Good Morning

Thursday, March 6, 2025

NEWS TODAY 5.3.2025

Retiree loses ₹6.5cr to cyber scam

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 06.03.2025

Chennai : A former forest service officer lost ₹6.58 crore to cyber fraudsters who lured him to join bogus share trading apps through WhatsApp messages. In his complaint, Krishnan Kumar Kaushal, 60, who retired in July 2024 as principal chief conservator of forests, said that he received the messages in Dec 2024. Believing the promises of high returns, he downloaded two apps and transferred all his savings, retirement benefits and house sale proceeds totalling ₹6.58 crore to the bank accounts mentioned. After observing the payees were in different parts of the country and doing different businesses and the data in the apps was fake, he registered a complaint with ‘1930’ cybercrime helpline. A case was registered and investigations begun.

MM C launches student initiative to boost organ donation awareness

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 06.03.2025

Chennai : Madras Medical College launched the Students’ Charter of Deceased Organ Donation Programme in collaboration with the transplant authority of Tamil Nadu (Transtan). Students are being taught about the increasing demand for vital organ transplantation, organ scarcity, and the purpose of organ transplant registry in the state. “The aim is to engage me dical students in deceased donor organ transplantation. Volunteers will be enrolled and trained to be ambassadors for the programme,” said college dean Dr E Theranirajan.

“They will undergo comprehensive training on the science and laws surrounding brain deaths and organ donations. As ambassadors, they will conduct sensitization sessions for various communities,” he said. The programmes will clear myths, and increase organ donations, said senior nephrologist Dr N Gopalakrishnan, who is also member secretary of Transtan. “Govt’s decision to accord state honours increased the organ pool. But with better awareness among the community, we will be able to reduce wastage and save more lives,” he said. In 2024, the state recorded 268 organ donations — the highest since the launch of the programme in 2008. This year, Transtan has received nearly 50 donations

NMC issues clarification on NIOS students’ eligibility for NEET UG: Check details here

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has confirmed that NIOS students are eligible for NEET UG 2025 under GMER-23 regulations. Clarifying confusion over NTA’s NEET-UG Bulletin 2025, NMC stated that NIOS students, including those taking an additional subject at an authorized institution, can apply. NEET UG 2025 registration is open until March 7.

TOI Education

Mar 1, 2025, 9:47 IST

NIOS enrollment

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a clarification regarding the eligibility of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) students for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate 2025. The clarification follows concerns over discrepancies between the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) NEET-UG Bulletin 2025 and NMC regulations.

In response to an RTI application dated February 11, 2025, the NMC addressed confusion regarding NIOS students’ eligibility for NEET UG 2025 due to interpretations of the NEET-UG Bulletin 2025. The commission clarified that students from NIOS, state open schools, or private candidates qualify under the GMER 2023 regulations.

NIOS students eligible for NEET UG 2025

Furthermore, the NMC noted that students are permitted to study an additional subject through NIOS, provided it is undertaken at an authorized institution. This clarification aims to address concerns among aspirants regarding their eligibility status.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) began the online registration process for NEET UG 2025 on February 7. Interested candidates can apply for the exam through the official website, neet.nta.nic.in, until March 7, 2025.

NEET UG is the gateway for admission to MBBS, BDS, and other medical courses across India. The NMC’s clarification provides relief to NIOS students seeking to appear for the exam, ensuring they remain eligible under the latest regulations.

Candidates can check the official notice as provided here.

For more information, candidates are advised to visit the official website of the National Medical Commission.

NMC guidelines on foreign medical graduates binding on State Medical Council, says Health Minister Satya Kumar

“The Registrar of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council does not have any independent authority to modify the NMC guidelines issued from time to time,” Satya Kumar Yadav said

Published - March 05, 2025 03:00 am IST - VIJAYAWADA

G.V.R. Subba Rao

Andhra Pradesh Medical and Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has asserted that the State government has to adhere to the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs).

