State plans 4 regional DMEs as med colleges rise; doctors object

State plans 4 regional DMEs as med colleges rise; doctors object 

Chennai: 06.10.2026

State health department plans to restructure the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) by creating four regional DMEs, citing the rise in govt medical colleges. DME was established in July 1966 by bifurcating the medical education wing from the Directorate of Medical Services (DMS). 

This allowed the state to form a specialised administrative body to manage teaching hospitals and the higher medical curriculum. “It was done when they realised that supervising both rural healthcare delivery and the complex logistics of tertiary medical institutions was too overwhelming for one department,” said a senior official. 

“With a policy to start one medical college in every district, we have 36 medical colleges now. It is difficult for one person to manage them centrally from Chennai,” he said. The orders for these structural changes will be ready in a couple of days, he said. The state will create four regional heads, who will report to the director of medical education. They will independently manage undergraduate, postgraduate, super-specialty medical and dental programmes, and allied health programmes, besides overseeing patient care, infrastructure and human resource availability in hospitals.

Doctors’ associations have opposed the plan. TN Government Doctors Association said govt cannot issue orders without consulting doctors’ groups. Service Doctors and Postgraduates Association said the department was needlessly complicating a simple process. “They must choose a DME from a seniority panel that was created before March 15, 2026. There were four names on the list. The department has added more deans to the seniority list and called them for an interview,” said association general secretary Dr A Ramalingam. 

“Deans already manage the colleges, and no intermediary layer is needed between them and the DME,” he said. Times News Network

Private bus operator urges High Court to declare ‘Vettri Payanam’ unconstitutional

Private bus operator urges High Court to declare ‘Vettri Payanam’ unconstitutional

The writ petition has been listed for hearing before the First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Monday.

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 05.10.2026

A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Vettri Payanam’ (victorious travel) scheme, which offers no-fare travel for women and transwomen passengers in 12,695 government buses across the State.

A private bus operator, N. Kalamani of Bhavani taluk in Erode district, has approached the court complaining that the scheme would cause private transporters heavy losses, and they might have to wind up their business. The petitioner said private bus operators would not only stand to lose women passengers but also the men because families would prefer travelling together in government buses in which the women need not pay any fare.

The writ petition, urging the court to declare ‘Vettri Payanam’ unconstitutional, has been listed for hearing before the First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Monday.

Explaining her case in detail, the petitioner said she was a widow who had two daughters to take care of. She held permits to operate buses on the 47-km route from Erode to Vellithiruppur and another on the 88-km route from Kakapalayam to Anthiyur.

The petitioner had employed about 15 people and their families, too, were dependant on her business. She feared that hardly any passenger would step into her buses on the two routes since a significant number of government buses were operated on those routes.

She said the government had come forward to spend a whopping ₹6,000 crore a year on compensating the State Transport Corporations towards ‘Vettri Payanam’ aimed at benefitting 84.32 lakh women daily. However, a request made by the Federation of Bus Operators Associations of Tamil Nadu to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on July 22, 2026, for extending the scheme to private bus operators did not yield the desired result, she claimed.

Ms. Kalamani said not collecting any fare from women passengers in government buses alone would go against the principle of ensuring a level playing field in the bus transport sector and thereby violate Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution. Though ‘Vettri Payanam’ was an expansion of the ‘Vidiyal Payanam’ scheme introduced by the previous DMK government, the petitioner said the previous scheme was limited in its scope and did not affect the private operators to a great extent.

‘Fares mandatory’

The petitioner also relied upon various provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as well as the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, to contend that collection of fare from the passengers was mandatory and the government could not announce no-fare travel. Further, claiming that the scheme had been implemented on the basis of an announcement made by the Chief Minister under Rule 110 in the Assembly and without any Government Order, the petitioner said such an act offends Article 161 of the Constitution.

She urged the court to declare the Chief Minister’s announcement, published by the Information and Public Relations Department (DIPR) on August 24, 2026, as unconstitutional and also grant an interim stay on it until the disposal of her writ petition.

33 and unmarried? VAO’s doubt stalls engineer’s wedding

33 and unmarried? VAO’s doubt stalls engineer’s wedding

Ram.Sundaram@timesofindia.com 

19.09.2026

Madurai: For most couples, marriage plans get delayed by finances, family negotiations or careers. However, for a fintech engineer from Madurai working in Japan, it’s a village officer’s doubt about how he could “still be unmarried at 33” that has stretched things. 

U Arivanandan, who moved to Japan for work three years ago, met a Japanese woman there, and they decided to marry. For the marriage in Japan, he requires an unmarried certificate from authorities in Madurai, which subsequently has to be attested by the ministry of external affairs. 

