Touched inappropriately, no less than rape: SpiceJet crew alleges strip-search
DECCAN CHRONICLE
PublishedMar 31, 2018, 12:18 pm IST
UpdatedMar 31, 2018, 12:18 pm IST

The cabin crew alleged that the airline suspected them of swindling cash collected onboard for food and other sales.

In complaints written to the SpiceJet management, women asked if it was the policy of the airline 'to remove sanitary pad and touch private parts'. (Photo: File/Representational)


Chennai: Air hostesses of SpiceJet flight were seen protesting at Chennai airport early on Saturday morning after they were allegedly strip-searched by the airline security personnel, an NDTV report said.

Alleging that they have been subjected to strip search for the past few days after deboarding flights, the crew said that they were even asked to remove sanitary pads from their handbags.






Due to the cabin crew protests, two flights reportedly left late by an hour from Chennai airport.

In a video shot at the airport, a woman was heard saying, "Someone touched me inappropriately, made me feel very uncomfortable. I was naked."

The cabin crew alleged that the airline suspected them of swindling cash collected onboard for food and other sales. They also alleged that they are not allowed to use the washroom immediately after deboarding flights.

An air hostesses told NDTV, "We air hostesses are stripped naked over the last three days and women personnel touch us inappropriately."

In complaints written to the SpiceJet management, women asked if it was the policy of the airline "to remove sanitary pad and touch private parts".

"We cabin crew are hired majorly for safety reasons of the fellow passengers but what about our respect and safety? We talk about rape and molestation, is this any less?" another complaint read.

"On informing the base official that I wasn't comfortable and I'm on my menses she still checked my panty; they pressed my breasts. I've lost my self-respect... Cabin crew is the brand ambassador. We are humiliated as if we have done some robbery," a complaint on email read.

SpiceJet's senior vice president, Kamal Hingorani, according to NDTV, said in mail that the strict action was being done on suspicion of cabin crew taking cash and airline materials.

"We have therefore been compelled to carry out spot checks, which in any case is a company policy. It is in all our interests that the 'black sheep' amongst us is identified and removed so that honest employees are not blamed," Kamal Hingorani said in the mail.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shylaja warns of strong action against errant nurses

By Express News Service | Published: 01st April 2018 06:35 AM |

Last Updated: 01st April 2018 06:36 AM



Health Minister K K Shylaja visits Vasu at his son’s residence at Anakulam, near Channapetta, on Saturday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Incidents of cruelty towards patients like the recent one at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, where a nursing assistant brutally assaulted a bed-ridden patient, should not be repeated, said Health Minister KK Shylaja. She was addressing an emergency meeting attended by nurses, nursing assistants and staff here on Saturday.The meeting was convened in the wake of a recent video showing the hospital staffer’s cruelty towards a patient. Following this, the employee was suspended from service. No patient should undergo such a negative experience, the minister said, adding that strict action will be taken if such incidents are repeated.

“Hospital employees, including doctors, nurses and other staff, should ensure proper treatment and care to patients even when the latter seems impatient due to their illness. Employees should be ready to listen to them and give them proper care. There’s no need for a code of conduct for this. Employee organisations should ensure proper service by their members,” the minister said. She also urged authorities to take strict action in cases of dereliction of duty.The government has major plans for the Medical College Hospital development based on a R600 crore master plan, she said. There are plans to develop the emergency medical wing, set up a trauma care system of international standards, renovated OP wing and multi-speciality block.

At a time when the government’s attempt is to make the hospital a centre of excellence, such incidents cannot be accepted, the minister said.About 800 employees were present at the meeting. Employees’ representatives said that such an incident should not have happened and proper care will be taken not to repeat similar incidents.Medical Education director Dr A Ramlabeevi, special officer Dr Ajayakumar, Medical College principal Dr Thomas Mathew, hospital superintendent Dr M S Sharmad, deputy superintendents Dr Jobi John, Dr Santhosh Kumar and nursing officer Udayarani attended the meeting.

Can’t reject approver’s evidence if confirmed: Madras High Court

By Express News Service | Published: 01st April 2018 02:42 AM |

Last Updated: 01st April 2018 02:42 AM ||



Madras High Court (File | EPS)

CHENNAI: Holding that if the evidence of the approver is corroborated by other material particulars, the same cannot be eschewed merely because he had turned approver and supported the prosecution version, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court has upheld the life imprisonment awarded by a lower court to two other accused.

Sathishkumar, Soundararajan and Manikandan were arrested for offences under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the IPC for murdering a woman in 2014 for gain.

During the framing of charges, Manikandan pleaded guilty and submitted an application to treat him as an approver by giving necessary pardon on November 7, 2014.

Accordingly, he was granted pardon by the trial court and he was examined as court witness on the prosecution’s side.

After procedure, charges were framed against Sathishkumar and Soundararajan.
Additional District and Sessions Judge, Chengalpattu in Kancheepuram district, convicted and sentenced the duo to life imprisonment. Hence, the present appeal contending that the evidence of the approver could not be relied upon.

Rejecting the contention, a Bench of Justices C T Selvam and N Sathish Kumar held on March 27 that it was of the considered view that the prosecution has clearly established the charges against the first two accused.

From every circumstance placed by the prosecution, the conspiracy charge had been clearly established against the accused. To prove the charge of conspiracy, direct evidence is always impossible. The said charge can be inferred from various circumstances.

However, in this case, apart from the circumstances, the evidence of the approver, coupled with the other corroborative evidence, established the charge against Sathishkumar and Soundararajan. Therefore, this court is of the view that the prosecution has proved all the circumstances beyond all reasonable doubt.

Adamant behaviour, desertion by wife do not amount to cruelty: Madras High Court

By Express News Service | Published: 31st March 2018 01:57 AM |

Last Updated: 31st March 2018 05:34 AM



The Madras High Court (File)

CHENNAI: Holding that the alleged adamant behaviour of a wife, her desertion from the matrimonial house and a police complaint alleging harassment by the husband would not amount to cruelty, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court has confirmed the orders of a family court here rejecting the husband’s plea for divorce and allowing his wife’s plea for restoring the conjugal rights.

The main allegation of cruelty from the man was that his wife was very adamant from the beginning and she left the matrimonial home on July 13, 2010, without any valid reason. She also allegedly lodged a criminal complaint, which led to the appellant to move the court for anticipatory bail.

The wife had also admitted in her evidence that she left the matrimonial home in July 2010 as she was not treated properly.

“Therefore, it cannot be said that she left the matrimonial home without any justifiable reason,” a Bench of Justices A Selvam and P Kalaiyarasan said on March 12 and dismissed the appeal from the husband.

According to appellant, he got married in 2009 and they had no children. While so, she left his house in July 2010, taking all her belongings. She also alleged that he was impotent and subjected her to harassment. She lodged a complaint against him.

While the husband moved the family court seeking divorce, the wife filed a petition for restoration of her conjugal rights. By a common order dated August 30, 2017, the VI Additional Family Court rejected the plea of the husband and allowed the plea of the wife. Hence, the present appeal before the High Court.

ஒரு லட்சம் ரூபாய்க்கு ஏலம் போன 9 எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்கள்' - விழுப்புரம் அருகே விநோதம்..!

ஜெ.முருகன்
தே.சிலம்பரசன்

பூஜை செய்யப்பட்ட 9 எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்கள் 1 லட்சம் ரூபாய்க்கு ஏலம் போன விநோத சம்பவம் விழுப்புரம் மாவட்டத்தில் நிகழ்ந்துள்ளது.




விழுப்புரம் மாவட்டம், திருவெண்ணைநல்லூரை அடுத்த ஒட்டனந்தல் கிராமம் இரட்டைக் குன்றில் அமைந்திருக்கிறது ரத்தினவேல் முருகன் கோயில். இந்தக் கோயிலில் ஒவ்வொரு வருடம் பங்குனி உத்திரத் திருவிழாவை முன்னிட்டு 10 நாட்கள் தொடர்ந்து பூஜை நடக்கும். அந்தப் பத்து நாட்களும் கருவறையில் இருக்கும் வேலில் எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்கள் குத்தப்படும். அப்படி குத்தப்பட்ட எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்களை மிகவும் பாதுகாப்பாக எடுத்து வைப்பார்கள் கோயில் நிர்வாகிகள். பத்து நாட்கள் கோயில் பூஜை முடிந்ததும் அந்த எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்கள் பொதுமக்கள் முன்னிலையில் ஏலம் விடப்படுவது வழக்கம்.



இந்த எலுமிச்சைப் பழங்களை வீட்டில் வைத்திருந்து நில சம்பிரதாயங்களைச் செய்தால் குழந்தைப்பேறு, சொத்துக்கள், தொழில்களில் முன்னேற்றங்கள் கிடைப்பதோடு கிடைக்கும் கடன் தொல்லைகளும் நீங்கும் என்ற நம்பிக்கை மக்களிடையே நிலவி வருகிறது. அதனால் இந்தப் பழங்கள் ஆயிரக்கணக்கில் ஏலம் எடுக்கப்படும். சென்ற வருடம் நடந்த ஏலத்தில் 9 பழங்களையும் 68 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய்க்கு ஏலம் எடுத்தனர் பொதுமக்கள். யார் வேண்டுமானாலும் இந்தப் பழத்தைப் பெற்று பயனடையலாம். ஆனால் ஊர் நிர்வாகிகள் விடும் இந்த ஏலத்தில் உள்ளூர் மக்கள் மட்டுமே கலந்து கொள்ள முடியும்.

அதன்படி கடந்த 21.03.2018 அன்று கொடியேற்றத்துடன் தொடங்கிய இந்த வருடத்தின் பங்குனி உத்திரத் திருவிழா நேற்று 31-ம் தேதியுடன் முடிவடைந்தது. வழக்கம் போல ஊர் நாட்டமையான பாலகிருஷ்ணன் என்பவர் ஆணி செருப்பின் மீது ஏறி நின்றுகொண்டு முதல் எலுமிச்சைப் பழத்திற்கான ஏலத்தை 1 ரூபாயில் தொடக்கி வைத்தார். அப்போது முதல் நாள் பழம் 35 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய்க்கும், இரண்டாம் நாள் பழம் 8,500 ரூபாய்க்கும், மூன்று மற்றும் நான்காம் நாள் பழங்கள் தலா 8,100 ரூபாய்க்கும், ஐந்தாம் நாள் பழம் 8,500 ரூபாய்க்கும், ஆறாம் நாள் பழம் 8,100 ரூபாய்க்கும், ஏழாம் நாள் பழம் 9,500 ரூபாய்க்கும், எட்டாம் நாள் பழம் 8,100 ரூபாய்க்கும், ஒன்பதாவது நாள் பழம் 8,500 ரூபாய் என மொத்தம் 1 லட்சத்து 2 ஆயிரத்து 900 ரூபாய்க்கு ஏலம் போனது. ஏலம் எடுக்கக் கூடிய மக்கள் கூட்டம் ஒருபுறம் என்றால் இந்த நிகழ்வைக் காணவும் உள்ளூர் வெளியூர் மக்கள் குவிந்திருந்தனர்.

