Madras High Court Allows Subordinate Courts In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry To Function In Full Capacity With No Limitations/Restrictions From Feb 8

Madras High Court Allows Subordinate Courts In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry To Function In Full Capacity With No Limitations/Restrictions From Feb 8: The Madras High Court, in an Official Memorandum issued on Monday (01st February), has allowed the Subordinate Courts (in the State of Tamil Nadu and UT of Puducherry) to work in full capacity ...

Rs 63k crore alloted for Chennai Metro Phase-2

Rs 63k crore alloted for Chennai Metro Phase-2

This announcement by Centre has come as Phase-2 Metro rail construction works are underway.

Published: 02nd February 2021 03:44 AM 

By Omjasvin MD

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Months after Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the 118.9-km Phase 2 Metro stretch in Chennai, the Centre has announced funding of Rs 63,246 crore for the project. This announcement by Centre has come as Phase-2 Metro rail construction works are underway. The stretch will have both elevated and underground lines along Madhavaram-SIPCOT (Siruseri), Lighthouse-Poonamallee and Madhavaram-Sholinganallur. Officials said that once completed in 2026, this will be the longest metro rail stretch in the country, carrying close to 25 lakh passengers a day.

CMRL officials said that Larsen and Toubro is likely to take work orders for the 21-km stretch between Madhavaram and Tharamani. L&T has already received contracts to build stations for the 8-km stretch between Powerhouse and Porur. Officials said 23 tunnel boring machines are likely to be used for the project. It is also funded by various foreign banks such as JICA, ADB, AIIB and NDB. The 45.8 km-long Corridor 3 is from Madhavaram to SIPCOT and will have 50 Metro stations.

Fake degree: Key accused in custody

Fake degree: Key accused in custody

Accused Avinash Roy, 23, from Delhi, was arrested from Noida on Friday.

Published: 02nd February 2021 05:21 AM | Last Updated: 02nd February 2021 05:21 AM | A+A A-

By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cybercrime police have arrested the ringleader of a racket engaged in the sale of fake course certificates after setting up bogus websites of Kerala Pareeksha Bhavan and 40 universities situated across the country. Accused Avinash Roy, 23, from Delhi, was arrested from Noida on Friday.

The Cyber police have been pursuing the accused after the Pareeksha Bhavan secretary lodged a complaint with the City police commissioner in this regard. More members of the racket re expected to be arrested in the coming days. A special team led by DySP Syamlal was formed to crack the case.

Tamil Nadu to withdraw cases against government employees who struck work in 2019

Tamil Nadu to withdraw cases against government employees who struck work in 2019

CM Edappadi Palaniswami said that department wise disciplinary proceedings were initiated against nearly 7,900 teachers and 408 cases booked against over 17,600 employees for taking part in protests.

Published: 01st February 2021 11:37 PM 

By PTI

CHENNAI: Cases filed against Tamil Nadu government employees, including teachers, for their January 2019 strike over various demands would be withdrawn in the spirit of "forget and forgive," Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Monday.

He said in a statement here that department wise disciplinary proceedings were also being withdrawn.

Various unions of government employees and teachers had embarked on an indefinete strike in January 2019, pressing for demands, including release of 21-month salary arrears in line with the 7th Pay Commission recommendations, withdrawing the New Pension Scheme and addressing wage anomalies, he recalled.

He said that department wise disciplinary proceedings were initiated against nearly 7,900 teachers and 408 cases booked against over 17,600 employees for taking part in road blockade protests, among others. 'As many as 2,338 people were suspended, but reinstated later," he added.

However, he said that they had resumed work in about a week following his plea and had earlier requested him to drop all the action initiated against them, including the cases.

On Monday, members of a union met Fisheries and Personnel and Administrative Minister D Jayakumar and reiterated their demand, which he took up with Palaniswami. "The request was considered by the government, which is dropping all the pending action and criminal cases in the spirit of forget and forgive," the chief minister added.

Anna varsity student moves plea over scrapping of 2 courses

Anna varsity student moves plea over scrapping of 2 courses

Issue relates to differences in Union government’s insistence that the University follows only 49.5% reservation and not State’s 69% quota policy in admission

Published: 02nd February 2021 03:36 AM | Last Updated: 02nd February 2021 03:36 AM | A+A A-

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A student of the Anna University has moved the Madras High Court on Monday challenging the decision of the premier University to scrap Biotechnology and Computational Biology M. Tech programmes for the academic year 2020-21.

