Anna univ awaits govt nominee to recruit faculty

Anna univ awaits govt nominee to recruit faculty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.10.2020

The state government is yet to appoint its nominee for selecting new faculty members for Anna University’s four campuses despite several reminders from the university.

The university has notified 312 vacancies – posts of 139 assistant professors, 106 associate professors and 67 professors after a gap of six years. The campuses including College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Alagappa College of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning have more vacancies due to retirement and no recruitment. At present, the campuses are using temporary faculty to conduct classes.

“As per the statutes, the university needs a nominee from the state government and a nominee of the chancellor to the selection committee besides subject experts. Considering huge vacancies, the state government should immediately appoint its nominee to the selection committee,” a senior professor from the university said.

Sources said the chancellor had appointed his nominee whereas the state government is yet to appoint its nominee despite several reminders from the university.

After scrutinising the applications, the selection panels need to be convened for interviewing candidates.

Anna University’s former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said the state government should support the university in filling the vacancies. “Unless there is a valid reason, the state government should not delay appointing its nominee. They should have their representative and make sure everything goes by the rules,” he said adding that so many vacancies would affect quality of teaching and research.

In a related development, some members of Anna University Teachers Association demanded the university to conduct a career advancement scheme for the university faculty members before the direct recruitment.

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‘Choose Hindi or English’: Woman asks where is Tamil on IRCTC portal

‘Choose Hindi or English’: Woman asks where is Tamil on IRCTC portal

Southern Railway officials said that while the matter does not come under their purview, it has, however, been 'flagged' with IRCTC, the authorised e-ticketing agency.

Published: 04th October 2020 03:58 PM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Rail passengers and several politicians in Tamil Nadu have urged the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Indian Railways to introduce a Tamil language option for the passengers within the State to receive text alerts in their language while booking tickets.

At present, the passengers can choose whether to receive text alerts regarding bookings in English or Hindi. On October 2, L Muthulakshmi booked a ticket for Madurai to Chennai journey, and received all alerts in Hindi.

“I neither understand Hindi or English. There should be an option to receive text alerts in Tamil,” she demanded. Subsequently, DMK MPs Kanimozhi and Thamizhachi Thangapandian, and PMK founder S Ramadoss condemned the Indian Railways for allegedly imposing Hindi in the State.

Thangapandian urged the railways to upgrade the system to send text alerts in local languages of the respective States. Kanimozhi pointed out that most people in the State could not read Hindi, and she also warned of serious consequences if such incidents repeated. 

PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP at the Centre, alleged that SMSes for e- tickets in Tamil Nadu are "being sent in Hindi for the last two days."

"This is a planned imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people. The Railways should stop this," he said in a tweet.

He demanded action against those behind this and urged that all Central government related announcements in Tamil Nadu must be released only in Tamil and English.

Southern Railway officials said that while the matter does not come under their purview, it has, however, been 'flagged' with IRCTC, the authorised e-ticketing agency.

Clarifying on the issue, Southern Railway said that the passenger had chosen ‘Hindi’ language option while registering in IRCTC portal on September 30. “She received system generated messages in Hindi as the passenger’s preferred language was indicated as Hindi,” it added.

(With PTI inputs)

Government doctors in Tamil Nadu revive pay hike demand

Government doctors in Tamil Nadu revive pay hike demand

Government doctors in the State have revived their demand for a pay hike on par with that of Central government doctors.

Published: 05th October 2020 04:07 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Government doctors in the State have revived their demand for a pay hike on par with that of Central government doctors. The doctors under Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) had last year staged a massive protest with several demands including the implementation of Government Order (G.O.) 354, which envisages pay hike.

They withdrew the strike following the intervention of Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and Chief Minister Palaniswami. Now, they have revived the demand after the government recently entitled all retired chief secretaries and additional chief secretaries of the State government to employ a servant at home by paying a salary of Rs 10,000 per month.

“The IAS Officers Association requested for such allowance for retired IAS officers after the Karnataka government granted it to the officers there. The Tamil Nadu government immediately accepted their demand and issued a G.O. We request the government to do the same with the request of government doctors here. We have been demanding a pay hike on par with that of Central government doctors for the last three years,” said Dr S Perumal Pillai, DME Secretary, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association.

Pillai added the special payout of a month’s salary to doctors along with others on Covid duty in government hospitals, announced by the CM, had also not been received. Meanwhile, Dr G Ravindranath, General Secretary, Doctors Association for Social Equality said, “Tamil Nadu government doctors are lauded for saving lives and for the best Covid treatment. But they are not being appreciated with fulfilling their long-pending demand.

The government has also not paid Rs 2 lakh for doctors infected with Covid.” The Health Minister had then said the State government doctors could not compare their salary with that of Central government doctors as the latter were not allowed to do private practice. However, the doctors here said that they were ready to stop private practice of their salary was raised.

‘Corona tablet’ costs bus passenger her gold chain in Tamil Nadu

‘Corona tablet’ costs bus passenger her gold chain in Tamil Nadu

Panic spread by coronavirus has become a fertile ground for a few miscreants to prey on unsuspecting people.

Published: 05th October 2020 04:13 AM 

By Vignesh V

Express News Service

MADURAI: Panic spread by coronavirus has become a fertile ground for a few miscreants to prey on unsuspecting people. The plight of this elderly woman, who lost her gold chain weighing 2.5 sovereigns, during a bus journey testifies this.

Rajammal was on the way to her daughter’s house in Austinpatti in a government bus on Friday when a co-passenger allegedly drugged her and robbed her gold chain. The woman was given a tablet by the man claiming that it would help fight off Covid infection.

Police said that the 65-year-old woman, staying with her son in Balan Nagar of Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram, boarded the bus to Puliyankulam in Austinpatti from MGR bus stand on Friday. “While on the way, the co-passenger befriended her and told her to keep the gold chain, she was wearing, in her bag before giving her a tablet,” they said. 

A little while after taking the tablet, the woman started feeling sick. Taking advantage of the situation, the co-passenger asked her to get down at Thirunagar 3rd bus stop, three stops ahead of her destination and bought her a cup tea. Later, he also helped her board another bus to Puliyankulam.

Special Sub Inspector of Police of Austinpatti, Gopalakrishnan, said that the man could have stolen the gold chain when they got down at Thirunagar. “It took the woman more than 12 hours to get back to normal condition,” he said.

The woman lodged a complaint with Austinpatti police on Saturday. Though the incident happened in the city limit, the district police registered a case under Section 420 Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Austinpatti. “The case will be transferred to the city police later,” sources added.