High Court directive to RGUHS on evaluation

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BENGALURU, JANUARY 04, 2019 00:00 IST

Send answer papers for next level of evaluation if thereis 15% difference in marks in first level, varsity told

The High Court of Karnataka has directed the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to send the answer papers of the undergraduate medical and dental courses students, who have approached the court, for third evaluation if the percentage difference of the marks awarded inthe two evaluations is equal or more than 15% as per the university’s Ordinance Governing Multiple Valuations–2012.

Similarly, the court also directed the RGUHS to send the answer papers for the fifth evaluation if the difference in award of marks in the four evaluations is equal or more than 15% as per the 2012 Ordinance.

While narrating the manner in which the difference of marks awarded has to be calculated as per the 2012 Ordinance both for PG and UG medical and dental courses, the court made it clear that answer papers of only the petitioner-students will have to be sent for either third and fifth evaluation.

Justice Krishna S. Dixit passed the order while partly allowing the petitions filed by Menaka Mohan and others. The petitioners had failed in the exams conducted for PG medical and dental courses during May–June 2018 and UG medical and dental courses during June–July 2018.

The RGUHS had rejected the petitioner-students’ plea for third and fifth evaluation while claiming that their plea cannot be acceded to as the difference of marks is “less than 15% of the maximum marks prescribed for the papers concerned in the respective examinations” as per the Ordinance of 2017.

RGUHS’s contention

Rejecting the RGUHS’s contention that difference of marks is linked the maximum marks prescribed for the paper concerned in terms of the 2017 Ordinance, the court said “there is absolutely no material to prima facie show that these ordinances were ever published to the section of the people concerned i.e., the community of the students, if not to others as well.”

Comparing the ordinances of the RGUHS, the court said that the language of the 2012 Ordinance is different to that of the ordinances of 1999 and 2010 and pointed out that the expression “15% or more of the maximum marks prescribed for the paper” existed in the 1999 and 2010 ordinances is conspicuously left out in the 2012 Ordinance.

“The expressions — ‘the difference in award of marks between two valuations is 15%’, and ‘the difference in award of marks between four valuations is 15%’ are consciously employed in this Ordinance 2012. Therefore, the percentage difference is not as against the maximum marks prescribed for the paper unlike in 1999 and 2010 ordinances, but it is only the percentage difference of the two evaluations/four evaluations, as the case may be, inter se,” the court held.

Declining the petitioner-students’ plea against Digital Valuation System and to direct the RGUSH to provide model key answers to all question papers, the court asked the university to look into individual grievances about discrepancies in the DVS.

Challenging road ahead for new Vice-Chancellor

Pon Vasanth B.A

MADURAI, JANUARY 04, 2019 00:00 IST

Has quite a task to launch university back on growth track

After issues-ridden tenures of the last two Vice-Chancellors of Madurai Kamaraj University, which resulted in academic activities taking a hit, M. Krishnan has taken charge as the 17th VC of the university coinciding with the commencement of a new year.

While expectations are high, interactions with a cross-section of staff members from the university highlighted that the new VC will have an uphill task in launching the university back on a growth trajectory.

Of the number of issues that will require special focus of the VC, some of the key areas will be the dwindling number of students enrolling for many courses and the flailing research output. Addressing the media after assuming office, the VC himself acknowledged the issue. “There was a time when it was easy to get funds from government agencies if you just said you were from MKU. That has changed now,” he said.

The university was rated relatively low by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a score of 3.08, which is less than the mandatory 3.25 required for offering distance education courses.

A senior faculty member stressed the need for reviewing the functioning of the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE). “The centres outside the State were closed as per regulations. There are roughly 260 centres functioning in Tamil Nadu, which are run on a revenue-sharing model. This number can be rationalised and revenue model changed so that MKU gets more income instead of private players while at the same time improving transparency,” he said. The university recently received a grant of Rs. 50 crore under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), but concerns have been raised over transparency and effectiveness in its utilisation. For instance, faculty members pointed out that while a senior faculty member was usually appointed as RUSA coordinator, a junior person was appointed by the last VC.

Irregularities

The VC will also have to act on a number of complaints of irregularities, which include appointments made during the tenure of last VC, issues in the functioning of evening colleges and constituent colleges, and allegations of corruption at different levels.

A humongous task of rectifying the audit objections kept pending for several years that run into a few hundred crores also awaits the new VC.