Varsity hikes fine for copying by 10 times

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, APRIL 01, 2018 00:00 IST  THE HINDU

Says students could be debarred for a maximum of three years

The University of Madras has revised the fine amount from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 50,000 for mass copying, Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy informed the Senate on Saturday.

“If the disciplinary committee on examination finds mass copying in any college based on the answer scripts or square visit, we will impose Rs. 50,000 fine on that college. Students will be debarred for a maximum of three years depending upon the severity of the offence,” he said. Senators wanted the institution to expedite the payment of remuneration to examiners. The members said the university paid the teachers three months after the examination was completed. “Even the results are out but the examiners have not received payment,” said a senator. University Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy said currently the examiners are paid within three months but the colleges said the exams were held in December and the results were declared in February. However, the payment had not been made till March.

Improvement panel

When some senators pointed out about the spurt in revaluation, he said the university planned to set up a committee to improve the valuation system by next academic year. The university has decided that henceforth a chief examiner would have seven evaluators under him, instead of five. Some senate members, however, said the older system of five examiners should be continued.

Foreign examiners

Professors complained that remuneration to foreign examiners for Ph.D. candidates had not been paid. The Vice-Chancellor said banks had issued a new rule requiring foreign examiners to provide passport and bank account details.

“Some are not willing to share these details, so we are unable to pay. We have decided to ask the foreign examiner if he or she is willing to share the details. If the person refuses, he or she will not be an examiner,” Mr. Duraisamy explained.

In a bid to resolve long-pending issues, the Vice-Chancellor said he proposed to have a joint meeting with the students, principals and college teachers, university teachers and its administrative staff in April-May. The meeting would discuss issues such as qualification approval for college teachers; Ph.D. relevance certificate for increments; recognition to guide M. Phil/Ph.D. students.

“I plan to set aside a day for walk-in meeting for teachers, students and staff,” Mr. Duraisamy said.

The university paid the teachers 3 months after exam was completedSenate member

Affiliation fee for colleges doubled: Madras varsity V-C

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, APRIL 01, 2018 00:00 IST  THE HINDU 

Criteria revised, sum hiked from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh: Duraisamy

The University of Madras has doubled the affiliation fee for colleges, Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy informed the Senate on Saturday.

In his introductory remarks, Mr. Duraisamy made the announcement that the fee had been hiked from the existing Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh.

Amendments to the university’s relevant statutes had been made to revise the criteria for granting permanent affiliation to colleges and the Syndicate at its meeting on February 19 recommended that the same be placed in the Senate for approval.

Hanifa Ghosh, Principal of Sembium-based Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College for Women, said her institution had applied for permanent affiliation when the fee was Rs. 1 lakh.

Then it was hiked to Rs. 4 lakh and subsequently to Rs. 5 lakh. Yet it had not been given affiliation.

Now the criteria had been revised and yet again the university had hiked the fee, she noted.

Mr. Duraisamy said the revision of criteria necessitated the fee hike. Ms. Ghosh, however, felt it was unfair on the part of the university to ask for the revised fee when it had paid more than that amount considering the number of years that had passed since her college applied.

Another senator also raised the issue of high fee, but Mr. Duraisamy said the colleges would have to pay the difference amount.

The university has decided to hike the fee for verification and issue of degree certificates and preservation of records. This amount will be collected from students from the academic year 2018-19 onwards.

‘Certificates from 2005’

Mr. Duraisamy said the university planned to create a database of students with unique ID, based on the representation received from principals of the autonomous colleges of the university.

“We are going to upload all certificates from 2005,” Mr. Duraisamy informed.

Students of government non-autonomous colleges need not pay a fee, but those in autonomous, aided and self-financing colleges will have to pay a fee.

Each undergraduate student in government autonomous colleges will pay Rs. 300 per year and M.Phil candidates Rs. 1,000 per year.

Association of University Teachers president J. Gandhiraj objected saying the university should find other ways to fund its programmes, but Mr. Duraisamy said the university could not mobilise funds from other sources.

The university has planned to create a database of students with unique ID

Can’t deny mediclaim on technicality: HC
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, APRIL 01, 2018 00:00 IST
Relief for those who chose unempanelled hospitals

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court has concurred with a view taken by a single judge that medical insurance cannot be denied to government servants and pensioners who took treatment in hospitals of their choice without approaching empanelled institutions.

Refusing to entertain a batch of writ appeals preferred by a nationalised insurance company, Justices C.T. Selvam and N. Sathish Kumar observed that an insured person’s claim for reimbursement for having taken treatment from a hospital of his/her choice could be restricted but could not be denied altogether.

The judges refused to even condone the delay of 95 days in preferring the present batch of appeals. Holding that the appellant had not cited plausible reasons for the delay, the Bench said, it had become a routine practice for government institutions to prefer appeals against every other court order.

“The present-day scenario of filing appeals, challenging every court order, clearly exhibits that the heads of the departments are shirking their responsibilities. In fact, now a tendency has developed among department heads to file appeals even in cases without merits only to avoid any query in the future,” it added.

Though only applications to condone the delay had been listed for hearing before the Bench, the judges gave a finding that even the appeals could not be entertained. “Though it is not fair on our part to touch upon the merits, still we are of the view that the order passed by the learned single judge cannot be faulted at all,” they said.

‘State duty-bound’

In his September 4, 2017 judgment, Justice S.M. Subramaniam said: “The State in this regard should be a model employer and the insurance companies, as a State, have a duty to deliver the medical insurance schemes promptly. They cannot escape their liabilities on mere technicalities.”

Referring to insurance claims being settled promptly in many countries, the judge said: “Such a practice is not prevailing in our country. But the Constitutional goal is to achieve such a result and we should thrive towards achieving the same.” The judge criticised the State for forcing even pensioners to file writ petitions seeking reimbursement of medical expenses and the insurance companies for taking repeated adjournments in such cases. He held that the officials were duty-bound to settle genuine claims on time.

Hosp penalised ₹3L for medical negligence 

times of india 31.03.2018

Chennai: The district consumer disputes redressal forum, Chengalpattu, has directed Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Science & Research Centre, Chinna Kolambakkam in Kancheepuram, to pay a compensation of ₹3.10 lakh to a woman for negligence in treatment.

The forum observed that the hospital performed a surgery on the woman when it was not warranted resulting in bladder injury. Petitioner C Mageswari, of Perumbakkam, submitted that she approached the institute with complaints of abdominal pain in October 2013. Doctors there said she had an ovarian cyst. She alleged that the hospital extracted a huge amount in the guise of treatment. Even after the surgery, her condition became worse and on second opinion at another hospital, she was told that the treatment provided to her was absurd.

The woman then approached the forum seeking a compensation of ₹15lakh. The hospital contended that they provided the best treatment available and there was no question of fleecing. The bench of president N Kaliyamurthi, members K Prameela and D Babu Varadharajan after hearing both the sides ruled in favour of the complainant. TNN

Univ asked to repay ₹12L to NRI student
Consumer Forum Also Imposes Fine Of ₹10,000

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 31.03.2018

Chennai: The State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has directed Sri Ramachandra University in Porur to return USD 18,000 (approximately ₹11.73 lakh) collected as excess fee from a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) student who discontinued MBBS course from the university. Condemning the university for unfair practices, the commission also slapped a fine of ₹10,000.

The complainant, Parasaran Rangarajan, had enrolled in the MBBS course in 2009 under the NRI quota. According to the petition filed by him, he had paid a fee amount of USD 1,43,000 (approximately ₹93.16 lakh) in three instalments.

However, the fee turned out to be USD 1,25,000 (₹81.43 lakh). He had also paid the hostel fee for the entire duration of the course.

Parasaran couldn’t finish the course and had to discontinue the five-and-a half year course after a year due to ill-health.

Since he had made an excess payment of USD 18,000 , he appealed to the university administration to return the amount.

However, the authorities sat on the request and never bothered to respond to him despite repeated appeals and writing to them. Following that,he knocked on the doors of the state consumer dispute redressal commission.

The bench comprising Justice Dr S Tamilvanan and K Baskaran, after the final hearing last Wednesday ruled in favour of Parasaran and directed the university to repay the excess fee.

Bank penalised for selling bike without proper documents

Chennai:The State Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has rapped HDFC bank and directed it to pay ₹36,500 with interest to a customer to whom the bank sold abike without proper documentation 10 years ago. It has also directed the bank to pay additional ₹15,000 for causing mental agony to the customer. The complaint was filed by Saravanan. The bench comprised Justice Dr S Tamilvanan and K Baskaran.

The petition said the bank seized a two-wheeler on April 29, 2008, from a customer for not paying the interest amount and sold the same vehicle to Saravanan the very next day. However, they failed to inform the customer about a pending police case against the vehicle. TNN

Police bust fake visa racket, nab two, seize 65 passports

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   31.03.2018

Chennai: The Vepery police busted a fake visa racket by arresting two people, including a woman, on Friday. Police seized 65 passports, fake visas of countries, including Canada and the UK, and other documents such as income tax returns, Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards.

Police said John Xavier, 34, a native of Sivaganga, was operating the racket out of an office on Naval Hospital Road, just a few metres from the Chennai police commissioner’s office. A police team first arrested Xavier and later picked up his assistant Venkateswari, 32, from a hotel. Police have also launched a hunt for four more accomplices in the scam.

Xavier has been operating in the city for more than a year as some of the documents date back to 2017, said an investigating officer. “We suspect that his clients submitted original passports to procure fake visas and travel abroad,” the officer said. Police are verifying whether the other documents seized are original.

Following the seizure, sleuths from the Q branch conducted inquiries with the arrested duo. Preliminary interrogations revealed that they charged up to ₹1lakh for each fake visa.

Venkateswari, a BSc graduate in information technology, had been employed by Xavier since 2013, a senior police officer said, adding that she first approached him to obtain a fake passport and later started working for him.

Further investigations are on to find out how many people availed of fake visas from Xavier to travel abroad. Police have gathered a list of people who approached him for this purpose and are likely to question them.

In July 2017, police had arrested a head constable attached to the intelligence wing of the Chennai city police and a postman in a fake passport scam.

Call for reservation of MBBS seats from backward districts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   31.03.2018

Courts have repeatedly struck down district-based incentives for admission of medical students, but public health experts are urging policy makers to look at reservation in backward districts at the undergraduate level to ensure more doctors in rural areas.

