Madras HC stays order cancelling admissions to dental college

Madras HC stays order cancelling admissions to dental college

The Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed the order of the selection committee for medical admission cancelling admissions to a private dental college in the State.

Published: 11th November 2021 02:55 AM 

Madras High Court

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed the order of the selection committee for medical admission cancelling admissions to a private dental college in the State. The admissions were cancelled since the college exceeded the prescribed distance to a tie-up hospital.

The selection committee on November 2 cancelled the admissions to PG courses at Rajas Dental College in Kavalkinaru, Tirunelveli district, following an order of the Union government dated August 2, 2021, and a consequential order of the Dental Council of India dated October 28, 2021. The orders said the distance from the college to the tie-up hospital is more than 10 km, which violated the amended Dental Council of India Regulations, 2006.

The hospital management approached the Madras HC challenging cancellation of the admissions. It said since the college was established in 1987, and was approved under the 1993 regulations, the provisions of the 2006 regulations regarding location of the tie-up hospital do not apply to it. Staying the order, Justice M Dhandapani noted that prior to the 2006 regulations, it was not contemplated that the distance (by road) should be within 10 km.

Hot pongal, upma from Chennai Corp kitchens keep urban poor full

Hot pongal, upma from Chennai Corp kitchens keep urban poor full

Serving up pongal, rava upma and 10 other dishes at a rapid pace, the city corporation’s common kitchens across 15 zones have kept urban poor from going hungry during the non-stop rains.

Published: 11th November 2021 04:59 AM 

By Omjasvin MD

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Serving up pongal, rava upma and 10 other dishes at a rapid pace, the Chennai Corporation’s common kitchens across 15 zones have kept urban poor from going hungry during the non-stop rains.

While Amma Canteens served free food to affected people during natural disasters in the previous AIADMK government, these kitchens have taken up the role now, serving rain-affected residents food round-the-clock.

According to data shared by the civic body, up to 10 lakh food parcels of various dishes were served by the 15 kitchens over the last three days. “We primarily distribute food to rescue shelters and night shelters. From Kodambakkam kitchen at Ambedkar College Road, about 12,000 people benefitted in the three days,” said an official from Revenue department, which runs the kitchen along with the corporation.

TNIE spoke to workers, who said they wake up as early as 3 am to cook. “By 6 am, the breakfast is ready. After that, it is tasted by health inspectors. Only after that we distribute it,” said a cook. These kitchens are constantly monitored by DMK MLAs, ministers and IAS officials. Recently, during a surprise visit, Chief Minister MK Stalin inspected these kitchens to taste the food.

Officials said the canteens will be offering free food until the rains are over. “Most people who avail the service are from slum board tenements, fishermen colonies and the homeless.” The CM had also recently announced that Amma Canteens too will be serving free food till the rains are over.

12K  people benefitted in the past three days of the food served from the Kodambakkam common kitchen

Man who couldn’t be SI is now in IPS

Man who couldn’t be SI is now in IPS

Srinath.Vudali@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:11.11.2021

Three years ago, when Sirisetti Sankeerth lost the 800 metres race by a few seconds, his dreams of becoming a police officer went up in smoke, or so he thought.

Come Friday and Sankeerth will now march shoulder-to-shoulder with 132 fellow IPS trainees at the ‘dikshant parade’ of trainee IPS officers passing out from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. The 27-year-old failed to realise his dream of getting into the police service and becoming a sub-inspector after he failed to clear the mandatory 800 metres run to check fitness of candidates three years ago.

Son of an electrician, Sankeerth, who hails from Bellampalli village in Telangana’s Mancherial district, had earlier cleared the state exam to become a policeman.

“I was supposed to clear the mandatory 800 metres race in 160 seconds. But I failed in meeting the requirement by a whisker,” Sankeerth told TOI.

Having realised that he had to work hard on his fitness, the young man put his dreams on the backburner and even took up a job as an assistant executive engineer in Mission Bhagiratha, a flagship water project of the government, to help his father’s meagre earnings at Singareni Collieries.

“I used to go to the office by 7.30 am and prepare myself for UPSC. My actual work used to be in the evening and I was lucky to be given a desk job. So, I used to manage time by preparing the whole day,” Sankeerth said.

While working on his fitness, Sankeerth also began taking the UPSC exams, but found it difficult to clear. He, however, did not give up.

