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Wednesday, September 4, 2024

High cutoffs, NEET woes goad students in K’taka to grab what’s offered

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com

Bengaluru : The high cutoffs in NEET ranks for MBBS admissions this year have forced students into accepting whatever seat comes their way — regardless of fees or the quality of the institution — amid fears that the competition could get fiercer next year. Counsellors confirmed that students want to hold on to the seat they get and choose not to opt for a gap year.

There were many students who were expecting a Rs 1.5-lakh fee seat but have landed a general merit private seat (a private seat in a private college) with Rs 12 lakh fee. They do not want to give that up now. They are ready to take it even if it means selling property to raise funds. Those who had prepared for a Rs 12-lakh seat are ready for a Rs 20-lakh seat and so on,” said Raghavendra Hegde, founder of RH MedTech Mentor that provides counselling guidance for NEET and K-CET.

College quality, ‘Students not even looking at college quality’

This year, there has been a big jump in the number of students who scored more than 600 marks in Karnataka. Last year, the number of students in this range was around 1,500 to 1,800. But this year, it is around more than 4,300. The fear is that next year the competition could get worse. They are worried as to what may happen next year — will NTA bring in changes, will it become two exams a year, will the exam pattern change?

The consensus among students and parents is we will arrange money for private seats in private colleges, come what may,” he said. Agreed Ali Khwaja, founder director of Banjara Academy: “Those students who would have taken a gap year to improve the ranks do not want to do so.

They are either moving into engineering or taking whatever MBBS seat comes by. They are not even looking at the quality of the colleges. They have already gone through the trauma of uncertainties this time, with the exam nearly getting cancelled.” Khwaja said it is disappointing that students are not open to the idea of paramedical courses, which are equally attractive and rewarding. As per the counsellors, this is also one of the reasons why the cutoffs of GMP seats (general merit private seats) are going up.

“The cutoff mark for general merit pri vate seats this year is 562 as against 476-479 last year,” said Hegde. The high cutoffs are having a ripple effect on BDS admissions. “Competition is getting tougher by the day. NEET is being taken by a record number of students every year,” he said.

Report: Canada turning away more foreigners, approving fewer visas

4.9.24

Toronto : Canada is closing its doors to more visitors and temporary residents by approving fewer visas and turning away more people who reach its borders with official documents, according to govt data obtained by Reuters.

The spike in rejections of foreign travellers comes as PM Justin Trudeau’s Liberal govt, trailing in polls ahead of an election expected next year, tries to lower the numbers of temporary residents — and possibly permanent immigrants. Migrants have been blamed for the shortage and high prices of housing. Canadians have prided themselves on embracing newcomers but polls show a growing number say Canada is admitting too many immigrants. That stance is filtering down to border and immigration officers, observers say.

In July, Canada refused entry to 5,853 foreign travellers, who were “allowed to leave”, as Canada pu ts it, and who include students, workers and tourists, the most since at least Jan 2019, according to border agency data. Border officers turned away 3,727 foreign travellers per month on average through the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 633 people or 20% from a year earlier. Separately, officers deemed 285 visa-holders inadmissible in July, also the most in any month since at least Jan 2019, the data showed.

A Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson said changes in findings of inadmissibility can be caused by migration patterns or policy changes and are decided case by case. CBSA did not identify any specific policy changes. At the same time, Canada’s immigration department is approving fewer visas. The ratio of refused visitor visa applications to approved ones was higher in June than at any point since the height of the pandemic.

In Jan, Feb, May and June 2024, more applications were refused than approved, as per the immigration department data. The number of approved study and work permits also dropped from multi-year highs in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Immigration minister Marc Miller’s spokesperson said that the department was “committed to a fair and nondiscriminatory application of policy and procedures” and attbuted the drop in study-permit approvals to a cap announced in Jan. The decline appears to have begun last year, however. REUTERS

