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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Bennett Univ launches School of Design

04.02.2025

Bennett University has launched the School of Design, which will offer a four-year Bachelor of Design (B Des) programme with three specialized tracks in Fashion Design, Communication Design, and Game Design. In a statement, the university said the school will foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and handson learning with industry leaders. Workshops and labs like Metal Workshop, Wood Workshop, VR Lab Design and Gaming Studio, Media Lab, Fashion–Pattern Making & Garment Construction Studio and Ceramic Studio will provide hands-on practical environments where students merge theory with practice. The statement added that the school’s advisory board includes several industry leaders. “This collaboration between industry and academia ensures that students receive cutting-edge knowledge, hands-on experience, and global industry exposure, equipping them to excel in the dynamic world of design,” it said. TNN

Govt eyes PG route to create 10,000 new medical seats

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesofindia.com 04.02.2025

New Delhi : After increasing the number of undergraduate (UG) medical seats to approximately 1.2 lakh, the govt is now focusing on increasing postgraduate (PG) seats. Sources said PG medical seats are going to be the focus in fulfilling the budget announcement for adding 10,000 medical seats over the next one year. This will increase avenues for MBBS graduates to pursue a higher degree and to fulfil the rising demand for specialist doctors, said a source. India is well-placed to achieve the WHO recommendation of one doctor per 1,000 population by 2030, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25, tabled in Parliament a day before the Union budget was presented on Feb 1.

The report said at present, there are 13.86 lakh doctors in the country, which translates into a current availability ratio of 1:1263.

“The WHO standard norm of 1:1000 seems to be attainable by 2030 with a conservative 50,000 doctors being licensed every year till 2030,” it added. Meanwhile, the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC), with a view to enhance quality and uniformity of PG medical education, has decided to constitute an expert committee for each specialty. These committees will be responsible for preparing a model curriculum and developing assessment forms for assessing institutes besides addressing other academic requirements.

Periyar univ’s PhD criteria sparks row

TNN | Feb 4, 2025, 03.59 AM IST

Salem: The eligibility criterion announced by the Periyar University for admission to doctoral degrees has sparked a controversy.

The university has mandated four-year bachelor's degree, in accordance with the 2020 new education policy (NEP), to seek admission for PhD in the university.

However, in Tamil Nadu, the eligibility criterion is a postgraduate degree.

Founder of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam 'Kolathur' Mani viewed this change in the university’s announcement as a subtle implementation of the Union govt’s NEP.

District secretary of the Students Federation of India S Pavithran said the state govt is yet to accept the Union govt’s NEP. “It is an attempt to indirectly impose the Union government's NEP,” he added.

However, vice-chancellor R Jaganathan refuted these claims, stating that the guidelines clearly specify that candidates must possess a postgraduate degree. He said, "To distinguish between professional undergraduate degrees such as agriculture and engineering and those in arts and sciences, we have included provisions for candidates with four-year degrees in arts and sciences.” The VC acknowledged that this detail was unintentionally overlooked during the guideline formulation.

UGC serves notices to colleges for failing to comply with anti-ragging regulations

TNN | Feb 4, 2025, 03.59 AM IST

Chennai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) served show-cause notices to 18 colleges in the country, including two each in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, questioning why appropriate action should not be initiated against them for failing to comply with the anti-ragging regulations, 2009.

UGC secretary Manish R Joshi said the institutions failed to obtain anti-ragging undertakings from students as required by the regulations.

He directed them to submit their written explanations detailing the reasons for the lapse and the steps to be taken to rectify it.

The commission, apart from the four colleges in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, sent notices to three colleges each in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, two colleges each in Assam and Delhi, and one college each in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

LGBTQIA+ rights: HC calls for curriculum reform in med edu

Feb 4, 2025, 04.00 AM IST

Chennai: The sexual orientations and gender identities of people who are part of LGBTQIA+ commuity are natural; it is not a disorder, Madras high court said on Monday while questioning the usage of the term ‘gender identity disorder’.

“Somehow, the impression is given that LGBTQIA+ identities are a disorder. Why should we use the term ‘gender identity disorder’? It shows the mindset,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh said. Nature decided to create someone this way, he added.

The court made the observations on a 2021 plea moved by a lesbian couple seeking protection from police torture and opposition from their parents. The judge expanded the scope of the plea to revamp the curriculum in medical colleges to tackle LGBTQIA+ phobia and recognise their legal rights.

