Medicos learn seriousness, consequences of ragging

A tainted student is highly unlikely to get a government job, says police official

04/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER , MADURAI

P. Mathusuthanan, Chairman, Permanent Lok Adalat, speaking at a programme in Madurai on Saturday. R. Ashok

The District Legal Services Authority conducted a programme on legal measures in place to protect students from ragging at Madurai Medical College here on Saturday.

Chairman of Permanent Lok Adalat P. Mathusuthanan said raising the voice, conducting oneself in a disorderly manner both inside and outside campus and causing physical or psychological harm would amount to ragging under Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997.

He traced the genesis of ragging to a horrific case where a first year student was murdered as a result of ragging in a medical college. “It is important for senior and junior students to mingle with one another in sports and cultural activities instead of bullying,” he said.

Inspector of Anna Nagar police station G. Pethuraj explained the consequences of ragging. “If there is a ragging complaint against a student, even if he cleared all examinations, it is highly unlikely that he would be employed by the government. The process of clearing one’s name from the charge is also time-consuming,” he said.

He said some students put themselves in a vulnerable situation by sharing photos on the social media. “If you find yourself in a victim’s position, do not hesitate to seek the help of police. We have women officers who are able counsellors and can help you come out of a sticky situation. If the offence is major, we will also intervene,” he said.

Dean K. Vanitha said that the college was taking all measures to address all concerns of students and parents.

“First year students have separate timing for mess and attending classes to prevent mingling with the seniors. We follow the clear set of guidelines and procedures and give protection to the students,” she added.

Indian universities get free access to Urkund software

Swedish software was chosen through a global tender process

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

All universities in India, public and private, have been given trial access to anti-plagiarism software Urkund August 2.

Final subscription to access the Swedish software will begin from September 1, 2019, according to a notice from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“We have a two-pronged approach. As part of the exercise to prevent plagiarism in the coming years, we are providing free of cost anti-plagiarism software to all 900 universities, including private players. It will be available to teachers, students, researchers, everyone,” said Human Resource Development Secretary K. Subrahmanyam. The Urkund software was chosen through a global tender process. While Turnitin is more commonly used by global academics, it was found to be 10 times more expensive without a proportionate increase in features or reliability.

The second step was put in place last July, when the Centre notified the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018. It called for departmental and institutional-level panels be set up to deal with plagiarism complaints, and set up four severity levels of offences with appropriate penalties for students — only from Masters level and above — as well as faculty. All theses, dissertations and academic papers meant for publication must be checked using plagiarism software.

Similarities and offence

There are no penalties for minor similarities, up to 10% of the document. If a thesis or dissertation has similarities up to 40%, it is considered a level 1 offence and students will be asked to submit a revised version within six months.

In a level 2 offence, the similarities are between 40% and 60%, and the student will be debarred from submitting a revised script for one year. Similarities above 60% are considered a level 3 offence and will lead to expulsion, with student registration for that programme being cancelled.

In case of plagiarism in academic and research publications, a level 1 offence will result in being asked to withdraw the manuscript. In case of level 2, the offender will also be denied the right to one annual increment, and will not be allowed to supervise any Masters, M.Phil or Ph.D student for a two year period. A level 3 offence will result in denial of two annual increments and debarment from research supervision for three years.

Repeated offences will result in higher level penalties, including suspension and termination. If plagiarism is detected after a degree or credit has been awarded, that will be suspended for a set period.

A UGC panel on improving research culture, headed by former Indian Institute of Science director P. Balaram, warned that such central regulations could not replace the need for institutional vigilance.

“Institutions must take the responsibility for ensuring academic standards and for emphasising, to both students and faculty, the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity in academic research,” said the report submitted by the panel last month.

6,000 yatris fly out of Srinagar

Over 5,800 leave by scheduled flights; others moved by IAF after security alert

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,NEW DELHI

Valley of fear: People queuing up to stock up on petrol in Srinagar on Saturday.AFP

Nearly 6,000 pilgrims were flown out of Srinagar on Saturday by commercial airlines and the Indian Air Force after the Centre called off the Amarnath yatra and asked devotees to return home, citing security concerns.

As many as 6,216 people turned up at the Srinagar International Airport, out of which 5,829 pilgrims travelled by 32 scheduled flights. The remaining 387 persons were flown on four IAF aircraft to destinations such as Jammu, Pathankot and Hindon, according to a statement from the Airports Authority of India.

Airfares shoot up

The Civil Aviation Ministry has asked airlines to rein in the surge in airfares to help the pilgrims return. Travel portal yatra.com showed airfares in the range of ₹11,000-₹18,000 for a Srinagar-Delhi flight on Sunday.

“Yatris will get special flights and controlled fares but what will happen to patients, students and other people who have to travel,” National Conference leader Omar Abdullah posted on Twitter, urging Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri to take remedial steps.

Earlier various airlines, including Air India, IndiGo and Vistara, announced a full waiver on cancellation and rescheduling of flights from and to Srinagar following an advisory from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Militant killed

Meanwhile, a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Sopore on Saturday morning. One soldier was injured. The gunfight began at Malmanpora after a team of the Army, the police and the CRPF launched a search.