In the past two years, 10 students from Tiruvarur joined a medical college through the state’s single window counselling. From six in 2016, the number dropped to four in 2017 after NEET. The same year, Sivaganga had 13 compared to 712 from Chennai.

Migration becomes another issue when the few medicos from smaller towns move to the city. “Students from the city do not move to rural areas as they are used to the comforts of the city. The government should reserve a certain percentage of seats for those who have studied in a district. Such students should sign a bond to serve in the district for at least five years,” said former director of public health Dr S Elango.

Apart from a bond, it is important to tempt doctors to stay, says Mumbai-based T Sundararaman of school of health systems studies at Tata Institute of Social Studies. “It’s not a problem just in TN or India. It exists across the globe and solutions are the same. In Thailand, doctors working in rural areas are paid twice more than those working in Bangkok,” he said. In addition, uniform equipment and operating procedures will remove the feeling of isolation, he said.

Although TN’s performance in most health indicators is good, it has not been able to achieve uniform standards. “It’s part of our long-term plan. While we are trying to build a medical college in every district (TN has 22), we want to increase seats to 250 in existing colleges. This would mean colleges in rural areas will have the same infrastructure like those in Chennai,” said A Edwin Joe, director of medical education.

City craze ails TN docs, leaves smaller towns ill 

While Chennai Has 18 Doctors For 10,000 People, There Are 2 In Tiruvarur; More Medicos From Districts May Help, Say Experts

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com 31.03.2018

The wait at a doctor’s clinic is usually long, and the queue could be longer if you live outside the city. A recent study by the health department shows that Tamil Nadu isn’t just dealing with a shortage of doctors, an uneven distribution of doctors is letting patients down.

The state medical council register shows an average of eight doctors for every 10,000 people in the state, a little higher than the national average of six. Worse, districts like Chennai have more than 18 doctors per 10,000, but some like Tiruvarur have just two.

Along with Chennai, Tiruvallur (12.4), Namakkal

(11.1) and Kanyakumari (10.2) meet the WHO recommendation of at least 10 doctors per 10,000 people. But at the other end of the scale, districts like Nagapattinam (3) and Tiruvannamalai (2.9) are far below the national average. “The ratio is based on registrations that happened in the past 30 years. There could be slight variations but it is the best indicator we have at present,” said TN State Medical Council president Dr K Senthil.

The poor doctor-patient ratio pulls down health indices such as maternal and child mortality and nutritional status, and leads to under diagnosis of chronic ailments. It also leads to the proliferation of quacks, a large number of whom the directorate of medical services has tracked down in districts like Tiruvannamalai. As there aren’t enough doctors, vacancies in government hospitals and clinics in these districts are proportionately higher.

The absence of data on the total number of hospitals, beds or specialists in each district, makes it more difficult to find a solution for the unequal distribution. In an attempt to find a remedy, Tamil Nadu assembly passed the Clinical Establishment Act last week. “The act will help collate details on facilities available in the private and public sector,” said state health minister C Vijaya Baskar. While the rules of the act are expected to be notified soon, the act will make it mandatory for all clinical establishments to register with the government and provide details about the number of beds, details of equipment and staff.

Last month, a six-member committee, headed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation managing director P Umanath, declared at least 16 of the 32 districts in TN to be backward in terms of health due to inadequate doctor-patient ratio and poor health indices. While it said government doctors in remote areas should be given incentives, it had indicated the need for policy changes that would encourage students from these districts to take up medicine.



LONG WAIT: Vacancies of doctors in GHs in some districts are higher

Holding hands, young couple jumps to death in front of train

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  31.03.2018

Chennai : A young couple died after jumping in front of a speeding train while holding hands in Athipattu near Minjur early on Friday morning.

Horrified witnesses travelling on the train from Chennai to Gummidipoondi called the railway police after the incident at around 6am. The bodies of the duo were taken to the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.

Police identified the couple as A Akash, 21, and S Ramya, 19, both residents of Athipattu. Akash, a contract worker at a thermal power station, befriended Ramya who was a second-year engineering student at a self-financing college. Their families were against the relationship, said a police officer.

“We received a call in the morning and arrived within minutes. Both suffered severe injuries and were dead even before we reached the spot,” said a railway police officer.

The train was halted for about 20 minutes and services were affected for a few hours. However, normalcy returned by mid-afternoon, officials said. A case of unnatural death has been registered.

Data compiled by the Indian Council of Medical Research shows that Tamil Nadu leads the country in the number of suicides. The National Crime Records Bureau has pegged the suicide rate (number of suicides per one lakh population) in the state at around 28% -- three times the national average.

Suicide Helplines: Call 104 helpline or Sneha helpline at 91-44-24640050; 91-44-2464006. Email: help@snehaindia.org

US visa applicants to give social media IDs? 
times of india 31.03.2018

Washington: The US state department has come out with a new proposal mandating all US visa applicants to submit their social media user-names, previous email addresses and phone numbers, vastly expanding the Trump administration’s enhanced vetting of potential immigrants and visitors.

In documents published in Friday’s Federal Register, the department said it wants the public to comment on the proposed new requirements that will affect nearly 15 million foreigners who apply for visas each year. The new rules would apply to virtually all applicants for immigrant and non-immigrant visas.

Previously, social media, email and phone number histories were only sought from applicants identified for extra scrutiny, such as those who have travelled to areas controlled by terrorist organisations. An estimated 65,000 people per year are in that category. AGENCIES

Move may affect 7 lakh immigrant visa applicants

The department estimates it would affect 7,10,000 immigrant visa applicants and 14 million non-immigrant visa applicants, including those who want to come to the US for business or education, according to the documents. The public has 60 days to comment on the revised procedures before the office of management and budget approves or rejects them.

If approved, applications for all visa types would list a number of social media platforms and require the applicant to provide any account names they may have had on them over the previous five years.

Only applicants for certain diplomatic and official visa types may be exempted from the requirements, the documents said.

NOW, DON’T GIVE CASH, JUST SCAN AND PAY 
01.04.2018

For 80-year-old pensioner Devaraj, standing in the serpentine queue at the bank to withdraw money for his family’s monthly expense has been a daunting task, every month.

Similar has been the case with Meera, an IT professional. She says, “I hate it when all I have in my wallet is a ₹2,000 note and everybody from the vegetable vendor to the grocery store guy refuses my purchase because I do not have change.”

Although many pay bills online, when it comes to day-today transactions, they are forced to use cash. However, Equitas Bank has recently launched Digi-Chengai — a project initiated to transform Chengalpattu towards a cashless economy by enabling digital payment solutions.

Elaborating on the initiative, Sanjeev Srivastava, President and Country Head, Equitas Small Finance Bank says, “There is no investment or any rentals involved in enabling Scan and Pay. Merchants can increase their revenue, not miss out any customer, and eliminate the problem of loose change, which is a major concern. We hope to lead the way in the digital banking space and promote financial inclusion of the underserved segment with this venture.”

The bank has conducted awareness programs for all shopkeepers and merchants in Chengalpattu and has provided customised QR stickers for about 500 merchant outlets, which would expand to cover over 2,000 merchant establishments of all sizes shortly. Any customer who shops can download the BHIM App developed by the Central Government and link their account and scan the QR code so that the exact money gets transferred. Customers can make such payment from any bank account that they have. The customer and merchant will get a confirmation message instantly.

VP Jeyaseelan, Sub-Collector of Kanchipuram, who announced the initiative, says, “A smartphone can now become your wallet where you can pay anyone and everyone — from a tender coconut seller to a supermarket, without physical cash. I appreciate the efforts of Equitas bank in promoting an alternative mode to cash to transform Chengalpattu town to a cashless economy.”

The bank also offers a variety of other digital services such as POS at merchants, QRbased acquiring, payment solutions, net and mobile banking, mobile top-ups and corporate net banking. 



(L-R) John Alex, Head, CSR Initiatives, Equitas; MB Nirmal, Trustee; VP Jeyaseelan, Sub-Collector; Dr CK Gariyali, Trustee and Sanjeev Srivastava, President and Country Head

THAT VAZHAPPAZHAM SCENE 
times of india 01.04.2018

Ask any Tamilian what the most famous Tamil cinema joke of all time is and invariably there will be only one answer — the ‘Vazhappazham scene’ from Karagattakkaran. I heard of this scene much before I saw it. A friend from school had seen the film and he narrated it to a bunch of us. He could barely contain himself. He would start laughing uncontrollably in the middle, he would wipe the tears from his eyes. We thought he was crazy! Where was the joke? What was funny about one guy repeating a sentence again and again?

Ah! Therein lies the magic of cinema. How we hooted with laughter when we saw it ourselves. I personally got hiccups that would not go away for hours.

That scene is at the heart of the Goundamani-Senthil partnership. They may have acted together before, but this defined their shtick, established the roles each would play and set them up for posterity.

It has been duplicated, remade and recast so many times by generations of comedians that it might well be a genre by itself. The most notable example, Vadivelu’s “Kaiya pudichi izhuthiya?”

Key to the joke is, of course, the performance of both of them, but let’s dig deeper.

Karagattakkaran might well be inspired by the classic Thillana Mohanambal, Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini’s tour de force. As established there and in countless concert halls, the guy playing the melody, whichever instrument, is usually the leader, with the rhythm section cast as his sidekicks. It is interesting to see that Gangai Amaran reverses the roles here — with Goundamani playing the thavil and yet lording it over the nadaswaram-playing Senthil. I have a feeling that the director was making a point.

Now, the joke itself. One of the things that makes Karagattakkaran a classic is how beautifully it nails the rural milieu, which is why I was surprised to hear that the entire sequence was shot in AVM Studios.

Real care has been taken to present the situation authentically. Note the deft touches in the setup scene where Goundamani asks Senthil to get him the two bananas. You know that Goundamani has just had lunch because it’s a very Tamil thing to have a banana after, but also note the toothpick he has in his mouth (Pic 1). The rest of the music troupe is playing cards in the background, again typical (Pic 2). When Goundamani asks Senthil to get him the bananas, Senthil asks “Rasthaliya Poovam pazhama?” Anybody who has ever got bananas from a bunk-shop will know that these are the two breeds always readily available but Rasthali is the more expensive one so one needs to know which is preferred. Even in the bunk-shop, there is a guy working on a maavaatra kal in the background (Pic 4). All these factors contribute to the immersive nature of the film.

Only midway into the scene, after Senthil buys the bananas does Ilaiyaraaja play his iconic BGM (ta ra tatara ta ra ra….not to be confused with Vikram Vedha’s tharara rararara…). If you observe closely, it coincides with the flashpoint of the scene. After buying the banana, Senthil shrugs and starts eating one. That shrug is the smokinggun (Pic 4). Senthil knows the consequences that will come; the crime is premeditated! Much like in the recent balltampering episode this is the important point. Maybe Bancroft should just have persisted with that black cloth he showed the umpires by saying “Adhaan saar ithu!”

