudsters are violating this trust.

The CSMA has sent to the CBSE an eight-page letter detailing how question papers were leaked to students through WhatsApp, LAN and as hard copies. The students would be made to sit in a separate hall and given the answers before they were sent to the exam halls.

Students were also taught to manipulate the OMR sheets.

Teachers changed answers in CBSE schools: CSMA

First, the schools asked students to write option ‘c’ (in lower case), in the last answer box if they were not sure of the answer. After the exam, the teachers would change the ‘c’ to ‘a’ or ‘b’ or ‘d’, whichever was the right answer, according to the letter accessed by TOI. Sources said it was easy to change ‘c’ (lowercase) to the other letters, which was why the students were asked to write it when they were not sure of the answer.

The CBSE got wind of this practice — by this time the major subjects were done — and decreed that only capital letters should be used when choosing the answer option. CSMA secretary P Ashok Shankar says the scamsters then started telling the students to leave the boxes empty if they didn’t know the answers. The teachers would later fill in the correct answers.

Ashok Shankar said that since there was only one external observer in a school, teachers could easily manipulate the answer scripts. In many schools, 15 to 20 students got full marks, and no student failed because of this malpractice. “The career and the spirit of the students stand totally shattered today and their future has come under a cloud,” he said.

Though the CBSE’s Chennai regional officer Dinesh Ram was unavailable for comment, other board sources confirmed they were looking into the complaint. “The board had trusted the schools to conduct the exam in a fair manner. It is unfortunate if they misused the loopholes in the process,” said a senior CBSE official requesting anonymity.

The CBSE has announced that it will not declare pass or fail status for term I exams. Only marks will be considered while offering the year-end results, the official added.

Genome test detects 33 more Omicron cases in TN

Genome test detects 33 more Omicron cases in TN

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:24.12.2021

Whole genome sequencing has confirmed the presence of Omicron variant in at least 33 more Covid-19 patients in Tamil Nadu, health minister Ma Subramanian said on Thursday. With this, 34 patients — passengers with an international travel history and their close contacts — were found to be positive for the variant.

“We have received confirmation that 33 more people were carrying the new variant. Earlier, a person who travelled from

Nigeria via Doha tested positive for Omicron,” Subramanian said. As per ICMR protocol, all international passengers from ‘at-risk’ countries should undergo screening at airports. Those who test negative are allowed domiciliary quarantine and are instructed to do a repeat test on the eighth day. Those who test positive will be sent to hospitals for isolation and their samples will be sent for whole genome sequencing tests to labs in Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune. At least 2% of passengers from other countries are tested.

First Omicron patient gets discharged

On Friday, health department will brief the CM and senior officials on advisories issued by the Union health ministry so the state can plan for prevention and management of the viral infection, Subramanian said.

Meanwhile, the first Omicron patient, a person who travelled to Chennai from Nigeria via Doha, was discharged from the Government Covid Hospital in Guindy along with two of his relatives on Thursday. With this, Omicon cases in the state dropped to 31. “They had mild infection and have now tested negative,” Subramanian said.

Until 8am on Thursday, the state had tested 15,259 passengers, who had travelled from ‘at risk’ countries, and 2,870 of the 1,00,950 passengers who travelled from other countries. Of the 18,129 tests, 114 passengers — 45 on arrival, 48 on the eighth day and 21 family and close contacts — have tested positive .

The state sent all 114 samples to whole genome sequencing labs. Among the 114 Covid-19 patients, S-gene drop was noticed in 57. On Thursday, the state received results for 60 samples. Most (33) of them were Omicron positive and 20 were Delta positive, he said. Almost all 114 patients suffered a mild form of the viral infection and 26 patients have been discharged until Thursday evening, he added. During a meeting on Thursday, the state health department again insisted on the need for testing on arrival and mandatory home quarantine for international passengers. “Of the 57 patients who had Sgene drop, nearly 37 were passengers or contacts of passengers who travelled from countries that were not at risk. While 19 contacts of patients from other countries were tested positive, there were just two among people who came from countries at risk,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.

The state, he said, pushed for booster doses, vaccination for children and urged the Centre to extend the service of health care workers appointed on contract under the central scheme until March 31, 2022.

