‘Is Modi aware of graft in AIADMK?’

BAND WAGON

‘Is Modi aware of graft in AIADMK?’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

31.03.2021 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is speaking about eradicating corruption, should read the complaints of alleged corruption indulged in by AIADMK ministers which were forwarded to the governor, DMK president M K Stalin said. He was campaigning in Tenkasi and Virudhunagar districts on Tuesday.

At Alangulam in Tenkasi, Stalin accused the PM of lying. He ridiculed Modi for raising the hands of CM Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam while saying that corruption would be eradicated. At Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district, he said Modi has stated that there would be no safety for women if the DMK and Congress came to power. “Are you aware of the horrific Pollachi incident and the incident where a woman IPS officer had lodged sexual harassment complaint against the special DGP of the state,” he asked the PM.

He also asked whether Modi bothered to resolve the issues of farmers striking in Delhi for hundreds of days by speaking to their representatives. Referring to the resolutions passed by Kerala and West Bengal assemblies against the Centre, Stalin said CM Palaniswami, who refers to himself as a farmer, has not passed such a resolution in the TN assembly. He claimed that BJP will continue to score a ‘zero’ in this election as well.

In his campaigns, Stalin said, he usually appeals to the people to vote for the DMK and its alliance candidates. But, in Rajapalayam, he said he is requesting the people not to vote for minister for milk and dairy development K T Rajenthra Bhalaji.

Record temp in Chennai & Trichy as heat wave grips TN

Record temp in Chennai & Trichy as heat wave grips TN

U.Tejonmayam@timesgroup.com

Chennai:31.03.2021 

The persistent hot and dry land breeze moving into Tamil Nadu set mercury soaring and broke temperature records in Chennai and Trichy on Tuesday. While the Meenambakkam station recorded an all-time high 41.3 deg C, Trichy registered 40.9 deg C, highest at least in the past 50 years. In total, temperatures in six cities and towns crossed 40 deg C on Tuesday.

Weathermen said northwesterly winds or land breeze would continue to move into the state keeping the temperatures high for the next five days.

The IMD has forecast dry weather over Tamil Nadu till April 3. The agency said the maximum temperature is likely to be two to three degrees Celsius above normal at isolated places over north Tamil Nadu on April 2 and 3.

N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, IMD, said the presence of two systems over Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal has caused the change in wind direction bringing hot land breeze into the state.

On Tuesday, Vellore recorded 41.3 deg C, Tiruthani 41 deg C, Trichy 40.9 deg C, Madurai AP 40.5 deg C and Karur Paramathi 40.2 deg C.

Trichy had recorded 40.6 deg C on March 27, 2001, and 40.6 deg C on March 21, 1991. The all-time high is 42.2 deg C on March 26, 1892.

“Trichy’s 40.8 deg C is the highest at least since 1962,” said weather blogger Pradeep John.

Trains to Rajkot, Rameswaram to resume soon

Trains to Rajkot, Rameswaram to resume soon

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coimbatore:31.03.2021 

In a relief to pilgrims, Southern Railway has reintroduced weekly special trains to Rajkot in Gujarat and Rameswaram from Coimbatore.

And much to the delight of guest workers in the region, the newly introduced Ernakulam-Patna train would stop at Salem, Tirupur, Coimbatore and Erode. The weekly special train between the city and Rajkot would operate every Friday from April 23. It would leave the Coimbatore at 12.15am on Friday and reach Rajkot at 5.50pm the next day. The train would stop in Tirupur at 12.58am, Erode at 1.40am and Salem at 2.37am.

The train would then leave Rajkot on Sunday at 5.30am and reach the city the following day at 9.30pm. It would have stoppages in Salem at 5.42am, Erode at 6.40pm and Tirupur at 7.28pm.

The night weekly train to Rameswaram would leave Coimbatore at 7.45pm on Tuesdays from April 27. It would reach the destination the following day at 6.15am. The train would leave Rameswaram at 7.25pm on Wednesdays from April 28 and reach the city at 6.30am on Thursdays. The train would stop at Coimbatore North, Tirupur, Erode Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukottai, Karaikudi, Devakottai Road, Manamadurai, Paramakkudi, Ramanathapuram and Mandapam.

The Ernakulam-Patna train, which would start operations from May 1, would start its journey from Kerala every Saturday night.

