Puducherry RTI rules amended

In order to contain frivolous questions , the Puducherry Government has brought in certain amendments to Puducherry Right to Information Rules.

These rules are called the Puducherry Right to Information (Amendment) Rules, 2015.

New rule

As per the new rule, the application submitted by an applicant, in Form-I, for seeking information, should ordinarily not contain more than five hundred words, excluding annexures, containing address of the Public Information Officer and that of the applicant.

Under a new sub-clause, Rs. 20 will be charged per Compact Disc (CD) and Rs. 50 per Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).

The new sub-clause has also fixed price for obtaining a copy of a publication while Rs. 2 would be charged per page of photocopy for an extract from the publication.

Cut-off marks for MBBS likely to be low

Due to drop in number of centum in Biology and Physics

With the drop in number of centum in Biology and Physics in the Plus Two examination results, the cut-off marks for admission to MBBS course is expected to be low for the academic year 2015-16.

Centums

The numbers of centum in 2014 examination results were Physics (2,710), Chemistry (1,693), Biology (652) and Mathematics (3,882).

Results published last week shows that there is a significant drop in number of centum in Physics (124), Chemistry (1,049) and Biology (387) except Mathematics (9,710).

Academicians said that the drop in centum in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, which decide the cut-off, is due to tough questions in the examination.

Academicians opined that owing to the toughness of the question paper, the current year cut-off marks should not be compared with previous year.

Government colleges

S.P.N. Sharavanan, Correspondent of Green Park Matriculation Higher Secondary School, told The Hindu that the drop in cut-off could be 1 to 1.25 marks for government colleges while it would be 1.5 marks for government quota seats in private colleges.

A student belonging to Backward Community with 197.50 cut-off could get admission for MBBS in Government College while a student with 195.75 cut-off could get admission to private medical colleges, he added.

“Unless the previous year students apply for medicine, there would be no change in the cut-off”, he added.

For engineering courses, the competition for top institutions would remain high.

Engineering

Since, the number of centum in Mathematics has tripled when compared to last year, the competition for second level engineering colleges would be intense. “There is a gradual rise in the cut-off for engineering courses”, he added.

Academicians said that students with above mentioned cut-offs need not worry as they could get admissions either in government colleges or government quota seats in private institutions.

Zoology is dead course sans animal dissection’

The Delhi University has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Union environment ministry to reconsider the decision to ban animal dissection, saying it has reducing zoology into a “dead discipline”.

A letter in this regard has been sent by the head of DU’s zoology department Neeta Sehgal.

“We have written to (the) UGC requesting it to reconsider the decision and limit the ban to just endangered animals. Zoology is being reduced into a dead discipline because of the ban its students are just reading theory and are unable to do any practical experiments,” said Prof. Sehgal.

In 2011, the UGC had imposed a partial ban on animal dissection and directed all universities and colleges to stop experimentation on animals for training purposes for zoology and life sciences at the undergraduate level. However, last year the UGC instructed all universities to ban dissection of animals for academic purposes at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Prof. Sehgal said that it was ironical that we can kill a cockroach using a repellant at home but cannot pin the same in a laboratory to understand its anatomy.

“Concerning the maintenance of ecology, we have also raised the same with the ministry of environment and forests to revoke the ban. And dissection doesn’t mean we simply cut an animal into two halves and study it.”

DU urges UGC to reconsider ban on animal dissection

Delhi University has urged the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Environment Ministry to reconsider their decision of a ban on animal dissection, saying it is reducing zoology into a “dead discipline”.

The university’s Department of Zoology has written a letter to the UGC to limit the ban to the endangered species. “Students are just reading theory and are unable to do any practical experiments,” Neeta Sehgal, HoD, said in the letter.

In 2011, the UGC had imposed a partial ban on animal dissection and directed all universities and colleges to stop experiments on animals for training purposes for zoology and life sciences at the undergraduate level.

However, last year, the UGC had instructed all universities to ban dissection of animals for academic purposes at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

“No animal from any species shall be dissected, either by teachers or students for any purpose,” the UGC notification had said. The UGC had said that non-animal methods, including computer simulations, interactive CD-ROMs, films and lifelike models could be used to teach anatomy and complex biological processes. Institutions found violating the order can now be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and also the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act.

“Anatomy cannot be taught merely by doing simulations on computers. If the students do not know the odour of an animal when it is dissected, how are they going to deal with it medically and continue with the process? Without practical training if they perform some surgery, they might be shaky. Technology cannot be a substitute for cutting through tissues to feel the texture of the viscera,” Ms. Sehgal said.

“The department is breeding its own animals. Then why can’t they be used for dissection purpose? How else will students learn about the anatomy of an animal?” asked Mamta, a student of M.Sc.

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CBSE students to lose out on admission as results are delayed

COIMBATORE: Uncertainty stares at tens of thousands of CBSE Class 12 students across the state as the results are expected only on May 27 or 28, after an unusually long gap of 20 days since the state board results were announced.

Several colleges offering graduate courses in arts, science and commerce would have completed the admission process. TOI spoke to six colleges and found that at least three have started admitting students. One in Coimbatore is almost done with the process. Prominent Chennai colleges would begin admission by May 20, a week ahead of the CBSE results.

A professor of a Coimbatore college said, "We start admission on the day the state board results are published, as almost 95% of our candidates are from state board. However, we are open to candidates from CBSE if they have good marks." Asked if some seats would be reserved for CBSE students, he replied in the negative.

A commerce professor said CBSE students would find it toughest to get BCom seats in colleges of their choice. "If the results were to be announced three to five days after the state board results, there would be some possibility. But 20 days is quite a long period as seats in the management quota also get filled," he said.

In Chennai, colleges are not clear on what steps would they take to make sure students from the CBSE board are not deprived of an equal chance to avail a merit seat in the course they want. Madras Christian College principal Alexander Jesudasan said, "We have made a note of the announcement of the CBSE Class 12 results, and will work out a provision for those students." The principal said the college is yet to begin admission.

Loyola College spokesman K S Antonysamy said that the college is still receiving applications, and the last date is May 20. "We have mentioned in the prospectus that we will give two days for CBSE students after their results are announced," Antonysamy said. The college, however, will begin the admission process after May 20.

Sundararaman R, chief executive officer of Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore said, "We begin admissions after the mark sheets are issued for the state board students on May 14. We reserve two or three seats for CBSE students." He added, "We have kept around 50 seats across all branches for them, based on the previous years' admission details."

A student of the CBSE board who is aiming at a seat in BCom professional accounting in some of the top colleges in Chennai and Coimbatore said he has no hopes of getting into a good college. "The lack of normalization of CBSE scores with the state board marks is a setback for us during admission. The delay in results makes it worse," the student said.

Plea in Madras HC seeks setting up of AIIMS in Madurai

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Wednesday ordered notices to the health secretaries of the central and state governments on a petition that sought setting up of an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Madurai district.

The central government is planning to establish an AIIMS in Tamil Nadu, and the state government had proposed five sites -- Thoppur in Madurai district, Perundurai in Erode district, Pudukkottai, Sekkipatti in Thanjavur district and Chengalpet near Chennai.

In his petition, K K Ramesh of Madurai said, "In Tamil Nadu, Chennai has many major hospitals. But the southern districts have no such hospitals. The medical facilities are not adequate in those districts."

"Hence establishment of an AIIMS in Madurai district is very much essential for the people living in the southern districts," the petitioner said.

He further pointed out a central team's visit to Thoppur for a feasibility study.

When the matter came up for hearing, the division bench of T S Sivagnanam and G Chockalingam ordered notices to health secretaries and adjourned the matter to June 19.