Five States to get new Governors 

Arif Mohammed Khan sent to Kerala

02/09/2019 , SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, NEW DELHI 



The Centre on Sunday appointed new Governors for five States. A communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said President Ram Nath Kovind appointed new Governors for Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana.

Former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan, who walked out of the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986 after it decided to overturn the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano judgment, was appointed Governor of Kerala.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been named the Governor of Maharashtra, while Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan will be the new Governor of Telangana.

Former Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will be the Governor of Himachal Pradesh in place of Kalraj Mishra, who has been given the charge of Rajasthan, replacing Kalyan Singh.

Critic of triple talaq

Mr. Khan, an ardent critic of instant triple talaq and advocate of reforming the Muslim personal law, will be replacing Justice P. Sathasivam (retired).

Another prominent appointment is that of Ms. Soundararajan, who will be replacing Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

Redesigning medical education 

In addition to raising the standards of medical professionals, the system should innovate

02/09/2019 , Krishna Reddy Nallamalla

Despite tremendous changes in health systems over the last century, medical education curricula have remained mostly outdated. The key elements that define today’s global health systems include ageing populations; demand for quality, equity and dignity; transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases and from episodic illnesses to lifelong ailments; double burden of disease in some countries; and disruptive advances in medical knowledge, IT, and biotechnology.

Medical education is the bedrock on which the needs of ‘human resources for health’, one of the major building blocks of any health system, are met. Today’s health professionals are required to have knowledge, skills, and professionalism to provide safe, effective, efficient, timely, and affordable care to people. They are required to: be proficient in handling disruptive technologies, understand the economics of healthcare, have the skills to work in and handle large and diverse teams, be ethical, demonstrate empathy, and be abreast of rapid developments in medicine.

Today’s medical education should be able to groom such professionals to face medicine of the 21st century. In addition to raising the standards of medical professionals, the system should innovate to meet the growing shortage of health professionals to serve ageing populations with lifestyle and lifetime ailments.

Required reforms

First, there is a pressing need to revisit the existing guidelines for setting up medical schools and according permission for the right number of seats. Methods of education across fields are undergoing changes on account of advances in e-learning methods and tools, including remote learning, virtual classrooms, digital dissections, and simulation systems for imparting skills. Extending teaching privileges to practising physicians and allowing e-learning tools will address the shortage of quality teachers across the system. Together, these reforms could double the existing medical seats without compromising on the quality of teaching.

There are ongoing innovations in medical education to prepare professionals for the complex and rapidly changing healthcare system. In fact, The Lancet report, ‘Health Professionals for a new century: transforming health education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world’ (2010) outlines key recommendations to transform health professional education. According to a study by Densen P. (2011), “it is estimated that the doubling time of medical knowledge in 1950 was 50 years; in 1980, 7 years; and in 2010, 3.5 years. In 2020 it is projected to be 0.2 years — just 73 days.”

At this pace of change, a student can be prepared to process information that is readily available than to know past knowledge. Periodic re-certification based on continuing learning systems may become essential to keep up with the fast pace of change. Virtual learning tools eliminate the need for didactic classrooms. Dynamic curricula designed around specific health systems will become more relevant than the systems designed for the classical hospital-based care. Since health professionals work in teams, inter-professional combined learning methods are being introduced. Even the concept of the teaching hospital is changing from a single, large hospital to a network of hospitals and community health centres.

For a more responsive system

The Medical Council of India has been mired in controversies, resulting in deterioration in the quality of education. Also, its policies and strategies were delinked from the rapid changes happening in health systems within India and globally. By monopolising control over every aspect of medical education, it bred the culture of deep-rooted corruption. However, if MCI splits its functions into four well-defined areas, and stipulates fixed and rotating terms to key people, it could enable the creation of a more responsive system.

Krishna Reddy Nallamalla is a senior cardiologist and currently Country Director, ACCESS Health (India)

Jailed convict celebrates birthday, 7 suspended

 02/09/2019 , Sitamarhi

Seven prison officials have been suspended after a video of a murder convict celebrating his birthday in jail went viral online on Saturday. In the video, Pintu Tiwari, who is serving a life sentence for killing two engineers in Darbhanga, is seen cutting a cake and serving mutton curry to other inmates on his birthday as the ‘invitees’ recorded the celebration on mobile phones. PTI

Aadhaar system for NRIs in 3 months 

‘It will do away with 180-day wait’
 
02/09/2019 , PRESS TRUST OF INDIA, New Delhi

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said its systems will be ready within three months to issue Aadhaar cards to NRIs with Indian passports without the mandatory 180- day waiting period, as announced in the Budget.

