Assistant professors write to CM

Assistant professors write to CM

17/09/2020

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

After being posted for 84 hours of duty in a week, assistant professors of the Department of General Medicine, Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital, have flagged their concerns to the Chief Minister and officials of the Health Department.

In a representation to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, the Health Secretary and the Directorate of Medical Education, the assistant professors said they were facing mental agony due to repeated exposure to COVID-19, with work burden not being shared by other departments, particularly the Anaesthesia Department. The issue remained unresolved despite repeated representations to the dean, they said.

Anaesthetists were posted only on on-call duty for managing sick COVID-19 patients in the ICU. “As per ICMR guidelines, anaesthetists, respiratory physicians and doctors of general medicine are the primary care providers in COVID-19 management. But at the Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital, anaesthetists are not posted on regular duty at COVID-19 isolation wards or ICU care,” a doctor, on condition of anonymity, said.

They sought the Chief Minister’s immediate intervention.

Ayurveda doyen dies of COVID-19

 Ayurveda doyen dies of COVID-19

17/09/2020

 P.R. Krishnakumar, Chancellor of the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women and the managing director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Limited, died of COVID-19 in Coimbatore late on Wednesday. He was 69. A recipient of Padma Shri, who played a major role in the preparation of the Ayush protocol, Mr. Krishnakumar was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a private hospital in Coimbatore for over a week. His death took place around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday

Consider raising age limit for retirement’

Consider raising age limit for retirement’

17/09/2020

Staff Reporter Madurai

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) to consider increasing the upper age limit for contract or temporary employees from 58 to 59 years, for engaging them on the basis of requirement.

Justice R. Suresh Kumar observed that if Tasmac does take such a decision, it would not mean that all contractual or temporary employees would be entitled to seek job extension up to 59 years of age.

The court said that Tasmac could consider each individual or deserving employee and on a need basis extend the contracts of those who have completed 58 years.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by Tasmac employees, who cited a G.O. which said the age of superannuation of government servants who were in regular service as on May 31, 2020, would be increased from 58 years to 59 years.

The Tasmac clarified that the G.O. was applicable to those employees who were in regular service and not on contractual basis.

Online exams, a mockery’

Online exams, a mockery’

17/09/2020

Staff Reporter MADURAI

The manner by which Madurai Kamaraj University proposes to conduct final year examinations online was just a mockery and could not be taken as the right yardstick to know a student’s potential, said Save Madurai Kamaraj University Coalition.

In a press release, its secretary R. Murali said the university would be sending question papers thorugh email or WhatsApp to Principals of affiliated colleges. They will in turn send the questions to students who will write a three-hour unsupervised exam. “The exam is conducted just for namesake. There is no real need to hold it right away. Even if they do want to conduct it, it could be held in a manner which ensures social distancing, as not more than 300 students will be writing the exams,” he said. If the exams need to be conducted online, the colleges must have a system in place to facilitate a transparent exchange between the university and students, Mr. Murali said.

Colleges not paying salaries despite reserves, says dy CM

Colleges not paying salaries despite reserves, says dy CM

Student Funds Can’t Be Used For Salaries, Say Principals

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:17.09.2020

A day after teachers of a few Delhi University colleges moved Delhi High Court over non-payment of salaries, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia alleged on Wednesday that the colleges were not paying the teachers despite having funds in the reserve.

Citing initial investigation results of an independent audit conducted by Delhi government, the education minister threatened action and said the university administration was acting as a pawn of BJP.

The colleges, however, said it was wrong to term the student society fund as a reserve fund and it shouldn’t be used to pay teachers. The 12 colleges funded by Delhi government have salary dues.

Sisodia claimed, “It was observed in these reports that colleges have kept a huge amount of money as fixed deposits rather than paying the salaries. Keshav Mahavidyalaya has Rs 10.52 crore as fixed deposits. If they have so much money, why are they not paying salaries to their teachers?”He also said Bhagini Nivedita College had around Rs 2.5 crore in fixed deposits. “It is surprising that they are claiming lack of funds, and at the same time, not cooperating with the auditors also.”

The principals of both these colleges will address a press conference on Thursday.

Sisodia said Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies didn’t even provide their audited balance sheets. “However, it was found that they have around Rs 3.5 crore in their balance sheet in 2018-19 and Rs 10.45 crore in fixed deposits.” Even Deen Dayal Upadhyay College has a reserve of about Rs 6.5 crore and one college even donated Rs 25 lakh, he added.

Sukhdev College principal Poonam Verma said, “These are student funds and the money comes to the college under various heads for various activities. It will be a gross financial irregularity to use them for salary. This money has been collected over 33 years.”

Verma claimed she had records of providing all documents to the auditors and for 2018-19, the college had completed the ELFA and CAG audits. “They are targeting these colleges because the chairperson of the governing body is not their nominee,” she alleged.

DDU principal Hem Chand Jain said, “If anyone has paid that money as loan, they can hang the whole college administration. The reserve is collected from students for ICT infrastructure improvement and student activities. It is not possible to use funds for students to pay salaries. If the government finds it correct, they should tell us that.”

Sisodia also raised the issue of how the funds given to these 12 colleges had almost tripled since 2014-15. “These people are playing with lives of their own staff members. AAP government stands together with the faculty and students of DU. But it seems the DU administration is singing the tunes of BJP and behaving like BJP’s party office. They are only focused on blaming Delhi government,” he said. “Under the pattern of assistance, it is mentioned that provisioning of grant will be made only on net deficit basis.”

Different teachers’ groups condemned the government’s allegations. Delhi University Teachers’ Association said, “It is unfortunate that teachers are caught in the crossfire of these allegations. DUTA believes that the employees must be paid their dues immediately.”

A K Bhagi of NDTF said, “It’s the duty of the government to pay salaries and other allowances and give grants for new infrastructure and maintenance.” INTEC called these allegations a diversion tactics of Delhi government.

It was observed that colleges have kept a huge amount of money as fixed deposits rather than paying the salaries of their staff… It is surprising that they are claiming lack of funds and, at the same time, not cooperating with the auditors

—MANISH SISODIA

Foreign students doing PG at AIIMS Delhi not paid stipend

Foreign students doing PG at AIIMS Delhi not paid stipend

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

17.09.2020

Over 50 foreign students, mostly from Nepal, doing post-graduate and super specialty courses in AIIMS Delhi are not paid a stipend though they do the same work as Indian students, working as junior residents even during Covid. The prime minister of Nepal took up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was assured that the matter would be sorted out, but AIIMS argues it has good reason not to pay foreign students the stipend.

After being nudged by the health ministry, the two other autonomous central institutes, PGI Chandigarh and JIPMER, Pondicherry, have started paying foreign students the same stipend as their Indian counterparts. “We do not want to comment on what is happening in PGI or in JIPMER and we are not saying we are above the government. But we have put our arguments before the government,” said a spokesperson of AIIMS.

AIIMS officials point out that the prospectus states that foreign and sponsored students will not be paid stipends and that they had agreed to this at the time of admission. But a Delhi high court judgement in favour of the students in 2013 had pointed out that when it came to a fundamental right available to even non-citizens, to be paid for the work they do, the terms of the prospectus could not be binding. However, that judgment was later stayed till an appeal filed by AIIMS is adjudicated.

“We, as foreign nationals, might be in the same category as sponsored candidates, but we are not sponsored. We only submit a no-objection certificate to be admitted as foreign nationals. We are merely asking that we be paid for the work we do. We even did Covid duty just like others,” said one of the foreign candidates.

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