Secretariat staff to undergo 6-month mandatory training

Dennis S. Jesudasan

CHENNAI, JULY 13, 2018 00:00 IST



Section Officers and Under Secretaries will undergo training to keep up with changes in various spheres of governance.
Exercise will give officials exposure to all aspects of governance

In a major revamp of the training scheme for Section Officers (SOs) and Under Secretaries (USs) posted in various departments in the Secretariat, the government, after 25 years, has introduced a “compulsory” six-month capacity-building training to keep up with the changes in all spheres of governance.

The deputations of these officers to various districts will commence in October and the training aims to help the officers gain experience in the functioning of various State public sector undertakings and follow the trail of schemes till they reach the beneficiaries.

“At the end of the training, the trainees will make a presentation on the training experience, and based on their interaction during the presentation, an evaluation will be done and a rating will be given for each trainee. These ratings may be used while assessing the trainees’ suitability for higher responsibilities,” a G.O. issued by the Chief Secretary stated.

For Under Secretaries, the training would include a three-month classroom and city offices training programme. They would be put through classroom coaching in an eight-week capsule at the Anna Institute of Management and a one-week capsule at the State Judicial Academy here; they will also undertake visits to important offices in the city for two weeks. The officers are to be sent for training during the non-budget period in two batches a year – in July and in October.

The six-month training for Section Officers would have two components: a three-month training capsule in various offices in Chennai and a three-month deputation to offices of various departments in 30 districts across the State (excluding Chennai and the Nilgiris).

Requests for exemption

The selection and deputation of Under Secretaries and Section Officers for training and allocation of choice districts will be only as per seniority, and requests for priority allocation of districts and for exemption from undergoing the training either in a particular batch or for total exemption “shall be summarily rejected,” the order stated.

“100% attendance shall be a prerequisite for their appointment to the posts of Under Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries, respectively, and necessary amendments to the Special Rules for the Tamil Nadu General Service will be issued separately,” the G.O. noted.

The decision of the government follows the recommendations made by a committee constituted in November last year led by the Secretary in the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Training) Department.

The committee recommended a revamp of the training schemes (during the non-budget period) and further prescribed service qualification pre- and post-training.

Since Secretariat officials interact mostly with the Heads of the Department in Chennai, it was imperative that they were given training in the activities of the various Heads of the Departments so as to have a wider perspective on State administration, the G.O said.

The change in the training scheme for Secretariat officers comes after 25 years since the last change was effected (in 1993).

Father’s name in birth certificate optional: HC

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Can’t compel a woman to disclose name of child’s father, says judge

In a judgment that would be celebrated by single mothers and those going in for intrauterine insemination, the Madras High Court has ruled that there is no legal obligation on the part of a mother to disclose the name of the father at the time of registering her child’s birth.

The court said it was sufficient for her to file a sworn affidavit that the child was born from her womb. Justice M.S. Ramesh held that even women who had been deserted by their husbands could obtain birth certificates for their children without mentioning the name of their father.

The judge said that women who bring up children with their own income source could not be compelled to name the deserters in birth certificates. He pointed out that neither the Births and Deaths Act of 1969, a Central enactment, nor the Tamil Nadu Registration of Births and Deaths Rules of 2000, framed by the State government by exercising powers conferred on it under the Act, requires the father’s name to be recorded in the birth register maintained by local bodies.

Correcting the error

The judgment was passed on a writ petition filed by a divorcee, who had given birth to a baby girl at a hospital in Tiruchi, through intrauterine insemination.

However, the Tiruchi Municipal Corporation issued a birth certificate on August 9, 2017, naming the donor as the child’s father. The petitioner’s request to issue the certificate without mentioning the father’s name was rejected on the premise that the law does not provide for removing it from birth certificates.

Challenging the rejection before the Madurai Bench of the High Court, the petitioner’s counsel Shabnam Banu contended that Section 15 of the Births and Deaths Act empowers the officials to correct errors, if any, in birth and death certificates. Hence, the erroneous entry of semen donor’s name as the child’s father should be corrected immediately, she argued. The judge passed an interim order directing the Tiruchi Corporation to treat the entry of the semen donor’s name as an error and delete it forthwith.

Further, he stated the need to protect the donor’s confidentiality as disclosing his identity could lead to serious prejudice . In the final order , he recorded the civic body’s submission that a new birth certificate had been issued without the father’s name.

FROM SEPT 15

RBI directs banks to put purchaser’s name on DD

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: 13.07.2018

In a bid to curb money laundering using anonymous demand drafts (DDs), the RBI has made it mandatory to incorporate the name of the purchaser on the face of the financial instrument.

In a circular issued to all banks on Thursday, the RBI said that in order to address concerns arising out of possible misuse of anonymous DDs for money laundering, it has been decided that the name of the purchaser be incorporated on the face of DDs, pay orders, banker’s cheques and similar instruments. The order takes effect for such instruments issued on or after September 15, 2018.

Although the government has barred the use of cash in high-value transactions, tax avoiders have managed to work around this by purchasing DDs. Also, these drafts have been used by tax avoiders for purchase of benami property. Bankers say

that it is quite likely that there might be restrictions on use of third party-purchased DDs in some transactions. They say that use of banker’s cheques for payments by institutions has come down due to use of electronic fund transfers.

Although cheques are more transparent from a compliance point of view, the government often insists on DDs in tenders to ensure that only serious buyers participate. Such drafts also help in speedy realisation of funds as compared to cheques when issued from out of town. Education institutions also ask for DDs to ensure that cheques do not bounce.

According to sources, there is a big market for DDs that can be purchased without a PAN card. These are made out in the name of jewellers and the demand has increased after the government barred use of cash for purchase of jewellery.

Why you cannot think when it is too hot

Heatwaves Can Make Thinking 13% Slower: Study  TOI 13.07.2018

Heat waves can sap productivity by slowing down thinking, even in the young and healthy, a study suggests. Harvard researchers found that during a summer heat wave, students living in dorms without air conditioning consistently scored lower on daily cognitive tests over nearly a week than students in buildings with AC.

“For the first time, we’ve been able to find a detrimental effect of heat waves in young healthy adults,” said lead author Jose Guillermo Cedeno Laurent, associate director of the healthy buildings programme at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “Among that group (who had no AC) there were longer reaction times and lower accuracy compared to students who lived with air conditioning,” he said.

The researchers followed 44 undergraduate and graduate students in their late teens and early 20s for 12 consecutive days during July of 2016. Twentyfour of the students resided in buildings constructed in the 1990s that were equipped with central air conditioning, while 20 lived in low-rise brick buildings built between 1930 and 1950 with no cooling system.

The researchers designed their experiment so that the 12 days included a five-day heat wave, preceded by five days with more moderate temperatures, and followed by two days of cooler weather. Temperatures inside the building without air conditioning averaged 26.3° Celsius and ranged as high as 30.4° Celsius. Average temperatures in the air-conditioned buildings were 21.4° Celsius, ranging up to 25° Celsius.

Each morning the students took two tests of cognition on their smartphones. One test, which required them to correctly identify the colour of displayed words, measured their reaction speed and ability to concentrate and block distractions. The other test, which presented basic arithmetic problems, measured mental quickness and working memory.

During the heatwave, students in buildings with no cooling had 13.4% slower reaction times on the colour-word tests and 13.3% lower scores on the math tests, compared to those living in dorms with air conditioning. The study suggests this decrease in cognitive ability might be attributable to “an increase in thermal load” along with the combined influence of other factors associated with heat exposure including sleep loss and dehydration.

Previous research on effects of extremely hot weather has been in vulnerable populations that are at risk of dying: either the very young or the very old, the authors noted in ‘PLOS Medicine’.

“This study looks at the effects of heat in a population we all think of as generally being resilient,” said study coauthor Joe Allen, co-director of Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard school. And while much media coverage has been on people dying prematurely, “the fact is, millions are impacted by heat waves,” Allen said. “And with climate change, and the increased duration of heat waves, we’re going to see an increased impact on performance and learning.” AGENCIES



BEAT THE HEAT

Air India goes all veg for pilots by ‘mistake’, withdraws order

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:13.07.2018

Air India pilots were served another shocker recently when the airline asked flight caterers to supply only vegetarian meals for them on aircraft. The order, however, did not last long and was withdrawn immediately.

This short-lived confusion was sparked by a mail issued by the airline’s catering section on July10 that the ‘special’ meals on AI flights for pilots were to be all-veg with immediate effect. Pilot meals are meant for the flight’s co-pilot and commander.

Exactly a year back, AI had started giving all-veg meals to economy class passengers on its domestic flights as a cost-cutting measure which leads to a saving of about ₹8 crore annually. Non-veg food continues to be served on business class of domestic and all classes of AI’s international flights.

“The email asking for veg meals for pilots was sent by mistake by the catering section. It has been withdrawn,” said a senior AI official. The airline spokesman said: “It was an inadvertent typing error. Both meals (veg and non-veg) will continue to be available to pilots.”

An AI commander, however, said the now-withdrawn “veg-meals-for-pilots” order would not have meant that pilots wouldn’t have access to non-veg meals. “All airlines globally take separate meals for pilots and crew members whose flight caterer may be different from the one supplying meals for passengers. The idea is that God forbid if passenger meals lead to some issue like food poisoning, the crew is unharmed and is able to land the plane safely. How the separation of meal for crew is done is something that cannot be shared due to safety reasons,” the official said.

