NEWS TODAY 29.12.2024

 

Universities, colleges instructed to conduct third-party security audits at their campuses

Universities, colleges instructed to conduct third-party security audits at their campuses

Ensuring safety: The instruction comes on the heels of an incident last week in which a student was sexually assaulted on the Anna University campus. B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Movement of outsiders, including electricians, and canteen, contract, and construction workers, on college campuses must be documented and reported daily; secure systems, such as biometric identification, must be installed and vulnerable spots identified, says Higher Education Secretary

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 30.12.2024

All universities and colleges with a campus system have been instructed to conduct a third-party audit of security systems on their premises. The instruction comes on the heels of an incident last week in which a student on the Anna University campus was sexually assaulted. Higher Education Secretary K. Gopal held a meeting of all universities on Saturday.

Dr. Gopal said the movement of outsiders, including electricians, and canteen, contract, and construction workers, on campuses should be reported and documented daily, and a secure system, such as biometric identification, should be installed to regulate their entry.

All persons, besides students and staff, must not be allowed within the campus without prior permission from the authorities concerned. Institutions must avoid multiple exits and entrances, and make identity cards mandatory.

The campuses must be patrolled at regular intervals and registers maintained.

Vulnerable spots on the campus must be identified, and security at these places must be intensified. Institutions must maintain a log of vehicles within the campus and a list of visitors daily.

‘Kavalan’ app

Institution authorities must encourage students to download the ‘Kavalan’ app on their mobile phones, Dr. Gopal said. He said that a separate meeting should be held to discuss the problems of research scholars and guides in all institutions.

This instruction follows a petition that a research scholar submitted to the Governor-Chancellor at a convocation some time ago.

Dr. Gopal said a redressal committee will include members who can handle “the sensitive problems with utmost maturity.”

He added that “highest departmental punishments should be given to defaulters.”

212 PG medical seats vacant after Round 2

212 PG medical seats vacant after Round 2

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 29.12.2024

Ahmedabad : Following the second-round allocations for postgraduate medical programmes, 212 positions in MD-MS and diploma courses remained unfilled, the Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate & Postgraduate Medical Educational Courses announced on Saturday.

Of the 2,101 seats allocated in the second round, students confirmed admissions for 1,958 positions. The remaining vacancies include 143 unreported seats from the second round and 69 unallocated positions, totalling 212 vacant seats. The admission committee set a deadline of Dec 29 for online allocation and reporting for postgraduate medical courses, including MD, MS, and diploma programmes for the academic year 2024-25. Students were asked to report and verify their admissions for postgraduate courses by 12pm on Dec 29, following the second round of allocations. The admission committee is expected to release an official statement shortly regarding the process for filling these vacant positions and related administrative matters.

Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi Express service with LHB coaches launched

Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi Express service with LHB coaches launched

The Southern Railway began operating the service on Saturday.

The Hindu Bureau

Coimbatore 29.12.2024

The Southern Railway began operating the Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore Jan Shatabdi Express with LHB coaches on Saturday.

Composed of two AC chair cars, 18 second class chair cars, one luggage-cum-brake van with accommodation for the differently abled, and one power car LHB coach, the train no. 12084 departed from Coimbatore Junction with 2,000 passengers on board and 100 % occupancy.

Developed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany, the coaches that are now being manufactured in India can be operated at higher speeds and have a higher passenger capacity than the conventional coaches, a press release said. The LHB coaches have fire retardant materials for furnishing, and the air-conditioning system of these coaches is of higher capacity, the release said.

Prior to the journey at Coimbatore, passengers celebrated the event by cutting a cake, honouring the Station Manager, Loco pilot and distributing sweets.

Emphasising on the scope for betterment of services from Coimbatore Junction in consideration of its status as the third highest revenue generating station in Southern Railways that includes railway stations in Kerala, train enthusiast and director of Kongu Global Forum J. Sathish voiced the demand of the travelling public for utilisation of the old ICF coaches used in the Coimbatore to Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi express for operating a new Jan Shatabdi train service between Coimbatore and Nagercoil.

