Anna univ loses 2 MTech courses in state’s quota war with Centre

Anna univ loses 2 MTech courses in state’s quota war with Centre

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:31.01.2021

Admission to two centrally-sponsored M Tech courses at Anna University has been cancelled this year following the Centre’s insistence that the university follow only 49.5% reservation and not the state government’s 69% quota policy in admitting students.

The Union government’s department of biotechnologysupported courses of M Tech Biotechnology and M Tech Computational Biology programmes offer ₹12,000 and ₹12,500 respectively as stipend to a total of 45 students.

“As the central government rules of reservation were not acceptable to the government of Tamil Nadu, Anna University is unable to proceed with the admission to the DBT-supported MTech Biotechnology and MTech Computational Biology programmes for the academic year 2020–21,” the university announced on its website on Saturday.

The decision has left many aspirants heartbroken as the demand for these courses increased following the Covid-19 pandemic.

MTech Biotechnology course is being offered since 1985 at Anna University and MTech Computational Biology has been on from 2014-15.

Students may have to waste a year

Students qualified in Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test and Graduate Aptitude Test in Biotechnology (GAT-B) said they found themselves stranded and might have to waste one academic year.

“My daughter is within top 100 ranks in GAT-B exam. We are disappointed by the decision by the university. They should admit students even without any stipend, as there is huge demand for these courses,” a parent from Chennai said.

K Muthukumaran, whose daughter was waiting for MTech biotechnology admission, said, “TN wanted 69% reservation whereas the Centre insisted on 49.5% reservation. Due to the conflict over quota policy, Anna University kept postponing admissions to these two courses for the last three months. Meanwhile, the admissions to MTech biotechnology in other institutions got over.”

Till last year, the admissions for these two courses were conducted at all India level. Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi used to conduct Combined Entrance Exam for Biotechnology (JNU CEEB) for admitting students at MTech biotechnology while Pondicherry University used to conduct all India entrance test for computational biology course.

This year, however, the Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad took over the responsibility of conducting both the entrance exams and the name of exam was also changed as Graduate Aptitude Test in Biotechnology (GAT-B). Instead of conducting both entrance test and admissions, the RCB announced that the admissions would be conducted by respective institutions.

Since it is a central government-sponsored course, DBT followed 49.5% reservation in all India admissions till last year. Anna University sought clarification from state governmentsover the reservation policy to be followed in admissions to these two programmes. “The state government directed the university to follow 69% reservation, for which DBT, which is funding these programmes, did not agree. We have no other way but to cancel the admissions to the two popular courses,” an Anna University official said.

When askedwhether the varsity could have followed 69% reservation by increasing the intake,theofficialsaidtheAllIndia Council for Technical Education will not give permission to increase intake in the middle of an academic year and faculty members will not be sufficient.

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நீதிமன்றங்கள் மீதான விமர்சனம் அதிகரிப்பு'

நீதிமன்றங்கள் மீதான விமர்சனம் அதிகரிப்பு'

Updated : ஜன 30, 2021 00:03 | Added : ஜன 29, 2021 21:36 |

புதுடில்லி:'நீதிமன்றங்களை விமர்சிக்கும் போக்கு அதிகரித்து வருகிறது; அனைத்து தரப்பு மக்களும் விமர்சிக்கின்றனர்' என, சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

மஹாராஷ்டிராவைச் சேர்ந்த நகைச்சுவை பேச்சாளர் குனால் கம்ரா, கர்நாடகாவைச் சேர்ந்த கார்ட்டூனிஸ்ட் ரச்சித் தனிஜா ஆகியோர், சமூக வலைதளங்களில் உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தை கடுமையாக விமர்சித்திருந்தனர். இருவர் மீதும், உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் நீதிமன்ற அவமதிப்பு வழக்கு தொடரப்பட்டது. இந்த வழக்கு, நீதிபதிகள் அசோக் பூஷண், ஆர்.எஸ்.ரெட்டி, எம்.ஆர்.ஷா ஆகியோர் அடங்கிய அமர்வு முன், விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது.

