Polling passes off peacefully in Delhi

09/02/2020

Security personnel on guard outside the Jafrabad polling station in New Delhi on Saturday. Sandeep Saxena

Shahdara SDM Debasis Biswal said that the polling officer, Udham Singh, a municipal schoolteacher, had complained of chest pain and uneasiness after which he was rushed to a nearby hospital.

In another incident, a 59-year-old man standing in a queue to cast his vote at a polling station in Hari Nagar died of a reported heart attack on Saturday morning. Police said that a PCR call was received at 10.30 a.m. about a man having collapsed outside a polling station in Hari Nagar.

The man was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. He was identified as Nitin Bhakhru, a resident of Nanakpura.

Man fined ₹42,500 for allowing minor to ride his vehicle

09/02/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,BHUBANESWAR

The transport authority in Odisha’s Bhadrak district has slapped a penalty of ₹42,500 on a man for allowing a minor to ride his motorcycle, violating traffic rules, under the new motor vehicles law, officials said. The minor was found riding the bike without a helmet, with two of his friends on pillion, they said.

The challan has been issued in the name of the two-wheeler owner under the provisions of the amended Motor Vehicles Act, traffic inspector Dhaneswar Nayak said. “The boy was found riding the two-wheeler on the wrong side of the road on Thursday. We have slapped a composite fine of ₹42,500 for violating traffic rules,” he said.

The challan was issued under various heads, such as ₹500 for general offence, ₹5,000 for allowing a person to drive a vehicle with no valid papers, ₹5,000 for riding a motorbike without driving licence, ₹5,000 for driving against the flow of traffic, ₹1,000 for riding a two-wheeler with more than two persons and ₹1,000 for riding a motorcycle without helmet.

EC gives red-carpet treatment to voters

Stations equipped with facilities, including wheelchairs, ramps and more

09/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER,NEW DELHI

A  differenltly abled voter being helped by volunteers at a polling station in Laxmi Nagar on Saturday. Sandeep Saxena

To make the voting experience in the Delhi polls a pleasant affair, the Election Commission (EC) had on Saturday set up 70 model polling stations across the Capital where the voters were given a “red-carpet treatment”.

The model polling stations had several facilities such as toilets, drinking water, shade, ramps and wheelchairs. The stations were set up inside maintained buildings with freshly painted walls, and quality furniture for polling personnel. The voters appreciated the efforts of the EC personnel, especially the arrangement made for senior citizens and the differently abled. Urmila Devi from west Ansari Nagar said: “The arrangements for voters here at the Atal Adarsh Vidyalaya, Havlock Square, are commendable. But this is also because of the facelift that the school received because of the Delhi government.”

Shalu Devi, a voter from Civil Lines, said: “Everyone deployed to assist voters have been very helpful... from information about the booths to queries related to water and assisting senior citizens. The authorities have done a good job.” A model polling station in Green Park had a red carpet laid out for voters from the gate to the polling booth. The station had a first-aid booth and huge waiting areas with chairs. Most of these model polling stations also had women officials. In a model polling station in Chilla village, officials put up selfie booths, had large waiting areas, and even made arrangements to engage children. Some polling stations in east Delhi had put up posters made by schoolchildren celebrating elections.

Continuous learning essential to be successful in career: VC
1,389 get degrees during the 54th Graduation Day

09/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Proud: Vaidehi Vijayakumar, Vice-Chancellor, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal, handing over a degree certificate to a student in Madurai on Saturday.S. JamesS. James

It is important for students to develop inter-disciplinary skills when technology is evolving constantly.

Apart from pursuing theoretical knowledge, students must develop critical thinking, gain practical experience and take part in extracurricular activities to be successful in their career, said Vice-Chancellor of Mother Teresa Women’s University Vaidehi Vijayakumar on Saturday.

Speaking at the 54th Graduation Day of Lady Doak College, she said continuous learning and constant update of knowledge would help graduates identify and sustain a good career. They should be curious to update the latest developments.

She urged the graduates to optimally utilise opportunities to be successful. “Unless knowledge is transformed to create innovations that help create social or economic change, it does not serve its purpose. So make use of the opportunities to become successful entrepreneurs,” she said. She said that failure is an inevitable part of success.

A total of 1,389 graduates received degrees during the event.

Principal Christianna Singh presented the annual report and highlighted the achievements of the college in the past one year. She stressed that graduates should focus on moral values and be socially responsible to be successful in life.

Former Chief Secretary to take the political plunge
Rama Mohana Rao promises ‘new approach’ to politics

09/02/2020, L. SRIKRISHNA ,MADURAI

P. Rama Mohana Rao   M. VEDHAN

Former Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao on Saturday expressed his intention to launch a political party to “give more meaning to inclusiveness” of all classes of people in politics, which alone, he said, will ensure social justice and the overall development of the State.

