Sex scandal case: Suspended MKU faculty, former researcher released

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:21.02.2019

Suspended assistant professor from Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) V Murugan and former research scholar from the university S Karuppusamy, who were arrested in connection with a sex scandal case, were released from the Madurai Central Prison on Wednesday after bail was granted by the Supreme Court last week.

After his release, Murugan said that it was a false case foisted against him and he will fight it out legally.

Their family members and relatives turned up at the prison , where they were lodged for the past 10 months. The case was registered in April 2018 by the Aruppukkottai town police station under various sections including attempt to traffic girls after an audio tape containing conversation between Devangar Arts College assistant professor Nirmala Devi and girls students went viral.

Devi had allegedly tried to lure a group of girls to have sex with higher officials from the MKU. She had offered marks and monetary benefits in return. The trio were arrested by the police and the case was subsequently taken over by the CB-CID police. The incident became sensational as it dragged the governor’s office into the scandal. It forced governor Banwarilal Purohit to clarify that his office had nothing to do with the incident.

Murugan and Karuppsamy could not get bail despite repeated petitions in the Srivilliputhur court. They moved the Madurai bench of Madras high court but did not get any respite. On February 14, the Supreme Court granted bail to both of them. However, Devi is still lodged in the prison.

Former research scholar from MKU Karuppasamy (in photo) and assistant professor V Murugan were released on bail on Wednesday

ALONE, BUT NOT LONELY

Why Worry About Allies? The People Are With Me, Says T T V Dhinakaran

D.Govardan@timesgroup.com
21.02.2019

The past two days saw a flurry of political activities in Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, as the AIADMK and the BJP on the one side, and the DMK-Congress combine on the other firmed up alliances for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. Amid the din, there was one question on people’s minds — where are T T V Dhinakaran and his AMMK?

He was in Salem, doing what he has been doing for the past several weeks — meeting people, as part of his exercise to reach out to the interior areas of the state by road. In the past two months, he has covered more than 60 assembly segments — from Ramanathapuram to Kancheepuram, from Trichy to Erode via Villupuram.

While other parties were stitching prospective alliances, Dhinakaran was working to connect with the people, à la Jayalalithaa and addressing large crowds. He has been highlighting specific local issues that could range from agriculture to aquaculture, industries, job creation and, above all, need for focused water management and maintenance of waterbodies and channels, which could bring down the dependency on neighbouring states for water.

But, is Dhinakaran a Jayalalithaa? “I am not Jayalalithaa or MGR. I am not even an actor like Vijay or Ajith. Still, if so many of you are coming to attend my meetings to hear me speak, it shows your believe in me as a leader, who can fulfil your aspirations and dreams,” Dhinakaran told a large crowd that had assembled to hear him at Ulundurpet recently.

Dhinakaran has kept his focus on a few things — national parties like the BJP and the Congress cannot take care of regional interests, be it Cauvery or Mekedatu or Mullaperiyar, and the present Dravidian parties are ineffective, corrupt and only fulfilling their hidden agendas. Stress on regional issues is to showcase himself as a strong people’s leader fighting for relevance in a parliamentary poll, once again taking a leaf out of Jayalalithaa’s political book.

But as of now, he and his party are alone, with no one aligning with the AMMK for the upcoming election. But, that has not deterred him from single-handedly carrying forward his party to the people. “The AIADMK-BJP alliance is anti-people. The PMK created hurdles for constructing a memorial for Amma (Jayalalithaa). But now, the PMK-AIADMK alliance will be difficult to accept for the cadres of those two parties. It is a group, with heavy stones tied to them, jumping into the well. They will lose in all 40 seats,” he said on Tuesday evening in Salem, soon after the alliance news broke. “Amma aligned only with people and not with any party, but still managed to win 37 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. If needed, we will contest alone in all seats. With almost 95% of the AIADMK cadres with us, we will repeat it,” he said to keep his partymen upbeat.

