No bank account means no lessons for Irular student

No bank account means no lessons for Irular student

Komal Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.11.2021

The rain and the floods couldn’t deter Rakesh* (name changed), a Class IX student from going to school. But he didn’t know there was another obstacle: a bank account. The boy who hails from an Irular tribal hamlet in Kannima Nagar in Thiruporur, Chengalpet district, hasn’t been allowed to attend classes in the government school located close by, as he did not have a savings bank account.

All tribal students under pre-matric scholarship scheme get ₹8000 per year and that money is credited to their personal savings bank account.

His mother, Rekha* said they were uneducated and also unemployed due to covid and the floods. “ Most of us don’t have identity proof. With great difficulty I opened the bank account for my elder son and daughter. However, for the third child, I was told to have a minimum balance of ₹1,000. It is impossible for us to save ₹1,000. But the bank officials said we can’t withdraw the scholarship money without having a bank account for my child. Now I have taken up a job and am waiting for my salary to open my son’s account,” she said. She added that when she went to the school after it opened a month ago, the teacher there told her to come back only after the bank account had been opened.

Many in the hamlet have dropped out due to several factors including lack of roads leading to their hamlets and the distance from the school. “However, no child was so far stopped from studying because of a bank account,” said S Mohana, one of the village heads. She added that many of them faced this problem this month.

When TOI spoke to the headmaster of Government Higher Secondary School, Nemmeli, she said the allegation is not true. “Yes, we do insist on them opening a bank account. But we have not stopped any child,” she said. The teacher who had stopped the child from attending classes could not be contacted.

Deepa Umashankar, of Wings to Hope, an NGO that works exclusively with these tribes, said no student can be stopped from attending classes.

A senior education department officer told TOI he would look into the issue and ensure the child is allowed to attend classes. “No one can be stopped from attending school. We will set this right,” he said.

Eye on variant, India updates its norms for int’l passengers

Eye on variant, India updates its norms for int’l passengers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:28.11.2021

All international passengers, except those under five years of age, flying into India from Covid atrisk countries must undergo RT-PCR test on arrival, starting from 12.01am (IST) of December 1, 2021.

This will include those transiting from these places too. Those testing negative must home quarantine for seven days and then re-test on the eighth day.

Those testing positive will be admitted to seperate isolation facility and their sample sent for genomic testing and would be discharged if found not infected with the Omicron variant. Those found infected with this new variant will be kept in “strict isolation” and treated till they test negative.

Union health ministry on Sunday issued a new protocol for international arrivals in the wake of a new variant found in southern Africa, Hong Kong, and some other countries to prevent its spread here.

This adds to the existing norms like a negative report from a RT-PCR test done within 72 hours of flying into India and filing a self-declaration form. They must also add details of their travel in the last 14 days from the time of arrival.

To be sure, the government will keep updating the list of at-risk countries as the situation evolves.

Five per cent of the passengers flying in from not-atrisk countries will also be tested on arrival on a random basis. “The cost of testing of such passengers would be borne by the aviation ministry,” the order says. Their samples will also be sent for genomic testing and they will be treated as per “standard protocol.”

Children unde five years of age continue to be exempt from both pre- and post-arrival test if they are asymptomatic. “Contacts” of positive cases from at-risk countries -- their co-passengers seated in the same row and three rows in front and behind their row and identified cabin crew -- will be kept under institutional or home quarantine, under strict monitoring of the state government concerned.

As of November 26, the health ministry’s list of atrisk countries include: countries in Europe including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

‘Omicron 6 times more transmissible than Delta, could infect even vaxxed’

‘Omicron 6 times more transmissible than Delta, could infect even vaxxed’

Experts Say Cocktail Drugs Might Not Help

Syed.Akbar@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:28.11.2021

The newly emerged variant of concern B.1.1.529 (Omicron) may not respond to monoclonal antibody therapy or cocktail treatment, experts fear.

