Double promotions to doctors on Covid-19 duty opposed

Double promotions to doctors on Covid-19 duty opposed

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:07.10.2020

The state government had recently decided that doctors at government medical colleges doing Covid duty were entitled to double promotions, and this is being implemented at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

The decision has met with stiff protest from medical and paramedical staff across the state who want similar benefits, said sources aware of the matter. The protesters are likely to gather more support in coming days with nursing and outsourcing staff also pressing for similar demands. Many are also demanding permanent jobs for medical service during this Covid-19 crisis, sources added.

Promotions are usually given to doctors after five years of service. This year, due to Covid-19, doctors are likely to get not one but two promotions in a matter of three months, sources said. A list of doctors has already been prepared and it is now only a matter of time before their double promotions are announced, sources added.

“There are doctors who feel left out as their colleagues or juniors may get out of-turn promotions due to the Covid-19 crisis. Also the nursing staff is very upset as they have been working round-the-clock. The issue is likely to produce a backlash from members of medical and paramedical staff,” sources said.

Tough bargaining over AIADMK steering panel

Tough bargaining over AIADMK steering panel

Both Camps Go All Out For Best Deal

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  07.10.2020

The ruling AIADMK is all set to name Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief minister candidate, and constitute a steering committee, a key demand put forth by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam. Until Tuesday night, the OPS and EPS camps were engaged in hectic parleys to shortlist senior members for the committee who will represent the various castes, religions and regions. The talks, however, continued well into the night as the two sides wrangled over the composition of the committee. Senior leaders were, however, hopeful that all loose ends would be tied up and the announcements made as promised by AIADMK deputy coordinator K P Munusamy after the party executive committee meeting on September 28.

There was a flurry of activity at the residences of OPS and EPS on Greenways Road in Chennai on Tuesday as ministers and senior leaders held several rounds of talks. It began with deputy coordinators K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam informing the deputy chief minister about the EPS team giving the green signal for constituting the steering committee. EPS had held a meeting with 17 ministers in his chamber at the Secretariat on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, four ministers, ministers SP Velumani, P Thangamani, D Jayakumar and R B Udayakumar visited Panneerselvam and discussed for two hours before going over to the chief minister for briefing. Sources said the powers and functions of the committee, and the selection of members were discussed threadbare. The leaders had a second round of discussion. The contention of the EPS camp is that there were too many claimants for the posts. Thangamani and Velumani, the close confidantes of EPS, however, were frontrunners.

While the names of ministers Jayakumar and Shanmugam and senior leader Natham R Viswanathan were mentioned, sources said veteran leaders Panruti S Ramachandran and J C D Prabhakar from the OPS group were in the race.

OPS arrived in Chennai on Monday night after a brief sojourn in his native Theni district. “After dilly-dallying over the steering committee, a precondition of the OPS faction for merger with the rival group in September 2017, the EPS camp conveyed its willingness to announce the formation of the committee along with the chief minister candidate on Wednesday,” said a senior leader. Initially, OPS wanted the committee to be set up first, and then announce the CM candidate. His contention was that the general council had already resolved to have a committee. “Now, both sides have decided to announce the members of the committee on Wednesday,” said the leader.

Late into the night, the OPS and EPS camps were engaged in hectic parleys to shortlist senior members for the committee who will represent the various castes, religions and regions

6 more pvt hospitals roped in to treat Covid patients

6 more pvt hospitals roped in to treat Covid patients

Coimbatore:  07.10.2020

The directorate of health services has begun ramping up beds in private and government hospitals in the district, which recorded 434 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, as the district administration has stopped the option for the people, who test positive for the virus, to remain in home quarantine.

The number of beds available in private hospitals for treating Covid-19 patients has gone up by 17% in the past two weeks.

Among the new hospitals added to the list are NM Hospital at Annur and Venkateshwara Hospital at Chinniampalayam. While the six hospitals have added 226 beds, all of which have oxygen supply facility, the other 26 hospitals have agreed to increase the bed strength. “The Kovai Medical Center and Hospital has agreed to allot 40 more beds and the PSG Hospitals more than 400. While we do not advise home isolation for anybody, we are ensuring that every Covid-19 patient has a bed,” Krishna said.

