AS PER HC ORDER

Dental course counselling for self-financing colleges today

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.09.2018

Additional director of medical education has announced that as per the direction of the Madras high court, candidates who have not yet applied to bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) 2018-19

session can come with necessary documents at the selection committee office of the Directorate of Medical Education, Kilpauk on September 28 at 11am.

Eligibility will be undergraduate National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test 2018 score not less than 119 for general category and not less than 96 for SC/ST/OBC.

VIT CONVOCATION 29.9.2018

HC dismisses plea against transfer order

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 00:00 IST

‘There is no mala fide intention’

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of a government servant and vacated the interim stay granted against her transfer after it found there was no mala fide intention behind the transfer.

Justice S. Vaidyanathan observed that there was no mala fide intention behind the transfer of the petitioner and it was made on the request of the petitioner herself.

The court was hearing the case of S. Umarani, who had filed the petition after she was transferred to Tiruchi from Karur on administrative grounds.

The Selection Grade Executive Officer in 2017 claimed that she was being transferred to various places without reason.

She said she was transferred from Karur to Tiruchi after only one year and added that the transfer was in violation of the government’s transfer policy and arbitrary in nature.

The State, in its response, said the transfer was purely on administrative grounds and as transfer was an integral part of the service, she could not refuse to accept it.

The court dismissed the plea while observing that as there was no hidden agenda behind the transfer, the order need not be interfered upon.

Aadhaar Swings The Other Way

Supreme Court should not have struck down its use as verification tool by private sector

Saubhik.Chakrabarti@timesgroup.com  27.09.2018

That the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar is good. That it has greenlighted the use of Aadhaar for welfare payments disbursal is good. That it has maintained the PAN-Aadhaar-income tax filing link is good.

But that the judgment may prevent private entities from using Aadhaar as a verification tool, thanks to the court’s reading down of Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, is terrible. And the government must undo what the court has done in this regard.

There are two parts to this argument. First, disallowing Aadhaar as a verification tool in the private sector disempowers millions of aam aadmi as well as some economic migrants from better off classes. By implication, this court verdict is a blow against economic efficiency.

Second, the privacy argument didn’t need prohibition of Aadhaar as a verification tool for the private sector. It needed better data safeguarding measures.

Let’s explain both.

India has always been a difficult country for Indians. The state always demanded layers of verification for even simple requirements citizens had. And rules were always ignorant of evolving economic realities. Address verification in particular assumed that everyone for generations stayed in one residence, where ration cards were issued for everyone, and there was, if you were lucky, a government telephone connection.

That reality had long disappeared as Indian society and economy changed, as economic opportunities expanded. But the address proof requirement continued and imposed huge compliance burden on millions of Indians.

The poor are typically also document poor, and the system was stacked against them. And among better off Indians who moved cities in search of better jobs and shifted rented accommodation to maximise their utility in the rental market, address proof was also a burdensome requirement.

All that changed when Aadhaar was championed by the Modi government as the one-stop identity/address proof for anyone who had got that unique number. So, a poor migrant working in Delhi or Mumbai could get a local SIM card by presenting his Aadhaar card and getting his thumbprint verified. He or she could open a bank account in new, nimble private banks like Kotak and Janalakshmi. Landlords, usually hostile to poor migrants, and employers, suspicious of them, had the assurance that a migrant with an Aadhaar-verified local SIM or a local bank account was who he or she claimed to be.

With the Supreme Court striking down the use of Aadhaar as a verification tool by the private sector, this extraordinary, socially progressive, economically efficient option is now gone. And that’s bad news not just for the poor migrant but also for the middle class young Indian who moves cities and residences to search for better white collar jobs.

Plus, public sector banks were opening bank accounts for poor Indians by asking for the Aadhaar card and using thumbprint verification as a second step check. If even public sector banks stop using thumbprint verification, it’s another blow against the poor because banks were comforted by the second step check, especially when dealing with the migrant poor.

The court’s verdict also increases the cost of customer acquisition for many private sector service companies. Telecom companies could issue a SIM via a thumbprint check with the Aadhaar database. Now, they have to physically verify the address, like before, or they will demand supplementary documents. Same for private banks. The extra cost, when added up, can be huge and therefore seriously economically inefficient. Plus, the court’s verdict also puts a huge questionmark on RBI’s KYC norms centred around Aadhaar. And if that creates a whole lot more complications, the extent of economic inefficiency will increase.

