OVER 95% OF 16L ASPIRANTS TAKE NEET

OVER 95% OF 16L ASPIRANTS TAKE NEET

Times of India Delhi Edition

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2021 conducted on Sunday recorded one of the highest attendances in the past five years with over 95% of the 16.1 lakh aspirants taking the exam, reports Manash Gohain. The high level of attendance can be gauged from the photograph of aspirants queueing up outside a NEET centre in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The last time the medical entrance exam logged 94% attendance was in 2017 when 11.4 lakh students had registered. The all-time high of 97% was recorded in 2018. ‘We are yet to receive reports from all the centres. But the trend so far, based on majority of the centre reports we have received, is over 95% attendance,’ said Vineet Joshi, director general, National Testing Agency. Two cases of impersonation — one each in Allahabad and Bangalore — have been detected so far. ‘We are looking at other doubtful cases. The numbers could be around 10,’ said Joshi. Three Covid-positive candidates were allowed to take the exam in isolation in Kerala.

NMC to relook at draft PG regulations, allow improvement of NEXT score every year

NMC to relook at draft PG regulations, allow improvement of NEXT score every year: New Delhi: The upcoming National Exit Test (NEXT), the gateway to PG medical admissions as envisaged by the National Medical Commission (NMC) will allow candidates to appear for improvement...

Advisory warns pensioners against online frauds

Advisory warns pensioners against online frauds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:13.09.2021

In a bid to protect pensioners from online frauds, the district administration has issued an advisory for them. It has been found that many times fraudsters making fake calls to pensioners for online updation of their life certificate.

The district pension officer said that cyber conmen make a call to a pensioner with his complete data, date of appointment, PPO number, Adhar number and date of retirement, thereby giving an impression as if the call is genuine for online updation of life certificate.

Cases of senior citizens getting duped after sharing OTP has become quite common these days. Fraudsters, who impersonate as staff of the pension directorate, often make calls for updation of life certificates. Once a pensioner shares OTP with the fraudster, the latter gets direct access to the pensioner's bank account and thus money in the account is siphoned off. The official said that pensioners need to remain vigilant and cautious, as the pension directorate never makes a phone call to anyone for online updation of life certificate.

Senior citizens, pensioners on cyber criminals’ radar

Senior citizens, pensioners on cyber criminals’ radar

Over 24 Such Cases Being Reported Every Month In Bhopal

Sudeept.Mishra@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:13.09.2021

In the last few months, there has been a steady rise in cyber-fraud cases involving senior citizens and retired government officials. Every month around two dozen such cases are being reported in the city in which the elderly are targeted by online fraudsters, said cops.

The fraudsters posing as telecom company executives or bank officials send links to the victims and ask them to download remote access apps on their smartphone on the pretext of paying a meagre amount of Rs 10 for completing the SIM verification or KYC update and hack their phones to access their bank accounts.

The Bhopal cyber-crime branch has recently registered a number of such cases in which elderly people were duped by online fraudsters. Police have been issuing advisories regularly to spread awareness among senior citizens and pension account holders.

In on such case, victim Arif-Ur-Rehman Khan, 78, a resident of Aditya Avenue Colony on Airport Road, received an SMS on his mobile phone that his SIM card KYC had expired. Few minutes later, he received a call on his mobile phone on which the caller introduced himself as an executive with BSNL and took details apparently to update his KYC online. The accused told him to give the OTP received on his mobile number.

The senior citizen fell in the trap and gave the OTP received on his mobile number to the fraudster. The accused siphoned Rs 74000 from his bank account in three transactions.

In another case reported around a week ago, complainant Jai Kishan Sharma, 70, a resident Katara Hills, told police that an unidentified fraudster called on his wife’s mobile phone on September 1, and introduced himself as an executive of a telecom company. The accused lured the victim in his net stating that the KYC of her SIM card needs to be updated and sent a link to download an application. He took the code and hacked her mobile phone. However, due to a glitch he couldn’t siphon money through the app so he asked her OTPs making various excuses and siphoned Rs 1.9 lakh from her bank account.

ASP (Cyber-crime branch) Ankit Jaiswal said, the victims should report the cyber-crimes immediately to police, especially in cases of financial frauds. The money siphoned by the accused from the victims’ accounts remains in their bank accounts for some time before they withdraw it. If the cases are reported to police immediately, cops would contact the banks concerned to freeze the bank accounts of the fraudsters used to siphon money.

Calicut crash shows why infants at risk

Calicut crash shows why infants at risk

Manju.V@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:13.09.2021

The Air India Express Kozhikode accident has brought to the fore a long ignored issue — the safety of infants onboard flights. The Air India Express aircraft had hurtled towards the end of the table top runway from where it dropped into a deep gorge, crashed into the airport perimeter wall and broke into three. During the eventful landing, ten infants sat on the laps of their parents. Their only safety net, their parent’s arm grip. Three out of them died, another three had serious injuries.