“It was on my fifth attempt, I cleared UPSC and during my police training at SVP National Police Academy (SVPNPA) I also did well in sports during my training and won few medals too,” a beaming Sankeerth, who ranked 330 in the latest UPSC exam, said.Sankeerth completed his civil engineering from Osmania University and has now been allotted to Telangana cadre.

“It was my father’s dream to see me as an IPS officer. I am happy that I have done it for him,” he added.

Sankeerth and his fellow IPS trainees will now be sent to France as part of the training programme.

PG admission delay: 2,200 MBBS doctors kept in limbo - The Times Of India

PG admission delay: 2,200 MBBS doctors kept in limbo - The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:11.11.2021

Yash Patel, who completed his MBBS degree earlier this year, is waiting for his turn to get admission in postgraduate doctoral programme at a medical college in Gujarat.

Patel, who has cleared NEET PG, the results of which were declared one and a half month ago, says he had to let go of a job offer from a private hospital that wanted him to join as a resident doctor.

There are about 2,200 PG medical seats in the state that are yet to be allotted as the admissions are running about six months behind schedule due to multiple reasons.

The MBBS graduates who join PG medical courses serve as resident doctors at medical college hospitals. This year about 2,200 doctors are yet to join duty as the admission process is not completed so far.

The NEET PG exams are usually held in April but they got delayed till August this year due to Coronavirus pandemic.

“Last year, the candidates had joined first-year of PG programme in the month of May. These students have finished their first-year studies and moved on to the next year. As a result, about 2,200 doctors who are all ready to join the PG courses and serve in hospitals, cannot do so as the admission process is stuck,” according to a medical faculty in one of the government-run colleges in the state.

The admission committee on Wednesday announced that the online registration process for admissions to MD, MS programmes will start from November 12.

“The admission process is stuck due to an ongoing case in the Supreme Court regarding admission for economically weaker section (EWS) category. Also, the admissions at the state level can only be held once two rounds of admissions are completed under All India Quota,” said an academic expert from the medical field.

Online registration for NEET PG from November 12

The Admission Committee for Professional Postgraduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPPGMEC) on Wednesday announced that the online registration for admissions to MD and MS programmes will be held from November 12 to November 16. Candidates who have cleared NEET PG-2021 are eligible to apply for admissions. On Wednesday, instructions were given by video-conferencing, regarding document verification process and submission of documents. Though the committee announced the date for online registration, experts said that the admissions cannot start immediately due to a case in the Supreme Court in connection with admission to PG medical for EWS category. Also, the admissions at the state-level can only be held once two rounds are completed under all-India quota, according to an expert. TNN

How to talk to the world through free translation apps

How to talk to the world through free translation apps

With Google and Apple revving their machine-learning engines in their translate apps, there’s a whole new world of communication possibilities available at the touch of your fingertips

11.11.2021

Third-party apps may be more indepth — but these freebies can provide a general sense of things and become learning aids. Here’s a quick tour:

Pick your translator

Google Translate is available on the web as a Chrome browser extension and as an Android and an iOS app. Apple released its Translate app last year for the iPhone and added it to the latest iOS 15 update for the iPad.

Google Translate supports more than 100 languages, while the version from Apple handles 11. Depending on the app and language, you may need an internet connection, unless the content is available to download. Audio pronunciation or other features may not be available for some languages. Read the app’s privacy policy if you have datasharing concerns.

Google Translate and Apple’s Translate are fairly easy to use. Just tap open the app and choose the languages you want to translate between. Enter text or say it aloud to get the translation through screen and speaker.

Both apps support a Conversation mode, where you can carry out a bilingual chat (in a supported language) with someone as the app automatically translates. And you can save favourite phrases for later reference in both apps.

See it and read it

Google Translate and the Google Lens visual search tool can use your phone’s camera to scan and translate the text on signs, in books, within photographs and in other printed matter. Just open the camera app, point it at the text you want to convert and tap the ‘Translate’ button.

Apple’s Live Text feature, new with iOS 15, offers similar abilities. Point the camera at text, and when a yellow frame appears around the words, tap the text icon in the bottomright corner of the screen. Select the words to convert and tap ‘Translate’ from the pop-up menu on the screen. You can translate text in photos the same way.