His family applied online in Jan 2026. A month later, the application was rejected by Madurai district authorities. “At the age of 33, your son is still not married. I doubt it,” Arivanandan’s father Udhayachandran quoted the VAO as telling him. 

The officer also wanted Arivanandan to appear before him personally, Udhayachandran told TOI. The family then approached the Madurai collector and submitted a fresh application in May. They were again called to the VAO’s office, but the certificate was once again rejected last Tuesday. 

Eight months have passed since he applied, and the wedding remains on hold. Defending his decision, the VAO told TOI that Arivanandan, aged 33 already, had been living abroad for years and there was no way to verify locally whether he had married in Japan already. “If he resides here, we can issue it based on his statement and two witnesses. When he is living abroad, I cannot get into trouble without verification. Also, he had not produced a letter from Indian Embassy in Japan stating he was unmarried,” the VAO said.

However, the official TNeGA portal for certificate applications does not specifically require an unmarried-status letter from the embassy. It lists a photograph, address proof, age proof and self-declaration among documents for an unmarried certificate. Under the declaration, the applicant accepts responsibility for the information furnished and can face prosecution if it is later found false.  Madurai district collector Nishant Krishna did not respond to queries.

TN must change mindset, allow Hindi in schools: SC

TN must change mindset, allow Hindi in schools: SC 

‘States Should Not Act Like Countries’   18.09.2026

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Thursday told Tamil Nadu govt that it needed to change its mindset towards teaching Hindi in schools and should thrash out issues with Centre on setting up Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district. As Vijay-led TN govt took the same stand taken by the previous DMK govt, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and A G Masih said individual states cannot act like an individual country. “You have to change your mindset, it can’t be that Hindi will not be taught on the soil of TN,” the bench told the state govt. 

TN has been opposing setting up of these schools as they follow a three-language policy, including Hindi, which is against TN’s two-language policy. “We are saying in addition to all the good things you’re doing in your state, having something in addition will not bring down your standards. 

Coming from Delhi, will not lower the standards of Chennai. People in Chennai should not alienate Delhi and vice versa,” SC said. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for TN, submitted it is against federal structure to impose Centre’s decision on a state. “It is against the state policy. It supersedes Tamil. This kind of unification is not the purport of the Constitution. It is not a central govt school. It is a school run by a society. There is an adamancy that Hindi must predominate,” he told SC. Gupta submitted that cooperative federalism would never work in only one direction and such policy should not be enforced by SC. 

The bench, however, asked the state to comply with its order and posted the case for further hearing in Dec. Last Dec, it had directed TN to identify land required for establishing Navodaya Vidyalayas in each district within six weeks. “Comply with our earlier order. We are not asking you to acquire land. We are only asking to identify. We are concerned with the good of everybody. You can’t say I won’t accept a policy. Today it is education, tomorrow it will be something else. You have to relax this rigidity in your mind,” SC said.

Issuing of driving licence and registration certificate online begins across State

 Issuing of driving licence and registration certificate online begins across State

The move comes after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s announcement in the Assembly on digitally issuing DLs and RCs. Online portals such as Sarathi and Vahan have started issuing DLs and RCs

Easy process: Help desks have been set up in RTOs across the State to assist people in adopting the digital system.S.R. RAGHUNATHAN

R. Srikanth

Chennai

The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety has launched the issuing of driving licences and registration certificates for new vehicles through online mode. The migration of the issuing of DLs and RCs through online mode was launched throughout the State from Wednesday.

A senior official of the Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety said that in the wake of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announcing the introduction of issuing of DLs and RCs through digital mode in the Assembly, digital issuing of DLs and RCs through the online portals of Sarathi and Vahan has begun.

He also said help desks have been set up in all the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across the State to assist the public in adopting the digital system. The officials at the help desks would be helping customers to download digital DLs from the Sarathi portal, updating mobile numbers to the DLs, accessing the DLs and RCs through the mParivahan app and downloading RCs from the Vahan portal.

In addition to posters explaining the simple step-by-step procedures, instructional videos have been released. The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety released the instructional videos on YouTube.

However, there are complaints from persons who have old DLs issued 20 years ago, which are yet to be digitised. They are facing issues in getting the renewal done online. T. Karthick, a resident of Tambaram, said that there is a delay in getting his old driving licence renewed in the previous RTO which had issued it.

Regarding this the official said that previously the RTOs had the power to renew it in digital mode after verifying the old records. But to prevent malpractice, the Central government has directed for appointing a nodal officer designated mainly for renewing the old driving licences. The renewal of old DLs would be functioning smoothly in the coming weeks, he added.

