Varsities to write to UGC on Hindi

03/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER ,BENGALURU

Various State-run universities in Karnataka have decided to write to the University Grants Commission (UGC) stating it is not practical to make Hindi mandatory for all students. This assertion follows an admission by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in Parliament about seeking the opinion and suggestions of universities regarding teaching Hindi.

A senior official in the Higher Education Department said that the issue would be discussed at the next meeting of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council, and Vice Chancellors will be told to submit their opinions in writing to the UGC.

There has been opposition to imposition of Hindi by several southern States, including Karnataka.

‘Dead’ man comes back to life in Assam morgue

03/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,  GUWAHATI

A middle-aged man allegedly declared dead came back to life in the ‘morgue’ of a hospital in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district.

Suffering from an unknown disease, the man identified as Mohammed Hussain was admitted to the Tinsukia Civil Hospital on Wednesday.

“The hospital authorities told us he had died. We found him alive when we went to collect his body today [Friday],” the man’s wife, declining to be named, said.

Hospital superintendent N.C. Mahanta denied lapses on the part of his medical team. However, locals raised slogans and demanded a probe into the alleged negligence.

Patient mix-up

“First of all, we do not have a morgue. We have an isolated ward where we keep patients brought by the police. Secondly, one of the three patients who died today was also named Md. Hussain. Our staff thought he was the other Md. Hussain,” he said.

The confusion arose because the hospital also keeps dead bodies in the isolation ward.

Technical snag delayed payment of salary: A.P.

The Finance Department denies rumours that fund crunch is the reason

03/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,VIJAYAWADA

Barely three months into its term, the Andhra Pradesh government is faced with criticism that salaries and pensions are not paid on time. Social media platforms were agog on Friday following reports that the government could not pay the salaries due to paucity of funds.

A couple of news channels too picked up the issue, creating confusion among employees and giving credence to the tittle-tattle being circulated on social media.

The employees’ associations, in private, feel that the paucity of funds was in fact the reason, though there was also a technical snag in the system.

“A majority of employees did not receive salaries. Same is the case with pensioners,” said an association leader on condition of anonymity. The associations said salaries were being credited from 8.30 a.m. and a clear picture would emerge by Saturday.

The State government, in a damage control exercise, issued a statement saying, “Some TV channels and social media are spreading rumours that the salaries for government employees have not been paid due to lack of funds, but it is not correct.”

‘Standard practice’

The Finance Department, in the statement, clarified that paucity of funds was not the reason. Usually, payments are made through ‘e-kuber’ or the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the first day of every month. The details were sent to the RBI on July 31.

Following the same practice, all files related to salaries and pensions of all districts were sent to the RBI by July 31 itself. By the noon of August 1, all pensions and salaries of some employees were paid.

Later, there were some technical snags. The certificates issued through e-Mudra did not function. That caused a delay in the payment of salaries of some files. All measures were taken to resolve the snag.

There are more than 4.61 lakh employees in the State. Of this, 3.51 lakh are government employees and the remaining work in judiciary, gram panchayats, municipal administration and other agencies.

The Andhra Pradesh government spends ₹33,470 crore on salaries and ₹16,639 crore on pensions annually.

Disappointed burglar leaves a note behind

Was it justified to leave an empty cash chest, he asked, when he had risked his life?

03/08/2019,S. PRASAD  CUDDALORE

Failed mission: Articles lie strewn in the shop, left, and the handwritten note from the perpetrator. Special Arrangement

Burglars often leave some evidence at the scene after pulling off a successful heist. But one burglar, who broke into a grocery shop in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district only to come upon an empty cash chest, left behind a handwritten note with a lesson on risk and reward for the shop owner.

According to the police, the burglar gained entry into the shop in the Mandarakuppam locality by removing the tiles on the roof of the premises on Thursday. He then proceeded to look for the cash chest, but to his dismay, found that it was empty.

Frustrated by the experience, he ransacked the shop and wrote a note in Tamil on a piece of paper that he took from the shop. In it, he asked the owner, “Is it justified on your part to keep the cash chest empty when I had come to steal risking my life?” He went on to add : “To express my disappointment I have performed this ‘monkey’ act [the ransacking].”

The elderly shop owner Jayaraj discovered the attempted burglary, the ransacking, and the note, when he came to the shop in the morning.

He was amused by the note on the cash chest, but lost no time in filing a complaint with the Mandarakuppam Police.

The incident left the police baffled, as thieves only unwittingly leave behind clues.

Handwritten clue

“This is the first time we have come across such a case in our jurisdiction,” a police officer in Cuddalore said, referring to the burglar’s handwritten note on the cash chest.