What follows is, of course, the stuff of legend. Senthil’s wide-eyed innocence and Goundamni’s slowly escalating fury is outright hilarious (Pic 5). Junior Baliah, who is stunt-cast to reprise the role of his dad in Thillana Mohanambal, tries to intervene (Pic 6), so does Kovai Sarala, to no avail (Pic 7). Like a guilty character in an American courtroom drama that keeps saying “I plead the fifth amendment” Senthil has only one thing to say.

Go ahead, make your Sunday much better by resurrecting your memories of this scene on YouTube.


THE WORD VIEW

CS AMUDHAN

CS Amudhan has a background in advertising and is the director of Tamil cinema’s first spoof film, Tamizh Padam


THE SCENE HAS BEEN DUPLICATED, REMADE AND RECAST SO MANY TIMES BY GENERATIONS OF COMEDIANS THAT IT MIGHT WELL BE A GENRE BY ITSELF. THE MOST NOTABLE EXAMPLE, VADIVELU’S “KAIYA PUDICHI IZHUTHIYA?” 

Depending too much on data is bad for your company 
01.04.2018  times of india 

Managers are fixated on metrics these days. Everything from sales to your individual performance needs to be measurable. Decisions should be based on metrics, not judgment. Jerry Z Muller, author of ‘The Tyranny of Metrics,’ says this blind faith on metrics is not doing us any good.

While biases can colour our judgment when data is not available, Muller says too much data replaces management with ‘managerialism’, which is the belief that “all organisations are fundamentally the same and can be managed by the same tools...”

By this logic, “the head of a corporation becoming the president of a university or the head of a department of the federal government” is perfectly normal. Muller says this negates the importance of judgment acquired by personal experience and talent.

Under managerialism, metrics become the basis for rewards, which actually hurts performance, Muller shows with examples. For instance, if hospitals start scoring their surgeons on the success rate of surgeries, wouldn’t the surgeons avoid all risky surgeries? It will not only hurt patients who are in urgent need of an operation but also the surgeons themselves who will miss out on important learning opportunities.

When workers are told which metrics they need to work on — this happens in every workplace now — they do so mechanically to the detriment of other goals. For instance, if teachers are to be judged on the scores of their students, they will stress on rote learning. If CEOs are judged on stock prices, they will focus on quarterly profits while reducing spending on research. If police are promoted on the basis of crime statistics from their area, they will try not to note some crimes, or register cases under milder sections.

“In general a focus on measured targets discourages innovation — if the goals are specified in advance, there is little room for initiative, not to speak of risk-taking.”

Muller does not deny the importance of metrics, but he says they cannot be used effectively without judgment. Instead of being the basis for reward and punishment, they should be used to improve performance.

“Judgment is a matter of discrimination: of knowing which cases are harder, more challenging or more important than can be captured by a standardised measurement. And that discrimination is only possible when the judgment is linked to a sense of the overall purposes and peculiarities of one’s office, department, clinic or organisation.”

For more: Knowledge@Wharton


NOT BY DATA ALONE: Use judgement too

Older people are happier because they live mindfully

times of india 01.04.2018

Old age means creaky bones and other ailments but it is also a time of inner calm. Research shows older adults experience more positive emotion than younger people because they live more mindfully.

Youth is a time for plans and ambitions, and the mind is focused on the future. Young people do not worry about the years they have left. However, once people begin to accept that their days are numbered, they become less likely to do things without paying attention.

“It was their focus on the here and now — their greater mindfulness compared to young people — that explained their good moods. The higher their mindfulness, the better they felt.”

But old age is not a binding condition for mindfulness. If you wish to be calm and happy, you can cultivate mindfulness at any age, with practice. It will be useful in your daily life: “The cultivation of mindfulness may be an adaptive means of maintaining emotional well-being when faced with life’s challenges.”

For more: greatergood.berkeley.edu

The stupid reasons why Delhiites kill each other 

From stabbing a delivery guy who was late to beating a customer who complained about food, murders over trivial issues are on the rise. Is impulse killing Delhi’s new problem?

Himanshi.Dhawan@
timesgroup.com   01.04.2018

As if road rage weren’t bad enough, now even minor things like brushing against a person or an inconvenient delay seem to be provoking Delhiites into whipping out knives and guns.

Delhi Police data seems to confirm this. While the number of murders declined from 528 in 2016 to 487 in 2017, murders over trivial issues or sudden provocation as a cause rose from 16% to 18.6%.

What makes people turn violent over petty issues? One of the first studies to examine the differences between impulsive murders and premeditated crimes was conducted by Northwestern University in the US. “Impulsive murderers were much more mentally impaired, in terms of both their intelligence and other cognitive functions,” wrote Robert Hanlon, an expert in clinical psychiatry and neurology and senior author of the 2013 study.

Nearly all impulsive murderers have a history of alcohol or drug abuse and/or were intoxicated at the time of the crime — 93%, compared to 76% of those who strategised about their crimes.

Criminologist Rajat Mitra says most perpetrators in such cases experience “explosive rage”. “Such people are already deeply angry with themselves and the world and often suffer from impulse control disorder. Very often they consider themselves to be failures and victims.” And when a fight over a trivial issue occurs, it touches a raw nerve and acts like a trigger. Such people often report a feeling of calmness after the act. “Their vital signs like blood pressure go down and they experience a high,’’ says Mitra.

• Cannot live without your phone? One Delhi resident was willing to kill for it. Last week, 30-year-old Kamal Deep and her brother allegedly stabbed a Flipkart delivery man because the mobile phone she was supposed to get from the e-commerce site reached her 20 minutes late.

• Last month, Pawan Kumar, 30, was beaten to death with a ladle when he complained about the quality of food in an east Delhi dhaba.

• And a New Year eve’s party went sour for another Delhi resident Vinay Bhati, 30, who was shot and injured. His ‘crime’ was that he accidentally bumped against a man inside a tony south Delhi bar.

• In December, Rohit Saluja, 25, was attacked with knives by three men who tried to stop him from urinating in the open in Timarpur. The victim said he was first lectured on Swachh Bharat

• A month earlier, 24-year-old law student Ashish Bhardwaj, was shot dead after a man objected to his sitting on a park bench and asked him to leave. When Bhardwaj protested, there was an argument and the man pulled out a gun and opened fire.

SUNDAY PROFILE
BEING NIRBHAYA’S MOTHER 

One brutal night transformed Asha Devi into the fearless woman who now speaks up for the voiceless

Himanshi.Dhawan@timesgroup.com   01.04.2018

Asha Devi Pandey, a barely literate woman from a small Uttar Pradesh village, did not know what to say when mikes were thrust in her face the first time five years ago. Her daughter was brutally gang-raped and left to die. The nation was repulsed and jolted. Thousands took to the streets to demand justice, forcing the powers-that-be to rewrite the law against rape. And the trial of her daughter’s attackers began. Something snapped. From another faceless, voiceless migrant whose home and family was her universe, Asha Devi became Nirbhaya’s mother.

“I never imagined my child would be taken away from me like this,” she says. “Right after the incident when my mouth would be dry, when I felt I had no voice, the media came to talk to me. I opened my mouth and the words just tumbled out. Now, it is no longer so difficult. I speak my mind no matter who is on the stage.’’ That hard-won courage was in evidence when she recently took on former Karnataka DGP HT Sangliana for his misogynistic remarks at a Women’s Day event in Bengaluru. The ex-top cop commented on Asha Devi’s physique, saying he could well imagine how beautiful her daughter must have been. He capped his speech by saying that when overpowered, one must surrender to save one’s life.

In an open letter, Asha Devi tore into Sangliana. “You have not just insulted my daughter’s sacrifice but also our struggle to get justice. You are suggesting that my daughter should have surrendered and she could have lived. Then why don’t we ask the Army jawans on our border to surrender so that they can stay alive?” she asks.

The voice is louder now but five years have done little to numb the raw pain in it. But Nirbhaya’s mother is now the symbol of every woman’s fight against discrimination, injustice and the humiliation she must face to bring her assaulters to book.

Nirbhaya too is no longer just her daughter, an average 23-year-old paramedical student chasing her dreams. That girl is now in some corner of the house, packed into a box with her clothes, books and belongings. Nirbhaya is now a symbol of all that is wrong with society, and her mother must carry on the battle the young woman fought from her hospital bed to bring her attackers to justice.

In her home in Delhi’s Dwarka, a poster showing a flame is pinned in the backdrop, helpful for media interviews. There are certificates and plaques displayed in a glass showcase in the living room.

Asha Devi and her husband, Badrinath, have shared the stage with presidents, prime ministers, foreign diplomats, Union ministers, policemen and civil society activists. They have spoken to packed halls, received awards to honour their daughter’s memory and given away awards in their daughter’s name. Nearly every month there is a “women’s empowerment” function that the two end up attending. The functions go little beyond felicitations, but the couple rarely refuse an invite. “If I don’t get on the stage and speak about my daughter’s case, people will forget her. They have already forgotten her…’’ Asha Devi’s voice trails off.

Within days of Nirbhaya’s gangrape inside a bus on the night of December 16, 2012, arrests were made. Men, women and children in various cities took to the streets to demand a stricter law, even capital punishment for rapists. Consequently, a more stringent anti-rape law was passed and a government fund established to improve the safety and security of women. The protests sparked books, poetry, art, and a searing documentary featuring the rapists.

“No one knew me, no one knew my daughter but so many people came to protest. I was so hopeful that something would change. Surely my daughter’s death would not be for nothing,” says Asha Devi. Now, she’s not sure. Of the six attackers, a juvenile has already served his three-year term and been rehabilitated. One committed suicide in prison and the remaining four have recently filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking review of the death penalty. ‘’They are still alive and their families can meet them. It is our fate to wait,” she says.

“When you face difficulty, you tell yourself there is some good at the end of it. That hope makes you move ahead. But now I can see the truth. There is no hope, there is only disappointment,’’ she says. And it is not just about her daughter, it is about the Nirbhayas across the country.

Asha Devi repeatedly mentions the recent rape of an eight-month old in Delhi. “Things are just getting worse.” It is this lack of hope that keeps her up on many nights. But this is something only she knows.

Both Badrinath and Asha Devi receive calls from parents of young girls who have been molested, raped, killed. Often, the parents have no clue about who to complain to, have no resources to pursue cases or have been stalled by the police and authorities. “Mothers call me... They think because I have gone through this, I will understand what they are going through,’’Asha Devi says. The months spent inside police stations and outside court rooms have helped create a network of lawyers, cops and NGOs that she can use. A phone call from her ensures that an abduction complaint pushed aside gets the station officer’s attention or a rape trial that has been pending gets legal representation. This week, a 15-year-old girl from Jharkhand who was working as a domestic help was found hanging at her employer’s residence in Delhi. The teenager’s parents called Asha Devi, who approached the Delhi Commission for Women and helped get the case registered.

