Violence a jolt, but farm unions firm on repeal of laws & MSP

Violence a jolt, but farm unions firm on repeal of laws & MSP

New Delhi:27.01.2021 

Tuesday’s violence during the tractor rallies came as a setback for farm unions agitating for repeal of farm laws. However, they vowed to continue their protests, while seeking to dissociate themselves from the violence, reports Vishwa Mohan.

The unions said there were no plans to abandon the march to Parliament on Budget day, though neither courts nor the Central government may be accommodative this time. The unions, which have received favourable notice so far, will find themselves being questioned over the manner in which their rally spun out of control and resulted in chaos.

Union leaders do not appear ready to give up on their core demands — repeal of laws and legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP). Some of them even feel that their protests are getting more traction. The unions will wait to see how opposition parties take up the stir in the Budget session, which begins on Friday.

Did Tarn Taran youth hoist flag at Red Fort?

A video of a youth hoisting the Sikh religious flag at Red Fort went viral on social media. He was later identified as Jugraj Singh from a village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran. P 5

Govt ‘expects’ TV coverage to hurt farmers’ stir

The likely stand of the Centre, which has so far been at pains to signal its flexibility to amend the laws — short of repeal — was not clear, though BJP members were taken aback by the violence. The government and BJP offered no word on the violence, with sources saying the priority was to restore law and order. The government seemed to expect the televised events to hurt the protest, while the proceedings in SC, which had asked if the rally would be peaceful, could also see the Centre spelling out its stand.

So far, the government has been careful in not using coercive methods, keeping in mind the sensitivity of Punjab, from where most of the unions are from, being a border state and the likely role of extremists in exploiting the situation. The unions said they had mobilised some groups in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, MP and West Bengal to intensify the agitation. All these states, along with Assam and Manipur, witnessed protests on Tuesday. Until now, the mobilisation has been largely cadre-based with Left-aligned All India Kisan Sabha playing a leading role.

“Those elements which are not going along with the collective spirit of farmers’ movement and which broke the norms, are the ones who have weakened themselves, and it is not the movement that is weakened,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch.

Full report on www.toi.in

Sub-registrar: Ashoka’s secy asked for money from me

Sub-registrar: Ashoka’s secy asked for money from me

Udaya Kumar and Kiran Parashar TNN

Chikkamagaluru/Bengaluru:  27.01.2021

A sub-registrar from Chikkamagaluru district has filed a complaint against Karnataka revenue minister R Ashoka’s personal secretary for allegedly demanding bribe on Sunday.

HS Chaluvaraju, 46, has said in the complaint that personal secretary Gangadhar met him during the minister’s visit to Sringeri.

“When I met him, he asked me to pay him money,” Chaluvaraju has alleged. Gangadhar, an employee in Vidhana Soudha secretariat’s office and deputed as personal secretary for Ashoka, has since been transferred, sources said.

Sringeri Town police registered a non-cognizable complaint on Monday and said they will seek the government’s permission to register an FIR. Chikkamagaluru SP Hakay Akshay Machindra confirmed receiving the complaint. Chaluvaraju said he received a WhatsApp message from an unlisted number on Jan 20 about Ashoka’s travel to Sringeri.

‘Took me to room, sought money’

n January 24, I received a call From a person who identified himself as Gangadhar working as PS to the minister. He asked me to meet the minister at Adichunchanagiri Convention Hall at Sringeri after 6pm. When I reached there, Gangadhar arrived around 7pm. I met him in a room attached to the convention hall where he asked me to give him money,” he stated.

Chaluvaraju said: “On January 24, the caller asked me, ‘Bartheera?’ (are you coming?) Then he said, ‘Tartheera?’ (will you bring?) I asked him what should I bring? He said that ‘we will speak’ about it later. On Sunday, when the minister was attending an event in the convention hall, Gangadhar took me to a room and sought money. I said I don’t have the habit of taking/giving money. On Monday, he asked for money on phone. I asked him whether his conscience permits him to demand bribe. I filed a complaint and wrote to the minister against Gangadhar.”

