Guest faculty protest removal from service

TNN | Feb 27, 2020, 04.52 AM IST

Trichy: Redeployment of excess teachers from Annamalai University, Chidambaram to three government colleges in Trichy and Pudukottai has created a ruckus as the guest faculty members working in the colleges have been asked to leave the institutions.
Guest faculty members in the recently-converted government arts and science colleges in Lalgudi, Orthanadu and Aranthangi staged a protest seeking reinstatement of the guest staff members who have been asked to leave the colleges.

The director of collegiate education, Chennai has ordered for the redeployment of 39 excess teaching staff from Annamalai University on Tuesday. These teachers have been redeployed in place of vacant posts in colleges, which have been presently being managed by ad hoc teachers for years together.

With the redeployment of the staff, four guest faculty members from Lalgudi college and three each from Orthanadu and Aranthangi colleges have been asked to leave.

One of the guest faculty from Orthanadu college said that she is working as a guest faculty for the last nine years and now suddenly she has been asked to leave the college despite being a qualified teacher.

UGC has mandated that not more than 20% staff members in an institution should be hired on ad hoc, but most of the constituent colleges under Bharathidasan University are run with more than 80% guest faculty members. While we have worked for the development of the college all these years we have been asked to leave all of a sudden, she said. There are more than 200 guest faculty members working in 10 constituent colleges working under Bharathidasan University, among which four have been converted into govenrment colleges recently. TNN

Students, public can visit BDU research centres today

TNN | Feb 28, 2020, 04.10 AM IST

Trichy: The research centres and laboratories of 22 science departments at Bharathidasan University here will remain open for college and school students and the public on Friday in view of National Science Day. The university will conduct the annual National Science Day programmes on Friday and Saturday.

The ‘open day’ is observed to display the university’s research infrastructure and activities happening there.

The university has equipment worth several crores of rupees for research. They include Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope worth Rs 2 crore and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy worth Rs 1 crore.

“Women in Science is the theme of the National Science Day this year. We have invited 150 colleges and many schools asking them to encourage girl students to visit the university,” said S Rajasekar, dean, faculty of science, engineering and technology, BDU.

The visit would motivate the students to take up a career in science in future, he added.

BDU launches exclusive website for entrepreneurs

TNN | Feb 28, 2020, 04.12 AM IST

Trichy: Bharathidasan University (BDU) has launched an exclusive website (www.bechrusa.in) for its entrepreneurship, innovation and career hub, which was started last year, with an objective to develop innovative ideas by students into business models. Students from BDU and its affiliated colleges can apply for theme-based projects, post-doctoral fellowships and seed money for start-up ideas through the portal.

BDU is among seven universities in the state which was allotted Rs 15 crore under the Rashtrya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA 2.0) to establish entrepreneurship and innovation career hub.

The hub, registered as Bharathidasan University Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Career Hub (Bech), under Section 8 of Companies Act, 2013, will inculcate entrepreneurial skills in the academic curriculum and research at the higher education level.

“Bech will promote students to become innovative entrepreneurs on completion of graduate studies. It is ready with a roadmap in preparing students right from the basics of entrepreneurship, project proposal, research and training and seed money till they come out with a prototype to become a full-fledged entrepreneur,” said BDU vice-chancellor P Manisankar

Bech has been organizing a series of awareness programmes towards sensitizing students on entrepreneurship, innovation in a systematic and scientific manner.

“Bech has plans to collaborate with a global partner to give shape to entrepreneurship and innovation career hub and plan further development,” said N Prasanna, Bech co-coordinator. “We are looking forward to nurture ideas from students that can be developed into a successful business model,” he said.

Officials take bribe through touts, farmers tell collector

TNN | Feb 29, 2020, 04.18 AM IST

Trichy: Collector S Sivarasu has warned government officials who demand bribe for discharging their official duties of strict action. Farmers at the grievance meet alleged that government officials have invented news ways to take bribe from people through touts, even as services can be availed online bypassing touts. Responding to a complaint, the collector said that he would order the police to conduct searches at the government offices where bribery complaints are rampant.

The collector made the statement after Puratchi Thalaivar MGR social workers association president V Ganesan from Musiri raised allegation of interference by touts at all the government offices, particularly in getting certificates for income, nativity, community etc. After listening to the complaint, the collector denied it stating that people can apply for certificates and other services online where touts and bribery is not possible.

Accepting the collector’s reply, Ganesan said that the online system has failed to serve its purpose because touts persuade applicants as they are able get files quickly processed with the connivance of officers concerned and fleece them.

“Though the online system is in place, touts are taking the call in many of the offices because the officers keep the touts to indirectly take bribe from applicants. Having no other option, the applicant also shell out their hard earned money to get the work done at the earliest. Or, they will have to wait for a long time and made to run from pillar to post,” said Ganesan.

A farmers’ association leader who was also part of the grievance day meeting also echoed the same view that many of the government officials were inventing novel ways to fleece the general public to clear their files.

Ganesan also complained to the collector about missing boards at the offices of village administrative officers (VAO) which has the working hours. “None of the VAO offices has the board mentioning the working hours. It should be in place so that the people can meet them conveniently,” he said. The collector has assured to look into the matter.

