Court declines to stay govt order on nurses’ wages 

Special Correspondent 
 
KOCHI, May 05, 2018 00:00 IST

Interim order after comprehensive hearing on petition

The Kerala High Court on Friday declined to stay the government order fixing the minimum wages of nurses working in private hospitals at Rs. 20,000.

When the petition filed by the Kerala Private Hospitals Association came up for hearing, the counsel for the association sought to stay the order. However, the court said that an interim order could be passed only after having a comprehensive hearing on the petition.

In the petition, secretary of the association Hussain Koya Thangal and others said the notification had certain procedural illegalities. According to the petitioners, the mode of fixation of minimum wages under Section 5 of the Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific and Charitable Societies Act had not been followed.

Besides, the categorisation of private hospitals based on bed strength was illegal. As per the order, the revision of minimum wages was being implemented with retrospective effect from September 1, 2017. This was against the various principles laid down by judgments of the High Court and the Supreme Court.

The petitioners pointed out that the charter of demands of the unions should have been dealt with under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act. As per the provisions of the Act, when a demand for revision of wages was raised, the proper course for the government was to refer the disputes for conciliation.

If conciliation failed, a report should be forwarded and the matter should be referred to a court or tribunal. Therefore, the fixation of minimum wages should be based on the established principles of law and in accordance with the scheme of the enactment and any deviation would be illegal.

As per the order, the minimum pay for nurses working in private hospitals with a bed strength up to 100 would be Rs. 20,000. If it was implemented, it would affect several hospitals, the petitioners said.

The petitioners pointed out that there was bar on issuing a fresh notification as the writ petition questioning the revision of wages implemented in 2009 was still pending before the High Court. In fact, all coercive steps against the members of the association was stayed by the court then.

Help for NEET candidates pours in
Group In Rajasthan Offers Food, Lodging

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   05.05.2018

Even as the government announced an assistance of ₹1,000 to every student writing the national eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) for MBBS admissions outside the state, several organisations as well as individuals on social media pitched in with help on Friday.

However, what hascome as a big relief for some students who reportedly got centres in Rajasthan was the support pledged by Rajasthan Tamil Sangam, a small group representing people from Tamil Nadu working and settled in that state. The organisation said it would arrange for picking up NEET candidates and parents from railway stations, bus stands and airport, provide accommodation, local transport to exam centres and drop them at the place from where they will return to Tamil Nadu.

S Muruganantham, 24, from Salem who works for Smart Cities project in Jaipur, told TOI that those who needed help could contact Rajasthan Tamil Sangam president Soundaranayagi on phone number 08696922117 or members Muruganantham (09790783187) and Bharathi – 07357023549.

In Madurai, though 14 of the 289 candidates appearing for NEET will be travelling to Ernakulam to write the examination, none could avail of the monetary benefit on Friday. This was because the education department did not have cash to give them at short notice and the schools which were asked to disburse it were also closed as it was beyond 4 p.m, when the students came there.

The TNSTC announced two special services from Tirunelveli to Ernakulam where many candidates were allotted centres on Saturday morning.

Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi Nagapattinnam said in Trichy that it had received calls from NEET candidates and were giving cash assistance to the tune of Rs 5,000 to help them reach their centres. A few coaching centres in Chennai which had trained students from across the state said a few of their students were travelling out of the state to write NEET. S.K Engineering Academy, Chennai said two of its students had been allotted centres in Kochi. “One student is from Nagarcoil and the other from Kanyakumari. They had put even their third preference as places nearby but still they don't seem to be facing any issues regarding their allotted location. They already left for Kerala from Chennai on Friday morning," said a representative of the institute.

While 82,000 students from the state wrote NEET last year, this year the numbers have increased to over 1.1lakh. NEET director Sanyam Bharadwaj said that there had been an increase of over 30% in registrations from Tamil Nadu this year. Approximately 1,000-1,500 students may have to travel outside the state to write NEET in other centres.

CBSE sources said that students would be allotted centres as per their second or third preferred locations given in the application forms if not within the state. Education department officials meanwhile said that 39 students from government and government aided schools will be writing out of Tamil Nadu (in Kerala and Karnataka).

With inputs from Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli. 



BULGING NUMBERS: While 82,000 students from the state wrote NEET last year, more than 1.1 lakh students are appearing this year

Will boycott MCI inspections if forced to pose as profs: Docs
Claim Govt Hoodwinked MCI For College Permissions

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai 05.05.2018

:The state health department has misrepresented associate doctors as professors for five years in order to renew ‘permission’ for continuing MBBS courses in many of its 22 medical colleges. The false representation was made to the Medical Council of India despite 50% vacancies in professor posts.

The issue came to light, on Friday when the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association launched a “non-cooperation” protest ahead of inspections by the MCI.

Association president Dr K Senthil announced on Friday that government doctors will boycott the upcoming inspections in government colleges if the directorate of medical education forces associate professors to pose as professors for the day. More than 500 of the 1,020 professor posts in the 22 medical colleges are vacant, he said.