(With inputs from

Peerzada Ashiq)

Heavy rain brings Mumbai to its knees, again

Commuters were the worst-hit as rail, road and air travel came to a halt

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,MUMBAI

In line: Aircraft waiting in queue for taking off at the Mumbai airport on Saturday. Heavy rain lashed Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts on Saturday.Vijay BateVijay Bate

Incessant rain that lashed the city since Friday night threw life out of gear again. Commuters on the central railway line were the worst affected, while other forms of commute, too, witnessed disruptions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 52.2 mm rainfall at the Colaba observatory and 83.8 mm at the Santacruz observatory till 8.30 p.m. on Saturday. The city witnessed 35.67 mm rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 64.88 mm and 68.20 mm rainfall respectively. The Corporation declared a holiday for all public and private schools in light of the rain.

The Mithi swelled in size, crossing the “danger mark” of 3 m and going up to 3.3 m on Saturday afternoon. The authorities evacuated hundreds of people from the Kranti Nagar area in Kurla as a precautionary measure.

The rains had a direct effect on commuters with rail, road and air travel being affected. A spokesperson for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport said delays of up to 38 minutes in arriving flights and up to 49 minutes for departures were observed on Saturday, but no flights were cancelled.

Civic officials said the Mithi crossing the danger mark, combined with the high tide of 4.9 m, resulted in severe waterlogging on the tracks between the Kurla and Sion stations.

Trains suspended

Train services were completely suspended from 1.55 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., after which trains were run up to Kurla and from Dadar to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, before services could limp back to normal. Several trains stopped midway and commuters, after waiting for over two hours, started jumping off the trains and walking on the tracks till they reached the nearest railway station.

The Western line did not witness much delays. However, on the Harbour line, a part of the footover bridge between Chembur and Govandi stations collapsed on the overhead wires, resulting in services being suspended till 6.32 p.m.

Water logging was recorded in Sion, Wadala, Chembur, Vidyavihar and Ghatkopar in the central and eastern suburbs, and in the Andheri subway, Milan subway, Meghwadi, National College, Bandra, Akriti Mall, Andheri, and Reliance Junction in Borivali in the western suburbs.

Traffic at King’s Circle, Antop Hill, Hindmata junction, Samajmandir Hall, Pratiksha Nagar, Vihar lake, Sheetal Cinema, Kurla, Oberoi junction, Malad and several other areas had to be rerouted.

This year, a qualifying test to avail of free coaching

04/08/2019

“However, there was a definite improvement in the performance overall, as more than 2,000 students who took the free coaching classes cleared the exam this year and we are working towards preparing students better,” he added.

In 2018-19, around 19,000 students from government and government-aided schools across the State enrolled for coaching classes conducted during the weekends. Of this, 2,579 students had been selected for the ‘Thoduvanam’ programme, where they went through a residential crash course one month before taking NEET.

Over 48% of all students in Tamil Nadu who took NEET qualified this year.

Officials have further clarified that there will be no reduction in the number of coaching centres in any of the districts. The test will be mainly based on the Class 11 syllabus and will test the basic subject knowledge of the students. While schools have been instructed to identify and send in a list of students who will be taking the exam, the head of a government school from the city said that teachers have motivated as many students as possible to take up the qualifying exam. Schools across the State have been instructed to compulsorily have practice tests based on competitive exams such as NEET and JEE every Friday starting August 9.

In a circular from the Director of School Education, schools have been informed that they will be sent question papers for the same via email. “Through these measures, we hope to prepare our students to take up competitive exams at the national level and ensure that they do well,” the director said.

Criticizing this move, P.K. Ilamaran, State President of the Tamil Nadu Teachers Association, said that the government should not restrict the opportunity to undergo coaching. “More students should be encouraged instead to attend the coaching classes regularly,” he added.

Diamonds seized

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

Customs officials at the Chennai airport seized diamonds worth ₹2.25 crore and arrested a Malaysian national.

Azmal Khan Bin Nagor Mera, 48, was intercepted by the Customs officers. Two white bundles, were found concealed in his inner wear. A multi-function cooker was found in his checked-in luggage. Eight bundles were found concealed at the bottom of the cooker. On cutting the bundles open, 55 white mini ziplock pouches, with precious stones were found concealed. “A government-approved valuer certified the stones to be diamonds weighing 2,996 carat, valued at ₹2.25 crore,” said a press release.

Charitable hospital offers dialysis for ₹600

In first phase, a 6-bed facility starts operations at Sulaiha Hassan Dialysis Centre

04/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

Murthuzaviya Charitable Hospital, popularly called “the 15 rupees hospital” in the north Chennai neighbourhood of Kodungaiyur, on Saturday launched a dialysis centre for the poor. In the first phase, a six-bed facility for dialysis has started operations in the Sulaiha Hassan Dialysis Centre on the premises of the charitable hospital.

Launching the facility, former Madras High Court Justice K.N. Basha said the dialysis centre would offer services to poor patients who cannot afford huge sums of money for dialysis. “Kidney failure is one of the deadliest conditions. We have to motivate people who donate money for such charitable facilities,” he said.

Presiding over the inaugural event, former Madras High Court Justice G.M. Akber Ali said: “Healthcare is a basic need of the people. But millions of people continue to be denied tertiary healthcare. People who donate money for providing affordable healthcare have to be commended for their initiative.”

Chief Medical Officer S.S.M. Khadri said the launch of the centre was a red-letter day for the charitable hospital.

Murthuzaviya Charitable Hospital president G.S.M.P. Khadri said the centre would offer dialysis services for ₹600. “The new dialysis centre will have six machines. Renal failure is becoming very common in the neighbourhood. Use of painkillers is one of the causes,” Dr. Khadri said.

He said the hospital now charges ₹15 from out-patients. Multispecialty services are offered at ₹50.