NeXT aims to replace MBBS finals, NEET-PG, FMGE

NeXT aims to replace MBBS finals, NEET-PG, FMGE

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad: 05.08.2021 

To be held on the lines of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), the National Medical Council aims to conduct National Exit Test (NeXT) for final year MBBS students from 2023.

The NeXT will replace the final year undergraduate examination and will also be the basis for admission to postgraduate specialty courses, replacing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (PG).

Students who clear the exam will be granted a licence to practice modern medicine in India and for enrolment in the state medical register or the national medical register, as the case may be, according to M K Ramesh, president of the Postgraduate Medical Education Board. It will also form the basis of admissions to PG medical courses.

“To be a medical practitioner in the US, one has to clear the medical licensing exam. We want to reduce the burden of multiple examinations and at the same time introduce world class standards,” said Ramesh. NeXT also aims to solve the problem of foreign medical graduates, it as it will be the same for everyone whether trained in India or any part of the world.

“The details of how to conduct the exam across the country, which includes practical examinations, are being worked out. A mock run is being planned for 2022,” he further said.

State medical education fraternity experts have expressed apprehensions over NeXT replacing MBBS final exams and say the move may prove detrimental to the state’s efforts to have more doctors available. The recent pandemic has underscored the need for more doctors in the state, especially in rural areas.

“Being a national-level competitive test, NeXT could prove tough for students of Gujarat to crack compared to the existing university-level exams,” said the dean of an Ahmedabad medical college.

“The final MBBS success rate in the state is around 90%. This means that every year, the majority of students who pass can register and practise medicine.

However, we have serious apprehensions if so many students will be able to clear NeXT every year. Moreover, MBBS finals are held twice a year while NeXT will be held only once,” said another senior medical fraternity member.

The National Exit Test marks shall remain valid for three years from the date the person has become eligible to be granted a licence to practice, for admission to postgraduate broad specialty courses, according to the Draft Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2021.

After the expiry of the validity of the National Exit Test marks, the person shall have to take it and qualify again to be eligible for admission to postgraduate broad specialty courses, it said.

For admission to postgraduate super-specialty courses, a uniform entrance examination, the National Eligibility–cum-Entrance Test (Super Specialty), will be held each academic year and under the supervision of the National Medical Commission, according to the draft regulations.

Allahabad univ to confer degree of D’Litt on Gulzar

Allahabad univ to confer degree of D’Litt on Gulzar

Rajeev.Mani@timesgroup.com

Prayagraj:  05.08.2021

Allahabad University would award honorary degree of D’Litt to noted littérateur and film director Gulzar for his contribution to poetry, films and culture. The degree would be conferred on the noted literary personality at the convocation scheduled for September 23.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the AU’s academic council (AC) held on the campus on Wednesday.

“We have started making preparations for holding the convocation in an offline mode, but the same could be held in an online mode as and when required. AU has decided to confer degree of DLitt on noted poet Gulzar and AU would soon contact him to get his consent,” said AU public relations officer Jaya Kapur.

Famous lyricist, poet, author, screenwriter and film director Gulzar is a recipient of Padma Bhushan (2004) and Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013). He has to his credit many other honours, including five national film awards, 22 Filmfare Awards, one Academy Award for Best Original Song (2008), one Grammy Award (2010) besides Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu (2002).

The meeting also decided that all PhD holders of the session 2018-19 — 2019-20 will be awarded a degree in the convocation. Governor Anandiben Patel, as the rector of the university, has given her consent to come for the convocation. Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof D P Singh and the chancellor of the University Ashish Chauhan have also consented to attend the convocation, informed the PRO.

In view of the impending third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, it was reported that the two ambulances available with the university are to be brought in working order and one new ambulance is being acquired.

Full report on www.toi.in

Govt to table bill on OBCs to restore states’ powers

Govt to table bill on OBCs to restore states’ powers

New Delhi:  05.08.2021

The government is set to table a bill in Parliament to restore the powers of states to identify local OBCs, a mandate negated by the Supreme Court’s Maratha reservation judgement of May 5.

The move will test the opposition which has declared that it will not allow the proceedings till its demand for a discussion on Pegasus is met. TOI reported the government plan on July 23 and  26. 

Union Cabinet Tuesday approved “the Constitution (127th) amendment bill-2021” to tweak clauses 1 and 2 of Article 342A and also introduce a new clause 3. The bill will also amend the Articles 366 (26c) and 338B (9) - all designed to clarify that the states can maintain the “state list” of OBCs as was the system before the SC judgement. Crucially, sources said, the “state list” will be completely taken out of the ambit of the President and will be notified by the state assembly. Shashank Ratnoo, a lawyer specialising in backward reservation, said, “The move is welcome, without which the system of OBC lists will go haywire.”

Sources said the bill may be tabled in Lok Sabha at the earliest, possibly on Thursday. TNN

Snake takes refuge in refrigerator

Snake takes refuge in refrigerator

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Cuddalore:05.08.2021

With the temperature rising in the state, a rat snake found refuge in a refrigerator in a house in Cuddalore town on Tuesday shocking the inmates of the house. The inmates on finding the reptile coiled on the back of the refrigerator called a snake catcher for help. Within minutes V Selvam alias Chellaa, 36 reached the house of P Prakash, an auto mechanic, at Kammiyampettai.