This serious shortage of faculty may lead to de-recognition of colleges during the MCI inspection in the ensuing months. “Every year, assistant and associate professors are posted as ‘professors’ in these colleges for a day. They appear before the inspection committee and return to their regular posts a day after inspection,” Dr Senthil said. In many medical colleges, students have no professors in several departments. “This fraudulence won’t happen again even it means that the state medical colleges have to lose recognition,” he said.

Director of medical education Dr A Edwin Joe admitted that the process for promotions was halted five years ago when the government found anomalies in several promotions.

“We have now prepared a revised list. It has sent to the health department for approval. We will fill the all posts by month-end,” he said.

In 2015, after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa announcement in the assembly promotion orders were issued orders for 157 doctors. No promotion orders were issued after that.

The association’s demand to speed up the promotion orders is pending with the government for the last five years. In 2017, when association told the government doctors would boycott inspections, the government promised to work on resignations. That did not happen, said association secretary Dr N Ravishankar. “The shortage is high in newer colleges of rural areas. We have adequate number of qualified doctors, but the state has not promoted them as professors. In most cases, doctors’ salary doesn’t even change much despite promotion. More than 200 associate professors who have worked for nearly 25 years retired without promotions,” he said.

1:22 MBBS & engg seat gap a concern: Kovind

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com

Vellore: 05.05.2018

There is an urgent need to bridge the gap in the number of healthcare professionals in the country and to reform medical education, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Friday.

Inaugurating the centenary celebrations of medical education programmes at Christian Medical College (CMC) here, he said there were 15 lakh undergraduate engineering seats in the country, but only 67,352 UG medical seats. “And about 20% of those seats have been added in the past four years. As a country and a system, we need to address this gap,” he said.

Stating that TN had exceptional health indicators and was a model for the rest of the country, the President said institutions like the CMC had contributed a lot to the state acquiring this reputation. “The principles that must guide public health are equity and efficiency, quality and quantity and access and affordability. Healthcare is a service. Yes, it is also a business, but there is no greater business than saving a life,” he said.


Award row: Prez office moves PMO

Upset by the controversy over 55 awardees keeping away from national film awards event, Rashtrapati Bhavan is believed to have conveyed its unhappiness to the PMO over the shortcomings of the I&B ministry, which was informed of the President’s reluctance to be part of lengthy award functions. P 15

Prez praises CMC for taking up research on rotavirus vaccine

Hailing Ida Sophia Scudder, the founder of CMC, the President said health indices were very poor and average life expectancy was just about 24-year when the country was under colonial rule. “One person died every minute of tuberculosis and one in four babies died in first year and epidemics and diseases were rampant and Independence was still a dream,” he said.

“It was in such an India that Ida Sophia Scudder devoted her life to healthcare and set up a medical school in 1918,” he said, adding that the institution she founded had a justifiable reputation for excellence.

The country’s first reconstructive surgery on leprosy patients was carried out in CMC and so was the first successful open heart surgery and the first kidney transplant, Kovind said. He also lavished praise on the institute for taking up research on the rotavirus vaccine, hepatitis, malnutrition, bio-engineering and stem cells that underlined its commitment to research that is relevant to the country’s health needs.

In his address, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien said institutions like the CMC deserved all the support and encouragement they could get from the government of the day.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit released a book, ‘Healing for the Nation,’ as part of the celebration.

Vellore collector S A Raman, director of CMC Dr Peter and principal of the institution Dr Anna B Pulimood were also present.

Later in the day, the President inaugurated the kidney transplant and cardiac unit in Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre and offered prayers at the Golden Temple. He planted saplings on the Golden Temple premises and took part in a yagam.

₹1k for aspirants going out of state for NEET

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 05.05.2018
Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced ₹1,000 each to medical aspirants who have to travel to centres outside the state to appear for the National-Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test (NEET). The student and a person accompanying him or her will also be paid travel allowance equivalent to second class train fare.

“In order to address the difficulties faced by a few students appearing for the competitive examination at centres in other states, I have ordered travel allowance equivalent to second class train fare to the student and a person accompanying him or her, and ₹1,000 cash for other expenses,” the CM said.

NEET director Sanyam Bharadwaj said 1,000 to 1,500 students may have to travel outside the state to write NEET.

Tamil Nadu students can call toll-free helpline number: 14417 for any assistance, the chief minister said.


33.8K candidates to take NEET at 49 centres in city on May 6

While 33,842 candidates will take the test at 49 centres in Chennai on Sunday, 1,07,480 candidates will take it at 170 centres across the state. According to CBSE sources, 82,272 candidates wrote the test from 149 centres across TN in 2017.

Factoring in a 10% increase, the CBSE had expected 90,000 students to apply for the test this year, but nearly 17,000 more had enrolled for the test.

This year, 25,206 more candidates were allotted centres in Tamil Nadu compared to last year, say CBSE sources adding that 31% more candidates got allotted to their preferred centres.

Students who are to take the test in centres outside the state can avail of an advance payment from district educational officers, through the heads of schools, or claim cash they spend by producing travel documents. Those who receive cash in advance have to produce the documents to the officers upon their return. All students have to submit photocopies of hall tickets for the test and school ID cards.

