Armed with Bill, TN gets ready for NEET war

Armed with Bill, TN gets ready for NEET war

Dravidian parties join hands; Legal experts divided on efficacy of Bill as no other State supports TN’s demand

Published: 14th September 2021 05:42 AM 

By T Muruganandham And KV Navya

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu on Monday started a fresh bout of legal war against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) again. The ruling DMK kept its poll promise of passing a Bill to exempt the State from the exam. However, apprehensions around its ultimate success in getting the Union government’s nod remain the same as was the case five years ago when the previous AIADMK regime passed a similar Bill. Despite being an ally of the AIADMK in the State, the BJP-led Union government did not budge and returned the Bill, then.

This time, however, the new Bill is backed by the report of a special committee, led by Justice AK Rajan, that studied NEET’s impact on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. “The reason for the President to return the Bill then was not because there was a lack of data. It was on the Constitutional propriety of the State trying to get an exemption from a Central law,” said Justice K Chandru, a retired Madras High Court judge. NEET was enabled by a law passed in the Parliament, and at best, the State Assembly can pass a resolution showing its disapproval, he said, adding that there was no support from other States, too.

A few other legal experts have a different opinion. Justice Hari Paranthaman, also a retired Madras HC judge, said there have been earlier instances of such exemptions from the Central law for a single State. “For instance, the Hindu Marriages Act, where only TN was given an exemption.”Much of the course ahead will depend on how the Union government will treat the new Bill that will be sent for a presidential nod. As much as legal, there are also other factors, including political considerations. The BJP-led government also seems determined on having a uniform education policy.

However, the Bill on its part, puts forth its reasons in strong words. Quoting the report of the panel, the Bill said NEET festers inequality, as it favours the rich and more privileged class of society who can afford special coaching, apart from pursuing Class XII. “It virtually barricades the underprivileged social groups from medical and dental education. This is against the very object of the equality clause enshrined in the Constitution, and infringes the right to education of children from underprivileged classes of society,” it said.

The Bill, introduced by Chief Minister MK Stalin, said medical admissions will be based on marks scored in Class 12 board examinations. Barring the BJP, an Opposition ally, all parties in the House supported the Bill, and it was passed by a voice vote. Under this, government school students will have a 7.5 per cent reservation for medical and dental admissions in the State. Incidentally, the passing of the Bill comes a day after Dhanush, a NEET aspirant, committed suicide in Mettur. Although the AIADMK staged a walkout blaming the ruling DMK for the aspirant’s death, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami extended his party’s full support to the Bill during the discussion and the Chief Minister thanked him for the same.

All parties, except BJP, extend support to Bill

When the Bill was introduced by Chief Minister MK Stalin, barring the BJP, an Opposition ally, all parties supported it, and it was passed by a voice vote

‘Infringes right to education...’

The Bill stated, ”It virtually barricades the underprivileged social groups from medical and dental education. This is against the very object of the equality clause enshrined in the Constitution, and it also infringes the right to education of children from these underprivileged classes of society.”

With Covid on decline, Kerala govt offices on Saturdays too, dine-in decision on Tuesday

With Covid on decline, Kerala govt offices on Saturdays too, dine-in decision on Tuesday

Punching system back for govt employees; 50% capacity in restaurants likely; museums to start letting in visitors

Published: 14th September 2021 06:40 AM 

By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Covid showing signs of further decline, the state government has announced more relaxations. All state government offices will be back to six-day week working pattern from this week. Since the imposition of lockdown in the first week of May, the government offices have remained shut on Saturdays and Sundays. A decision on allowing dining in at restaurants will be taken on Tuesday.

The punching system for government employees to ensure seven-hour work a day has also been brought back. Punching will resume by swiping of ID cards while biometric punching will remain suspended.

The museum and zoo department announced the opening of museums in the state for visitors from Tuesday. A decision on opening zoos will be taken after Tuesday’s Covid review meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Morning and evening walkers will be allowed on the museum and zoo campus in Thiruvananthapuram from Tuesday.

The long-pending demand of hoteliers to allow dining in at restaurants may also be permitted soon as it is learnt to have been placed on the agenda of Tuesday’s review meeting. The proposal is to allow 50% occupancy at a time. Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association leaders had requested the CM to allow dine-in facility and he promised them a positive decision. Proposals to allow functions in auditorium and increasing the number of guests for weddings from 20 to 50 or 100 are also under the consideration of the government.

