MBA student finds her morphed pics online, registers complaint

MBA student finds her morphed pics online, registers complaint

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:16.03.2021 

A 28-year-old MBA student was shocked to see her morphed pictures uploaded on social media through an unknown girl’s account. The photos were accompanied by an obscene caption. The woman reported the matter to Hanumanganj police on Sunday, following which a Zero FIR was filed and the case diary was sent to Bajaria police station for further action. Bajaria police registered a case on charges of forgery under relevant sections of IPC and IT Act against the unidentified girl and started investigations.

The complainant came to know about her morphed photos when her friends and relatives saw her photographs being circulated over social media and informed her.

Investigating officer, SI Ankit Baghel said that the victim stated in her complaint that an unidentified accused, who went by the name of Riya Kushwah, had posted her morphed photographs with an obscene caption on social media on March 10. When her friends and relatives saw the photographs, they informed her. She was shocked to find her photos.

SI Baghel said that the victim stated in her complaint that the obscene photographs were posted online to defame her. Subsequently, she approached Hanumanganj police and filed a complaint. Police have transferred the case to Bajaria police.

SI Baghel said that police were trying to ascertain the real identity of the accused.

Jabalpur collector tests positive 5 weeks after first vaccine dose

Jabalpur collector tests positive 5 weeks after first vaccine dose

Jabalpur:  16.03.2021 

Jabalpur collector Karamveer Sharma tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, around five weeks after he took the first vaccine dose.

It takes a fortnight after the second dose for antibodies to develop and fend off the virus, but the collector was yet to take his second jab, say sources. Sharma announced his Covid status on social media on Monday and posted: “A small mistake despite all precautions can cause you to be Corona positive. This is my personal experience. Therefore, it is my request to follow Covid guidelines without fail.” CMHO Dr Manish Mishra told TOI that the collector has tweeted from his official handle. “As CMHO, I am not authorised to say anything. But he has got all the rights,” Dr Mishra told TOI.

A few days ago, the collector of Janjgir-Champa district in neighbouring Chhattisgarh had tested positive three days after taking his second vaccine dose. TNN

BU puts off 2nd round of PhD counselling after students protest admission norms

BU puts off 2nd round of PhD counselling after students protest admission norms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:16.03.2021 

Bangalore University decided to put off the second round of PhD counselling after students protested against various norms followed for admission to PhD.

Hundreds of students staged a protest at Jnana Bharathi campus, seeking varied eligibility criteria for SCs, STs and OBCs. “The minimum marks eligibility should be 55% for general candidates, 50% for OBCs and 45% for SCs and STs. It’s 50% for everyone now,” said a student.

The students also demanded an increase in guideship — the number of students who could be guided by professors, assistant professors and associate professors. Currently, the ratio is 8, 6 and 4, respectively. The university should also allow senior professors to guide new PhD students, they said.

The students want the university to cancel the fourth semester PG students’ eligibility to apply for PhD. “In 2018, BU conducted an entrance test that allowed then fourth semester students to write the PhD eligibility entrance exam. No other university allows this,” they alleged. The students have also sought a hike in fellowship money from Rs 22,000 to Rs 25,000.

Vice-chancellor KR Venugopal said the norms followed by the university are as per the statute and any change would require an amendment. “We have called for a meeting with teachers, guides and deans on April 9 to discuss the issue. Once it is approved by them, it has to be sent to the government as it calls for an amendment of the statute...,” he said.

“According to UGC Regulations 2016, sections 2.1 and 2.2 give relaxation of 5% marks from 55% to 50% or an equivalent relaxation of grade for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer) / differently abled categories. The same has been adopted in BU PhD Regulations 2016,” he said. BU had called for PhD admissions in July 2019. As many as 3,737 candidates had applied for 764 seats. The second round of counselling is expected to see 1,400 students vie for 400 vacancies.

SEEKING CHANGE OF CRITERIA:

Bangalore University students hold placards spelling out their demands during a protest at Jnana Bharathi campus on Monday

BWSSB PROPOSES STP ON VARSITY CAMPUS

BWSSB has proposed to BU to set up a sewage treatment plant on its campus to treat water from Vrishabhavathi river flowing through its premises. The university is expected to discuss the matter at the upcoming syndicate meeting on March 24.

BWSSB has sought 12 acres of land for the project. “We have written to the vice-chancellor proposing the project. The treated water will be provided to the university,” said BC Gangadhar, chief engineer, BWSSB.

“It will be a Rs 150-200 crore project and will be extremely helpful for the university as we hope to get water and power from it, apart from having the river cleaned up,” said the BU VC.