The legal measures would be notified soon, UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said.

“We are working to make the appropriate technological changes and we will provide an appointment facility where people outside the country also can apply for a time slot and specify the place they would like to go to get their Aadhaar made... as soon as they come to India they can, very conveniently, go and get their Aadhaar made,” Mr. Pandey said.

Sources privy to the development said a notification by the IT Ministry was awaited.

The UIDAI — which has made operational two more Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs) in Bhopal and Chennai after the fourth centre in Hisar was launched recently — is confident of meeting its target of opening 114 such centres in the coming months at an estimated cost of ₹300-₹400 crore to facilitate enrolment, updation and other activities.

Willpower unmarred for couple on wheelchair 

They believe wheels do not make a difference, people can lead a very normal life
 
01/09/2019 , Hemani Bhandari , NEW DELHI 


 
Deepak and Achala got married in 2017.SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKARSHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Around 10 a.m., Deepak Maggo (31) sat on his wheelchair and stepped out of his house. He hopped on to his car and showed how he drives to work everyday using a hand-operated kit.

Deepak’s wife Achala, 32, a senior tax assistant in the Income Tax office, drives an SUV. “Mujhe hamesha bhagna tha, udna tha. Bas rengna nahi tha [I always wanted to run, to fly. I never wanted to crawl],” she said.

Deepak and Achala, both wheelchair users, got married in April 2017 after meeting on Facebook two years before that. Today, their message to wheelchair-bound people is that they can lead a “very normal” life and the wheels should not make a difference.

Ms. Achala took completely to wheels in 2014, months after she met with a car accident near her house in Ashok Vihar. Recalling the incident, she said she had pressed the accelerator instead of applying brake and rammed a car. The incident, she said, left a scarring impact on her mental health.

Spinal illness

“I was about three years old when the doctors diagnosed me with a spinal illness. I was able to walk properly till I was eight, but an operation went wrong. Since then, I used a stick to walk and underwent a series of therapies, including stem cell, but nothing helped. After the accident, I started suffering from mental illness and took medicines. I could not deal with it and thought of ending my life ,” she said.

College dropout

Another setback she recalled, was when she had to drop out of a Delhi University college during graduation. There was lack of infrastructure, classes were on first floor and I was falling randomly, she said. “I recall giving up hope completely that year. But then I studied German and took tuitions at home. Meanwhile, I took Staff Selection Commission Exam and finally got a government job in 2014. Life has been better since then because people are extremely helpful and infrastructure at work is also very supportive,” she said.

Mr. Maggo, on the other hand, comes from a fairly humble background. “I was always independent because I learnt to “crawl” very early in my life. I rarely used a wheelchair till a few years ago. I used to always crawl. I remember crawling in front of 500 people when I was preparing for Chartered Accountant exams and no one made me feel any less,” he said. Mr. Maggo could not clear the examination but now works as a supervisor at the New Delhi Railway Station.

The couple said that wheelchair-bound people connect with each other on Facebook to be able to share their woes and that is how the two met. Mr. Maggo sent a friend request to Ms. Achala. They met, she counselled him into going out of his comfort zone and join sports activities. In the second meeting, he proposed marriage to her.

Ms. Achala recalled taking a year and a half to decide whether it was a wise decision to marry someone who is also on a wheelchair.

“My mother was very possessive. She was not sure whether two wheelchair-bound people would be able to lead a good life. But we discussed how it would be better for us to be together because we were both in the same position and would be able to understand each other better,” she said.

Making trips

The two went to Dubai for their honeymoon and have been taking trips across India since marriage. They make sure the accommodation they are selecting has no accessibility issues. “We also check if the washroom doors can let our wheelchairs in; it is very important,” said Ms. Achala.

She is thankful to her husband for making her confident about travelling, something she was apprehensive about before she met him. “I went to Vaishno Devi with my friends 10 years ago and crawled all the way up. It built my confidence,” said Mr. Maggo.

They have shared travelling videos on their YouTube channel named “Perfect Couple on Wheelchair”. But how do they call themselves a perfect couple? “I support him mentally and emotionally and he supports me physically,” she smiles.