MORE RELAXATIONS LIKELY

WIPR scale for lockdown in panchayats and urban wards is likely to be revised to 10 soon as the cases are declining

Cinema halls shall wait

Though there is huge pressure on the state government to open cinema theatres, a source said they will have to wait

Andhra Governor encourages regular convocations at varsities to protect students’ future

Andhra Governor encourages regular convocations at varsities to protect students’ future

The Governor also directed the V-Cs that Covid protocols should be compulsorily followed while organising the convocations.

Published: 13th September 2021 08:29 AM 

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan (File Photo |EPS)

By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has expressed concern over non-holding of convocations by some State universities as doing so on a regular basis will “jeopardise the career of students”. “Before the Covid pandemic, convocations were being organised once in every three-four years. I’ve made it clear to the vice-chancellors during a conference with them at the Raj Bhavan that convocations should be held on a regular basis, and degrees should be awarded to the students in a timely manner to protect their future,’’ the Governor said.

According to a statement from the Raj Bhavan here, the Governor has also brought the issue to the notice of Professor K Hemachandra Reddy, chairman of AP State Council of Higher Education, asking the latter to ensure its implementation.“After the Covid situation, some of the State universities held their convocations recently, but many are yet to hold the event,’’ the statement said and added that the Governor instructed the V-Cs to hold annual convocations as per the schedule so that the career of students is not affected.

The Governor also directed the V-Cs that Covid protocols should be compulsorily followed while organising the convocations. He was of the opinion that the events should be organised virtually if the Covid situation does not permit physical meetings. Andhra University last organised its convocation on January 1, 2019, and Adikavi Nannaya University in Rajamahendravaram organised the event in 2019.

Meanwhile, Krishna University, Machilipatnam has not organised its convocation for the past four years. Earlier this year, the university issued a notification three months ago for conducting its convocation in October or November. Already, a letter has been written to Governor Harichandan, and the varsity has recently received permission for organising the event, sources said.

This year, major varsities in Tirupati—Sri Venkateswara Agriculture University, SV Veterinary University and Sri Padmavati Mahila Visva Vidyalayam (SPMVV)—organised their convocations on August 10, 28 and 25, respectively.

Nurses hired for Covid-19 duty angry over being denied food, lodging

Nurses hired for Covid-19 duty angry over being denied food, lodging

The staff nurses alleged 198 staff nurses were posted on Covid-19 duty at the KMCH during the peak of the pandemic.

Published: 14th September 2021 06:53 AM 

Nurses recruited for Covid-19 duty at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital protest on the Directorate of Medical Education campus on Monday | R Satish Babu

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Over 100 staff nurses who were recruited for Covid-19 duty on a six-month contract and posted at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital protested at the Directorate of Medical Education campus on Monday after allegedly being denied accommodation and food by the hospital management.

The staff nurses alleged 198 staff nurses were posted on Covid-19 duty at the KMCH during the peak of the pandemic. They were provided accommodation and food in a hotel. But the management suddenly asked them to vacate the hotel from Monday.

They assembled in front of the matron office and demanded that they be provided accommodation and food as they have nowhere to go since the instructions were given suddenly and they hail from other districts. Later, they moved to the DME campus and demanded that the higher officials intervene.

Speaking to TNIE, S Rajesh, State General Secretary, MRB Covid-19 Nurses Association, alleged that the hospital has been doing this repeatedly. “All other hospitals are giving accommodation and food. Since the number of Covid-19 cases came down, the nurses are being treated as unwanted.” Rajesh also said the government should give them job security.

They are repeatedly given six-month extensions, and are not sure when this will be stopped. A senior doctor at the hospital said, “We can give accommodation only to staff nurses on Covid-19 duty. Now, only 25 per cent of the staff are utilised and the rest should arrange their own accommodation and food. We are acting on instructions from higher officials.”The nurses dispersed after officials at the DME promised them accommodation and food for now.

Multiple litigations against spouse is cruelty, says SC

Multiple litigations against spouse is cruelty, says SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:14.09.2021

It took two decades for a marriage, which could not take off and was never consummated with spouses’ starting litigations just a fortnight after marrying, to be legally dissolved with the Supreme Court on Monday allowing the divorce plea of a husband holding that multiple litigations initiated by the wife against him amounts to cruelty.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy invoked special power under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant divorce on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage and also on account of cruelty in light of conduct of the wife for filing multiple cases in courts against him including a plea in the HC for disciplinary action against her husband who was working as an assistant professor in a government college.