A number of crew meals are taken on a flight, which are both veg and non-veg. The meals designated for pilots in this separate crew meal would have been allveg as per the order. The logic: veg meal can be had by non-veg also but not viceversa.

With this order now withdrawn, the AI pilots can continue to get the meal of their choice on flights.



SHORT-LIVED CONFUSION:

The airline spokesman said it was an inadvertent typing error

Near miss for two IndiGo planes over Bengaluru

Bengaluru:

More than 330 passengers had a narrow escape after a mid-air collision was averted between two A320 aircraft of IndiGo airlines, near Kempegowda International Airport, on Tuesday.

Following the incident, the authorities ordered a probe. Airport sources said the planes were just 200 metres apart, vertically, and any collision could have been disastrous.

“An incident involving two A320 aircraft operated by Indi-Go airlines occurred in South Indian airspace — some distance away from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. The aircrafts were routing Coimbatore-Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Cochin respectively, at an altitude in excess of 27,000ft. Pilots on board the two aircraft were alerted to the presence of the other by onboard systems and, subsequently reported the occurrence to the DGCA, in accordance with standard operating procedures,” said a spokesman from Bangalore International Airport Limited. TNN

‘DON’T GIVE OPTION OF LEAVE WAIVER’

Why not give ‘compulsory’ weekly off for TN cops: HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.07.2018

The state government on Thursday informed the Madras high court that an optional off in a week has been already made available to members of the police force.

Additional advocate general P H Arvind Pandian made the submission in response to the suggestion made by the court to consider providing weekly off in the police force, so that the members of the force can spend time with their families and rejuvenate themselves.

“If such holiday is optional, and ₹200 is paid as allowance for waiver of the option, police personnel would definitely not avail the off. It would be wise if such waiving option is restricted to not more than once a month. Unless such restriction is made, the police personnel will tend to attend the work without availing their weekly off and fail to spend time with their family. It is the duty of the government to ensure that every police personnel gets weekly off,” Justice N Kirubakaran said.

To this, Pandian said that he would get appropriate instructions from the authorities concerned by July 19.

The submissions were made on a plea seeking to abolish orderly system in police force.

Earlier, the judge observed that the government should also consider prohibiting use of flags of political parties, leaders pictures and boards displaying the posts held in such parties in vehicles.

Interim stay on exam for sonologists

Madurai:13.07.2018

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has issued an interim stay on the conduct of practical examinations and issuance of certificates by the directorate of medical education (DME) to MBBS graduates who had undergone six months training in ultrasonography to qualify as a sonologist. The examinations were to be held on July 19.

Justice M S Ramesh passed the interim stay based on a petition from Madurai based radiologist Dr T Rajakumari who sought to quash the notification by the department on June 12 this year to issue certificates to those who underwent six months training between the period when the course itself was invalid.

According to the petition, a Delhi high court order dated February 17, 2016, had struck down provisions in the pre-natal diagnostic techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) rules, 1996, which makes the sixmonth training course invalid. TNN

Conversations ON Education

‘Large number of engineering colleges are frozen in time’

TIMES OF INDIA 13.07.2018

When Tamil Nadu was caught up in the NEET fiasco and needed an overhaul of its decade-old school syllabus, former vice-chancellor of Anna University M Anandakrishnan was roped in to head the curriculum framework committee for state board schools. He was instrumental in revamping the course material to help students adopt a concept-oriented approach and enable them to crack competitive tests. In an interview with Vinayashree Jagadeesh , the former chairman of IIT Kanpur, talks about why quantity is one of the main factors for deteriorating quality of engineers and the need for more skill development

What changes have impacted the growth of engineering education over the years?

There are major changes taking place the world over as technological revolution and technical education are simultaneously feeding into each other. This has led to manifestations in which a section of technical education has imbibed basic sciences and humanities. Another manifestation has been the more trans-disciplinary approach to engineering where students of one stream are branching out and simultaneously studying different streams. Also, technical education is becoming more product-oriented with college students increasingly coming out with innovations and products. In India, institutes like the IITs and NITs are adapting to these changes in a major way. However, a large number of engineering colleges are frozen in time, dealing with the situation is the challenge.

Is there an issue of quantity versus quality when it comes to engineering? Are too many engineers graduating a problem?

Yes, quantity is one of the main reasons for deteriorating quality of students and institutions. We have committed a major blunder in the 1980s and 1990s by mindlessly opening engineering institutions, especially in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Every year, we have 15 lakh graduates being churned out of campuses when there are jobs for only 5 lakh. The student-teacher ratio is not maintained in many colleges. Many try to manage with teachers with a bachelor’s degree, when the AICTE mandates a minimum master’s qualification. Colleges have to cut down the intake if they do not find adequate number of quality teachers. If the quality of the faculty is poor, it automatically reflects on the students. States in the south have too many engineering institutions, while others like Bihar and the northeastern states have fewer colleges than is required. This imbalance has to be corrected.

AICTE has decided to close down colleges which aren’t able to sustain the minimum required student numbers. Can closure of these institutions help in improving quality?

There have been suggestions to shut colleges, but I disagree with it. Instead, these institutions should be transformed into skill development institutions. This transformation cannot happen easily and cannot be handled by AICTE alone. In my opinion, there is an urgent need for a national commission specifically for engineering education. A commission which can focus on helping these institutes serve better and not waste the existing manpower. Many of our engineering graduates are working for ₹10,000 and do not have any marketable skills. We don’t need all colleges to become IITs or NITs, we need them to develop skills of students. Industries can be roped in to become partners in this process. The commission can also look into polytechnic colleges that train using outdated curriculum.

The National Testing Agency will be conducting NEET and JEE (Main) twice a year. Do you think this will make any significant change to the admission scenario?

Giving the responsibility to NTA is a good decision, but the concern is if it is equipped to do the job. NTA should have enough support in terms of human, technical and monetary resources before conducting any exam. Twice a year is not a practical proposition. We need to be stable, systematic and confident of conducting an exam before doing it twice. We always jump the gun when it comes to such matters. CBSE, having conducted exams for multiple years, is running into so many issues when it comes to competitive exams so with any new system, we need to be methodical.

Whether it is JEE or NEET, the counselling process has been affected due to court orders after errors were spotted. Do changes need to be made to streamline such tests?

Unfortunately, any problem today results in court intervention and becomes a major part of the process. This doesn’t happen in other countries. Errors have to be sorted out at the organisational level rather than in court. Some sort of access to the organisers would help avoid people going to court. The issue is that people don’t have faith in these organisations, be it the UGC, AICTE, CBSE, or any other body, and perhaps for valid reasons. The people running there institutions are not permanent; members change every couple of years. Hopefully, with NTA taking charge of the exams this changing of heads may be resolved.

Email your feedback to southpole.toi@ timesgroup.com




PROBLEM OF TOO MANY: Every year nearly 15 lakh graduates pass out only about 5 lakh land proper jobs




M Anandakrishnan

HC notice on PIL on med admission

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.07.2018

A PIL in the Madras high court has sought a direction to the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Union ministry of health and family welfare in New Delhi and the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) in Puducherry to take penal action against 10 medical colleges and deemed universities in Puducherry for admitting students in the first year MBBS course without counselling and after the September 30 cut-off date.

The PIL wanted the court to direct those institutions to surrender the 883 seats filled during 2016-17 and 2017-18 for 2018-19 academic years.

A division bench of Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Bhavani Subbaroyan, before which the PIL filed by G Panchapakesan came up for hearing, ordered notice to authorities.

The institutions, which had admitted students after the specified last date, shall also be liable to face penal action as prescribed by MCI, the petition said.

Two doctors named faculty at 2 colleges, suspended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 13.07.2018

Two doctors who were named faculty at two medical colleges, were removed from the state medical registry as per recommendations of the Medical Council of India.

The state medical council received a communication from the Medical Council of India saying the name of Dr Gopinathan, who was attached to Kannur Medical College as a faculty member was also found in another medical college in violation of the Medical Council of India Act. Likewise, the name of Dr Anandan, who was a faculty member at the Trivandrum-based Southern Institute of Medical Sciences, was also found in another medical college. After an inquiry, the disciplinary committee found both doctors guilty and had recommended the state council to take action.

While Tirunelveli-based general surgeon Gopinathan has been banned from practice for three years, Chennai-based thoracic surgeon Anandan has been debarred for a year, said Tamil Nadu Medical Council president Dr K Senthil.

Madras HC Upholds Death Penalty to Techie Youth For Rape & Murder of Seven Year Old [Read Judgment] | Live Law

Madras HC Upholds Death Penalty to Techie Youth For Rape & Murder of Seven Year Old [Read Judgment] | Live Law: “If the punishment of an innocent person is a mistake of justice administration, failure to punish a criminal indicates that the absence of justice, which is a worse mistake.”, Justice Dr.S.Vimala observed  quoting Immanuel Kant  The Madras High Court has upheld death penalty awarded to  Daswanth, a 23-year-old techie, for rape and murder of a …

NEET UG-2018: Madras HC Directs Additional 196 Marks To Candidates Who Took Exam In Tamil Due To Mistranslation Of Questions [Read Order] | Live Law

NEET UG-2018: Madras HC Directs Additional 196 Marks To Candidates Who Took Exam In Tamil Due To Mistranslation Of Questions [Read Order] | Live Law: Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) to award 196 marks to candidates who wrote this year’s National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Tamil, in order to make up for 49 mis-translated questions. The Bench comprising Justice C.T. Selvam and Justice A.M. Basheer Ahamed …

4 நாட்கள் கனமழை! மழை நிலவரத்தை பொறுத்து பள்ளிகளுக்கு விடுமுறை.!