60% of adults fully vaxxed, 89% with 1 dose

GOVT MAY REVIEW POLICY BY DEC-END

60% of adults fully vaxxed, 89% with 1 dose

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:24.12.2021

More than 60% of India’s adults are now fully vaccinated with two doses of anti-Covid shots, while nearly 89% have received at least the first dose. More than 140 crore doses have been administered across the country since the vaccination programme was launched on January 16.

In the wake of increasing Omicron cases, the Centre also advised states going in for elections in the near future to exponentially ramp up vaccination, especially in low coverage districts. Besides, all states were advised to accord special focus to those districts where first and second dose coverage is lower than the national average.

The progress in coverage assumes significance in light of Omicron, the new variant of SARS-CoV2 which is spreading at least three times faster than the Delta variant. While full vaccination can protect individuals from severe disease and deaths, experts are also betting that large-scale vaccine-induced immunity may prevent transmission to an extent and further mutation.

Once majority of the adult population is covered with two doses, the government is likely to review the vaccination policy by end of December.

‘Omicron may trigger 3rd wave, peak in Feb’

IIT KANPUR STUDY

‘Omicron may trigger 3rd wave, peak in Feb’

Syed.Akbar@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:24.12.2021

Researchers at IIT Kanpur have predicted that a third wave, which may be triggered by the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, may peak in India by February 3.

“Assuming that a third wave of Covid-19 hits the country, and following the trends happening around the world, this project report forecasts India’s third wave of Covid-19 to start around mid-December and peak in the beginning of February,” the report, published in online preprint server MedRxiv, said. The research report used the data of the first and second waves in India, and the current rise in cases triggered by Omicron in various countries, to predict a possible third wave in the country.

The researchers said the study “suggests the cases reach peak value after 735 days from our initial observation date, which is January 30, 2020, when India reported its first official case of Covid-19. So, the cases start rising around December 15, 2021, and the peak of the third wave will occur on Thursday, February 3, 2022”.

Card tokenisation last date put off by 6 mths

Card tokenisation last date put off by 6 mths

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:24.12.2021

E-commerce companies and other establishments that accept payment online will now have six more months before they have to delete credit card data from their systems. The RBI on Thursday said it was extending by six months its deadline for nonbank payment aggregators and merchants to purge card data they have stored.

The RBI also allowed the payment industry to devise new methods to handle recurring payments and equated monthly instalment (EMI) payments without storing cards. On March 31, the RBI had asked all non-bank payment system participants and merchants to purge card data from their systems by December 31, 2021.

Online billers, including e- commerce companies, ticketing services and other providers, have been storing credit card data in their customers’ accounts so that customers do not have to key in card data each time they make payments.

No KYC update? A/cs will be frozen

Many customers of banks and other financial services who have not updated their identity and address proof documents may find their accounts frozen in the new year. The reason: On December 31, 2021, the RBI’s freeze on action by banks against customers who have not complied with KYC norms will come to an end. P 19

Token data, if breached, can’t be used by hackers

The RBI does not want entities it does not regulate to store card information as some merchants store millions of card information and a breach could result in card information being exposed.

According to central banking sources, the number of malware attacks on business establishments is on the rise.

To ensure that card data is not put at risk and at the same time ensure that the customer is not inconvenienced, the RBI has come out with tokenisation guidelines.

Here the customer authorises the bank or payment network (Visa, Mastercard, Rupay) to issue a token to the merchant, which corresponds to their account. The merchant then uses the token in place of the card for accepting payments and processing refunds.

If the merchant’s servers are breached and token data is stolen, it cannot be used by the hacker.

“We would like to thank RBI for giving industry this much needed time to scale up its efforts and work towards achieving the true intent of this guideline. PCI will work with the industry and RBI to come up with solutions to handle any use cases such as refunds and post-transaction activity, including chargeback handling, dispute resolution, reward/loyalty programme that currently requires the storage of card data by entities other than card issuers and card networks,” said Vishwas Patel, director Infibeam Avenues and chairman of the Payments Council of India.

“As an industry, we are firmly committed to achieving the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vision of enhanced customer protection of customer card credentials and have all embarked on that journey,” said Srinivasu MN, founder, Billdesk and co-chair of the BBPS committee at PCI.

He said the industry will use the next six months to implement appropriate uniform solutions for seamless migration for cardholders as well as ensuring adequate security for storage.