The battle has just begun, Nirbhaya’s parents know. Even for those ready to fight for justice, harassment, indignity and humiliation awaits in the neighourhood, at the police station and numerous court hearings. Hope or no hope, there is only one way to go about it. “They say…samaj kya kahega? Mein kehta hoon, kya kahega? Humne kabhi aankh nahi churayee, aur na churayenge (Parents say what will people say? I tell them, what will they say? We have never backed down nor we ever will),” says Badrinath.


HELPING HAND:

Parents who don’t know how to get justice for their girls turn to Asha Devi. She calls station officers to get cases registered, and lawyers for legal aid

Two Maoist supporters held for plot to kill Hyd central varsity VC 

They’re Working On Order Of Telangana Maoist Brass To Avenge Vemula’s Death

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   01.04.2018

Kakinada/Hyderabad:

Two people with Maoist leanings were arrested on Friday night by East Godavari Police on the charge of hatching a plot to assassinate the vicechancellor of University of Hyderabad (UoH), Podile Appa Rao.

Police claimed the duo was acting on orders of Maoist brass of Telangana to avenge the death of dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula, who committed suicide on the campus.

Producing them before media on Saturday, East Godavari SP Vishal Gunni identified them as Ankala Prudviraj, 27, from Gannavaram in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and Chandan Kumar Mishra, 28, from Howrah in West Bengal. The two were students of UoH when Vemula committed suicide in January 2016, and have strong Maoists links.

They hold vice-chancellor Appa Rao responsible for Vemula’s death, police said.

During questioning, Prudviraj and Mishra said they were following orders of Maoist Telangana state committee secretary Haribhushan alias Yapa Narayana and central committee member Chandranna.

By killing the VC, the guerrillas hoped to attract more youth into their fold and replenish their depleting cadre strength, said police.

The duo was arrested at Pitchukalapadu ‘T’ junction on the Bhadrachalam-Cherla Road, after they were evasive to queries by a police patrol party.

Prudviraj, who is currently studying in Siddhartha College, Vijayawada, was a student of UoH between 2010 and 2013 and was an active member of Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika. Drawn to Maoist ideology, Prudviraj later met Sukhadev, Dal commander in Charla area in 2013 and moved with his dalam for two months.

Later, he was arrested by Palvoncha police and sent to Warangal central jail for assisting a Chandranna dalam member. On his release on bail, he resumed work for Maoists.

Police said Chandan Kumar Mishra joined UoH in 2013 to study post-graduation and was a member of Telangana Praja Front, a frontal organization of Maoists. During the agitation after Vemula’s suicide, he got acquainted with Prudviraj and both continued their friendship even after Prudviraj moved to Vijayawada to study law.

In December 2017 and January this year, Mishra and Prudviraj met Maoist leader Haribhushan in Cherla area where they were instructed to kill HCU vice-chancellor Appa Rao.

Speaking to STOI, Cyberabad police said they were informed by AP Police about the arrests of two Maoist sympathisers, who were conspiring to eliminate Appa Rao, but they are yet to get full details.

“The state government has deployed two gunmen for the security of vice-chancellor Appa Rao. He resides inside the UoH campus and there are private security guards at his home too. We are waiting for recommendations of AP police and if required we may further beef up his security,” a senior Cyberabad police told STOI.

HATED FIGURE: The state government has deployed two gunmen for the security of vice-chancellor Appa Rao

New AIIMS plagued by huge vacancies: House panel

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com   01.04.2018

The parliamentary standing committee on health has expressed concern over the fact that work on six AIIMS-like institutions started in 2010 in phase-I of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) remained incomplete even as more such institutions are being announced and taken up for construction. Even in these first six AIIMS-like institutions, only 38.5% of faculty positions and 18% of non-faculty positions have been filled, the panel noted. Yet, 13 more AIIMS-like institutions have been announced since then, of which construction has started in four.

In its report on demands for grants of the department of health and family welfare for 2018-19, it observed that only 704 faculty posts had been filled in the six AIIMS-like institutions out of the sanctioned 1,830 as on January 1, 2018. Only 4,202 posts had been filled out of 22,656 sanctioned posts for nonfaculty positions, with an additional 2,548 posts being filled up on an outsourced basis. With this level of shortage, almost all these institutions have been taking in MBBS students since 2012.

The revelation about the difficulties in staffing even central government funded AIIMS-like institutions raises the question of how the government expects to find the required personnel for upgrading 24 district and referral hospitals to medical colleges, as was announced in the budget this year.

The PMSSY had been launched in 2006 with the objectives of correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country. Along with setting up AIIMS-like institutions, PMSSY also funds the upgradation of existing general medical colleges (GMCs). Of the 13 GMCs taken up in phase-I, 10 have finished upgrading. Another 39 GMCs taken up in phase-II have just started upgradation work.

The shortage of doctors in rural India and hugely expensive private medical colleges having almost 3,300 more seats than government medical colleges, the need for the government to augment the seats for reliable and affordable medical education is obvious.

However, the parliamentary panel was of the view that funding for PMSSY remains sub-optimal. It wondered how the targets would be met within the set time frames. The health secretary told the committee that the projected demand for PMSSY scheme was ₹8,398 crore out of which only ₹3,825 crore, or less than half, has been allocated.

Had the department undertaken a critical analysis of the requirement of faculty and non-faculty staff at the six AIIMS-like institutes, the issue of vacant posts would have been addressed, stated the report adding that the vast shortage of manpower would crumble even the strongest infrastructure.

Patients from Bihar and Uttarakhand continue to burden AIIMS, Delhi as AIIMS Patna and AIIMS Rishikesh are not up to the mark, noted the report. 

No need for women to depose in domestic violence cases, says HC

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com   01.04.2018
 
   TIMES OF INDIA 
Mumbai: In a landmark ruling that comes as a boon to wives battling for maintenance from estranged husbands under the domestic violence Act, the Bombay high court has held that an affidavit filed by the women would suffice as evidence. A woman need not depose in court to make her case. The court, though, can permit the husband to cross-examine her based on the affidavit.

The question before the high court was whether a woman who has filed an application under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DV Act), can be allowed to submit evidence in the form of an affidavit alone. A magistrate in Pune had permitted such a submission, prompting the husband in one case to move high court to challenge it last year. He and his lawyer Abhijit Sarawate wanted the woman to first step into the witness box and depose.

They claimed that an affidavit cannot substitute oral evidence recorded in court in the presence of both sides in a DV case. The wife’s lawyer, Abhijeet Desai, though, argued that the magistrate was right in allowing her affidavit in evidence.

Narrow interpretation would defeat purpose of DV Act, says Bombay HC

After interpreting salutary provisions of the DV Act, the high court answered in favour of the wife. Justice Anuja Prabhudessai, who passed the judgment, held that the DV Act allows the court to devise its own procedures to ensure speedy disposal. “The court, in its discretion, can allow evidence on affidavit and permit cross-examination to test the veracity of the evidence,” she held, adding that “a narrow interpretation would defeat the purpose of the Act”.

The DV Act provides effective and speedy protection to women who are victims of domestic violence, setting out a disposal deadline of 60 days.

“This Act was enacted keeping in view rights guaranteed under articles 14 for right to equality, 15 for prohibition of discrimination on grounds of race, sex etc, and 21 for right to life of the Constitution, to provide for a remedy under the civil law, which is intended to protect the woman from being a victim of domestic violence and to prevent occurrence of domestic violence in society,” said Justice Prabhudessai.

The question of law had emerged in a dispute between a couple that wed in 2013. Two years into the marriage, the husband filed for divorce. The case is pending before a Pune family court. The same year, in 2015, the wife filed for interim maintenance before a magistrate. Her plea was fixed for a date in November 2016 for court to record her evidence. With days to go before the hearing, though, the husband moved the magistrate to claim that she was not entitled to file an affidavit and wanted the court to direct her to step into the witness box as, he said, the proceedings have to conform with provisions for seeking maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The Pune magistrate, though, held that Section 28(2) of the DV Act permits the court to lay down its own procedures for disposal of an application for relief, filed under Section 12. Keeping in mind the 60-day time frame, the Pune court had said the wife’s deposition could be dispensed with and her evidence could be presented through an affidavit. Last year, the husband moved high court to challenge the magistrate’s order. The court found the magistrate was justifiably right. It observed that the DV Act mandates the magistrate to fix the first date of hearing, ordinarily not beyond three days from receipt of the application by the court. The magistrate is required to endeavour to dispose the application within two months from first hearing.

Applying principles of interpretation to effectuate legislative intent, the high court observed, “The DV Act is a beneficial piece of social welfare legislation aimed at providing to the victims of domestic violence speedy relief, which is civil in nature. Though..., there is no specific provision in the DV Act to give evidence on affidavit, Section 28(2)…gives flexibility to the court to depart from the procedure prescribed under Section 28(1) and to devise its own procedure in deciding application under Section 12...”

FOR SPEEDY DISPOSAL

Videocon loan case: ICICI Bank officials quizzed 

TIMES OF INDIA 01.04.2018

New Delhi: CBI has examined a few ICICI Bank officials in its probe related to the alleged nexus between ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar’s husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot.

The agency may soon take a call on whether to call Deepak Kochhar for questioning along with Dhoot and Chanda Kochhar as there are allegations of “conflict of interest” on the latter’s part. Sources said ICICI Bank officials were examined to know more about the details of loan – ₹3,250 crore — given by India’s largest private sector bank to Videocon as part of a consortium and whether they were aware about any quid pro quo. The ICICI Bank officers examined by CBI are nodal officers, whose names officials refused to divulge.

As reported by STOI, CBI lodged a preliminary enquiry (PE), a first step to investigate any matter of alleged irregularity, last month against Dhoot and Deepak Kochhar apart from unknown bank officials.

Officials said they have already examined several documents and private companies connected to the loan have also been asked to provide certain documents.

CBI is investigating if Dhoot provided crores of rupees to a firm promoted by Deepak Kochhar and two relatives six months after Videocon group got ₹3,250 crore as loan from ICICI Bank in 2012. TNN

PIL filed in SC against CBSE’s decision for re-examination
‘All Students Shouldn’t Be Penalised’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  01.04.2018

New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the CBSE’s decision to cancel Class XII economics paper and conduct fresh examination on April 25 after the question paper was leaked.

The petitioner, Reepak Kansal, filed the PIL in the SC through advocate Ashutosh Garg, contending that all the students should not be penalised by forcing them to again appear in examination and probe should be carried out to catch the culprits involved in the paper leak.

Another petition by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava sought CBI inquiry into the paper leak and a compensation of ₹1lakh to each student for the mental agony they suffered due to cancellation of the paper.

