Top doctors perform live eye surgeries

The Live Surgery 360 Degree which covered the gamut of ophthalmology was useful for practising ophthalmologists and postgraduate students across the country, the release said.

Published: 09th January 2020 06:53 AM 

For representational purposes

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Rajan Eye Care Hospital, a super specialty eye hospital and a postgraduate institute of ophthalmology, organised a one-day conference ‘Live Surgery 360 degree’ at Hotel Accord Metropolitan recently. Twenty-one top surgeons from across India performed live ophthalmic surgeries that were broadcast from the operation theatre at Rajan Eye Care Hospital using fibre optic cable to Hotel Accord Metropolitan, said a press release.

According to the release, live surgeries including Femto cataract, robotic cataract surgery, phacoemulsification with foldable intraocular lens implantation — multifocal, trifocal, extended range of vision lenses, corneal transplant surgery, squint surgery and anti-glaucoma surgery were performed. Another unique feature of the conference was the 3D live surgeries for cataract, which were performed. Over 350 delegates from across India attended the conference, which has been credited with 15 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit points by the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.The Live Surgery 360 Degree which covered the gamut of ophthalmology was useful for practising ophthalmologists and postgraduate students across the country, the release said.

Naidu, others taken into custody 

Police detain former Andhra Pradesh CM as he tried to embark on a bus yatra 

09/01/2020 , Staff Reporter, VIJAYAWADA


 
Obstacle course: TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with other leaders being taken in a bus after being detained by police in Vijayawada on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, MLC Nara Lokesh and MLAs K. Atchannaidu and Nimmala Rama Naidu, CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna and several activists of Amaravati Parirakshana Samiti (APS) were taken into custody by the police at Benz Circle here on Wednesday night as they tried to embark on a bus yatra to the districts to garner support for the agitation against the proposed development of three capital cities.

Trouble broke out when Mr. Naidu and others were prevented from staging a march to Auto Nagar, where the buses were parked to branch out to districts on a bus yatra for garnering support for the agitation against the proposed development of three capital cities.

Earlier, Mr. Naidu inaugurated the APS office at the busy junction in the presence of a huge gathering.

Heated arguments and a scuffle ensued between the police and protesters, and it led to Mr. Naidu and his party cadres and APS activists squatting on the road.

Vehicular traffic came to a standstill and the police made Mr. Naidu and others board a department vehicle, but it could not make a headway due to the blockade for sometime.

Tension prevailed as the protesters refused to yield and accused the police of high-handedness.

Amidst the chaos, the keys of the police vehicle were apparently lost and the driver tried to start the engine with alternative keys and finally succeeded.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy pushed the State into uncertainty by proposing to shift the capital out of Amaravati on partisan grounds.

He demanded that the Chief Minister rethink and not treat the State, particularly the capital region, as his fiefdom.

Mr. Naidu expressed regret that some farmers who gave their lands for the capital had died, and the agony of thousands more was continuing as the government appeared determined to shift the capital.

Later, the police shifted Mr. Naidu to his residence along with other protesters.

‘University campuses have been turned into battlefields’ 

Delhi University students take out a march in solidarity with JNU

09/01/2020 , Shinjini Ghosh, Elisha Vermani, New Delhi 


 
Delhi University students during a march in North Campus on Wednesday. special arrangement

Thousands of Delhi University (DU) students took to the streets on Wednesday in solidarity with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and faculty who were attacked by a mob that had barged into the university campus on January 5.

Braving incessant drizzle, the students raised slogans against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR), and the New Education Policy (NEP), while demanding that universities should be safe places for expression.

Students and faculty from various colleges affiliated to DU assembled at the Arts Faculty and took out a protest march in North Campus.

Several of the students were taking part in a protest for the first time. Rishika Rampal, a second-year student of Jesus and Mary College (JMC) said, “I decided to join the march to raise my voice against the atrocities that the current government is unleashing on people. Right from CAA to the recent violence in JNU... it has become too much now and cannot be tolerated any more.”

Anagha Pavitran, a student of Indraprastha College for Women, said: “The political scenario in this country is worsening by the day. Students are being attacked, the police is firing on unarmed citizens and we all know what is happening in Uttar Pradesh. As citizens of this country we can’t just keep watching all this unfold.”

‘Protecting Constitution’

Students shouted “Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna” and “Inquilab Zindabad” while carrying placards like “Ready to die but not ready to accept CAA” and “Stop crushing the anti-fee hike movement”.

Kanika Dasauni, a student of Miranda House, said she joined the protest to ensure equality and safeguard the Constitution.

Utkarsh Bharadwaj, a student of Amedkar University, said: “This fascist government has turned our campuses into battlefields by giving a free reign to the BJP affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the police to curb any dissent.”

Students of several colleges, including St. Stephens College, Delhi School of Economics and JMC, conducted protests within their campuses earlier in the day.

The march culminated inside the Arts Faculty with several speakers, including film maker Rahul Roy, lawyer Gautam Bhatia and others addressing the gathering.

