Deep discounts on domestic airfares make a comeback

Deep discounts on domestic airfares make a comeback

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai/ New Delhi:  15.01.2021

With the government cap on domestic airfares ending on March 31, airlines ticket sales are back with discounts on summer flights. While almost all Indian carriers have started deep discount advance booking schemes, UAE’s Etihad has come out with a fly-childrenfor-free with parents offer.

“Adults who book their next flight to Abu Dhabi or Dubai with Etihad can take their children (up to 11 years of age) for free. With every adult ticket booked before January 28 for travel, until September 30, up to two children will travel free. So, two adults can bring four children,” Etihad said in a statement.

On Thursday, return airfares on routes like Mumbai-Cochin for travel in April-May were available for Rs 4,500, while a Mumbai-Delhi return was priced at Rs 5,000. Return tickets on low supply-high demand flights like non-stops from Mumbai to Dehradun began at Rs 9,000. Among the cheapest return fares were those on Mumbai-Goa flights priced at Rs 3,750 on IndiGo.

Travel portal ixigo founder-CEO Aloke Bajpai said: “Airfare data for first two weeks of January show that there has been a 15-20% monthon-month decline in average airfares across key domestic routes. Vaccine roll-out and cheap fares will lead to a substantial increase in demand to travel by summer this year … With major airlines like Indi-Go, SpiceJet and Vistara running heavy sales, this is a good time for travellers to avail the best prices for their upcoming trips.”

Last week, Vistara had launched a sale, with the cheapest fare on offer priced at Rs 1,300. On Friday, IndiGo began a five-day special domestic sale which will end on January 17.

“It will offer customers allinclusive fares on domestic flights starting at Rs 877.

The sale is valid on travel from April 1 to September 30. Change or cancellation fee of Rs 500 will be applicable on bookings made during the sale,” said an IndiGo spokesperson.

The government had enforced a price cap on airfares in May 2020

Bhopal shivers in Sankranti chill, min temp drops to 7.8°

Bhopal shivers in Sankranti chill, min temp drops to 7.8°

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal: 15.01.2021

Winter is here to stay, the weather office on Thursday, warning against cold waves and ground frost in several places of Madhya Pradesh.

The night temperature continued to remain below the normal mark in Bhopal and other parts of the state on Thursday.

Officials of the meteorological department, Bhopal circle said, there is no system over moisture incursion over the state.

Prevailing cold weather would continue for a few more days, though there could be minor variation in the temperatures.

Day temperature in Bhopal on Thursday was recorded at 25.5 degrees Celsius, a degree more than normal mark, while night temperature in the city was recorded at 7.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees less than normal mark.

Wind direction in the city was north easterly while average wind speed was ten kilometres per hour.

Umaria was coldest at 2 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Over 12 places in the state recorded night temperature between 2 degrees to 5 degrees Celsius. Cold wave swept Gwalior, Umaria, Naogaon, Datia, Ratlam, Khajuraho, Jabalpur, Rewa, Satna and Seoni.

In the forecast for Bhopal on Friday the meteorological officials said, there would be clear sky and dry weather would prevail in the city. Day and night temperature would be respectively at 25 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius while average wind speed will be 12 kmph In forecast for the state, meteorological officials issued a warning of cold waves for Gwalior, Datia, Ratlam, Chhatarpur, Rewa, Satna, Umaria, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Seoni and Balaghat districts.

While weatherman warned ground frost for Umaria, Shahdol, Gwalior, Datia and Chhatarpur districts, the officials added.

Shopkeepers warm themselves in front of a fire in New Market

AIIMS to resume normal services

AIIMS to resume normal services

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal: 15.01.2021

After curtailment of hospital services during the pandemic, AIIMS Bhopal has decided to resume all services as normal, said institute director, Dr Sarman Singh. Critical care Covid-19 treatment will continue in the hospital.

When the pandemic hit the city in March, the hospital was optimised to make available inpatient beds for hospitalisation of seriously-ill Covid-19 patients. “AIIMS Delhi has resumed regular services. We are doing the same,” said Dr Singh.

