Thursday, September 17, 2020
Foreign students doing PG at AIIMS Delhi not paid stipend
In Tiruvarur, the dead too apply for PMAY benefits
In Tiruvarur, the dead too apply for PMAY benefits
Vincent.Arockiaraj@timesgroup.com
Tiruvarur: 17.09.2020
Scam in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) implementation is not new to Thalayamangalam village in Mannargudi taluk in Tiruvarur district where many who are dead have the rare distinction of resurrecting themselves from the grave to apply for PMAY benefits to construct houses.
The villagers themselves had exposed the officials who indulged in large-scale irregularities in construction of 275 houses under PMAY a few months ago. They took it to court too. The MDMK and CPM functionaries, who spearheaded the movement, said the scam was reported in most of the 430 villages in Tiruvarur district.
Of 275 ‘applicants’ in the village, money sanctioned to 103 beneficiaries was swindled without carrying out any work. Many among the remaining 172 ‘applicants’ had not applied. Except a few real beneficiaries, all others were cheated one way or the other by a syndicate of officials and local politicians, said P Masilamani, former president of the village and MDMK union secretary who exposed the fraud. “Swindling happened between 2016 and 2019, when there was no elected local body in place. But it came to light only in July 2020. Irregularities happened in construction of free toilets too. We lodged a complaint with police this July,” he said.
G Sundaramoorthi, district president of the CPM, said though action had been taken against some officials, the entire money should be recovered and all those involved in the fraud arrested. K Ambikapathi, a resident of Thalayamangalam, told TOI that money had been swindled in the name of his elder brother K Jayachandran, a retired sub- inspector of police, who died in 2018. “Being a government servant, my brother was not eligible to get any benefit under the scheme. However, forging his documents, officials swindled the money,” Ambikapathi said.
He maintained an account in IOB while he was alive. Money was credited to that account and subsequently transferred to some other accounts without anyone’s knowledge, he added.
G Chinnadurai, a farmer in the village, said two years ago, panchayat clerk Pugazhenthi approached him and got signatures on some documents by promising him a house under the PM-housing scheme. When the scam got exposed, he came to know that money was swindled in his and his father K Givindan’s name, who died in 2016.
Ponniyin Selvan, assistant project officer of District Rural Development Agency in Tiruvarur, who conducted an inquiry into the scam said four officials were suspended. Further inquiries were on, he said.

K Govindan, died in 2016, but money had been withdrawn in his name, said his family
98-year-old govt BEd college asked not to admit students
98-year-old govt BEd college asked not to admit students
NCTE Sends Last Reminder Over Faculty ShortageRagu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:17.09.2020
Ninety-eight-year-old Lady Willingdon Institute of Advanced Study in Education in Chennai which conducts admissions to all seven government colleges of education in the state every year has been told to stop admission for 2020-21due to vacant posts.
The prestigious government autonomous college admits 200 BEd students every year and has 17 faculty members against the required 39.
The southern regional committee of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), which met through video conference on September 14 and 15, decided to send a last reminder before withdrawal of the recognition.
The committee gave 90 days to fill the vacant posts in the institute and submit the relevant documents. “Till then, admissions for the academic session 2020-21 shall be deferred,” said the minutes of the meeting uploaded on the NCTE’s website.
“The NCTE increased the duration of the BEd course from one year to two in 2016. Following this, the staff strength must be doubled. Due to no recruitment in the past four years, the college has only half the required strength,” a faculty member said.
The council has also deferred admissions for 2020-21 in two other government colleges of education in Pudukottai and Komarapalayam due to shortage of faculty members. The faculty members of government colleges of education said the lacunae of Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University has resulted in stopping the admission for most sought-after colleges in the state. “The university should have inspected these colleges and warned the state government about the faculty shortage,” they said.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
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