NMC adds over 13K MBBS seats, total intake tops 1.4 lakh

NMC adds over 13K MBBS seats, total intake tops 1.4 lakh

 Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 12.09.2026

New Delhi: National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 13,186 additional MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year, taking the total approved undergraduate medical intake to 1,40,214 seats across 836 medical colleges, excluding seats in Institutes of National Importance (INIs). 

The updated seat matrix, as on Sept 1, incorporates permissions for new medical colleges and increases in the annual intake of existing colleges. The expansion comes as NEET-UG counselling for the 2026-27 MBBS batch is underway, with the counselling schedule pushing back the start of the academic session and subsequent rounds, including the stray vacancy round, expected to continue into Oct. 

The increase is heavily driven by the private sector, which accounts for 10,400 of the 13,186 additional seats, or nearly 79%, while govt medical colleges have added 2,786 seats. The total intake has risen from 1,27,028 renewed seats to 1,40,214, an increase of about 10.4%. 

Karnataka has recorded the highest increase with 1,650 additional seats; followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,250; Bihar with 1,240; UP with 1,200 and Rajasthan with 1,100. Telangana has added 1,010 seats and West Bengal 975. 

Karnataka’s total MBBS intake now stands at 15,745 seats, including 4,600 in govt colleges and 11,145 in private colleges. Tamil Nadu has 14,299 seats, Uttar Pradesh 14,400 and Maharashtra 13,249. The addition of 13,186 seats will widen the pool of MBBS seats available during the 2026-27 admission cycle, although the actual allocation of these seats will depend on the ongoing counselling process. Among other major increases, Andhra Pradesh has added 525 seats, MP and Jharkhand 520 each, Maharashtra 550, Haryana 350, Kerala 300, Gujarat 250, Puducherry and Uttarakhand 200 each, and Jammu & Kashmir 175. 

The NMC matrix shows zero increase in Delhi, while Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have also recorded no additional seats. The NMC has made it clear that admissions must be restricted to the number of seats approved in the matrix

Power bills may stay high as Aug consumption surges 15%

Power bills may stay high as Aug consumption surges 15% 

Venkadesan.S @timesofindia.com 07.09.2026

Chennai: Electricity bills are bound to be on the higher side this month for all consumers, with TNPDCL recording a 15% jump in electricity consumption in Aug, compared to the same period last year. The year-on-year growth was two percentage points higher than in July, when consumption increased 13% compared to July 2025. 

TNPDCL officials said power consumption has grown at 6% every year in the past, but this year has seen an unprecedented surge in electricity demand, crossing 10% during the peak of summer. “As the weather continues to be hot and sultry, power consumption continues to be high,” said an official. About 1.3 crore domestic consumers who fall in the July-Aug billing cycle may end up shelling out the same amount they paid in peak summer. TNPDCL has made arrangements to prevent inflated charges due to misreading of electricity meters. “Users of domestic services who have consumed more than 500 units in July and Aug have been separately categorised. If their bill for Sept or Oct is 20% higher than previous bills, the software will flag them for re-verification. If the reading was wrong, it will be corrected. If the charges were correct, they will be uploaded to generate a bill,” said officials.

Residents, however, said the problem lies in delayed meter reading. “For the past few billing cycles, assessors haven’t visited houses to read the meters, as the post remains vacant. We inform the assessor about our consumption on call,” said Niranjankumar, of Aminjikarai. President of TNPDCL Assessors Union, Kannan, said the number of assessors has dwindled to 1,500 against the sanctioned strength. “Re-inspection is an extra burden,” he said, blaming outsourced workers and non-cooperative consumers for inflated bills. C Selvaraj, a retired engineer from TNEB, said it does not make sense to compare consumption patterns of subsequent months. “They should compare consumption in corresponding months of previous years,” he said.

Bus travel for women, three LPG cylinders to be free: CM Expected To Cost 10,000Cr Annually

Bus travel for women, three LPG cylinders to be free: CM Expected To Cost 10,000Cr Annually 

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesofindia.com 25.08.2026

Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced two welfare measures aimed at easing household and mobility costs—three free LPG cylinders a year for over 1.3 crore families and expansion of fareless bus travel for all women and transgender persons across Tamil Nadu. 

Announced under Rule 110 in assembly, the schemes carry a combined annual financial cost of around 10,000 crore per year. Under the expanded fareless bus travel scheme, women and transgender people can travel in express, limited stop services (LSS), deluxe services in urban areas, while they were earlier permitted to travel for free only in ordinary govt buses. In addition, they can also travel in inter-district mofussil buses and in hill areas, from Oct 2. “There will be no income ceiling or limit on the number of trips,” Vijay said. 

