NEWS TODAY 02.10.2026

 

Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs

Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs 

Vivek.Chauhan@timesofindia.com 02.10.2026

Lucknow: Parents often believe cerebral palsy (CP), a condition caused by damage to the developing brain that affects movement and muscle control, is contagious, inherited, caused by parental actions or untreatable. Such misconceptions delay specialist care, experts said on the eve of World CP Day. Prof Vikas Verma, head of Paediatric Orthopaedics at KGMU, said many families seek specialist care only after a child turns four or five, delaying rehabilitation. 

Verma said the department sees 15 to 20 children with CP daily in its outpatient clinic. He said 80% of children requiring rehabilitation should be brought to specialists early, but many arrive late because their families believe little can be done. “In nearly 7 out of 10 cases, children can lead near-normal lives if they receive treatment early,” Verma said. Prof RK Garg, head of Neurology at KGMU, and Verma said CP is a brain injury that affects movement, posture and balance but does not progressively worsen. Verma said the condition is not infectious and cannot spread from one child to another. 

People believe CP always develops due to lack of oxygen during childbirth. “While oxygen deprivation can be a contributing factor, the condition can result from several causes affecting brain development before, during or shortly after birth,” said experts. Another misconception is that treatment is impossible because brain injury cannot be reversed. Verma said physiotherapy, supportive braces and, in some cases, surgery can improve movement and address problems affecting muscles and joints. 

Doctors stressed that CP does not necessarily mean intellectual disability; associated learning, communication, vision, hearing or seizure-related problems vary from child to child. They advised parents to seek medical evaluation if a child has difficulty controlling the head, sitting, standing or walking, uses one side of body more than the other, or shows unusual stiffness or floppiness.

LU allows girls to supervise mess operations

LU allows girls to supervise mess operations 

02.10.2026

Lucknow: Following a strong protest over the quality of food served at Kailash Hostel, the Lucknow University administration has decided to allow girl students to directly monitor food preparation in the hostel mess. 

Residents of the hostel will also be allowed to prepare an inclusive menu schedule for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The decision was taken on the directions of vice-chancellor Prof JP Saini, who conducted a surprise inspection of the hostel on Thursday morning. The inspection followed a demonstration by students on Wednesday against the alleged serving of contaminated food, which reportedly led to food poisoning among five residents. 

Earlier in the day, the university had decided to shut the hostel mess after students staged an overnight protest over the issue. However, the order was later withdrawn following a request from the students. According to the university, the new arrangement is aimed at improving food quality, hygiene and transparency by giving students direct participation in the functioning of the mess. LU spokesperson Mukul Srivastava said: “The VC interacted with students, reviewed the facilities available to them and issued instructions for immediate improvements, The administration will follow up on these directions” Times News Network

NEWS TODAY 01.10.2026

 

Higher edu council summons pvt varsity officials for records

Higher edu council summons pvt varsity officials for records 

01.10.2028 TIMES BENGALURU

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Wednesday summoned vicechancellors, registrars and finance officers of private and deemed-to-be universities in the state for a meeting, seeking extensive financial, academic and administrative records, including five years of audited accounts. 

The meeting, convened under the chairmanship of higher education department principal secretary Thulasi Maddineni, follows a Sept 17 Supreme Court order. The universities were asked to submit information and documents listed by the council in both hard and soft copies. 

The state has 28 private universities, one public-private university and 11 deemed varsities. However, not all submitted data, citing that some of them have huge enrolments and submitting such numbers could be cumbersome. Among the documents sought are five-year signed audited financial statements, income-tax returns and computation records, general ledgers, bank statements, cash books, investment records and details of opening and closing balances of various funds. 

The council also sought course-wise fee details, including development and special-event fees, along with admission rules, prospectus, merit and entrance records, student ledgers, fee receipts, refunds and scholarship details. The scrutiny covers university governance and functioning, with institutions asked to furnish details of sponsors, trusts or societies, board members, related-party transactions, remuneration, leases, procurement and service contracts, along with invoices and payment records. 

The council has also sought information on course approvals, examinations, question-paper preparation, answer-script evaluation, staff recruitment, contracts, service rules, payroll, attendance and class registers. The Supreme Court has emphasised financial accountability and transparency in private universities, including disclosure of funds generated and utilised and payments made to nonoperational individuals or governing board members. Times News Network

NEWS TODAY 30.09.2026