குனால் கம்ரா சார்பில் தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்ட பதில் மனுவில், 'பொருத்தமில்லாமல் பேசுவது, நகைச்சுவைக்கான சாதனம். நகைச்சுவையாக கூறப்படுவதை, அப்படியே அர்த்தமாக கருதி, எடுத்துக் கொள்ளக் கூடாது' என, கூறியிருந்தார்.

இதையடுத்து, நீதிபதிகள் உத்தரவிட்டதாவது: நீதிமன்றங்களை விமர்சிப்பது, சமீபகாலமாக அதிகரித்து வருகிறது. அனைத்து தரப்பு மக்களும் விமர்சிக்கின்றனர். பதில் மனு தாக்கல் செய்ய, தனிஜாவுக்கு மூன்று வார கால அவகாசம் வழங்கப்படுகிறது.இவ்வாறு, நீதிபதிகள் உத்தரவிட்டனர்.

உங்கள் குழந்தைக்கு நாளை சொட்டு மருந்து போடுங்க!

உங்கள் குழந்தைக்கு நாளை சொட்டு மருந்து போடுங்க!

Updated : ஜன 30, 2021 05:52 | Added : ஜன 30, 2021 05:51

சென்னை : போலியோ சொட்டு மருந்து முகாம் நாளை(ஜன.,31) நடைபெற உள்ளதால், தவறாமல், 5 வயதிற்கு உட்பட்ட குழந்தைக்கு சொட்டு மருந்து போட வேண்டும் என, அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

போலியோ நோய் இல்லாத நாடாக இந்தியா உள்ளது. ஆனாலும், அண்டை நாடுகளில் இருந்து, போலியோ பரவாமல் தடுக்கும் வகையில், ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும், 5 வயதிற்கு உட்பட்ட குழந்தைகளுக்கு, போலியோ சொட்டு மருந்து போடப்படுகிறது.

நாடு முழுதும், வரும், 31ம் தேதி, 5 வயதிற்கு உட்பட்ட குழந்தைகளுக்கு, போலியோ சொட்டு மருந்து போடும் முகாம் நடைபெற உள்ளது. தமிழகத்தை பொறுத்தவரை, 70.20 லட்சம் குழந்தைகளுக்கு போலியோ சொட்டு மருந்து போட, இலக்கு நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இந்த முகாம், காலை, 7:00 மணி முதல் மாலை, 5:00 மணி வரை நடைபெற உள்ளது.

இப்பணியில், 41 ஆயிரத்து, 53 மையங்களில், 2 லட்சத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட பணியாளர்கள் ஈடுபட உள்ளனர். முகாமில், 5 வயதிற்கு உட்பட்ட குழந்தைகளுக்கு தவறாமல் சொட்டு மருந்து போட்டுக் கொள்ள, சுகாதாரத் துறை அதிகாரிகள் அறிவுறுத்தி உள்ளனர்.

NEWS DIGEST

NEWS DIGEST

30.01.2021

Nursing intake deadline now Feb 28

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Extra coaches added to five trains: The Western Railway has decided to add one sleeper coach to each of five trains passing from Ahmedabad. WR officials said the decision was taken to clear extra rush, and on a temporary basis. The five trains which will now have an extra sleeper coach each are Bandra Terminus – Bhavnagar Terminus Express, Bandra Terminus – Bhuj Express, Dadar – Bhuj Express, Bhavnagar Terminus – Asansol Junction Express and Porbandar – Delhi S. Rohilla Express.

PSI’s brother-in-law surrenders in graft case: Devendra Odedara, the brother-in-law of suspended PSI Shweta Jadeja, surrendered before a special court on Friday. The court handed over his custody to the Special Operations Group. Odedara is accused of accepting bribe money on behalf of PSI Jadeja last year. While Jadeja was arrested and sent to police remand, Odedara remained an absconder.