The fareless bus scheme was launched by DMK govt as ‘Magalir Vidiyal Payanam’ but was renamed as ‘Vettri Payanam’ recently by TVK govt. “The scheme is not just about free bus travel. It is a social investment securing a student’s education, a worker’s livelihood and a mother’s household security,” Vijay said, drawing loud applause from the treasury benches. “No woman in Tamil Nadu should lose an opportunity because of commuting costs,” he said adding TN govt would incur an additional expenditure of 6,000 crore annually for the scheme. Vijay also announced ‘Annapurni’scheme under which eligible families will get subsidy equivalent of three LPG cylinders a year. The scheme will cover around 1,30,16,104 households, which include families with an annual income below 2.5 lakh, small and marginal farmers and households having persons with disabilities. 

Beneficiaries will buy cylinders directly from oil companies, with the subsidy amount reimbursed to their linked bank accounts after purchase, Vijay said. The state has earmarked an additional 4,000 crore for the scheme a year, which will be formally launched during Pongal in Jan next year. 25/08/2026, 06:14 Bus travel for women, three LPG cylinders to be free: 

CM Vijay’s poll promise was to provide six LPG cylinders to each family, but it has been halved considering the fiscal situation of the state. File Photo FUELLING WELFARE: Measures aimed at easing daily costs

Don’t force me to disclose proof of graft: Vijay to DMK

Don’t force me to disclose proof of graft: Vijay to DMK 

20.08.2026

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday said he possessed files on alleged corruption in three govt departments and warned former DMK ministers and legislators not to force him to ‘open’ those files now. Vijay said he would make the findings public at an “appropriate time.” The exchange of words broke out in the assembly when DMK legislators protested remarks made by water resources department minister N Anand, who alleged widespread corruption in the housing scheme executed by the previous govt, including the allotment of houses to ineligible beneficiaries. 

Anand made these allegations while intervening during a speech by former minister I Periyasamy regarding the DMK’s flagship ‘Kalaignar Kanavu Illam Thittam’. Joining the debate, school education minister A Rajmohan said DMK MLAs go silent whenever evidence of corruption comes up. Rajmohan said he could not imagine the response from DMK leaders if the chief minister were to release the full reports of corruption. The opposition members strongly objected to the remarks and demanded immediate proof to back the allegations. Intervening in the debate, Vijay stepped in to directly address the opposition. 

“You are demanding proof. A week ago, Finance minister N Marie Wilson informed the assembly that detailed review reports on three departments were submitted to me. Those reports with detailed evidence are on my table. Do not force me to open them; I will disclose them at the right time,” he warned. Vijay added that he knew “when to talk and how to talk.” “It was because we spoke with love and affection that people voted us into the assembly,” he said and continued that he remained silent as it was only to help someone in the upcoming bypolls.

T.N. govt. to launch health insurance for the elderly

T.N. govt. to launch health insurance for the elderly

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI. 18.08.2026

Tamil Nadu will launch the ‘Chief Minister’s Elderly Health Insurance Scheme’, covering nearly 38 lakh senior citizens aged 70 and above. The scheme will provide free medical treatment, including cancer care packages, advanced cardiac surgeries, organ transplants, and high-end diagnostic services, at empanelled government and private hospitals, with no ceiling on income, Health Minister K.G. Arunraj announced in the Assembly on Monday.

The Minister made 115 announcements for the Health Department at a total estimated outlay of ₹2,997 crore. It covered areas including policy reforms, universal free health services, new posts creation, infrastructure projects, equipment and procurement, direct beneficiary programmes and digital health initiatives.

The 87-year-old Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, will be replaced with a modern, comprehensive Act to address contemporary and future health challenges. Dr. Arunraj said a new provision would make unsupervised home births outside hospitals a punishable offence. Noting that Tamil Nadu was known as the country’s health capital, he said that ‘TN Medicity’, a world class integrated medical hub comprising clinical services, research, medical tourism, and AYUSH, would be established. The government will allocate ₹10 crore for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report in the first phase.

‘Nalam 360-Annual Free Health Check-up for All’ scheme will be rolled out. Under this, everyone aged 30 and above will receive 14 basic tests annually, free of cost, across 1,257 government health facilities in the State.

This will include blood pressure, ECG, haemoglobin, complete haemogram, random blood sugar, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, serum bilirubin, urine albumin, and VIA screening. For the first time in the State, the Health Department will introduce Home Based Diagnostic Services — sample collection and testing services — in metropolitan areas on a public-private partnership model, he said. The department will come up with a ‘Positive Health Policy’ to promote holistic health and wellbeing at the community, family, and individual levels.

2,500 staff nurse posts

Addressing a long-standing demand, Dr. Arunraj said 2,500 permanent posts of staff nurses would be created. Existing contract nurses on consolidated pay will be absorbed into regular time-scale pay. A total of 1,695 nursing posts on consolidated pay will be created at a cost of ₹42.72 crore.

