Can Ayurveda practitioners conduct surgery, asks IMA

Can Ayurveda practitioners conduct surgery, asks IMA

SC Seeks Response; Centre Says Practice In Vogue Since 2016

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:16.03.2021 

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) on a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) challenging a recent decision by the former allowing Ayurveda practitioners to carry out certain surgical procedures. The IMA said this would play havoc with the health of millions.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh did not have to labour hard to convince a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian to issue notice to CCIM. However, when he sought a stay on the operation of CCIM’s 2020 modification of rules permitting Ayurveda practitioners from carrying out surgeries, solicitor general Tushar Mehta stepped in and said the government had substantial grounds to defend the CCIM rules.

Mehta said the IMA had “over-pitched” its concern and what was been said to be provided for now by CCIM had actually been in existence since 2016. Appearing for the Ayurveda practitioners’ association, advocate V K Biju said Ayurveda practitioners had been carrying out surgeries since 2000 as it was part of Ashtanga Ayurveda, under which surgeries were conducted centuries ago. Biju said the IMA was trying to belittle Ayurveda and the Indian system of medicine and displayed its lack of knowledge about Ayurveda’s history.

However, the IMA was scathing in its attack on CCIM and said it transgressed into the modern medicine system by prescribing certain practices/activities which were purely modern surgical procedures — forming an integral/ inseparable part of the system of modern medicine — as part of the curriculum and practice of Indian medicine.

“If the CCIM regulations permitting surgery by Ayurveda practitioners are allowed to be enforced, it would create havoc in the established system of medical care and treatment,” Singh said, adding that in the past, the SC and HCs had stepped in decisively to quash attempts by CCIM to transgress into the domain of modern medicine.

“While the earlier instances mostly pertained to the transgression into modern medicine by seeking to permit prescription of allopathic medicine by practitioners of Indian system of medicine, the impugned regulations present an extremely dangerous and critical situation where now, an attempt has been made by the CCIM to permit persons possessing qualifications under the Indian system of medicine to perform complicated modern surgical procedures which have a direct bearing on the health and right to life of millions of hapless patients,” the IMA said.

It added that modern surgical procedures had evolved after decades of research and study under the system of modern medicine. “CCIM has no power or jurisdiction to prescribe these modern surgical procedures to be performed by persons holding post-graduate Ayurveda degrees, which are confined to the system of Indian medicine. In the prevalent situation and the background, there is no permissibility whatsoever for CCIM to issue the impugned regulations,” the IMA said.

Full report on www.toi.in

Appearing for the Ayurveda practitioners’ association, advocate V K Biju said Ayurveda practitioners had been carrying out surgeries since 2000 as it was part of Ashtanga Ayurveda, under which surgeries were conducted centuries ago

Govt says LIC not being privatised

Govt says LIC not being privatised

New Delhi:16.03.2021

The government assured the Lok Sabha on Monday that it is not intending to privatise Life Insurance Corporation. It has only planned an IPO to raise the market share of the largest life insurer in the country and bring more investment for better prospects of its policyholders.

Reminding the opposition benches that his government introduced a moratorium on loan repayments to banks when the Covid pandemic hit the country, similarly, if there are problems faced by people in continuing payments of LIC premiums, the insurer may consider providing relief. “There is no plan to privatise LIC. We are just bringing an IPO,” minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur said while responding to questions on LIC disinvestment. TNN

₹2,000 notes not printed in last 2 yrs: Govt in Lok Sabha

₹2,000 notes not printed in last 2 yrs: Govt in Lok Sabha

New Delhi:16.03.2021 

Currency notes of ₹2,000 denomination have not been printed in the last two years even as the quantum of India’s highest denomination currency note has come down, the Lok Sabha was informed Monday.

In a written reply, junior finance minister Anurag Singh Thakur said 3,362 million currency notes of ₹2,000 denomination were in circulation on March 30, 2018, constituting 3.27% and 37.26% of the currency in terms of volume and trade respectively. As of February 26, 2021, 2,499 million pieces of ₹2,000 notes were in circulation, constituting 2% and 17.8% of banknotes in terms of volume and value. “During the years 2019-20 and 2020-21, no indent has been placed with the presses for printing of ₹2000 notes,” he said. RBI in 2019 stated that 3,543 million notes of ₹2,000 were printed during the financial year 2016-17 (April 2016 to March 2017). However, in 2017-18, only 111.5 million notes were printed, which further reduced to 46.7 million notes in the year 2018-19. PTI

NEET to be held only once this year: Pokhriyal

NEET to be held only once this year: Pokhriyal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:16.03.2021 

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of holding the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) twice this year and told Parliament that the exam will be conducted only once as always.