Special trains to clear Pongal rush

Special trains to clear Pongal rush

Chennai:24.12.2021

Southern Railway has introduced special trains to clear the passenger rush for the upcoming Pongal holidays. No. 06001Tambaram-Tirunelveli Superfast special fare special will leave Tambaram at 9.45pm on January 12. No. 06002 Tirunelveli –Tambaram Superfast special fare special will leave Tirunelveli at 9.30pm on January 13.

No. 06005 Chennai Egmore - Nagercoil superfast special fare special will leave at 3.30pm on January 13. No. 06006 Nagercoil - Chennai Egmore special fare special will leave Nagercoil at 3.10pm on January 14. 06004 Nagercoil – Tambaram superfast special fare special will leave at 4.15pm on January 16. No. 06003Tambaram - Nagercoil superfast special fare special will leave Tambaram at3.45pm on January 17. No. 06040 Tirunelveli - Tambaram special fare special will leave at 7pm on January 16. No. 06039 Tambaram-Tirunelveli special fare special will leave Tambaram at 10.45am on January 17. TNN

TN docs take booster shot in secret

TN docs take booster shot in secret

Taking More Than Two Doses Can Invite Action

Sambath.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore:24.12.2021

Practising doctors in private and government hospitals across the state are taking a third dose of covid vaccine on the sly.

Some doctors said they went to a private hospital, where stocks have piled up for several months, but many told TOI that they drew vaccines from vials in government supply. Every vial has at least 10 doses. “When only eight persons turn up till the end of vaccination on a day, two doses go for waste. Doctors use those for the booster,” said a doctor from Coimbatore ESI hospital.

Over the past few days, doctors’ groups have been abuzz with the ideal third dose, international studies and experiences on social media groups. Some doctors, who took two doses of Covidshield are taking Covaxin as a third dose, and vice versa.

Informal studies done by several hospitals including MGM Healthcare in Chennai showed that the antibody levels were extremely low. "We are hearing stories of breakthrough infections despite complete vaccination from across the globe. Doctors were the first to get vaccinated early this year. The duration between the two doses of Covishield was just 30 days instead of 82 days. So, the efficacy was low too. The government should consider booster doses for all healthcare providers," said another senior doctor.

As of now, the Centre has approved the vaccine only for emergency use. “They have permitted only two doses. Taking more doses will be a violation,” said director of public health Dr TS Selvavinayagam. “It is better to wait for an official notification from the government,” he said.

Doctors say they have waited enough. “Many of us are elderly and have co-morbid conditions. We will be forced to shut down clinics if there are no boosters,” said a senior doctor.

One of the reasons doctors considered mixed vaccines for the third dose is an incident from Uttar Pradesh during the second wave. “Some persons who took Covishield as their first dose were wrongly administered with Covaxin when they went to take their second dose. Their antibody levels increased. Some of the studies, including that of ICMR, showed better immunogenicity response for the combination of the two vaccines earlier this year which has been encouraging doctors to go for a third shot,” said a doctor from the government medical college hospital in Coimbatore.

Salem district registers 1st Omicron case

Salem district registers 1st Omicron case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Salem:24.12.2021

The Salem district registered its first Omicron case with a 28-year-old woman from Mullai Nagar in the city testing positive for the infection on Thursday. She has been admitted to the Omicron special ward in the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital (SGMKMCH) for treatment. The doctors said that her condition was stable.

The woman works as a software engineer in the US. The health department personnel at the Chennai international airport collected swab samples from her when she returned on December 13. They kept her in Chennai for four days in isolation though her test results turned negative for the novel coronavirus.

“However, the health department once again collected swab samples from her on December 17 and allowed her to proceed to Salem,” said collector S Karmegam.

She came to Salem in an ambulance and isolated herself in her house till Thursday morning (December 23), when the health department confirmed that she had tested positive for Omicron. She was immediately admitted to the Omicron special ward at SGMKMCH.

Meanwhile, a person who came from New Zealand to the city was admitted to a private hospital on Thursday.

Case against hosp dir, homoeopath over patient’s death

Case against hosp dir, homoeopath over patient’s death

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ujjain:23.12.2021

A hospital director and a homoeopath were booked in Ujjain on Wednesday for the death of a Covid-19 patient due to alleged medical negligence.

The homoeopath had allegedly prescribed allopathic medication to the patient, who subsequently died, concluded a panel of doctors formed by the Ujjain chief medical officer to look into the case.

Neelganga police station in-charge Tarun Kureel said a case of death by negligence has been registered against Deshmukh Hospital and Research Centre director Shripad Deshmukh and homoeopath Suresh Sharma on the basis of the report submitted by the panel of doctors.