A total of 3,594 medical staff across 24 categories, including pharmacists, nursing assistants, village health nurses, and ophthalmic assistants, will be recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board. Additionally, the department will create 284 temporary super speciality posts across 25 specialities on time-scale pay to take advanced medical care to the district-level. These posts will be created to accommodate doctors who complete their post-graduation every year and are posted in government hospitals on bond conditions.

NEET toppers skew the curve in 2026, MBBS cut-off may go up by 40 marks Admissions Won’t Get Tougher, Say Experts

NEET toppers skew the curve in 2026, MBBS cut-off may go up by 40 marks Admissions Won’t Get Tougher, Say Experts

 

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 11.08.2026

Chennai: The cut-offs for MBBS/BDS admissions to govt colleges in Tamil Nadu are likely to increase by up to 40 marks for the open category and between 21 and 41 marks for some reserved categories this year. This is because the number of top scorers in NEET 2026 is higher than that of the previous year. This may not mean that admissions will get tougher now, experts say, as the selection committee will allot seats based on the order of merit in the eligibility test and 69% rule of reservation. 

Counselling for MBBS and BDS will begin on Aug 13. Offline counselling will be held for candidates under special category on the same day. The MBBS/BDS rank list for 2026 admissions was released on Monday by health minister K G Arunraj. There were 90 students with a score above 700 in 2024, 29 students in 2023, and five in 2022. The number of students above 500 marks in 2026 was more than 6,000 compared to less than 4,000 in 2025. Between 350 and 499, there were 15,800 students, fewer than 17,431 recorded in 2025. This year, TN has 9,999 MBBS seats. After surrendering seats to the Centre under all India quota, the seat matrix will open with 7,157 seats—4,473 state-quota seats in govt colleges and 2,684 govt quota seats in self-financing colleges. 

For the first time in five years, the state has 50 MBBS seats each in three existing medical colleges. At least 700 MBBS seats have been added to private colleges, taking the additional seat tally to 850. But this will not reflect in the seat matrix. Four institutions with 800 MBBS seats were removed from the state list and added to the Centre’s list as they were granted deemed university status. While the health minister said the new seats will ease competition, counsellors say the loss of seats will also mean higher fee, no quota for meritorious students, no reservation under 60% or for govt school students. 

This year too, the middle is crowded,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. Analysis shows more than 3,800 students are bunched between 500 and 599 marks. Open category seats in govt run medical colleges, which ended at 1,508 rank in 2025, and a cut-off score of 533, will now have a cut-off hovering above 570. The BC cut-off will hover around 535, compared to 506 last year, while BCM and MBC will be around 523 and 525 respectively. In the SC/SCA and ST, cut off will be around 465, 435 and 430. Scores of students in the 7.5% quota, where seats were reserved for govt school students, have improved in 2026. Top six students under this category had scores hovering between 585 and 599, compared to last year’s topper who had a score of 572 out of 720. 

For BDS, there are 1,383 seats: 213 in govt colleges and 1,170 govt quota seats in selffinancing colleges. “Seats have come down as one college has been derecognised and one has been sent to the central pool after it was granted deemed university status,” Arunraj said. Experts say it is difficult to predict the cut-offs for dental seats, as BDS is no longer the natural choice for students who don’t get into MBBS—many wait to retake NEET.

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges

Sakshi G... Read more at: https://news.careers360.com/tamil-nadu-information-commission-orders-mgr-medical-university-to-publish-aic-members-faculty-details-of-affiliated-colleges

MGR Medical University told to disclose AIC members, faculty details of affiliated colleges Sakshi Gupta | August 8, 2026 | 04:07 PM IST | 2 mins read

The university must provide details sought under RTI by August 20 after Arappor Iyakkam sought information on AIC members and faculty at affiliated colleges

TN Information commission orders MGR medical university to publish AIC, faculty details (Image Credit: Official Website/tnmgrmu.ac.in) The Tamil Nadu Information Commission has instructed the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University to publish complete details of professors working in private medical colleges affiliated with the university, as well as the members of the Affiliation Inspection Committee (AIC), on its website.

The commission has also directed the university to furnish the information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act within four weeks of the order, by August 20, 2026. It warned that failure to comply with the order could invite action under the RTI Act.

The order follows an RTI application by Arappor Iyakkam seeking information about AIC members who conducted inspection of affiliated medical colleges during the academic years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. The application also sought information about faculty members working in affiliated colleges during the corresponding academic years. The university's records also refer to requests concerning affiliation committee members and faculty members for these periods.