“It is to be noted that this year 16.38 lakh students appeared for Class X and 11.8 lakh students for Class XII in the CBSE board examinations. And therefore, to penalise the entire student community for an incident which is under investigation is arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional. There is absolutely no justification whatsoever on the part of the CBSE in deciding to re-conduct the mathematics examination of Class X and economics of Class XII without holding any inquiry and finding out the persons responsible for such serious and intentional lapse,” the petition said.

“It is submitted that due to inaction/ wrong actions of CBSE officials, fundamental rights of students have been violated, who fall in the category of re-examination, as they would not have proper time and opportunity to appear in their respective competitive examinations and are undergoing mental stress and agony due to actions of CBSE officials. It will naturally affect their performance whereas the students who do not fall in the category of reexamination would have more time and opportunity to prepare and appear in their respective competitive examinations,” the petition said.

The HRD ministry has announced April 25 as the date of re-examination for Class XII economics paper and the government said that the CBSE will take a call in the next 15 days if there was a need to conduct retest for Class X mathematics paper. Preliminary inquiry has revealed the Class X paper leak occurred in Haryana and Delhi-NCR and re-exam might be held only in these two regions. 


UP IN ARMS: Students protest in front of the CBSE regional office in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday

Monkey takes away 16-day-old sleeping infant in Odisha village

Binita.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com 01.04.2018

Cuttack: In a shocking incident, a monkey snatched a sleeping 16-day-old boy in Talabasta village, in Banki block of Cuttack district, on Saturday. A massive search operation was launched in the area but neither the monkey, nor the baby had been found till the time this report was filed.

The father of the yet-tobe-named infant, Rama Krushna Nayak, 32, was lying next to his child in the verandah of their house when the incident occurred.

His wife, 28-year-old Sarojini, who had woken earlier and was busy with some chore, saw the animal approach the verandah by scaling the boundary wall and scamper off with her child around 6.10am. By the time she could scream, the animal had disappeared with the baby. “The child was sleeping under a small mosquito net. The monkey managed to lift the net and take him away. Sarojini saw it flee with her baby,” said Pramilla, a relative.

Other family members said the infant did not cry since it had been born prematurely and was very weak. After being under treatment in Cuttack, he had been brought home on Thursday. “We are really worried about his health,” said Suresh, another relative. The infant is the Nayak couple’s first child. Sarojini, who has fainted several times since morning, has been admitted in hospital.

Forest officials, accompanied by more than 500 villagers, participated in the search operation. Small teams were formed to look through every tree-top, house and field in Talabasta and its surrounding villages but to no avail.

“Our men climbed every tree in the area but we are yet to find the two,” said Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of Dampara forest range. “If the monkey enters the Chandanka-Dampara wildlife sanctuary near the village, it will be impossible tofind it,” said a forestofficer.

Angry villagers alleged that monkeys often strayed into their area. “They enter houses and take away vegetables and household items. But this is the first time a baby has been taken,” said Dipak Das, a villager.

Madras varsity set to charge colleges ₹2K per student to digitise student records

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com  01.04.2018

Chennai : A move by the University of Madras to collect an administrative fee from autonomous affiliated colleges for digitisation and preserving records of students on Saturday was met with stringent opposition from some senate members representing affiliated colleges.

During its senate meeting, the university proposed to ratify a syndicate decision to collect ₹600 per year per student for undergraduate students, ₹1,000 for postgraduate and ₹2,000 for MPhil students of self-financing and aided autonomous colleges as administrative fees. It proposed half the fee for autonomous state-run colleges.

Using these funds, the university proposes to provide a digi-locker facility. All student documents such as degree certificates and mark sheets from 2005 onwards will be digitised and will be available at the click of a button. Currently, students have to wade through red tape for copies of these documents.

RKM Vivekananda College professor J Gandhiraj said the fee was too high and requested the university to reduce it and make it a one-time payment. “We were told that this fee was fixed because the university’s financial position is bad,” he said.

However, vice-chancellor P Duraisamy said the fee had nothing to do with the university’s financial position. “The university collects ₹250 for issuing a degree certificate. We have been subsidising the autonomous colleges by using funds from non-autonomous colleges. While we collect only ₹65 per paper for examinations, autonomous colleges collect ₹150. UGC also gives funds to autonomous colleges for conducting examinations,” he said, justifying the levy. An MOU has been signed with National Academic Depository for the purpose, he added.

Court refuses relief to PF official held on bribery charge

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   01.04.2018

Chennai: Refusing any relief to an enforcement officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) who was arrested by the CBI in January last under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Madras high court has dismissed his discharge plea.

Justice G Jayachandran passed the order on the plea moved by G Elumalai seeking to set aside the order of the XIII additional special court for CBI cases, Chennai, dated December 28, 2017.

On January 15, CBI had arrested Elumalai along with the prime accused E S Durga Prasad, regional commissioner of EPFO, in an alleged bribery case involving Saveetha Group of Institutions. Five others were also arrested in this connection. According to prosecution, Durga Prasad had allegedly demanded Rs 25 lakh as illegal gratification for favouring the educational group which runs a university and a few colleges in Tamil Nadu. Based on a tip, CBI sleuths laid a trap and nabbed Durga Prasad near Ambattur while accepting a bribe of Rs 14.5 lakh from Sengottiyan. When the plea came up for hearing, Elumalai submitted that he has only discharged his duty as an enforcement officer and there is no evidence to show that he received any amount as illegal gratification. Mere association with the other accused in an official capacity cannot be considered to make him aparty to the conspiracy.

“When no material was seized from me and when no incriminating evidence was placed before the court against me, the prosecution ought to have dropped the proceedings against me,” Elumalai contended. Relying on the evidence given by the prosecution, the judge said it appears from the material that when Durga Prasad received the bribe, this petitioner was present along with him. There is enough material to indicate that the petitioner herein had full knowledge of it and was party to the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification. Since prima facie case is made out against him that is sufficient to frame charges, the request to discharge the petitioner does not arise.

Limb lost, but not love: Couple wed in hospital

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com 01.04.2018

Vellore: Love conquers all? Isn’t that’s the dog-eared cliché of improbable romantic novels?

It’s also the story of a 23-year-old woman who on Saturday married the love of her life in Vaniyambadi Government Hospital, where he was recuperating after losing a leg in a fall from a moving train on January 23.

To say Shilpa — from Masinagudi in Ooty, who met Vijay in class as a BSc (computer science) student at a Coimbatore college in 2013 — and her new husband are up against the odds would be putting it mildly.

Shilpa and Vijay graduated in 2017. Shilpa is yet to find a job (though, a relative said, in feverish SMSs to Vijay as he lay in hospital, she vowed to do whatever it took to provide for their new household).


STANDING UP FOR LOVE: Vijay lost his leg after falling off a moving train last January

After battle to get married, couple ready to take on life

Vijay, also 23, from Govindapuram in Vaniyambadi, had a temporary job as a data entry operator in Coimbatore when a friend gave him a lead: A promising job in Bengaluru.

While returning home after attending an interview for the post, he slipped and fell from a train near Bangarapet in Kolar district of Karnataka. Doctors at a hospital in Karnataka had to amputate his leg just below the knee. Doctors at the Karnataka hospital later referred referred him to Vaniyambadi Government Hospital.

Vijay, whose parents Ram and Muthamma are daily wage workers, hopes to find work in four months or so, by which time doctors said he would have started physiotherapy and should be able to get around with a walker.

Having overcome objections from her mother — anxious that Vijay may now not be able to provide for her daughter — to get married to, however, Shilpa is far from intimidated by the future, said a relative who arrived at Vaniyambadi Government Hospital for the marriage. “Her courage has rubbed off on Vijay,” he said.

“After they completed their studies, Shilpa and Vijay decided to get married,” the relative said. “They had their families’ blessings. Then tragedy struck.” After she learned about Vijay’s condition, Shilpa tried to convince her mother, a widow, and her relatives that she intended to go with the wedding, he said. Married life would not be easy but she did not care, the relative said.

One of Vijay’s relatives accompanied Shilpa on the train from Ooty. The wedding took everyone in the hospital by surprise. Wary of any adverse reaction from either family, officials discharged Vijay from the hospital. But patients in the ward and their relatives blessed the couple by sprinkling flowers on the groom and blushing bride by way. The nuptials may have caught the doctors off guard, but most were pleasantly surprised by Shilpa’s conviction.

“We were surprised when [Vijay] tied the knot with the girl,” a doctor said with a goodnatured smile. “She was wearing a traditional sari.”

வேலூர் விஐடி தின விழா: 4,187 மாணவர்களுக்கு ரூ.12 கோடி உதவித் தொகை
By DIN | Published on : 31st March 2018 02:23 AM |

சிறந்த மாணவியாக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட கே.ரட்சணாவுக்கு தங்கப்பதக்கம், விருது வழங்கி கௌரவித்த விஐடி வேந்தர் ஜி.விசுவநாதன்.

வேலூர் விஐடி பல்கலைக்கழக தின விழாவில் 4,187 மாணவ, மாணவிகளுக்கு கல்வி உதவித் தொகையாக ரூ. 12.03 கோடி வழங்கப்பட்டது. மேலும், சிறந்த மாணவிக்கான வேந்தரின் தங்கப்பதக்கம் மாணவி கே.ரட்சணாவுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது.

விஐடி பல்கலைக்கழக தினம், விளையாட்டு விழா விஐடி அண்ணா அரங்கில் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை நடைபெற்றது.

விழாவுக்கு, தலைமை வகித்து, பல்வேறு பிரிவுகளின் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட சிறந்த மாணவ, மாணவிகளுக்கு தங்கப்பதக்கம், ரொக்க விருதுகளை வழங்கி வேந்தர் ஜி.விசுவநாதன் பேசியதாவது:

விஐடி மாணவர்கள் கல்வி, நன்னடத்தை, ஆராய்ச்சி உள்ளிட்ட அனைத்திலும் சாதனை படைத்து வருகின்றனர். ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மாணவ, மாணவிகள் பயிலும் விஐடி வளாகம் தூய்மை வளாகமாக விளங்கி வருகிறது. இதற்கு தூய்மை திட்டத்தில் மாணவர்களுக்கு உள்ள ஆர்வமும், அர்ப்பணிப்புமே காரணமாகும். விஐடியில் செயல்படுத்தப்பட்டு வரும் கற்றல், கற்பித்தல் திட்டத்தால் பேராசிரியர்கள், மாணவர்களிடையே ஆராய்ச்சிப் பணிகளில் ஆர்வம் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இதனால், ஆராய்ச்சி இதழ்களை வெளியிடுவதில் நாட்டில் விஐடி முதலிடத்தில் உள்ளது.

