NewsToday 18.10.2024

 

MBBS admissions: Latecomers corner seats for orphans, PwDs

MBBS admissions: Latecomers corner seats for orphans, PwDs

Hemali.Chhapia@timesofindia.com 18.10.2024

Mumbai : The MBBS admission process through the Maharashtra CET Cell has exposed a loophole. The persons with disability (PwD) quota and seats set aside for orphans are being blocked initially by purportedly eligible candidates, only to be relinquished by them after the third round of admission, which makes way for others from outside these categories to claim the seats. 

This pattern has been spotlighted this year, but what concerns parent representatives is that this may have occurred in 2023 too. To ensure it does not repeat, parents have communicated to the CET Cell and asked it to verify quota documents before allotting seats, as is done centrally. Last year at Grant Medical College, opening and closing all-India ranks were 3,433 and 10,662 respectively. In the final moments of the process, a candidate with an All-India Rank (AIR) nearing 32,000 secured a seat which was from the unfilled PwD quota. 

“The real question,” asked parent representative Sachin Bangad, “is why did this student wait until the fourth round to claim this seat, instead of applying to other govt colleges like GMC Alibaug or GMC Jalgaon?” Similarly, another open category student with an AIR close to 14,000, secured admission at GSMC, Mumbai, again on a vacant PwD seat. This was despite opening and closing ranks at this prestigious medical school being 3,433 and 10,662. This candidate too had not listed choices like Rajiv Gandhi Medical College, Kalwa, or VM Govt College, Solapur, where he would have been placed in earlier rounds. Another troubling case was at HBT and Cooper Medi cal College, where a student with a rank lower than AIR 35,000 claimed a seat meant for an orphan. 

In all, at least 25 such students with low NEET ranks have made it to top govt colleges after PwD or orphan seats lying vacant were offered to these late entrants to the admission process. "This manipulation happens because documents for students registering under the PwD or orphan quotas are not verified before seats are allotted,” Bangad said. Candidates with a low NEET score are sometimes found registering on PwD quota despite not being eligible for such seats. Such a student can get away by not reporting to the college s/he is allotted in the first round and making an exit. 

Such a student, who is allotted a college and does not report, is out of the admission process, but can re-enter in the third round by paying Rs 1,000. In round 3, once a colle ge is allotted, this student who claims to be under the PwD quota can still walk away without reporting, leaving the seat vacant before the fourth round. At this point, if the CET Cell finds that no genuine PwD or orphan candidates remain for these seats, they are converted to open category. Students who may have avoided being assigned anywhere in early rounds by providing few choices, can now claim spots in such institutions that their scores wouldn’t otherwise allow them to secure. Several parents have now written to the state's CET Cell, urging them to adopt the Central Medical Counselling Committee’s method, where quota documents are verified before any seat is allotted. This year, at the end of the second round, 30 orphan and 92 seats of PwD were vacant. List of seats allotted for the third round will be declared on Oct 19.

Govt initiates grants for genome research

Govt initiates grants for genome research 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 18.10.2024

Thiruvananthapuram : The state govt has initiated

grants ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 2 crore for genomic sequencing and data generation projects for the Kerala Genome Data Centre (KGDC). The projects can be in the fields of plant genomics, animal genomics, microbial genomics, marine genomics, sickle cell anaemia, dengue, and deadly diseases that cause severe health conditions and mortality. KGDC has invited applications from scientists and researchers who are eligible for funding. The focus should be on research in these areas as part of the efforts to leverage genomic data and the state’s rich biodiversity. The scientific advisory board will approve the projects based on applications from the researchers, said a statement.

“Interested researchers or institutions can submit project proposals online via the KGDC website. Projects eligible for funding will be evaluated ba sed on scientific significance, project potential, benefits to Kerala, commercialisation possibilities, innovation, and alignment with KGDC's goals. The institutions or researchers must be based in Kerala. If an institution from outside Kerala applies, they must have a partnership or MoU with a life sciences institution based in Kerala. Researchers from private institutions with DSIR-certified laboratories are also eligible to apply," the statement said. The move is part of transforming the state into a knowledge economy.

Biryani lunch on temple premises: HC for appropriate action

Biryani lunch on temple premises: HC for appropriate action 

PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE  18.10.2024

Kochi : The high court on Thursday directed the administrative committee of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram to take appropriate action against those responsible for conducting a biryani lunch at the temple’s Mathilakam office. The bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajith Kumar, while disposing of petitions seeking action against the temple’s executive officer, emphasized that merely terminating the service of temporary staff is insufficient. 

They added that such activities cannot be permitted in the Mathilakam office, which is part of the temple premises. Petitioners C Sajith and Babilu Sankar had filed petitions citing that a biryani lunch was held on July 6 at the Mathilakam office, located in the Ulsava Madom Buildings adjacent to the North Nada of the temple, violating the temple’s customs and rituals. They alleged that chicken biryani was served to staff to celebrate the appointment of an employee’s child to a govt position. 

The petitioners claimed that the non-vegetarian meal was organized under the supervision of the executive officer and sought his removal. Photographs of the food packets were also produced as evidence. Upon reviewing the petitions, the bench noted that the chief vigilance officer’s report on the incident is still pending before the temple’s administrative committee. As a result, the court declined to consider the contentions raised, stating that it is up to the administrative committee to make an appropriate decision.

The bench clarified that the petitioners cannot seek such relief through a writ petition. However, the bench assured that necessary directions would be provided to prevent such incidents from recurring on the temple premises.