Uncertainty over engineering counselling in Tamil Nadu

Engineering aspirants in the State are worried as uncertainty prevails over the engineering counselling this year.

Published: 18th March 2019 06:49 AM |

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Engineering aspirants in the State are worried as uncertainty prevails over the engineering counselling this year.

The Class XII examination in the State will conclude on March 19, but the state government is yet to announce whether the counselling this year will be conducted by Anna University or Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE).

The confusion over the counselling process started last month after Anna University’s Vice-Chancellor, M K Surappa resigned from the chairman’s post of the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) committee as he was upset with the untimely reconstitution of the committee by the Higher Education department. Notably, Anna University (AU) was conducting the counselling for the last 22 years and after Surappa’s resignation, it was speculated that DoTE will be handling the counselling process. However, the State government is yet to make any official announcement in the matter.


Engineering aspirants and academicians have expressed concern as the delay in making the decision will affect the counselling process as well as the students’ careers.

“If the counselling process gets delayed due to this ongoing controversy then we will be badly affected. We need to get a clear idea of State engineering counselling schedule then only we can plan as we can attend counselling in other states and institutes,” said S Saravanan, an engineering aspirant.

“Usually the preparation for engineering counselling, which was conducted last year in July, starts in April. We have only a few days in hand to start preparations but surprisingly, the higher education department is yet to decide on which institute will conduct the counselling,” said a faculty of AU.

Madambakkam panchayat’s waste disposal methods leave locals ‘fuming’
Earlier, Express had reported how the former dumpyard of the panchayat was set on fire. But now the waste is being cleared from there and dumping of new waste has been prohibited.

Published: 18th March 2019 06:57 AM 

Empty plots in Madambakkam are used to set fire to municipal waste | express

By Samuel Merigala

Express News Service

CHENNAI: When the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change called for ‘decentralised’ handling of solid waste by local bodies in the Solid Waste Management Rules (2016), they definitely did not mean burning waste collected in the same ward itself. But that is exactly what the Madambakkam Town Panchayat is doing.


Residents alleged that workers of the NGO entrusted with conservancy operation are burning non-recyclable plastic waste in empty plots and forcing them to inhale carcinogenic fumes whenever there is accumulation of plastic waste on the streets.

“The workers set fire to the waste instead of taking it to the dumpyard for processing,” said V Lokesh, a software engineer, residing in Parvathy Nagar, on the areas worst affected by this irresponsible disposal of waste.

Residents of ALS Nagar and Yeshwant Nagar claimed that conservancy, which is also affected by this issue, claimed that this happens whenever complaints are lodged about garbage pile- up. “They usually set flame to the garbage early in the morning and vanish,” said a senior citizen, claiming the neighbours end up blaming each other.

A conservancy worker of ‘Hand In Hand’ told Express that some workers only set fire to the waste which has no value. “The thick plastic such as wrappers of big chips companies and milk covers have recyclable value so they are collected carefully, the other thinner types have no value so they set those on fire,” the worker said.

When contacted, Selvan, the conservancy supervisor, denied such happenings. “All workers have been instructed to bring the waste to the sorting area and strict action will be taken if they burn the waste,” Selvan said.

Earlier, Express had reported how the former dumpyard of the panchayat was set on fire. But now the waste is being cleared from there and dumping of new waste has been prohibited. While this is a welcome move, the lack of a dumping facility for non recyclable waste has resulted in waste being burned in empty plots or street corners.

Jabalpur-Coimbatore special train services extended

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

MANGALURU, MARCH 18, 2019 00:00 IST

The Railways has extended the services of Jabalpur-Coimbatore-Jabalpur Weekly Superfast Special (02198/02197) till July to clear extra rush of passengers. Train No 02197 Coimbatore-Jabalpur Weekly Superfast Special would leave Coimbatore at 7.05 p.m. on Mondays on April 8, 15, 22 and 29, May 6, 13, 20 and 27, June 3, 10, 17 and 24 and on July 1 to reach Jabalpur at 10.20 a.m. on Wednesdays, said a release from Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division here.

Train No 02198 Jabalpur-Coimbatore Weekly Superfast Special would leave Jabalpur at 11 a.m. on Saturdays on April 6, 13, 20 and 27, May 4, 11, 18 and 25 and June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 to reach Comibatore at 3.50 a.m. on Mondays.

The train would have one AC 2 tier-cum-3 tier coach, three AC 3 tier coaches, 10 second class sleeper coaches, four unreserved coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans. The train would have stops at Palakkad Junction, Shoranur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Vadakara, Thalassery, Kannur, Payyanur, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Mangaluru Junction, Mulki, Udupi, Kundapur, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Kumta, Karwar, Madgaon, Thivim, Kudal, Kankavali, Ratnagiri, Chiplun, Khed, Roha, Panvel, Igatpuri, Manmad, Bhusaval, Khandwa, Harda, Itarsi, Pipariya, Gadarwara and Narsinghpur.

University faculty urged to discourage irrelevant research

Shubashree Desikan

CHENNAI, MARCH 18, 2019 00:00 IST

Central varsity circular causes a flutter

A March 13 circular issued by the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kerala (CUK) that was circulated among the deans and heads of departments of the university has caused a flutter after it was posted on social media.

