City’s RTI activists urge TN to start portal for e-filing of applications

City’s RTI activists urge TN to start portal for e-filing of applications 

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

Right to Information (RTI) Act activists in the city are keenly awaiting the newly elected DMK-led Tamil Nadu government to effect changes in the way the Act is implemented in the state.

For starters, activists want the state government to implement filing of RTIs through an online portal for all government departments.

The previous AIADMK-led government had implemented online filing of RTIs on a trial basis only for the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) department. However, with a glut in applications, the portal has been forced to clarify that only applications pertaining to the department would be accepted.

In neighbouring Puducherry, RTI applications to more than 50 departments can be filed online through the Central government’s portal rtionline.gov.in.

Pavan Gandhi, an RTI activist and advocate, said that the software of the central government is available and it is not impossible to replicate it at the state level. “But the question is whether the government wants to be transparent. Online filing of RTI applications makes it easier for the applicant while physical filing is cumbersome. Reduced paperwork in the wake of Covid-19 is also good,” he said.

Veteran RTI activist V Gopalakrishnan said that state finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, who heads the P&AR department, is an internationally noted figure and hence should bring in similar transparency measures. “We have been discussing this online filing of RTIs since 2014. When we have brought in the best economists in the world to advise our state government, why shouldn’t our technology also be advanced,” Gopalakrishnan said.

Activists also pointed out that buying a court fee stamp for ₹10, which is a pre-requisite for physical RTI applications, is cumbersome as availability is limited. “Also, many vendors charge ₹2-3 extra for the court fee stamp,” Gopalakrishnan said.

The previous AIADMK-led government had implemented online filing of RTIs on a trial basis for the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) department

TN seeks Centre’s nod to start UG medical courses in 11 new colleges

TN seeks Centre’s nod to start UG medical courses in 11 new colleges

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.06.2021 

The state is awaiting approval from the National Medical Commission to start undergraduate medical programmes in the 11 newly constructed medical colleges from 2021, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said on Tuesday. If the state gets the nod, it will add 1,650 seats to the undergraduate seat matrix, pushing the seat tally to 5,200 across government medical colleges.

The government has already appointed faculty and staff and work on construction of buildings has been expedited. “As per the NMC guidelines, we have made the campus ready for first year admissions. We are waiting for the committee to visit these campuses for inspection,” he said. The committee is likely to come for inspection next month. “If they find any discrepancies, we will rectify them before the second inspection,” he said after a meeting with members of Tamil Nadu Medical Council. The meeting was chaired by health minister Ma Subramanian.

As part of the national mission to increase the number of medical colleges across the country, the Centre had granted permission to Tamil Nadu for commencement of 11 new medical colleges in districts in Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Dindigul, The Nilgiris, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Kallakurichi, Tiruvallur, Tiruppur, Namakkal and Krishnagiri. The state, he said, was confident of getting their nod for all colleges.

The anatomy, physiology and biochemistry labs, library, hostels ₹ required for first year students ₹ have been completed. Tamil Nadu has allotted ₹2,470.93 crore during the interim budget in 2021 for these colleges. With this, most districts in the state will have at least one government medical college.

Besides increasing the number of seats, these colleges will help expand tertiary care to districts. The new medical colleges will help the health department provide quality medical training at affordable cost and offer speciality and super speciality care to people living in the area free of cost. “We are ensuring that the functioning 700-750 bed hospitals attached to these colleges have all the facilities to offer quality care,” he said.

Meanwhile, Subramanian said the doctors have placed their demands for better pay and compensation. “We know doctors have toiled through the pandemic...Their demand for pay government doctors’ pay hike was made in 2009. I will discuss the issue with the CM,” he said.

Doctor asked by patient to issue medical certificate for car insurance

Doctor asked by patient to issue medical certificate for car insurance

Meanwhile, a senior officer working with a vehicle insurance company confirmed that they would definitely ask for such certificates if the situation called for it.

Published: 23rd June 2021 06:29 AM |

By Krishnachand K

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While doctors are used to being hounded by patients seeking medical certificates for a number of reasons from getting approval for a sick leave to filing a law suit, renowned oncologist Dr Boben Thomas was rather stunned by a request raised by one of his regular patients. The doctor was asked to issue a medical certificate for the patient’s car, in what he says is the first such incident he has experienced.

According to Dr Boben, the patient had rung him up with a request for a medical certificate that confirms the date of his consultation, because he needed to submit the certificate to a leading insurance company. The patient subsequently explained to the puzzled doctor that he got into an accident while returning home after the consultation, and when he approached the insurance company for damages, he was asked why the vehicle was on road when a statewide lockdown was in force. The medical certificate was to prove that the accident happened while he was travelling for a medical reason.

Dr Boben, who practises in Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram, told TNIE that this was the first time someone approached him for a medical certificate for the purpose of collecting vehicle insurance. “As the certificate was a logical requirement, it was issued stating that the patient had arrived in the vehicle,” he said. He also shared his experience on Facebook.

