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Thursday, November 7, 2024

NEWS TODAY 7.11.2024

Jayadeva staffer caught filming women in toilet

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 07.11.2024

Bengaluru : A 28-year-old man working at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bannerghatta Road, was recently caught filming women using a toilet on the hospital premises. The act came to light when a 35-year-old woman, working as a ward helper in the hospital, was walking out of the toilet and noticed a mobile phone kept on top of a wall separating it from another restroom.

The accused, identified as Yellalinga from Kalaburagi, was working in the hospital on acontract basis for the last five months as a patient’s helper. According to the woman’s complaint, she went to the toilet in the basement of the hospital around 11pm on Oct 31. After relieving herself, she was walking out and noticed the phone on the top of the wall. Shocked, she took the mobile and found it was in video-recording mode. She realised she was one of the women recorded in the video. The mobile was placed at an angle that recorded the private parts of women. As she walked out of the toilet, a man approached her, asking her to give the mobile to him. The woman told police the youth addressed her as sister (mobile kodu akka) and was filming her. She refused to give it and shouted at him.

People in the hospital gathered at the spot, and upon questioning him, he revealed his name and said he was working in the hospital. The youth, Yellalinga, was arrested later and sent to Bengaluru Central Prison. Police said he had kept the phone in the toilet around 10am that day, and no other videos were found on the phone,” an officer said

Govt to offer loans to youth under PM Vidyalakshmi scheme

TIMES NEWS NETWORK AHMEDABAD 07.11.2024

New Delhi : To make quality higher education more accessible to India’s middle-class youth, Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved PM Vidyalakshmi Scheme, which is designed to ease financial burden of students from families with an annual income below Rs 8 lakh. Under this scheme, eligible students will be able to secure collateral-free and guarantor-free education loans of up to Rs 10 lakh, backed by an interest subsidy.

It aims at simplifying the education loan process for students admitted to institutions ranked under National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), including the top 860 Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs). With an initial outlay of Rs 3,600 crore for two years, the scheme is expected to impact up to 22 lakh students annually. In a post which was uploaded on X, PM Modi stated, “This scheme is a big boost to making education more accessible. It empowers the Yuva Shakti, building a brighter future for our nation.” The scheme’s impact will be felt especially among stu dents at central and state govt institutions and private institutions ranked in the NIRF’s top 200.

A unified portal will streamline the application process, allowing students to access both the loan and interest subsidy through a simple digital platform which has been launched in order to help students. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan lauded the scheme, highlighting its potential to empower millions of students by addressing financial constraints that have previously hindered access to quality higher education as per requirements, “PM Vidyalakshmi will maximize access to higher education for meritorious students, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent students from achieving their goals,” he stated. Under PM Vidyalakshmi, students only need to pay interest during their study period.

For loans up to Rs 7.5 lakh, the scheme provides a 75% credit guarantee on outstanding defaults, supporting banks in providing loans. In addition, eligible students will receive a 3% interest subsidy during the moratorium period, giving priority to those enrolled in technical and professional courses. If the family income is below Rs 4.5 lakh, there is no upper limit for interest subvention which is among the provisions of the PM Vidyalakshmi Scheme scheme of the government.

185 colleges await Gujarat Nursing Council nod

NO FIRE NOC, BU PERMISSION

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 07.11.2024

Ahmedabad : Around 185 nursing colleges are still awaiting their annual permissions from the Gujarat Nursing Council (GNC), even as the admission process for paramedical courses, including nursing, nears completion. These institutions face delays due to a lack of fire department’s no objection certificates (NOCs), building use (BU) permissions, and staff crunch.

The admission committee placed 1,500 students across various programmes after two admissions rounds, including BSc nursing, physiotherapy, GNM, ANM, optometry, occupational therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, and naturopathy. A third round is on to fill 2,000 remaining seats. The colleges’ approval delays primarily stem from non-compliance with BU regulations and fire safety standards. These institutions were consequently excluded from the admission process.

The situation is unprecedented, with these 185 unapp roved nursing, BSc, GNM, and ANM colleges representing approximately 6,000 seats out of the total 37,000 seats available across nearly 900 nursing and paramedical colleges in the state. Court mandates regarding fire NOCs and BU nod implemented to ensure safety against fire incidents, resulted in the council’s delayed approval process. Dr M. M. Prabhakar, president of Gujarat Nursing Council, said, “Several colleges failed to furnish fire department NOCs and BU permissions, so their approvals were held back. We announced a third deadline for the submission of these approvals, latest by Nov 30. If these colleges fail to adhere to the deadline, we will not issue approvals to them for the current academic year.”

A considerable number of unapproved institutions include multiple colleges operating from single buildings without proper authorization. About 50 newly established colleges are also among those seeking approval

Centre clears edu loan plan for bright students

PM VIDYALAKSHMI SCHEME

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 07.11.2024

New Delhi : To make quality higher education more accessible to India’s middle-class youth, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the PM Vidyalakshmi Scheme, which is designed to ease financial burden of students from families with an annual income be low ₹8 lakh.