It exhorted the faculty to discourage research in irrelevant areas and ensure that topics for theses should be in accordance with national priorities.

It referred to a tripartite MoU between the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the University Grants Commission and the Central University of Kerala, which was discussed at a meeting of VCs held in Delhi in December 2018.

Girish Hosur, Joint Secretary for Higher Education (Central Universities), said this was not a directive or part of the MoU but an advisory given to all Central Universities.

“Some VCs raised the question of irrelevant research being carried out, so this was added,” he said.

‘Repeated topics’

It appears that only the CUK has issued the advisory to its faculty. G. Gopakumar, V-C of CUK, said, “In many State Universities, and even Central Universities, research topics are often repeated. Of the entire GDP, less than 3% is spent on higher education, and less than 1.5% on research. We need to take up research in topics like nanotechnology, Pharma, IT, Engineering, Nuclear Science, etc. where we have the potential to grow.”

He said basic and pure research were also very important, but even in theory building, we should work on new theories instead of old theories, and that the advisory which led to his issuing the circular was aimed at stopping duplication, prioritising, being scientific and progressive.

‘Up to scholars to decide’

He said it was up to the faculty and scholars to decide what was relevant and needed.

A senior academician who has served as a vice-chancellor of a central university said, “It is rather disingenuous to say that this is a mere advisory given to universities, especially as it bestows a lot of power on people at different levels. For instance, the researcher and her mentor may have no say in deciding whether the problem is relevant or irrelevant.”

He added that in the absence of a clear indication of what constitutes national priority, this merely bureaucratises a creative process.

K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government, said in an email, “The notice from the Registrar, Central University, Kerala, could have been worded slightly better to capture the spirit and purpose on this matter.”

According to him, a significant number of the PhD topics tended towards the pedestrian rather than an attempt to answer important basic questions in the field or developing important applications, and the purpose of a research effort is to address such questions.

‘PhD and Master’s in Design through research growing in India’

At NID, research is embedded across 20 different disciplines at various levels with a strong industry focus, says senior faculty Praveen Nahar

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

18.03.2019  TOI Education Times

Research has been an integral part of design practice for long. The focus on research is increasing at PhD and master’s level. Praveen Nahar, senior faculty, Industrial Design, National Institute of Design (NID) stresses on syncing research with market demands. “At NID for instance, we do most of our graduation projects in collaboration with industry with many adapting new tools and design research methods,” says Nahar.

Be it primary research (where there is a need to validate the ideas with the end user), secondary research (using existing data like books, articles, or the internet to validate or support existing research), generative or exploratory research (which focusses on a deeper understanding of user needs) or evaluative research (which gives users the opportunity to evaluate the prototype), the methods, says Nahar are many, helping the researcher to understand the users’ behaviour and turn it into actionable insights to improve their design.

INDUSTRY LINK

In case of product design — from finding need, understanding the user to investigating various manufacturing and materials — there is a lot of applied research being carried out. At NID, which works across 20 disciplines ranging from Industrial Design, Communication Design to IT Integrated Design, research is embedded in all these areas at various levels. “Most of our classroom and graduation projects have a strong design research component. Of the students who evince an interest in research, many of them opt to work as freelance researchers and / or design researchers,” says Nahar, whose own research interests lie in the emerging field of system-oriented design.

NID has had many research chairs ranging from the field of education and new disciplines to industry-specific chairs in the area of colour, stainless steel etc. The Jamsetji Tata Research Chair, NID Asian Paints Colour Research Chair, Jindal Stainless Chair, and the Ravi J. Matthai Design Research Chair, are among the few emphasising on research and innovation in these fields. “We also work on short-term research and consulting assignments which provide inputs to the industry,” Nahar says.

HOW DOES IT WORK

Research findings are translated into ideas of products/ service through design synthesis, which is a human-centred, collaborative process. This leads to creating a coherent summary of all the data gathered during the design research, explains Nahar.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

In order to encourage research dissemination, it is important to focus on publications involving books, monographs, craft and course documentations. “The publications should capture the institute’s design philosophy and experiences gained through design education, research, consultancy, and outreach. The range of titles published so far at our institute aim to build connections to the past, present, and future of design education and practice as they focus upon contemporary issues, historical developments, global connections and extrapolate the philosophical developments in design,” says Nahar.

COLLABORATIVE EXCHANGE

Currently, NID has more than 95 international agreements, the most recent one being an MoU with the University of Limerick - School of Design, Ireland, which is expected to stimulate design-led collaborative research in the fields of innovation, sustainable development and new product development.

Praveen Nahar

All you want to know about Medical Coding

Satya Gopal Kalluri explains how Life Sciences students can learn medical coding and enjoy a job that combines knowledge of medical terminology and management with proficiency in English

18.03.2019  Times of India 

Akash, a young boy from Tiruchirappalli wanted to be a researcher, so he took up BSc (Life Sciences) after class XII to follow his dream. As he began to understand the nuances of research, he realised that it may not be his cup of tea. At that point, he was uncertain of an alternative career. He stumbled upon medical coding that seemed interesting and close to the research work he was associated with. Life Sciences graduates in India often find themselves struggling, due to lack of requisite skills and limited knowledge of alternative careers. This is the reason that many graduates fail to secure a suitable job. Medical coding is fast emerging as an interesting and lucrative career for Life Sciences students.