Earlier in the day, opposition parties slammed the government for “its inefficiency” and for “putting students under enormous” pressure. DMK working president M K Stalin said the government should at least arrange special buses for students writing the exams in Kerala. In the case of those forced to to go to Rajasthan, it should provide air fare and accommodation for both students and their parents, Stalin said in a Facebook post.

MNM leader Kamal Haasan described “forcing poor students to sit for NEET in Kerala and Rajasthan” as a “gross injustice” in the age of the internet. “They can be enabled to sit for NEET in Chennai,” he said.

AMMK deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran said his party had arranged for a few of its office bearers to act as coordinators in 10 different cities in Kerala, where students from Tamil Nadu will be appearing for NEET. Needy students can contact the coordinators by telephone if they require accommodation and AMMK members will guide the students to the exam centres.

'நிர்பயா' வழக்கு தீர்ப்பு ஒத்திவைப்பு

Added : மே 04, 2018 22:20

புதுடில்லி: 'நிர்பயா' வழக்கில், மரண தண்டனை பெற்ற நான்கு குற்றவாளிகளில், இரண்டு பேர், தீர்ப்பை மறுபரிசீலனை செய்யும்படி தாக்கல் செய்த மனு மீதான உத்தரவை, உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் ஒத்தி வைத்தது. டில்லியைச் சேர்ந்த மருத்துவ மாணவி நிர்பயா, 2012ல், ஆறு பேரால், பாலியல் பலாத்காரத்துக்கு ஆளாகி, படுகொலை செய்யப்பட்டார். இந்த வழக்கில், ஆறு பேரும் கைது செய்யப்பட்டனர். அதில், ராம் சிங் என்பவன், திஹார் சிறையில் தற்கொலை செய்தான். மற்றொரு குற்றவாளிக்கு, 18 வயது பூர்த்தி ஆகாததால், சிறுவர் சீர்திருத்த பள்ளியில், மூன்றாண்டுகள் அடைக்கப்பட்டு பின் விடுவிக்கப்பட்டான்.இந்நிலையில், முகேஷ், 29, பவன் குப்தா, 22, வினய் சர்மா, 23 மற்றும் அக் ஷய்குமார் சிங், 31, ஆகியோருக்கு, டில்லி உயர் நீதிமன்றம், மரண தண்டனை வழங்கி தீர்ப்பளித்தது.தீர்ப்பை மறு பரிசீலனை செய்யும்படி, வினய் சர்மா, பவன் குப்தா சார்பில், உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் மனு தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்டது. அதில், 'இவர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ள மரண தண்டனை, நீதியின் பெயரால் நிகழ்த்தப்படுகிற படுகொலை' என குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.இந்த மனு, தலைமை நீதிபதி தீபக் மிஸ்ரா, நீதிபதிகள் பானுமதி, அசோக் பூஷண் ஆகியோர் அடங்கிய அமர்வு முன், விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது.அப்போது, இரு தரப்பு வழக்கறிஞர்களும், தங்கள் தரப்பு வாதத்தை அடுத்த வாரம், எழுத்து மூலம் சமர்ப்பிக்கும்படி, நீதிபதிகள் உத்தரவிட்டனர்.அதுவரை, இந்த மனு மீதான உத்தரவை, ஒத்தி வைத்தனர்.

ரூ.2,000, 500க்கு தட்டுப்பாடு : ஏ.டி.எம்.,களில் பணம் இல்லை

Added : மே 05, 2018 00:22 | 
 
சிவகங்கை: சிவகங்கை மாவட்ட பாரத ஸ்டேட் வங்கி கிளைகளில் 2,000, 500 ரூபாய் நோட்டுகளுக்கு தட்டுப்பாடு நிலவுகிறது. மேலும் பலவங்கிகளின்ஏ.டி.எம்.,களில் பணமும் இல்லை.பாரத ஸ்டேட் வங்கிக்கு மாவட்டத்தில் 31 கிளைகள்,65 ஏ.டி.எம்., மையங்கள் உள்ளன. ஒரு வாரமாக 2,000, 500 ரூபாய் நோட்டுகளுக்கு தட்டுப்பாடு நிலவுகிறது. பணம் எடுப்போருக்கு 10, 20, 50, 100ரூபாய் நோட்டுகளே வழங்கப்படுகின்றன.மேலும்பல ஏ.டி.எம்., களில் பணம் வைக்கப்படவில்லை. இதனால் வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் தவிக்கின்றனர்.அரசு ஊழியர்,ஆசிரியர்கள் கூறுகையில், 'பாரதஸ்டேட் வங்கி மட்டுமின்றி மற்ற வங்கி ஏ.டி.எம்.,களிலும் நான்கு தினங்களாக பணம் இல்லை. இதனால்சம்பளம் எடுக்க முடியவில்லை'என்றனர்.
வங்கி அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறுகையில், 'மைசூரூவில் இருந்துபாரதஸ்டேட் வங்கிக்கு பணம் வருகிறது. பிப்ரவரியில் இருந்தே 2,000, 500 ரூபாய் நோட்டுகள் குறைவாக அனுப்பப்படுகின்றன'என்றார்.