No promotion to 2nd year sans clearing exam: Andhra Pradesh HC

No promotion to 2nd year sans clearing exam: Andhra Pradesh HC

TNN | Aug 5, 2021, 04.00 AM IST

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday dismissed the interlocutory application filed by MBBS students seeking directions to promote them to second year without reference to passing of the subjects in first year.

The high court observed that it found no substance in the arguments of the petitioners and promoting them to second year while having backlogs in first year would defeat very purpose of the new regulations brought in by the Medical Council of India (MCI) that are applicable to all medical students across the country.

Justice U Durga Prasad Rao pronounced the judgment dismissing the interlocutory applications moved by the MBBS students who were not promoted to second year because of not passing in all subjects in the first year. They moved the high court seeking 20 per cent grace marks as the question paper given to them was not in accordance with the guidelines given by MCI.

The students argued that according to the MCI guidelines, the question paper should contain multiple choice questions for 20 per cent of total marks. However, the question paper given to them by Dr NTR University of Medical and Health Sciences was not in the prescribed format and consequently they failed in the examination.

As the guidelines prescribe 20 per cent marks, they sought directions to add the marks to them as grace marks and promote them to second year. They filed an interlocutory application to promote them to second year without referring to passing of first year subjects pending disposal of the petition.

Schools likely to reopen for Classes IX-XII from Sept. 1

 Schools likely to reopen for Classes IX-XII from Sept. 1

07/08/2021

Opening up: Schools can reopen for senior classes with 50% strength, complying with the SOPs. M. VedhanVEDHAN M

“The experts said children were depressed as they continued to remain indoors, and this had created a gap in the learning process. They pointed out that a majority of the students could not attend online classes [owing to network and gadget issues],” Mr. Stalin said.

He announced that medical and nursing colleges and those offering related programmes would be allowed to resume classes from August 16. “Students and teachers in these colleges, classified as medical staff, have been vaccinated,” he said.

To prevent crowding at public places, Mr. Stalin announced that worship at religious places would not be allowed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The local bodies must ensure that there is no crowding at meat and fish stalls by spreading them out in the open space. The Chief Minister reiterated that shops must supply hand sanitisers to customers and enforce mask mandates and physical distancing norms.

“Action will be initiated against commercial and other establishments that do not follow the guidelines and allow more customers than the stipulated number,” Mr. Stalin said.

Collectors and local bodies are to undertake micro-level containment activities, he said. The test-track-treat-vaccinate COVID-19-appropriate behaviour formula is to be strictly followed.

Mr. Stalin requested the people to extend their cooperation to the government.

Doctors remove peanut lodged in girl’s lungs

 Doctors remove peanut lodged in girl’s lungs

07/08/2021

Special Correspondent MADURAI

A 20-month-old baby girl, who had a peanut lodged in the left airway of her lungs, has been successfully operated upon at Apollo Hospital. She was brought by her parents on Wednesday from Karaikudi in an emergency condition of severe wheezing and breathlessness. Pulmonologists Dr. Bharathi Babu and Dr. Harikrishnan said it was a high risk emergency procedure given the baby's fragile lungs and distressed condition.

After the CT chest evaluation detected the foreign object to be a peanut, they immediately planned to pull it out. The team of doctors, including ENT surgeon Dr. Arun Prabhu Ganesan and anaesthetist Dr. Prabhu, took three hours to clear the baby's airway.

Managing her was not easy as a bronchoscopy had to be introduced inside the tiny lungs, that could worsen her breathlessness.

It required expertise to give anaesthesia and specialised instruments to carry out the procedure on such a small baby. She was discharged on Thursday, said a press release.

State legislature has equal authority to repeal a statute: HC

State legislature has equal authority to repeal a statute: HC

Disposes of PIL plea after government says it has decided to repeal Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act

07/08/2021

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Friday disposed of a public interest litigation petition filed by former Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam of the AIADMK, seeking allocation of funds for smooth functioning of the Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram, since the incumbent DMK government had decided to repeal a law enacted in February this year for establishment of the varsity.

Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy recorded the submission of Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram that the Higher Education Department had issued a Government Order (G.O.) on August 3 expressing its intention to repeal Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act, 2021, enacted during the fag end of the previous tenure of the AIADMK government.

“There is no doubt that the State legislature has equal authority to repeal a statute as it has to enact a statute in respect of matters falling within its legislative domain,” the judges said. They, however, added that as long as the law continues to be in force and its operation had not been stayed by any court, the provisions of the statute need to be followed scrupulously.

Therefore, the Bench quashed a notification issued by Thiruvalluvar University on June 25 inviting applications for postgraduate courses from students in Kallakurichi, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts, which fall within the jurisdiction of Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University.

It also set aside all steps that had been taken by Thiruvalluvar University to conduct those courses at its extension centre in Villupuram.

Cap on flights, rush during admission season see UK airfares soar two-fold

Cap on flights, rush during admission season see UK airfares soar two-fold

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:06.08.2021

Airfares on the India-UK sector have more than doubled for travel starting August 8, when India stops being on the UK’s red list and visitors from here will again be allowed with no need for a mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine.

The reason is a combination of three factors — a cap of 30 weekly scheduled flights between the two countries; pent-up demand for travel for almost 3.5 months since April 23, when restrictions were imposed on visitors from here during the second Covid wave; and the ongoing peak student travel season.

According to travel portal ixigo, average one-way economy fares from Mumbai and Delhi to London between March 8 and 22, 2021, were Rs 35,871 and Rs 40,273, respectively. Now, fares for travel between August 8 and 22 from Mumbai are up 115% at Rs 77,187, and by 51% from Delhi at Rs 60,932, ixigo data shows. This “is because of pent-up demand and increase in search queries for travel to UK”, it says. Return London fares are well in excess of Rs 1 lakh from most Indian cities.

“This is the peak student season and a large number of Indian students are headed to universities in the UK. Now, with relaxed rules, many parents are also seeking to go and drop their children there for studies,” a travel industry source said.

TICKET TO A COSTLY RIDE

Kaloji health university promotes BPT students

Kaloji health university promotes BPT students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:06.08.2021

Kaloji Narayana University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) has decided to promote physiotherapy students without conducting the final examination.

Thousands of students, pursuing Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), had approached the university seeking unconditional promotion, citing delay in the academic session by almost nine months.

The KNRUHS had scheduled the final exams in the October, 2020 which were later postponed to April, 2021. Subsequently, due to Covid-19 second wave, the exams were rescheduled to August, 2021, resulting in a year long delay in the academics.

“Considering the present Covid-19 pandemic prevailing in the country and Telangana, students are stuck in the same academic year since 2019. Promoting the physiotherapy students to next year without exams will help prevent the lag in their academics,” read a representation submitted by All India Medical Students Association to the Telangana governor on July 29.

The decision was taken by the university recently during its executive council meeting following multiple representations by the students. “Physiotherapy students may be promoted to next year but they have to compulsorily appear for final examination of that year before final examination of the next year (promoted year),” the university said in a notification issued recently.

The executive council observed that physiotherapy was an important branch of health sciences dealing with patients. “Physiotherapy graduates will be treating the patients, so it is not proper to expose society to physiotherapists with inadequate knowledge,” the council observed.

Students had sought a one-time promotion through Twitter storms, protests and representations to governor. A few students also moved the high court seeking relief

Parents knock VC’s door over fee row

Parents knock VC’s door over fee row

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:  06.08.2021

A group of parents from the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology (MGIT) met the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTUH), vice-chancellor prof Katta Narasimha Reddy and complained against the management for not allowing students for lab work and internals over fee issues.

“The All India Council for Technical Education has also instructed all institutions to seek tuition fee instalments in view of Covid-19. MGIT is insisting that parents pay the fee dues upfront,” read the representation by the MGIT Parents’ Association. JNTUH registrar Manzoor Hussain said that the university would issue instructions to the MGIT management to allow the students who have paid the total fee fixed by the government and not to insist for any additional fee.