Tamil Nadu govt doctors begin non-cooperation protest demanding pay hike
The doctors have planned a series of protests by boycotting selected works in the coming weeks and culminate it with a total strike on August 27.

Published: 29th July 2019 11:07 PM |

(Doctors at Stanley Govt. Hospital boycott the audit meeting' as part of the state level cal on Monday in Chennai| EPS, P Jawahar)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The government doctors in Tamil Nadu initiated a non-cooperation protest from Monday (July 29) pressing for various demands including pay hike for them. The doctors have planned a series of protests by boycotting selected works in the coming weeks and culminate it with a total strike on August 27.

Speaking to Express Dr. P Balakrishnan, Convener of Federation of Government Doctors Association, said the government doctors from Monday will not attend the review meetings or maternal death audit meetings convened by the health department as part of the protest.


"From August 9 to 19, works related to the Chief Minister 's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme will be boycotted. On August 20, we will form a human chain. On August 23, 10 doctors will launch a hunger strike if the demands were not met till then. On August 27, we will go on strike one day work across the State and only emergency services will be provided.

The government doctors in recent months have been staging many protests over the long-pending demand of pay hike. Another key demand is reserving 50 percent of the seats in Post Graduation and Super-Speciality courses for the government doctors. "The government also should increase the doctors' strength depending upon the patients' strength in every government hospital," Dr. Balakrishnan added.

MHRD gets 77,000 letters on draft NEP

Priscilla Jebaraj

NEW DELHI, JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

The Human Resource Development Ministry has received more than 77,000 comments and letters on the draft National Education Policy (NEP), according to Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The extended deadline for accepting feedback from the public ends on Wednesday, July 31.

“About 5% of the feedback received so far is useful, and will be taken into account,” said a senior Ministry official. The Centre has been sifting through the recommendations and will take the next few weeks to make changes to the draft before it is submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

According to Ministry sources, the largest number of letters received so far — about a quarter of the total — came from a campaign opposing the draft NEP’s proposal to change school teacher recruitment norms.

The draft policy is scathing in its assessment of teacher recruitment procedures. “Current teacher recruitment does not involve any interviews or classroom demonstrations that assess motivation and passion; written examinations such as the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) often have little correlation with teaching ability,” it said.

Recommending a complete overhaul of the system, the draft NEP says that the TET must be strengthened “through improved test material correlated to capacities of outstanding teachers, both in terms of content and pedagogy.”

Appointment of Syndicate members to 13 Karnataka varsities put on hold

STAFF REPORTER

BENGALURU, JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

Less than a week after the JD(S) and Congress coalition government appointed Syndicate members to 13 State-run universities, the Higher Education Department has directed varsities to put them on hold.

All the appointed were government nominees. The order issued last week states that all appointments made by State government to university Syndicates under Karnataka State Universities Act 2000 has to be kept on hold until further orders.

Following this, the varsities informed the nominated that they cannot function as Syndicate members for the time being. The appointments drew flak as the posts of syndicate members had been vacant for a year and the coalition government made these appointments just days before it lost the trust vote. Former Higher Education Minister G.T. Devegowda had defended the nominees and stated that they were not only doctorates and masters’ degree holders, but also qualified education experts. Soon after he took charge, he said that he wanted to do away with appointments that were “political in nature”. He even said that his government would ensure that only academically-qualified persons are nominated.

The BJP Members of the Legislative Council had alleged that he had not kept his word and lodged a complaint before Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar requesting him to rescind the nominations. Following this, the Higher Education Department was directed to communicate this to the universities.

Earlier, the government nominees to the Syndicate made by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government were removed after the JD(S)-Congress coalition government came to power.

A former Vice-Chancellor said: “The Syndicate is the highest decision-making body of the universities and the government needs to frame parameters and justify the appointments. Each government appoints its own members and the syndicate members are used as pawns by political parties to fulfil their agenda.” He also levelled allegations of corruption behind the appointments.

A Registrar of a city-based university said over the past year, the posts of Syndicate members were vacant. “Between the tussle of various governments, the university lost out as there were no experts to guide the universities. The new government should fill the posts in a transparent manner,” he said.

Special leave for cancer treatment

JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

C. Vijayabaskar

Employees availing such special casual leave should submit a medical certificate from the medical officer in charge of the hospital where he/she undergoes the procedure.

State Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said there was a long-pending demand among government employees suffering from cancer that they had to exhaust their leave and go on leave without pay during the course of treatment. "They deserve this special casual leave. Government employees are covered under a health insurance scheme that covers treatment for cancer and the insured can opt for treatment in network hospitals. We also want to change the perception that cancer means death. The fact remains that early detection of cancer is curable,” he told The Hindu on Monday.

In October last year, the State government classified certain diseases — chicken pox, measles, swine flu, plague and rabies — as infectious and allowed affected employees to take special casual leave ranging from seven to 10 days.

Government school teacher placed under suspension

STAFF REPORTER

ERODE, JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

The Education Department has placed under suspension the botany teacher of a Government Higher Secondary School in Bhavani, after the police registered a case against him for sexually assaulting Plus-One students of the school.

Sakthivel (47) of Kuppa Naicken Palayam in Bhavani block had allegedly sexually assaulted a few girl students. The girls informed their parents, who lodged a complaint with the school management demanding action against the teacher. They also staged a protest on the school premises on July 26. Bhavani police held talks with the parents and asked them to lodge a complaint with the All Women Police at Bhavani. Following the complaint, the police registered a case against Sakthivel under Section 9 (f) and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC. The accused is at large. Since a case was registered against Sakthivel, Chief Education Officer R. Balamurali issued orders placing him under suspension.

Restricted darshan timings tomorrow

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

The Kancheepuram district administration and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department have decided to restrict darshan timings on Wednesday till 5 p.m. in view of the idol of Athi Varadar being shifted to standing pose ( nindra thirukolam ) from sayana kolam. The queue for free darshan would be closed by noon at the Sri Deverajaswamy Temple.

Collector P. Ponniah said that similarly, on that day Sahasranamam archana tickets would get over between 6.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. VIP darshan would be from 5 a.m. to noon and online ticket darshan would be from noon to 3 p.m. He said that on August 3, on Aadi pooram when Andal Thirukalyanam is to be conducted, Athi Varadar darshan would be put on hold between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The free darshan queue would be closed between noon to 5 p.m. On that day, darshan timings would be increased by a couple of hours at night.

On August 15, due to Aadi Garuda Sevai in the temple, when Sri Devarajaswamy would be brought out in procession through the Mada Streets, darshan would be closed by 5 p.m., he added.

Govt. gets two weeks to respond on early release of Rajiv case convicts

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI, JULY 30, 2019 00:00 IST

Nalini seeks direction to Home Secretary to expedite cabinet recommendation

The Madras High Court on Monday granted two weeks for the State government to file its response to a writ petition filed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict S. Nalini, 52, now on parole, for expeditious implementation of a recommendation made by the State Cabinet to the Governor on September 9 for premature release of all the seven life convicts involved in the case.

Justices R. Subbiah and C. Saravanan granted time at the request of a government counsel although the petitioner’s counsel M. Radhakrishnan and P. Pugalenthi were keen on arguing the case on Tuesday.

In her present petition, the convict sought for a direction to the Home Secretary to consider a representation made by her on February 13 and consequently implement the Cabinet recommendation immediately.

Registry’s stand

She had filed yet another writ petition seeking a direction to the Governor to “countersign” the recommendation made by the Cabinet. However, the High Court Registry refused to number that case after doubting whether a direction of such a nature could be issued against the Governor who enjoyed complete immunity, under Article 361(1) of the Constitution, from being questioned by courts with respect to discharge of official functions.

When the case was listed before the same Division Bench, led by Mr. Justice Subbiah, on July 18 for deciding its maintainability, Advocate-General Vijay Narayan argued that the Governor was insulated from being answerable to courts and that the immunity so conferred could not be intruded by the High Court by exercising its writ jurisdiction. After accepting his submission, the judges upheld the objections raised by the Registry.

The Bench said: “In this case, even assuming that the Governor of the State did not take into account the advice given by the Council of the Ministers, it will not be a ground for the petitioner to file this writ petition and contend that the protection of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India has been infringed. The privileges and immunity conferred on the Governor... is a clear bar for the petitioner to file the present writ petition.”

Plea allowed

Meanwhile, a Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and M. Nirmal Kumar on July 5 allowed a habeas corpus petition filed by the convict and granted her 30 days of ordinary leave to make arrangements for the marriage of her daughter living in London. Although she had sought six months leave on the ground that she had never availed the benefit even once in the last 28 years, the judges restricted it to one month.