Chaluvaraju, from Hunsur in Mysuru, said he has not taken or given bribe in his career as a government officer for 21 years. He was promoted as a sub-registrar in 2005. KPCC president DK Shivakumar said a sub-registrar has, finally, come forward to file a complaint while many others suffer in silence. “There are so many cases like this in the state," he said.

BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said the personal secretary was allegedly collecting money, which the minister was unaware of.

Is that a coral underwater? No, it’s a Covid-19 mask

Is that a coral underwater? No, it’s a Covid-19 mask

Kamini.Mathai@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.01.2021

For more evidence of the pandemic, dive 60 feet under water. Scuba divers, kayakers and water sports enthusiasts say they have been collecting piles of discarded masks from the shoreline and seabed off Chennai and neighbouring areas.

Over the past few days, scuba diver S B Aravind has gathered up more than 120kg of garbage floating about underwater, a third of that being Covid-19 masks, he says. “I was doing a regular dive off the coast of Puducherry with students when I noticed corals with masks wrapped around them. So I went back for another few dives and started cleaning it up,” he says. At 18 metres under water, Aravind says there are “so many all over the place it’s going to take a long while to clean up”.

Every year, the December-January rains result in a lot of flotsam and jetsam being washed into the sea, masks being the latest entrants. Kayaker John AJ for instance, has so far picked up 30 or more masks from the waters of Kovalam, ECR and Puducherry.

“I carry a bag with me every time I kayak so I can pick up garbage from the sea. Just doing my bit. It’s mostly plastics and masks,” he says. “If people disposed garbage in the proper manner this would not be happening,” he says.

Masks are part of the coastal landscape now, says Bay of Life founder Showkath Jamal. “Especially the blue disposable ones. We’ve been ridding the beaches of them. Every day we pick up at least 50.” While Jamal’s team does beach cleanups every day, every February they organize an ‘inside out’ session, where in association with the Coast Guard, they do an intensive cleaning of the beach and the water. “Divers will clean the insides of the sea and we will clean the outside.”

N Godhantaraman, head of department of Environmental Science at the University of Madras, says macro and microplastics can get consumed by marine organisms and impact the food chain. “The pollutants affect at every level from the zooplankton to the larger fish. And finally, humans as well, who consume the fish,” he says. Though nonbiodegradable masks may begin as macroplastic pollution, they end up as microplastics, he explains.

Conservationists from around the world have begun putting up social media posts of masks polluting ocean floors. French conservationists Laurent Lombard for instance showed videos of algaeentangled masks and in the sea near Antibes.

TROUBLED WATERS: Discarded masks in the sea off the city coast

North Western Rly notifies extension of special trains

North Western Rly notifies extension of special trains

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:27.01.2021

The North Western Railway has notified the extension of special trains.

According to a press release, biweekly special trains such as 02968 Jaipur – Dr MGR Chennai Central Bi-Weekly Special Train on Fridays and Sundays will be extended to run from February 5 until further advice. 02967 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Jaipur Bi -Weekly Special Train on Sundays and Tuesdays will be extended to run from February 7 until further instruction.

As far as weekly trains are concerned, 02475 Hisar - Coimbatore Weekly Special Train on Wednesdays will be extended to run from February 3, 02476 Coimbatore–Hisar Weekly Special Train on Saturdays will be extended to run from February 6, 02978 Ajmer - Ernakulam Weekly Special Train on Fridays will be extended to run from February 5, 02977 Ernakulam - Ajmer Weekly Special Train on Sundays will be extended to run from February 7, 02970 Jaipur - Coimbatore Weekly Special Train on Tuesdays will be extended to run from February 2 and the service of 02969 Coimbatore - Jaipur Weekly Special Train on Fridays will be extended to run from February 5.

NCTE nod pending, admissions to 2,500 BEd seats delayed again

NCTE nod pending, admissions to 2,500 BEd seats delayed again

Ragu.Rmn@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.01.2021

Admissions to 2,500 BEd seats in government and government-aided colleges in Tamil Nadu have been delayed further as the southern regional committee of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is yet to give its nod for the admissions. Recently, higher education secretary Apoorva asked the council to relax faculty requirements view of the ongoing recruitment.