Health worker gets 3 yrs jail for taking Rs 300 bribe

TNN | Feb 29, 2020, 04.20 AM IST

Trichy: The special court for prevention of corruption act (PCA) cases in Trichy on Friday convicted a woman multipurpose health worker of taking a bribe of Rs 300 from a pregnant woman for issuing her the government’s maternity assistance.

The judge handed out simple imprisonment for one and two years to T Kalaiselvi, 39, of Ponnagar for accepting gratification and criminal misconduct respectively. The judge also ordered her to pay Rs 1,000 each as fine for the two offences. The judge however released the woman on bail considering the quantum of punishment, which is below three years.

It was a 12-year-old case that came to an end on Friday. Kalaiselvi was a multipurpose health worker at the urban primary health centre (UPHC) in Periya Milaguparai. S Elizabeth Rani, 28, a pregnant woman from Edamalaipattipudhur, enlisted her help for getting financial assistance of Rs 6,000 under the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy maternity assistance scheme, and got the first instalment of Rs 3000 before her delivery.

After the child was born, Kalaiselvi waited for the second instalment of Rs 3,000. However, instead of giving the cheque addressed to Elizabeth Rani, she demanded Rs 300 as bribe to hand it over. Unwilling to bribe her, the woman lodged a complaint with the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) in Trichy on May 27, 2008. The team laid a trap the next day and caught Kalaiselvi red-handed at the PHC when she was accepting the money from Elizhabeth Rani.

Tamil Nadu: GRH new burns ward ready, yet to be opened

TNN | Feb 27, 2020, 04.40 AM IST

MADURAI: A new state-of-the-art burns ward, which was proposed to be built at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai at a cost of Rs 6 crore, is yet to be inaugurated.

According to sources, construction of the building is complete but it is yet to be equipped and opened for use.

Dean of the GRH, Dr Sangumani J asserted that the new ward would be fully ready within the next two weeks.

The proposal for the new ward had come in 2018 after the current 20-bedded burns ward was found to have flaws and was found insufficient to handle victims with burn injuries in the aftermath of the forest fire at Kurangini in Theni, which left 23 dead.

“The building is fully complete. However, the necessary equipment is yet to be acquired. Within two weeks, we are hoping to get it. Soon after it is done, we want to equip and open the ward as soon as possible,” said Sangumani, speaking to TOI.

However, hospital sources said the building was completed almost two months ago but was just kept locked up.

“We were expecting it to be equipped soon and opened but it did not happen. We suspected administrative delays,” said a source.

The building of the new burns ward is located close to the ophthalmology section and old nephrology department near the hospital’s compound wall.

The ward, as proposed, is set to be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to provide specialized care for patients with burn injuries. The unit is set to have water beds and kept fully-sterile fitted with hepa filters.

The facility would be centrally air-conditioned and there would also be an upgraded laboratory to treat patients better.

In a similar case, a new separate clinic for transgender people has been built and kept ready but is yet to be officially inaugurated.

Act on bogus institutes offering unrecognized med courses: HC

TNN | Feb 28, 2020, 04.32 AM IST

Madurai: Madras high court has dismissed a batch of petitions filed by electropathy practitioners taking cognizance of the fact that they obtained unrecognized medical diploma degrees from unrecognized institutions. The court directed the central and state governments to take immediate action against bogus institutes offering such courses putting at stake the lives of youngsters.

The petitioners had sought to forbear the registrar of Tamil Nadu Homeopathy Medical Council from interfering with their practice by asking them not to practise without registering their diploma certificates in their council. They said the police were carrying out inspections in their clinics. When they approached the council seeking recognition, it was not granted. On perusal of the submissions, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana observed that most of the certificates produced by the petitioners of their diploma degree were issued by private institutions without affiliation to any statutory body or university recognised by Acts of Parliament. Having joined such courses, they were stopped from claiming any right to register themselves in the statutory council or practise.

Taking cognizance of the fact that Electro Homeopathy System of Medicine (Recognition) Bill has not been passed in Parliament, the judge dismissed the petitions. The judge noted that this was a classic example of students taking up an unrecognized course and being forced to linger around the court even after completing the course successfully, wasting time, money and risk for which they are not responsible. “The right of every Indian citizen to health and the right to receive proper medical care by qualified medical personnel is violated not only by the existence of quacks, but also by the practitioners with unrecognized medical degree. Eventually, the life of the patient is at risk,” the court said adding the quality and faith in the medical education would come down significantly if such unrecognized medical certificates are permitted to be issued.

The judge observed that the union ministry of health and family welfare had issued an order in 2003 directing the state governments and union territories to ensure that no institutions offer any degree or diploma in the stream of medicine which have not been recommended for recognition. Despite this, the institutes in which the petitioners studied were able to offer such course. The issue cannot be weighed lightly and the authorities concerned should be held accountable. The judge directed the central and state governments to take immediate action against such institutes and have a serious check on these issues without any delay. The judge also asked the students to be cautious before choosing a course and institutions.