4 நாட்கள் கனமழை! மழை நிலவரத்தை பொறுத்து பள்ளிகளுக்கு விடுமுறை.!

நேற்று முதல் சென்னை மற்றும் அதன் சுற்றுவட்டாரப் பகுதிகளிலும் மழை பெய்து வருகிறது என்பதால்  , சில பள்ளிகள் மாணவர்களுக்கு விடுமுறையை அறிவித்துள்ளனர். சில பகுதிகளில் முழங்கால் அளவுக்கு சாலைகளில் மழை நீர் பெருக்கெடுத்து ஓடுவதால் பெற்றோர்கள் பிள்ளைகளை வெளியில் அனுப்ப அஞ்சுகின்றனர். எனவே விடுமுறை அறிவிக்காத பள்ளிகளிலும் அதிகளவு மாணவர்கள்  வருகைபுரியவில்லை. சென்னையை பொறுத்தவரை மேலும் 2 நாட்களுக்கு மழை நீடிக்கும் என வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. பாண்டிச்சேரி, கோவை, சேலம், மற்றும் மேற்குதொடர்ச்சி மலையை ஒட்டியுள்ள அனைத்து தமிழக மாவட்டங்களிலும் நல்ல மழை பெய்து வருகிறது.

இந்தியாவின் பெரும்பாலான மாநிலங்களுக்கு மழைப்பொழிவை தரும் தென்மேற்குப் பருவக்காற்று மீண்டும் வலுப்பெற்று வருவதாக இந்திய வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. இந்த ஆண்டு 96 - 104 சதவிகிதம் வரை தென்மேற்குப் பருவமழை இருக்கும் என்று வானிலை மையம் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்நிலையில், மும்பை மற்றும் புறநகர் பகுதிகளில் கடந்த சில தினங்களாக பலத்த மழை பெய்து வருகிறது. இதனால் பல இடங்கள் வெள்ளக்காடாக மாறியுள்ளன.

மும்பையில் 30 செ.மீ. மழை பதிவாகியுள்ளதாக செய்திகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. இதனால் கடந்த இரண்டு நாட்களாக மும்பை மற்றும் அதை சுற்றியுள்ள பகுதிகளில் மழை வெள்ளம் குளம்போல் தேங்கி நிற்கிறது. அடுத்த 3 அல்லது 4 நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை நீடிக்கும் என்று வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. இதனால் மழை நிலவரத்தை பொறுத்து, தேவைப்பட்டால் பள்ளிகளுக்கு விடுமுறை அளிக்கப்படும். என்று மும்பை முதல்வர் தேவேந்திர பட்னாவிஸ் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

Arunachaleswarar temple idol goes missing

STAFF REPORTER

TIRUVANNAMALAI, JULY 12, 2018 00:00 IST

Fact comes to light during regular stock verification

The police are conducting an inquiry into a complaint lodged by the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) that a statue and trident (“trishul”) were found “missing” in Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple during regular stock verification. As per the documents available, the idol and trident were handed over to a department in 1959 but the officials had no idea which department it belonged to.

Sources in the HR&CE department said that the fact that the idol and trident were missing came to their knowledge during regular stock verification conducted recently. The statue of Sri Dandayudhapani and the trident were marked in the property register being maintained from 1954 as handed over to some other department in 1959.

The temple had 112 statues in 1954 and at present it has 110 statues all made from copper and bronze alloys. However, there is no description of the metal or material that these two were made of. During previous stock verifications these two idols were marked “X”.

The other Dandayudhapani idol in the safe custody is made of copper. The statues were registered with the ASI in 1982 and 1987 when they were photographed and description noted and certified. “Recently, we weighed all the statues and have made the certificates into eight volumes. As far as the missing statue and trident are concerned, we have preferred a complaint with the police,” the official said.

R. Ponni, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai, said the Joint Commissioner of HR and CE lodged a complaint on this issue. “This is not a case of theft. As per handwritten documents, the idol and trident were handed over to a department in 1959. The idol and trident were not returned to the temple,” she said. The Tiruvannamalai Town (Crime) police have initiated an inquiry.

Thanjavur Junction to get escalators

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUCHI, JULY 12, 2018 00:00 IST






The railway authorities have taken steps to provide escalators at Thanjavur railway junction.

Work on establishing escalators at platform 1 and the other to reach platforms 2 and 3 have begun. The facility is being put in place to augment amenities at Thanjavur - an ‘A’ category station. Civil work was under way on both platforms. Escalators, supplied by a leading private company, with a chain of footsteps, have been procured.

The railway administration would spend around Rs. . 2 crore to provide this facility.

Thanjavur is a major tourism centre with the Chennai-bound Uzhavan Express originating from Thanjavur station. Other trains such as the Coimbatore - Mayiladuthurai - Coimbatore Jan Shatabdhi expresses, Ernakulam - Karaikal- Ernakulam Tea Garden expresses, Chennai - Tiruchi - Chennai Cholan expresses, Rameswaram - Chennai - Rameswaram expresses, Velankanni - Vasco Da Gama - Velankanni expresses, Mayiladuthurai - Mysuru- Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchendur - Chennai - Tiruchendur expresses have stoppages at Thanjavur. In addition, Diesel Electric Multiple Units are also operated from and via Thanjavur every day.

Thanjavur Junction is the second major station in Tiruchi railway division to be provided with escalator facility after Tiruchi Junction. The escalator would be installed alongside the existing stairs and the project is planned to be completed before November.

Although the escalator can move up and down, it is planned to be operated in upward direction in Thanjavur as passengers find it more difficult to climb stairs.

Action against students

STAFF REPORTER

COIMBATORE, JULY 12, 2018 00:00 IST

Amrita University has initiated disciplinary action against two students - suspending one for a semester and dismissing another from the hostel for acts of indiscipline. A communique from the University's Head, Students Affairs, P.N. Kumar said it had acted against two final year students - one for attempting to smuggle a banned substance into the campus and the other for attempting to take non-vegetarian food into hostel.

The communique dated July 10, 2018 said the incident took place on July 8 (Sunday). The security personnel at the gate intercepted the two when they were entering the campus with these substances in an autorickshaw.

Coimbatore doctor to head world’s top body of spine surgeons

Staff Reporter COIMBATORE

COIMBATORE, JULY 12, 2018 00:00 IST

Coimbatore-based orthopaedic and spine surgeon S. Rajasekaran, who is chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics and Spine Surgery at Ganga Hospital, has been selected chairman of the international board of AOSpine, the world’s largest body of spine surgeons.

He will take over from New York-based surgeon Dan Riew during the annual international trustees meeting to be held in Basel, Switzerland on July 13.

Dr. Rajasekaran is the first surgeon from Asia Pacific region to be elected to the position, while all the previous chairs hailed from North American and European countries.

In a statement, Dr. Rajasekaran said he would hold the position for three years till 2021 during which he would direct and co-ordinate the entire educational and research activities of the organisation. The society spends more than $ 20 million every year on education and research.

According to Dr. Rajasekaran, his aim is to introduce two major international projects in spine surgery worldwide, namely formation of clinical practice forums and spine surgery diploma examinations throughout the world.

Clinical practice forums will focus on bringing together expert spine surgeons on specific disease conditions around the world to enunciate standard practice protocols and appropriate guidelines.

AOSpine is the largest international society of spine surgeons with a membership of more than 8,000 surgeons.

Buses sans conductors: staff unions move HC

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JULY 12, 2018 00:00 IST


Judge asks government to respond by July 18

The State Transport Employees Federation (STEF), affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court stating that many State Transport Corporation buses were being operated without conductors though it was mandatory to engage the services of the latter in every bus.

When the case came up for admission before Justice S.M. Subramaniam on Wednesday, he directed the government counsel to obtain instructions from the Transport Secretary by July 18. The judge wanted to know whether both mofussil as well as city buses were operated with drivers alone, as claimed by the federation.

In an affidavit filed in support of the writ petition, K. Arumuga Nainar, STEF general secretary, said that his was one of the largest unions with a membership of around 33,000 out of 1.45 lakh employees working in State Transport Corporations. He said the government had been operating the buses directly till 1975.

Thereafter, it entrusted the work to transport corporations. At present, there were six corporations (for Villupuram, Salem, Coimbatore, Kumbakonam, Madurai and Tirunelveli divisions), one metropolitan transport corporation for Chennai and a State Express Transport Corporation for operating buses.

The buses operated by these Corporations were bound to follow the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 and they fall under the definition of ‘stage carriage’ in the enactment. Sections 29 to 38 of the Act list out the statutory requirements for obtaining a licence to act as conductor and prescribes their duties.

Conductor’s role

Listing out the responsibilities of a conductor, the petitioner said: “He is responsible for maintaining the bus in a clean condition. He is responsible to ensure that buses do not carry passengers beyond the permitted seating capacity. It is his responsibility to ensure that goods carried in the buses do not cause inconvenience to the passengers.”

Although conductors were essential for buses, the transport corporations had begun to dispense with their services and started operating the new vehicles.

Now, use WhatsApp video to claim car insurance

Mayur.Shetty @timesgroup.com

Mumbai:12.07.2018

Future Generali India Insurance has become the first non-life insurer to adopt WhatsApp to deliver policies to the client.

