Private colleges don't need state government's nod to add, drop courses: Telangana HC

Private colleges don't need state government's nod to add, drop courses: Telangana HC

The court was hearing a series of batch petitions filed by several engineering colleges questioning certain regulations of the JNTUH that mandate the State's permission to add or drop courses.

Published: 08th October 2021 11:57 AM 

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Granting relief to private engineering colleges in the State, the Telangana High Court on Thursday said that they no longer have to seek permission from the government to add courses or drop existing ones.

A bench comprising Justice A Rajasekhar Reddy and Justice T Vinod Kumar was hearing a series of batch petitions filed by several engineering colleges (Sree Educational Society, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology and others), questioning certain regulations of the JNTUH that mandate the State's permission to add or drop courses.

Senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy, who appeared for the engineering colleges, contended that certain traditional engineering courses were not creating job opportunities anymore. After hearing the arguments, the bench suspended the impugned regulations and further directed JNTUH to grant affiliation to these petitioners.

Unvaccinated Delhi govt employees will not be allowed to attend office from Oct 16: DDMA

Unvaccinated Delhi govt employees will not be allowed to attend office from Oct 16: DDMA

All such unvaccinated Delhi government employees, including teachers and frontline workers, will be treated as 'on leave' till they get the jab, the order stated.

Published: 08th October 2021 03:01 PM 

A health worker administers a dose of Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at a municipal health center. (File Photo | AP)

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Delhi government employees and teachers not having at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine will not be allowed to attend their offices and workplaces from October 16, according to a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) order on Friday.

All such unvaccinated Delhi government employees, including teachers and frontline workers, will be treated as "on leave" till they get the jab, the order stated.

The heads of departments concerned will verify vaccinated employees through Aarogya Setu app or vaccination certificate, it stated.

The order, issued by Delhi Chief Secretary and DDMA executive committee chairperson Vijay Dev, stated that the central government "may consider issuing similar directions in respect of its employees working in Delhi."

The DDMA, in its meeting on September 29, had decided to ensure 100 per cent vaccination of all government employees, frontline workers, healthcare workers as well as teachers and other staff members in schools/colleges.

These categories of persons have frequent interaction with the general public and vulnerable section of the society, stated the order.

All government employees working in departments/autonomous bodies/ PSUs/local bodies/educational institutions under Government of NCT of Delhi, including frontline workers, healthcare workers as well as teachers and other staff working in schools/colleges should get vaccinated (at least first dose) by October 15, said the order.

"The aforesaid government employees/ frontline workers/healthcare workers / teachers and other staff working in schools abd colleges, who do not get vaccinated (at least first dose) by October 15 shall not be allowed to attend their respective offices/ health care institutions/ educational institutions with effect from October 16, till they have obtained the first dose vaccination," it said.

Three flights up, merger on cards?

PLAN READY SINCE 2019

Three flights up, merger on cards?

Reeba.Zachariah@timesgroup.com

09.10.2021

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran had told TOI in 2019 that he would not run a third airline in addition to Vistara and AirAsia India, unless they merged. Which means that an amalgamation of aviation interests is on the cards. But a person familiar with Tata Sons’s thinking said that the integration of multiple aviation units will be possible only after the chairman spruces up the business.

Moreover, the Air India acquisition comes with a provision restricting the new owner from transferring its shares directly or indirectly to any person for one year from the date of closing the transaction. A merger is, however, allowed provided the new owner holds more than 51% during the oneyear lock-in period.

Tata Sons threw its hat into the Air India bidding ring because it had been looking for a solution for its sub-scale aviation business. In the same 2019 interview, Chandrasekaran said he wanted to scale up the aviation business and needed “to find a solution” for it.

Since then, the dynamics at Tata Sons’s aviation business have changed. It had bought Malaysian partner’s 33% share in AirAsia India, increasing its holdings to 84%. Tata Sons now has the option to buy AirAsia’s remaining 16% by next year. Once the share-purchase happens and the brand-licensing agreement with AirAsia ends, the company will be offering a “white-label service”, which could then be combined with Air India or Vistara, said a different person.

The Air India acquisition has, however, put the spotlight on Vistara and its co-promoter Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines cancelled the non-compete clause in Vistara’s contract, allowing Tata Sons to participate in the Air India auction. But the island city-state is unsure of consolidation. “Singapore would like to wait and see how Tata Sons’s aviation business pans out,” said a source. Tata Sonswill have five brands — Air India, Air India Express, Indian Airlines, AirAsia India and Vistara — after the acquisition. Consulting firm Arthur D Little’s managing partner Thomas Kuruvilla feels the company could have multiple brands for different segments.

HC notice to med varsity on plea seeking CBI probe

MARKSHEET SCAM

HC notice to med varsity on plea seeking CBI probe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal/Jabalpur:

A division bench of MP High Court on Monday issued notice to MP Medical University in response to a petition filed by some medical students seeking a CBI or court-monitored probe into marksheet scam in the university.