WHAT IS MEDICAL CODING?

Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes. It is an important process in the medical billing process and plays a vital role in the overall reimbursement cycle. It helps to ensure that healthcare providers are paid for all the services they render. Medical billers use these codes to submit claims to third-party payers while statisticians, researchers, public health officials, and internal auditors use these codes to determine what services were provided to patients, and why.

GROWING DEMAND FOR MEDICAL CODERS

With business booming in the healthcare outsourcing industry, the demand for medical coders is also rising exponentially. The adoption of new coding standards has led to more US-based healthcare clients looking to outsource these processes, and bring more business to the Indian BPOs. According to a joint study by Assocham and EY (India), India has emerged as the second largest destination after the US in the healthcare outsourcing space. The ability of the Indian players to analyse big data, discover hidden patterns and unknown correlations are making way for new jobs. With rising demand for better healthcare facilities and patient care in the US, the established medical and central lab infrastructure, and training centres are contributing to the growth of healthcare and life sciences sector, thereby fuelling the domestic demand for healthcare outsourcing in India.

The healthcare industry is going digital with the rapid adoption of EHRs and EMRs, eliminating sizeable volumes of paperwork. This is pushing the outsourcing sector to hire specialists to perform core tasks in the Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) process such as coding and billing. Healthcare providers in countries such as the US and other Anglophile countries trust India as a reliable hub for outsourcing many of their tasks because of the English-proficient medical coding professionals available in the nation.

CERTIFICATION – AN ADDED ADVANTAGE

While certification is not a mandate to secure a job as a medical coder, it would help increase the job opportunities. Preference may be given to candidates with a certificate in medical coding from a recognised institute as they would be more familiar with identifying and applying the right codes. There are many institutes that offer training and certifications in medical coding. Pick the institute based on the expertise of faculties and the kind of curriculum they adhere to. Being a streamlined sector, more women are taking coding as a career. Coding is largely a desk job with fixed working hours, where one must utilise organisational and managerial skills, while also being linked to compartmentalising and accuracy. Hence, medical coding is considered one of the convenient jobs for women.

FUTURE OF MEDICAL CODING IN INDIA

Medical coding is well established across the world with lucrative job opportunities for life sciences students and others inclined towards the healthcare field. Innovation and advancement in the healthcare space will continue to be fast-paced with the rising demand for better patient experience and treatment. This is bound to open up more career opportunities. Of these, medical coding is one of the fast expanding segments in the healthcare field, and the demand for seasoned medical coders will only continue to rise.

(The author is vice president – Technical Training, Quality and Operational Excellence Omega Healthcare Management Services)


COURSES IN MEDICAL CODING

While one can train to become a medical coder with any degree, a Life Sciences degree gives one the upper hand to become an ace medical coder. Strong knowledge of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology is an added advantage to become a medical coding specialist. Other skills necessary for a medical coder include:

• Sturdy analytical skill is essential because medical coding rules are complex and cryptic. Coders should be able to decipher the details in a patient’s record and apply the appropriate codes

• Electronic health records, health informatics and automation are changing the face of the healthcare industry, making computer skills a basic requirement

• Coders should have an eye for detail. Coding being a critical process based on which reimbursements are made, a coder needs to be accurate and spot an error very easily

• Students with backgrounds other than the life sciences can also pursue a career in medical coding by taking courses and training at certified academies that offer extensive hands-on training in medical coding.

AI will turn financially attractive before divestment

New Delhi:  18.03.2019

More investments with strict riders have been planned to make Air India financially attractive before starting any new round of divestment, Union minister Suresh Prabhu has said.

As per the plan, Air India would be allowed to induct more aircraft to grow its market share, while a search-cumselection committee will scout for the best management talent for the company. The airline group with a consolidated debt level of around ₹55,000 crore will also be required to sell non-core assets, and adhere to a ₹2,000 crore cost saving plan. According to the minister, the financially challenged airline will induct three aircraft on a dry-lease within the next two months.

“Air India placed order for induction of 27 A320 NEO on dry lease basis. Out of 27, 24 have already been inducted and remaining 3 will be inducted within next two months,” the minister said.

In 2018, the company failed to find any suitors during the last and the only attempt by the government to divest its stake in the airline business. “Government has prepared a ‘Revival Plan’ of Air India... which includes a comprehensive financial package, transferring non-core debt and assets to an SPV (special purpose vehicle),” Prabhu said. “We have also proposed to induct eminent persons on the board of Air India through ‘search-cum-selection committee’ process.” Last month, the Union Cabinet approved creation of an SPV — Air India Assets Holding Ltd — for transferring the accumulated working capital loans of the national carrier. It has also approved the associated activities for the disinvestment of Air India and its subsidiaries or joint ventures. IANS

PUTTING ON THE BLOCK: The airline with a consolidated debt level of around ₹55,000 crore will also be required to sell non-core assets