The company will also allow customers to use the messaging platform to register claims and upload videos of vehicles damaged in accidents. “We feel that WhatsApp is something that most customers are familiar with and use all the time, which is why we have decided to use this channel,” said Future Generali MD and CEO K G Krishnamoorthy Rao.

The delivery of policies through the instant messaging platform will be in addition to the email copy that the company will be sending. The customer will also receive a physical copy of the policy, the need for which depends on the requirements of local police. While the policy delivery will be a straight-through process, the claims registration will be done by company representatives who will also guide the policyholder on how to shoot the video of the damaged vehicle using his mobile phone. Future Generali has already rolled out delivery of policies through WhatsApp and has sent more than 5,200 policies via the platform as part of a pilot run, which started on June 15. WhatsApp for business is already being used by BookMyShow to deliver movie tickets and ICICI Bank also plans to start using it as a channel to communicate with customers. Last year, the messaging platform received permission from the National Payments Corporation of India to partner multiple banks to allow users to make in-app payments and money transfers using the Unified Payments Interface.

Directors need to give KYC details to remain on board

PAN-Linked E-Signatures, Certificate From CA/CS Required

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  12.07.2018

The 30-35 lakh “active directors” on company boards will have to submit PAN-authenticated digital signatures and a certificate from a chartered accountant or a company secretary to remain on boards as part of a massive KYC exercise undertaken by the government to ensure that only genuine individuals are responsible for running the affairs of companies.

The ministry of corporate affairs has ordered that it will be conducting the KYC exercise with all the 50 lakh individuals holding DINs, or director identification numbers, being asked to fill up an electronic form by August 31. Those who do not submit the form will see their DINs deactivated. The exercise covers all DINs issued up to March 31, 2018. The details of KYC, such as digital signature and certification by a chartered accountant or a company secretary, will be specified shortly as the government is invoking a legal provision to ask two professional institutes — ICAI and ICSI — to help in the “national cause” to clean up businesses.

The plan for KYC is part of the government’s drive to rid the corporate sector of shell companies and bogus directors as it has seen that rogue businessmen often designate their household helps, drivers or gardeners as board members. Most of the times, these individuals do not even know that they are directors on boards of companies promoted by their employers and details come to light only when action is initiated against the company or its owners. “The exercise will help clean up the sector, at least from now on,” said an official.

While the original plan was to go for an Aadhaar-linked authentication, the move had to be shelved in the wake of the ongoing case in the Supreme Court. PAN-authenticated digital signatures will also serve the purpose, explained government officials. PAN in the digital signature will be matched with the income tax department’s database to ensure that bogus directors are weeded out. Besides, most of the PANs are linked to Aadhaar, providing further comfort.

In addition, requirement for a certificate from a CA or CS will also ensure that the director’s credentials are verified and the board member knows about his or her legal status.

The norms would be applicable to Indian as well as foreign directors on the boards of Indian companies.

Test may spot cancer years before symptoms

Alex Matthews-King  TOI  12.07.2018

Blood cancers could one day be detected by screening after scientists found signs of their onset etched in the DNA, years before symptoms begin.

Mutations which drastically increase the chances of someone developing acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are measurable up to five years before it emerges, researchers from University of Cambridge have shown.

They hope to use this window to test interventions to prevent the disease — which can materialise without warning and demand urgent life-saving treatment — from emerging at all. However, more work is needed before a screening programme for AML would be cost-effective and accurate enough to prevent people from wrongly being told they are at risk.

“AML often appears very suddenly in patients, so we were surprised to discover that its origins are generally detectable more than five years before it develops,” said Dr Grace Collord, one of the lead authors of the study published in ‘Nature’.

Researchers used blood samples from 800 patients in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EpiC) which launched in 1992. In this group, 124 of the participants developed AML.

Researchers showed that the more mutations were present at early ages, the higher the risk of AML emerging. THE INDEPENDENT

Denied class leader post, teen ends life

REJECTION PUSHES YOUNGSTERS TO TAKE EXTREME STEP

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:  12.07.2018

A 14-year-old boy, reportedly upset at not being elected class leader, hanged himself at his home in Ideal Home Township, Rajarajeshwarinagar, south-west Bengaluru on Tuesday night.

R Dhruvraj, a Class IX student of Baldwin Co-education Extension High School, RR Nagar, was upset as he did not get elected as class leader, his mother R Divya told police. The school said the class leader election had nothing to do with his death and there could be personal reasons.

“The election for class leader happened around a month ago. There were four contenders and my son was confident of victory. However, another classmate was chosen. My son was not happy as he thought he had all the qualities of a leader and there was no reason to reject him,” police quoted Divya as saying.

“On June 10 after attending a school programme, became more depressed. He did not go out to play in the evening,” she said. Divya added that Dhruvraj locked himself in his room around 10.30pm. “A neighbour came and we forcibly opened the door and we saw my son hanging from the ceiling.” A family member said that Dhruvraj’s father, businessman Rajesh Kumar, had committed suicide when the boy was a UKG student. “Dhruvraj had seen his father’s body hanging. We’re not sure why Rajesh took the extreme step,” the relative added.

UNENDING ROW

Govt defends ex-HRD secy who appeared as Jio Institute adviser

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  12.07.2018

The controversy triggered by naming of Jio Institute among the six institutions of eminence refuses to die. The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on Wednesday denied there was any conflict of interest due to the presence of former HRD higher education secretary, Vinay Sheel Oberoi, standing in as adviser for the private university when it gave its presentation before the empowered expert committee chaired by exchief election commissioner N Gopalaswami.

The Economic Times reported on Wednesday that Oberoi was part of the eight-member Jio team that made its presentation before the committee. Jio Institute of Reliance Foundation was subsequently named as one of the institutions of eminence in the “greenfield category” — a category which facilitates entry to this elite club for yet to be established institutions based on their proposals.

Oberoi was secretary, higher education, at the human resources development ministry in 2016 when the IoE scheme, then called the World Class Institutes programme, was announced in the Union budget. He retired in February 2017. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers have to take a break, also called a ‘cooling-off period’, of a year after retirement from government before taking up any commercial job offers. While Oberoi did seem to complete the cooling off period of one year, he however is associated with the MHRD as he headed the committee set up by the ministry to recommend measures for examination reforms following CBSE board exam paper leak in April 2018.

While Oberoi could not be contacted over phone for his comments till filing of this report, R Subrahmanyam, secretary, higher education, MHRD said that Oberoi was not involved with the framing of the regulation or implementation of the scheme.

“This insinuation is completely wrong. He is a man of repute and he retired long before the regulations came on August 2017. Also the plan of the IoEs was at the nascent stage when he was the secretary and no concrete decision was taken at that point of time,” said Subrahmanyam.

BABU BANARASI DAS UNIVERSITY

REGION DIGEST

Srirangam Jeeyar passes away in Trichy

12.07.2018
Sri Ranga Narayana Jeeyar, the 50th Jeeyar of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam, passed away at a private hospital in Trichy on Wednesday evening. The 88-year-old, who was engaged in serving the Srirangam temple, was unwell for more than a week. He was admitted to a private hospital in Trichy where he died. Born Sri Varathachariyar at Nayinarpalayam village in Villuppuram district on December 3, 1929, he studied Rig Veda at Sankara Matam in Thiruvanaikaval and mastered Sanskrit at Chidambaram. Sri Ranga Narayana Jeeyar started his spiritual life as a priest at Sri Lakshminarayana Perumal temple in Coimbatore in 1959. He was a devotee of Ranganathaswamy since his early days and became its 50th Jeeyar at the age of 60 in 1998.

Pondy govt to consult MCI on HC ‘grace mark’ order: The Puducherry government will consult the Medical Council of India (MCI) to decide on the future course of action after the Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Tuesday passed an order directing the CBSE to award 196 ‘grace marks’ to the candidates, who appeared for NEET in Tamil due to errors in the question paper. Chief minister V Narayanasamy made an announcement in this regard when AIADMK legislature party leader A Anbalagan urged the government to initiate efforts to prepare a new merit list based on the revised marks of the students following the court’s order. The chief minister said the government would initiate alternate measures after consultations with the MCI and Centac.

Man, 27, arrested for rape and murder of girl: The Sivaganga district police have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the rape and murder of a speech-impaired girl. He was produced before a judicial magistrate and lodged in Madurai Central Prison on Wednesday. The accused was identified as Manickam from the same village. He is married and an alcoholic. Police said when he was going past the victim’s house in Acharampatti village on Tuesday, he saw the 19-year-old girl taking bath. He entered the house and raped her before killing her with a rod.

Bank employee held for stealing from customers’ accounts: A 32-year-old employee of Canara Bank in Thumbalam on the outskirts of Trichy was arrested for misappropriating around ₹11 lakh from customers’ accounts. He was identified as A Karunanidhi, 32, of Thumbalam village.

221-kg Dandayudhapani idol taken to Kumbakonam court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai: 12.07.2018

The controversial 221-kg Utsavar idol at the Palani Dandayudhapani temple, in the making of which misappropriation of funds have been alleged, was brought down from the hill temple by a trolley winch on Wednesday to be produced in a court in Kumbakonam.

Special poojas were performed before the idol was brought down. Temple authorities and the idol wing of the CID accompanied it. Following reports that the original “navabashana’’ idol, in the temple was getting damaged due to the things used for anointing it, a new idol was commissioned and the 3.5-feet panchaloha idol, a mixture of five metals including gold and silver, was installed in the temple in 2004. But, as it started changing colour it was removed and kept in the vaults.