Indeed, as some experts are fearing, because the Supreme Court has come down hard on private sector using Aadhaar as a verification tool, the needle may swing back all the way and Aadhaar may not even be accepted by some private entities as an identity proof. If that happens, all outcomes will be even worse.

So, what should the court have done? This brings us to the second part of our argument. Concerns that private entities may hoard biometric data used for verification are valid. But that concern could have been addressed by asking for strict protocols on the use of Aadhaar in the private sector. For example, thumbprint readers could have been issued only by UIDAI, with proper safeguards built in. Also, UIDAI could have been asked by the court to frame additional safeguard protocols for use of Aadhaar by the private sector.

Verification by itself is not violation – that is what the court verdict seems to have missed. Think about it this way – now even if you want to, you cannot use Aadhaar as a tool for verifying who you are for any private sector service.

The court should have kept Aadhaar verification in the private sector as a voluntary option, after asking for additional data safeguards. A faulty argument based on privacy has killed a huge individual and economic convenience.

Therefore, the Modi government must restore Aadhaar’s convenience attribute. It can amend relevant sectoral laws in, say, telecom and banking, allowing voluntary use of Aadhaar as a verification tool in the private sector. It can tailor the national data protection law to take care of this. Or it can think of filing a curative petition in the Supreme Court.

Something, though, must be done. Aadhaar was a great empowering tool for aam aadmi in India’s growing private sector economy. Now, it’s anti-aam aadmi.



If even public sector banks stop using thumbprint verification, it’s another blow against the poor because banks were comforted by the second step check

BY INVITATION

SC ruling makes Aadhaar stronger. It’s a win for India

Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey27.09.2018

In the history of independent India, rarely has any single initiative of a government generated as much heated debate as Aadhaar. Critics alleged Aadhaar was unconstitutional as, according to them, it infringed on individual liberty, privacy, personal autonomy, freedom of choice, etc. While a section of critics perceived Aadhaar as a tool of denial and exclusion, some of them raised questions on the efficacy of Aadhaar technology.

While the debate engulfed practically every section of the society, it also brought a number of issues like privacy, data protection and digital security on the national agenda. The debate reminded us, on one hand, of the Luddite movement in Europe in the 19th century when mechanisation was opposed due to fears of job loss. On the other, it set the pace of New India, which is eager to transform into a data-rich digital society.

After six years of protracted litigation and 38 days of marathon hearing, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a historic judgment in which it has held Aadhaar to be constitutional, albeit with some safeguards.

The Supreme Court has held that the architecture of Aadhaar does not create a surveillance state. It has further gone on to say that the Aadhaar Act meets the concept of limited government, good governance and constitutional trust. This is a victory of Indians, particularly the marginalised and underprivileged section of society.

The judgment will help Aadhaar, which has emerged as the world’s first and largest public-owned biometric technology platform, to empower 132 crore people with biometric-based unique identity. It will also provide nationwide infrastructure to establish their identity online from anywhere and at any time, and enable them to receive their entitlements and exercise their rights. It is a matter of pride for every Indian that we have been able to create such a mammoth and sophisticated identity platform inhouse, on our own strength.

Aadhaar will make it possible for the government to design special welfare programmes. For example, use of Aadhaar in Ayushman Bharat ensures benefits are not siphoned away by non-deserving beneficiaries and the insurance premium and expenses stay within affordable limits.

The safeguards and restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court on Aadhaar usage by private entities without backing of a law are welcome and will go a long way in strengthening Aadhaar. A responsibility has also been cast on agencies involved in implementation of programmes to ensure no deserving beneficiary — whether senior citizens, people engaged in manual labour or belonging to underprivileged sections — is denied of any benefit or service for lack of Aadhaar or due to technical glitches.

The verdict on Aadhaar is a win for India and puts the country on the path of digital leadership of the world.