Meanwhile, a senior officer working with a vehicle insurance company confirmed that they would definitely ask for such certificates if the situation called for it. “We have the authority to ask the owner why the vehicle was taken out during the lockdown period. If it is a genuine case of medical emergency, we will ask for a medical certificate to prove if he used the car for that purpose. Some companies may ask for Out Patient (OP) tickets too. We could give a claim only if the person was out and about for an emergency requirement,” the officer said.

பிலிப்பைன்சில் தடுப்பூசி போடாதவர்களுக்கு சிறை

பிலிப்பைன்சில் தடுப்பூசி போடாதவர்களுக்கு சிறை

Updated : ஜூன் 23, 2021 07:24 

மணிலா : 'பிலிப்பைன்சில் கோவிட் தடுப்பூசியைப் போட மறுப்போருக்குச் சிறைத் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்படும்' என, அந்நாட்டு அதிபர் ரொட்ரிகோ டுட்டார்ட்டே எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் தலைநகர் மணிலாவின் தடுப்பூசி நிலையங்கள் சிலவற்றில், தடுப்பூசி போட்டுக்கொள்ளக் குறைவானவர்களே சென்றுள்ளனர். இதையடுத்து அந்நாட்டு அதிபர் ரொட்ரிகோ டுட்டார்ட்டே தெரிவித்துள்ளதாவது:

நாட்டின் மொத்த மக்கள் தொகையான 110 மில்லியனில் இந்த ஆண்டுக்குள் 70 மில்லியன் பேருக்குத் தடுப்பூசி போடுவது அரசாங்கத்தின் இலக்கு. இதுவரை அங்கு 2.1 மில்லியன் பேருக்கு இரு டோஸ் தடுப்பூசி போடப்பட்டுள்ளது. நாடு மருத்துவ நெருக்கடியில் இருக்கிறது. தடுப்பூசியைப் போட மறுப்போருக்குச் சிறைத் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்படும். இவ்வாறு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.

டுட்டார்ட்டே தண்டனைகளுக்கு புகழ் பெற்றவர். போதை கடத்தல் கும்பல்களை ஈவு இரக்கமின்றி சுட்டுக்கொலை செய்ததால் அச்சமூட்டும் மனிதராக இவர் பார்க்கப்படுகிறார். எனவே இவரின் எச்சரிக்கைக்கு பலன் இருக்கும் என கருதப்படுகிறது.

Woman IPS Officer's Sexual Harassment Complaint: Madras High Court Extends CB-CID Probe By 6 Weeks

Woman IPS Officer's Sexual Harassment Complaint: Madras High Court Extends CB-CID Probe By 6 Weeks: The Madras High Court on Friday extended by six weeks, the time granted to CB-CID for completing the probe into alleged sexual harassment of a woman IPS officer by a senior police official (now...

Govt docs to go on strike on June 25

Govt docs to go on strike on June 25

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh:22.06.2021

Government doctors, including veterinary, medical, dental and rural medical officers and medical teachers, on Monday formed a joint front and announced to go on strike on June 25.

The government doctors are protesting against pay commission’s recommendation on decrease and de-linking of non-practising allowance from basic pay.

The doctors are arguing that the recommendation of sixth pay commission will reduce their salaries drastically. Earlier, the doctors were planning to go on a strike on June 23, but after assurance of resolving the issue was given by health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, they postponed the strike to June 25.

Before launching their state-wide agitation, government doctors associations, including Punjab Civil Medical Services Association, Punjab State Veterinary Officers Association, PCMS Dental Association, Medical Teachers Association, Rural Medical Doctors Association, announced to form a common platform ‘Joint Government Doctors Coordination Committee, Punjab’.

Senior vice-president of the PCMS Association Dr Gagandeep Shergill said that the pay commissions were always constituted to make a realistic increase in the salaries of the employees.

At 67, grandma from Guj fulfils dream of a PhD

At 67, grandma from Guj fulfils dream of a PhD

Vadodara:22.06.2021

She had dreamt of becoming a doctor after a Parsi businessman told her father that she was brilliant in academics. But Usha Lodaya had to abandon her aspirations after she got married at the age of 20, reports TusharTere.

Almost five decades later, it was the fruition of a long-held dream when Usha passed her viva for PhD on Sunday. At 67, Usha, a resident of Harni Road, can finally prefix “Dr” to her name. “It took me almost 50 years to achieve something that I had aspired to when I was a teenager. Though not medical but I did get a doctorate degree,” Usha said. She completed her PhD in Jainism from Maharashtra-based Shatrunjay Academy with focus on the peace tenets preached by the religion.

“I got engaged by the age of 16 but I continued my studies and pursued BSc at Jhunjhunwala College in Mumbai. But I had to quit in the first-year after I got married when I turned 20,” Usha said.