It was alleged that the metals used in making the idol had been misappropriated and the idol wing led by IG Pon Manickavel started investigating into it. Following this, the idol wing arrested Muthaiah Sthapathi, who made the idol, former executive officer of the temple K K Raja, HR and CE valuer Deivendran among some others.

The idol is to be handed over to the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Kumbakonam, where the case is being heard. It was taken out of the double locker vault in the temple after about 14 years. It was handed over to police after special poojas were performed.

It was brought down in a specially designed wooden box and was handed over to the court. It was weighed in the presence of a judge. The judge ordered that it be taken to the Kumbakonam Nageswaran temple locker for safekeeping.





The idol being brought out of the temple using a trolley winch

‘Higher edu is over-regulated and under-governed in India’

One of the critics of the Higher Education Commission Act, 2018, chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology University

G Viswanathan  12.07.2018  TOI

last week opposed the draft of the act saying the act gives more power to the Centre and paves the way for political interference in the administration of institutions. In an interview with TOI , he speaks about how regulations on private institutions are restricting their growth, the need to replace the affiliation system with accreditation, and the demand for more colleges with an updated curriculum

What needs to be done to improve performance of colleges and universities?

At present, higher education, particularly private institutions, in India is over-regulated and under-governed. Higher education in India means affiliation, approval, no-objection certificates, permission and recognition. People running a college have no control over syllabus, exam or results. Only India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have this system of affiliation, because of which we can’t compete with advanced countries where only accreditation is done. Though licence raj ended for industries and businesses after the New Economic Policy in 1991, education continues to remain in the clutches of various regulatory bodies.

Can you elaborate on the roadblocks due to these regulatory bodies?

Autonomy is given to only 300 of the 40,000-odd colleges across the country and there is a huge gap between the job market and the course. Also, it is impossible to think about a corruption-free government regulatory body. Regulations are harsh in the medical field. It takes ₹100 crore to ₹130 crore to get the necessary papers to start a medical college besides spending on land, buildings and infrastructure.

Talking about medical education, what is your take on NEET and other competitive exams?

I have no objection to NEET. Nearly 25 districts including Vellore and Chennai have benefited after NEET. Every year, 13 lakh students take up NEET, but only 6.5 lakh qualify for 60,000 available seats. Some of the qualified students can’t join private institutes if the fee is too high. So, the government should focus on increasing the number of seats in existing colleges and opening new medical colleges. Not only in medicine, there is a need to increase seats in several other streams. Our gross enrolment ratio is only 24%. The government has to increase spending on education to at least 6% of the GDP from the present 4%.

What’s your take on research here? Can a body like National Knowledge Commission help?

Research requires a lot of money. Only a handful of funding agencies like department of biotechnology and department of science and technology sanction funds after a lot of convincing regarding a project. Students from private institutions are not given any government funding and so they face a fund crunch. Answering the second part of the question, any government body with the right intention should be able to help, but the ministry of human resources development should allocate funds.

How do we fare in higher education and research compared to other countries?

Every year, people spend ₹65,000 crore to send 5.5 lakh students abroad for higher studies and research. This is almost twice our annual higher education budget. India has a lot of potential to become a world leader in research. For this, we should have a vision. Internationally, we are not recognised for education. Of the 5 million international students, only 40,000 come to India. Smaller countries like Malaysia and Singapore do better in this aspect. We should learn from the US, the UK and Canada where none of the institutions is exempted from accreditation. Here, institutes like IITs are free from accreditation and go on to become an institution of national importance.

What can be improved on the school education front?

There is an earnest effort by the Tamil Nadu school education minister (K A Sengottaiyan) to improve the school curriculum after damages caused for more than 10 years. Even there, we lag when it comes to training of teachers. There are training schools in Tamil Nadu where candidates can get teacher training certificates without attending classes. This needs to change.



G Viswanathan

Being slim can up risk of death: Study

‘Excessive Dieting May Have Fatal Outcomes’

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.07.2018

Growing waistlines may increase risks of heart and kidney disease, strokes and cancers, but a study by Chennai researchers has found that the cause of death in most Indians is associated with being thin.

Being overweight or obese is not always bad, but it is important to follow a proper diet and exercise.

“Some overweight individuals lead a healthy life, with no metabolic changes in their glucose levels or lipid profile,” said Dr Anjana Ranjit Mohan of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, who led the study. “On the other hand, people on excessive diets may lack vital nutrients, leading to complications, including death.”

The study published in Plosone on Monday looked at causes and predictors of mortality among people in Chennai with and without diabetes. Of the 2,273 people followed for a decade, 671 died. Scientists asked for the cause of death in 552 people from family members and adjudicated it by trained physicians. “As expected, we found the mortality rate was at least three times higher among diabetics, particularly in the 51-70 age group. But analysis showed being underweight was associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality in the overall study cohort, whereas overweight and obesity were not,” she said.

While heart disease killed most people in the older group, diabetes was the key cause for mortality in the young. Over all, renal disease topped the causes’ list among diabetics.

The results could have been skewed due to paucity of individuals with higher grades of obesity but being underweight, clinical epidemiologist C S Shanthi Rani said, confers a greater risk of mortality than expected in this population. “There is strong evidence in studies abroad that undernourished people are likely to be exposed to chronic undernutrition and its consequences such as infectious diseases and micronutrient deficiency or even intrauterine growth retardation.” she said.

Another possibility, diabetologist Dr V Mohan said, is that renal failure, most common cause of death among diabetics, can leave a person wasted. “It is the most frequently occurring comorbidity among people with renal failure. Treatment such as dialysis, heavy diet restriction and medications can cause severe weight loss,” he said.

NEET case: CPM MP files caveat in SC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  12.07.2018

Anticipating that the CBSE would move the Supreme Court against Madras high court order awarding 196 ‘grace marks’ to more than 24,000 students who wrote NEET-2018 in Tamil, CPM Rajya Sabha member T K Rangarajan filed a caveat in the apex court on Wednesday.

Flaying the CBSE for framing 49 inaccurate and wrongly translated questions, each carrying four marks totalling 196, the Madurai bench of the high court on Tuesday stayed the ongoing MBBS admissions based on the present merit list. It gave CBSE two weeks’ time to draw up a fresh list of qualified candidates. “The caveat is intended to ensure that no stay is granted on the high court order without hearing me,” Rangarajan told TOI.

“My suggestion is that the government has to create more medical seats in private and government colleges. If these students get admission in private colleges, they should pay fees on a par with that of the government medical colleges and CBSC should bear the remaining fee amount,” he said.

Visa applicant faints near US consulate, dies

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  12.07.2018

A 38-year-old man walking towards the US consulate for a visa interview on Wednesday, collapsed and later died.

Police said the deceased Senthilvelan of Teynampet, was related to district collector Anbu Selvan. Police said Senthilvelan received a receipt from the consulate to appear for a personal interview for a US visa. He was on his way to the office when the incident took place.

Witnesses told police that when Senthilvelan collapsed, people initially thought, he had slipped. It was later that passersby realised he had fainted and called the 108 ambulance service. He was taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The Teynampet police have registered a case of unnatural death and further investigations are on.

Air tickets all taken? Airport now has 30 overnight flights
Offers Options On Domestic Routes; Lower Prices A Bonus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2018


If you’ve had to travel from or to Chennai at short notice in the past and scoured one travel website after another for an air ticket, there’s a good chance that the only elevation that you would have achieved is with your frustration at the futility of it all.

But things are rapidly changing. The city airport, dissed for its capacity limitations, now handles at least 30 red-eye flights — between 11pm and 5am — on a daily basis. There are now no less than 10 to 12 departures and 20 arrivals the airport, up from two or three overnight flights just a year and a half ago.

Red-eye flights are not just a boon when tickets run out: They are also cheaper than peak-hour flights by 10% to 20%. The fares are rising, however, because there are more takers.

Frequent flyer Joseph D said he prefers red-eye flights when he travels home because most people book peak-hour flights in the morning and evening. “I’m not in a hurry and red-eye flights still offer lower fares,” he said.

An airline official said the increase in red-eye flights was a direct result of high demand. More overnight flights on domestic routes has allowed the trend to take hold, he said.

“Peak-hour slots are often all taken in Chennai, so travellers have started to take overnight flights,” the official said. “Airlines with flights that land in Chennai after 12am use their aircraft for outbound flights when the morning peak hour starts.”

The domestic terminal remains as busy through the night as it is during peak hours, an airport official said. “A year ago, there were very few arrivals after midnight,” he said. “There are now around 10 daily arrivals after 1am.”

Flights arrive past 11pm from Pune, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. There are four arrivals from Pune and three arrivals from Delhi. Departing aircraft head to Bengaluru, Jaipur, Pune, Patna, Goa and Patna.

Woman dies, three others burned in fire sparked by LPG leak

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2018

A blaze fuelled by a cooking gas leak killed a 28-year-old woman and injured three members of her family, including her six-year-old son, in St Thomas Mount on Wednesday morning.

Rekha, who sustained 93% burn injuries, died minutes after neighbours in Mathiyas Nagar got her to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital by ambulance. Her husband K Ganesh, 33, said his mother Amalu, 50, was in critical condition with 41% burns.

The young couple’s sixyear-old son Roshan (16%) and Ganesh’s 55-year-old father Kumar (13%) are receiving treatment for burn injuries. Police said the fire broke out at 6.15am, when Rekha tried to light the stove to make coffee. Roshan was asleep with his grandparents in the hall, Ganesh with the couple’s three-yearold daughter in a bedroom.