The resumption of normal services would come as a relief for many, as several interventions have been deferred during the pandemic. “We have performed extremely well in caring for Covid-19 patients. Other hospital services have been on-going in a limited way. It would be further regularised. Online services and appointments would soon be revoked. Non-Covid-19 services would be enhanced,” said AIIMS hospital, medical superintendent, Dr Manisha Shrivastava.

Around 3,000 critical Covid-19 patients have been treated at the hospital. Without regular services on offer during the pandemic, the hospital has been catering to an OPD of more than 1,000 patients. It is now expected to touch 2,500 OPD cases per day. Surgical services for other ailments are also returning to normal. As for Covid-19 services, 40 ICU beds have been reserved . It would include paediatric age Covid-19 care. Besides, 90 general beds would be for general Covid-19 patients. Asymptomatic and those Covid-19 patients who are not in need for oxygen support would be referred to other care centres.

AIIMS helpdesk

An information helpdesk for patients admitted to AIIMS Bhopal has been initiated. It is a public friendly initiative to inform, assist and guide the relatives of admitted patients in Covid as well non-Covid wards and ICUs of the hospital. This desk will function round-the-clock. It will serve as a nodal centre for communication and coordination of information regarding patient care services between departments, patient care areas, patients’ attendants /relatives and the administration. The desk helpline numbers are (0755) 2982607, 2985569.

NBE accused of ‘back-door entry’ for select students

NBE accused of ‘back-door entry’ for select students

‘Institutions Lose Accreditation And Candidates Are Relocated’

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

15.01.2021

How does a candidate for DNB (a post graduate medical degree) ranked around 34,600 in the entrance exam get allotted a high-demand specialty like radio diagnosis in a highly regarded institution? How does one ranked around 15,000 get into an institution which usually gets filled around rank 5,000? It is through an opaque process where candidates allotted to institutions that lose accreditation are ‘relocated’ to those where seats are still vacant. Candidates have accused the National Board of Examination (NBE) of facilitating such ‘back-door entry’ for select candidates.

Every year, the NBE, which regulates post graduate courses in various medical specialties, mostly in private hospitals, allots candidates to hospitals according to their preference and ranking in the entrance exam. However, the board often withdraws accreditation of entire hospitals or of seats in a few specialties after allotment, leaving hundreds of students in the lurch. In most such cases, complaints about the hospitals that lose accreditation would have been made months or even years back, but NBE not only includes the seats in these hospitals in the counselling process, it even allots students to them only to later cancel accreditation.

Take the case of two students ranked in the range of 35,000 and allotted transfusion medicine in Nayati hospital in Mathura. The accreddiation for Nayati was later cancelled and they were relocated to other hospitals for specialities like radio diagnosis and ophthalmology, both much more sought after. “How did they get to change their specialty? How come the seats they were given were never openly available for the mop-up counselling? There is zero transparency on how relocation is done and nothing is put in the public domain,” said a candidate still awaiting relocation months after accreditation was cancelled.

The roulette of relocation can also work against you. In one such case, a candidate with rank around 15,000 was allotted general medicine in Amaltas Medical College in Madhya Pradesh in August last year. On November 6, NBE withdrew accreditation and offered a general medicine seat in a 200-bed hospital in Hyderabad. “I had chosen a medical college because according to the regulations, if I do DNB from a medical college or a hospital with over 500 beds, I don’t need to do an extra year of senior residency to have equivalence with MD/MS. Now I am being allocated to a 200-bed hospital, which means I will have to do an extra year. I have filed a case, but it is a huge financial loss to fight a case and mental harassment on top of it,” said the candidate.

Candidates from an earlier batch allocated to Amaltas had complained to NBE about the institution over a year back. Yet, NBE included Amaltas’ seats in the 2020 counselling with no indication of the complaints or the fact that it was under the scanner and allocated students there, and then went on to cancel its accreditation.