The directorate of collegiate education used to conduct single-window counselling for 2,500 BEd seats in seven government colleges of education and 14 governmentaided colleges. Citing faculty shortage in government colleges, the NCTE directed all the seven institutions not to make any admission till the recruitment is completed.

The Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) has expedited the recruitment of 33 faculty members to government colleges.

The southern regional committee after perusing the higher education secretary’s January 3 letter decided to request the NCTE chairperson to take appropriate action on the matter. “Only then the SRC can consider the request made by the principal secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu,” minutes of the southern regional committee meeting said.

Online registration for BEd admissions was held from December 4 to10. Several hundred candidates applied.

Candidates said they are worried about the long delay as they may lose a full year if admissions are delayed. “Tuition fee in government colleges is just ₹2,000 against ₹35,000 in private colleges. Because of the delay in admissions, the 14 government-aided colleges are also not able to fill 90% seats under government quota,” an aspirant said. There are 1,900 BEd seats in 14 government-aided colleges.

“There are chances that the admissions may not be possible for this academic year with only three months available. The higher education department should consider conducting admissions for this batch in the calendar year instead of in the academic year,” said J Robert, general secretary of the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers Association.

“The government can still conduct BEd counselling in February and for this batch can finish 3-4 months late. If they don’t conduct admissions, it will affect aspirants,” said A Manoharan, president, Voice of Academics.

Sources said the TRB conducted the certificate verification for 1,400 candidates and is likely to appoint the 33 faculty members to government colleges of education by the first or second week of February.

NEWS DIGEST

NEWS DIGEST

27.01.2021 

Employee steals 5kg gold from jewellery store

Police have launched a hunt for the manager of a popular jewellery store after he allegedly decamped with gold and diamond jewels weighing about 5kg from the safe. The suspect, Praveen Singh from Rajasthan, was employed at the corporate office of the jewellery shop on Habibullah Road. He had reported to work on Saturday, according to police. With his phone not reachable till Monday, his colleagues grew suspicious and checked the stock. They found the gold and jewels missing. The store has filed a complaint with the Teynampet police station.

Burglars steal gold worth ₹2 lakh: Miscreants escaped with gold and cash from the Avadi house of a government employee on Monday. Police said Godhandaraman of Bharathiyar Avenue is employed as an assistant engineer in the electricity department at Koyambedu. He and his family left for their relatives’ house in Perambur on Saturday for a marriage. Upon returning on Tuesday morning, he found that the front door of his house was open and articles from the cupboard were scattered. Following his complaint, the Avadi police registered a case and launched a hunt for the thieves. Police said around five sovereigns of gold worth ₹2 lakh and ₹6,000 cash weere stolen. Visuals sourced through CCTV footages revealed that the miscreants entered the house on Monday night.

Metro rail celebrates Republic Day: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) celebrated the 72nd Republic Day at the CMRL admin building in Koyambedu on Tuesday. Pradeep Yadav, managing director, CMRL, hoisted the national flag and accepted the parade salute on the occasion. As part of Republic Day celebrations for encouraging sportsmanship among fellow colleagues, sports competitions such as brisk walk, badminton, table tennis, carrom were conducted.

Sasikala free, but unlikely to be discharged

Sasikala free, but unlikely to be discharged

Bengaluru:

Former AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala will be released from the Central Jail, Parappana Agrahara, on Wednesday. However, doctors treating the 66-year-old for Covid-19 in Victoria Hospital have advised against discharging her for the next two-three days.

Sasikala was sentenced to four-year imprisonment in 2017 in a disproportionate assets case.

Sources in the home department told TOI all her release-related formalities will be completed at the hospital on Wednesday morning. “She will technically be free, but not medically yet,” said a health department official.

Referring to the feedback received from doctors, the official said: “She is not fit for discharge as of Wednesday. She is being given intermittent oxygen supply and is stable. She will have to stay in the hospital for another three days.”

Medical superintendent Dr Ramesh Krishna K said she was consuming food orally and was walking with support.

A health department official said: “Her family is yet to decide on getting her discharged. If they insist on moving her out of the hospital on Wednesday, it will be recorded as “discharged against medical advice”. TNN