Being on alert against fake news 

When it comes to evaluating information on social media, even the educated are easily duped

01/09/2019 , A. Amalraj

The Internet gives access to a vast trove of data, both necessary and unnecessary. A surfer gets information posted by anonymous people who, uninhibited by the fear of law, post anything and escape the consequences.

As Web pages are susceptible to accidental or deliberate alteration, there is little possibility of finding if the information is valid, doctored, morphed or just a figment of the imagination of the hidden author.

Free services that allow encrypted messages, which are easy to access and forward, are the order of the day. Not a day passes without some text, photo or video, often modified to suit the taste of the creator, landing on our mobile phones. This unchecked way of information-sharing often tends to create scandals of mind-boggling proportions. Luckily, most of these scandals have a short shelf life. The importance of the message withers0 away when new information takes its place in quick succession.

Fake news is now a mounting problem as fraudsters and anti-social elements use social media platforms to target people. Factual news is increasingly getting buried in an avalanche of incorrect information with potential to create rifts between communities, castes and religions. An incident of little significance taking place in an isolated area can easily be showcased as sensational news.

Fact checking

Testing the accuracy of the received information is a hard task. Factual information should reveal details of the author and those responsible for the truthfulness of the content. These should be available for verification by independent questioning. The credibility of information depends on evidence. When there is insufficient material to verify the legitimacy of information, doubts arise about its veracity. The origin and the time of delivery of information received in cyberspace cannot be ascertained easily to make proper conclusions.

Combating the information overflow is a daunting task for ordinary citizens. What and what not to trust are never-ending questions that defy easy answers. Faced with a shower of information, the audience at best, ignores it and at worst, believes it all.

Safeguarding information from falling into the wrong hands is becoming increasingly difficult, making it susceptible to modifications. When it comes to evaluating information on social media channels, even the educated are easily duped.

Our education system should be attuned to preventing young minds from falling prey to this deluge. Regular practice of reading, analysing and evaluating information may be the best defence against sinking into misinformation bogs. It is not unusual to see young minds taking extreme decisions and falling prey to the social media circus.

Students in schools and colleges should be given regular opportunities to think about, and evaluate, information harvested from a variety of sources, to learn to recognise their own vulnerabilities to disinformation, and to look beyond sources that reinforce their beliefs.

Unlike in the case of conventional crimes, the criminal characteristics of those who use communication tools to spread false news are not readily definable. The creators and victims of false news could be from any strata of society. Agonising for a prolonged period of time over doctored news and images will take one nowhere, except succeeding in the author’s intention of causing harm.

The personal information available in different social media and Web platforms are a treasure trove waiting to be harvested for nefarious activities. Children get a rap for sharing too much information online, but adults are no better when it comes to online privacy. When in doubt, share less.

Persons and groups authoring malicious news are not restricted by State or national boundaries. The culprit, concealing his identity, may live in any part of the planet. This makes combating the information deluge a challenging task, both for the police and the public.

amalraj8575@yahoo.co.in

ILLUSTRATION: SATWIK GADE

Former MP’s son held for misusing rail pass

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

The Government Railway Police on Saturday arrested the son of N. Selvaraj, former MP who passed away recently, for travelling on his father’s railway pass. He was released on bail.

According to police, Kalairaj, a civil engineer, is the son of the politician who was elected from Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency in 1980. He travelled in H-1 coach of the Bangalore Mail on Saturday morning.

Railway vigilance officials, at Perambur, found that he travelled on his father’s railway pass.

He was taken to the GRP station in Chennai Central and a case was registered under section 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation) of the IPC. Further investigation is on.

Around 300 UG seats vacant in Anna varsity

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

As many as 300 seats will remain vacant across Anna University’s undergraduate programmes this academic year. The phenomenon of seats going vacant has become the norm over several years due to delay in the conduct of medical admissions.