The number of active cases came down to 4,837 from 4,890 on Monday, with 494 patients getting discharged. TNN

HC: State PG docs must work in govt hosps for 2 years

HC: State PG docs must work in govt hosps for 2 years

Chennai:  07.10.2020

The Madras high court on Tuesday upheld mandatory state service for all postgraduate medical students in Tamil Nadu admitted under the All India Quota (AIQ). As per admission prospectus, all PG students must compulsorily serve two years in government hospitals. “The monetary investment by the state in this sector may be tremendous, but it is for a laudable purpose and the investment is just not pure business. The idea of compelling pass outs to serve the state hospitals is neither unjust nor against the students,” said a bench of Chief Justice A P Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy. TNN

‘People able to get best med attention’

It subserves a benevolent public purpose, namely that the people of the state are able to receive the best of medical attention,” the bench said.

There is no material difference between the status of students occupying the state seats (who are also bound by compulsory service condition) and AIQ seats, in as much as they enjoy the educational facilities at par with each other, with the same subsidies and the same expenses being borne by the state government, the judges added. The bench also made it clear that candidates who have not been offered appointment within two years from the date of completion of the course would be entitled to release their certificates accordingly and are not bound by the condition.

The court passed the order while setting aside an order passed by a single judge dated October 1, 2018 quashing the condition for compulsory government service in the prospectus for PG medical admission.

Allowing the appeal moved by the Tamil Nadu government, the court added that the state spends money, not on gambling with unqualified people, but on those who are best suited for the job. “The directive principles of state policy oblige the state to take care of health and nutrition of its citizens and public health is a state subject. Provincial governments are, therefore, constitutionally obligated to render its citizens the best of health caretakers and subsidising medical education for the best amongst the lot is a major step in organising the best of health services,” the court said.

Engg counselling scheduled from Oct 8 to be delayed?

Engg counselling scheduled from Oct 8 to be delayed?

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.10.2020

The round-wise schedule for online engineering counselling for the general category is yet to be announced, sparking doubts that the process will be delayed.

The Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) committee said counselling would begin from October 8, but is yet to notify how many students qualify for each round and dates for filling choices, tentative allotment and initial payment. The TNEA committee released the rank list for 1,12,406 candidates on September 28. TNEA officials said the higher education minister K P Anbalagan would release the schedule on Wednesday. They refused to comment when asked whether the counselling will begin as scheduled.

Sources said the minister was busy with the political developments in the AIADMK, which is set to announce its CM candidate on Wednesday.

Last year, the choice filling started from July 8 for the first round. But, the TNEA had declared the complete schedule on July 1 giving more time for students to decide.

Educational consultant D Nedunchezhiyan said the round-wise schedule should have been released at least a week ago to help students prepare. TNEA has released the videos to help the students to prepare the choice list and pay the initial payment through online. However, experts argue students need schedule to know whether they are part of round 1or round 2 and when to give their choices.

Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said there’s nothing wrong in postponing counseling by a week. “The counselling is scheduled to begin before the first round of Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSSA) for central institutions and medical admissions. There are many IIT aspirants and NEET aspirants in the TNEA 2020 rank list. If the counselling is conducted before JoSSA and medical counselling, all top colleges will have huge vacancies,” he pointed out.

The online choice filling for round 1 for the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) began on Tuesday. The first round of online counselling for IITs, NITs, IIITs will go on till October 17. Anna University former VC E Balagurusamy said when the engineering counselling was conducted by Anna University, it had total control and the minister would visit only during the release of rank list. “Since the directorate of technical education is conducting the counselling now, they are waiting for the approval of the minister for every move which is unfortunate,” he said.

TNEA is yet to notify how many students qualify for each round and dates for filling choices, tentative allotment and initial payment

Validity of agri courses in new univs depends on HC verdict

Validity of agri courses in new univs depends on HC verdict

Colleges Move Court Against Rules Laid Down By GO

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  07.10.2020

The fate of students joining agriculture courses in newly mushrooming private deemed universities will hang in the balance, as the Madras high court has said validity of their admissions would be subject to the outcome of cases challenging a state government order.