The former bureaucrat, who was in the city at the invitation of the Tamil Nadu Naidu Mahajana Sangam to participate in the 437th birth anniversary celebrations of Mannar Thirumalai Naicker, told The Hindu that he wished to introduce a new approach to politics/public life, where all sections will have the opportunity to serve their society and contribute to its growth.

Classifying his political plan of action into five key aspects, he said he will be a voice for the unrepresented communities; be a part of the under-represented segments in public life; bring excluded groups into the mainstream; give hope to such communities and encourage them to come to the forefront of developments; and identify professionals in the unorganised sector. He claimed that communities with more than a million voters in Tamil Nadu had no political representation in the Assembly. Communities with a population of 40 to 50 lakh voters had just two MLAs, he added.

He said excluded groups, which had a voter population of about 20 lakh or lower, continued to be neglected by the Dravidian parties.

Over the last 9 months, Mr. Rao said, he had been meeting people from different walks of life in Chennai, Erode, Salem and Madurai. “As of now, it looks like the goal is achievable...” he said. He did not rule out allying with political outfits.

Prior to his stint as Chief Secretary, Mr. Rao served as Principal Secretary to then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for a few years.

Don’t interfere with transfer of doctors, govt. urges High Court
‘Strike by doctors cannot be justified on any equitable ground’

09/02/2020, MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S.,CHENNAI

The State government has urged the Madras High Court not to interfere with the inter-district transfer of government doctors who took part in the strike between October 25 and November 1 last year in support of their various demands, including pay hike.

In a counter affidavit filed before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) T.S. Swathi Rethnavathi said: “Strike affects society. In case of strike by doctors, innocent patients suffer. Doctors’ strike cannot be justified on any equitable ground.”

The counter was filed in response to a batch of writ petitions filed by the doctors concerned, through their counsel C. Kanagaraj, challenging their transfer.

Advocate-General Vijay Narayan pressed for dismissal of all writ petitions. Mr. Narayan argued that the Supreme Court, in Rajendra Singh’s case (2009), had stated that courts should not interfere with transfer orders passed in public interest and for administrative reasons if there was no mala fide intention.

However, when the petitioner’s counsel claimed that those working under the Director of Medical Education (DME) could not be transferred by the DMS and vice-versa, the judge asked the A-G to get it clarified by Tuesday.

In her counter, Ms. Rethnavathi said the government health facilities in the State cater to over five lakh outpatients and 60,000 inpatients every day and 68% of child births in the State were handled by government healthcare institutions.

While taluk and district headquarters hospitals, categorised as secondary care institutions, fall under the administrative control of DMS, the tertiary care institutions such as medical colleges attached to government hospitals were under the control of DME.

There were more than 16,000 medical officers in Tamil Nadu Medical Service before 2009 and they did not have sufficient promotional opportunities.

Hence, at the request of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA), the government introduced time-bound career progression.

Fresh demands

Although the government doctors were now paid as per the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, the DMS said, new demands were raised last year by a federation of a few “unrecognised” doctors’ associations.

Even as their demands were being considered, members of the Federation of Government Doctors’ Association (FOGDA) began an indefinite strike when there was a dengue outbreak across the State.

The strike commenced despite a warning issued by the government on October 18.

2 more held in connection with TNPSC exam scam

09/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,TIRUCHI

The CB-CID on Saturday arrested two more persons in connection with malpractices in the 2017 Group II-A examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

N. Venkateswaran, 36, of Pattukottai in Thanjavur district, employed as an assistant in the Commercial Taxes Department office in Pattukottai, and M. Vimalkumar, 34, of Musiri, working as an assistant in the Highways Department in Tiruchi, were arrested in connection with the scam.

Venkateswaran had allegedly paid ₹12 lakh to Jayakumar — the prime accused in the case — through Vasanthakumar, the Village Administrative Officer of Uthiramerur, to obtain a score of 265.5. He had secured the 41st rank in the exam. Vimalkumar had paid ₹7 lakh to Jayakumar through one Radha and got the 22nd rank with a score of 276, a CB-CID press release said.

Preliminary investigation found that 42 candidates, who appeared for the exam at the Rameswaram centre in 2017, scored high marks by indulging in malpractice. The CB-CID had registered a case on January 31, based on a complaint from the TNPSC.

Already, as many as 33 persons had been arrested in connection with the Group II-A and Group IV exam scams, and the latest arrests were made as the investigations continued, the CB-CID said.