This year, the online single window counselling for engineering seats overlapped that for medical seats. The first phase of counselling for engineering began on July 3 and candidates had four days’ time to lock in their choices. Counselling for medicine began on July 8. This allowed candidates to withdraw from engineering counselling if they were allotted a seat in a medical college.

“It appears that students with good scores in NEET managed to get into medical colleges but did not release the seats they had registered for at Anna University. They had paid registration fees so we could not cancel their seats,” an official explained.

Anna University Vice- Chancellor M.K. Surappa said, “Many meritorious students have gone to deemed universities.”

He said it would have helped if the medical admissions had taken place before engineering admissions. A high rate of unemployment in the last one year and a greater number of seats compared to demand are some of the reasons for poor admission, he said.

‘More doctors need to work in rural areas’

01/09/2019 , Staff Reporter, CHENNAI

Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday said more doctors should work in rural areas.

Shortly after inaugurating the Fourth International Dental Conference and Exhibition, World Dental and Oral Health Congress- 2019 Asia series, he said, according to the World Health Organisation, the ideal dentist-population ratio was 1:7,500.

“There are about 300 dental colleges in India and nearly 25,000 graduates pass out every year. But most of them settle down in urban areas. Hence, the dentist-population ratio is about 1:10,000 in urban and 1:1,50,000 in rural areas,” he said.

He said such conferences would enthuse more youngsters to pursue dentistry, as it was necessary that there be a greater spread of doctors in rural areas. He emphasised the need for dental awareness programmes, maintenance of standardised patient data and creation of dental software, uniformly put to use all over the country.

The two-day event was attended by students and dentists from nearly 15 countries such as the U.K., the U.S., France and India. Organised by the World Dental Council and Graviton International, the conference will cover all aspects of dentistry, according to Charulatha, organising chairman.

S.M. Balaji, advisory member, World Dental Council, and Shovendhu Jha, registration co-chair, were present.

Chennai: No BC certificate for mere conversion 

DECCAN CHRONICLE

Published Aug 31, 2019, 2:28 am IST

Petitioner did not indicate his sub-sect, says High Court.

Madras high court

Chennai: Pointing out that neither during his conversion to Islam, nor during the publication of his conversion in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, he has mentioned anything regarding the sub-sect Labbai, the Madras high court dismissed a petition filed by a person seeking a direction to the Tashsildar, Thirukkazhukundram, Kan-cheepuram district, to issue Community Certificate to him, his wife and his children as BC (Backward Class) Muslim Labbai.

Dismissing the petition filed by Rilvan, a division bench comprising Justices R.Subbiah and C.Saravanan said initially at the time of conversion into Islam, the petitioner did not particularly mention about the sub-sect “Labbai”, which dis-entitles him from claiming the relief of issuance of community certificate to the petitioner and his family, more particularly, in the Jammath, he did not mention his sub-sect while conversion to Islam.

According to petitioner, he is a Hindu by birth and originally belonged to BC 24 Manai Telugu Chettiyar Community. His marriage was solemnised with his wife Ramjiya, whose original name is Ramya, who belongs to Scheduled Caste (SC) Hindu Adi Dravida Community and due to their wedlock, two children were born to them, namely Harshat (previous name Kavin Raji) aged about 13 years and Harshidha, aged about 4 years.

On October 15, 2012, out of his own volition, the petitioner got converted to Muslim Labbai religion from the Hindu religion. After conversion, he was blessed with the second child. Subsequently, on March 23, 2016, he had published his religious conversion in the Official Gazette. On March 28, 2018, he applied for issuance of community certificate to the Tahsildar and he sought the Tahsildar to issue BC community certificate as per a G.O dated July 29, 2008. But the authorities denied the same on the ground that they could issue only as converted Muslim. Subsequently, the Revenue Divisional Officer also rejected his representation. Hence, he filed the present petition.