The accident, that occurred in August last year, has highlighted the need for a ‘child safety restraint system’, the kind advocated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and in use in countries like the US. A child restraint system (CRS) is a contraption of belts that a parent can fasten onto the seat back, through which the passenger seat belt can be pulled in to secure an infant safely onto the seat. But for this, the parent would need to buy a separate seat for the infant. Currently, Air India Express and some other Indian carriers do not allow the purchase of a separate seat for an infant.

Said an airline official, requesting anonymity: “Some parents might not want to spend and buy a separate seat for the infant, given that accidents are a rare occurrence. But CRS can keep infants safe during turbulence as well. Those who wish to buy a separate seat should have that option.” Directorate General of Civil Aviation Arun Kumar said: “We have just seen the AIX Kozhikode accident report. An appropriate call will be taken in due course.”

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team collected feedback from the parent of a deceased infant. The infant — although placed on the lap — was not held firmly as the crew made no announcement of the impact. Therefore, during the frontal impact of the crash, the infant was displaced from the lap and was thrown in the cabin and, as a result, received fatal injuries, it said. Air India Express does not have provisions for child/ infant restraint system and they rely solely on lap-held infants without any supplemental restraint, it added.

US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration — in its ‘Flying with Children’ page — says: “The safest way to secure an infant or child on board an aircraft is in a state-approved CRS, in a dedicated seat... The use of CRS provides an equivalent level of safety to infants and children as that afforded to adult passengers wearing seat belts. “Proper use of occupant restraints is one of the most basic and important factors in surviving an accident, it says.

Twenty-one people were killed in the Kozhikode accident

Bhopal pani puri wallah has a girl, & you’re invited

Bhopal pani puri wallah has a girl, & you’re invited

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:13.09.2021

A pani puri vendor in Bhopal was so thrilled at having a girl child but also shocked by the frowns he got from certain people that he distributed Rs 50,000-worth of the spicy snacks for free on Sunday to make a point.

“I wanted to show that there should not be any discrimination between girls and boys,” Anchal Gupta, the proud father, told TOI.

“I was on cloud nine after I got the news that I was blessed with a girl child on August 17. But I was shocked by the odd reaction of several people. They pulled a face and cautioned me that I’d have to face financial burden and what not. I didn’t like it and wanted to send a message as a father. I’m proud that I have a daughter,” the 28-year-old said. He decided to celebrate it in a big way — the way he could.

“I am a small vendor with limited earnings. However, I wanted to prove that every parent should feel proud that they are lucky to have a girl child,” said Anchal.

On Sunday, he put up three stalls in Kolar locality and spread the word that free pani puri would be available from 1pm to 6pm. Hundreds turned up. Swamped by the crowd, he made repeated appeals to them to follow Covid precautions, asking those in queue to wear masks and stand at a safe distance until their turn comes. Few heeded his request in rush for free pani puri.

“This is bad. I’ve done this for a noble cause but several people refused to listen to me. I was not expecting such behaviour from them,” Anchal told TOI, looking at the jostling crowd.

Once they knew why he was distributing free pani puri, people were stunned. Many stepped forward to congratulate him, both for having a daughter and sending a message to society.

Anchal Gupta, 28, served free pani puri for a few hours on Sunday as he wanted to celebrate the birth of his daughter and send out a message that parents should feel proud that they have a girl child

NEET 2021: Physics was tough, say experts

NEET 2021: Physics was tough, say experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:13.09.2021

Physics was tough, while chemistry and biology sections were relatively straightforward. This was the general opinion among students who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday afternoon and experts analysing the papers.

Karnataka saw 1,09,570 students register for NEET.

Milind Chippalakatti, head of academics, Deeksha Centre, said: “Chemistry and biology papers were relatively straightforward. However, in physics many questions were tricky, calculation and multi concept based. All the questions were primarily from NCERT books. Overall, it was a student-friendly paper.”

“There was also a change in pattern. For biology, botany and zoology, questions were given in different sections, physics had a section-B with optional questions added and which was a little tougher. Chemistry had a section-B with optional questions added. The standards being set were certainly higher compared to last year,” he added.

“The paper was not as easy as it was in 2020. In physics, the questions are usually formula based or concept-based. But this time, multiple concepts were included in the same questions. In nearly 6-10 questions, multiple concepts were involved, making it slightly difficult for students,” said NM Habeeb, NEET wing head of Narayana Group (India).

Many students said the exam went without any glitches. Based on reports received from about 60% of the testing centres, NTA said attendance was above 94%.