‘27% OBC, 10% EWS quota to take effect from 2021-22 session’

NEET (UG)

‘27% OBC, 10% EWS quota to take effect from 2021-22 session’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  31.07.2021 

The National Testing Agency in a public notice to the NEET (UG) 2021 aspirants stated that the decision of the government to implement 27% OBC reservation (non-creamy layer) and 10% EWS reservation in 15% undergraduate all India quota (AIQ) seats will take effect from the 2021-22 academic session, on Friday.

The agency notified its information bulletin stands modified based on the new reservation structure for admission to undergraduate medical courses under AIQ which would comprise of 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, 27% for OBC (non-creamy layer as per central list), 10% for EWS category as per central government norms and 5% for persons with disabilities (PwD) “horizontal reservation as per National Medical Commission norms.”

When the government succeeded in introducing a 10% EWS quota in higher education institutions in 2019 the total intake in the medical colleges increased between 16% to 22%. For example, the total MBBS seats in government medical seats in Andhra Pradesh increased from 1,700 to 2020, which is 21.2% increase in 2019-20. Similarly, in Assam the total seats increased from 726 to 900, which was 24%.

However, according to a senior health ministry official, no such increase in seats will be done while implementing the 27% OBC reservation during the forthcoming academic session. The official said that respective states have already increased the seats from 2015 as part of the reservation.

“There is no need for an increase of seats due to the implementation of the 27% OBC reservation in AIQ as the states had already increased the seats in the last few years and OBC seats had been accounted for. So the 15% states’ contribution to the AIQ is already inclusive of that quota which we need to implement during the counselling. Moreover, even otherwise the process for increase of seats takes around a year,” said the official.

The directorate of health services too on Thursday notified for the benefit of the eligible candidates that 27% of the OBC reservation and 10% EWS reservation in 15% undergraduate and 50% postgraduate AIQ seats (MBBS/ BDS and MD/ MS/ MDS) contributed by the State/ UTs would commence from the 2021-22 session of counselling.

Woman gets +ve report without testing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kozhikode:31.07.2021  

A woman in Chelembra panchayat in Malappuram, who hadn’t undergone a Covid-19 test, was surprised after she received a positive RTPCR test report issued in her name by health authorities. When she approached health authorities saying that she had not attended the testing camp in the area, she was asked her to undergo an antigen test in which she tested negative.

The mix up took place at the mass Covid testing camp organized near Malaparamba SC colony at Chelembra on July 25 after 18 Covid cases were reported in the colony within one week.

Her husband and two other relatives had undergone Covid testing at the camp held in the locality and according to health department authorities the error took place due to confusion in the token issued to family members of the woman prior to testing.

While the woman received a Covid positive test report, the husband along with two other relatives tested negative. Volunteers who had worked to organize the testing camp said the serious lapse happened due to flouting of testing protocols by the staff who conducted the camp by taking samples from persons just by checking the tokens issued to them.

The mix up took place at the mass Covid testing camp organized near Malaparamba SC colony at Chelembra on July 25 after 18 Covid cases were reported in the colony within one week

Home clusters contribute to spurt in Covid cases in state

FIGHTING COVID-19

Home clusters contribute to spurt in Covid cases in state

Preetu.Nair@timesgroup.com

Kochi:31.07.2021 

It is not community clusters but home clusters that are becoming the major cause of Covid-19 infection spread in the state. Public health experts said that it is no surprise then that despite lockdown restrictions in place, Kerala is seeing an increase in cases. Unlike in the past, now family members of an infected person are neither tested nor placed in home quarantine.

As on July 29, about ,54,080 people are under observation in Kerala. Of these, 4,26,600 are either under home or institutional quarantine and 27,480 ho- spitalized. Majority are now in-home quarantine with most of the CFLTCs now dysfunctional.

“If Kerala government wants to bring down the cases, then the focus has to shift from lockdown restrictions and complete lockdown to contact tracing and testing of infected persons and strict quarantine for all contacts too. This was done in the initial phase of Covid, but now there is no mechanism to ensure this,” said Dr Jayakrishnan A V, chairman of Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) committee on Covid vaccines and vaccination strategy.

Officials in the health department admit that it is technically more difficult to avoid home clusters than community clusters because interactions leading to community clusters can be limited by government intervention, but the same is not possible when it comes to home clusters. With cases surging, some of the local bodies through Asha workers are trying to reach out to those in-home quarantine and check on their family members too.

“What we can partially do is that if even one person at home is tested positive, then the rest of the family members must wear mask for seven to 10 days, especially during interactions at home, because we don’t know who is in the incubation period,” said Dr Anish T S, associate professor, community medicine, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and public health consultant with the disaster management authority.

Added with this, now vaccinated people are also silently spreading the infection to other unvaccinated people at home.

“In Kerala, people’s mask wearing rate has always been high. But the reason for the spread of cases is socially meeting relatives and friends. We are social beings and can’t stay in isolation for long. Therefore, we need to continue to wear masks, ensure social distancing and absolutely avoid mass gatherings until the vast majority are vaccinated. If our intensive care and oxygen beds start filling up meanwhile, further restrictions will become necessary,” added Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, lead researcher of IMA-Kochi’s national survey on post-vaccination symptoms and experiences of Healthcare Workers in India.

