DINAMALAR

புதுடில்லி : 'கொரோனா வைரசுக்கு எதிரான தடுப்பூசியை, முன்பதிவு செய்துள்ளவர்களுக்கு மட்டுமே வழங்க வேண்டும்' என, மாநில அரசுகளுக்கான வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறையில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது. முறைகேடுகளை தடுப்பதற்காக, இந்த உத்தரவை மத்திய அரசு பிறப்பித்துள்ளது.

கொரோனா வைரசுக்கு எதிரான தடுப்பூசிகளை வினியோகிக்கும் பணி, பிரிட்டன், அமெரிக்கா உள்ளிட்ட நாடுகளில் துவங்கியுள்ளது. நம் நாட்டில், மூன்று விதமான மருந்துகள் இறுதிக்கட்ட பரிசோதனையில் உள்ளன. தடுப்பூசிகள் கிடைத்ததும், அவற்றை மக்களுக்கு எப்படி வழங்குவது என்பது தொடர்பான ஆலோசனைகளை, மத்திய அரசு ஏற்கனவே துவக்கிவிட்டது.தடுப்பூசிகளை பாதுகாப்பாக வைத்திருக்க, குளிர்சாதன வசதிகள் உடைய கிடங்குகள் தயார் நிலையில் உள்ளன. ஒரு இடத்தில் இருந்து மற்றொரு இடத்திற்கு எடுத்துச் செல்ல, குளிர்சாதன வசதி உடைய வாகனங்களுக்கான ஏற்பாடுகளும் நடந்து வருகின்றன.இந்நிலையில், எந்தெந்த பிரிவினருக்கு முதல்கட்டத்தில் தடுப்பூசி வழங்கப்படும் என்பதும் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

டாக்டர்கள், நர்ஸ்கள், சுகாதாரப் பணியாளர்கள் என, இந்த வைரசுக்கு எதிரான முன்களப் பணியாளர்களுக்கு முதலில் வழங்கப்பட உள்ளது. பாதிப்பு ஏற்படக் கூடிய அபாயம் உள்ள, 60 வயதுக்கு மேற்பட்டவர்களுக்கும், முதல் கட்டத்தில் தடுப்பூசி வழங்கப்பட உள்ளது.இதையடுத்து, 'இந்த தடுப்பூசியை எவ்வாறு அளிக்க வேண்டும்' என்பது தொடர்பான வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறைகளை, மத்திய அரசு சமீபத்தில் வகுத்துள்ளது. அனைத்து மாநிலங்களுக்கும் இது அனுப்பி வைக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது.

'தடுப்பூசி செயல்பாட்டு வழிமுறைகள்' என்ற பெயரில், என்னென்ன நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்க வேண்டும் என, மத்திய அரசு விரிவாக விளக்கியுள்ளது. அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள தாவது:நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட நேரத்தில், ஒரு நாளில் அதிகபட்சம், 100 - 200 பேருக்கு மட்டுமே தடுப்பூசி வழங்க வேண்டும். இதற்காக அமைக்கப்படும் மையங்களில், ஐந்து ஊழியர்கள் மட்டுமே இருக்க வேண்டும். அங்குள்ள வசதிகளுக்கு ஏற்ப, கூடுதலாக ஒரு பணியாளர் இருக்கலாம்.தடுப்பூசி பெற்றவர்களை, 30 நிமிடங்களுக்கு கண்காணிக்க வேண்டும். அவர்களது உடலில் ஏதாவது எதிர்வினை ஏற்படு கிறதா என்பதை கண்காணிக்க வேண்டும். தடுப்பூசி போடப்படும் இடத்தில், ஒரு நேரத்தில், ஒருவரை மட்டுமே அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும்.