Under this scheme, eligible students will be able to secure collateral-free and guarantor-free education loans of up to ₹10 lakh, backed by an interest subsidy. It aims at simplifying the education loan process for students admitted to institutions ranked under the National In stitutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), including the top 860 Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs). With an initial outlay of ₹3,600 crore for two years, the scheme is expected to impact up to 22 lakh students annually.

In a post on X, PM Narendra Modi said, “This scheme is a big boost to making education more accessible. It empowers the Yuva Shakti, building a brighter future for our nation.” The scheme’s impact will be felt especially among students at central and state govt institutions and private institutions ranked in the NIRF’s top 200. A unified portal will streamline the application process, allowing students to access both the loan and interest subsidy through a simple digital platform

TN deputes doctors to HC amid protests

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 07.11.2024

Chennai : At a time when govt hospitals across the state are battling doctor shortage and unfilled vacancies, the Directorate of Medical Education has deputed a cardiologist and a general medicine specialist to Madras high court dispensary for daily duty with immediate effect. These doctors will remain in the court premises from morning till court hours every day.

On Monday, a day ahead of the high court’s building committee meeting, the Directorate of Medical Education, Dr J Sangumani, issued orders directing Madras Medical College Dean, Dr E The ranirajan, to depute assistant professor of cardiology Dr C Elango and assistant professor of general medicine Dr A T Jeyaraj, to the Madras high court dispensary with “immediate effect until further orders.” The decision was conveyed to judges during the building committee meeting on Tuesday. Health Secretary Supriya Sahu was also present.

The order follows a letter from the Madras high court registrar (administration) dated Oct 28. Doctors’ associations have protested the state’s decision to depute doctors full time to court premises. “The court dispensary must be strengthened with adequate drugs, life-saving equipment, and a good ambulance. Posting a cardiologist in a dispensary is a waste of resources. In case of emergency, duty doctors can refer patients to RGGGH within 15 minutes after first aid,” said Dr A Ramalingam, secretary of Service Doctors and Post-Graduates Association. Tamil Nadu Govt Doctors Association also protested the state’s decision to post specialists at the high court dispensary.

Ma Su denies shortage of doctors in govt hospitals, says contract appointments can help in the short term

TALKING TO TOI

PushpaNarayan@timesgroup.com 07.11.2024

There is no worsening staff crisis at govt hospitals as recruitments are on, health minister Ma Subramanian has claimed, reacting to Tamil Nadu Govt Doctors’Association’s announcement that 6,000 of 18,000 doctor posts in GHs are vacant. The examination for recruitment of 2,553 medical officers for the public health department will be held soon and recruitment completed by Jan 2025, he told TOI in an interview.

Hospitals can meanwhile recruit doctors on a contract basis through district health societies, he says. Excerpts:

■ Doctors’ associations have reported a 30% vacancy rate for doctor positions, leading to a worsening staff crisis in govt hospitals that threatens patient safety.

It is not as bad as it is projected to be. Vacancies do arise, and recruitment is an ongoing process. Delays can occur for various reasons. Earlier this year, the health department appointed 1,021 doctors through the medical recruitment board. This process involved months of effort to overcome legal hurdles, as many doctors who worked on a contract basis during the Covid-19 pandemic sought incentives for their service. For the first time, we made candidates opt for the places where they wanted to be posted. Yet, more than 190 doctors did not take up their positions, prompting us to cancel some of their offers and make new appointments.

■ Associations say there are more than 5,000 positions vacant now. How do you plan to fill these?

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff for GHs are appointed through the medical recruitment board, which has issued a call for applications to fill 2,553 medical officer positions at primary health centres across the state. We are currently in discussions with several corporate organisa tions which conduct online competitive examinations. The exam schedule will be announced soon, and we plan to conduct the exams within a month. The entire appointment process is expected to conclude by Jan 2025. Doctors who have completed postgraduate training and specialisations in the Directorate of Public Health will subsequently be transferred to secondary hospitals managed by the Directorate of Medical Services, and to medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals under the Directorate of Medical Education.

■ Why are doctors not being directly appointed to secondary hospitals and medical colleges?

We give incentives to in-service doctors in post-graduate education under the in-service quota. When PHC doctors return after post-graduate education, they have to be placed in hospitals where they can offer services under their speciality. So, we prefer to depute doctors at the DPH side and move them to other directorates. This will ensure primary care is available in all districts.

■ Won’t this process take time? Don’t you think hospitals will face a shortage of doctors until then?

No. Hospital authorities and directorates can appoint doctors on a contract basis through district health societies based on need. For instance, hospitals and directorates have complained about a lack of adequate obstetrician-gynaecologists in some hospitals. These hospitals can appoint doctors through the health societies directly. Doctors appointed through the open market through contract will be paid a consolidated salary

Student flooded with calls as his phone number appears in ‘Amaran’

Wrong number: The callers wanted to have a word with Sai Pallavi or compliment her on her performance.

Vaageesan says the crumpled piece of paper that Sai Pallavi tosses at Sivakarthikeyan in a scene has a phone number resembling his own

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI 7.11.2024

Soon after the blockbuster movie Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan, hit the screens on Deepavali, Vaageesan V.V., a Chennai-based student, found himself flooded with unexpected calls. Strangely, he has no connection to the film or its cast.