The issue pertains to a GO dated July 28 stipulating various conditions on the universities, including obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC), to conduct agricultural and allied courses within six months.

The universities were also restrained from admitting students to such courses till they obtain NOC from the state.

Aggrieved, the institutions moved the high court. On September 29, a single judge of the court stayed the operation of the GO and directed the registry to tag the cases with other similar pending cases and place it before the Chief Justice.

The first bench of Chief Justice A P Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on Tuesday observed that admission would be subject to the result of these petitions.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu advocate-general Vijay Narayan submitted that the GO was issued in view of a sudden mushrooming of such agriculture institutions and to regulate the same. Noting that the government had no intention to interfere with the day-to-day affairs of the universities, he said, “This is one subject that needs to be taught in the fields and not in classrooms.”

Any institution which desires to conduct such courses must own 110 acres of farm land with clear title and without any encumbrances. Such conditions are imposed as every student must be given access to fields to plough, sow and nurture crops as part of their practical training, he added.

Unlike other subjects, agriculture education is in the state list and only the state has exclusive power to impose such conditions, he asserted.

To this, the bench wondered whether the state expected an existing institution imparting such courses for the past 50 years with 10 acres of land to now buy 100 more acres to get an NOC.

Vijay Narayan, however, replied that such institutions are mushrooming only in the past three to two years and that is the primary reason for the GO.

Earlier, opposing the GO, senior advocate G Masilamani representing Karunya deemed university, said the GO was an encroachment into their status of deemed university.

Recording the submission of Vijay Narayan that the GO would not cause any impediment to students who are already admitted to the courses in the past academic years, the bench posted the pleas after six weeks for further arguments.

The issue pertains to a GO dated July 28 stipulating various conditions on the universities, including obtaining a no-objection certificate, to conduct agricultural and allied courses within six months. The varsities were also restrained from admitting students till they obtain NOC

At Chitlapakkam, people power ensures Tangedco does its job

At Chitlapakkam, people power ensures Tangedco does its job

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 07.10.2020

As Tangedco begins replacing electric poles in Chitlapakkam town panchayat after people there sent a complaint with photographs of 31 damaged ones, early residents recall the postcard campaign they undertook to ensure the first transformer was installed in the neighbourhood to ensure power supply.

Thirty years later, the residents once again rose up in September last year after a 42-year-old man, Sethu, was killed while walking his dog after dinner when a live wire fell on him after an electric pole collapsed.

Sethu’s death caused public outrage more so because of the comments by state power minister P Thangamani that the post fell not because of the authorities’ negligence, but because a truck had dashed against it.

The residents then sent a detailed complaint with the list of all electric poles damaged in the neighbourhood and work, which was stalled due to the lockdown, has begun.

“Around 1990, after CMDA approved layout in Chitlapakkam, we had an issue with low voltage. Then all residents, numbering around 100, undertook a postcard campaign, which eventually yielded the desired result,” reminisced P Viswanathan, convener, Chitlapakkam Residents Associations Co-ordination Committee. The first transformer in Chitlapakkam came up at the junction of Thirumurugan Salai and Raghavendra Salai and the sequences surrounding the event itself was dramatic.

“It was a manual process and took more time for erecting the pole. This transformer was commissioned at around 7.45 p.m. and the next day was Diwali. So, our low voltage problem was solved ahead of the festival of lights,” Viswanathan said.

“We had asked Tangedco to appoint an inspection team to visit and inspect all poles, wires, transformers and other equipment related to the safety and quality supply of electricity and replace the damaged electric poles. We also requested them to provide underground electricity cables in a phased and time-bound manner too,” Viswanathan said.

An engineer with Tangedco said that work was delayed due to the lockdown restrictions and that they will complete works regarding the damaged electric poles and low hanging wires within the year.

Tangedco staff re-erect damaged electric poles at the junction of Thirumurugan Salai and Raghavendra Salai

Early residents of the area recall the postcard campaign they undertook before the first transformer was put up in the neighbourhood