“I heard a loud sound and got out of bed,” Ganesh told police. “Fire had engulfed my wife and my father was trying to douse the flames.”

After a fire and rescue services team doused the blaze, an officer said the gas cylinder in the house appeared to have started leaking the previous night.



BEFORE TRAGEDY: Rekha, 28, died of 93% burn injuries

Heavy rain lashes city, more expected in coming days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  12.07.2018

After intermittent mild rain in the last two days, heavy rain lashed the city on Wednesday evening. In a span of two hours, the city received 2.6cm rain in the core areas while the suburbs received 1.6cm rain with strong winds.

The intensity of the rain was high as the roads were flooded. There were two strong spells of rain the first of which began around 5.45pm.

Airport recorded wind at the speed of 40knots briefly forcing a few airlines to hold the departure for a few minutes. This caused minor delays to four to five flights between 6pm and 7pm. An official said three arrivals were told to hold and circle before landing.

A met department official said severe thunderstorm was forecasted for the day. More rain could be expected on Thursday because of convective cloud and high temperature during the day, he said. The sky would be cloudy and there were chances of rainfall.

Minimum temperature is expected to be 25° Celsius and maximum 35° Celsius. There was brief heavy rain in different parts of the city and the suburbs on Tuesday. This pattern may continue for a couple of days, said an official.

The evening rain and wind affected commuters as they faced slow traffic and congestion on most of the arterial roads.


SUDDEN SHOWERS: The evening rain and wind affected commuters as they faced slow traffic and congestion on most of the arterial roads

UGC denied IIT-M & Anna univ IoE status

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.07.2018

Two premier institutes from Tamil Nadu — the state-run Anna University and IIT-Madras — that figured in the list of eight public institutions chosen as Institutions of Eminence (IoE) by an University Grants Commission-appointed panel, were denied the status of IoE by the UGC in its final list of six, which included three private institutions, to ensure “equal weightage for private and public institutions”.

A 21-page ‘report of empowered expert committee’ released by the UGC on Wednesday listed eight public institutions — IISC-Bangalore, IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, Delhi University, Jadavpur University and Anna University. However, the UGC picked only three institutions — IIT-Delhi, IITBombay and IISc-Bangalore — as they had the highest rank in the QS world university rankings (2018).

Experts: Unfair to compare IIT-M with pvt colleges

UGC chairman D P Singh said, “It was a decision taken keeping in mind the principle of equity. These other five public institutions will be considered by the commission at a later stage. We don’t know when it will happen.”

Tamil Nadu and Delhi had two institutions each making it to the list, but Tamil Nadu became theonly statetohavebothof them rejected,kicking off a debate in political and academic circles. “The policy is conceived in an extraordinarily casual manner. Comparing IITs and IISc with Manipal University or BITS-Pilani is ridiculous. Across the globe, such status is accorded only to institutes that have high research outputs. The research output of IIT Madras is far superior to that of private universities,” said Anna University former vice-chancellor M Anandakrishnan, who was also the director of IIT Kanpur.

“The UGC has concluded that one yet-to-be established university has a potential to become autonomous, scuttling chances of institutions that have been proving themselves for decades just because they did not figure in international rankings,” he said.

While higher education minster K P Anbalagan did not respond to calls, higher education secretary Sunil Paliwal said the state was happy that Anna University figured in the list of premier institutions. “We always knew it was a good institution but now we know it is among the top eight public institutions across the country. It is only a matter of time before we get the IoE status,” he said.

Opposition parties like the DMK were not convinced. “It is unfair to drop two of our institutions because they did not figure in international rankings. It denies these institutions and its students the grant and allowancesthey rightfully own,” said former education minister Thangam Thenarasu. The state, he said, should take it up with the Centre. “It will be unfortunate if we don’t fight,” he said.

Earlier, chairman of the empowered committee N Gopalaswami also admitted that large share of weightage was given to perceptions in international rankings. “Number of foreign faculty and students does play a part. Many don’t choose Chennai because it is very hot, and instead prefer a more salubrious climate. So although research and per person output at IIT-M may be good, they were behind others in the international ranking,” he said.

IIT Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said he was happy to know his institute made it to thefinaleight,but addedthattheonly option for the institute now was to wait. “We believe we can be IoE. In our presentation, we gave a clear pathway,” he said. “But frankly, I don’t know how we can improve people’s perceptions to get higher world rankings,” he said.

NEET: CBSE may move SC against HC’s ‘grace marks’

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 12.07.2018

The Central Board of Secondary Education is set to move the Supreme Court contesting the order of the Madras HC to grant 196 marks to every candidate who took the NEET-UG in Tamil this year for errors in translation of questions from English. The HC had said all such candidates should be granted four grace marks each for errors in 49 questions.

The board is awaiting a direction from the ministry of human resource development before going ahead with the appeal. According to a ministry source, the board is taking legal opinion and is likely to move the apex court on Friday after it gets the ministry’s nod.

The HRD ministry is also taking the opinion of the health ministry which is involved in counselling and seat allotment, the source said.

‘Awaiting HRD ministry views on the issue’

In CBSE’s information bulletin for NEET-2018, the source said, it was stated that candidates opting for regional languages would be provided bilingual test booklet — in selected regional language and English — and “in case of any ambiguity in translation of any of the questions, its English version shall be treated as final”.

“Right now we are in consultation with the legal team and planning to appeal against the order in the Supreme Court. However, we are also in touch with the HRD ministry and waiting for its views on the same,” said the source.

Candidates opting for Hindi or regional languages were given bilingual NEET test booklet with the English version of questions and those opting for English were provided with test booklet in English only.

Petitioner and senior CPM leader T K Rangarajan had sought full marks for the 49 questions, saying key words in the Tamil questions were wrongly translated from English and this caused confusion among the candidates.

The HC bench said the students who took the NEET for admission to medical, and dental colleges in Tamil should be suitably compensated to provide a level-playing ground.


RAY OF HOPE FOR STUDENTS

ஆங்கில​ம் அறிவோமே 221: இனி உதாரணத்துக்கு இடமில்லையா?

Published : 10 Jul 2018 10:24 IST
 
ஜி.எஸ்.எஸ்.

 






கேட்டாரே ஒரு கேள்வி

“தீக்குச்சியை match என்று சொல்ல வேண்டுமா, Match stick என்று சொல்ல வேண்டுமா?


Can I have a match என்பது சரியா, Can I have a match stick என்பது சரியா? தீக்குச்சியைத் தினமும் உரசும் ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் எனக்கு இந்தச் சந்தேகம் வருகிறது. விடை கூறுங்கள்”

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Enervated என்ற ஆங்கிலச் சொல் நாம் எதிர்பார்த்ததற்கு மாறாக ‘சக்தியெல்லாம் இழக்கச்செய்கிற’ என்ற பொருள் தருகிறது என்று குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தேன். வாசகர் ஒருவர், “அதைப் போலதான் restive என்ற வார்த்தையும். இதற்கு ‘அமைதியில்லாத’ என்று பொருள்!”என்பதைப் பகிர்ந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறார். நன்றி. ‘The elephant is restive’ என்றால் அதன் அருகே செல்லாமல் இருப்பதுதான் புத்திசாலித்தனம்.

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“ஒரு திரைப்பட விமர்சனத்தில் ‘an ensemble cast’ என்று படித்தேன். இதற்கு என்ன பொருள்?” என்று கேட்டிருக்கிறார் வாசகர் ஒருவர்.

Cast என்ற தலைப்பின் கீழ் அந்தத் திரைப்படத்தில் நடிப்பவர்களின் பெயர்கள் குறிப்பிடப்படுவதை நீங்கள் பார்த்திருப்பீர்கள் (ஜாதியைக் குறிப்பது caste என்ற சொல்).

Ensemble cast என்றால் அந்தத் திரைப்படத்தில் பல பிரபல நடிகர்கள் இணைந்து பணியாற்றி இருப்பார்கள்.

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தீக்குச்சி என்பது match. அதுவே போதுமானது. Match என்றாலே சிறிய குச்சி என்றுதான் பொருள். Bring me a box of matches. Strike a match to make a fire.

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நண்பரின் குடும்பத்துடன் ஐஸ்கிரீம் கடைக்குச் சென்றிருந்தேன். கடையில் உள்ள ஐஸ்கிரீம் வகைகளைப் பட்டியலிட்டு இதில் எது வேண்டுமென்று தன் மகளைக் கேட்டார் நண்பர். ‘வெனிலாவா’ இல்லாட்டி ‘பட்டர்ஸ்காட்சா’, இந்த இரண்டு வகை ஐஸ்கி​ரீம்களில் எதைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்பது என்று திணறினாள் அந்தச் சிறுமி. “எப்போ இந்தக் கடைக்கு வந்தாலும் இது இவளுக்குப் பெரிய டைலமா” என்றார் நண்பர். ஆனால், இந்த இடத்தில் ‘confusion’ என்ற சொல்லே பொருத்தமாக இருக்கும்.

Dilemma என்ற சொல்லை நிறையப் பேர் தவறாகப் புரிந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள். இரண்டுமே பிடித்திருக்கிறது அதில் ஒன்றைத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்க வேண்டும் என்பது டைலமா அல்ல. இரண்டுமே பிடிக்காவிட்டாலும், அவற்றில் ஒன்றைத் தேர்ந்தெடுத்தே ஆக வேண்டும் என்றால் அது dilemma.

