Irresponsibility virus: 21L paid fines

₹93 CRORE COLLECTED

Irresponsibility virus: 21L paid fines

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:

Cops are stunned by the price people have paid for irresponsible behavior: from June till December, 21.40 lakh Gujarat citizens have coughed up Rs 93.56 crore in fines for breaching corona norms.

Even last week, when courts became strict about adherence to Covid guidelines, 56,144 people across Gujarat paid fines to the tune of Rs 5.57 crore. These offenders were caught without masks or nabbed for spitting in public. So far in the period concerned, 4.92lakh vehicleshavebeen seized in the state for corona-code violations; last week, 5,367 vehicles were impounded.

In all, from June to December, 60,400 cases have been filed under Section 188 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) for disregarding notifications. The figure for last week was 2,713. A police official said that despite the crackdown, many people are not following Coved-protocol. That statement is borne out by the number of offenders.

9 judwaa jodis take MBBS admission

9 judwaa jodis take MBBS admission

Some Get Entry In Same College, Others Separate

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad: 07.12.2020

Rahil Talati refused to seek admission in the coveted government-run medical colleges in Gujarat despite a high score of 641 marks (out of 720) in NEET exams 2020. He chose NHL Municipal Medical College over government colleges for reason more personal than academic.

He wanted to study with his twin brother Rushil, who with a NEET score of 570 marks had got admission into NHL Medical College. Having studied in same class all through their school lives, Rahil wished to continue the trend.

“Rahil and Rushil have always had healthy competition between them. They have been supportive of each other, always there to solve each other’s problems. This is perhaps the first time that there is such a big gap in their marks. Usually there is a difference of 1 percentile or so,” said Dr Ashish Talati, father of the twins, who is a practicing radiologist. Their mother, Dr Hetal is a pathologist.

The father says that he introduced his two sons to architects, engineers, CA and persons known to him from different fields. “I did not want them feel pressured to follow into their parents' footsteps. But in the end, both chose medicine,” said Dr Talati.

Like the Talati twins, Divya Prajapati, with a NEET score of 536 marks and Disha Prajapati, with a score of 529 marks, have secured admission at GMERS Medical College, Himmatnagar.

In fact, there are nine twin siblings who have got admission in medical colleges of Gujarat and are on their way to pursue identical careers. Last year, this number was seven.

All of them haven’t been as lucky as the Prajapatis or Talatis to get admission in the same college.

Take the case of twin brothers Pinkesh Bapodariya and Prince Bapodariya. While Pinkesh has got admission in Surat Medical College after scoring 630 marks in NEET exams, his brother Prince has got admission at GMERS Medical College, Patan.

For their proud father Jayesh Bapodariya, the going hasn’t been easy though. A diamond polisher in Surat, this father had to sell the family's jewellery to pay fund the coaching class fee to enable the twins to crack NEET. P 4

Rahil and Rushil Talati

Foreign edu grants help many in ‘creamy layer’

Foreign edu grants help many in ‘creamy layer’

Hemali Chhapia TNN

07.12.2020

Mumbai: ₹180 crore: that is the cost borne by the Maharashtra government in the last decade for hundreds of students who flew out for a foreign education under an all-expenses paid, state-sponsored scheme.

The beneficiaries included several whose annual family income exceeded the yearly fees at the top universities where they were admitted. While the really needy – a farmer’s son or an auto driver’s daughter – too applied, many of the scholarships were disbursed to those who needed no financial aid. The scheme foots the entire bill for Scheduled Caste and neo-Buddhist students, including tuition, living expenses, airfare, and ancillary charges like a laptop, books, with no upper limit.

TOI accessed the details of the beneficiaries and found that between 2014 and 2020, scholarships were awarded to 379 candidates for post graduate or PhD studies abroad. Of these, 60 declared family income to be more than ₹15 lakh a year. Another 115 pegged annual family income at more than ₹6 lakh, the income ceiling that the social justice department was looking at introducing in May this year, but could not after a few protests.

