She ditched medical for agri, bags 12 gold medals!

AAU CONVOCATION

She ditched medical for agri, bags 12 gold medals!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Vadodara/Anand:  07.02.2021 

Clinching the highest number of 12 gold medals at Anand Agricultural University’s 17th annual convocation, this student showcased why she preferred a not-so popular course for farmers’ prosperity, when she could have easily got into any of the choicest medical colleges after Class XII.

Meet Radhika Ghetiya, a native of Rajkot, whose cap of feathers is shini ng bright from her brilliant performance on Thursday. Currently, she is studying agricultural statistics at AAU. “I could have become a doctor but chose agricultural sciences as I want to pursue further research in the field and use it for the benefits of farmers,” said Ghetiya. Forty other students of AAU too received gold medals and cash prizes. In all 686 students received their graduation, post-graduation and doctorates degree at the convocation.

“As the environment is fast changing, the young minds should conduct more research for its protection,” said Acharya Devvrat, Gujarat governor and chancellor of the university, in his convocational address.

He also added that traditional Indian methods of agricultural methods should be used for farming to bring the change.

“The young generation should come forward and strengthen agri supply chains to overcome changes and problems in the sector,” said R S Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) who was the chief guest.

Radhika Ghetiya

HC tells college to pay student ₹25k

HC tells college to pay student ₹25k

Institute Had Failed To Cancel His Admission

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:07.02.2021

The Gujarat high court ordered an ayurveda college to pay Rs 25,000 to a student besides the fees for retaining his admission even after Gujarat Ayurveda University cancelled his admission and ordered that his fees be returned.

The case involved Utsav Patel, who cleared his board exams in 2019 with 43.9% and got admission to the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course at JS Ayurveda Mahavidhyalaya in Nadiad. Patel cleared the NEET exam and got admission in the all-India quota through the centralized admission process.

When the university learned that students had been admitted to BAMS courses despite scoring less than 50% in the board exams, which is the minimum eligibility for admission. In February 2020, the university informed the colleges to cancel such admissions and return their fees to the students. The college did not do this for three months.

When Patel learned of the university’s decision to cancel his admission, he moved the high court stating that it was not his fault and that he paid fees and continued to attend classes online during the lockdown. The university as well as the central government reiterated that the admission was cancelled because the student did not fulfill the eligibility criteria. Moreover, Patel was not the only student whose admission was cancelled.

The college, on the other hand, expressed ignorance about the affair. This infuriated Justice Biren Vaishnav, who observed, “Much could be said about the recalcitrance and negligence of the college for which the student has suffered but for the college granting admission in the face of him being ineligible and the petitioner being constrained to approach this court and particularly when the petitioner continued to pursue his studies albeit online with the college’s stand being that it only was an executing and implementing authority shows a complete indiscreet response.”

The court rejected the student’s petition against admission cancellation, but ordered the college to pay Rs 25,000 to him for forcing him into litigation.

Man beats wife for SUV money

Man beats wife for SUV money

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmeabad:07.02.2021

A woman from the Chandkheda filed a case of domestic violence against her husband and five in-laws on Friday alleging that she was beaten often over a demand to seek dowry from her parents so that her husband could buy an SUV.

The woman, 27, states in her FIR with Chandkheda police that she got married to the man, 32, from IOC Road in Chandkheda on May 11, 2018.

“Earlier, I was living happily at my in-laws’ place but six months later my husband suddenly began demanding an SUV in dowry. He told me to get Rs 15 lakh from my father so that he could buy an SUV car,” she states in the FIR.

She states that her father sought time for some days to arrange the money, but her husband felt offended and created a ruckus at her parents’ home in inebriated condition.

After that incident, her father managed around Rs 2 lakh so that he could make the down payment for the SUV and assured the accused that he would pay the EMI. However, the accused spent all the money in booze parties with friends, she alleges in the FIR. She states that he again began seeking money from her father and as he could not give money again, he drover her away forcing her to stay at her parents’ place.

RGUHS CONVOCATION 2021

 

5 feel uneasy after jab, recover in hours

5 feel uneasy after jab, recover in hours

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Shivamogga:07.02.2021

Five nursing students experienced uneasiness after taking their first Covid-19 vaccine dose on Friday. They were admitted to McGann Teaching District Hospital in Shivamogga, but recovered the next morning. District health officer Rajesh Suragihalli said that it might be a case of anxiety.

The five, who study at a private nursing college, took the shot at McGann hospital in the morning and returned to their hostel. After lunch, they complained of uneasiness and a headache. One of them also spoke about breathing problems. The warden suggested that they should be immediately taken to the hospital.

Suragihalli said that initially, one student was brought to the hospital. Later, four others arrived. Doctors decided to keep them under observation for the night. “They were discharged early on Saturday. It may have been anxiety. So far, there have been no complaints of vaccine side effects in Shivamogga,” he added.

Two weeks ago, junior doctors from the Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences wrote to health minister K Sudhakar, saying the government should allow healthcare workers to choose from the two available vaccines. Earlier, a 60-year-old doctor, who had taken his first jab, passed away. Officials said the death was not linked to the vaccine.

