Good Morning

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Advisory against fake medical college website

The Hindu Bureau

KRISHNAGIRI 23.10.2024

District Collector K.M. Sarayu has issued a release debunking a fake portal link in the name of the Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital and has cautioned students and parents against falling for it.

The portal mimicked the medical collegewith a fake order for 2024-25 naming two students with their NEET ranks and bank details for fee payment.

Governor confers degrees on graduands at MKU’s convocation

Governor R.N. Ravi conferring degree on a graduand at the convocation of Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday. R. ASHOK

The Hindu Bureau MADURAI 23.10.2024

Governor R.N. Ravi conferred degrees on graduands at the 56th annual convocation of Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday.

A total of 54,714 candidates received their degrees. It includes 353 Ph.D degrees, 1 D.Litt degree and 26,306 male and 28,408 female candidates. Further, 77 were honoured with endowment prizes and medals for their performance.

Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, Vice-Chairperson, Central Institute of Classical Tamil, delivering the chief guest address, said that though technological development had reached greater heights, it had become a tool of fear and oppression.

“As technology is a boon to achieve higher goals, it is equally true that technology is a bane that has gone beyond our control,” she noted.

“As we have gone deep into new digital innovations, we have lost human contacts and communication. Gadgets have eaten much into our lives. Correspondence by hand–written letters, exchange through postal system and shopping by manual presence have all become obsolete,” Dr. Sudha Seshayyan said. She urged the students to hold on to the Indian perspective of knowledge and learning.

“The Indian tradition has always emphasised life-long learning. However, it is not a plain emphasis on continuous learning but a clear and categorical expression that learning can never be complete,” she added.

E. Sundaravalli, Commissioner of Collegiate Education, welcomed. Minister for Higher Education Govi Chezhiaan, Pro-Chancellor of the university, was not present at the convocation.

S. Pushparaj, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Econometrics, MKU, sent a letter to the State government stating that he was boycotting the convocation as Mr. Ravi, who was the Chancellor, was acting against the norms of the State and its tradition.

By removing certain words from the ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ he had insulted the State, he said.

‘Contractual employees also entitled to paid maternity leave’

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 23.10.2024

In a significant verdict, the Madras High Court has ruled that contract employees, too, are entitled to maternity benefits, and that the provisions of the Maternity Act of 1961 would prevail over contractual conditions if the latter deny or offer less favourable benefits.

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice K.R. Shriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy held so while allowing a writ petition, pending in the High Court since 2018, against the denial of 270 days of paid maternity leave to nurses appointed under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

The MRB (Medical Services Recruitment Board) Nurses Empowerment Association had filed the writ petition highlighting the denial of maternity benefits to nurses appointed under the NHRM, a scheme floated and funded by the Centre for enhanced healthcare in rural areas.

The petitioner’s counsel, M. Padmavathy, told the court that over 11,000 nurses had been appointed in Tamil Nadu under the NRHM on a consolidated monthly pay of ₹7,000, which was subsequently revised to ₹11,000 on the basis of court orders.

Though the Maternity Act contemplates grant of 270 days of paid maternity leave to employees who have put in more than two years of service, the State government had been denying such a benefit to NRHM nurses on the ground that they were contractual employees, she complained.

After recording her submissions, the Chief Justice said the Supreme Court had, in Dr. Kavita Yadav versus Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2024), held that an employee who fulfils the entitlement criteria would be eligible for maternity benefits even if they exceed the duration of her contract.

In that case, the top court had taken into account that the 1961 Act was enacted to secure women’s right to pregnancy and maternity leave, and to afford them as much flexibility as possible to live an autonomous life, both as a mother and as a worker, if they so desire.

“Therefore, by virtue of Section 27, the provisions of the 1961 Act will prevail over contractual conditions denying or offering less favourable maternity benefits. Consequently, the reliance by the respondents on condition 6 of the appointment and posting order to deny maternity benefits is untenable,” the Chief Justice wrote.

SASTRA inks MoU with Australian University

The Hindu Bureau THANJAVUR 23.10.2024

Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA), Deemed to be a University, has inked a memorandum of understanding with Deakin University for a jointly supervised Ph.D. programme leading to a joint degree.

The MoU provides candidates to register either at SASTRA or at Deakin University for conducting research at both institutions. Scholars are required to spend at least six months at the host institute, fostering collaboration and intellectual exchange between supervisors and researchers.

The MoU aims to enhance the quality of research outputs, leading to joint publications, patents, and innovative products. Upon successful completion of the programme, candidates receive a single or joint degree awarded by both SASTRA and or Deakin, recognising their academic achievements from both universities, according to a university release.

Fake quota certificates: HC directs DVAC to get details from varsities

The Hindu Bureau MADURAI 23.10.1024

In the wake of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) having booked four persons who allegedly received appointments under the 20% reservation for Persons Studied in Tamil Medium (PSTM) using fake certificates from Madurai Kamaraj University, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the DVAC to get details from other universities.

‘Depute officers’

A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and B. Pugalendhi directed DVAC Madurai to depute officers to Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli, Periyar University in Salem, and University of Madras in Chennai, and ensure that the required documents are obtained on or before October 28.

The Bench observed that only after court orders did Madurai Kamaraj University extend its cooperation, and that the investigation found that fake PSTM certificates had been issued to four candidates, who used them to get appointments in Group-I service. The court took note that the DVAC also registered a case against some officials of Madurai Kamaraj University.

