HRD ministry issues clarification on NEET centre controversy in Tamil Nadu

The Union government, clarifyies that some students had to face inconvenience due to “remarkable rise” in number of candidates this year.

Published: 05th May 2018 07:29 PM  



Image used for representational purpose only. 

  By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Union government, on Saturday, issued a clarification over controversy of NEET aspirants from Tamil Nadu being allocated examination centres outside the state, saying that some students had to face inconvenience due to “remarkable rise” in number of candidates this year.

“Tamil Nadu has registered a 31 per cent increase in candidates for NEET 2018 over that of 2017. The CBSE, which conducts the test, has therefore increased exam centres from 149 in 2017, to 170 this year in light of this surge,” said a Union Human Resources Development ministry statement.

It added that 1,07,288 candidates of the state were allocated to 170 centers within Tamil Nadu which meant that an additional 25206 candidates were accommodated in the state itself, as compared to 2017.

“Despite best efforts to accommodate the increased numbers of NEET aspirants this year, exam centres fell short for few candidates not only in Tamil Nadu, but in other states too,” the statement said.

“Therefore, 3,685 Tamil Nadu aspirants from Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelvelli were allocated centres in nearest centers of Ernakulum, which are closer than centers in Chennai. Similarly several aspirants from other states also allocated nearest centers in neighbouring states, as was done in previous years”.

No NEET 2018 aspirants from Tamil Nadu are allocated centers in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Sikkim etc, unless themselves asked for these centres, the ministry said.

All 24, 720 NEET 2018 aspirants from the state who have opted for Tamil as medium have been allocated centers within the state, it further added.

A NEET ordeal for more than 1,500 students

They have to write exam outside State and will not get papers in Tamil; they will have to make do with English

Published: 06th May 2018 03:01 AM |

 

Students taking NEET in exam centres located outside Tamil Nadu getting ready to board a bus in Pudukkottai on Saturday | S Muthu Kannan

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Faijul Hidhayath, a medical aspirant writing NEET at Ernakulam, left her village near Tirunelveli on Saturday morning. After a seven hour car journey, she was on her last leg of revisions in a hotel room.The State government on Saturday announced that free transport, via bus or train, will be sponsored by the government for the candidate and his or her accompanying parent. “We didn’t take the bus that government organised. Neither did we get the subsidy. We only had time to pack up and leave. Revising and staying concentrated was more important on the last day before exams,” she said.

Over 13 lakh students are writing NEET on Sunday morning and only a handful will qualify to make it to the available seats. At least 1.1 lakh students from Tamil Nadu are writing the exam this year. As a result of the Supreme Court’s last minute stay on Madras High Court’s directive to set-up extra NEET exam centres, over 1,500 students from the State are travelling outside.

However, students writing their papers in other states will not get a Tamil question paper. Priyanka Mani*, a government school student from a village near Thoothukudi, told Express that she and her friends are not comfortable with English when compared with CBSE and private school kids. “I’m sure this will make the exam a lot tougher for me. I should be able to manage. I don’t have a choice,” she said.

A CBSE official clarified that the students will have to make-do with English. NEET examination papers will be available in English and regional languages, but regional papers will be available only in the respective States.While Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan and DMK working president MK Stalin demanded government intervention and action, many in the State criticised the State government.
“Tamil Nadu is one of the biggest States with maximum medical colleges and why should our students go to other States to write their exams?” criticised PMK leader and MP Anbumani Ramadoss.

“No senior lawyer was sent by the Tamil Nadu government when NEET centre issue was argued in the apex court yesterday,” tweeted DMK MP Kanimozhi. Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday, ordered all police and district heads to make arrangements for students coming from faraway places to Kerala for NEET exams.

*Name changed

Today’s schedule:

7.30 am: Reporting time at NEET centres for examinees today
7.30 am to 9.45 am: Admit card checking
9.30 am: Deadline for exam hall entry

3 hours: Duration of exam (10 am to 1 pm)

180 Objective type questions

June 5 NEET result declaration

dress CODE: Light coloured clothes will be the right choice

Female students can dress in half sleeves with salwar or trousers, while male candidates can wear only half-sleeved shirts or T-shirts

Clothes with big buttons are a big no-no

Candidates in customary head gear (like turban for Sikh students), burqa or veil should report an hour earlier at exam centre

Elaborate embroidery, zips, flowers, jewellery such as earrings, rings, pendants, nose rings, necklace or any kind of metallic items not permitted

TNSTC told to pay terminal benefits 

Staff Reporter 
 
May 06, 2018 00:00 IST

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, hearing the plea of retired Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation employees, has directed the TNSTC (Kumbakonam region) authorities to pay their retirement benefits.

Justice R. Suresh Kumar directed the TNSTC not to withhold salary or retirement benefits of its employees. If withheld, those benefits should be paid at 6% interest from the date of due till the date of payment. The payments shall be made in 12 equal monthly instalments, the court said.

A batch of petitions were filed by retired employees seeking retirement benefits.

They claimed that TNSTC was withholding their terminal leave salary which was arbitrary in nature.

The Madras High Court had earlier directed the TNSTC to settle retirement benefit dues to its employees.

Tiruvarur gearing up for car festival 

Special Correspondent 
 
Tiruvarur, May 06, 2018 00:00 IST



Food Minister R.Kamaraj inspecting arrangements being made for the Sri Thyagarajaswamy Temple car festival at Tiruvarur, on Saturday.SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Tiruvarur is gearing up for the car festival of Sri Thyagarajaswamy Temple on May 27.