The petitioners Avinash Gaur, Aditya Jain and 7  more medical students said that they are students of a private medical college and that they had taken admission in MBBS first year in 2019. Their exams were postponed by 6 months in the wake of the Corona pandemic. Results of their exam was declared on October 21, 2021 and half the students failed to clear one paper or more. The university had decided to allow revaluation or spot valuation on payment of Rs 2000 but later, the provision of revaluation or spot valuation was scrapped, thereby leaving the students with no option for redressal if they are not satisfied with the marks obtained.

They said that a marksheet scam by the company which was given the contract to hold exams and prepare marksheet of students by the medical university has also surfaced. The university doesn't have answer-sheets of students.

Citing rulings of various high courts and the Supreme Court, advocate for the petitioners Aditya Sanghi contended that if the university doesn't have data of its students, it should have given average marks to all the students and declared them pass. He also demanded a CBI or a court-monitored probe into the marksheet scam of the university. The case will now come up for hearing on October 21.

AI Indore to Sharjah flight from Nov 1

AI Indore to Sharjah flight from Nov 1

09.10.2021

From November 1, Air India will start a flight from Indore to Sharjah. It will be the second international flight by AI from Indore, the first being to Dubai. “The flight will also connect Delhi and Mumbai from Mumbai to Indore, then to Sharjah. In return, it will come back to Indore and then fly to Delhi,” AI Indore station manager Vikas Shah told TOI.

Allow students to take exams, HC tells RGUHS

Allow students to take exams, HC tells RGUHS

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:09.10.2021

In huge relief for 20 medical students enrolled in different colleges in Karnataka, the high court directed Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to allow them to take their examinations later, if, for any reason including Covid-19, they could not appear for them when scheduled.

The exams commenced from September 20, but the high court ruled they will have to be conducted subsequently for these students.

Justice R Devdas issued this order, while disposing of petitions filed by Pani Yapung, a student from Arunachal Pradesh and 19 others. All the petitioners are from different states, including Kerala.

“Having gone through the advisory issued by the [state Covid-19] Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), this court finds that it is possible that some students arriving from Kerala may have tested positive,” Justice Devdas said in his order.

The judge added: “It is also possible that students other than those arriving from Kerala may also have tested positive. Therefore, under such circumstances, the respondent university [RGUHS] had issued a notification earlier enabling such students who were issued hall tickets but were unable to attend examinations to write examinations subsequently.”

Taj resonates with Air India’s heartbeat

BY INVITATION

Taj resonates with Air India’s heartbeat

By R K Krishna Kumar

09.10.2021

The return of Air India to its original home is a momentous event. It will take some time to fly AI again under the Tata banner. A man who will be truly happy is Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and, at one time, chairman of AI, after nationalisation. This time, after a lot of hard work, and no doubt, deep study, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran has boldly moved forward. AI is no ordinary brand. After J R D Tata founded it in 1932, he nursed the airline for several decades and made it a luminous star amidst other airlines like PanAm, TWA and Swiss Air, many of which have since disappeared. His passion for detail accompanied by his vision for India made AI what it became — a legendary leading global airline carrying the Indian flag.

I will touch upon the foundation of the relationship between the House of Tata and AI. In Tatas, one company that resonates with the heartbeat of AI is the Taj Group of Hotels. What connects them is the powerful focus on doing everything possible to make customers supremely comfortable and happy.

Long before management jargon coined phrases like ‘customer centricity’, the purpose of being an enterprise dedicated wholly to look after its guests was an overriding passion of both organisations. The secret of the Taj brand and AI’s legacy was the care and commitment that was crafted into their service philosophy, in some ways the trail leads to the founder himself, Jamsetji Tata, who founded the Taj Mahal hotel. Many will remember the supreme example of this passion when terrorists attacked Taj on November 26, 2008. Both Ratan Tata and I were witness to the horrible siege of the Taj for three days and three nights. It was extraordinary that so many employees of the Taj continued in their positions including the telephone operators and the staff of the kitchen during the attack. We unfortunately lost 12 of our employees. The world recognised this and the Taj dome under fire became a global symbol of service above self.

AI has historically shared the bonding with its customers in the same manner as the Taj. Perhaps, because AI for so many years had different leaders under government control the original philosophy of perfection including in maintenance, upkeep and profitability had become frayed and the brand lost its sheen over time.

It will be a challenging task not only to fully revive the airline but also make it profitable. It will summon the most intensive technological changes for which Chandra must have his plans ready. The Tata Group has investments in two other airline entities, viz Vistara and AirAsia, and with the acquisition of AI it will call for a major strategic restructuring reflecting market realities. We must also remember that when the shadow of the pandemic passes, international air travel, and importantly domestic air travel, will grow exponentially.

It was a bold and daring decision of the government to take forward its economic reforms agenda by privatising the fabled airline. With Ratan Tata’s guidance and Chandra’s consistent track record of delivering performance, I believe that AI will again become a flying beacon of India’s international success.

(The writer is Tata Trusts trustee)