The patient, a 30-year-old resident of Nazar Ali Marg, was admitted to the hospital on April 17 with Covid-19 infection and diabetes as comorbidity. He died during treatment on April 21.

Kureel said the panel found that Sharma had treated the patient using allopathy medicines without the licence to do so. Family members alleged medical negligence and lodged a formal complaint with the CMHO, who ordered a probe. Later, a formal complaint was lodged at Neelganga police station.

Photoshoot with gun goes wrong; man dies

Photoshoot with gun goes wrong; man dies

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Indore:23.12.2021

An attempted photoshoot with a weapon cost a 24-year-old man his life after the trigger was pressed accidentally and the man died. The employees of the liquor shop claimed that the shot was fired accidentally while cleaning the rifle, but police sources said that they were trying to shoot a picture with it when one of them accidentally pulled the trigger.

The accused said that he did not know that the weapon was loaded. Soon after the incident, panic spread in the area and there were rumors that a man was shot dead following a dispute. Later it was revealed that the employees of the liquor shop owned by contractor Virendra Thakur were joking around when the incident took place. Pardeshipura station house officer Pankaj Dwivedi said that the incident was reported around 8:30 am at the liquor shop. Dwivedi said that one of the employees, Manish Asalkar, asked one Babloo to click his picture as he pretended to press the trigger and fire a shot at Sushil Yadav. He asked Sushil to stand in front of him. As Babloo opened the camera and Manish pressed the trigger, a shot was fired and Sushil fell on the floor unconscious in a pool of blood. He was hit in his chest.

According to the CCTV footages recovered from the spot, police said that both Babloo and Manish were seen in a state of panic after the incident and kept making calls to ambulance and police to rush the man to the hospital. Sushil was taken to a private hospital nearby but was declared brought dead by the doctors. Dwivedi said that a case was registered against the accused and further investigations were initiated against them. The accused have been detained in the case and the body was handed over to the family members after postmortem examination.

“We have demanded a license of the weapon used in the crime and actions will be initiated against the accused if they are not able to produce it,” said Dwivedi.

Soon after the incident, panic spread in the area and there were rumors that a man was shot dead following a dispute

Getting vaxxed better than being on ventilator: Shivraj

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:23.12.2021

While the state braces for the Omicron threat, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that getting the vaccine is better than going on a ventilator.

“Wearing masks, following social distancing and getting vaccinated are no longer matters of our choice. Now, it is everyone’s social responsibility. We have to make sure that we do not endanger the lives of other people by our careless behavior,” the CM said, pointing out that the Covid death toll in USA has exceeded 8 lakh, and the UK and many other European countries are affected by the third wave.

“We all lost our loved ones in the first and second waves of Corona. Caution is necessary to prevent the third wave. Wear a mask, follow social distancing and, most importantly, get the Covid vaccine mandatorily,” the CM said at a vaccination centre in Bhopal’s Barkhedi.

Over 10.5 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the state during a mega drive on Wednesday.

Chouhan said that over 9.9 crore vaccine doses have been administered in MP. “If people come forward and get vaccinated, then we will succeed in providing protection to everyone. It is scientifically proven that vaccination is effective in saving lives. Therefore, it is not wise to risk your life by remaining unvaccinated. Let us all motivate everyone around us to get vaccinated,” the CM said, urging all religious leaders, social workers and political parties to join in motivating people to get the jabs.

Chouhan said the government is shoring up healthcare facilities to face a possible third wave of Covid. Oxygen supply, beds, medicines, equipment and trained staff are being arranged in hospitals.

Break the chain of fake news, try Times Verified

Break the chain of fake news, try Times Verified

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

23.12.2021

Social media, which connects and catalyses change, can also be a minefield of fake news and falsehoods. A steady, constant stream of misinformation is spread through platforms and networks that link families, friends and associates. The undercurrent of anxiety and panic is palpable.

As changing dynamics pit media against emerging forms of communication, TOI has tried to meet the challenge by putting even greater emphasis on news verification. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we do have rigorous systems in place to check information before we publish it. In case an error still slips through, we acknowledge it and are quick to set the record straight.

