Med students cite exams, refuse inoculation for now

Med students cite exams, refuse inoculation for now

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 10.02.2021 

With first -year MBBS examinations underway, several medicos are refusing to take the vaccine jab, say nodal officers overseeing the drive-in medical colleges.

Over the past 10 days, internal assessments and practical classes were being held and several students had voiced concerns about taking the jab during the first two weeks of the drive which began on January 16. Colleges reopened for on-campus classes for MBBS students only on December 1.

Professors at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences in Ballari and Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences say parents of students are concerned about them taking the vaccine during exams.

“Internal assessments were going on for first year students and now they have exams proper. For second and third year students too, internal assessments have been scheduled in the coming weeks. While some students have already taken the vaccine, others have concerns,” said professors.

RGUHS vice-chancellor S Sacchidanand said he was not aware students are concerned about taking the vaccine and are citing exams as the reason. He insisted they not have such apprehensions. “However, provisions should be made for all medical students who have not got vaccinated for whatever reason,” he said.

However, there is no data available as yet on how many RGUHS students have taken the vaccine or the number who have refused the jab.

Dr PG Girish, directorate of medical education, said not only medical college students but also dental and nursing students have raised similar concerns and have avoided taking the vaccine.

“About 30% of students have such apprehensions. We will allow registered medical, nursing and dental students who have missed their vaccination to get it later. They all need to be inoculated to enhance total vaccination coverage,” said Dr Girish.

Over the past 10 days, internal assessments and practical classes were being held and many pupils did not want to take the jab

Sum assured cut, CA moves court against LIC

Sum assured cut, CA moves court against LIC

Jay.Pachchigar@timesgroup.com

Vadodara:10.02.2021 

A city-based chartered accountant has knocked the doors of the consumer court after the Life Insurance Corporation’s (LIC) ‘Jeevan Saral’ cited typograhical errors to reduce his sum assured on maturity in its policy.

CA Sanjeev Shah has claimed that he purchased ‘Jeevan Saral’ policy in July 2006 and had been regularly paying quarterly premium of Rs 3,062. The policy is supposed to mature in 2022 and Shah has been assured an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh.

However, LIC wrote a letter to him last year saying that 14 years after issuing the policy, it came to their notice that was a typographical error while printing the schedule of the document. The company informed him that instead of Rs 2.5 lakh, he will be receiving Rs1.68 lakh.

As the assured amount was reduced by Rs 81,480 just two years before the maturity, Shah approached Vadodara District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. Shah said that the policy, as its name suggests, is supposed to make people’s life easy, but instead it has made it difficult by passing an arbitrary decision.

“Insurance is all about trust, but when the company makes such decisions and gives such unintelligent reasons like typographical error, how can one tolerate it?,” said Shah in his appeal.

He has requested the court to make LIC pay the entire assured amount and additional amount of Rs 2.5 lakh as compensation for damages, harassment and litigation expenses.

“This is very irresponsible on the part of LIC as it is a government of India institution and hundreds of people from different walks of life must have relied on it,” said Shah’s lawyer Jaideep Verma.

The court will hear Shah’s case on February 26.

CA Sanjeev Shah has claimed that he purchased ‘Jeevan Saral’ policy in July 2006 and had been regularly paying quarterly premium of Rs 3,062

GU candidates face ID, password issues

GU candidates face ID, password issues

Ahmedabad:10.02.2021 

A large number of students rushed to Gujarat University campus on Tuesday after they found that they did not receive the user ID and password details for the online exams that are to be held from February 13.

The varsity will address the issue and provide the required assistance to students facing such issues in a day or two. About, 48,000 students are registered for the online exams this year. TNN

Banks to stay shut for 4 days in March

Banks to stay shut for 4 days in March

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:10.02.2021 

If you have an account with a public sector bank, then avoid scheduling your banking activities between March 13 and March 16. Around 55,000 public sector bank employees from 18,000 branches from across Gujarat are planning to participate in the nationwide bank strike on March 15 and 16, according to the MahaGujarat Bank Employees’ Association.

With March 13 being a second Saturday and March 14 being a Sunday, banks are expected to remain shut over the weekend.

The United Forum of Bank Unions, an umbrella body of nine unions, has given a call for the two-day strike against the proposed privatization of twostate owned lenders.

In an UFBU meeting held in Hyderabad on Tuesday, various announcements made in the union budget regarding reform measures like privatization of IDBI Bank and two public sector banks, setting up a bad bank, disinvestment in LIC, privatization of one general insurance company, allowing FDI in insurance sector up to 74%, aggressive disinvestment and sale of public sector undertakings.

