Air India Swaps Vistara Int’l Routes, Unhappy Pilots, Singapore Airline Funding

Air India Swaps Vistara Int’l Routes, Unhappy Pilots, Singapore Airline Funding

Some Air India pilots are expressing frustration over differing retirement ages as the merger with Vistara approaches

By Bhavya VelaniNovember 10, 20244 Mins Read

GURUGRAM- From November 12, 2024, there will be no Vistara, as it merges with Air India (AI) to form a bigger and only full-service entity in the country.

Following this, Air India made changes to some international flights that are operated by Vistara. See there are other changes as well, but these are the latest changes and do not give a complete list of updates.

Air India Vistara International Routes Swap

The Gurugram-based carrier has made several network adjustments for the period between November 12 and December 31, 2024, as reported by X user BOMLHR and they are as follows:

Air India is introducing its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the Delhi-Bali route, enhancing connectivity to this popular Indonesian destination.

Air India will temporarily deploy Vistara’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft on several key routes until December 31, 2024:Delhi – Paris (AI 143/144)

Delhi – Frankfurt (AI 121/122)

Delhi – Dubai (Two daily frequencies)

Vistara will cease operations on two important European routes:Mumbai – Frankfurt

Mumbai – Paris Charles de Gaulle

Apart from this, Air India has also made changes to other European routes which you can read here:

Air India Pilots Unhappy

In a separate development, reports have emerged that some Air India pilots are expressing frustration over differing retirement ages as the merger with Vistara approaches, according to sources.

Currently, Air India, under government ownership until its transfer to the Tata Group in 2022, sets the retirement age for pilots and other staff at 58. Vistara, co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has a retirement age of 60 for its pilots.

The Vistara-Air India merger, set for November 11, is part of Tata Group’s strategy to consolidate its aviation interests. However, sources indicate that Air India management has yet to establish a unified retirement age for the merged airline, fueling discontent among some Air India pilots.

According to DGCA regulations, pilots can work until age 65. In August, Air India introduced a policy allowing select pilots to continue on a five-year contract post-retirement, with potential extensions up to age 65. Some Air India pilots argue the management should raise their retirement age to 60 to address this discrepancy.

Air India pilots are also concerned about the merged seniority list, which, they claim, places some senior Air India pilots behind less-experienced Vistara pilots.

While some Vistara Pilots were unhappy with the pay they will get after the merger, you can learn more about salary here:

PhD May No Longer Be Required For Professor Posts At Colleges; UGC To Release New Draft Guidelines Soon

PhD May No Longer Be Required For Professor Posts At Colleges; UGC To Release New Draft Guidelines Soon

The current regulations state that the minimum requirement for hiring a professor is a PhD with four years of graduation or postgraduate study.

Sunidhi V Updated: Monday, November 11, 2024, 02:26 PM IST

The UGC is in works to alter the recruitment process for professors at colleges and universities, that is, higher education institutions (HEIs). According to Dainik Bhaskar, the recruitment process may soon involve professors to hold a strong interest in fields like startups, entrepreneurship, and industrial collaborations. This means that aspiring candidates will no longer be required to clear the PhD exam and instead can directly be appointed as faculty members if they hold strong inclination towards these fields.

The draft for the same is expected to be released soon.

These hiring practices are being conducted in accordance with the 2018 UGC Regulations, which establish minimal requirements and specific circumstances for hiring academic staff members, including teachers.

The report further said that those candidates who do not hold degree in same courses in their graduation, post graduation and PhD will also be soon applicable to apply for these positions.

The current regulations state that the minimum requirement for hiring a professor is a PhD with four years of graduation or postgraduate study. Additionally, a PhD in the same field as well as a graduation or postgraduate degree are required.

The new regulations will put more of an emphasis on ensuring that graduates have the abilities and competencies required in today's workforce, according to UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar.

More focus on research will be required by the proposed modifications, allowing teachers to make creative contributions. Faculty members should be able to implement innovative teaching strategies, integrate technology, create immersive learning environments, and revolutionise the educational system, according to the UGC, as reported by Dainik Bhaskar.

NEWS TODAY 11.11.2024

 

NEWS TODAY 11.11.2024

 

Future of over 1,300 Indian medical students in Nepal takes an unexpected turn

Future of over 1,300 Indian medical students in Nepal takes an unexpected turn

Finding themselves in a glitch caused due to ambiguous policies, Indian MBBS students plan to stage a protest demanding amendments to the Nepal Medical Council Regulations 2024 

Ayushi.Gupta1@timesofindia.com 11.11.2024

In October 2024, over 480 Indian students participated in counselling sessions conducted by the Medical Education Commission (MEC) under the government of Nepal. However, now, most of them are in a fix due to the changing policies by the Nepal Medical Council in April 2023. This implies that Indian students who have enrolled in Nepal after 2021 or are planning to move there for an MBBS or BDS degree will not be granted a licence to practice in Nepal. Due to the change in policies, foreign students from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 MBBS batches are considering abandoning their courses and planning to protest against private colleges and the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) over the uncertainty created by licensing regulations. 