In keeping with the same spirit, Times Verified seeks to provide clarity and accuracy on vital issues through a collaborative effort with readers. We see this as a service that we wish to provide to our readers with a sense of utmost humility and responsibility. We will not declare that something is true or fake unless we are fully satisfied with our due diligence. And if we are not in a position to reach a definitive conclusion, we will not shy away from saying so.

Since beginning a trial run in some cities a few months ago, we have scrutinised close to 25,000 messages sent by our readers on a dedicated line. They ranged from forwards about the demise of a decorated war veteran, to a cell phone number for sourcing drugs for Covid patients, and a purported announcement on another impending lockdown.

Our panel, comprising editors and reporters who cover various agencies and sectors, submitted the data, reports, statements and other details that came in for corroboration to experts and relevant authorities. Their inputs helped us get back to the reader with as clear a picture as possible.

Some of the messages analysed were downright absurd—“all citizens are entitled to Rs 7,000 per week to stay at home to combat the virus”—but there were several that seemed to carry a ring of authenticity, providing information on apps offering vaccination slots or quoting statements attributed to people in important positions (“Mike Yeadon, former chief scientist at Pfizer, declares vaccine a threat to human life”).

This is clearly the more insidious side of social media; half-truths dressed up to appear real. The challenge is to analyse such viral fakes and separate fact from fabrication. This is important because fake news can quite literally be lethal.

“The rapid spread of false information during a pandemic can cost people their lives,” says US-based physician Dr Seema Yasmin, whose recent book speaks about how misinformation spreads faster than microbes in times of crisis. “In the last year we’ve seen people write Facebook posts from their hospital beds saying they didn’t believe the pandemic was real because of what they’d read on social media and now they were infected,” adds Yasmin, stressing on the need to identify red flags in information packaged to be “very certain”.

With truth being the best, most effective vaccination to counter the epidemic of fake news, we urge you to forward all dubious, anxiety-causing messages to our expert panel. Let the green tick in the Times Verified logo counter the tyranny of the grey curved arrow of forwards.

First wife has exclusive right over children: HC

‘DAD MUST PAY FOR CHILD’

First wife has exclusive right over children: HC

Vasantha.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:23.12.2021

If a Muslim wife can stay away from her matrimonial home on the ground of her husband’s second marriage as it is tantamount to cruelty, it goes without saying she can normally retain the exclusive custody of her minor child too, the Karnataka high court has observed in a recent judgement.

“An argument to the contrary would permit an unscrupulous husband, who contracts another marriage, to pressurize his first wife to continue in the matrimonial home, eventually retaining the child in his exclusive custody. This court is of a considered view that even the visitation rights of such a father will diminish to a great extent,” Justice Krishna S Dixit has observed in his order.

The judge has, however, added that such a diminution in no way absolves him of the obligation to provide for the sustenance of the child.

Petitioner told to pay ₹50k to wife in 30 days

R ejecting by the petitioner the petition -husband filed seeking custody of his eightyears-old son, the judge cited Islamic jurist Asaf AA Fyzee’s quote, “The custody of an infant child belongs to the mother.” The judge imposed Rs 50,000 cost on the petitioner payable to his wife within a month and added failure to pay it would lead to suspension of all visitation rights granted to him by the family court.

Though an attempt was made to settle the issue amicably through in-camera proceedings, it was not successful. The court noted the first wife “graciously agreed” to give up all allegations and withdraw complaints against the petitioner for buying peace and asked this court to quash them straightaway. But the petitioner was “unjustifiably adamant”. The minor boy wished to continue in the custody of his mother. Justice Dixit asked the trial court to dispose of eight pending cases relating to the couple within nine months.

The Sunni Muslim couple got married in April 2009 and stayed in Arizona for some time. They had a boy in August 2013. The husband, who is employed with an MNC, married a second time and they have a girl child.

In 2016, he moved the family court in Bengaluru seeking dissolution of his first marriage. In 2018, by way of an application under Guardian and Wards Act, he sought his son’s custody. On December 17, 2018, the court granted him visitation rights on the third Saturday of every month. He challenged the order, contending he is in a better position to take care of his kid from a financial perspective. He submitted an affidavit from his second wife, stating the child could come and stay with them.

100 Major Supreme Court Judgments Of 2021 [Part 2, Judgments 53-75]

100 Major Supreme Court Judgments Of 2021 [Part 2, Judgments 53-75]: This is the second part of the article. The first part covered 52 judgments delivered from January to June. This part includes judgments(53-75) delivered from July to October. The third part will...