The writer is CEO, UIDAI

IIT Indore second highest ranked Indian university on its debut
Institute Secures 40th Position In Times Univ Rankings; Focus On Research Cited As Reason

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:27.09.2018

New institutions have edged past the traditional IITs in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2019 on Wednesday.

The country is led again by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, which retains its position in the 251-300 band.

But in an impressive debut entry, the nine-year-old Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT Indore) became India’s second highest-ranked university – and a global top 400 institution – with its scores buoyed by research volume and research impact. IIT-Indore overtook IIT-Bombay, which slipped from the 351-400 to 401-500 banding.

Another surprise this year has been Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University, Mysore, which is among the top five Indian institutes and is ranked among the top 500 global universities.

Globally, Oxford University claimed first position for the third consecutive year, also topping the list for its the research pillar (volume, income and reputation). Cambridge retained the second spot, while Stanford in the US holds steady in third.

India again increased its presence, claiming 49 places this year, up from 42 – the fifth best-represented nation in the world, but a majority of institutions either stagnated or declined in the 2019 table.

In a statement issued to THE, Pradeep Mathur, director of IIT Indore, said: “Our efforts in making research the focus of the institute is now reflected in the form of citation and other impact metrics of research. We continue to make research the focus of all our programmes which is why you see even our undergraduate students are active participants of research projects and collaborations within India and internationally too.”

Among the previously ranked Indian institutions, Amrita University saw an impressive rise in the 2019 table-—from the 801-1,000 band to 601-800 this year—with particular improvement in its citation impact (research influence) score.

Phil Baty, editorial director of Global Rankings for THE, said: “India is bursting with innovation and ambition. The nation has serious potential to grow into a leading player in global higher education. But while it increases its presence again in this year’s table, the majority of its universities remained immobile or declined, struggling against increased global competition - particularly from east Asia. Sustained investment, a continued drive to attract leading global talent, and a strengthened international outlook will be key to boosting its global reputation and research influence. Its current higher education reforms could be key to helping institutions progress.”

The United States remains the most-represented nation in the table, with 172 institutions, up from 157. Though the majority of its universities – 130 of them – declined or remain static. However, marked improvement comes from China, with Tsinghua University now its new number one, supplanting the National University of Singapore as Asia’s top institution. Up eight places at number 22, Tsinghua surpassed Peking University (down four places to 31) to claim China’s highest position in the table since 2011.

China is fourth most-represented globally in the table, with 72 universities (up from 63 in 2018), and retained seven in the elite top 200.

Number of women pilots doubles to 1,000 in 4 years

INDIA HAS 15% OF WORLD’S WOMEN AIRLINE PILOTS

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:27.09.2018

“Watch out Mr Trump, all our ladies are headed your way!” This message had gone viral on Air India pilots’ WhatsApp groups a few months back when the airline celebrated Women’s day by having allfemale crew on its nonstops to and from US. Twenty women pilots were deployed for the four routes to US that day — Delhi to New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Mumbai-Newark — apart from a SFO-Delhi direct. With 280 women pilots, representing 12.8% of its entire pilot workforce, the Maharaja did not have any difficulty in rostering them for flights to and from the US in one day.

The AI Group mirrors the growing number of women pilots in India which today stands at 12.4% with 1,092 of the total 8,797 pilots in schedule domestic airlines being ladies. India has, in fact, seen the number of women pilots almost double in last four years. In 2014, 586 of the 5,050 pilots (11.6%) in domestic schedule airlines were women. All ‘old’ airlines here have seen almost doubling of women pilots in this period.

In percentage terms, India has among the highest ratio of female pilots working for schedule airlines globally. In big aviation markets like US and Australia, the percentage of women pilots to the total workforce is about 5%. Estimates from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots published show there are 7,409 women pilots across the world accounting for 5.2% of total pilot workforce, said an airline official. According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India has seen the maximum growth in number of women commercial pilots in recent times.

A woman pilot of an Indian carrier said on condition of anonymity: “We are breaking the myth of being bad drivers on roads in the sky. Very often passengers applaud either in flight or later on social media when they realize their flight was operated by women pilots. While Indian flyers know there are more women in flight decks than earlier, foreigners at times seem to be very surprised as they have a very old opinion of women in India.”

Full report on www.toi.in