IRCTC to reintroduce convenience fee for online ticket booking from today 

₹15 and ₹30 plus taxes to be collected for sleeper and AC class, respectively

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, MANGALURU

The convenience fee was suspended after demonetisation in Nov. 2016.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a PSU of Indian Railways, has decided to reintroduce the convenience fee, which was suspended on the Union Finance Ministry’s advise after demonetisation in November 2016 to encourage digital transactions, with effect from Sunday.

Those booking online train tickets from Sunday through www.irctc.co.in will have to shell out ₹15 and ₹30 plus taxes as convenience fee per ticket for sleeper class and air-conditioned classes tickets, respectively. This is in addition to the payment gateway charges, if any. Those using UPI for the transaction would be charged ₹10 and ₹20 plus taxes for sleeper class and air-conditioned classes tickets, respectively.

In a letter to the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), Indian Railways’ information technology arm, on Saturday, IRCTC said the Railway Board had approved the corporation’s proposal to levy the convenience fee. It asked the CRIS to make necessary changes in NGeT system to apply the changes for online booking of all tickets through IRCTC. The corporation had suspended collection of convenience fee of ₹20 and ₹40 for sleeper and AC classes from November 23, 2016. The Finance Ministry, which used to reimburse part of the expenses, had told IRCTC that reimbursement cannot continue, according to the corporation’s chairman and managing director M.P. Mall.

Mr. Mall told The Hindu, “Every service has a cost and if the cost is not recovered, we cannot sustain.” The corporation may offer some promotional scheme for UPI transactions, he added.

Mr. Mall said the corporation was expecting to earn about ₹550 crore following reintroduction of the fee in 2019–20.

‘Waiver helped Railways’

Sanjeev Dyamannavar from Prajaa.Raag, a mobility initiative in Bengaluru, said no online service provider levies charges like this. Online ticket booking had helped the Railways to maintain minimum number of staff at its reservation counters while people also benefited from round-the-clock booking facility. Now, people may travel distances to reservation counters, he said.

Yogendra Swamy from Mysuru Grahaka Parishat said that while on the one hand, the government says ‘go digital’, and on the other, it levies charges for digital transactions.

New sitting arrangement at Madurai Bench of Madras High Court 

A new set of judges will preside over court proceedings from September 3 

01/09/2019 , Staff Reporter, MADURAI

A new set of judges will preside over the court proceedings at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court from September 3.

Justice T.S. Sivagnanam will be the Administrative Judge at the High Court Bench for the next three months. A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and R. Tharani will hear public interest litigation petitions, all division bench writ and appeal matters, criminal contempt and appeals relating to orders in contempt proceedings.

After Division Bench sitting, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam will hear old writ petitions. Justice R. Tharani will hear civil revision petitions of 2014.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and N. Anand Venkatesh will hear habeas corpus petitions, all criminal appeals and criminal cases to be heard by Division Bench, including crime against women and children.

After Division Bench sitting, Justice S. Vaidyanathan will hear old civil revision petitions. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh will hear criminal original petitions and writ petitions (CrPC) of 2017.

Justice V.M. Velumani will hear writ petitions relating to labour and service from 2016 and writ petitions relating to Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme. Justice S.S. Sundar will hear writ petitions relating to labour and service up to the year 2015.

Justice V. Parthiban will hear criminal appeals, including appeals relating to crime against women and children and criminal revision petitions from 2015.

Justice M. Govindaraj will hear writ petitions relating to motor vehicles, motor vehicle tax, all other taxes and duties, export and import, customs and central excise, prohibition and state excise, mines and minerals, forests and industries.

Justice M. Sundar will hear writ petitions relating to general miscellaneous, education, land reforms, land tenancy, land ceiling, land acquisition and other land laws.

Justice J. Nisha Banu will hear first appeals and second appeals up to 2014. Justice G. R. Swaminathan will hear criminal original petitions, anticipatory bail petitions and bail petitions, writ petitions (CrPC) up to the year 2016.

Justice P.T. Asha will hear second appeals from 2015, civil miscellaneous second appeals, company appeals, transfer civil miscellaneous petitions and civil revision petitions up to 2013.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan will hear criminal original petitions and writ petitions (CrPC) from 2018. Justice B. Pugalendhi will hear criminal appeals including appeals relating to crime against women and children and criminal revision petitions up to 2014, CBI and Prevention of Corruption Act cases.

Justice Krishnan Ramasamy will hear civil miscellaneous appeals and civil revision petitions from 2015.