"Prakash's workshop, which is near his house, is surrounded by thick bush cover. A few days ago, he spotted two snakes in his workplace. The snakes were rescued by me and released in the nearby forest region. This time a non-poisonous four-foot rat snake managed to enter his house and coiled just above the compressor on the back of the fridge," said Chellaa, who took just a few seconds to capture the snake.

He said the mechanic spotted the snake after hearing an unusual sound of hissing from the fridge. He releases the snakes caught by him in the forest region near the Capper Hills after keeping them in his house for a couple of days to treat injuries, if any, sustained by the reptile.

DMK govt to present its first budget on August 13

DMK govt to present its first budget on August 13

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:05.08.2021

The DMK government will present its first budget, since coming to power in May this year, on August 13. A revised budget for the year 2021-22, it will also be the first paperless budget for the state. The state government will present its first agriculture budget on August 14.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has summoned the assembly on August 13, assembly secretary K Srinivasan said in an official release.

Prior to the budget, state minister for finance and human resources PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan will present a White Paper on the state of Tamil Nadu’s finance over the past 10 years under the rule of the AIADMK from 2011 to 2021. Ever since the DMK came to power, Thiagarajan has been harping about presenting the White Paper to bring to light the state’s financial burden, reeling under huge debt, to the tune of over Rs 4.85 lakh crore, especially since much of it due to the mismanagement of the previous AIADMK regime.

Meanwhile, the DMK government is keen on presenting a paperless budget from this year onwards. “MLAs will get personal computers on their tables and tablets with the government going for a paperless budget. The work to place the computers on tables is progressing now,” said an official.

The revised budget will be presented by Thiagarajan in Kalaivanar Arangam, the multi-purpose hall that is doubling up as the state’s assembly during Covid, at 10AM next Friday. Former deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam presented the interim budget for the year 2021-22 on February 23, ahead of the state’s assembly election.

VIT campus placement: 81 offered ₹25L annum salary

VIT campus placement: 81 offered ₹25L annum salary

Chennai:05.08.2021

Campus placements at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) began on July 15 for the 2022 graduating batch with companies like Microsoft, Dyte, Amazon, PayPal, DE Shaw India Pvt Ltd, Morgan Stanley, Udaan and WorkIndia making offers.

According to an official release, 81 students have been offered a salary package of ₹25 lakh/annum. Microsoft has selected 21 students for fulltime offers. At present, the highest CTC is offered by Dyte with ₹75 lakh annual package to 2 students.

VIT adheres to a centralised placement process and the students from all the four campuses of VIT- Vellore, Chennai, Amaravati (AP), and Bhopal (MP) participated. TNN

On the rise: State registers 1,949 new cases, 38 deaths

On the rise: State registers 1,949 new cases, 38 deaths

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 05.08.2021

After recording a decline in cases for two days, Tamil Nadu reported an increase in fresh cases on Wednesday. It reported 1,949 cases compared to1,908 on Tuesday. At the end of the day, the number of deaths rose to 38, but active cases dropped to 20,117 after the state discharged 2,011 patients.

Meanwhile, the directorate of public health said a negative RT-PCR test report or a Covid-19 vaccination (two doses) certificate is mandatory for people entering TN from neighbouring Kerala, which has been reporting more than 20,000 cases a day. The addendum to the Covid-19 screening/testing guidelines was issued by health secretary J Radhakrishnan. The test should have been taken 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey, the order said.

At least 22 districts contributed to the increase on Wednesday. Coimbatore, which continues to record the maximum cases, reported 226 cases compared to 208 Tuesday. Cases in Chennai came down to 189 compared to 203 Tuesday. Chennai saw the second highest number of cases in the state. After Coimbatore and Chennai, Erode, Chengalpet and Thanjavur reported 154,114 and 110 cases.

Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Kanyakumari, Pudukottai, Nilgiris and Ramanathapuram reported an increase of 15 to 10 cases over Tuesday. Barring Coimbatore, active cases were fewer than 2000 in all districts.

The state reported more deaths compared to 29 deaths on Tuesday. Of the 38 districts, Tiruvallur reported five deaths, followed by three each in Coimbatore and Tiruvarur.

Tirupur and Virudhunagar imposed tighter restrictions like those in Coimbatore in the wake of the rising incidence of Covid.

Pondy reports 120 fresh Covid cases, 3 deaths

The Union territory of Puducherry reported 120 fresh Covid-19 cases even as 95 patients recovered in the last 24 hours ending at 10am on Wednesday taking the number of active cases to

907. Of them, 745 patients are under home isolation and treatment.

Puducherry headquarters reported the maximum fresh cases with 85 followed by Mahe (18), Karaikal (15) and Yanam (2). Puducherry headquarters has the maximum active cases with 656 followed by Karaikal (134), Mahe (86) and Yanam (31).

Two women from Puducherry and a woman from Karaikal died of the infection taking the death toll to 1,798 on Wednesday. The territory has so far reported 1.21 lakh cases of which 1.18 patients recovered registering a recovery rate of 97.8%. The positivity rate of the samples (5,868) tested on Wednesday stood at 2%. So far, 7.18 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered (including the second dose).