No change in retirement age for Government staff

 

India off UK red list but no relief as vaccines used here not cleared

India off UK red list but no relief as vaccines used here not cleared

Naomi Canton

London: 06.08.2021

India will be moved off the UK’s red list this Sunday, bringing relief to tens of thousands of Indian students and opening the door for Indian nationals without UK residence rights to travel to Britain for the first time since April 23.

On Thursday, UK announced that India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE will be moved from the red to the amber list on August 8 “as the situation in these countries has improved”. But whilst those who have been double vaccinated with vaccines in the UK, Europe and the US will be exempt from home quarantine upon arrival from an amber list country, those who have received vaccines in India — Covaxin, Sputnik V and Covishield — will still have to self-isolate for 10 days, sparking claims of discrimination against India’s vaccines.

Welcome news for Indian students planning UK visit

The UK government says that anyone fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme, or vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency for Europe, Swissmedic for Switzerland, or FDA for the US, who arrives from an amber country, is exempt from home quarantine.

No doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has been authorised by the FDA and approved by the Indian government, have arrived in India yet. From 8.30 am IST on August 8, when India moves to the amber list, travellers from India must now quarantine at home or the place they are staying for 10 days, as well as take a pre-departure Covid-test and two tests after arrival. This replaces the system under the red list when they were required by law to quarantine in a managed hotel for 10 days — at a cost per adult of £1,750 that is set to rise to £2,285 (Rs 2.3 lakh) on August 12.

The move follows a trip by foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to London on July 24 when he asked the UK to review its travel ban on visitors from India, stating that “Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of Covid”.

It is welcome news for the 65,000 Indian students who are expected to arrive in the UK in the next few weeks. “This will really help Indian students who cannot afford these exorbitant hotel quarantine fees,” said Indian National Students Association UK president Amit Tiwari. “Indians will have a big cost saving and it is better for their mental well-being to quarantine on campus rather than in a hotel,” said Sanam Arora, chairperson of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK.

“If someone is vaccinated in India, they should be treated the same as someone vaccinated in Europe. Or else that is discrimination,” pointed out Sunil Amar, a private banker in London. “It is amazing news and very sensible to take India off the red list because numbers are down and this means travel will be back so it will help airlines,” he said. The Joint Biosecurity Centre released data to back up the decision showing that of 5,263 travellers tested upon arrival from India between July 1 and July 21, 49 (0.9%) tested positive for Covid-19.

21 nursing students from Kerala test +ve

21 nursing students from Kerala test +ve

Darshan BH TNN

06.08.2021

Fears of travellers from Kerala triggering an outbreak in the state hit home on Thursday when 21 students enrolled in a private nursing college in Hassan city tested positive for Covid-19.

The students, who arr ived a fortnight ago from their hometowns in Kerala, were staying in a paying guest facility. They have since been moved to another lodge where they have been isolated. Some two dozen other students who are primary contacts have also been isolated in the same facility.

The students are pursuing degree courses in the college located near Katihalli industrial area. A total of 45 students were staying in the PG facility located in KR Puram. All the infected students had arrived in Hassan sometime before July 26 to attend exams. They had furnished negative Covid-19 reports on arrival. Since none were inoculated, health department officials took the initiative and gave them all their first dose of Covishield.

“On Tuesday, a student who showed Covid symptoms was subjected to RT-PCR test. It confirmed the infection and tests were then conducted on the remaining students in the PG. Most of those infected are asymptomatic,” an official said.

The PG has been sealed and those infected and their primary contacts were moved to a private lodge near the centre of the city. Tests will be conducted on the primary contacts on Friday and Saturday.

“Our team visited all the 10 nursing colleges in the city on Thursday,” a health department official said.

Officials also said two students from Hassan city’s Home Science College also tested positive on Thursday. “We are thinking of testing all students and staff in all colleges,” said Dr KM Sathish, district health officer.

Arappor Iyakkam alleges irregularities in PWD tenders

Arappor Iyakkam alleges irregularities in PWD tenders

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 06.08.2021 

The anti-corruption NGO, Arappor Iyakkam on Thursday alleged that tenders floated by the Tamirabarani circle of the state public works department were showing favouritism to a section and demanded that four tenders be cancelled. The NGO had been carrying out a series of anti-corruption campaigns against the previous AIADMK government. It has now targeted the DMK government also for alleged irregularities.

In a press release, Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan said the department had floated tenders valued at ₹30.98 crore and the bids were to be submitted in boxes kept in the office of the superintending engineer of Tamirabarani basin circle. “We reliably learn that all these physical points of contact are currently being used to eliminate other contractors and favour a particular person in the tenders”. He said the conditions in the tender were tweaked to restrict competition rather than promoting competition.

The department floated tenders for extension of groyne at Kovalam, laying groynes at Azhikkal, a groyne at Periyanayaki Street, and check dam across Pazhayaar in Thamaraikulam village.

The tender document mandates the contractors to approach the office of the superintending engineer, Tamirabarani basin circle, to buy the pre-qualification application and the price tender schedule. The application and price tender must be submitted separately, besides earnest money deposit. The annual turnover requirement had been set at 75% of the tender value and 150% of the annual work value. “The Central Vigilance Commission says the above pattern is a common irregularity. It says the average annual financial turnover during the last three years ending March 31 of the previous financial year should be at least 30% of the estimated cost,” Venkatesan said.

The PWD officials said submission of online tenders had not picked up in the department and the documents could be submitted either in boxes or through post. “As regards the tender conditions, we have set the criteria due to the quality mandated for antisea erosion work. If anyone had any objection, they could have brought it to our notice in the last one month and we could have held a pre-bid meeting and sorted it out. But no one objected to it,” said a senior official. While the last date for submission of bids for the first three contracts ended on Thursday, the deadline for the last one is August 17.

