Vande Bharat train service from Sunday
THE HINDU BUREAU
TIRUNELVELI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Tirunelveli – Chennai Vande Bharat Express on Sunday (September 24) through video conference mode from New Delhi.
While the inaugural service will leave Tirunelveli around noon, in the regualr schedule, it is likely to depart from Tirunelveli at 6 a.m. to reach Chennai at 1.50 p.m. and in the return direction, it will leave Chennai at 2.50 p.m. to reach Tirunelveli at 10.40 p.m. on all days except Tuesdays.
The train will traverse the 652.49 km in 7.50 hours at an average speed of 83.30 km.
The likely stoppages are Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchi and one or more.
The ticket fare will be notified shortly.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after inspecting the maintenance yard and other allied facilities at Tirunelveli railway junction, Madurai Divisional Railway Manager Padmanabhan Ananth said all facilities required for the maintenance and smooth operation of this premium train service were ready.
An eight-coach rake will arrive in Tirunelveli on Thursday for mandatory trials and based on patronage the number of coaches will be increased.
Two more Vande Bharat train services - between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai and Vijayawada - will also be iangurated on September 24.
Ignoring Governor’s ‘notification’, govt. notifies 3-member V-C search panel
THE HINDU BUREAU CHENNAI
The Tamil Nadu government has notified a three-member search committee to recommend to the Governor a panel of three names for the post of Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the University of Madras, which fell vacant last month.
The notification meant that the government had ignored Governor R.N. Ravi’s ‘notifications’ constituting four-member V-C ‘search-cum-selection’ committees on September 6 for not only the University of Madras, but also Bharathiar University and Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education University. The Governor’s notifications resulted in a fresh row between the Raj Bhavan and the State government, with the latter terming Mr. Ravi’s action unilateral and violative of the statutes that governed these universities. It said the Governor did not have any powers to issue such notifications.
The Tamil Nadu government’s extraordinary gazette notification dated September 13, 2023, constituting the search committee for the University of Madras, included Battu Satyanarayana, V-C, Central University of Karnataka, as the Governor/Chancellor’s nominee and the Convener of the committee. The two other members were K. Deenabandu, Member, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, as the Syndicate’s nominee; and P. Jagadeesan, former V-C, Bharathidasan University, as the Senate’s nominee.
Fourth member
While these three names were present in the same positions in the notification issued by the Governor as well, the State government’s notification, however, omitted the fourth member, a nominee of the University Grants Commission Chairman, who was included in the Governor’s notification.
The inclusion of the UGC Chairman’s nominee was a bone of contention between the Governor and the State government, with the former taking the view that the inclusion was mandatory as per the UGC’s regulations, and the latter appearing to take the view that it was not necessary.
It may be recalled that the Tamil Nadu government had issued similar notifications last year to constitute three-member search committees for Bharathiar University and Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education University. The Governor’s notifications, forming fresh four-member committees with the UGC Chairman’s nominees, were seen as an attempt to overrule the government’s notifications. The V-C posts in Bharathiar University and Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education University have been lying vacant since October 2022 and November 2022, respectively.
ICMR nod to conduct Truenat test to detect Nipah
THE HINDU BUREAU THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Kerala has been accorded sanction by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to use Truenat test to diagnose Nipah. Hospitals with BSL 2 level labs can perform the test. The standard operating procedure for the same will be prepared, Health Minister Veena George has said.
This means that NiV diagnostics can be performed by more labs in the State. Samples found to be positive for NiV through Truenat can be sent to the labs in Kozhikode or Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospitals or to Institute of Advanced Virology in the capital, she said, while addressing the media here on Wednesday.
The State was able to contain Nipah effectively and limit its spread because of the efficient work done by the Kozhikode district surveillance team, she said.
No new cases of Nipah have been reported since. Four people who tested to be positive continue to be under treatment, including the nine-year-old who happens to be the child of the deceased index case. The child’s condition has improved further and he is no longer on oxygen support. The other three people are also making a good recovery, Ms. George said.
Of the 323 samples tested for Nipah so far, 317 have been found to be negative. Till now, six cases have been found to be positive, including two deaths. A total of 980 persons on the contact list are under isolation now, including 11 who have been isolated at the Kozhikode MCH.
The Health Department will conduct a sero-surveillance study amongst those included in the high risk contacts to learn more about the epidemiology.
The State will focus on evolving a long-term surveillance strategy for Nipah. Already 81 samples had been tested this year after suspecting NiV. Nipah surveillance is part of the State’s Aarogya Jagratha calendar and training has been given to healthcare workers as part of the Nipah protocol, she said.
Though the incubation period is 21 days, the State will observe another 21-day period when surveillance measures will be in full swing. Measures are being taken to strengthen activities under One Health initiative, involving other departments, she said.
(With inputs from Kozhikode)
India issues travel advisory for Canada
“Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents,” the advisory said.
“Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant. Indian nationals and students from India in Canada must also register with the High Commission of India in Ottawa or Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MADAD portal madad.gov.in,” said the advisory.
Following Mr. Trudeau’s accusations on Monday, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced the expulsion of Pavan Kumar Rai, a diplomat in the High Commission of India in Ottawa. In an unconventional move, she also announced that Mr. Rai is the head of station of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of India. In response, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat on Tuesday.
Later, Mr. Trudeau reiterated that he is not trying to “provoke” India saying, “The government of India needs to take this matter [Nijjar killing] with the utmost seriousness.”