அதாவது, “உங்களுக்கு ஆண் குழந்தை வேண்டுமா, பெண் குழந்தை வேண்டுமா?” என்று கேட்டால் அது dilemma அல்ல.

மாறாக உங்கள் மனைவிக்குப் பிரசவம் பார்த்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் டாக்டர் உங்களிடம், “பிரசவத்தில் சிக்கல். உங்கள் மனைவி அல்லது குழந்தை ஆகிய இருவரில் ஒரு உயிரைத்தான் காப்பாற்ற முடியும். உங்கள் முடிவு என்ன?” என்று கேட்கும்போது உண்டாவது டைலமா (சில திரைப்படக் காட்சிகளில் இடம்பெற்ற இதுபோன்ற கேள்வியை டாக்டர்கள் நிஜத்தில் கேட்பார்களா என்பதைக் கற்றறிந்த மருத்துவ வாசகர்கள்தான் கூற வேண்டும்).

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Euphemism என்றால் என்ன?

ஒரு சங்கடமான விஷயத்தைக் குறிக்க ஒரு கடுமையான சொல் இருக்கிறது. அதைப் பயன்படுத்தாமல் மிருதுவான ஒரு சொல்லின் ​மூலம் அதை உணர்த்தினால் அது euphemism.

ஒரு நிறுவனத்தில் பலரை dismiss செய்து வீட்டுக்கு அனுப்பப் போவதை ‘downsizing’ என்று நா​​சூக்காகக் குறிப்பிடுவது euphemism.

கிரேக்க மொழியில் euphemism என்பதற்குப் பொருள் மங்கலமாகப் பேசுதல்.

“வேலையில்லாமல் இருக்கேன்”என்பதை bench-ல் இருப்பதாகச் சொல்வதும், “ராஜினாமா செய்யப் போறேன்” என்பதை paper போடுவதாகச் சொல்வதும்கூட euphemism-தான்.

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“e.g. என்ற ஆங்கிலச் சுருக்கத்தின் விரிவாக்கம் என்ன?”என்று கேட்டிருக்கிறார் வாசகர் ஒருவர்.

Exempli gratia என்பதன் சுருக்கம் அது. லத்தீன் சொற்களான இவற்றின் பொருள் for example என்பதாகும். You should involve in more games, e.g. swimming, running and tennis.

உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? e.g. என்பதை இனிப் பல ​நூல்களில் நீக்கிவிடப் போகிறார்களாம். பார்வையில்லாதவர்களுக்கு வாசகங்களை உணர்ந்து தானாக ஒலி வடிவில் அளிக்கும் மென்பொருட்கள் e.g. என்பதை egg என்று தவறாக வாசிக்கின்றனவாம். இதுதான் அந்த நீக்கலுக்கான முக்கியக் காரணம்.



போட்டியில் கேட்டுவிட்டால்?

After the ---------- of the new team, the company took a lead in new markets

a) shake down

b) shake off

c) shake out

d) shake up

Shake off என்றால் உங்களுக்குப் பிரச்சினைகளைக் கொடுத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் ஒன்றிலிருந்து (அது நோயாகவும் இருக்கலாம்) மீண்டு வருவது.

Shake out என்றால் உதறுவது. அதாவது காலையில் எழுந்ததும் படுக்கை விரிப்புகளை உதறிவிட்டு மடிப்போம் இல்லையா, அதுபோல.

Shake up என்றால் குலுக்குவது. மருந்து பாட்டில்களைக் குலுக்கிவிட்டு மருந்தை உட்கொள்வோமே, அதுபோல.

Shake down என்றால் ஒரு புதிய சூழலில் நிலைநிறுத்திக்கொள்வது.

இந்த நான்கில் shake down என்பது இங்கு அதிகமாகப் பொருந்துகிறது. புதிய குழு தன்னை நிலைநிறுத்திக்கொண்டதால், அந்த நிறுவனம் புதிய ச​ந்தைகளில் முதலிடம் பெற்றது.

After the shake down of the new team, the company took a lead in new markets என்பதுதான் சரி.

சிப்ஸ்

# இலைகள் சலசலத்தன என்கிறோமே அந்தச் சலசலப்புக்கான ஆங்கிலச் சொல் எது?

Rustling

# Private information என்பதற்கும், classified information என்பதற்கும் என்ன வேறுபாடு?

Private என்றால் அந்தரங்கமான அல்லது ரகசியமான. Classified என்றால் அலுவல் தொடர்பான ரகசியம் (officially secret).

# Letting the cat out of the bag என்றால்?

ரகசியம் ஒன்றை வெளிப்படுத்துவது.

தொடர்புக்கு: aruncharanya@gmail.com

கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரி 225: பொறியியல் கல்வியில் ஒரு கோபுரம்

Published : 10 Jul 2018 10:38 IST

ம.சுசித்ரா

 




சென்னையின் மத்தியில் வீற்றிருந்தாலும் பெருநகரத்தின் பரபரப்போ சலசலப்போ புழுதியோ படியாமல் கம்பீரமான அமைதியுடன் அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் வளாகம் திகழ்கிறது. 200 ஏக்கருக்கும் அதிகமான நிலப்பரப்புடைய இப்பகுதிக்குள் அடியெடுத்து வைத்த சில நிமிடங்களில் பசுமை செறிந்த அடர்ந்த காட்டுக்குள் நடக்கும் உணர்வு ஏற்படுகிறது. வகுப்பறை வளாகங்களும் நிர்வாகக் கட்டிடங்களும் ஆய்வகங்களும் மரங்களிடையே ஒளிந்திருக்கின்றன.

எதிர்ப்படும் மாணவர்களின் முகத்தில் தன்னம்பிக்கையும் பெருமிதமும் மிளிர்கின்றன. காரணம், இதன் ஒரு பகுதியான கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரி தாங்கி நிற்கும் 224 ஆண்டுகால வரலாறு. இந்தியாவின் முதல் பொறியியல் கல்லூரி சி.இ.ஜி. என்றழைக்கப்படும் கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரியின் பெருமைகள் அநேகம்.

ஒரு கல்வி நிறுவனத்தின் தரத்தை நிர்ணயிக்கச் சிறந்த சான்று அதன் மாணவர்களே. அந்த வகையில் கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரியின் புகழையும் வரலாற்றையும் அங்கே படித்த மாணவர்கள்
பறைசாற்றிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள். உலகப் புகழ்பெற்ற தொழிலதிபர்கள், விளையாட்டு வீரர்கள், விஞ்ஞானிகள் உள்ளிட்ட பிரபலங்கள் பலர் இந்தக் கல்வி நிலையத்தில் பட்டை தீட்டப்பட்டிருக்கிறார்கள். அது மட்டுமல்லாமல் தங்களை வளர்த்தெடுத்த கல்லூரியை வணங்கும்விதமாக 2014-ல் அன்றைய மாணவர்களும் முன்னாள் மாணவர்களும் கூடி, தங்களுடைய கல்லூரியின் வரலாற்றை ஆராய்ந்து புத்தகமாக வெளியிட்டார்கள். ‘CEG: A Journey through Time’ என்ற அந்தப் புத்தகம் மாணவர்கள் அனைவரும் வாசிக்க வேண்டிய வரலாற்றுப் பெட்டகம்.



ஆங்கிலேயர் கட்டிய கல்லூரி

225-வது ஆண்டில் அடியெடுத்துவைத்திருக்கும் கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரியின் வரலாற்றைத் தெரிந்துகொள்ள இந்தப் புத்தகத்தின் சில துளிகள்:

“இந்திய மாணவர்களுக்காகக் கிழக்கிந்திய கம்பெனியால் 1794-ம் ஆண்டு மே 17-ம் தேதி அன்றைய மதராஸின் புனித ஜார்ஜ் கோட்டையில் சி.இ.ஜி. நிறுவப்பட்டது. இந்தியாவில் தாங்கள் கைப்பற்றிய நிலப்பரப்பை அளவிட ஆங்கிலேயர்களை நியமிப்பதைக் காட்டிலும் உள்ளூர் மக்களுக்குப் பயிற்சி அளிப்பது சுலபமானது, சிக்கனமானது என்று கருதி இந்தக் கல்வி நிறுவனம் தொடங்கப்பட்டது. தொழிற்புரட்சிக் காலத்தில் அணை கட்டுவது, குளம் வெட்டுவது, பாலங்கள், கட்டிடங்கள் கட்டுமானப் பணிகளில் பிரிட்டிஷ் அரசாங்கம் இறங்கியபோது சிவில், மெக்கானிக்கல் இன்ஜினீயரிங் கல்வியைக் கற்றுக்கொடுக்கும் பள்ளியாக இது மாற்றப்பட்டது.

1859-ல் சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் கீழ் சி.இ.ஜி.கொண்டுவரப்பட்டது. 1861-ல் பொறியியல் கல்லூரியாக ஆனது. புனித ஜார்ஜ் கோட்டையில் திறக்கப்பட்ட பள்ளி சேப்பாக்கம் உள்ளிட்ட வெவ்வேறு இடங்களுக்கு மாற்றப்பட்டு, 1920-ல் தற்போதைய வளாகத்தில் நிர்மாணிக்கப்பட்டது. 1930-களில் மின்சாரத் துறை உலக அளவில் முக்கியத்துவம் பெறத் தொடங்கியதும் முழு நேரப் பொறியியல் கல்லூரியாக மாற்றப்பட்டது. பிற்காலத்தில் 1978-ல்தான் பேரறிஞர் அண்ணா தொழில்நுட்பப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் (PAUT) நிறுவப்பட்டது. இதுவே பின்னாளில் அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகமாக மாறியது. இதன் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் சி.இ.ஜி. உட்பட மற்ற பொறியியல் கல்லூரிகளும் கொண்டுவரப்பட்டன.