Best teacher award: Govt issues guidelines

Best teacher award: Govt issues guidelines

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 06.08.2021

To qualify for the best teacher award in TN, a teacher should have conducted online classes or other modes of education to reach out to the students during the lockdown.

As per the order issued by school education secretary Kakarla Usha, teachers who did not conduct online classes during the lockdown should be avoided. The government issues Dr Radhakrishnan award to 385 teachers from primary and middle schools, high and higher secondary schools on the Teachers Day.

The school education department issued fresh guidelines on Thursday to form selection committees and to select teachers for the awards. “The teachers should have worked to reduce the school dropouts and increase the enrollment and pass percentage and improve the education of backward students. Those teachers should not have any link with political parties. Further, they should have very good conduct and shouldn’t have functioned with commercial interest,” the guidelines said. The district level committee headed by the chief educational officer should nominate the teachers in the ratio of 1:2 towards the number of awards allotted to the district concerned. Teachers who have won national awards should also not be recommended.

Experts worry over TN’s rising R value

Experts worry over TN’s rising R value

State Adds 1,997 Cases To Covid Registry

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 06.08.2021 

Fresh cases in Tamil Nadu were just three cases shy of the 2,000-mark on Thursday, when at least 20 districts, including Chennai, reported more infections than what they logged on Wednesday. The state reported 33 deaths and discharged 1,943 patients, leaving 20,188 patients on the active registry, a rise from 20,117 patients on Wednesday.

With 220 new cases Coimbatore retained its tag as district with most daily cases, but it recorded a slight dip from the 226 cases on Wednesday. After Coimbatore, Chennai reported 196 cases compared to 189 on Wednesday. Neighbouring Chengalpet, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram also reported an increase in cases with the highest increase reported in Tiruvannamalai, where cases went up from 37 on Wednesday to 64 on Thursday.

“We have enhanced testing in all districts and we are tracking contacts meticulously,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. “We have told all districts that the risk is still high because we reported at least 1,700 cases on average and new cases reported every day continue to remain erratic. Health workers must not drop their guard,” he said.

There is no visible increase in the positivity rate – the number of people testing positive of every 100 people tested. While the state average is around 1.3%, all districts had a positivity rate below 2%. Chennai was among the eight districts with positivity rate about 1.5%.

However, the R-naught or the average number of people who will contract a contagious disease from one person is more than one in at least 18 districts. Tiruvarur and Krishnagiri have the highest R value at around1.3, while Chennai has 1.2. Thirupathur and Tirunelveli had the lowest R value at 0.78 and 0.8.

Epidemiologists said the increasing R value is a cause for concern, though they preferred to wait a week before declaring the spike as the start of the third wave or a blip on the graph.

Of the 33 deaths reported in the state, Tiruppur reported five, Chennai and Salem reported four each, while Coimbatore and Thanjavur reported three. Twenty-two districts reported zero deaths.

TN vaccinated 2.9 lakh people on Thursday, taking the dosage tally to 2.2 crore. Till Wednesday, 1.8 crore had received the first dose and 42.7 lakh the second dose. In addition 22% of people in 18-44 years, 31% of seniors and 45% of people in 45-59 years have received at least one dose.

NMC plans 3-month residency for PG students at dist hosps

PG MEDICAL REGULATIONS

NMC plans 3-month residency for PG students at dist hosps

The Rotation Will Take Place In The 3rd, 4th Or 5th Semester

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:  06.08.2021 

In a move to ensure availability of specialist doctors in rural areas, the National Medical Council (NMC) proposes to make it compulsory for all medical students pursuing MD or MS to undergo posting for three months at district hospitals.

The Draft Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2021 by NMC proposes to introduce a new district residency programme for all PG students as part of their medical course curriculum.

It proposes the new programme to be implemented with the PG (broad specialty) batch that has joined for the postgraduate course in 2021.

There are a total of 1,874 PG medical seats in Gujarat.

“About 40% of posts for MD/ MS doctors at district hospitals are vacant. They will get a major relief with the government’s new move,” said an expert in the medical education field.

The main objectives of the District Residency Programme (DRP) include exposure of the postgraduate student to district health system and involving them in healthcare services being provided at the district hospital for serving while learning, the draft states.

It also aims to acquaint them with the planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment of outcomes of the National Health programmes at the district level.

All postgraduate students pursuing MD/MS in broad specialties in all medical colleges/ institutions under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 shall undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in district hospitals/ district health system as a part of the course curriculum, according to the draft. “Such rotation shall take place in the 3rd or 4th or 5th semester of the postgraduate programme. This rotation shall be termed as ‘District Residency Programme’ (DRP) and the postgraduate medical student undergoing training shall be termed as a ‘District Resident’,” it says.

During this rotation, the District Resident will be posted with the concerned/aligned specialty team/unit at the district hospital, and will be trained under the overall guidance of the district specialists. The District Resident will work under the overall directions and supervision of the District Residency Programme Coordinator (DRPC). The clinical responsibilities assigned to the ‘district residents’ would include serving in outpatient, inpatient, casualty and other areas pertaining to their specialty, and will encompass night duties.

The National Medical Commission shall constitute a National Steering Committee in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to oversee the implementation of the District Residency Programme.

The National Steering Committee shall establish a National Coordination Cell (NCC) under the National Medical commission which shall be responsible for the smooth and efficient implementation of the District Residency Programme and grievance redressed at national level, according to the draft.