The National Testing Agency (NTA last week announced that NEET, for admission to undergraduate medical courses, will be held on August 1 this year in the usual pen and paper mode. Registration for the exam is likely to commence from March18.

“The NTA under the ministry of education conducts NEET-UG for undergraduate programmes in medical sciences, in consultation with the ministry of health and family welfare. In 2021, NEET (UG) will be conducted by NTA only one time,” Pokhriyal told Lok Sabha in reply to a question.

He, however, did not comment whether it will be conducted twice a year later.

Demand for conducting NEET-UG twice a year began after the MoE decided to hold engineering entrance exam— JEE (Main)— four times a year from this year.

Rise in Covid-19 cases drives corpn vaccination campaign

Rise in Covid-19 cases drives corpn vaccination campaign

Field Staff Will Now Urge More To Get Shots

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.03.2021 

The swift hike in the number of Covid-19 cases has given Greater Chennai Corporation an opportunity to ramp up its vaccine coverage.

A senior official said field staff would now urge more people to get vaccinated and that the current situation was conducive to convince fencesitters. “A number of corporation staff have been deputed for poll duty and spreading awareness to increase polling. They will be going from door to door as well as visiting public places like parks to persuade people to get the shots,” he added. Several teams have started vigorous campaigns to increase the vaccination figures.

This comes at a time when the number of active cases in the city crossed 2,000 on Monday evening. The corresponding zone-wise will be released on Tuesday morning.

The corporation has so far vaccinated 2.82 lakh people, with more than 20,000 getting the first dose on Saturday. People above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 60 with co-morbidities have been getting the vaccine free of cost at all corporation Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) as well as at some Amma miniclinics. Many citizens have given notes of appreciation for the clean interiors of government premises as well as the cordial behaviour of the health staff.

An official from a zone in central Chennai said the civic body had started increasing surveillance in marriage halls, theatres and other places where more number of people were crowding. “Spot fines are being issued if masking is not adequate. We also ask people to distribute masks,” he said.

The corporation has also started cross-checking samples tested in private laboratories to ensure there are no false positives.

Zonal level staff have been asked to avoid putting up barricades outside homes or streets where three or more cases are found, but a few banners are being stuck outside houses where more than one case is detected. “This is a precautionary measure,” he said.

Colleges to move court against AICTE’s norm to begin new courses

Colleges to move court against AICTE’s norm to begin new courses

Ragu.Rama@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.03.2021 

As engineering colleges battle poor admission trend and the pandemic, the new rule introduced by the All India India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) which mandates 50% overall admissions last year to be eligible to apply for new courses for 2021-22 has faced strong opposition from engineering colleges. They have decided to challenge the rule.

The council in its approval process handbook for 2021-22, said it would allow new courses only in engineering colleges which had more than 50% overall enrollment last year. In 2020, colleges without NBA accreditation were allowed to start new courses in emerging areas such as AI and data science, by closing a course or reducing their existing intake.

The core committee of Federation of Self-Financed Technical Institutions which met in Chennai on Sunday has decided to challenge the norm in the Supreme Court. "When the overall admissions in engineering colleges is 37% at all-India level, fixing 50% admissions would render 80% of colleges ineligible to apply for new courses. Without new courses, these colleges will have natural death as they cannot survive with poor admissions," said R S Munirathinam, chief patron of the federation.

T D Easwaramoorthy, secretary of the federation, said there were no migration of students from neighbouring states in view of the pandemic this year. "Our engineering college is situated near Kerala border in Coimbatore district. Before Covid-19, we had 65% of admissions. In 2020-21, we were able to fill only 37% seats as our college did not have any students from Kerala. Due to the new rule, we cannot apply for new courses," he said.

KVK Rao, general secretary of the federationsaid, "The deemed universities which are admitting students over and above the sanctioned strength, collecting higher fees have not been properly regulated by agencies including AICTE and UGC. We will challenge the inaction of the regulatory authorities in the court."

College closed after principal, prof test ve+

College closed after principal, prof test ve+

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.03.2021 

Dhanraj Baid Jain College in Thoraippakkam has suspended physical classes after the principal and a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

The college has around 120 faculty members and 3,500 students across three years.

Following the permission from the state government it reopened for all years from February 8.

"The principal and a professor who went around to ensure the mask compliance of students have tested positive on Friday. Both of them are having mild symptoms. They have quarantined themselves within the campus. The college also temporarily suspended all physical classes for at least a week following the concerns from faculty members," a faculty member from the college said.

Another professor from the college said the faculty members will continue to take classes online.