“The Registrar of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council does not have any independent authority to modify the NMC guidelines issued from time to time,” Mr. Satya Kumar said on Tuesday (March 4, 2025).

“As per the NMC guidelines, the FMGs who studied online during their final year should have to do two years of internship (one year is clinical clerkship and one year is internship), and those who studied online during both penultimate and final years must complete three years of internship (two years will be clinical clerkship and one year internship), the Minister said in the Legislative Assembly.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs Pusapati Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju, Nelavala Vijayasree, and Gondu Sankara Rao served a notice under Rule 74 calling the attention of the Minister on ‘Problems of foreign medical graduates’.

The Minister, making a statement, said some FMGs who returned to India due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War, and studied part of their MBBS course online, had requested the A.P. Medical Council to grant Permanent Registration after completing one year of internship as per the compensation certificates issued by the respective universities and also as per the NMC guidelines, he said.

After verification of the compensation letters submitted by the FMGs, it was found that they did not mention the period of online study and the period of compensation of online study with offline mode.

Hence, the A.P. Medical Council did not consider their applications for Permanent Registration, and they were directed to continue their Internship for a period of one more year to make-up for the loss of clinical training due to online study. But they ignored the orders of the A.P. Medical Council, the Minister said.

For FMGs who completed the entire course in the offline mode by staying abroad, Permanent Registrations were being granted after completion of one year of Internship in Andhra Pradesh.

A Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) is a one-year programme that the FMGs must complete in India after obtaining provisional registration from the State Medical Council. “The A.P. Medical Council is continuously communicating with the NMC for necessary instructions regarding the issues raised by the FMGs,” he added.

Published - March 05, 2025 03:00 am IST

Tambaram residents oppose water deposit hike, demand rollback

Activist Govindarajan told TNIE that the deposit hike is unjustified, particularly given the unreliable water supply and ineffective installation of water meters.

Unreliable water supply also affects the residents of Tambaram Corporation.(Photo | Express)

S Kumaresan

Updated on:

05 Mar 2025, 10:36 am

CHENNAI: The residents of Tambaram City Municipal Corporation (TCMC) have strongly opposed the hike in water connection deposit from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500.

They criticised the corporation for implementing the hike without a public consultation, placing an additional financial burden on middle-class and low-income households.

Several residents, along with activists, including SM Govindarajan, president of the United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations, have appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin, Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru, and TCMC commissioner S Balachander through X to revoke the revised charges.

Although the deposit is refunded at the time of surrendering the service connection, it has caught those from financially backward families off guard, said residents.

Govindarajan told TNIE that the deposit hike is unjustified, particularly given the unreliable water supply and ineffective installation of water meters. The residents asked the corporation to ensure a regulated quantity and duration of supply before hiking the deposit. VS Jayaraman, another resident, said that he, along with several others like V Santhanam, had made several attempts to oppose the revised deposits but no action was taken.

Commenting over the issue, TCMC AIADMK floor leader G Sankar told TNIE that the issue was raised several times in the council but nothing was done to address the concerns of the residents before going ahead with the revised deposits.

Responding to the concerns, corporation commissioner Balachander told TNIE that the increase was made as per the corporation’s by-law. “Residents are not required to pay the revised charges in one go; they can opt for two or three instalments to ease the financial impact on them,” he stated.

Non-MBBS VC for medical university faces Rajasthan doctors' opposition

Mar 5, 2025, 2:29 IST

Haribhau Bagde.

JAIPUR: Rajasthan's medical fraternity reacted with outrage Tuesday to governor Haribhau Bagde appointing someone with a doctoral degree in pharmaceutical sciences as vice chancellor of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), terming it "unacceptable" and threatening a statewide agitation if the decision wasn't revoked, reports Intishab Ali.

The state chapter of IMA has written to Bagde, saying Pramod Yeole being asked to take charge of RUHS was at odds with the institution's responsibility of setting high standards in medical education, and improving public health outcomes. Thirty medical colleges are affiliated to the university. Yeole was previously VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad and pro VC of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.