2 students to get ₹35k relief for air ticket error

CONSUMER IS KING

2 students to get ₹35k relief for air ticket error

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.02.2021

A commercial airline has been ordered to pay a compensation of Rs 35,000 and refund the ticket fares of two students who were not allowed to board a scheduled flight to Bengaluru to attend an academic competition due to a technical glitch. The duo was forced to book tickets on another flight by paying extra money.

On February 19, 2019, Bhavana and Ananya Sharma were to travel from Delhi to Bengaluru to attend a moot court competition the next day. Bhavana’s father Shri Harsha had pre-booked tickets for them by paying Rs 11,046 via his credit card. But the airline staff didn’t allow them to board, claiming the payment wasn’t complete. The girls tried to explain that the tickets mentioned travel status as ‘confirmed’ as the money had been deducted, but in vain. They had to shell out Rs 29,420 to book another flight the same night.

Shri Harsha contacted IndiGo, which ultimately refunded Rs 11,046, stating there was a technical glitch in the ticketing procedure. But when the issue of the girls being forced to buy new tickets was raised, there was no response from the airline staff. Feeling cheated, Harsha approached the Bengaluru rural and urban 1st additional district consumer disputes redressal forum on September 17, 2019 with a complaint against InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, operator of IndiGo.

IndiGo’s lawyer argued the complainant was attempting to make unlawful gains. He said a technical error which appears to have taken place in the complainant’s payment gateway is not in the airline’s control, and the money deducted for the initial tickets had been refunded.

Judges of the forum questioned the airline over issuing tickets with a ‘confirmed’ status. They noted there was a correspondence from the airline, acknowledging the glitch due to which the credited amount wasn’t reflecting in the system.

In their December 9, 2020 verdict, the judges rapped IndiGo for deficiency in service. They ordered InterGlobe Aviation Ltd to pay Rs 25,000 to Harsha apart from Rs 10,000 for litigation expenses. The airline was told to refund the ticket cost of Rs 18,374 after deducting the earlier refunded amount.

Indian nurses head to Gulf for lucrative Covid vax stints

Indian nurses head to Gulf for lucrative Covid vax stints

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.02.2021

Some private hospitals in Bengaluru have raised their concern with the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) about nurses quitting abruptly. They are being “lured” with attractive salary packages in Gulf countries for their Covid vaccination drives for 3-6 months, they said.

PHANA has told all member hospitals to report such cases. “At a time when the mass vaccination drive is all set to begin in India, we are seeing the new trend of nurses quitting to go to Gulf countries. Some nurses who quit have been trained by the government to work in Covid vaccination session sites,” a PHANA member told STOI.

According to one advertisement, nurses are being offered 8,000 Arab Emirates dirhams (around Rs 1.5 lakh) per month. The pay package is 6-7 times the salary in Bengaluru. Covid-recovered, unmarried nurses below 40 years and trained in Covid vaccination sessions are much in demand, sources said.

A recent case was at Excel Care hospital near Banashankari, where two nurses quit abruptly, one after the other, in January. Both were male nurses, who had recovered from Covid. “One of them stopped coming to work on January 24. We realised he was hired by a Dubai hospital for a mass vaccination drive and was offered Rs 2 lakh a month. He quit without serving the notice period. He was trained by the Karnataka government for Covid vaccination. We also heard he got the visa within a day,” said Dr Suresh Krishnamurthy, medical director of the hospital.

Covid test target cut from 1L to 70K

The government, in a circular issued on January 30, has reduced the daily, statewide Covid testing target from 1 lakh to 70,000. The norms prescribe RT-PCR tests through a pooling method, with some exceptions. The fall in testing comes alongside a fall in Covid-19 cases across the state. Bengaluru crossed 4 lakh cases on Saturday, of which 98% have recovered. P 5

Row erupts over toddler’s billing

A row has erupted after one-year-old Vishalini overcame acute Covid-19 pneumonia after a 74-day battle at Rainbow Children’s Hospital, a private facility in Marathahalli. Though BBMP had referred her to this facility, entitling her to free treatment, her family, which has limited means, spent ₹6 lakh on the child’s treatment. P 5

We may face staff shortage in vax drives: Doc

Dteam r Krishnamurthy got a shock two added days later his when another nurse quit. “At a time when the pandemic has gradually declined and vaccination has begun, our country may lose trained nurses who go outside for better salaries. The government should take note of it,” he said.

PHANA president Dr HM Prasanna said. “As of now, we’ve heard from two hospitals. We’re yet to get the exact number of nurses who have quit. If a few nurses quit, it won’t be an issue as there is always attrition. But there is a huge demand for nurses abroad for vaccination drives. If many nurses quit, we’ll face a manpower shortage in our own vaccination drives and to tackle the Covid second wave, if it happens,” Dr Prasanna told STOI.

The matter will be brought to the government’s notice if there’s an exodus of nurses, he added. While a 20% attrition rate among nurses is seen annually in city hospitals, it could go up, sources said.

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