‘1980 rules allow a parent with child’s exclusive custody to apply for passport’

 ‘1980 rules allow a parent with child’s exclusive custody to apply for passport’ 

29.12.2024 TIMES OF INDIA CHENNAI 

 

Gadi Praveen Kumar, deputy solicitor general of India, representing the Union of India and the passport authorities, referred to an office memorandum issued by the ministry of external affairs on July 31, along with a clarification dated March 8, 2018. Praveen Kumar argued that the passport authorities must adhere to these guidelines, particularly for children of parents who have obtained foreign citizenship or renounced their Indian citizenship. Justice Bhattacharya clarified that the Passport Act of 1967 and the 1980 Passport Rules are clear. The Act does not prevent a single parent from applying for a passport for a minor child. The 1980 Rules specifically allow a parent with exclusive custody of the child to apply for a passport without the consent of the other parent. This applies even if the parents are separated, but not formally divorced. The only requirement is that the custodial parent must provide information in the prescribed annexure. The judge further emphasised that any interpretation of the Passport Act or Rules that restricts a single parent’s ability to apply for a passport for their minor child contradicts the constitutional rights of both the parent and the child. Justice Bhattacharya pointed out that it is unreasonable to make a single parent, who has no contact with the other parent for any reason, suffer a statutory barrier in applying for a passport for their child. Regarding the office memorandum referenced by Praveen Kumar, the court ruled that it did not apply to the case at hand and cannot serve as an obstacle to granting relief. Besides, the office memorandum cannot override the provisions of the Passport Act and the 1980 Rules, the court said.

Mom’s sign enough for minor’s passport: HC

Mom’s sign enough for minor’s passport: HC 

SagarKumar.Mutha@timesofindia.com 29.12.2024

Hyderabad : Telangana high court recently ruled that a single parent with custody of a minor child can apply for and obtain a passport for the child without needing the signature of the other parent. Allowing a petition filed by a four-year-old girl, represented by her mother, Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya set aside the Hyderabad regional passport officer’s missive requiring the woman to provide consent from the child’s father or permission from a court to obtain the pass port for her minor daughter. Justice Bhattacharya found that imposing such a burden on the mother was unnecessary. The petition had challenged the legality of the RPO’s letter. According to Zeeshan Adnan Mahmood, counsel for the minor girl, the woman’s husband deserted her and shifted to the US. He did not contest the mother’s petition for the child’s passport. The woman’s divorce petition is pending before a Hyderabad court, and the father has not sought custody of the child.

Fast Track Immigration from Jan. 2025 at Chennai airport

Fast Track Immigration from Jan. 2025 at Chennai airport

Hassle-free travel: To avail the facility, registered passengers

need to scan their passport at the e-gates. file photo

Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme is an initiative implemented by the Centre; the facility aims to reduce the time required for immigration clearance for registered passengers

Sunitha Sekar

CHENNAI 29.12.2024

Standing in a queue to get the immigration cleared following a long-haul flight may soon become a thing of the past as the Chennai airport is set to launch the Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) in January 2025.

The initiative will ensure a hassle-free travel experience for passengers who have registered themselves for the initiative. They would only be required to produce their passport at the e-gates to exit.

Enhancing air travel

Implemented by the Union government, FTI-TTP of the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) has been aimed at reducing the time required for immigration clearance.

Any air passenger, be it an Indian national or a foreign national with OCI Card (Overseas Citizen Of India), who wishes to use this initiative should register themselves through https://ftittp.mha.gov.in.

Eligible passengers are required to record their fingerprint and face image at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. Following verification, the passenger details will be uploaded into the system.

The verified passengers need to scan the passport at the e-gate.

Registration process

Passengers have already started registering in the portal, said sources.

According to officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI), nearly 16,000 of 66,000 passengers who use the Chennai airport are international travellers.

The facilities have been made ready at the airport.

The international departure hall comprises four e-gates, while the arrival hall has four e-gates, officials said. Passengers could also avail themselves of on-the-spot registration by accessing the registration portal through the QR codes set up at the immigration counters.

“This way, passengers unaware of the initiative can register themselves for it. Registered passengers can provide their bio-metrics at a dedicated counter,” an official said.

The official said that the passengers opting for on-the-spot registration would have to wait for a few days after registration to use the facility as the verification process may take time.

Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi had launched this initiative in June this year.