Licensing exam The Global Medical Society (GMS), an association representing Indian MBBS students in Nepal, has informed Education Times that they will soon hold a protest, demanding amendments to NMC Regulations, 2024. A student from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, studying at Kathmandu University, on the condition of anonymity says, “After the NMC’s ambiguous notifications released in April 2023 and October 2024, foreign students are struggling to ensure if their medical education will remain valid in India. Since Nepal does not grant licences to foreign students, it is unclear why we are still expected to take the licensing exam. Without the licence to practice in Nepal, our careers are at risk, as we will not be able to qualify for the FMGE or NExT exams in India.” 

Another student from Gorakhpur, studying at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, says, “Nepal’s medical education is also not yet recognised by the United States Medical Licen sing Examination (USMLE), which limits our opportunities worldwide. We have reached out to the Indian Embassy in Nepal for clarifications as well and are awaiting their response. If the NMC does not provide us with a practising licence for at least 10 years, we will be forced to return to India.”Around 1,338 Indian students could face career setbacks if amendments or special provisions are not made for the currently enrolled students in Nepal. 

“We also do not want more Indian students to get into this entrapment, thus we have asked the authorities to delay the last date of the ongoing admission process so that these students can make an informed decision,” adds the student. Indian students have faced the potential loss of at least Rs 5 lakh each, which was illegally collected by consulting agencies as a pre-booking fee. Dr Kumar, from a private medical college in Nepal, says, “This year, around 845 students registered for counselling, and 480 students were selected based on the MEC merit list. Following awareness regarding the licensing issue, nearly 50% have withdrawn their applications. Most registrants this year were from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Guja rat. Many students paid prebooking fees to agents, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15 lakh, despite the NMC’s advisory that such fees are illegal.”

820 more NEET-PG 2024 seats in all-India counselling process

820 moreNEET-PG 2024 seats in all-India counselling process

India witnessed an increase of 820 postgraduate medical seats in the central counselling process this year. The rise is primarily seen in deemed universities and DNB seats. However, concerns arose as some government colleges were absent from the all-India quota seat matrix, causing uncertainty among students despite the overall increase.

Yogita Rao TNN Nov 11, 2024,

MUMBAI: The total number of postgraduate medical seats increased by 820 so far this year in the central counselling process, which includes the all-India quota seats, deemed and central universities, DNB (Diplomate of National Board), and diploma ones. The seat matrix of the NEET-PG counselling process was released by the central Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) after a dayʼs delay on Saturday. While students claimed that some of the govt colleges were missing from the all-India quota seat matrix, these are likely to be added soon.

The maximum increase in PG medical seats is seen in deemed universities, followed by DNB seats in the country. In DNB alone, where the total seats increased by 494, 103 were added in general medicine, a popular branch among students, followed by orthopaedics with 65 seats and general surgery with 48. While the maximum seats in DNB are available in general medicine (922), it is followed by anaesthesia with 620 seats and general surgery with 500. On the contrary, for the two-year diploma course, more seats are added to the paediatrics branch, followed by anaesthesia and ophthalmology.

PG medical admissions commenced over two months after the NEET-PG results were out. While the results were out on August 23 and the registrations started soon after, the choice filling process started only now.

Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, said that there is always an increase in the intake capacity, but students are unsure about the entire picture as 335 seats are missing from the all India quota compared to last year. “Even if thereʼs an increase this year, it should have been clear by now as there was already a long delay. For Mumbai students, a civic college in Nerul, which recently got the permission to offer PG courses, was missing from the seat matrix released by the MCC,” she said.

MCC finally declares seat matrix for medical PG

MCC finally declares seat matrix for medical PG

Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, said, "As expected, the seat matrix was delayed for medical PG admissions. More so, there are more seats in deemed Uuniversities overall than in government colleges."

Written by Pallavi Smart  10.11.2024 

There are 25,791 seats available for grabs for round 1 of the 2024 medical PG admissions. This is 820 more than last year's 24,971 seats. (File image)

After a prolonged delay, the seat matrix for medical post-graduation (PG) admissions has finally been declared by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). There are 25,791 seats available for grabs for round 1 of the 2024 medical PG admissions. This is 820 more than last year’s 24,971 seats.

According to the admission schedule declared by MCC on November 1, the seat matrix was scheduled to be out on November 7, following which students were to get 10 days to file their choices of colleges in order of preference. However, it was not declared Saturday evening, which had led to candidates growing concerned as they had been waiting for PG admissions to start.

Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, said, “As expected, the seat matrix was delayed for medical PG admissions. More so, there are more seats in deemed Uuniversities overall than in government colleges.”

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As the medical PG admissions were already delayed, thousands of aspirants had heaved a sigh of relief when MCC declared the admissions schedule last week on November 1. However, there was a delay as the seat matrix which was expected to be out on November 7 was not declared by November 9.

“And since there was no communication from the MCC, students were staring at uncertainty, until the seat matrix was finally out on Saturday evening,” said a candidate.

There has been a reduction of 335 seats in the All India Quota (AIQ) Government Medical Colleges (GMC), which according to parents significantly impacts students who rely on these affordable seats determined by state government regulations.

Another parent representative, Brijesh Sutaria also pointed out how the largest increase in seats is in a category which is largely inaccessible to a majority of students. The largest increase is seen in deemed medical colleges, with 537 additional seats. “However, the fees for these seats are often prohibitively high, making them inaccessible to many students,” Sutaria said, adding that the actual seat increase appears to fall short of what was promised. “The government had promised an increase of around 4,087 seats in PG medical courses for 2024-2025,” said Sutaria.

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