In another case, a student with rank around 16,500 was allocated emergency medicine in Columbia Asia Hospital in Bangalore. The candidate had chosen Bangalore as her husband was working in Bangalore. She joined the hospital on August 26. The NBE conducted an inspection on September 10 and the accreditation for emergency medicine seats was cancelled by October end. “I was offered a seat in a 200-bed hospital in Ahmedabad and another in Delhi which were at the level of rank 22,000 or less. I was also told that if I did not join the allotted seat I would be debarred from DNB for three years,” said the candidate.

Every year, accreditation of seats in over a dozen hospitals is withdrawn because they fail to maintain academic standards or to pay regular stipend. In 2020, for instance, about 100 students had to be relocated as accreditation for all DNB courses in hospitals like Aditya Birla Hospital in Pune, Nayati, Amaltas and CMRI, Kolkata were shut down, while accreditation to specific courses in hospitals like Columbia Asia and Global Hospital, Pune was withdrawn.

“NBE does not put out inspection reports of hospitals. There is no public record of complaints received against hospitals and no date of accreditation. How can students make an informed choice about which hospital to join? Why is NBE not taking responsibility for accrediting substandard institutions and then cancelling accreditation and playing with the lives of hundreds of students?” asked a former office bearer of the Association of DNB Doctors.

NBE did not respond to TOI’s queries on the issue despite several reminders.

Every year, accreditation of seats in over a dozen hospitals is withdrawn because they fail to maintain academic standards or to pay regular stipend

Wrong sex, missing surname: Travellers get refund

CONSUMER IS KING

Wrong sex, missing surname: Travellers get refund

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:15.01.2021

Two Bengalureans who approached a consumer court with separate complaints against two travel firms have won refund and compensation.

In the first case, a woman sued a travel agency for getting a Singaporean visa issued to her with her sex printed as male, which spoilt her plans. The second complaint was against a ticketing website for not letting a man enter his family members’ surname, resulting in cancellation of tickets.

Bharathi T of Sringar in Bengaluru was excited about the trip she had planned to Singapore, Malyasia and Thailand in mid-2017. She contacted Soonangi Travel & Tours Private Limited in Jai Bharath Nagar and paid a total of Rs 96,000 towards the trip expenses and visa procedures. Her Singapore visa arrived a few days later; it mentioned her sex as male. She immediately informed the agency representatives about the error and was promised the issue would be rectified before her scheduled travel date.

But till the last minute, Soonangi Travel representatives failed to get Bharathi an amended visa, resulting in the 45-year-old having to drop her travel plans. She demanded a refund from the agency, which only agreed to repay Rs 32,000. The infuriated Bengalurean sent a legal notice to the agency and approached the Bangalore 2nd additional urban district consumer disputes redressal forum on January 5, 2018 with a complaint against it.

At the end of proceedings that lasted over 34 months, the judges heavily criticised the travel agency for upsetting the complainant’s travel plans. The court pointed out the attempt to offer the complainant Rs 32,000 instead of a full refund itself showed something was amiss. It was clear that the first leg of the journey was to Singapore and Bharathi couldn’t take the trip as her visa showed her sex as male, which the travel agency didn’t bother to rectify despite being contacted by the complainant, the judges said.

In their verdict pronounced on November 25, 2020, the judges ordered that Soonangi pay the customer a full refund of Rs 96,000 with interest, apart from Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 towards her litigation expenses.

The same court heard a complaint filed by BK Ravi Shankar, 52, an insurance company manager, against Make My Trip India Private Limited, in which he stated the ticketing portal didn’t allow him to enter full names of four of his family members. As a result, Shankar was forced to cancel all the return tickets from Bengaluru to Port Blair — which he had booked by spending nearly Rs 1.3 lakh — for January 2017.

As per the rules, the firm refunded Rs 18,041, but allegedly withheld Rs 38,643, which Shankar claimed it was legally bound to repay.

After three years and six months of proceedings, the consumer court ruled in favour of the complainant on December 14, 2020 and ordered Make My Trip to refund him Rs 28,423 and pay him Rs 3,000 towards litigation expenses.