While the district administration is getting ready to ensure smooth conduct of the festival and make adequate arrangements to handle the influx of devotees, Food Minister R. Kamaraj inspected the preparatory works for the event on Saturday.

Accompanied by L. Nirmal Raj, Collector, Mr. Kamaraj inspected the work on the preparation of the majestic, ‘Azhi Ther, ’ which stands 96 feet in height and weighs 350 tonnes.

In all, five cars including the Azhi Ther and those of Vinayagar, Subramaniar, Ambal and Chandikeswarar, would be pulled on the day.

Student held for land grab attempt 

Staff Reporter 
 
CHENNAI, May 06, 2018 00:00 IST

A college student was taken into custody by the police for attempting to usurp a piece of land belonging to a retired government official.

A retired RBI employee, Balasubbu, 66, who went to inspect his land in Santoshapuram near Vengaivasal, was shocked to see workers trying to build a compound wall around his plot. When he questioned the supervisory staff, one Senthilkumar replied that he was doing the job for one Mohanraj. Mr. Balasubbu grew suspicious and urged Senthilkumar to summon Mohanraj to immediately. With no response from the claimant owners, Mr. Balasubbu approached the Selaiyur police, which apprehended Senthilkumar.

Andhra Pradesh student

According to the police, Senthilkumar claimed to be studying law in Andhra Pradesh and four more persons were involved in the land grab bid. The police have launched a hunt for them.

SPEEDY DISPOSAL

Bombay HC judge sits till 3.30am to clear backlog
Hears 122 Cases Before Going On Summer Break

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: 06.05.2018
After sitting till midnight recently to hear matters, Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla of the Bombay high court topped his own record on the HC’s last working day before summer vacation by rising only at 3.30am. The rush of mattersfor interim relief isusually high before the break, and his board had 134. He capped it at 122for theday anddidn’t risetill hehadheardthem all.

When JusticeKathawalla finally called it a day, it was the wee hours, when the only other place buzzing with similar energy in Mumbai is T2 of the international airport. He sat for

over 10 hours beyond the regular court closing time of 5pm, making it three court days in oneto prevent a backlog pile-up. The judicial hours in HC are from 11am to 5pm, with a onehour lunch break at 2pm. TOI hadon April27 reportedhowhe had been sitting till midnight for somedaystoclear backlog.

At6pm on Friday,Kathawalla’scourtroom atoneendon the firstfloor wasteeming withlitigants andlawyers asusual.The scenewasthesame at midnight too. The judge hadn’t taken a dinner break. After the postmidnight record, on Saturday, the judge was back in court at 10am, all set to hear 14 matters listedon board.

Litigants, like film and theatre actor Arif Zakaria who hadcome at3pm on Fridayfor a matter where he and other members of RNA Exotica Flat Purchasers Association are battling a builder against delay in possession of flats in a 32-storeyed tower at Goregaon (W), left after the matter was called out eventually at 1.15am. He went looking for eats at 10pm,but many lawyerstooforsook dinner plans. “At 3pm, serial number 945 was on, at 11.15pm it was around 972. Ours was 1001 on board,” said Zakaria. The board listing starts at 901.“Itwasincredible, a unique dispensation of justice. He is a midnight crusader,” said Zakaria.

Not all lawyers support such late working hours, however. Bombay Bar Association presidentMilind Sathe andseveral other members had earlier met Justice Kathawalla and requested him not to sit beyond 5pm and on holidays, without consent of both parties in advance. The court administration had then issued a notice that matters after 5pm would heardby consentin hiscourt.

Some said that the nearly 25 judges’ vacancies needed to be filled to aid in tackling backlog. Former Maharashtra advocate General S G Aney told TOI, “This incident will go down as part of fascinating HC lore. There is no doubt about his remarkable dedication and ability.Theunderlying tragedy,however, is of the persistent refusal of the legal fraternity to work all year round. We still like to follow dated traditions of shutting courtsfor three vacations.”

Former HC judge Justice V M Kanade said “with rise in pendency, there is a need for more speedy disposal, but the disposal has to be done within court hours. Though admirable,sitting lateis not a sustainablesolution in thelong termfor an institution.”

Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla

Illegal to withhold medico’s result citing case: Court

Saravanan.l1@timesgroup.com

Madurai: 06.05.2018

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has directed Sri Balaji Medical College and Hospital to publish the result of a final year student, which was withheld after police registered a case against him.

Justice M S Ramesh gave this direction to the college on a petition filed by Monish Rajer. The petitioner wanted a direction to the college to publish his exam results for MBBS final year Part-II degree examination, February 2018 and consequently direct the college to permit him to continue his further course of studies, namely compulsory rotary residential internship (CRRI).

The petitioner was allegedly involved in a road accident, thereby a criminal case was registered against him by a traffic intelligence wing, Tirunelveli city. Seeking to quash the case, the student filed a case before the high court bench which granted a stay over the investigation. The case is pending now. In view of the case, the college first refused to issue him hall ticket. When he came to the court, it ordered the college to issue hall ticket. Later, it withheld the results.

After hearing it, the judge said, “It is rather unfortunate that the college had for the second time quoted the pendency of the criminal proceedings as a bar to withhold the hall ticket and the results. In the absence of any legal provision, withholding of results is not only improper but also illegal.” The judge also said no stretch of imagination would empower the college to quote the proceedings and create inconvenience to by withholding his results or any other academic benefits.