Calls for V-C’s removal now unreasonable: HRD Minister
22/01/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Calls for the removal of JNU Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar are now unreasonable as the basic demand of students on hostel fee hike has been met, said Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

The situation in the university is turning normal and students who want to study should not be disturbed, the Minister said.

Last year in October, JNU administration announced a hike in hostel fee, including introduction of service and utility charges. Following this, students took to streets demanding a roll back, prompting the HRD Ministry to form a panel to mediate between the agitating students and the administration.

“The basic demand of students about the hostel fee hike has been met. The calls for JNU V-C’s removal now are unreasonable,” Mr. Pokhriyal said.

8 tourists from Kerala found dead in Nepal hotel room

They are believed to have died of asphyxiation from 

malfunctioning gas heater

22/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Tragic holiday: Hospital staff shifting the bodies of tourists into an ambulance at Kathmandu on Tuesday. At right, Praveen Krishnan Nair and his family who were among the victims.AP

A holiday in Nepal turned tragic for a group of friends from Kerala and their families, as eight of them, including four children, were found dead, presumably due to asphyxiation caused by a malfunctioning gas heater in their hotel room.

The deceased have been identified as Praveen Krishnan Nair, 39, his wife Saranya, 34, their children Sreebhadra, 9, Aarcha, 8, and Abhinav, 7, Renjith Kumar, 39, his wife Indu, 34, and son Vaishnav, 2.

They were part of a group of 15 members belonging to four families who had travelled to Nepal last week.

They were staying at a hotel in Daman, located in Makwanpur district, on their way back from Pokhara to catch a flight back to India. They checked in at the hotel on Monday night. Two of the families shared one room, while the others stayed in the second room. Gas heaters were switched on due to the cold weather. The room was bolted from inside and there was hardly any ventilation.

On Tuesday morning, all the eight in the first room were found unconscious. They were airlifted to the HAMS hospital in Kathmandu, where they were pronounced dead on arrival. The deaths are presumed to have been due to carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by a gas leak in the heater.

According to Kannan, Praveen’s cousin, the trip was a sort of get-together for four college friends and their families. Praveen, Renjith Kumar, Jayakrishnan and Ramkumar were batchmates at the Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering, Pappanamcode, from where they passed out in 2004.

Praveen, hailing from Chenkottukonam on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city, was working at a private firm in Dubai. Saranya, his wife, had shifted back to Ernakulam a few years back to complete her M.Pharm, which she would have done in March.

Renjith Kumar, hailing from Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode district, was running an IT company, while his wife Indu was working at a co-operative bank. Their son Madhav, who was sleeping in the other room, survived.

After post-mortem, the bodies are expected to be brought here by Wednesday.

‘Rajini must watch what he says about Periyar’

Actor’s comment draws flak, support

22/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

With actor Rajinikanth standing firm on his comment on Periyar, it has attracted criticism and support from different quarters. DMK president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday said that the actor must watch what he speaks about Tamil leaders. “Rajinikanth is not a politician. He is just an actor. Thanthai Periyar fought for the Tamil people for 95 years. Rajinikanth should be mindful of what he says about him,” said M.K. Stalin.

Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that comments against leaders who are not alive should not be allowed in the society. “I condemn his statement. Rajinikanth shouldn’t rake up old issues and create controversies,” he said. Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani said that Rajinikanth has said something that was ‘false’. “In his eagerness to praise Thuglak editor Cho, Rajinikanth has spoken about something that Cho didn’t write about in Thuglak and Thuglak didn’t publish. Who is making him speak like this?” asked K. Veeramani.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Chief Thirumavalavan on Tuesday urged Rajinikanth to fully know the facts before speaking about Periyar. “What Rajinikanth spoke about Periyar was false. This is why we asked him to apologise. We are not forcing him to do it. We hoped that he would apologise. We hope that once he realises that he was wrong, he would come forward to apologise,” said Mr. Thirumavalavan. He said that Rajinikanth has fallen into the trap of Sangh Parivar forces.