The bench said the petitioner got converted to Muslim religion on October 15, 2012 with sub-sect Labbai. Neither during the conversion to Islam, nor during the publication of his conversion in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, he has mentioned anything regarding the sub-sect Labbai. Even in the certificate given by Pudupattinam Zamath, there was no mention of the sub-sect Labbai. Hence, the petitioner will not be entitled to Backward Class Community Certificate merely on conversion, the bench added.

The bench said only if there was an endorsement by the Jamath indicating the Backward Class as Labbai, the community certificate can be issued by mentioning the said sub-sect. In the absence of such endorsement by the Jamath, the authorities cannot issue community certificate as sought for by the petitioner. Though the petitioner relies on G.O dated July 29, 2008 stating that Hindu BC community can convert to any of the seven sects of Islam as mentioned therein in the list, in which Labbai was one among them, in the absence of specific sub-sect during the conversion to Islam, he has to be treated as Muslim which comes under the Forward community.

Even during the enquiry conducted by the Revenue Inspector, Nerumbur on his petition to RDO, the petitioner simply stated that his family embraced Muslim religion and that they changed their names as Muslim names, even though they published their names in the government gazette. “Hence, for the above reasons, now this court cannot give such a direction prayed for by the petitioner,” the bench added.

வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் இன்றுடன் முடியுது அவகாசம்

Added : ஆக 30, 2019 23:56

சென்னை, :தனிநபர் வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வதற்கான அவகாசம் இன்றுடன் முடிகிறது.கடந்த 2018 - 19ம் நிதியாண்டுக்கான வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வதற்கான அவகாசம் ஏப்ரலில் துவங்கியது. ஆண்டுக்கு 2.5 லட்சம் ரூபாய்க்கு அதிகமாக வருமானம் உள்ள அனைவரும் வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்ய வேண்டும். 2..5 லட்ச ரூபாய்க்கு கீழ் வருவாய் இருந்தாலும் கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்ய வேண்டும்.அபராதமின்றி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வதற்கான அவகாசம் இன்றுடன் நிறைவடைகிறது. இதன் பின் வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வோர் அபராதம் செலுத்த வேண்டும்.மூத்த குடிமக்கள் நேரடியாக வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்யவும் பிறரின் சந்தேகங்களை போக்கவும் வருமான வரி சேவை மையங்கள் இன்று செயல்படும்.

கால அவகாச நீட்டிப்பு வதந்திவருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்ய செப். 30 வரை அவகாசம் நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளதாக சமூக வலைதளங்களில் நேற்று தகவல் பரவியது. 'அந்த தகவல் பொய்யானது அவகாசம் நீட்டிக்கப்படவில்லை' என வருமான வரி அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர். இது தொடர்பாக மத்திய நேரடி வரி விதிப்பு வாரியமும் தன் 'டுவிட்டர்' பக்கத்தில் விளக்கம் அளித்திருந்தது.

காரைக்குடி - திருவாரூர் ரயில் நீட்டிப்பு

Added : ஆக 30, 2019 23:45

சென்னைகாரைக்குடி - திருவாரூர் இடையே, பயணியர் ரயில் போக்குவரத்து நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

திருவாரூரில் இருந்து, காரைக்குடிக்கு, காலை, 8:15 மணிக்கும், காரைக்குடியில் இருந்து, திருவாருக்கு பகல், 2:30 மணிக்கும் சிறப்பு ரயில்கள் இயக்கப்பட்டு வந்தன. 

திருவாரூரில் இருந்து, திருச்சிக்கு, அதிகாலை, 4:10 மணிக்கும், திருச்சியில் இருந்து, திருவாரூருக்கு, இரவு, 7:45 மணிக்கும் வாராந்திர சிறப்பு ரயிலும் இயக்கப்பட்டு வந்தது.

இந்த ரயில், இன்று வரை இயக்கப்படும் என, ஏற்கனவே அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. இந்த ரயில் போக்குவரத்து, வரும், செப்., 8 வரை நீட்டிக்கப்படுவதாக, தெற்கு ரயில்வே தெரிவித்துள்ள