The issue relates to differences in Central government’s insistence that the University follows only 49.5 per cent reservation and not the State’s 69 per cent quota policy in admission. During the hearing, advocate Saravanan Annadurai, representing the petitioner, made a mention seeking urgent hearing of the plea before Justice B Pugalendi.

According to the petitioner, R Chitra, the courses have been scrapped due to a difference of opinion between the University and the AICTE in following reservation in admission. The decision to scrap the course for the current academic year has left all applicants in a dire and dicey situation, she contended.

The students who have prepared hard for the course and taken the GAT-B examination are left to grapple with an empty future. It will not be out of place to point out that after the advent of the Covid-19, the demand for these courses had gone up, the petitioner said.

The Department of Biotechnology has followed 49.5 per cent reservation in all India admissions till last year, because it is a Central-sponsored course. Anna University is believed to have sought clarification from the State government over the reservation policy to be followed in admissions to these two programmes, said the petitioner.

The State directed the University to follow 69 per cent reservation, for which the department, which funds these courses, refused, and resulted in scrapping of the courses, said the petitioner.The matter was posted to be taken up on Tuesday.

TAX REGIME YOU CAN CHOOSE OLD OR NEW

TAX REGIME YOU CAN CHOOSE OLD OR NEW

02.02.2021

With Budget 2021 leaving tax slabs unchanged and restricting incentives to ease of filing returns, it has become all the more important for taxpayers to re-examine the pros and cons of the new taxation system and the old one to make the most of their income.

Last year’s budget introduced the new concessional tax regime that offers an individual the option to choose lower tax rates in lieu of forgoing certain tax exemptions and deductions. These include standard deduction, exemption towards house rent allowance, LTA, house property loss and deduction towards provident fund contribution and life insurance premium.

The new regime prescribes tax rates ranging from 5% to 30% with the highest rate applicable for income of above 15 lakh. This option is beneficial in those cases where an individual has fewer exemptions and deductions to claim. As the accompanying graphic shows, the old regime is more beneficial for individuals with higher income levels and tax-saving investments qualifying for deductions or exemptions.

Each taxpayer would have to undertake fact-specific evaluation keeping in mind his/her income, various exemptions and investments to decide the right regime to opt for.

Given that the new tax regime was introduced last year, many taxpayers still have questions around the applicability/ benefits of the scheme. For starters, taxpayers can choose afresh from the options every year, provided there is no income from business or profession. You can intimate your employer if you want to opt for the new regime and the employer will deduct tax accordingly. The only bar is that once intimated to the employer, the option cannot be modified during the year. However you can change the option at the time of filing of tax returns.

Design: Sajeev Kumarapuram

AIIMS gets ₹310cr extra; others to get more funds too

AIIMS gets ₹310cr extra; others to get more funds too

02.02.2021

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:

All India Institute of Medical Sciences got a hike of over Rs 310 crore in the Union Budget 2021-22. The Centre approved an outlay of Rs 3,800 crore for the hospital in Monday's Budget when it had allotted Rs 3,490 crore last year.

The doctors at the hospital say the institution needed this hike to expand the infrastructure. “There is large-scale expansion of infrastructure taking place at AIIMS. An increased outlay will help complete that and transform the hospital for the better,” said a senior doctor. Recently, the hospital has started burns and plastic surgery facilities. Sources said the newly-constructed surgery and geriatric blocks would also get operational soon.

Apart from AIIMS, Centre has increased the Budget outlay of other major hospitals in Delhi too. Safdarjung has been allocated Rs 1,515 crore, an increase of Rs 227 crore from last year’s Rs 1,318 crore. Ram Manohar Lohia has been allocated Rs 950 crore.

The Budget outlay for Lady Hardinge Medical College and Sucheta Kriplani Hospital are Rs 600 crore and Rs 145 crore, respectively. In total, a Budget outlay of Rs 2,23,846 crore has been proposed for health and wellbeing in 2021-20, an increase of 137% over previous year, with Rs 35,000 crore earmarked for Covid-19 vaccine in the upcoming fiscal.

Poonam Khetrapal Singh, egional director, WHO South-East Asia, says one of the greatest lessons this pandemic has taught the world is that health needs to be a priority.

Safdarjung Hospital has been allocated ₹1,515 crore, an increase of ₹227 crore from last year’s ₹1,318 crore. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has been allocated ₹950 crore