தடுப்பூசி பெற விரும்புவோர், மத்திய அரசு உருவாக்கியுள்ள, 'கோ வின்' எனப்படும், மென்பொருள் மூலமான, இணையதளம், 'மொபைல் போன் ஆப்' வாயிலாக, 'டிஜிட்டல்' முறையில் விண்ணப்பிக்க வேண்டும். அவ்வாறு முன்பதிவு செய்பவர்களுக்கு மட்டுமே தடுப்பூசி வழங்க வேண்டும்.மையங்களில் நேரடியாக வந்து, யாரும் முன்பதிவு செய்ய முடியாது. முன்பதிவு செய்வதற்கு, ஆதார், பாஸ்போர்ட், டிரைவிங் லைசென்ஸ், வாக்காளர் அடையாள அட்டை உட்பட, 12 ஆவணங்களை பயன்படுத்தலாம்.முதல் கட்டத்தில், மக்கள் தொகையில், 30 சதவீதம் பேருக்கு தடுப்பூசி கிடைக்கும். குழப்பங்களை தவிர்க்க, ஒவ்வொரு மாவட்டத்துக்கும், ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட நிறுவனத்திடம் இருந்து பெறும் தடுப்பூசியை மட்டுமே பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும்.

இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

புதிய பாதிப்பு குறைகிறது!

கொரோனா பாதிப்பு நிலவரம் குறித்து, மத்திய சுகாதார அமைச்சகம் நேற்று வெளியிட்ட அறிக்கை:கடந்த, 24 மணி நேரத்தில், 27 ஆயிரத்து, 71 பேரிடம், கொரோனா வைரஸ் பாதிப்பு உறுதியானது. இதன் வாயிலாக, இதுவரை வைரஸ் பாதிப்பிற்கு உள்ளானோர் எண்ணிக்கை, 98 லட்சத்து, 84 ஆயிரத்து, 100 ஆக உயர்ந்துள்ளது.இவர்களில், 3.52 லட்சம் பேர், தற்போது சிகிச்சை பெறுகின்றனர்; இது, ஒட்டுமொத்த பாதிப்பில், 3.57 சதவீதம். மத்திய, மாநில அரசுகளின் தொடர் நடவடிக்கைகளால், 93 லட்சத்து, 88 ஆயிரத்து, 159 பேர் கொரோனாவில் இருந்து குணமடைந்துள்ளனர்; மீட்பு விகிதம், 94.98 சதவீதமாக உயர்ந்துஉள்ளது.

வைரஸ் பாதிப்பால் கடந்த, 24 மணி நேரத்தில், 336 பேர் இறந்துள்ளனர். மஹாராஷ்டிராவில் அதிகபட்சமாக, 70 பேர் பலியாயினர். மேற்கு வங்கத்தில், 47; டில்லியில், 33; கேரளாவில், 29; பஞ்சாபில், 20 இறப்புகள் பதிவாகி உள்ளன. இவர்களுடன், வைரஸ் பாதிப்பால் இறந்தோர் எண்ணிக்கை, ஒரு லட்சத்து, 43 ஆயிரத்து, 355 ஆக அதிகரித்துள்ளது; இறப்பு விகிதம், 1.45 சதவீதமாக உள்ளது.பலி எண்ணிக்கை மஹாராஷ்டிராவில், 48 ஆயிரத்து, 209 ஆக உள்ளது. அடுத்ததாக கர்நாடகாவில், 11 ஆயிரத்து, 944 பேரும்; தமிழகத்தில், 11 ஆயிரத்து, 895 பேரும் உயிரிழந்துள்ளனர்.இவ்வாறு, அந்த அறிக்கையில் கூறப்பட்டு உள்ளது.

‘K’taka has maximum cases of spousal violence’

‘K’taka has maximum cases of spousal violence’

Ambika.Pandit@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  15.12.2020

Karnataka tops the list of 17 states and five UTs with 44% of women surveyed in the state in the age group of 18-49 years saying they had faced spousal violence at some time, followed by Bihar (40%) and Manipur

(39.6%), shows data from Phase I of National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-20).