வளர்ந்து வரும் நாடான இந்தியாவில் உள்ள கல்லூரிகள், பல்கலைக்கழகங்களின் எண்ணிக்கை போதுமானதாக இல்லை. நாட்டில் உயர்கல்வி பயில்பவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை 24 சதவீதமாக உள்ளது. உயர் கல்வி படிக்க தகுதியுள்ள 14 கோடி பேரில் 3.5 சதவீதத்தினருக்கு மட்டுமே வாய்ப்பு கிடைக்கிறது. எனவே, மத்திய, மாநில அரசுகள் உயர்கல்வி நிலையங்களின் எண்ணிக்கையை அதிகரித்து கல்வி உதவித் தொகை வழங்கும் வகையில் கல்விக்கான நிதி ஒதுக்கீட்டை அதிகரிக்க வேண்டும். இதற்கு, தொழில் நிறுவனங்களும் ஆதரவாக இருக்க வேண்டும்.
மேலும், நாட்டில் கல்வி முறையில் மாற்றம் கொண்டுவர வேண்டும். இதற்கான பரிந்துரைகளை இந்திய கல்வி மேம்பாட்டு சங்கம் மத்திய அரசுக்கு வழங்கியுள்ளது. சங்கத்தின் பரிந்துரைகளை அரசு கவனத்தில் கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்றார் அவர்.

இன்டஸ் இந்த் வங்கியின் தலைவர் ஆர்.சேஷசாயி பேசியதாவது:
மாணவர்களிடையே ஆழமாக கற்பதற்கான ஆர்வம் வேண்டும். அதிலும் கண்டுபிடிப்புக்காக கற்கும் போதுதான் மகிழ்ச்சி உருவாகும். அதேபோல், மாணவர்கள் தங்களை படைப்பாளிகளாக உணர வேண்டும். அதற்கு புதிய எண்ணங்களை உருவாக்கவும், அந்த எண்ணங்களுக்குத் தீர்வு காணவும் வேண்டும். வளரும் நாடான இந்தியா வளர்ந்த நாடாக மாற தொழில் முனைவோர்கள் அதிகளவில் உருவாக வேண்டும். தொழில் முனைவோரை உருவாக்குவதற்காக மாணவர்களின் கற்றல் முறை இருக்க வேண்டும். அத்தகைய கற்றலுக்கு வயது என்பது இல்லை. தொடர்ந்து கற்றல் இருக்க வேண்டும் என்றார் அவர்.

தொடர்ந்து டிஎக்ஸ்சி டெக்னாலஜிஸ் நிறுவன மூத்த துணைத் தலைவர் சாம்சன் டேவிட் கெளரவ விருந்தினராக பங்கேற்று மாணவ, மாணவிகளுக்கு கல்வி உதவித் தொகையை வழங்கினார்.

விழாவில், 4,187 மாணவ, மாணவிகளுக்கு கல்வி உதவித் தொகையாக ரூ. 12.03 கோடியும், விஐடி வேந்தரின் சிறந்த மாணவிக்கான தங்கப்பதக்கம் கே.ரட்சணாவுக்கும், சிடிஎஸ் நிறுவன விருது மாணவர் அபிஜீத் தாகூருக்கும், டிசிஎஸ் நிறுவன விருது மாணவர் ஷிவோம் பகுகுணாவுக்கும் வழங்கப்பட்டது. மாணவர் பேரவை நிர்வாகி யானிக் அந்தாவோ வரவேற்றார். விஐடி ஆண்டறிக்கையை துணைவேந்தர் ஆனந்த் ஏ.சாமுவேல், விளையாட்டு ஆண்டறிக்கையை பேராசிரியர் ரூபன் குமார், மாணவர் பேரவை ஆண்டறிக்கையை மாணவி ஐஸ்வரியா லட்சுமி ஆகியோர் வாசித்தனர்.

இதில், விஐடி துணைத் தலைவர் ஜி.வி.செல்வம், இணை துணைவேந்தர் எஸ்.நாராயணன், பதிவாளர் கே.சத்தியநாராயணன், மாணவர் நலன் இயக்குநர் அமித் கே.மகேந்திரகர் உள்ளிட்டோர் பங்கேற்றனர்.

நாளை முதல் தாஜ்மகாலை ஒரு நாளைக்கு மூன்று மணி நேரம் மட்டுமே பார்வையிட அனுமதி!

By DIN | Published on : 31st March 2018 07:30 PM  |


ஆக்ரா: உலக அதிசயங்களில் ஒன்றான தாஜ்மகாலை நாளை முதல் ஒரு நாளைக்கு மூன்று மணி நேரம் மட்டுமே பார்வையிட அனுமதி அளிக்கப்படும் என்று தகவல் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

உலக அதிசயங்களில் ஒன்று இந்தியாவின் தாஜ்மகால். காதலின் சின்னமான இது அனைத்து தரப்பையும் ஈர்த்து வருகிறது. தாஜ்மகாலை காண உலகின் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் இருந்து சுற்றுலா பயணிகள் இந்தியாவிற்கு தொடர்ச்சியாக வருகை புரிகின்றனர்.

தாஹ்மஹாலுக்கு ஆண்டிற்கு சராசரியாக 80 லட்சம் பார்வையாளர்கள் வந்து செல்வதாக சுற்றுலாத்துறை தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. குறிப்பாக தாஜ்மஹாலை பார்வையிட தினமும் சுமார் 50,000 சுற்றுலா பயணிகள் வருகின்றனர்.

இவர்களில் 5 வயதுக்குட்பட்டவர்களுக்கு அனுமதி இலவசம். இந்தியர்களுக்கும், வெளிநாட்டினருக்கு நுழைவுக் கட்டணம் வசூலிக்கப்பட்ட போதிலும், நேரக்கட்டுப்பாடு என்பது இல்லை.

இந்நிலையில் தாஜ்மகாலை நாளை முதல் ஒரு நாளைக்கு மூன்று மணி நேரம் மட்டுமே பார்வையிட அனுமதி அளிக்கப்படும் என்று தகவல் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

தொடர்ச்சியாக வரும் பார்வையாளர்களினால் உண்டாகும் மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் இருந்து தாஜ்மஹாலை பாதுகாக்கும் வகையில், இவ்வாறு பார்வையாளர்களை அனுமதி நேரத்தில் மாற்றம் கொண்டு வர அதனைப் பாதுகாத்து வரும் தொல்லியல் துறை முடிவு செய்துள்ளது.

அதன்படி ஏப்ரல் 1-ம் தேதி முதல் தாஜ்மஹாலை பார்வையிட 3 மணி நேரம் மட்டுமே அனுமதி வழங்கப்படும். மேலும் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட நேரத்திற்கு மேல் சுற்றி பார்க்க விரும்புபவர்களுக்கு கூடுதல் கட்டணம் வசூலிக்கலாம் என்றும் மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாடு வாரியம் தொல்லியல் துறைக்கு பரிந்துரை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது.

கொலைக் களமாகும் காதல்!

By ஆர். வேல்முருகன் | Published on : 31st March 2018 01:25 AM

காதல் என்ற சொல்லை நினைத்தாலே அனைவருக்குமே குறிப்பாக இள வயதினருக்கு ஓர் இனம்புரியாத கவர்ச்சி மனதுக்குள் மத்தாப்புக் கோலம் போடும். ஆனால் கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளாக நடந்து வரும் சம்பவங்களைப் பார்த்தால் காதல் என்ற சொல்லுக்கான அர்த்தம் கொலைக்களம் என்று மாறிவிடுமா என்ற பயம் அனைவருக்குள்ளும் ஊசலாடி வருகிறது.

கடந்த சுமார் 15 ஆண்டுகளில் இந்தியாவில் மட்டும் காதல் பிரச்னைகளுக்காக சுமார் 40 ஆயிரம் பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டிருப்பதாகவும் சுமார் 80 ஆயிரம் பேர் தற்கொலை செய்து கொண்டதாகவும் புள்ளி விவரங்கள் கூறுகின்றன.
கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளாகவே அங்கொன்றும் இங்கொன்றுமாகத் தமிழகம் மட்டுமில்லாமல் நாடு முழுவதும் ஆணவக் கொலைகள் அரங்கேறி வருவதைப் பார்க்கிறோம். மூத்தோர் ஏற்காத காதலால்தானே இவை நிகழ்கின்றன. துர்மரணங்கள் மட்டுமே ஊடகங்கள் மற்றும் செய்தித் தாள்களில் வெளிவந்து பொதுமக்களின் கவனத்தைக் கவர்கின்றன.

ஆனால் காதலித்துத் திருமணம் செய்யும்வரை மானே, தேனே என்று கொஞ்சிப் பேசும் சில ஆண்மக்களின் உண்மை சொரூபம் திருமணத்துக்குப் பின் பெண்ணுக்குத் தெரிய வரும் தருணத்திலேயே அவள் மனதளவில் மாண்டுவிடுகிறாள். அப்போதுதான் பெற்றோரும் உற்றோரும் சொல்வது அவளுக்குப் புரியவரும்.

பொதுவாகவே வீடுகளில் பெண் பிள்ளைகளுக்குச் செல்லம் அதிகம். அதேபோல பெண்கள் வயதுக்கு வந்த பின் கட்டுப்பாடுகளும் அதிகம். ஆண்களுக்குச் செல்லமும் குறைவு, கட்டுப்பாடுகளும் குறைவு.
செல்லமாக வளர்க்கப்படும் பெண்கள் என்றாவது ஒரு நாள் தந்தையோ அல்லது தாயோ கடுமையாகப் பேசிவிட்டால் மனமுடைந்துவிடுகிறார்கள். இந்தப் பிரச்னையைத் தங்கள் தோழிகள் அல்லது தோழர்களிடம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்கிறார்கள். அவர்கள் நல்லவர்களாக இருந்தால் பிரச்னையில்லை. ஆனால் ஆறுதல் சொல்கிறேன் என்ற போர்வையில் இவர்கள் மீது உரிமை எடுப்பது போல நடித்து, காதலில் ஈடுபடுத்துவது மன்னிக்க முடியாத குற்றம்.
பொருத்தமில்லாத நபரை, வெறும் தோற்றத்தைக் கண்டு மயங்கி, காதலித்து, பெற்றோர் எதிர்ப்பை மீறித் திருமணம் செய்து, காலம் கடந்து, தாங்கள் விழுந்த குழியிலிருந்து எவ்வாறு மீள்வது என அறியாத பெண்கள் எத்தனையோ. இது இப்படியென்றால் மதம் மாறித் திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டு வேதனைப்படுபவர்களை என்னவென்று சொல்வது?