Developments over the next couple of weeks could see disgruntled AIADMK leaders as well as smaller regional parties gravitating towards him. With the FERA trouble out of the way for at least a month, and the pressure cooker symbol likely to be given to his party, Dhinakaran could be in the limelight soon. “Ever since the AMMK was launched, Dhinakaran’s focus has been on reaching out to people. We were the only party that was allowed to enter areas affected by Cyclone Gaja for relief work,” recalls P Vetrivel, disqualified MLA from Perambur and Dhinakaran’s confidante, “Who says, we do not have allies? We are in talks, just wait and see. Despite his busy political tours across the state, Dhinakaran has been in touch with the leaders of a few parties. We will announce it at the right time,” says Vetrivel. “Till the end of this month, he will be on tour. Once alliances are finalized, he will again hit the interior roads, while leaders of other parties would have time only to zip past highways,” Vetrivel added.

In alliance or alone, Dhinakaran is on the go. More than winning, his aim will be to emerge as a strong leader and to establish the AMMK as a party with a sizeable vote base. To that extent, he could emerge as the biggest gainer in the forthcoming elections. One can safely say it is advantage TTV.

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Illegal nursing courses aplenty in TN

Passouts Are Threat To Public Health, Turn Into Quacks: Council

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.02.2019

The Tamil Nadu Nursing Council has urged the government to put an end to thousands of nursing courses offered in the state that aren’t recognised by the national or state councils.

At least 10,000 candidates who have completed these diploma programmes, lasting six months or one year at various institutions including quasi-government agencies and doctors’ bodies, will not be able to work as nurses.

“They aren’t qualified and can be dangerous if allowed to work with patients. They should not be allowed to do sutures, scans, tests or charting on patients as they neither have adequate knowledge nor the exposure,” said state nursing council registrar S Ani Grace Kalaimathi.

“We have defined job profiles for nurses who have cleared a four-year UG nursing degree, a three-year diploma course or the two-year auxiliary nursing and midwife course. But we have no job profiles for nursing assistants or bedside assistants who do a six-month course or a one-year course because they aren’t recognised,” she said.

These nurses can be a public health hazard because some of them manage to find low-paying jobs in rural hospitals. “When they are negligent or violate the medical code, we will not be able to initiate disciplinary action against them because they don’t come under our purview,” said nursing council member Dr R Thigarajan.

“Investigations have shown that since these nurses don’t get jobs in big private hospitals or government ones, they turn into quacks. The public health authorities have come across cases against such quacks, whose treatment led to complications and deaths during the dengue outbreaks,” he added.

Most colleges say such short courses were approved by the National Council on Vocational Training (NCVT) — an advisory body set up by the Government of India in 1956, the Barath Sevak Samaj — a national development agency, by the Indian Medical Association or some deemed universities. “These aren’t even agencies authorised to approve the courses. It’s like going to the grocery store for a medical consultation,” Dr Thigarajan said.

According to the rules of the council, colleges must seek essentiality certificate from the state and course approval from the state nursing council before admitting students. While colleges offering degrees are affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, those offering diploma programmes in nursing are approved by the director of medical education. The auxiliary course has to be approved by the public health department.

Investigations have shown that since these nurses don’t get jobs in big private hospitals or government ones, they turn into quacks. The public health authorities have come across cases against such quacks, whose treatment led to complications and deaths during the dengue outbreaks

DR R THIGARAJAN | State nursing council member

Court order

Karnataka HC: Son has no right to live with parents after manhandling them

The son cannot be permitted to stay in the property, subject to the condition that he would not harm his parents, physically or emotionally, the HC said.

Published: 19th February 2019 06:24 AM  |   Last Updated: 19th February 2019 06:24 AM  

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court came to the rescue of an elderly couple by dismissing the petition filed by their son, questioning the order passed by Tribunal of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens, asking him to vacate his parents’ house within 30 days and pay Rs 10,000 to them per month.

Observing that the son had no right to live with his parents — P Rajagopal and A Vidya, 74 and 71 years, respectively, residing at Vaiyalikaval in city — as per Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, after having manhandled them, Justice Alok Aradhe dismissed the petition filed by 36-year-old son Skanda Sharath.

On December 4, 2018, the Assistant Commissioner, Tribunal of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens, directed Sharath to pay a sum of Rs 10,000 per month to his parents and hand over the vacant physical possession of the residential units occupied by him within 30 days of the order and not to interfere with the possession of his parents over the same.