Challenging road ahead for new Vice-Chancellor
Pon Vasanth B.A
MADURAI, JANUARY 04, 2019 00:00 IST
UPDATED: JANUARY 04, 2019 04:11 IST
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Has quite a task to launch university back on growth track


After issues-ridden tenures of the last two Vice-Chancellors of Madurai Kamaraj University, which resulted in academic activities taking a hit, M. Krishnan has taken charge as the 17th VC of the university coinciding with the commencement of a new year.

While expectations are high, interactions with a cross-section of staff members from the university highlighted that the new VC will have an uphill task in launching the university back on a growth trajectory.

Of the number of issues that will require special focus of the VC, some of the key areas will be the dwindling number of students enrolling for many courses and the flailing research output. Addressing the media after assuming office, the VC himself acknowledged the issue. “There was a time when it was easy to get funds from government agencies if you just said you were from MKU. That has changed now,” he said.

The university was rated relatively low by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a score of 3.08, which is less than the mandatory 3.25 required for offering distance education courses.

A senior faculty member stressed the need for reviewing the functioning of the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE). “The centres outside the State were closed as per regulations. There are roughly 260 centres functioning in Tamil Nadu, which are run on a revenue-sharing model. This number can be rationalised and revenue model changed so that MKU gets more income instead of private players while at the same time improving transparency,” he said. The university recently received a grant of Rs. 50 crore under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), but concerns have been raised over transparency and effectiveness in its utilisation. For instance, faculty members pointed out that while a senior faculty member was usually appointed as RUSA coordinator, a junior person was appointed by the last VC.

Irregularities

The VC will also have to act on a number of complaints of irregularities, which include appointments made during the tenure of last VC, issues in the functioning of evening colleges and constituent colleges, and allegations of corruption at different levels.

A humongous task of rectifying the audit objections kept pending for several years that run into a few hundred crores also awaits the new VC.

‘Varsities in States must do research’

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

JALANDHAR, JANUARY 04, 2019 00:00 IST

PM Modi at the 106th session of the Indian Science Congress in Jalandhar.PTIPTI

‘95% of our students go there’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that it was time for research to expand beyond the Central institutes of national importance — such as the IITs and the IISERs — and branch out into the numerous State universities.

Observing that “95% of our students go to State universities and colleges,” he said: “We must have a strong research ecosystem in these places.”

Mr. Modi, who was addressing an audience of students, researchers and Nobel laureates at the 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress here, called on the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to formulate a plan to implement such a scheme.

The Prime Minister, whose arrival was delayed by two hours owing to fog, urged scientists to work on ways to boost productivity for small farmers, most of whom had inadequate-sized landholdings. “The majority of farmers possess less than 2 hectares of land, we need more technology to improve their productivity,” he added.

The Prime Minister said 2018 had been a “good year” for science in India. “We are among the top 5 countries in terms of research publications, according to SCOPUS [an international database of research papers],” he said.

“Building on Lal Bahadur Shastri’s motto of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ the late PM A.B. Vajpayee added ‘Jai Vigyan.’ Today, we can add ‘Jai Anusandhan’ [research],” Mr. Modi remarked.

India must also focus on innovation and start-ups, the Prime Minister said. Noting that the government had introduced the Atal Innovation Mission to promote innovation among the country’s scientists, he asserted that more technology business incubators had been established in the last four years than in the preceding 40 years.

The PM also urged the scientists to work towards improving the ‘ease of living’ for the common public.

Differently abled should get insurance benefit during lifetime of guardians: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 04.01.2019

The Supreme Court on Thursday said any insurance policy taken by parents or guardians for a differently abled child should be allowed to mature after the proposer attains the age of 55 years against the present practice of giving a lump sum payment to the disabled dependent only in the event of death of the guardian.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri, Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer said there could be “harsh cases” where disabled dependents may need payment on annuity or lump sum even during the lifetime of their parents/guardians and asked the Centre to examine the issue.

The court also asked the legislature to consider amendments in Section 80DD of the Income Tax Act where exemption is given only to those investments made by a guardian for insurance policy, which provides payment to disabled persons only after the death of the proposer. The court said the judiciary cannot taken upon itself the task to amend the law and it is for Parliament to examine it.

“For example, where guardian has become very old but is still alive, though he is not able to earn any longer or he may be a person who was in service and has retired from the said service and is not having any source of income. In such cases, it may be difficult for such a parent/guardian to take care of the medical needs of his/her disabled child. Even when he/she has paid full premium, the handicapped person is not able to receive any annuity only because the parent/guardian of such handicapped person is still alive. There may be many other such situations. However, it is for the legislature to take care of these aspects and to provide suitable provision by making necessary amendments in Section 80DD of the Act,” the court said.