பொதுவாக காதல் திருமணங்கள் அனைத்தும் தோல்வியில் முடிவதில்லைதான். ஆனால் பொருளாதார ரீதியாகப் பிரச்னை இல்லாத திருமணங்கள் மட்டுமே பெரும்பாலும் வெற்றி பெறுகின்றன என்பது கண்கூடு.
முன்பெல்லாம் கூட்டுக் குடும்பங்கள் அதிகமாக இருந்தன. தவறு செய்தால் சுட்டிக் காட்டுவதற்கு வீடுகளில் பெரியவர்கள் இருந்தார்கள். ஆனால் இப்போது 95 சதவீத குடும்பங்களில் அந்த முறை சிதைந்துவிட்டது. இப்போதுள்ள ஒரு சில பெரியவர்கள் மகன், மகள் குழந்தைகளுக்கு இடையில் பிரிவினையைத்தான் விதைக்கின்றனர். இதனால் அன்பு, பாசத்துடன் வளர வேண்டிய அடுத்த தலைமுறை பிரிவினையைக் கற்றுக் கொள்கிறது.
இதுபோன்ற குழந்தைகள்தான் பெரும்பாலும் காதல் எனும் புனிதத்தைக் கெடுக்க வந்து, தம் வாழ்விலும் கேடு விளைவித்துக் கொள்கின்றனர். அவசரமாகக் கல்யாணம் செய்து கொண்டு, குழந்தையையும் பெற்றுக் கொண்டு, சாவகாசமாக சங்கடப்பட்டுக் கொண்டே வாழ்க்கையை முடித்துக் கொள்கின்றனர்.

தமிழகத்தை மட்டும் எடுத்துக் கொண்டால் கடந்த சில மாதங்களுக்குள் 6-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கொலைகள். அதன் பின்னணியில் இருப்பது பெரும்பாலும் ஒருதலைக் காதல்தான். சென்னையில் அண்மையில் கல்லூரி வாசலில் கழுத்தை அறுத்துக் கொலை செய்யப்பட்ட ஒரு பெண்ணுக்குத் தேவையான செலவுகளைச் செய்து படிக்க வைத்த அவளுடைய காதலன், அப்பெண்ணின் பாராமுகத்தால் கொலை செய்ததாகக் கூறியிருக்கிறான். இவர்கள் விவகாரம் அனைவருக்குமே தெரியும் என்கிறார்கள். ஆனால் உண்மை என்பது இந்த சம்பவங்களில் மட்டும் அடங்கிப் போவதில்லையே. விசாரணை முடிந்து கொலையாளிக்குத் தண்டனை கிடைத்தாலும் போன உயிர் திரும்ப வருமா? அந்தத் தீர்ப்பினால் மட்டுமே சமூக நிலை மாறிவிடுமா? அமில வீச்சு ஒரு தனிக் கதை.

பெண்களைப் பெற்றவர்கள் வயிற்றில் நெருப்பைக் கட்டிக் கொண்டு இருப்பதாகக் கூறுவார்கள். ஆனால் இதைப் போல காதலில் சிக்கி சின்னாபின்னமாகும்போது அல்லது காதல் திருமணம் செய்யும்போது உறவு மற்றும் ஊர்க்காரர்கள் பேசும் பேச்சு சொல்லி மாளாது. இதற்குப் பயந்துதான் பெரும்பாலானவர்கள் தற்கொலை செய்து கொள்கிறார்கள். இதில் நவநாகரிகப் பெருநகரம், சிற்றூர் கிராமம் என்ற பேதமில்லை.
மகளோ அல்லது மகனோ தவறு செய்யும்போது கண்டிக்கும் பெற்றோர், அவர்கள் நல்லது செய்யும்போது அதைப் பாராட்டவும் தயங்கக் கூடாது. அவரவரின் சிறு உலகில் குறுகி அடைந்துவிடாமல், குறைந்தபட்சம் விடுமுறை தினத்திலாவது வாரிசுகளின் மேல் தங்களுக்கு அக்கறை உண்டு என்பதை அவர்களுக்குப் புரிய வைக்க வேண்டும். அப்போது எந்த விஷயமாக இருந்தாலும் அதைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வார்கள்.

இவ்வாறு தங்களின் அன்பை வாரிசுகளுக்குப் புரிய வைப்பதன் மூலம், இளையோருக்குத் தவறு செய்யத் தோன்றாது. பெற்றோர் தங்கள் மீது வைத்திருக்கும் அன்பை நினைத்தாவது பெற்றோருக்குத் தலைகுனிவை ஏற்படுத்தக் கூடாது என்ற மனநிலை குழந்தைகளுக்குத் தோன்றும். அப்போதாவது ஒருதலைக் காதலும் அதனால் விளையும் கொலைகளும் தடுக்கப்படும்.

வருமான வரி தாக்கல்: ஆணையர்கள் எச்சரிக்கை

Added : ஏப் 01, 2018 00:58 |

  சென்னை: 'வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்யாதவர்கள் மீது, சட்ட ரீதியான நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்கப்படும்' என, வருமான வரித்துறை ஆணையர்கள் கூறினர்.கடந்த, 2015 - 16, 2016 - 17ம் நிதியாண்டுகளுக்கான, வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வதற்கான காலக்கெடு, நேற்றுடன் நிறைவடைந்தது.வரி தாக்கல் செய்ய, காலக்கெடு நீட்டிக்க வாய்ப்பு இல்லை என்பதால், சென்னை, வருமான வரி அலுவலகத்தில் அமைக்கப்பட்ட, இணையதள சிறப்பு கவுன்டர்களில், ஏராளமானோர் வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்தனர். இணையதளம் வாயிலாக, வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்தவர்களுக்கு, நேற்று இரவு, 12:00 மணி வரை அவகாசம் கிடைத்தது.

இது குறித்து, வருமான வரித்துறை ஆணையர்கள், சங்கரன், பழனிவேல்ராஜன் கூறியதாவது: இரண்டு நிதியாண்டுகளுக்கான, வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வதற்கான அவகாசம், நேற்றுடன் முடிந்தது. கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்யாதவர்கள், இனிமேல் தாக்கல் செய்ய முடியாது. மேலும், அவர்கள் மீது, வருமான வரி சட்டப்படி, நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்கப்படும்.வருமான வரி, அதற்கான வட்டி, அபராதம் வசூலித்தல் போன்றவையும், சட்ட ரீதியிலான நடவடிக்கைகளும் எடுக்கப்படும். மேலும், கடந்த நிதியாண்டுக்கு என நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட, 71 ஆயிரத்து, 500 கோடி ரூபாய், வரி வருவாய் இலக்கை அடைவோம் என்ற நம்பிக்கையும் உள்ளது. இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

அதிகரிக்க வாய்ப்பு : வருமான வரித்துறை நடவடிக்கையால், 2016 - 17ம் ஆண்டுக்கான, வருமான வரி செலுத்துதல் மற்றும் கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்ததில், புதியவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரிக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது. கடந்த, 2015 - 16, 2016 - 17ம் நிதியாண்டுகளுக்கான, வருமான வரி தாக்கல், நேற்றுடன் முடிந்தது. கூடுதலாக, வரி வசூலிக்க, வருமான வரித்துறை, புதிய வழிமுறைகளை கையாண்டுள்ளது. இதன் வாயிலாக, புதிதாக கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்வோர் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரிக்கும் என, எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.
இது தொடர்பாக, வருமான வரித்துறை அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறியதாவது: வருமான வரி வசூலில், ஆண்டுதோறும், பல உத்திகள் கடைபிடிக்கப்படும். அவை, சட்டத்திற்கு உட்பட்டு மாற்றப்படும். அதன்படி, நடப்பு ஆண்டில், வரி வருவாயை அதிகரிக்க, 10க்கும் மேற்பட்ட புதிய வழிமுறைகள் கடைபிடிக்கப்பட்டன. இதன் வாயிலாக, மாத சம்பளதாரர்கள், ஓய்வூதியதாரர்களை தவிர்த்து, கூலி வேலை செய்பவர்கள், மாடு மேய்ப்பவர்கள் போன்ற பிரிவினருக்கும், வருமான வரி செலுத்தும்படி கடிதம் அனுப்பப்பட்டது. அதற்கு, அவர்கள் தெரிவித்த பதிலில், குறிப்பிட்ட வருவாய் தவிர, இதர வருவாய் இருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. அவற்றை கண்காணிக்க, தனி ஆணையர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டு, அவருக்கு கீழ், பல அதிகாரிகள் பணிபுரிகின்றனர். அதனால், இந்த ஆண்டு, புதிதாக வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்தவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரிக்க வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. அவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

எதிர்பார்ப்பு : கடந்த ஆண்டு மார்ச் மாதத்தில், 2.50 லட்சத்துக்கும் அதிகமானோர், வருமான வரி கணக்கு தாக்கல் செய்தனர். நடப்பாண்டில், இந்த எண்ணிக்கை, சில தினங்களுக்கு முன்னரே, நான்கு லட்சத்தை எட்டியது; தற்போது, ஆறு லட்சத்தை தாண்டும் என, எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.இதற்கு, முதல் முறையாக, வருமான வரித்துறை தலைமை ஆணையரின் கையெழுத்திட்ட, 20 லட்சம் நினைவூட்டல் கடிதங்கள் அனுப்பப்பட்டதும்; வரித் தாக்கல் அவகாசம் குறைக்கப்பட்டதும், முக்கிய காரணம்.

கோடை சுற்றுலா அறிவிப்பு

Added : ஏப் 01, 2018 00:01

சென்னை: தமிழக சுற்றுலாத்துறை, கோடை கால சுற்றுலாக்களை அறிவித்துள்ளது.சுற்றுலா பயணி களின் வருகையில், தமிழகம், முதன்மை மாநிலமாக உள்ளது. கோடை விடுமுறையை முன்னிட்டு, ஏப்., முதல் ஜூன் வரை, பல்வேறு சுற்றுலாக்களை அறிவித்துள்ளது. இதன்படி, ஊட்டி, கொடைக்கானல், ஒகேனக்கல், பெங்களூரு, மூணாறு ஆகிய ஐந்து இடங்களுக்கு, வெள்ளி இரவு புறப்பட்டு, திங்கள் காலை திரும்பும் வகையில், மூன்று நாள் சுற்றுலா திட்டங்கள் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.சுற்றுலா செல்லும் இடம், பஸ் வசதியை பொருத்து, கட்டணம் நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது.இதற்கான விபரங்களை, சென்னை, வாலாஜா சாலையில் உள்ள, தமிழ்நாடு சுற்றுலா வளர்ச்சி கழக மேலாளரை நேரிலோ, 044 - 2533 3333, 2533 3857 ஆகிய தொலை பேசி எண்களிலும், 1800 425 31111 என்ற, கட்டணமில்லா தொலைபேசியிலும் தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம்.