Translating in other apps

You’ll find that the baked-in powers of translation extend to other compatible apps, too. For example, in Google Translate, you can tap the Menu icon in the top-left corner, choose Settings and enable the ‘Tap to Translate’ function. When you find text that you want to convert, highlight the words and tap the ‘Translate’ option in the pop-up menu.

Apple’s Translate converts text in compatible apps on iOS devices (like the Safari browser) and can replace text you’ve typed with a translated version. Select the text you want to convert, and tap ‘Translate’ in the menu above. You may need to tap the arrow at the end of the menu to get to that option. When the full Translate menu appears, you can see and hear the translation and then choose one of several options, including ‘Replace with Translation’.

Use the Digital Assistant

Don’t forget that your virtual assistant can also be of service. The Google Assistant for Android and iOS has an interpreter mode to translate conversations in dozens of languages on demand. Just say something like, “Hey, Google, be my Mandarin interpreter,” and follow along. Apple’s Siri works with the Translate app to provide quick language tips as well; just say something like, “Hey, Siri, how do I say, ‘Where’s the nearest train station?’ in French?”

Typing in translation

To add an alternate-language keyboard in Google’s Gboard for Android or iOS, open an app that accepts text input (like your mail app), tap the Settings icon, then Languages and ‘Add Keyboard’ to select a language. You can tap the three-dot More icon on the Gboard menu to get to a Google Translate option for your typed text.

On an iPhone or iPad running iOS 15, open the Settings icon and choose General and then Keyboard. Select ‘Add New Keyboard’ and choose a language from the menu. Once you have added the new keyboard(s), you can switch between them by pressing the globe icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Keep in mind that computer interpretation is not perfect. If a native speaker tells you the app’s translation is way off, visit the ‘Help & Feedback’ menu in the Google Translate settings or report it to Apple’s Translate Feedback page.

— THE NEW YORK TIMES

Despite govt order, disabled are forced to pay on buses

Despite govt order, disabled are forced to pay on buses

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.11.2021

It has been three months since the state government announced that differ ently abled people will be allowed to travel for free on ordinary town buses.

But some conductors continue to demand ticket fares from such passengers and those who escort them.

The violation has been frequent in Chengalpet, Thiruvallur, Pudukottai and Dharmapuri districts, said S Namburajan from Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC).

G Tamil Selvi, who was escorting Nagaraj (a differently abled person) to Harur in Dharmapuri, said that conductor demanded ₹10 fare from her even after insisting that the government had changed the travel norms in June.

"It was more than enough if they presented their disability ID cards (issued by the government). But the conductors for some reason harass the passengers by asking for photocopies of the same. Failing which, they collect ticket fares" she said. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus conductors in response said that their branch managers insist on proof that differentlyabled passengers actually travel and it actually helps in tallying ticket fare revenue at the end of the day.

“Besides this, there is no mention about this procedure in the handbooks given to us,” say conductors. Guidebooks, which explain the duties and limitations of conductors, have previously been used as evidence in court cases involving TNSTC staff.

Namburajan in his letter to chief minister MK Stalin has requested the state transport department to paste stickers on the bus windshields stating that travel is free for differently abled persons and those escorting them. A senior transport department official has agreed to look into this issue.

For a difference, the government scheme is properly implemented by Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai as there are no complaints against them even when other corporations face allegations.

As a result, there is a 20% increase in the number of differently abled passengers using MTC buses in Chennai. Every month, at least 51,000 disabled passengers are getting benefitted, according to official data.

But only one out of the 3,300 MTC buses have ramps to assist disabled passengers while boarding or exiting. The Madras high court has directed the corporation to ensure that all new buses procured are disabled-friendly. MTC had originally decided that only 10% of the buses procured at ₹694 crore will be disabled-friendly and another 25% will have lift mechanisms with ramps. But activists have rejected it.

Traffic diversion over rain-related issues

Traffic diversion over rain-related issues

Chennai:11.11.2021

The city police have diverted traffic in several areas due to rain-related issues. On MRH Road from Manjampakkam rountana towards Red Hills, as the water is overflowing from Retteri lake and running through MRH Road, anticipating damage, one side of the road has been closed and the traffic is maintained on the other side. On Thirumalai Pillai Road, in front of Kamarajar Illam, due to a road cave-in, vehicles are not permitted towards Valluvarkottam junction from Vani Mahal junction. Police said that traffic is also diverted at Vani Mahal-Penz park junction. TNN