NEWS TODAY 22.04.2026

NEWS TODAY 21.04.2026

After CU, VB profs move HC over EC’s election duty order 

Dipawali Mitra, Subrata Chattoraj & Srishti Lakhotia 

TNN 21.04.2026

Kolkata : After the assistant professors of Calcutta University got relief from the role of presiding officers, several Visva-Bharati faculty members approached Calcutta High Court on Monday after around 50 of them were show-caused by the EC for skipping poll-related work training. 

The EC, too, approached the Calcutta High Court division bench on Monday, challenging the order passed by Justice Krishna Rao that quahed the deployment order of assistant professors in the role of presiding officers of polling stations. 

A brief hearing took place before Justice Rao. While the Visva-Bharati faculty members’ counsel relied on the CU professors’ order, the EC informed that the same was challenged on Monday. It was argued that the apex court has consistently held that high courts should not entertain petitions under Article 226 questioning the election process once a notification is issued. 

To this, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya interjected: “That’s in a different context.” The EC counsel further submitted a notification of 2023. Justice Rao told the EC counsel: “I gave you three opportunities and now you are bringing this?” According to the VB facul-ty members, 104 of them were appointed as micro-observers on March 19 and they attended their first phase of training. However, by April 11 notice, they were “abruptly” redesignated as presiding officers, without notice or hearing. 

“The redesignation mechanically covers the entire academic hierarchy, demonstrating total absence of rank-sensitive consideration,” the faculty members claimed in their petition. It was stated that after having been first treated as officers suitable for supervisory and confidence-based micro-observer duties through the March 19 order, the EC could not have, without disclosing fresh material, downgrade 104 petitioners en masse to polling station operational assignments as presiding officers. 

“Such self-contradictory administrative conduct amounts to approbation and reprobation in the same election process, and independently 21/04/2026, 08:08 Times of India ePaper kolkata - Read Today’s English News Paper Online https://epaper.indiatimes.com/timesepaper/publication-the-times-of-india,city-kolkata.cms 1/2 demonstrates manifest non-application of mind,” the petition reads. After they refused to join as presiding officers, a show-cause was served to them on April 17. 

A professor said: “I received training for micro-observer duty but suddenly I was assigned presiding officer duty. It is difficult to suddenly switch from micro-observer to presiding officer duty without two rounds of training. It seems like there was no proper planning.”

NEWS TODAY 21.04.2026

How to prevent future unemployment of doctors? Here are parliamentary panel's recommendations

How to prevent future unemployment of doctors? Here are parliamentary panel's recommendations 

Written By : Barsha MisraP ublished On 20 Apr 2026 2:00 PM | Updated On 20 Apr 2026 2:00 PM

New Delhi: In its 172nd report, a Department-related Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended measures to prevent future unemployment of doctors.

The panel has recommended that, along with the rapid expansion of MBBS and postgraduate medical seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Department must also ensure robust quality assurance mechanisms to safeguard training standards.

According to the panel, in parallel to setting up new medical colleges, expanding the medical seats, and recognising DNB qualifications, the Department must also strengthen faculty development, clinical exposure, and skill-based training modules across institutes.

Other recommendations by the Parliamentary Committee include periodic accreditation, competency-based assessment, and structured career planning.

Regarding the Government's strategy to ensure quality training and avoid future unemployment or under-skilled surgical specialists, the panel noted that as India rapidly increases MBBS and PG seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission, the Government of India is systematically expanding medical education to keep pace.

Over the past 11 years, the Government of India has made gains in making quality medical education more accessible. There are now 23 publicly funded and leading All India Institute of Medical Sciences institutes, including the first-ever AIIMS in the northeastern area in Assam. 

There are 2,086 medical colleges, including 818 allopathy, 323 dental and 942 AYUSH institutions. Medical education seats for the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) increased by 151% (from 51,348 to 128976), and postgraduate seats grew by 173% (from 31,185 to 85020). DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as teaching faculty to take care of shortage of faculty, noted the panel.

To prevent future unemployment of doctors, the panel recommended, "The Committee strongly recommends that the Department must ensure that the rapid expansion of MBBS and PG seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission is matched with robust quality assurance mechanisms to safeguard training standards and prevent future unemployment or under-skilled specialists. In parallel to the establishment of new medical colleges, seat expansion, and recognition of DNB qualifications, the Committee urges the Department to strengthen faculty development, clinical exposure, and skill-based training modules across institutions."

"Further, the Committee recommends instituting periodic accreditation, competency-based assessments, and structured career planning to align medical education output with national health system needs. By balancing expansion with quality and workforce planning, the Department can ensure that the growing pool of medical graduates and specialists are well-trained, employable, and capable of delivering high-quality healthcare services nationwide," it added.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has recommended ensuring uniformity in faculty-student and patient-student ratios across all medical institutes, irrespective of ownership.

The committee opined that such uniformity across the medical institutes would help promote equitable clinical exposure, adequate academic mentorship, and consistent training opportunities for the postgraduate medical students across the country.