The court passed the order on a plea filed by differently abled petitioner, Ravi Agrawal, who sought its direction to the Centre and Life Insurance Corporation to allow the beneficiary of insurance policy to withdraw amount during the lifetime of parents who had taken Jeevan Aadhar policy from LIC for the livelihood of their children.

Even the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities also came in support of the petitioner and had said that like other policy-holders, Jeevan Aadhar policy should also be allowed to mature after 55 years of age of the proposer and the annuity amount should be disbursed.

Chaining mentally-ill patients against human dignity, says Supreme Court

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over the practice followed in some mental asylums to keep patients chained and said it must stop as it is against human dignity.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer said that people suffering from mental illness are also human beings and keeping them handcuffed or chained is violation of their human rights. It said patients could be kept in isolation in case they are violent and the remedy is not in keeping them chained.

The court took cognizance of a mental asylum in Badayun district in Uttar Pradesh where patients are kept shackled and agreed to hear a PIL filed by lawyer Gaurav Bansal on the issue. The court said the issue is of serious concern and the patients need to be unchained forthwith. It issued notice to Centre and UP government seeking their response.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta assured the court that he will look into the issue and take instruction and brief the court on Monday.

“How can it be done? The issue is of serious concern. People suffering from mental illness are also human beings and their dignity cannot be compromised. It is atrocious and something has to be done immediately ,” the bench said.

The petitioner alleged that keeping person with mental illness in chains amounts to cruelty and inhuman treatment received by the poor. He said it is against the provision of Mental Healthcare Act 2017 which says that every person with mental illness shall be treated as equal to persons with physical illness in all healthcare. -Amit Anand Choudhary TNN

COMMITTEES FOR 4 VARSITIES FORMED

Retd judge to head VC search panel of TN Open University

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.01.2019

The state government has announced the formation of search panels to shortlist candidates for the posts of vice-chancellor to TN Open University and TN Teachers Education University in Chennai, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli and Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore.

Justice (retd) K Kannan, chairman of Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT), principal bench New Delhi, and a retiree of the Punjab and Haryana high court, was named the convenor of the TNOU VC search committee. The other members are K Skandan IAS (retd), former additional chief secretary and former director of Anna Institute of Management and Srikanth Mohapatra, vicechancellor of Odisha state open university.

For Thiruvallur University, S C Sharma, director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in Bengaluru, was appointed the convenor of the search committee. He is joined on the panel by Vishwanath Shegaonkar IAS (retd), former principal secretary to the government, labour and employment department and Sudhindra Nath Panda, director of National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chennai.

For MSU, S P Elangovan IAS (retd), former chairman and managing director of TN Transport development finance corporation, was named the convenor of the search committee. Padmashri M Anandakrishnan, former vice-chancellor of Anna University and Ved Prakash, former chairman of University Grants Commission, will join Elangovan on the search panel. The governor-chancellor does not have a nominee only on MSU’s panel. As per the official gazette notification dated December 19, 2018, the convenor is the government’s nominee.

For TN Teachers Teachers Education University, M Jagadesh Kumar, vicechancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, was appointed the convenor of the search committee and will be joined on the panel by Ramesh Kumar Khanna IAS (retd), former additional chief secretary and former vice-chairman and CEO, TN Maritime Board and T Balakrishnan, former vicechancellor Periyar University, Salem.

Modi to lay foundation for AIIMS on January 27

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.01.2019

Prime minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the construction of AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) in Madurai on January 27, Tamil Nadu health minster C Vijayabaskar said on Thursday.

Union health minister J P Nadda would participate in the event, he said. In December, the Union cabinet gave approval for establishing AIIMS at a cost of ₹1,264 crore in Thoppur near Madurai under the Prathan Manthri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. The hospital is expected to start functioning in two years.

The announcement for a 200-acre AIIMS facility in Tamil Nadu at ₹2000 crore was made in the Union budget 2015-16. and the Centre picked Thoppur in Madurai for the facility. The 750-bed hospital will have up to 20 super specialty departments. Besides, it will have 100 MBBS and 60 BSc nursing seats. Modi is also expected to inaugurate multispecialty hospitals in Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli built at a cost of ₹175 crore each using funds from the Centre.