The judges observed that the court had earlier directed the DVAC to verify similar PSTM certificates issued by other universities. The Investigating Officer was having doubts with regard to 22 candidates who got PSTM certificates through distance education from Annamalai University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Periyar University and University of Madras.

The court said that due to non-cooperation of the universities in furnishing the required documents, the investigation agency was not in a position to complete the inquiry as directed by the court. This amounted to an offence, it said.

No more time

The court said it was not inclined to grant further time to the investigation agency to collect the details required for the investigation. Whoever suppresses the material particulars with an intention to shield the offenders from prosecution and punishment was liable to be prosecuted under Section 238 of BNS 2023, it said.

The court permitted the investigation agency to expand the scope of the investigation and include the offenders who are suppressing the material documents and thereby protecting the offenders. If there was any further delay from the universities, the investigation agency shall conduct a search and collect the required documents, the court said.

The investigating officer shall file a report on the progress made in the probe, the court said, and posted the matter for hearing on October 28.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate G. Sakthi Rao of Madurai. Earlier, it directed the DVAC to investigate the irregularities in the issuance of PSTM certificates.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Madras university yet to get surplus grant from centre

Varsity says it is eligible to get Rs 100 crore fund after it received category-1 status, and had applied for it in March, this year.

Madras universityPhoto | Express

Binita Jaiswal

Updated on:

21 Oct 2024, 9:56 am

CHENNAI: The University of Madras was granted category-1 status from University Grants Commission (UGC) almost six months ago making it eligible to get Rs 100 crore surplus grant. However, the state university is yet to get any funding from the centre.

Varsity officials said after receiving the category-1 status they had immediately applied for the surplus grant with all details. As the ministry of education has not replied so far, they have again sent a reminder seeking the funds.

“We had applied for the surplus grants in March, and in August we sent a reminder letter to the union ministry seeking release of the funds. We are eligible to get Rs 100 crore in two phases for strengthening research and skill development work on the campus,” said an official in the varsity.

As per UGC (Categorisation of universities for grant of graded autonomy) Regulations, 2018, category -1 is the highest category which provides maximum level of autonomy. Along with the category-1 status, a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rating of A++ also qualifies universities for a Rs 100-crore surplus grant. University of Madras had acquired A++ NAAC ratings last year.

After getting category 1 status, the university can start new programmes or skill courses, set up off-campus centres, open research parks or innovation centres, and hire foreign faculty. They can do all of this without approaching UGC for any kind of approval.

With this autonomy, the universities can enhance their reputation, strengthen their research activities, and generate more revenue by launching more online and distance education courses. However, the University of Madras is not able to utilise these benefits as it has no money.

“Now, the varsity is struggling to manage its day to day expenses. So how can we focus on opening research parks and launching new courses? We badly need money to improve research work and infrastructure development of the university,” said PK Abdul Rahiman, secretary of the Teachers’ Collective of the University of Madras.

P Duraisamy, former vice-chancellor of the university, said during his tenure in 2019 the university was granted category-II status and at the time it received Rs 40 crore under the scheme. “The Rs 40 crore helped us a lot in enhancing our research activities. These funds are extremely crucial for the varsity,” said Duraisamy.

Despite repeated attempts, UGC or ministry officials could not be reached for comments.

Life for dad, 4 kin, who poured acid in woman’s mouth for ‘honour’ Vocal Cords In Shreds, She Had Written Down Her Dying Declaration

Kanwardeep.Singh@timesofindia.com TIMES BANGALORE 22.10.2024

Bareilly : A Bareilly court has sentenced five people, including a woman’s father, to life imprisonment for their role in an acid attack that led to her death in 2023, sealing the verdict based on the victim’s dying declaration. The woman was being forcibly married to a man from Budaun in April 2023. She called her father the next day, saying she wanted to cancel the marriage. That’s when the father plotted to kill her. The woman ’s dad was a farmer, and her elder sisters were married. She wanted to marry her neighbour and though he was from the same community the family didn’t like the idea of a “love marriage.” On the night of April 23, some family members, including her father, first took the woman on a bike. They then stopped on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Bareilly, took her to the nearby bushes, and strangled her. Presuming her to be dead, her father asked his son to bring an acid bottle, which the accused poured on her face and in her mouth and removed all her clothes to conceal her identity. The woman miraculously managed to survive with over 40% burns and was taken to hospital by passersby in a critical condition.

The woman, 25, was admitted to the hospital on April 24 and died six days later, soon after the police managed to record her dying statement in writing before a magistrate. Unable to speak, she wrote a note on her hospital bed, saying her father and relatives had beaten her on her wedding night before being sent with her husband, who raped her. Later, her father lured her to a secluded spot under the pretence of taking her home but strangled and abandoned her on the road. ADGC Harendra Rathore told TOI: “Her throat and vocal cords were charred.

In a written statement, she said she somehow survived long enough to ensure her assaulters were punished. Her note was crucial in nailing the culprits.” He added, “She detailed how her two brothers-in-law threw her in to the bushes and tore her clothes. Her father later poured acid on her face and mouth, causing her to lose her voice. She demanded capital punishment for her father and brothers-in-law for their heinous acts. Police investigations revealed that the woman’s minor brother was sent by their father to buy acid.

He is being tried in juvenile court.” Rathore said, “A case was initially registered against seven accused. One of the accused was a minor, and his case file was transferred to a juvenile court. The woman ’s husband was booked under the section of rape, but he was acquitted by the court as he was legally married to her.”