Kejriwal: Entire med fraternity should get Bharat Ratna

Kejriwal: Entire med fraternity should get Bharat Ratna

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:31.07.2021 

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded in the Delhi assembly on Friday that the Indian medical fraternity be collectively given the Bharat Ratna. While recommending the same, the assembly also unanimously passed a resolution recommending that doctors and paramedical personnel in the city who served during Covid-19 be nominated by Delhi government for the Padma awards.

“We all have seen how not just our country but the entire world has been suffering because of the pandemic. During this period, our doctors and paramedic staff put their lives at stake to serve the nation. We are aware of how some doctors could not visit their homes for six-odd months and served humanity without caring for their families and themselves,” Kejriwal reiterated his demand during a discussion on a motion moved by AAP legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj for the Padma awards. “In such a time, it is the duty of the whole society to thank the medical community,” the CM said.

Bharadwaj underlined that the doctors couldn’t be thanked enough for their contribution.

Full report on www.toi.in

Longest serving Maharashtra MLA passes away at 94

Longest serving Maharashtra MLA passes away at 94

Kolhapur:31.07.2021 

Ganpatrao Deshmukh, the longest serving MLA in Maharashtra, passed away on Friday. He was 94.

Deshmukh, fondly known as 'Aba,' was admitted to a private hospital in Solapur a few days ago for gallstones treatment. He is survived by two sons, one of them is active in politics.

Deshmukh contested from Sangola first in 1962 and won 11 times, successively.

He was minister of state twice during the Sharad Pawar-led Progressive Democractic Front government in 1978, and in 1999 when the newly formed Nationalist Congress Party and Congress came into power.

His party Shetkari Kamgar Paksha (Peasants and Workers Party) had supported the government. TNN

CBSE topper leads high-scorer club with 1 mark short of 500

CBSE topper leads high-scorer club with 1 mark short of 500

Arts Rubs Shoulders With Science, Comm In Top Bracket

Jhimli.Mukherjeepandey@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:31.07.2021 

One mark short of 500, Archisman Bandyopadhyay from South Point High School is perhaps the highest scorer of CBSE XII this year in the country. This is the second time this year that Bengal witnessed such an achievement; the first was a few days ago when the Higher Secondary results were declared and Rumana Sultana from Kandi in Murshidabad stopped short of the perfect score by just a mark.

South Point, celebrating Archisman’s achievement, will soon see him off as he leaves for the US to study mathematics as his intended major at the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He bagged admission to six reputable US universities but chose this campus because of its high global rank.

“I want to remain in the academics and pursue mathematics in higher studies,” he said.

Not too far behind was Megha Abedin, who topped DPS Ruby Park with 99.2%. It was an especially proud moment for her because she is from the humanities stream and scored much higher than the rest of the neartop scores from the science stream. “I want to stay back in Kolkata and study history in either Presidency or JU and then prepare for my civil services exams,” she said.

Nearly 47% candidates from DPS Ruby Park have scored above 90%. Abedin’s high score was shared by Lokesh Somani from the commerce stream at Birla High School and Sanchit Mukherjee from the science stream at BDM International School. Commerce students have reportedly fared better than those from the two other streams at Birla High School. “I am looking forward to studying economics honours at Delhi University, if I get a seat there. The experience of studying in Delhi will give me added confidence. The application process will start from August 2,” Lokesh said. With 56 boys placed above 95%, the school is overjoyed.

Ritu Kulshreshtha has topped her school, Shri Shikshayatan, scoring 99% in science. “My dream is to study computer science engineering at IIT Kharagpur. I have written the JEE Mains and I hope to be able to sit for the JEE Advanced, too,” she said.

Many schools are happy that while it is traditionally believed the toppers are mostly from science or commerce, several from humanities this year have bagged the top slot. Ronjinee Chattopadhyay from the humanities stream at BDM International has scored 99%. “I want to study sociology and will apply at Jadavpur University, Presidency and St Xavier’s College. I don’t want to leave the city just yet. I am not sure about what I wish to do after graduation and I hope the next three years will help me firm up my plans,” she said.

At Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, too, humanities pipped commerce and science this time, as Sakshi Singhania topped the school with 98.4%. The school has 49 students in the 95-plus category.

Delhi HC gives FB, WhatsApp till Aug 27 to respond to CCI

Delhi HC gives FB, WhatsApp till Aug 27 to respond to CCI

New Delhi:31.07.2021 

The Delhi high court said on Friday it will hear on August 27 the appeals filed by Facebook and WhatsApp against the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI's) probe into the instant messaging app’s new privacy policy.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh listed the matter for August after additional solicitor general Balbir Singh, representing CCI, sought some time to respond to the pleas. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing WhatsApp, contended that if the CCI wants time, the petitioners have no objection as long as the commission does not insist on filing a reply to its June 4 notice by August 5 asking it to furnish certain information in relation to the probe.

WhatsApp and Facebook, also represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, have challenged the CCI’s June 4 and 8 notices, respectively. TNN