Thuglak’s editor and a close associate of Rajinikanth, S. Gurumurthy, on Tuesday posted on social media that the actor’s comments are a reflection of his ‘Spiritual Politics’. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said that he was on the side of Rajinikanth on this issue.

Training for DEOs in Madurai on January 24, 25

22/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

A total of 60 District Education Officers (DEOs) from across Tamil Nadu are expected to attend a training programme on handling school administration here on January 24 and 25.

The 60 officers, who were recently promoted to the post, will be taught how to tackle issues relating to handling finance and fixation based on pay.

The focus will also lie on working through litigations, handling court cases and approaching litigants, said a senior official from the School Education Department.

Samagra Shiksha

The programme is usually conducted once a year for new appointees. The programme has been primarily conducted under the Central government’s Samagra Shiksha programme, which aims at improving school effectiveness through equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.

The programme will also teach the participants to handle disciplinary action against colleagues and students.

The implementation of new schemes and usage of technology will also be taught to the District Education Officers .

R.Sudalaikannan, State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, and S. Kannappan, Director of School Education, are expected to participate in the event.

‘Implement biometric attendance in govt. hospitals’

22/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to implement biometric attendance in all government hospitals within three months.

The State submitted that biometric attendance was being introduced in most of the hospitals and sought an additional six months.

However, a Division Bench of Justices M. Duraiswamy and T. Ravindran directed the State to implement biometric attendance within three months and adjourned the case for reporting compliance to April 21.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by C. Anand Raj of Madurai. He complained that 25% of the doctors working in government medical college and hospitals, district and taluk hospitals, PHCs and health sub-centres across the State were not regular. They concentrated more on their private practice, which impacted the poor and economically weaker sections.

‘It’s unclear how Coronavirus is transmitted’

More cases expected in China and possibly other countries in the coming days, says WHO official

22/01/2020, BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN,NEW DELHI

Flight risk: A thermal screeening device at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTIPTI

As six deaths were reported in China due to the Novel Coronavirus, Dr. Roderico Ofrin, Regional Emergency Director, World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region, has said much remains to be understood about the virus.

In an interview to The Hindu, he said an emergency meeting of the WHO will assess the situation on Wednesday. It will decide whether the situation constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and what recommendations should be made, he said.

Confirmed cases

The death toll from the virus in China climbed to six on Tuesday as new cases surged beyond 300. Thailand has reported two cases and South Korea one, all involving Chinese travellers from Wuhan. Japan and Taiwan also confirmed one case each.

Stating that not enough is known to draw definitive conclusions about how the virus is transmitted, the clinical features of the disease, its severity, the extent to which it has spread, or its source, Dr. Ofrin said, “Based on previous experiences with respiratory illnesses and in particular with other Coronavirus outbreaks and our analysis of data shared by China, human-tohuman transmission is likely occurring.”

“More cases could be expected in other parts of China and possibly other countries in the coming days,” he said.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. A Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

“An animal source seems the most likely primary source of this outbreak, with limited human-to-human transmission occurring between close contacts. WHO’s guidance to countries and individuals includes the possibility of the disease spreading through contact with animals, contaminated food, and/or person to person,” said Dr. Ofrin.

Read full interview at http://bit.ly/ChinaVirusWho

‘Employees spend over 3 hours a day on tasks that can be easily automated’
22/01/2020, PTI

An average employee spends more than three hours a day on mundane computer tasks that are not part of their primary job and ripe for human error, says a survey. These office workers are open to automation of repetitive digital tasks.

According to a global study commissioned by Automation Anywhere, in India, out of 1,000 participants surveyed, 88% believe humans should not be carrying out repetitive administrative tasks if these can be automated.

The research by the robotic process automation player noted that nearly half of the workers surveyed found digital administration boring and a poor use of their skills, while majority of the respondents said it gets in the way of doing their main job and reduces their overall productivity.

By deploying a digital workforce and automating these repetitive tasks, employees can be given back a quarter of their annual work time (4.5 months) to focus on more meaningful work, boosting productivity and overall business value.