RTI appeal seeks inspection committee details The AIC of the university conducts inspection visits to private medical colleges before affiliation is granted to assess the infrastructure, medical facilities, faculty, and compliance with the requirements of medical education.

The RTI application sought information about the members of the inspection committee, their qualifications and faculty members of affiliated medical colleges. The university's response and subsequent proceedings formed part of the RTI case before the Tamil Nadu Information Commission. The university's Public Information Officer and Registrar were also involved in the proceedings. The records show that the matter proceeded through the RTI appeal process.

After hearing the matter, the Commission instructed the university to furnish the information requested and take steps to make information about the AIC members and faculty members available on its website for public access.

Commission stresses transparency in affiliations RTI filler said greater transparency is needed in the affiliation inspection process. It said information about who inspected a particular college, the qualifications of the inspection committee members and the professors working in affiliated medical colleges should be available for public scrutiny.

The transparency in medical colleges affiliation inspections is particularly important amid investigations into allegations of irregularities in faculty appointments and inspections.

The order also records the progression of the RTI proceedings, including the stages of appeal and directions for compliance. The records show references to proceedings under section 19(1) and 19(3) of the RTI Act.

Arappor Iyakkam seeks prompt RTI action RTI filler called on the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University to immediately implement the Information Commission's order and publish college-wise details of the AIC members and professors working in affiliated private medical colleges on its website.

The organisation also called for appropriate action under the RTI Act if the university fails to comply with the commission's directions. The order and related proceedings also refer to provisions of the RTI Act, including sections 19 and 20.

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Govt. should explain surrender of 151 super speciality seats: Stalin

Govt. should explain surrender of 151 super speciality seats: Stalin

M.K. Stalin

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI. 30.07.2026

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday demanded that the TVK-led government explain why it had failed to retain 151 super speciality medical seats in the State, resulting in their transfer to the all-India quota.

“It is a vital issue for Tamil Nadu. We have lost 151 super speciality seats, which would have otherwise produced doctors to serve the State,” he said in a social media post.

Mr. Stalin also questioned why the government had not adopted a resolution in the Assembly, opposing the transfer of the super speciality seats to the all-India quota. “Why did the government fail to file an appeal against the Supreme Court’s order dated May 29, 2026,” he asked.

He further questioned why the advocates appointed by the State government had failed to appear in the case, and why there had been a delay in engaging a senior advocate. “Why has there been such a lackadaisical approach to this issue from the very beginning,” he asked.

Mr. Stalin also wondered why the State government had “surrendered” despite the case being in Tamil Nadu’s favour.

Minister responds

Responding to Mr. Stalin’s criticism, Health Minister K.G. Arunraj said that unlike in previous years, when unfilled super speciality seats were lost after being surrendered to the all-India quota, the TVK government had ensured that if the qualifying cut-off is reduced, 50% of the remaining vacant super speciality seats will be reverted to Tamil Nadu.

In a statement on X, the Minister said that previously, after the completion of the super speciality counselling, all unfilled seats reserved for service candidates were surrendered to the all-India quota. The Union government later reduced the minimum qualifying cut-off marks and filled those seats through the all-India merit list. As a result, government doctors from Tamil Nadu were severely affected, he said.

This year, though 151 seats remained vacant, the State government refused to surrender them immediately. It took a firm stand that these seats would be surrendered only if there is an assurance that the qualifying cut-off would not be reduced. Accordingly, the State pursued a legal battle and secured a “historic” judgment from the Supreme Court, he added.

M.G.R. medical varsity challenges UGC regulations on according ‘deemed university’ status to private colleges

M.G.R. medical varsity challenges UGC regulations on according ‘deemed university’ status to private colleges

The university said the UGC regulations should be interpreted only as a directory and not a mandatory provision.

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI. 30.07.2026

The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University has moved the Madras High Court, challenging the validity of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations that permit the grant of deemed-to-be-university status to private medical colleges without the express consent of the State university.

The university has also challenged the grant of such status to the Pudukottai-based Karpaga Vinayaga Educational Trust on May 20, 2026.

Court orders notice

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Wednesday ordered notices to the Union Ministry of Education, the UGC, the Tamil Nadu government, and the private trust, seeking their response to the two writ petitions filed by the State medical university.

The petitioner university contended that the UGC regulations, which require a State university to respond within 60 days to an application filed by a medical college for being accorded the deemed university status, failing which it would be considered that there was no objection for the conferment of such status, should be interpreted only as a directory and not a mandatory provision.

The university said the UGC regulations should be interpreted only as a directory and not a mandatory provision.