The court then censured the National Medical Commission (NMC) for dragging the court’s suggestion to change the curriculum of medical education to do away with the outdated notions about the LGBTQIA+ community.

The commission is yet to amend its regulations to classify conversion therapy as professional misconduct, as the revised 2023 regulations are yet to be notified, the judge said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu govt informed the court that it was proposing to come up with two policies one for the welfare of transgender and intersex persons and another for persons who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. To this, Justice Anand Venkatesh wondered why the state decided to come up with two different policies and directed it to report the difficulties, if any, in having one unified policy.

The court then adjourned the hearing to Feb 17.

Madras HC to begin final hearing on suo motu revision against Ponmudy’s acquittal on Apr. 7

K. Ponmudy

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 04.02.2025

The Madras High Court on Monday decided to commence on April 7 the final hearing on a suo motu revision petition taken up by it in August 2023 against the acquittal of Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy, his wife P. Visalatchi, and another individual in a disproportionate assets case registered against them in 2002.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh fixed the date of the final hearing after ascertaining the convenience of Advocate-General P.S. Raman, representing the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), as well as the senior counsel to be engaged by the Minister and two others. He said the hearing would take place between April 7 and 17.

This was the first of the six suo motu revision petitions that Justice Venkatesh had taken up in 2023 against the discharge/acquittal of Mr. Ponmudy and Ministers I. Periyasamy, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, and former AIADMK Minister B. Valarmathi in different cases.

‘Bid to subvert system’

The judge had taken up the suo motu revision against Mr. Ponmudy after observing that the events leading to the acquittal order passed by the Vellore principal district and sessions court on June 28, 2023, revealed “a shocking and calculated attempt to manipulate and subvert the criminal justice system”.

The charge levelled by the DVAC against the Minister was that he had amassed wealth during his tenure as Transport Minister between 1996 and 2001. The prosecuting agency had booked not only the Minister and his wife but also his mother-in-law and two friends as the co-accused in the case.

In 2004, a Chief Judicial Magistrate in Villupuram discharged all the accused from the case, and the High Court, too, confirmed the discharge order in 2006. However, following an appeal by the State, the Supreme Court reversed the discharge orders and ordered the conduct of the trial.

The Minister’s mother-in-law and one of the two friends died before the framing of charges in 2015 and hence, the trial court proceeded only against the three surviving accused. The trial was conducted before the principal district court, which had been designated as a special court for Prevention of Corruption Act cases.

On April 26, 2022, the Principal District Judge wrote a letter to the High Court, requesting permission for conducting special sittings on four holidays in May 2022 to conduct the trial since the Supreme Court had insisted upon expeditious disposal.

The request was considered and rejected by the High Court on its administrative side only on June 7, 2022, long after the expiry of the dates when the district judge had planned to conduct the proceedings.

“The official memorandum not only communicates the refusal of permission but also shockingly injuncts the Principal District Judge, Villupuram, from exercising her judicial powers over the case by directing that the case should not be taken up until further orders,” Justice Venkatesh wrote in his interim order in August 2023.

(For the full report, visit https://bit.ly/4aHiZs0).

Oncologists discuss latest developments in cancer care at Wellness Series webinar

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

To mark World Cancer Day, The Hindu Wellness Series, in association with Kauvery Hospitals organised a webinar on ‘Advancements in Cancer Care’.

Three experts — A.N. Vaidhyswaran, senior consultant and director of radiation oncology at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai; Indhuja M.V., consultant medical oncologist at Kauvery Hospital, Tirunelveli, and B. Anis, consultant surgical oncologist at Kauvery Hospital, Tiruchi — spoke about the latest developments in radiation, medical, and surgical oncology. Dr. Vaidhyswaran, who spoke about the cancer trends in the country, said breast cancer is the most common cancer in India and that lung cancer is more widespread in the west.

He also elaborated on the radiation therapy and spoke about the advancements in it, a press release said.

Dr. Indhuja said: “Cancer is caused by genetic mutations, and this method helps analyse those changes.” She also spoke about immunotherapy, Adoptive T-Cell Therapy and Targeted Therapy, which greatly help in improving cancer treatment.

Dr. Anis said, traditionally, during the cancer surgeries, removal of the affected organs, surrounding tissues and lymph nodes, and this often resulted in complications.

“While surgery remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment, medical interventions such as chemotherapy play an equally crucial role,” he said.

Watch the full video here: bit.ly/40Htg35