Sangharsh Aglave whose annual family income was ₹53 lakh, Shwetali Tonpe (₹42 lakh), Aarush Tagade (₹38 lakh), Antariksh Waghere (₹35 lakh), Sanjyot Thite (₹35 lakh), Amit Rajbhoj (₹33 lakh), Pulkit Ghoderao (₹31 lakh), and Palash Patole (₹s24 lakh) were all awarded the full-funded scholarship to study abroad.

Full report on www.toi.in

Vijayashanti meets Shah, to formally join BJP today

 Vijayashanti meets Shah, to formally join BJP today

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  07.12.2020

Hyderabad: Putting an end to speculation to her joining BJP, actor and Congress leader Vijayashanti met Union minister of home Amit Shah on Sunday.

Accompanied by BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union minister of home affairs G Kishan Reddy and Senior leader Vivek Venktaswamy, she was welcomed into the party by the home minister. She will formally join the party in presence BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday.

Her joining was confirmed after she met the BJP national president when he was in Hyderabad during the GHMC campaign. Though the she has given indirect hints of leaving Congress many times, her joining was delayed as no clarity on her emerged.

Guj sees 9 sets of twins take MBBS admission

 Guj sees 9 sets of twins take MBBS admission

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

07.12.2020

Ahmedabad: There has been a rush of twins into MBBS courses in Gujarat this year, with as many as nine sets of them taking admission in various medical colleges. Last year the number was seven.

Rahil Talati refused to seek admission in the coveted government-run medical colleges in the state despite a high score of 641marks (out of720) in NEET 2020.

He chose Ahmedabad based NHL Municipal Medical College because his twin brother Rushil secured 570 marks and could get a seat there.

“Rahil and Rushil have always had healthy competition between them. They have always been there to solve each other’s problems. This is perhaps the first time that there is such a big gap in their marks. Usually there is a difference of one percentile or so,” said father of the twins Dr Ashish Talati, a radiologist.

Like the Talati twins, Divya Prajapati, with a NEET score of 536, and Disha Prajapati, with 529, have secured admission in GMERS Medical College, Himmatnagar.

The rest seven sets of twins haven’t been as lucky as the Prajapatis or Talatis to get admission in the same college.

Fullreport on www.toi.in

DOUBLE DELIGHT: Rahil & Rushil Talati

Rajini has entered politics; now, will politics enter Rajini?

STORYBOARD

Rajini has entered politics; now, will politics enter Rajini?

ARUN RAM
07.12.2020

No sooner had Rajini announced that he would launch a political party in January than the dirty tricks departments started working overtime. First came a series of old videos of Tamilaruvi Manian, in which Rajini’s right-hand man was seen criticising, even ridiculing, his new idol. Some others targeted Ra Arjunamurthy, the other lieutenant who stood with Rajini at the Poes Garden press meet.


The superstar himself wasn’t spared. Circulating on social media was a video of a man who claimed to have produced a Rajini movie sometime in the 1980s, virtually abusing the actor for having done nothing for even his friends. Rajini has fielded Manian and Murthy to defend the fort. As more dirty bombs are launched, sooner than later, the commander will have to step out.


Is Rajini adept at playing the rough and tumble of realpolitik? Well, he has no choice (unless he goes back on his announcement). For the past few years I, along with legions of Rajinikanth fans, have prodded him to take the political plunge. Now that he has decided to do it, I think I should put in my twopence to add three things to the actor’s political shopping cart:

A thin veil

Transparency in politics is a myth, a misnomer. If everything in a party is transparent, why should it have closed-door meetings? A politician is but human, with the same follies – if not bigger ones – as any average person. He has his vices, his embarrassing moments, his dark secrets. A successful politician is not a saint but a smart impersonator of his better self, deftly hiding his impertinence and inadequacies behind a thin veil while presenting, through its sheer translucence, the smiling version of a selfless saviour, a ready redeemer. Nikita Krushchev said a politician is someone who promises to build a bridge even when there is no river. In India, Rajini should know, a politician is someone who promises a river so that he can build a bridge.