Based on preliminary analysis of Omicron infections in South Africa and elsewhere, experts suggest that it has six times higher potential to spread (R value) than the Delta variant that had triggered the second wave in India. It could also evade the immune system. It may also cause vaccine breakthrough infections.

Dr Vinod Scaria of the Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB) said Omicron has 32 spike mutations and some of them suggest the possibility of S-gene dropout. This means some primers (used in RT-PCR test to detect the virus) targeting the spike gene locus might not work.

The Delta variant, which causes heavy infections and mortality, responds to monoclonal antibody therapy. However, its offspring, the Delta plus, did not respond to this therapy, considered a miracle treatment for Covid-19 in initial stages of infection. After the Delta plus, Omicron is the second variant of concern that may not respond to monoclonal antibody treatment.

According to Mercy Rophina, research scholar at IGIB, the new lineage carries a total of 53 variants precisely including 32 spike protein variants. “Most of the observed variants are found to possess resistance against immunity and other functional implications. Six variants with spike receptor binding domain on G339D, S373P, G496S, Q498R and Y505H are found resistant to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) including etesevimab, bamlanivimab, casirivimab, imdevimab and their cocktails,” Rophina tweeted.

In a series of tweets on the new variant, Scaria, an expert in genome sciences, said at least one case of B.1.1.529 in Israel seems to have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster, suggesting the variant can cause vaccine breakthrough infections.

“The disease severity is yet to be known, which is the most important point to consider. While vaccine breakthrough infections per se are not the major concern (Delta also caused vaccine breakthrough infections), transmissibility and clinical outcomes (severity and mortality) are the key points,” he said.

Rophina, who is from Scaria’s lab, compiled the structural context of the immune escape mutations in Omicron.

Scaria said three mutations in the S1/S2 furin cleavage site possibly suggests better cell entry (and may be transmissibility). He, however, added that properties of single mutations don’t always add up when they occur in combination. Nevertheless, they give potential directions to explore.

Full report on www.toi.in

TESTING TIMES CONTINUES: A health worker collects a man’s swab sample in Jammu on Sunday

Omicron reportedly has 30+ mutations in spike protein region, may bypass vaccines: AIIMS chief

New Delhi:

The new Omicron variant of coronavirus has reportedly got over 30 mutations in the spike protein region giving it the potential to develop a immunoescape mechanism, and thus the efficacy of vaccines against it needs to be evaluated critically, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guelria has said.

“The new variant of coronavirus reportedly has got more than 30 mutations at the spike protein region and therefore has the potential of developing immunoescape mechanisms. As most vaccines (work by) forming antibodies against the spike protein, so many mutations at the spike protein region may lead to a decreased efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines,” AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guelria said.

In such a scenario, the efficacy of vaccines including those in use in India needs to be evaluated “critically”, he said. The future course of action will depend on what more data on its transmissibility, virulence and immunoescpae shows, he said. PTI

Man flies from Dubai with severed thumb just in time

Man flies from Dubai with severed thumb just in time

New Delhi:28.11.2021

Unable to afford medical treatment in Dubai, a 34-year-old Indian carpenter flew into Delhi with a severed thumb wrapped in a bandage after 22 hours of the incident. A delay of two hours would have drastically reduced the chances of recovery.

Sandeep, who hails from Rajasthan, lost his left thumb while working on a saw machine in September. His modest income did not allow him treatment in Dubai. Doctors there put the thumb between the fingers and wrapped a bandage around it.

On arriving in India, the family took him to Aakash Healthcare, it being the nearest hospital to the airport.

The saw had cut three vessels causing loss of 300ml of blood in less than 24 hours, doctors at the hospital said. He had a successful surgery and is recovering well, they said. PTI

Maternity protection right can’t be infringed, says HC

Maternity protection right can’t be infringed, says HC

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:28.11.2021

Observing that the right to maternity protection cannot be infringed, the Madras high court directed the reinstatement of an anganwadi worker who was terminated from service for availing leave for more than seven months during her pregnancy.