Consumers express shock over exorbitant bi-monthly electricity bills this year

Consumers express shock over exorbitant bi-monthly electricity bills this year

They say the bi-monthly bill for June and July was particularly high; TNPDCL officials say the extended summer this year contributed to a rise in electricity consumption compared to last year

Major issue: Electricity officials say some assessors engage in table-recording malpractice, wherein they do not physically pay a visit to residential buildings to check the meters. FILE PHOTo

R. Srikanth

Chennai. 29.07.2026

Hundreds of consumers have raised complaints about getting exorbitant bi-monthly electricity bills this year compared to last year. Particularly, domestic consumers in the city claimed that they were shocked seeing the electricity charges for the bi-monthly usage of June and July.

The residents have been sending complaints online to local officials of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) about the exorbitant bills.

S. Manish, a resident of Nungambakkam, pointed out in his complaint that he would normally get electricity bills ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹6,000, but in this cycle, he received a bill of ₹10,000.

Delayed assessment

Several consumers complained that the primary reason for the high electricity bills were due to delayed assessment of the meters. Normally, the assessors are permitted a cushion of five days from the regular assessment cycle to complete the job. But residents complained that the delays are longer.

Bajarullah Khan, a resident of Pattabhiram, claimed his electricity bill went up mainly because of the delayed assessment of the meters.

A senior TNPDCL official said that the city’s extended summer this year has driven up electricity consumption compared to last year.

New peak demand

The city breached the peak power demand by crossing 5,000 mega watt (MW) on June 10.

As per the data available with the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC), the average peak demand in the city climbed to 4,500 MW, up from previous year’s average of 4,000 MW.

The official added that the peak demand, at times, almost reached 4,900 MW for sustained periods.

Local electricity officials cited shortage of assessors as the cause for delayed meter reading.

An official said that some assessors are engaged in table-recording malpractice, where-in they fail to pay a visit physically for assessing the electricity meters.

Consumer activist T. Sadagopan wants self-assessment of meters to be reintroduced until the assessors shortage problem is addressed.

PCI announces special provisions for B.Pharm students admitted up to AY 2025-26

PCI announces special provisions for B.Pharm students admitted up to AY 2025-26

Gireesh Babu, New Delhi

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 08:00 Hrs [IST]

The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has announced special provisions for the students who have been admitted to the B.Pharm programme up to the academic year 2025-26, in order to tide over any difficulties in completing the course following implementation of the revised B.Pharm syllabus.

The provision is intended to solely help students meet the minimum attendance requirements and complete the programme under the regulations applicable to their admission, said the Council.

The Council, in the backdrop of implementation of the revised B. Pharm syllabus (2026) as per NEP 2020 prescribed by the PCI for students admitted from the academic year 2026 2027 onwards, "all students admitted to the B. Pharm programme up to the academic year 2025-2026 shall continue to be governed by the syllabus and regulations under which they were originally admitted".

To enable these students to complete the programme under B. Pharm syllabus (2016-2017), they shall be permitted to progress to the next higher semester and attend classes, irrespective of any backlog courses.

"Students may continue their studies from the semester immediately following the last semester attended by them, while carrying forward their backlog courses and may continue in this manner up to the eighth semester," it added.

As no new admissions will be made from 2026-2027 onwards under the B. Pharm syllabus (2016-2017), students with a shortage of attendance in any semester shall be given an opportunity to make up the required attendance through special classes, additional instructional hours conducted beyond regular class hours, during study leave periods or through other arrangements approved by the institution.

"This provision is intended solely to help students meet the minimum attendance requirements and complete the programme under the regulations applicable to their admission," said the Council.

"It is the responsibility of the university/institution to ensure that, students admitted as per B. Pharm syllabus (2016-2017) complete the programme as required,' it added.

As reported earlier, the Council has recently notified the B.Pharm 2026, syllabus in the Gazette of India and directed the Universities and colleges approved by the Council under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, to strictly implement the syllabus from the academic session 2026-27.

The PCI launched the B.Pharm syllabus with a Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), emphasising on practical learning, research orientation, digital and artificial intelligence (AI) integration, proposed for implementation from the academic year 2026–27, on April 17, 2026.

The curriculum has been developed in alignment with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to strengthen pharmacy education and with a vision to prepare graduates to meet the evolving needs of healthcare and the pharmaceutical sector.

The new syllabus aims at graduate attributes, the key competencies and professional qualities expected from every pharmacy graduate, as the pharmaceutical knowledge proficiency, scientific and analytical thinking, ethical and professional integrity, patient centred orientation, industry and practice readiness, digital and technological awareness, effective communication skills, among others.

The key highlights of the syllabus apart from the digital and AI technologies include research projects in the seventh and eighth semesters, internships in the fourth and sixth semesters, interdisciplinary learning, elective courses to ensure flexibility for the students, strong industry and clinical exposure, outcome-based education, focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and start-ups, among others.