In the first case, a woman sued a travel agency for getting a Singaporean visa issued to her with her sex printed as male. The second complainant was forced to cancel tickets after he couldn’t enter his family members’ surname on a ticketing website

Publication of notice of marriage not mandatory’

Publication of notice of marriage not mandatory’

14/01/2021

Omar Rashid Lucknow

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the provision of publication of notice of intended marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, is not mandatory.

The court, in a significant judgment delivered on January 12, said making such publication mandatory “would invade the fundamental rights of liberty and privacy, including within its sphere the freedom to choose for marriage without interference from state and non-state actors, of the persons concerned”.

A Bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary mandated that while giving notice under Section 5 of the Act, it shall be optional for the parties to the intended marriage to make a request in writing to the marriage officer to publish or not to publish a notice under Section 6 and follow the procedure of objections as prescribed under the Act.

In case the parties do not make such a request, the officer “shall not publish any such notice or entertain objections to the intended marriage and proceed with the solemnisation of the marriage”.

நீட் மதிப்பெண் வேறுபாட்டை எதிர்த்து வழக்கு: மாணவரைக் கல்லூரியில் சேர்க்க உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவு

நீட் மதிப்பெண் வேறுபாட்டை எதிர்த்து வழக்கு: மாணவரைக் கல்லூரியில் சேர்க்க உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவு

case-against-neet-score-difference-high-court-order-to-admit-student-to-college

நீட் மதிப்பெண் முதலில் 594 ஆகவும், 12 நாளில் 248 ஆகவும் இரு வேறாக தவறாக வெளியானதாக பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மாணவர் தொடர்ந்த வழக்கில், அவருக்கு மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் இடம் வழங்க நீதிபதி உத்தரவிட்டார். மாணவரின் தகவல் தவறாக இருந்தால் படிப்பைக் கைவிட வேண்டி இருக்கும், சட்ட விளைவுகளைச் சந்திக்க வேண்டி இருக்கும் என நீதிபதி எச்சரித்துள்ளார்.

கடந்த ஆண்டின் நீட் தேர்வு விடைத்தாள்களை தேசிய தேர்வு முகமை கடந்த அக்டோபர் 5-ம் தேதி வெளியிட்டபோது, கோவையைச் சேர்ந்த மனோஜ் என்ற மாணவர் 700க்கு 594 மதிப்பெண்கள் பெற்றதாகப் பதிவாகி இருந்தது. இந்நிலையில், அக்டோபர் 17-ம் தேதி 248 மதிப்பெண்கள் மட்டுமே அம்மாணவர் பெற்றதாக இணையதளத்தில் பதிவேற்றம் செய்யப்பட்டதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது.

இரு பட்டியலையும் ஸ்கிரீன் ஷாட் எடுத்த மாணவர் மனோஜ், தனக்கு மதிப்பெண்கள் குறைத்து வழங்கப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்து சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்குத் தொடர்ந்தார். அந்த வழக்கை விசாரித்த உயர் நீதிமன்றம், மனுதாரர் சமர்ப்பித்த தரவுகளை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு விரிவாக விசாரணை நடத்தி அறிக்கை தாக்கல் செய்ய தேசிய தேர்வு முகமைக்கு உத்தரவிட்டிருந்தது.

இந்த வழக்கு நீதிபதி பி.புகழேந்தி முன்பு மீண்டும் விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. கூடுதல் மதிப்பெண் பெற்றதாக மாணவர் தாக்கல் செய்த மதிப்பெண் சான்றின் ஸ்கிரீன் ஷாட் திரிக்கப்பட்டது என்றும், 248 மதிப்பெண்கள் மட்டுமே பெற்றுள்ளதாகவும் தேசிய தேர்வு முகமை தரப்பில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

அதேசமயம், உண்மையைக் கண்டறிய விசாரணை தேவை என்றும், தன் மீது தவறு இருந்தால் சட்ட பின்விளைவுகளைச் சந்திக்கத் தயாராக இருப்பதாகவும் மனுதாரர் தரப்பில் உத்தரவாதம் அளிக்கப்பட்டது.