The court noted that law has not been amended despite recommendations of the Law Commission to recognise irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground of divorce and the matter is also pending in the apex court. It, however, said that it would not serve any purpose to keep the matter pending and dissolved the marriage by invoking its special power to do justice.

The bench said that the trial court and the high court did not find adequate material to come to the conclusion that the husband was entitled to divorce on grounds of cruelty and the wife’s conduct during the pendency of the case had to be examined. The court noted that the wife had taken recourse to not just litigations but also publicly threatened him in his office. It said that the HC wrongly brushed aside these incidents as “wear and tear of marriage”.

“These continuing acts of the respondent would amount to cruelty even if the same had not arisen as a cause prior to the institution of the petition, as was found by the trial court. This conduct shows disintegration of marital unity and thus disintegration of the marriage. In fact, there was no initial integration itself which would allow disintegration afterwards. ,” the bench said.

Times View: In principle, this seems to be the right step. However, courts must take great care in determining exactly what amounts to unnecessary litigation.

INVOKING SPECIAL POWER

TTD trust receives ₹4.2cr donation from devotee

TTD trust receives ₹4.2cr donation from devotee

Sandeep.Raghavan@timesgroup.com

Tirupati:14.09.2021

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ (TTD) Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel trust received a hefty donation of ₹4.2 crore from a devotee. Ravi Ika, president and founder of RxAdvance, handed over the donation (cheque) to additional EO and SVBC MD AV Dharma Reddy on Monday.

The money will be utilised for purchasing high-end video cameras and state-ofthe-art broadcast equipment required for the 24-hour devotional channel managed by the TTD. Ravi Ika also promised to extend another ₹Rs.2.4 crore to SVBC trust, soon. This is highest of donations the TTD has received from a single donor during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Union ministry of information and broadcasting on Monday accorded uplinking and downlinking permission for two new TTD channels coming up in Kannada and Hindi languages.

49 TTD staffers issued show cause notice

Tirupati:

TTD has served show cause notices to 49 staffers over diverting house building loans. The temple body provides the loans to its employees to help them realise their dream of owing their own homes.

The rules mandate the employees to utilise the loans for house building purpose only. But a recent enquiry found that 49 employees, who availed loans under the house building scheme, had diverted the money for other purposes.

The temple administration has made it clear that stringent action will be initiated against the employees irrespective of their cadres if they are found guilty. TNN

Students and faculty of DU medical college oppose Covid care facility

Students and faculty of DU medical college oppose Covid care facility

Shradha.Chettri@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:14.09.2021

Students and faculty members of University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), a medical college under Delhi University, have written to the President of India and the Delhi government against the building of a proposed Covid care facility on the campus. They say the area is a designated space for a playground for the medical students of the college. It is also a designated bird diversity hotspot, they claimed and urged the government to relocate the facility.

On Monday, the students and faculty members along with several staff of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital protested against the proposed facility and held placards with slogans like “Save Central Field”, “Don’t leave the campus peeled” and others.

In a letter sent to different authorities, the teacher’s association stated, “We appreciate and support this initiative of developing Covid-dedicated infrastructure in east Delhi. However, we find that the proposed site of the building will damage the rich biodiverse green area of the complex, when in fact there is availability of land (under Delhi govt) in the nearby areas. The proposed site is already a playground, which is an essential feature of a medical educational institution.”

Satendra Singh, vice-president of the association, said, “UCMS is the only medical college, which has a playground for the students. It is an important guideline of the medical council so we don’t want the students to be deprived of it. The area also houses a nursery, which has some rare cacti. We are worried that building the facility will also compromise on the safety of women nursing students.”

Ramansh Bandhu Gupta, the students’ union president, said, “We support the making of a Covid-dedicated hospital in the area, but request the government to consider the biodiversity loss and medical recognition of the college. We urge them to relocate the hospital.”

The protesters said a Covid management facility near Ramlila Ground is under-utilised.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s office has forwarded the letter to the directorate of higher education for appropriate action.

HEAR US OUT: The site is a designated bird diversity hotspot, they claimed and urged the government to relocate the proposed facility