The syllabus introduces emerging areas, including artificial intelligence (AI) and latest digital technologies, enabling students to understand their applications in fields such as drug discovery, pharmaceutical manufacturing, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacy practice, while remaining firmly grounded in the core pharmaceutical sciences, says the Council.

The course of study for B. Pharm shall extend over a period of eight semesters (four academic years) and six semesters (three academic years) for lateral entry students, it added.

MBBS/BDS application portal to reopen

MBBS/BDS application portal to reopen 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 26.07.2026

Chennai : The Tamil Nadu Selection Committee will reopen the online application window for MBBS and BDS admissions for candidates who have not yet submitted their applications for the 2026-27 academic session. The portal — tnmedicalselection.org — would remain open from 10 am on July 26 to 3 pm on July 27, a notification said. 

The committee decided to reopen the portal as a one-time measure after representations from students. It said no editing would be allowed for applications submitted earlier. The scrutiny of applications received before the extension was in process, and modifications or edits to these applications would delay the ongoing scrutiny phase, it said. “Candidates who have submitted their applications with minor errors need not panic. Minor clerical or typographical errors will be taken into consideration and verified appropriately during the document verification and scrutiny stages,” it said.

Faulty meters, billing errors caused spike in power bills: TNPDCL

 

Faulty meters, billing errors caused spike in power bills: TNPDCL

An internal communication issued by the director (finance) to all chief engineers states that field verification by revenue and accounts supervisors “has not been carried out properly”.

Image used for representational purposes only.(File Photo)

S Guruvanmikanathan

Updated on:

20 Jul 2026, 7:41 am

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has admitted that lapses by its own officials – from chief engineers down to revenue supervisors – allowed faulty meter readings and billing errors to go unchecked, and has now warned of disciplinary action against those responsible.

The warning, part of the utility’s ongoing revenue reforms, is aimed at improving revenue collection, ensuring accurate billing and enhancing consumer satisfaction. The move comes amid a rise in complaints from domestic consumers over unusually high electricity bills.

An internal communication – accessed by TNIE – issued by the director (finance) to all chief engineers, states that field verification by revenue and accounts supervisors “has not been carried out properly”, and inspections by electricity distribution circle officials “have not been conducted effectively”.

The result was a spate of complaints from domestic consumers hit with unusually high bills which could be traced to defective meters, wrong readings and billing anomalies that a basic inspection should have caught, the circular said.

The communication also points out that defective meters were routinely missed at the first stage, with the job of fixing them dumped entirely on section offices. This, the communication said, had led to negligence in several cases. TNPDCL said this had directly dented consumer confidence and exposed how poorly its own billing and inspection procedures were being enforced on the ground.

The utility has now proposed timely inspections, quick action on consumer complaints, and accurate readings. To enforce this, TNPDCL has ordered, following the directions of director (finance), periodic inspections and mass verification drives in every section to catch defective meters and clear grievances without delay. Superintending engineers have been told to fix individual responsibility within circles and zonal offices to ensure accountability is maintained. Officials have also been asked to closely monitor billing operations and take corrective measures immediately wherever irregularities are noticed.

RGUHS to honour college founder amid legal dispute

RGUHS to honour college founder amid legal dispute 

Times News Network  BENGALURU 13.06.2026

Bengaluru : Ironically, RGUHS will award honorary doctorate to AC Shanmugam, founder chancellor of Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, an institute with which the varsity is having a legal tussle. 

In 2019, the Centre and UGC approved an application to change the college from under the ambit of RGUHS and transfer it to Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, a deemed university in Chennai. 

RGUHS and the state govt opposed the move. They argued it will result in a massive loss of medical seats for Karnataka students and that UGC bypassed mandatory procedures by not consulting the state. 

The case is yet to conclude. The college is currently a constituent college of Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute. 

RGUHS said the name came from the governor’s office and they cannot do anything about it. RGUHS VC Bhagavan BC said, “It was a decision taken by the committee constituted by governor. There are three members, of which former VC Sacchidanand was the university’s nominee. We have no role in this beyond nominating a person to the panel.” 

Sharan Prakash Patil, medical education minister, wasn’t too happy about the choice. “This has come to my notice. We have gone to court against the college and they have got a stay. The legal fight is still on. But govt has no say in the selection process of honorary doctorates. All we can do is to initiate processes so that such things don’t happen in future.” 

Rajarajeshwari medical college official said the college has no issues with RGUHS. Apart from Shanmugam, the other awardees are Nailady Sridhar Shetty, former Dental Council of India president, and Harshangi Veerbhadrappa, paediatrician