NFHS-5 defines spousal violence to include “physical and/ or sexual violence”. In three more states over 30% of women in 18-49 years age group responded in the affirmative to the question if they had “ever experienced spousal violence”. These states are Telangana (36.9%), Assam (32%) and Andhra Pradesh (30%). Karnataka, in fact, reported a spike when compared to NFHS- 4 (2015-16) when 20.6% women surveyed had experienced spousal violence. Assam, too, witnessed a rise when compared to 24.5% in NFHS-4.

On the other hand, though the figure is high in Manipur, the state reported a sharp decline as compared to 53.2% in the 2015-16 survey. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Telangana also registered a decline in 2019-20 when compared to NFHS-4 figures of 43.4%, 43.7% and 42.9% respectively. Data shows 25.2% women in Maharashtra reported having experienced spousal violence, up from 21.3% in 2015-16 while West Bengal (27%) showed a decline from 33.1% women reporting spousal violence in NFHS-4.

Kerala had 9.9% of women reporting spousal violence, a decline from 14.3% in 2015-16. Jammu & Kashmir

(9.6%), Himachal Pradesh

(8.3%), Goa (8.3%) and Nagaland (6.4%) fall in the below 10% category with Lakshadweep recording the least (1.3%) number of such women.

The percentage of women who admitted to having experienced sexual violence by the age of 18 years ranged from 11% in Karnataka, 9.7% in West Bengal, 8.7% in Ladakh, 8.3% in Bihar, 8% in Assam and 6.2% in Maharashtra to 1.8% in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 0.8% in Lakshadweep.

Times View: The spurt in domestic violence across states that the NHS survey shows is a matter of both shame and concern. Violence against women primarily stems from a patriarchal mindset and needs to be addressed through gender-sensitive education in schools and an honest application of the law. Policy framers must take cognizance of the survey and find innovative ways to address this social malaise.

Vaccinations kick off in US as virus toll nears 3,00,000

Vaccinations kick off in US as virus toll nears 3,00,000

‘I Feel Like Healing Is Coming’: New York Nurse Receives First Shot

15.12.2020

The first shot was given in the American mass vaccination campaign on Monday morning, opening a new chapter in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more people in the US than in any other country. Shortly after 9am (local time) on Monday, the first vaccination took place in Long Island Jewish Medical Centre in Queens. The pandemic has scarred New York state profoundly, leaving more than 35,000 people dead and severely weakening the economy.

“I believe this is the weapon that will end the war,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference Monday morning, shortly before the shot was given to Sandra Lindsay, an intensive-care nurse. State officials said the shot was the first to be given outside of a vaccine trial in the US. Lindsay, who has treated patients throughout the pandemic, said that she hoped her public vaccination would instill confidence in New Yorkers that the shots were safe. “I feel like healing is coming,” she said. “I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.”

President Trump posted on Twitter: “First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!” The vaccinations started after the FDA’s emergency authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Friday night, and as the US virus death toll approaches 300,000. In Iowa City, Iowa, David Conway, a 39-year-old emergency room nurse, received the vaccine, and in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Mark Conroy, 41, an emergency medicine physician, did, too.

A majority of the first injections are expected to be given on Monday to high-risk health workers. A wary public will be watching closely to see whether health workers embrace vaccination. Just half of Americans say they want to get vaccinated, while about a quarter don’t and the rest are unsure, according to a recent poll by Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Health Research.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Sunday night that he would delay a plan for senior White House staff members to receive the vaccine in the coming days. The shift came just hours after NYT reported that the administration was rapidly planning to distribute the vaccine to its staff at a time when the first doses are generally being reserved for high-risk health workers. Trump also implied that he would get the vaccine himself at some point, but said he had no immediate plans to do so. It was not clear why he decided to change the policy. NYT & AGENCIES

Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse, received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot live on TV shortly before 9.30 am EST (8pm IST). ‘I feel relieved,’ she said

Canada joins US, UK in vaccinations

Canada kicked off its inoculation campaign against Covid-19 on Monday by injecting health workers, becoming just the third nation in the world to administer the Pfizer vaccine after the US and the UK. The first dose went to Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker at t a non-profit nursing home for the elderly in Toronto. PM Trudeau said the first recipients will be workers in hospitals and nursing homes, the most vulnerable segment of the elderly, as well as those living on remote aboriginal reserves. REUTERS

2k interns at govt hospitals go on token strike

CARE AVAILABILITY

2k interns at govt hospitals go on token strike

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:  15.12.2020

Over 2,000 intern doctors at the 14 governmentrun hospitals in Gujarat on Monday observed a token oneday strike as a sign of protest over pending demands.