A thick skin

After anonymous detractors fired the initial salvos at Manian and Murthy, now Seeman has threatened to ‘hit out’ at Rajini. As more muck flies, Rajini should ensure that it doesn’t stick. And the best armour in the dirty game is a thick skin. This pachyderm quality has kept many of our politicians in good stead. They may fret and fume about a former rival in private, but when political expediency demands, they hug and hold hands in public. Our political history is replete with tales of successful politicians taking insult — and injury — from rivals and later turning them into electoral bedfellows. The mantra: Never forget, but forgive for one’s own benefit.

A sharp tongue

Maintaining equipoise while taking flak doesn’t mean taking it lying down. In fact, one has to return it in good measure, without letting the rival drag you into the buffalo pond. This might be the toughest challenge for Rajini. He has avoided taking on M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. He was, inadvertently, admitting his inability to get into ugly combats with the mighty when he said in 2017 that his entry was necessitated by the vacuum left behind by the two leaders. But Rajini shouldn’t think those remaining in the ring are lightweights — they may not punch as hard, but they can hit below the belt.

‘Spiritual politician’ Rajini promising a clean alternative may be hesitant to add these essentials to his political kit, but if he stays in the ring for long, he is sure to acquire them. That’s when we would say politics has entered Rajini.


arun.ram@timesgroup.com

City colleges ready to reopen for UG final yr students from today

City colleges ready to reopen for UG final yr students from today

Classrooms Fumigated, Lessons In Batches

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

07.12.2020

Chennai: City colleges are preparing to welcome at least some final students of graduate courses from Monday and have got ready facilities for handwashing and social distancing. They don’t expect more than half the students to turn up and some colleges have put off on-campus classes to the next semester as not many days remain for the Christmas holidays and they have also scheduled online exams.

Colleges reopened last week for post-graduate science and technology students and research scholars, but their numbers are small compared to under-graduate students.

D G Vaishnav College plans to split final year degree students into two batches to maintain social distancing. “We plan to recap the lessons of the online mode. Further, value education classes and orientation classes will be conducted,” said principal S Santhosh Baboo. The college will conduct the semester exams a week later.

Principals also said quarantining students for 14 days in hostels is impractical.

Guru Nanak College principal M G Ragunathan said they had cleaned all classrooms and spread out the seating. The college has hired additional security personnel to check the temperature of students and ensure social distancing. “We expect only around 50% of students to turn up on Monday. We will give study material to students, clear doubts and conduct orientation classes for final year UG students,” he said.

Ethiraj College for Women has put up barricades right from the gates to guide students directly to their departments. “We have fumigated classrooms and staff rooms. We have arranged for two fever rooms where the doctor will be available from Monday morning,” said S Kothai, principal. The canteen will serve only packed food. The college will conduct practicals for science students and revise lessons for arts students.

G Kirshnan, principal of Presidency College, said, “We are providing at least 10 taps in each block with running water and soap. Our old classrooms are very big and we can easily follow social distancing,” he said. The college will accommodate one student per room in Victoria Students Hostel in Chepauk.

Many engineering colleges said they have given study holidays for the final year students ahead of the semester exams. These colleges may reopen at full swing only from next semester.

Meanwhile, Anna University is preparing its hostels for UG students. “We are planning to conduct lab classes for seventh semester students (final year students) from Monday,” a university official said.

Cops warn against bus day clashes

With colleges set to reopen for final year UG students and medical students on Monday, the city police are gearing up to control any ‘route thala’ incident repeats and bus day clashes among students. City police commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal has asked officers to identify sensitive routes. “We have seen rival route groups attack each other with weapons. We warn them not to indulge in such acts,” said V Balakrishnan, joint commissioner of police, north. TNN