It all started with a scene that hardly lasts a couple of seconds in the film. In it, actor Sai Pallavi tosses a crumpled piece of paper, with her phone number written on it, at Sivakarthikeyan.

Though not entirely legible, Mr. Vaageesan says it was his number that was shown on the screen. This touched off calls from strangers. The first few calls were enough for him to realise what was in store.

The callers wanted to have a word with Sai Pallavi or compliment her on her performance. Overwhelmed by the number of calls, Vaageesan put his phone on mute on the night of the festival.

“The next morning, I woke up to more than 100 missed calls and several voice messages from unknown numbers from across India and even abroad. The calls continued the following day. Some callers even believed that the number belonged to Indu Rebecca Varghese, the real-life wife of late Major Mukund Varadarajan, on whose life the film is based,” he says.

Saved on Truecaller

To make matters worse, someone had saved Vaageesan’s number as Vaageesan Indu Rebbbica VV on Truecaller, a caller identification application, further encouraging strangers to reach out to him. Unable to handle the increasing number of unknown calls and messages, he attempted to contact the film’s director, Rajkumar Periasamy, and protagonist Sivakarthikeyan by sending a message on social media, explaining that the phone number used in the movie was his.

“I haven’t received any response from them yet. Since the calls keep coming, I have to put my phone on silent mode. I am worried that I may miss an emergency call or an important message from my family members or friends. I have been using this number for two years. It is linked to my bank accounts, and I have given it to many of my contacts. I can’t afford to give it up,” he says.

Airtel’s response

For more than three days, Vaageesan has been declining calls from the numbers not on his contact list. “My number has even appeared in Instagram reels, reaching more people. I took up the matter with Airtel, my service provider, but they said it would not be possible to block incoming calls unless they were from a marketing source,” he said. Confirming that the issue was flagged by Vaageesan to customer care, a senior employee of the telecom company said the company was in the process of responding to the customer. When asked if there had been similar complaints from others, he said no other customer had highlighted any such problem. “If there is an abnormally large number of calls going to a particular number, the system will detect it and send an alert to the technical team. There is no such input as of now,” he said.

Incidentally, Vaageesan has not seen the film. His introduction to the heroic life of the Ashoka Chakra recipient came only through Instagram reels after the film was released and, of course, the unsolicited phone calls.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

HC orders govt to appoint 292 auxiliary nurses

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 6.11.2024

Bhopal/Jabalpur : In a significant judgement, a division bench of MP high court ordered the state government to give appointments to 292 candidates on the post of ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) in the health department, who were denied posting at the time of verification of records for not fulfilling three conditions. The court said that if the order is not complied with, the commissioner, health, should personally appear in the court in the next hearing of the case. The order was issued by the HC bench on a petition filed by Rajnandini from Balaghat and 291 other candidates from across the state challenging their disqualification for the post of ANM on the pretext of not fulfilling three conditions – that they had not passed class 12th ex-am with biology, physics and chemistry as main subjects, had not received training as ANM in a govt hospital and duration of their training was not 2 years.

According to the petitioners, according to 1989 rules it was not necessary for ANMs to have completed higher secondary with biology, chemistry and physics as compulsory subjects and the duration of training was 18 months. Similarly, a candidate could have received training in a private hospital as well, but the rules were changed in 2019 and the new conditions were inserted but by then, they had completed the ANM course. In 2023,when the vacancies of ANMs were advertised, they were not allowed to appear in the exam. They moved court challenging the decision not to allow them to appear in the exam. The court allowed them to appear in the exam and they cleared the exam but at the time of verification of documents, they were denied posting on the pretext that they don't fulfil the criteria for appointment as ANMS.

The bench of chief justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain while allowing the petition ordered the state government to give them posting as ANMs and said if the order is not complied

with, the commissioner, health, should be present in the court in the next hearing on Nov 20, 2024. Advocate Ishan Soni appeared in the case for the petitioners

HC: Clicking woman’s pic near her house not voyeurism

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 6.11.2024

Kochi : If a woman is in a public or private place where she would not typically expect privacy or protection from being seen or photographed, the offence of voyeurism is not applicable, the high court has held. Justice A Badharudeen made this ruling in response to a petition filed by two accused seeking to quash the charges against them for allegedly taking a photograph of a woman in front of her house and making gestures with sexual intent.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in 2022 when the complainant was in front of her house, and the accused approached in a car, took photographs of her and the house, and, when confronted near the gate, made gestures with sexual implications. The police registered a case against the accused under sections 354C (voyeurism) and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.

In considering the petition, the bench observed that the offence of voyeurism applies only when a woman is watched or photographed while engaged in a private act, under circumstances where she would usually expect not to be observed. Since the accused took the photograph while the complainant was in front of her house, the offence under section 354C IPC was not applicable, leading to its quashing. However, the bench noted that the accused’s actions could attract charges under Section 354A(1)(i) and (iv) (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) of the IPC.