Freight trains halted to save injured croc

Tushar.Tere@timesofindia.com 4.9.24

Vadodara : A crocodile brought trains on the western dedicated freight corridor to a halt for ninety minutes on Tuesday. Goods trains on this line were stopped after an injured crocodile was spotted on the tracks in Karjan. “We got a call at about 8.30am on Tuesday that an eight-foot crocodile had been seen on the tracks. We immediately left for the spot, which was about 35km away. It took us 90 minutes to get there because of traffic,” said Neha Patel, an animal welfare activist. “Railway authorities didn’t let any train run on the track for over 90 minutes. It was a noble gesture by them,” Patel told TOI. Patel and the forest department personnel reached the spot and found that the crocodile was severely injured but alive. “We rushed it to Vadoda ra for treatment. It took us some time as we had to carry it to our vehicle,” she said. The round forest officer in Karjan, Kunvarsinh Bodana, said, “We appreciate the railway authorities for stopping traffic to save the crocodile, which seems to have been hit by a train. Its jaw is injured, and it is being treated in Vadodara.”

Man tries to fly to Canada on fake visa twice

REPEAT OFFENDER Was First Nabbed In Mumbai In 2019; Tried Flying Again From Delhi In Aug

Ashish.Chauhan @timesofindia.com

Ahmedabad : In a brazen display of defiance of the law, a 24-year-old man from the city unsuccessfully attempted to fly to Canada from Delhi on the same counterfeit visitor’s visa for which he was charged with forgery in 2019 after his first failed attempt to fly from Mumbai.

REPEAT

According to sources in the bureau of immigration, a man identified as Krupesh Patel from the Ranip area of the city was apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi on Aug 22 on charges of forgery and cheating. “Patel had approached the immigration authorities seeking departure clearance. He intended to board flight AI 187 and presented a Canadian vi sa with the number E731696672 to support his request.

During the scrutiny of Patel’s travel documents, the authenticity of the Canadian visa was called into question,” according to the FIR lodged with the IGI airport police in Delhi. The FIR further elaborates, “The matter was brought to the attention of the Canadian official due to the suspicious nature of the visa. Subsequently, the ALO confirmed via email that the visa in Patel’s possession was counterfeit.” Sources within the IGI police in Delhi revealed that Patel had previously be en denied boarding on April 10, 2019, from a Canada-bound flight at Mumbai airport, and a case of forgery had been registered with the Mumbai police.

This information has been corroborated with the bureau of immigration. “The case in Mumbai was registered when Patel attempted to depart for Canada using the same counterfeit Canadian visitor’s visa,” the FIR filed with the IGI airport

police in Delhi states. Sources in Delhi Police disclosed that despite being released on bail and facing an ongoing trial in Mumbai, Patel had the audacity to attempt travelling on the same forged visa from the IGI airport in Delhi. Delhi law enforcement authorities are currently trying to trace the visa agent who provided Patel with the counterfeit visa. The IGI airport authorities have charged Patel under the provisions of cheating, forgery and presenting forged documents as genuine under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in addition to charges under the Passports Act.

NEWS TODAY 4.9.2024

150 passengers board train sans ticket as booking clerk sleeps

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 4.9.24

Dehradun : In a bizarre incident, around 150 passengers were forced to board the weekly Ramnagar-Chandigarh superfast express train (12527) at the Ramnagar railway station in Nainital district, located adjacent to the Corbett National Park, without purchasing tickets as the ticket window clerk allegedly failed to wake up from his sleep.

According to station superintendent Rajkumar, the incident occurred on Monday at 5 am, even as the train arrived at the station amidst the commotion. “The passengers began arriving at the railway station at 4am and queued up at the ticket window. When the window didn’t open even 30 minutes before the train’s departure, they started repeatedly knocking on the door, but the clerk, Ashvini Kumar, remained unresponsive.

The other railway staff on duty also reached there upon hearing the commotion and knocked on the door, but it was locked from the inside,” Rajkumar said. He added, “It wasn’t until around 6 am, after the train had already left, that the clerk finally woke up. By then, the passengers had already left on the train without a ticket.” The station superintendent then informed the Izzatnagar division office of North Eastern Railways (NER) about the incident, requesting appropriate disciplinary action against the “negligent” clerk.

Public relations officer (PRO) of North Eastern Railway’s (NER) Izzatnagar division, Rajendra Singh, said, “The accused booking clerk has been directed to report to the divisional officer and tender his explanation in the matter.” Chief PRO of NER, Sanjeev Sharma, told TOI, “The booking clerk, in his clarification, said that he was unwell, therefore, he couldn’t respond when the door was knocked.”