₹25 lakh fine for giving up seat in MBBS admissions

₹25 lakh fine for giving up seat in MBBS admissions

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:16.03.2021 

The state government has decided to increase the fine from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for MBBS course students who surrender their seats during counselling. This will come into effect from the next academic year.

Medical education minister K Sudhakar on Monday told the council the government is doing this to crack down on the seat blocking scam that crops up every year.

He was replying to a question by ruling BJP member N Ravikumar. Explaining the modus operandi, the minister said private medical college managements get meritorious candidates clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and block seats by paying the fee to the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA). They surrender them after the final mopup round of counselling. The surrendered seats are later added to the management quota of private medical colleges which sell them for huge sums of money.

‘Blacklist colleges blocking seats’

There have been reports that several medical colleges collude with high-ranking candidates in this scam so that seats are made available to less deserving candidates.

An expert committee of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences recently submitted a report to the medical education department recommending fivefold rise in penalty. “We accepted the report and decided to implement it to curb this menace,” the minister said.

Earlier, Ravikumar alleged that private colleges have been indulging in seat blocking and cited raids by CBI on 12 such colleges last year. “Blacklist colleges which indulge in such illegal practices,” he urged.

Without taking jab, three certified as vaccine takers

Without taking jab, three certified as vaccine takers

Surat:16.03.2021 

At least three persons in Gujarat's Surat city have received Covid-19 inoculation certificates without getting the actual vaccine dose. A senior civic official put it down to “technical glitch”.

Anup Singh, resident of Pandesara locality, said the vaccination certificate of his father Harbhan Singh   (62) was issued though he was yet to receive a vaccine dose.

“Last Wednesday I got an appointment for my father's vaccination on March13 at Barmoli urban health centre. But he could not get his shot as he was out of town. Despite that he received a certificate on that date,” Anup Singh said. Two more persons from another family who were scheduled to get the jab on March 13 received their certificates before getting vaccinated, civic sources said.

“We are discussing the matter with the IT department and trying to sort it out,” said Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Health) Dr Ashish Naik.

“As per our official record, these beneficiaries have not been vaccinated but still received certificates. It means there is some technical glitch which we are trying to fix,” he said. PTI

Med colleges go online after 4 students test Covid positive

Med colleges go online after 4 students test Covid positive

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:16.03.2021 

The authorities of BJ Medical College have decided to close down on-campus classes for first year MBBS students after four students tested positive for Covid-19. Other medical colleges in the city have also decided to follow suit and switch to online classes for first-year MBBS students.

“The medical college authorities have decided to go back to online studies from Monday for first-year students as a precautionary measure,” said a senior college official while confirming that four first-year students had been infected with Covid-19.

Following the decision by BJ Medical College, other colleges in Ahmedabad including NHL Municipal Medical College, LG Medical College and AMC Dental College have also decided to close down on campus studies for first-year medical students, said sources close to the development.

Also, a medical college in Saurashtra has decided to close down on-campus classroom studies for its students, according to sources.

A first-year MBBS student who spoke on condition of anonymity said despite being frontline workers there are a large number of medical students who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19.

The decision comes on a day when Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation ordered the closure of shops after 10pm in eight municipal wards of the capital city given the rising cases of coronavirus in Gujarat.

As many as 890 new cases of Covid-19 were detected in Gujarat on Monday. Surat led the count with 262 cases, followed by Ahmedabad with a total of 209 cases.

The state’s only fatality was also reported from Surat. The total tally of coronavirus cases in Gujarat now stands at 2,79,097.

Colleges and schools in the state started reopening partially in a phase-wise manner from the second week of January after remaining shut for over nine months as a precautionary measure to check the spread of Covid-19.

BJ Medical, NHL, LG, and AMC Dental will stop on-campus studies for first year students

Asst prof candidates hit verification hurdle

Asst prof candidates hit verification hurdle

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:16.03.2021 

A large number of candidates applying for the post of assistant professors are facing a tough time during the document verification process. Candidates who have a degree in M Com (statistics) and have cleared NET (National Eligibility TEst) or SLET (State-level Eligibility Test) in Commerce, are faced with disqualification.

These candidates are of the view that there is no provision to do NET or SLET with statistics as the main subject so they have no choice but to take the entrance exam required to qualify for job as assistant professor, with commerce as the chosen subject. “The people who are involved in the document verification process lack such basic understanding,” said a candidate who has applied for the post.

After a hiatus of over two decades, Gujarat government had announced a recruitment drive to enlist 927 assistant professors in grant-in aid colleges this January. These professors will be recruited across 44 different programmes in grant-in aid colleges in the state. Besides, the government has also announced recruitment process for 5,700 assistant teachers in schools. The recruitment has been on hold in grant-in-aid schools for about 15 years now.