The handwriting could eventually help the police conclusively prove the involvement of the culprit as and when he is traced.

In the past, there have been instances in Tamil Nadu of burglars, after breaking into homes, having cooked a meal or watched television, dozed off, and then left without any hurry at the break of dawn.

Bonanza for officials who did election duty
Govt. staff to get one month’s basic pay as honorarium

03/08/2019, S. VIJAY KUMAR , CHENNAI

Satyabrata Sahoo

Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Friday wrote to all District Electoral Officers, including Vellore, which goes to the polls on August 5, informing them that the government would sanction an honorarium equivalent to one month’s basic pay subject to a maximum of ₹33,000 for the officials’ “strenuous” work during the general election this year.

He called for the details of basic pay of officers and other staff members as on May 1, 2019 for the sanction of honorarium. The period of attending election work would be from the date of notification till counting of votes.

While officers in the rank of District Election Officer, District Revenue Officer, Personal Assistant (Elections), Returning Officer, Commissioner of Corporation, Tahsildar (Election)’ Deputy Tahsildar (Election), Zonal Officer and Liaison Officer to Poll Observers would get a month’s basic pay subject to a maximum of ₹33,000, whichever is less, members of the flying squad, video surveillance team, video viewing team, accounting team, assistant expenditure observers, status surveillance team and zonal assistants would also get a month’s basic pay, but subject to a maximum of ₹24,500 whichever is less. Other category of staff who took part in election duty would get a honorarium of ₹17,000, ₹7,000 and ₹5,000 depending on their respective designations.

Details sought

Zonal Officers/Zonal Assistants or any other staff who were paid remuneration for having attended election duty may be sanctioned honorarium after deducting the amount already paid.

The District Election Officers have been told to furnish the details of officers and staff along with the honorarium they are entitled to before August 10, 2019.

Ironically, the quantum of honorarium sanctioned for police officers on poll duty vide a separate GO issued in June is comparatively much less. The honorarium for 735 police officers from the rank of Director-General of Police to Assistant a Commissioner of Police/Deputy Superintendent of Police has been fixed at ₹20,000. The quantum of funds calculated for the 735 police officers alone is ₹1.47 crore.

Though the funds would be debited from the State’s expenditure, the DGP was directed to send necessary proposal for reimbursement of the amount from the Government of India, the order said.

The order made no mention of payment of honorarium to the police personnel in the ranks of inspector or constable on election duty.

In a separate development, the State government on Friday issued an order enhancing the festival advance payable to government employees, teachers, teaching and non-teaching staff of local bodies, aided education institutions and others eligible from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.

The order would take immediate effect and apply to festivals to be celebrated after August 2, 2019.

Power bills shock and awe consumers

Over 20 Kotturpuram residents complain of overbilling

03/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

In a few cases, the accumulated meter readings were recorded. File photo

Electricity officials have identified a manual error in the meter readings for a group of residents of Kottur Gardens, Kotturpuram, who received exorbitant power bills for the bi-monthly billing cycle in July.

Nabarun Ghosh, a resident of Riverdale apartments in Kottur Gardens, said he was shocked at his electricity bill which showed ₹13,528 as dues. He said that he normally paid ₹3,000 as power bill. Similarly, another resident, Vineet Singhal, in the same gated community, got an electricity bill for ₹14,452.

The residents gave a representation to the Assistant Engineer, Taramani. Immediately, senior Tangedco officials directed the revenue section to check all assessments done by the assessor in that area to rectify the billing mistakes.

A senior official admitted that the mistakes were committed by the assessment staff while noting down the reading of the domestic consumers in Kottur Gardens. In a few cases, the meter readings were interchanged, while in others, the accumulated readings were recorded, which meant the staff were recording the readings without visiting the house for a number of months. Complaints of over-assessment were received from more than 20 residents in Kotturpuram. A report has been sought from the assessor and suitable action will be taken, the official said.

Restaurant courts trouble with poster

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, AUGUST 03, 2019 00:00 IST

A restaurant, Hotel Milagu, on North Masi Street here found itself in the middle of a controversy over a poster on Thursday.

The poster advertising ‘Kumbakonam Iyer Chicken’ was pasted prominently at the eatery. As it was offensive in taste, members of Tamil Nadu Brahmins Association staged a protest in front of the restaurant.

They alleged that the sentiments of the community was offended by clubbing the name with a food item unrelated to it.

Following the protest, partner of the restaurant Immanuel Devavaram tended an unconditional apology to the association and took down the poster immediately.

“It was a mistake made by one of the inexperienced staff, while I was out of station and it was not done intentionally to offend any community or religious sentiments. I have given an apology letter,” the restaurateur said.