SETC to operate long-distance A/C buses from Chengalpet

SETC to operate long-distance A/C buses from Chengalpet

Says It'll Be Easier To Take Local Trains

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:31.03.2021 

State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) will soon run A/C sleeper and semi-sleeper buses between Chengalpet and western and southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Long-distance buses from Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem or Tirunelveli usually drop off passengers at Perungalathur or Tambaram before reaching Koyambedu Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) through Chennai Bypass Road. The passengers then take local suburban trains to reach various transit points within city limits such as Guindy, Nungambakkam or Chetpet.

But those getting off at Perungalathur or Tambaram have to either take a footover-bridge (FoB) or pedestrian subway to reach the railway platforms. As these facilities are poorly maintained, without adequate lighting and safety, people often jaywalk across the national highway. This practice leads to road accidents.

To avoid all this and make inter-modal connectivity easier, SETC has proposed to drop off some passengers at Chengalpet town, from where the railway station is hardly 100 metres. So, people can easily board a local train after getting down from the buses, said a senior SETC official.

The fare charged would be similar to that collected at present from passengers getting down at Tambaram. "Right now, we have planned to operate one bus each to Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and other major cities, and it will be expanded based on public response. Though passenger comfort is our priority, this move will also reduce our operating cost," he added, referring to fee paid at Paranur toll plaza and 13-15 litres of diesel extra needed.

This decision has evoked mixed responses. Welcoming it, transportation activist R Rengachari said that this would reduce average commuting time by 45 to 60 minutes. Also, as local trains are not crowded during the time SETC buses arrive at Chengalpattu (between 6am and 8am), passengers will get to ride comfortably to their destinations, he said.

T K Pandian, who regularly travels in government buses, said that many TNSTC Villupuram buses already travel inside city limits on national highway stretches to skip toll plazas, thus increasing travel time. Seconding him, Mohammed Basha, a Chengalpet resident, said that this would congest the roads further.

SETC has proposed to drop off some passengers at Chengalpet town, from where the railway station is hardly 100m

Section 138 NI Act - No Requirement To Serve Notice Under Certificate Of Posting; Service Through Registered Post Proper : Karnataka High Court

Section 138 NI Act - No Requirement To Serve Notice Under Certificate Of Posting; Service Through Registered Post Proper : Karnataka High Court: The Karnataka High Court has said that service of notice through a registered post is proper service of notice, under section Section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act and there is no

Merger

 

Merger of education regulators will happen this year: AICTE

Synopsis

"All regulatory bodies including the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), University Grants Commission (UGC) and National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) will be merged to form the HECI. This will come into effect this year," ..

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/merger-of-education-regulators-will-happen-this-year-aicte/articleshow/81573386.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

How tech foiled MBBS’ cheating bid

How tech foiled MBBS’ cheating bid

TNN | Mar 13, 2021, 04.58 AM IST

NEW DELHI: After failing to clear the examination to enrol as a doctor in India six times in a row, 35-year-old Manohar Singh decided to use a proxy candidate to pass the test. He almost got away with it, but got caught when the face detection system flagged the difference in the photograph of the exam writer and Singh.

DCP (Southeast) RP Meena said the accused has been arrested and his degree seized. The paper writer has been identified, but is absconding. A manhunt is on to arrest him.

Singh had completed MBBS from Tajik State Medical University in Tajikistan. A probe revealed that he had hired a doctor for Rs 4 lakh to appear on his behalf for the exam.

While the doctor successfully wrote the paper, Singh’s result was frozen due to mismatch of his face ID captured on the examination day with the photo in the application form. He was later called in for verification in person and the mismatch persisted. The board then asked him questions from the exam paper, which he failed to answer.

National Board of Examinations (NBE), an autonomous body under Union ministry of health, was formed to standardise postgraduate medical education and examination in India. The board conducts Foreign Medical Examination (FME), which is a licentiate examination for Indian or overseas citizens who have completed primary medical qualification from other countries. Foreign medical graduates need to qualify FMGE to get registered with Indian Medical Council.

On March 11, two officials from the board approached police with a complaint regarding Singh’s alleged impersonation. “The FMGE screening test was conducted on December 4, 2020. Singh’s centre was at Mathura Road. After the mismatch was detected, he was called for verification of the face ID on February 3, but he did not come. On March 10, he finally visited and the board caught him,” stated their police complaint.

The accused was arrested and his admit card, MBBS degree and application form were seized. During interrogation, he confessed to hiring a doctor to take the exam in his place for a fee. A chargesheet will soon be filed against Singh, said an officer.