The groups said that the protest would continue even as the government officials on Monday warned them against applying ‘pressure tactics.’ “We demand that the stipend should be increased from Rs 12,800 to Rs 20,000 per month considering our duty in Covid wards. The bond period should be considered in accordance with our Covid duty. We should be paid the remuneration at the rate of Rs 1,000 per day if we are on Covid duty, and the remuneration be at least on par with our counterparts in AMC hospitals,” said a doctor on protest.

Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister and state health minister, on Monday assured the doctors of decision on their demands at ‘appropriate time.’ “Instead of thinking about patients in these difficult times, interns must not apply pressure tactics to press for their demand,” said Patel, adding that the strike was “uncalled-for” in the present scenario.

Officials also warned the students that they would be marked absent if they refrained from duty and it could hamper their admission to PG courses. The doctors, however, said that they were adamant on their demands.

Intern doctors protest demanding an increase in their stipend, outside GMERS Sola Medical College in Ahmedabad on Monday

Bengal’s top officers skip Delhi meeting State Won’t Comply With Deputation Of 3 Top Cops Either

Bengal’s top officers skip Delhi meeting

State Won’t Comply With Deputation Of 3 Top Cops Either

Debasish.Konar@timesgroup.com

Kolkata: 15.12.2020

Bengal's defiance of central directives continued on Monday as both chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and DGP Virendra didn't turn up for a meeting on law and order in the state with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla in Delhi.

Senior officials said the state government was still to get a response from the Centre to its two letters — one on the summons to the chief secretary and the DGP and the other on central deputation for three Bengal cadre IPS officers.

The Union home ministry had last week directed the chief secretary and the state police chief to meet Bhalla in his office at 12.15pm on Monday to discuss law and order against the backdrop of three attacks on BJP national president JP Nadda's convoy en route to Diamond Harbour from Kolkata. A day later, the Centre directed that three IPS officers posted in the state — South Bengal IGP Rajeev Mishra, Presidency range DIG Praveen Kumar Tripathi and Diamond Harbour SP Bholanath Pandey — be sent to Delhi on central deputation.

Responding to the summons to him and DGP Virendra for the meeting in Delhi, chief secretary Bandyopadhyay had requested that their "attendance" be "dispensed with" as the state government was "already" addressing the situation in the wake of the attacks on Nadda's convoy and that several people had been arrested in this regard.

The Bengal government then, in another letter, intimated the Centre of its inability to release the three police officers for central deputation, citing the still continuing fight against the pandemic as a reason.

As the state government claimed to await responses from the Centre to its twin missives, Bandyopadhyay and Virendra stayed put in Bengal and went about their "routine work", officials said. The state government is exploring legal avenues on the communication regarding the three IPS officers, the officials added, implying there was no possibility of their release on Tuesday (as requisitioned by the Centre).

The officials said there was a paucity of IPS officers in Bengal and the "sudden and simultaneous" withdrawal of three officers overseeing arrangements for the Sagar Mela in January 2021 would result in administrative problems.

The Union home ministry had called the chief secretary and the state police chief to discuss law and order against the backdrop of three attacks on BJP national president J P Nadda’s convoy in Bengal last week

Rajini to use unrecognised party for his political launch?

Rajini to use unrecognised party for his political launch?

Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  15.12.2020

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth may use an already registered but unrecognised party — Makkal Sevai Katchi — as his political launch vehicle to contest the Tamil Nadu assembly polls next year.