Questioning this order, Sharath moved the High Court saying his parents are retired employees of a bank and state government, respectively, and are getting a pension of approximately Rs 70,000, and therefore had no locus to maintain the proceedings under the Act.

On hearing the arguments of both the parties, the HC said, “Our Society is a traditional society, and its core value is to provide care for elderly and to treat them with respect. However, with changing times, the joint family system has gone into oblivion and nuclear families have emerged. Therefore, many elderly persons are forced to spend the evenings of their lives in loneliness and are subjected to emotional neglect and deprived of physical and financial support. Therefore, the Act has been enacted with object to provide more effective provisions for maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens.”  

The court said that the son has admittedly manhandled his parents, for which criminal cases have been registered against him, under the provisions of IPC for causing hurt, wrongful restraint, intentional insult and criminal intimidation. The son cannot be permitted to stay in the property, subject to the condition that he would not harm his parents, physically or emotionally, the HC said.

State Govt.order

IAS officer Beela Rajesh takes charge as new health secretary ​

Radhakrishnan held the post of health secretary for nearly seven years.

Published: 19th February 2019 04:48 AM  |   Last Updated: 19th February 2019 04:48 AM  

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Senior IAS officer Beela Rajesh took charge as State health secretary on Monday after J Radhakrishnan was transferred to the Transport department as Principal Secretary on Saturday, by the government.

Radhakrishnan held the post of health secretary for nearly seven years. Health minister C Vijaya Baskar greeted Beela Rajesh with a bouquet at the Secretariat after she took charge.

According to a release, the new health secretary who belongs to the 1997 IAS batch, studied MBBS at Madras Medical College. She also served as sub-collector Chengalpattu, special officer CM Cell, Commissioner Fisheries, and Commissioner Town and Country Planning. She was Commissioner, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, before being transferred as the health secretary.

Train info

FROM FEB 28 TO MAR 3

IRCTC to run spl Ram Sethu Express in state

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

The “Ram Sethu Express –Tamil Nadu Temple Tour” will start from Tambaram railway station in Chennai at 12.15am on February 28. It will return to Tambaram on March 3.

This is a Bharat Darshan exclusive tourist train, which will cover 15 temples. The package costs ₹4,885 per person, inclusive of all charges such as vegetarian meals, on train pantry car, non-AC road transport, tour escort and security.

The three nights and four days all-inclusive tour package will cover 18 temples in Tamil Nadu. It will provide an exclusive opportunity to see the rich architecture and history of these temples, an official release said.

The temples that would be be covered in the package are Ranganathaswamy, Samayapuram Mariamman, Jambukeswarar and Thiruvanaikaval temples in Trichy, Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and Meenakshi Amman and Sundareshwarar temples in Madurai. IRCTC has offered a visit to temples in Thanjavur as well.

Tourists can board at Chengalpet, Tindivanam, Villupuram and Vridhachalam as well, the release added.

For details and bookings, visit IRCTC tourism portalwww.irctctourism.com. For further queries and bookings, interested people can contact tourism information centre at 9003140681 / 680.

Centre hikes DA by 3 %, to benefit 1.1 crore employees, pensioners 

The hike will benefit about 48.41 lakh central government employees and 62.03 lakh pensioners. india Updated: Feb 19, 2019 21:12 IST


Press Trust of India
New Delhi


Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the Cabinet has approved additional DA of 3 % over the existing rate of 9 % to government employees and dearness relief to pensioners from January 1, 2019(PTI Photo) 

The Union Cabinet Tuesday increased the dearness allowance by 3 % effective from January 1, 2019, a move which will benefit 1.1 crore central government employees and pensioners.

The decision in this regard was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cabinet has approved additional DA of 3 % over the existing rate of 9 % to government employees and dearness relief to pensioners from January 1, 2019, finance minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The hike will benefit about 48.41 lakh central government employees and 62.03 lakh pensioners.

This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission.

Read more at Education Medical Dialogues: CMC Vellore invites applications for MBBS 2019, other courses; Details

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