Lifetime RTI ban imposed on whistleblower from Amreli

Lifetime RTI ban imposed on whistleblower from Amreli

‘Cantankerous Approach’ Cited To Negate Right

Ashish.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:30.01.2021

The Gujarat information commissioner delivered a serious blow to the Right to Information Act by imposing a lifetime ban on an Amreli man, who has exposed several scams in GSRTC through his applications. In what is probably the first-of-its-kind verdict in the country, the commissioner cited the applicant’s ‘cantankerous approach’ as a reason for taking away his right to know about government affairs -- a fundamental right guaranteed to him under Article 19 of the Constitution.

The commissioner also stated that applicant Manoj Sarpadadia had ‘tried to harass the authorities’.

Sarpadadia, a 46-year-old from Savarkundla, is a bus conductor with Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC). He had been suspended in March 2017 after he allegedly siphoned off money by not issuing tickets to passengers.

He has so far filed 170 RTI applications from 2017 to 2020 regarding alleged irregularities in GSRTC as well as departmental action taken against corrupt employees.

Sarpadadia had on September 12, 2019 filed an RTI plea seeking minutes of GSRTC’s vigilance meeting held in connection with an irregularity practised by an employee.

However, Gujarat information commissioner Ramesh Karia observed that Sarpadadia’s act of filing RTI creates nuisance and disturbance for the state authorities and he has been filing the pleas to take vengeance.

"Commission feels that applicant has a cantankerous approach and he is an applicant who creates constant nuisance and disturbance for the state authorities. This has been reflected in the long lists of his RTI applications where it seems that an employee has been trying to make mockery of his institution by seeking irrelevant information under RTI just because he is aggrieved and wants to take revenge," states an order issued by Karia on December 12, 2020, a copy of which was obtained by Sarpadadia on Monday.

The order also mentions that Sarpadadia has been making mockery of RTI Act. "Sarpadadia has not sought any information which seems relevant with the motto of the act as mentioned in its preamble. The preamble of the Act puts stress on fixing accountability of government officers but this applicant has been acting in such a way that he seems to be putting pressure of government employees," it adds.

Sarpadadia told TOI, “I was suspended wrongfully because I had raised objections against corruption in the ST. However, this gave me time to file RTIs and expose corruption in GSRTC, but they have taken away that right, too.”

‘Shocking’ rulings cost judge her confirmation

‘Shocking’ rulings cost judge her confirmation

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:30.01.2021

Back-to-back controversial decisions relating to child sexual offences forced the Supreme Court collegium to take the unprecedented step of withdrawing its recommendation to the Centre to make the author of the judgments, Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, an additional judge in Bombay HC, a permanent judge of the HC.

She stunned many with her January 19 judgment acquitting a man charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on the ground that pressing the breasts of a 12-year-old girl without removing her top did not entail skin-to-skin contact and, hence, was not an offence under the Act. A day later, the collegium headed by CJI S A Bobde, disregarding serious objections from two senior SC judges, “approved the proposal for appointment of Ganediwala” and it was sent to the law ministry.

SC sitting on 23 judge names for mths: Govt

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‘Judge needs to be sensitised about Pocso’

As public criticism mounted against the specious “skin-to-skin contact” logic that reflected the judge’s insensitivity towards minor girls subjected to sexual harassment or assault, senior judges of the SC, Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, both hailing from Bombay HC, reiterated their strong reservations against making Justice Ganediwala a permanent judge of the HC in closed door conversations. Both had reservations even against her initial appointment as an additional judge in Bombay HC in February 2019.

Justices Khanwilkar and Chandrachud, who are not members of the three-member collegium that decides appointments, confirmations and transfers of HC judges, convinced one of the members of collegium to withdraw his consent to the resolution approving appointment of Justice Ganediwala as a permanent judge.

When the CJI was deliberating on the embarrassing move of recalling the proposal that had already been sent to the Union government, Justice Ganediwala made his task easier by giving a second controversial judgment on January 28, by which she acquitted a 50-year-old man by ruling that holding the hand of a five-year-old girl and unzipping his pants in front of her could not be categorised as a sexual offence under POCSO Act. The SC judges are of the opinion that she needs to be sensitised about the aim and object behind enactment of POCSO Act.