கலந்தாய்வு அமைப்பு தரப்பில், மனுதாரருக்கு ஏற்கெனவே தூத்துக்குடி மருத்துவக் கல்லூரியில் இடம் ஒதுக்கீடு செய்யப்பட்டு, வழக்கு நிலுவை காரணமாக சேர்க்கை வழங்கப்படவில்லை எனத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

னைத்துத் தரப்பு வாதங்களையும் கேட்ட நீதிபதி, மனுதாரருக்கு மாணவர் சேர்க்கை வழங்க உத்தரவிட்டார்.

இந்த விவகாரத்தில் சுதந்திரமான ஒரு அமைப்பைக் கொண்டு விசாரிப்பது குறித்து ஜனவரி 21-ம் தேதி முடிவெடுக்கப்படும் எனத் தெரிவித்த நீதிபதி, மனுதாரர் முறைகேட்டில் ஈடுபட்டது தெரியவந்தால் படிப்பைக் கைவிட வேண்டும் என்றும், அதற்கான கட்டணத்தைச் செலுத்த வேண்டுமெனவும், மாணவர் மட்டுமல்லாமல் அவரது பெற்றோரும் சட்ட விளைவுகளைச் சந்திக்க நேரிடும் எனவும் குறிப்பிட்டு, விசாரணையை ஜனவரி 21-ம் தேதிக்குத் தள்ளிவைத்தார்.

 அகில இந்திய துப்பாக்கிச் சுடும் போட்டியில் மதுரை மருத்துவ மாணவி முதலிடம்

madurai-medico-bags-title-in-national-level-shooting-championship

அகில இந்திய துப்பாக்கிச் சுடும் போட்டியில் மதுரையைச் சேர்ந்த மருத்துவ மாணவி முதலிடம் பெற்றுள்ளார்.

மதுரை சர்வேயர் காலனியைச் சேர்ந்த மாணவி சி.கவி ரக்ஷனா. இவர், சிவகங்கை அரசு மருத்துவக் கல்லூரியில் இரண்டாம் ஆண்டு படிக்கிறார்.

அண்மையில், டெல்லியில் நடந்த அகில இந்திய பெண்கள் 10 மீட்டர் ஏர் ரைஃபிளில், அகில இந்திய அளவில் முதலிடம் பிடித்து சாதனை படைத்துள்ளார்.

காமன்வெல்த் போட்டியில் தங்கப்பதக்கம் வென்ற இளவேனில் என்ற பெண்ணை (குஜராத்துக்காக விளையாடுகிறார்) மூன்றாம் இடம் தள்ளி முதலிடம் பெற்றுள்ளார்.

கவி ரக்ஷனாவிடம் தோல்வியடைந்த இளவேனிக்கு குஜராத் அரசு ஆண்டிற்கு பத்து லட்சம் நிதியுதவி, தனிப்பட்ட இரண்டு பயிற்சியாளர்களை வழங்கி ஊக்கவித்து வருகிறது.

ஆனால், அரசு மற்றும் தனியாரின் எந்த ஸ்பான்சர் உதவியும் இல்லாமல் கடந்த ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளாக மதுரைக்காகவும், தமிழகத்திற்காகவும் கவி ரக்ஷனா பல்வேறு போட்டிகளில் பங்கேற்று பரிசுகளையும், சிறப்பிடங்களையும் பெற்றுள்ளார்.

தற்போது தேசிய அளவில் முதலிடமும் பெற்றுள்ளார். ஆனாலும் தமிழக அரசின் விளையாட்டுத் துறை இவரை இதுவரை அங்கீகாரம் செய்யவில்லை. எனவே தனது மகள் கவி ரக்ஷனாவுக்கு உதவ வேண்டும் என்று தந்தை டாக்டர் சக்கரவர்த்தி வேண்டுகோள் விடுத்துள்ளார்.