The party, which was originally registered by the Election Commission as Anaithindhia Makkal Shakthi Kazhagam but rechristened as ‘Makkal Sevai Katchi’ through an amended EC notification issued two-and-ahalf months back, may in all likelihood get to contest with ‘autorickshaw’ as its poll symbol.

TOI has learnt that the Election Commission has received an application from Makkal Sevai Katchi seeking allotment of a common poll symbol for candidates that it seeks to field in all 234 assembly seats of the state. The application mentions Rajinikanth’s name, even though it originates from a different person. The application lists ‘two finger’ pose, made famous by Rajinikanth in his 2002 film Baba, as its first preference for poll symbol, while ‘auto’, reminiscent of his 1995 blockbuster ‘Baashha’, is listed as the second preference.

The file is under process, said a source. TOI has, however, learnt that the EC is unlikely to grant Makkal Sevai Katchi the ‘two-finger’ poll symbol as it bears resemblance to the Congress’s ‘hand’ symbol.

4.1L questions in 12 languages: ’21 JEE-M to be held in 4 cycles

4.1L questions in 12 languages: ’21 JEE-M to be held in 4 cycles

Registration For Feb Cycle Likely To Start Later This Week

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  15.12.2020

Sixteen days of tests, 384 question papers in 12 languages and 4.14 lakh questions will define the scale of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main), to be held in four cycles starting February 2021, for admission to engineering courses. Registration of candidates for the February cycle is likely to start later this week.

JEE (Main) 2021 will be conducted once each month, from February to May. The results too would be announced in four to five days so as to give a window of around a week to candidates to apply for the subsequent month’s test.

Amit Khare, secretary, ministry of education, said: “States have their own education Boards which conduct their exams between February and March. Due to the Covid situation, Boards may reschedule their calendar. This is for the benefit of the students so that they get ample opportunity as per their convenience. Moreover, tests like SAT, GRE or TOEFL are conducted multiple times in a year. This will be in sync with international best practices.”

Prof Abhay Karandikar, director, IIT-Kanpur, said, “Conducting it four times is a good move. NTA conducted exams successfully even during Covid times and the agency has the capability to meet the challenges. This will ensure a fair opportunity and much greater flexibility to the candidates.”

However, some experts believe multiple tests would increase stress for students. Ashok Ganguly, educationist and former CBSE chairperson, said: “Allowing the child to appear four times a year will not serve any purpose. It will increase the burden on children who will continue to attend coaching classes to perform better next time and hamper regular studies. It may also lead to frustration. So two opportunities seem sufficient.”

Some others also feel multiple tests may dilute quality. A former IIT director said, “By conducting the same exam so many times, questions will get repeated as the syllabus is fixed, unlike TOEFL or GRE where there is no fixed syllabus. Over a period of time students will mug up and score high. This will have adverse effect on quality.”

NTA, however, believes that the decision to conduct the exam multiple times in a disaggregated fashion is reasonable and suitable in the present times. “Between February and May, candidates will either sit for the Board exams or competitive exams. The coaching phase would be over by then. Also, it is not necessary that all candidates will appear in all four tests. In the present context, situations across the states are different due to the pandemic and we don’t know how and when they will conduct the exams. So candidates will at least get two chances to appear,” said a member of the governing body of NTA and a psychometric expert.

He said: “The assessment is decided on the purpose of the examination, which is to see engineering aptitude and therefore it is not necessary that the paper has to be difficult. JEE (Advanced) forces a student to go beyond the syllabus as its questions are of undergraduate level and it creates a situation of bunching at the top.”

With the inclusion of Punjabi, JEE (Main) will be conducted in 12 languages in 2021. “A very good step to give all children an equal opportunity to attempt an examination in the language they are comfortable with. It will be challenging (for NTA), but one has to rise to the occasion,” said Anuradha Joshi, Principal, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi.

Times View: The willingness to undertake this ambitious exercise indicates the confidence of the National Testing Agency. However, confidence must be backed with rigour. The JEE exams are taken by lakhs of industrious students dreaming of a better future. The NTA should ensure that the examination process is error-free and hassle-free. That’s the real challenge.