On February 19, a daylong dharna will be held by bank employees in all state capitals whereas relay demonstrations will be held from February 20 to March 10 across various towns and districts of Gujarat. According to bankers, the strike will bring transactions worth at least Rs 60,000 crore to a standstill.

Soil tests under way for proposed flyover at Camp Road and Madambakkam junctions

Soil tests under way for proposed flyover at Camp Road and Madambakkam junctions

The 3 km structure will ease congestion on stretches of the Velachery-Tambaram Road

10/02/2021

Preliminary task: Workers using a drill to extract samples for soil test on Velachery-Tambaram Road. Special Arrangement

Deepa H. Ramakrishnan CHENNAI

Soil tests are under way for the construction of a 3-km flyover that will permit the flow of traffic between Camp Road and Madambakkam junctions on Velachery-Tambaram Road.

“These are being conducted for the design requirement. It will help us to find the type of soil in locations and thereby decide the kind of foundation required for the construction,” explained a source in the Highways Department.

Similar soil tests were conducted for the construction of a bridge that would form the last leg of the Eastern Bypass that runs from GST Road. This 1-km bridge would run along the Rajakilpakkam Eri. “We are going for this option so that we need not land on the Velachery-Tambaram Road, which would require more land acquisition,” said an engineer associated with the project. The combined length of these two structures would be 4 km and both were being taken up as one composite project.

On the need for the flyover, another source said the road was a very busy one with each of these junctions witnessing over 15,000 passenger car units (PCU) during rush hour. “According to Indian Roads Congress guidelines, if the number touches 10,000 PCU, there is a requirement for a flyover. The Camp Road junction is very narrow and instead of just widening the location and making it into six lanes, we are constructing a flyover that will add four more lanes,” an official explained.

Even as the design for the structures is being done, the land plan schedule that would identify the ownership of the lands, is being readied for land acquisition.

M. Venkat, a resident of Rajakilpakkam, said the project would see the completion of the Eastern Bypass, which had been pending.

‘Stick to schedule’

“It will provide one more connecting corridor to GST Road. Also traffic movement slows down near Camp Road junction due to the width. The widening and construction of a flyover will help a lot. What is required is that the Highways Department must ensure the work is completed as per schedule,” he said.

The Velachery-Tambaram Road runs parallel to GST Road and connects hundreds of residential localities.

It also has two other flyovers that are under construction at Medavakkam junction and at Vijayanagar junction. The Medavakkam flyover is nearing completion.

UGC seeks Anna varsity’s response on violation of norms

UGC seeks Anna varsity’s response on violation of norms

‘Follow norms in faculty recruitment’

10/02/2021

The UGC has written to the Registrar of Anna University.

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought a response from Anna University on a complaint from an applicant for the post of assistant librarian.

The Commission has written to the Registrar of Anna University, advising him to follow the UGC norms in faculty recruitment and change the advertisement as per UGC regulations.

In a letter dated February 4, Supriya Dahiya, education officer, UGC, cited a letter received from one A.S. Puhazhenthi, who said the University had violated the UGC norms for recruitment for the post of assistant librarian.

‘Cannot be overlooked’

Ms. Dahiya, in her letter, cited Clause 4.7 of the UGC regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for Maintenance for Standards in Higher Education Regulations, 2018, and said they are mandatory and “cannot be overlooked at any stage in any circumstances”

University officials, however, said the institution was governed by the All India Council for Technical Education guidelines. “The norms for the University are implemented through a Government of Tamil Nadu G.O. [government order]. In fact, while all universities implemented the revised UGC pay scales as per guidelines in 2019, we implemented it only three months ago. It was only in the beginning of 2020 that the State government issued the G.O. for the same,” said an official.

The University has technical positions that are considered as non-teaching cadres but the qualification requirement for such posts was higher, said J. Kumar, former Registrar.

“For example, a clerical assistant in Annamalai University may be appointed with just a degree. But in Anna University, we have special guidelines as per the nature of the institution. We would require the person to have knowledge of and certification in typewriting, and proficiency in working on the computer,” he said.

Tejas to stop in Dindigul from April 2

Tejas to stop in Dindigul from April 2

10/02/2021

Tejas Express (Chennai Egmore to Madurai) will stop at Dindigul Railway Station from April 2. According to DMK MLA I. Periasamy, following representations from commuters, Dindigul MP Velusami had appealed to the Railway Minister to consider the plea. The public had suggested that the train could stop at Dindigul instead of Kodaikanal Road junction as passengers had to alight at Kodaikanal Road junction and travel to Dindigul. So, the Railway Board had in a communication said from April 2, on an experimental basis, Tejas Express would stop at Dindigul in lieu of Kodaikanal Road junction.

Stating that he had been continuously demanding for the stoppage of Tejas Express at Dindigul, Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan has thanked the railway administration for heeding to his demand.