Students of St Stephen’s College also boycotted classes on Wednesday. They also assembled in the college lawns and read out the Preamble.

Re-register scholar in PhD, court tells JNU 

She alleged harassment by professors

09/01/2020 , Staff Reporter, New Delhi

The Delhi High Court has directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to re-register in a PhD programme a research scholar who had made sexual harassment allegations against two professors.

Justice Pratibha M. Singh also directed the university to provide her with hostel facilities in the winter session commencing on January, 2020.

The judge said the manner in which the re-registration request of the scholar was being examined was “unsatisfactory” despite the Internal Complaints Committee’s (ICC) recommendations being in her favour. “Her continuation in the PhD. programme shall be as per the rules governing the said programme,” the High Court added.

On January 9, 2018, the research scholar had filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment, before the ICC of JNU.

After an enquiry that lasted nearly eight months, on August 2, 2018, the ICC submitted its report which recommended that her request for registration be considered.

The ICC had in August 2018 recommended that the scholar’s request for registration in the PhD programme be considered by the varsity and should not be rejected merely on ground of delay.

The ICC also recommended that one of the professors should be censured for creating uncertainty by not giving a No Objection Certificate to the complainant as well as directing her to de-register against her will. It recommended censuring the other professor for failing to place the application of the complainant for changing the supervisor before the faculty meeting that was a “lapse” on his part.

Plea in SC on minority institutions’ appointments 

 09/01/2020 , legal correspondent, NEW DELHI

Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde on Wednesday agreed to examine next week a plea to stay a January 6 judgment by the Supreme Court , which declared that the State is well within its rights to regulate the appointment of teachers to minority-run institutions in the “national interest”.

The judgment, delivered by a Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U.U. Lalit in S.K. Mohd Raffique versus Managing Committee, Contai Rehmania High Madrasah and Others, gave the State an absolute right to impose regulations on minority established and administered institutions in the appointment of teachers, saying the step was necessary to achieve excellence in education in these institutions.

Govt. introduces three Bills in Assembly 

Amendment proposed to the Cooperative Societies Act, 1983

09/01/2020 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

The AIADMK government introduced three Bills in the Assembly on Wednesday.

While one sought to empower the government to take action against president or vice-president of registered cooperative societies, another sought to provide more powers to government in appointing the Vice-Chancellor to Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University.

While Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju was introducing the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the House, DMK MLA K. Pitchandi (Kilpennathur) opposed it.

At present, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act, 1983, has no provision to place the president or vice-president of a registered cooperative society under suspension in the event of misappropriation of funds or breach of trust or gross mismanagement of the affairs of the society. Hence, the Bill was introduced in the House.

Soon after Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar introduced the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the House, DMK legislator U. Mathivanan (Kilvelur) opposed it.

The Bill seeks to provide powers to the State government to monitor the usage of government funds by the university and with power of inspection and inquiry. It has been decided to include a government nominee in the panel for selection of persons for appointment as Vice-Chancellor.

While Agriculture Minister R. Doraikkannu was introducing the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020, DMK member S. Austin (Kanniyakumari) opposed it in the initial stage itself.

The proposed legislation sought to replace the Ordinance promulgated earlier to extend the tenure of the special officers appointed to manage the affairs of the market committee pending the constitution of a new market committee by another six months beyond November 2019.

The Bills are likely to be taken up for consideration in the House later during the ongoing session.

We have always opposed NEET in State, says Minister 

Vijayabaskar rebuts charge of AIADMK softening on test

09/01/2020 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

C. Vijayabaskar

The AIADMK government maintained in the Assembly on Wednesday that it was still strong in its stand against implementing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions in Tamil Nadu.

Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said the State government continued its stand against NEET in the State and was taking “multi-dimensional efforts” against the entrance test that include political pressure as well as legal option.

Dr. Vijayabaskar was replying to DMK president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin, who raised the issue in the House during zero hour and questioned the State government on the status of the case by it in the Supreme Court last week.

The DMK leader sought to know from the government whether it was planning to take steps for another resolution against NEET since the earlier resolution passed by the Assembly was withheld by the President. Mr. Stalin said the action of the AIADMK government was the “biggest betrayal to social justice and students from rural areas.”

‘Opportunity lost’

The Health Minister took a dig at the DMK for having “sowed seeds of betrayal” as early as December 2010 when the idea of NEET came about during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), in which the DMK was an ally.

He said the State government was committed to fight against NEET and hence it had moved the Supreme Court seeking to challenge a provision governing the Indian Medical Council Act.

When Mr. Stalin said it was his party which moved the court against NEET and got a stay, Dr. Vijayabaskar said the then Medical Council of India under the UPA regime moved a review plea in the case despite the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urging against it.

DMK’s Deputy Leader Duraimurugan intervened to say that the former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was “stubborn” in her stand against NEET but since her death, the ruling party could not prevent holding of the entrance test in the State.

A defensive Dr. Vijayabaskar listed the efforts taken by the AIADMK government against NEET through the years and said the DMK lost the opportunity to stop the entrance test while it had a chance and was now questioning the AIADMK.