Petitioner K R Kanimozhi, an anganwadi worker at Vadavanpatti village in Sivaganga district, had conceived twins through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) after being childless for 11 years. As doctors advised her bed rest for the entire gestation period, she submitted a leave letter during October 2013 and extended the leave periodically. She delivered in June 2014, but the authorities issued a showcause notice and subsequently terminated her from service in 2014 for absence of duty beyond six months citing a GO passed in 1995. She filed two petitions before the HC Madurai bench in 2014 challenging the termination order and seeking reinstatement with monetary benefits.

The authorities in their counter stated that she had availed of 229 days leave, which attracted termination having exceeded six months.

The judge observed that as per Rule 18(1) of the Tamil Nadu Government Fundamental Rules, the employee is entitled to take leave exceeding six months on production of medical certificate. Since the petitioner had produced a medical certificate, she is also entitled to relief under the provision. Hence, the judge set aside the termination order and directed the authorities to reinstate her in service forthwith.

100 sub-registrar offices deemed ‘most sensitive’

100 sub-registrar offices deemed ‘most sensitive’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.11.2021

A total of 100 sub registrar offices (SRO) spread over the state have been identified as the most sensitive offices, where sub registrars cannot continuously function for more than one year as the registration department has introduced categorisation of the SROs. The new guidelines have been rolled out with an aim to arrest irregularities during registrations.

Out of the100 'most sensitive' SROs, 38 are located in Chennai zone comprising the city, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. Some 200 SROs are categorised as sensitive offices, and 275 as normal offices. A sub registrar will work in the most sensitive SRO for a year, followed by three years at normal offices, before being posted in a sensitive SRO, as per the new norms. The categorisation is based on the volume of documents registered and revenue generated in the respective SROs. The move is aimed at averting registration officials preferring to work in high income generating urban centres, which is leading to competition among them, enhancing transparency and eradicating irregularities during registrations, a government order said.

In a recent government order, registration secretary B Jothi Nirmalasamy said that sub registrars must work in sensitive and normal SROs for a period two and three years, respectively. On the other hand, the state government has decided to accord administrative sanction for providing two more IP cameras in the record rooms in all the 575 SROs at an estimated cost of Rs5.97 crores. It is aimed at curtailing the movement of touts and arrest illegal activities, another government order said, adding that the IP camera facility was conceived with various objectives including remote monitoring of activities of SROs from the headquarters and respective zonal offices. Currently, SROs have three IP cameras installed including the entrance.

The move is aimed at averting registration officials preferring to work in high income generating urban centres, which is leading to competition among them

Rain to ease from Tuesday onwards

Rain to ease from Tuesday onwards

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.11.2021

The city will experience heavy rain for one more day before it subsides to light spells of rain for the rest of the week.

A met department forecast for the city and the suburbs said that thunderstorms with heavy rain are likely to occur for the next 24 hours.

After this, the rain will reduce into light to moderate showers in some areas. It may remain so till Wednesday after which there is a possibility of a dry spell till a new system is formed in the Bay of Bengal.

The met department has said that a low pressure area is likely to form over south Andaman Sea around November 30. "It is likely to become more marked and move west-northwestwards during subsequent 48 hours," the forecast said. However, the system is not likely to bring rain to Chennai as per the current forecast. The met department says that it may bring rain over north coastal Andhra and Odisha from December 3.

There was intermittent heavy rain throughout the day on Sunday. The southern suburbs received the maximum rain causing inundation in many neighbourhoods. and Meenambakkam 61mm, West Tambaram received 42.5mm, Chennai received 11mm rain. Nungambakkam 9.8 mm Anna University 20mm, MRC Nagar 21mm, Taramani 22 and Nandanam 17mm.

Private weather bloggers said that there will be intermittent rain till Wednesday but there will not be intense spells. The heavy rain is shifting to the southern districts.

The city is receiving rain due to the impact of a cyclonic circulation over the Comorin area and Sri Lanka.