அன்று பதுங்கு குழி இன்று நீச்சல்குளம்

இவை எல்லாவற்றையும் மிஞ்சும் சுவாரசியமான தகவல்களும் இந்த வளாகத்தைச் சுற்றி உண்டு. இரண்டாம் உலகப் போரின்போது, போர் விமானங்களையும் பீரங்கிகளையும் சி.இ.ஜி.யில் படித்துக்கொண்டிருந்த மாணவர்கள் கல்லூரி வளாகத்திலேயே தயாரித்து ராணுவத்துக்கு வழங்கியுள்ளனர். 1942, 1943 ஆண்டுகளில் பொறியியல் பட்டப் படிப்பை மேற்கொண்ட மாணவர்களுக்கு செமஸ்டர் விடுமுறை அளிக்கப்படவில்லை. இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளில் அத்தனை பாடங்களும் நடத்தப்பட்டுப் பட்டமும் வழங்கப்பட்டது. போர் மூளும் நேரத்தில் மாணவர்களைப் பாதுகாக்கக் கல்லூரி வளாகத்திலேயே பதுங்கு குழிகள் வெட்டப்பட்டன. அன்று வெட்டப்பட்ட அந்தப் பதுங்கு குழிகள்தாம் இன்றைய சி.இ.ஜி. மாணவர்களின் நீச்சல்குளம்.

வெறும் 8 மாணவர்களோடு ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்ட கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரி இன்று அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் முக்கிய அங்கமாக உள்ளது. ஆண்டுதோறும் 3,000-த்துக்கும் அதிகமான மாணவர்களுக்கு இளநிலைப் பொறியியல் கல்வியை அளித்துவருகிறது. இதுவரை கிட்டத்தட்ட 13 ஆயிரம் மாணவர்கள் பி.எச்டி., எம்.எஸ்., எம்.டெக். உள்ளிட்ட ஆய்வு படிப்புகளைப் படித்திருக்கிறார்கள். பொறியியல் படிப்பைக் கனவாகக் கொண்ட அனேகத் தமிழக மாணவர்களின் மனம் உச்சரிக்கும் சொல், அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகமாக இருக்க முக்கியக் காரணம் அதன் வேராகத் திகழும் கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரியே.

மூன்று தலைமுறை மாணவர்கள்


சி.இ.ஜி. கல்லூரியைப் போலவே அதன் முன்னாள் மாணவர் அமைப்புக்கும் (AACEG) நெடிய பாரம்பரியம் உள்ளது. இந்தக் கல்லூரியின் முதல் இந்திய முதல்வரான ராவ் பகதூர் ஜி.நாகரத்தினத்தால் 1925-ல் இந்த அமைப்பு தொடங்கப்பட்டது. இந்நிலையில் ஜூலை 21, 22 ஆகிய தேதிகளில் ‘சி.இ.ஜி. உலக முன்னாள் மாணவர் கூட்ட’த்தை நடத்தத் திட்டமிட்டுக்கொண்டிருக்கும் சி.இ.ஜி.யின் முன்னாள் மாணவர் அமைப்பின் தலைவர்கள் மூவரைச் சந்தித்தோம். அவர்கள் மூவரும் மூன்று தலைமுறையைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள்.

என் வகுப்பில் 2 மாணவிகள்!

தமிழகத்தில் மொத்தம் 5 பொறியியல் கல்லூரிகள் மட்டுமே இருந்த காலம் அது. ஐந்து ஆண்டு காலப் படிப்பாக பி.இ. எலெக்ட்ரிக்கல் இன்ஜினீயரிங் பட்டப் படிப்பை சி.இ.ஜி.யில் படித்து 1962-ல் பட்டம் பெற்றேன். ஆண்டுக்கு 216 ரூபாய் கல்விக் கட்டணம் செலுத்திப் படித்தேன். எங்களுடைய கல்லூரியின் தனித்தன்மையே படிப்புக்கு இணையாகத் தனித்திறமைகளை அங்கீகரிப்பது. என்னுடைய வகுப்பில் இரண்டே மாணவிகள்தான் படித்தார்கள். அன்று பொறியியல் படித்தவர்களுக்கு நெய்வேலி அனல் மின்நிலையத்தில், அகில இந்திய வானொலியில், சுரங்கத்துறையில், டி.என்.பி.எஸ்.சி.யில் அரசு வேலை கிடைத்தது.

- வாசுதேவன்

அரசும் தனியாரும்
நான் 1981-ல் சேர்ந்தபோது பி.இ. மெக்கானிக்கல் இன்ஜினீயரிங் நான்காண்டு படிப்பாக மாற்றப்பட்டிருந்தது. 80-களின் மத்தியில் மின்வாரியம் போன்ற அரசு நிறுவனங்கள் மட்டுமின்றி அசோக் லேலண்ட், விப்ரோ உள்ளிட்ட தனியார் நிறுவனங்களும் பொறியாளர்களுக்கு மரியாதையும் வேலைவாய்ப்பும் அளிக்கத் தொடங்கின. அன்றைய தேதியில் என்னுடைய கல்லூரியில் 70 மாணவிகள் படித்தார்கள். நான் வெறும் 1,440 ரூபாய் கட்டணம் செலுத்தி 1985-ல் பொறியியல் படிப்பை முடித்தேன்.

- விஸ்வநாதன்

சுயதொழில் காலம்

எங்களுடைய கல்லூரியின் சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த துறைகளில் ஒன்றான பி.இ. கணினி அறிவியலில் 2015-ல் பட்டம் பெற்றேன். இங்கே படிப்பவர்களுக்கு வளாக நேர்காணலின் மூலமாகவே முன்னணி நிறுவனங்களில் வேலை கிடைத்துவிடும். நான் சொந்தமாகத் தொழில் நடத்துவதில் உறுதியாக இருந்ததால் படிக்கும்போதே சக மாணவர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து சொந்த ‘ஸ்டார்ட் அப்’ தொடங்கிவிட்டேன். என் வகுப்பில் 50 சதவீதத்துக்கும் கூடுதலான மாணவிகள் இருந்தார்கள்.

- சரவணன் கிருஷ்ணா
எது அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகம்?

அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகம் என்பது கிண்டி பொறியியல் கல்லூரி, அழகப்பா தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரி, சென்னை தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனம், அண்ணா கட்டிடக் கலை மற்றும் திட்டமிடல் பள்ளி ஆகிய நான்கு கல்லூரிகளை உள்ளடக்கியது.

2001-ல் தமிழகத்தின் அனைத்துப் பொறியியல் கல்லூரிகளும் அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகத்துடன் இணைக்கப்பட்டன. இவற்றில் தனியார் கல்லூரிகள் மட்டும் 590.

2017-ல் தமிழகத்தில் பொறியியல் பட்டப் படிப்பில் சேர்ந்த மாணவர்கள் கிட்டத்தட்ட 2 லட்சம் பேர்


முதல் மாணவிகள்

லீலமா, A.லலிதா

P.K.த்ரெசியா – 1944

பொறியியல் முதல் அச்சுத்தொழில்நுட்பம் வரை

மெக்கானிக்கல் இன்ஜினீயரிங் – 1894

எலெக்ட்ரிக்கல் இன்ஜினீயரிங்– 1930

தொலைத்தொடர்பு மற்றும் நெடுஞ்சாலை இன்ஜினீயரிங் – 1945

அச்சுத் தொழில்நுட்பப் இன்ஜினீயரிங் – 1982

ஆக.15-ல் ரயில்வே காலஅட்டவணை: தாம்பரத்தில் இருந்து கூடுதலாக 2 ரயில் சேவை தொடங்க வாய்ப்பு

Published : 12 Jul 2018 07:44 IST

சென்னை
 


தெற்கு ரயில்வேயின் புதிய காலஅட்டவணை வரும் ஆகஸ்ட் 15-ம் தேதி வெளியிடப்படுகிறது. தாம்பரத்தில் இருந்து மேலும் 2 புதிய ரயில்கள் இயக்கப்படுவது குறித்த அறிவிப்பு இதில் இடம் பெறும் என ரயில்வே அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

ரயில்களின் காலஅட்டவணையை ஆண்டுக்கு ஒருமுறை தெற்கு ரயில்வே அறிவித்து வருகிறது. ரயில்களின் நேரம் மாற்றம், புதிய ரயில்களுக்கு நேரம் நிர்ணயம், சில ரயில்களுக்கு கூடுதல் நிறுத்தங்கள் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு மாற்றங்களைக் கொண்டு காலஅட்டவணை தயாரிக்கப்படுவது வழக்கம்.

இந்த ஆண்டிலும் அட்டவணையில் சில மாற்றங்கள் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளன. தாம்பரத்தில் புதிய ரயில் முனையம் திறக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதால், அங்கிருந்து மேலும் 2 ரயில்களின் சேவையை தொடங்குவதற்கான அறிவிப்பு அதில் வெளியாகும் என எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.

இது தொடர்பாக தெற்கு ரயில்வே அதிகாரிகளிடம் கேட்டபோது, அவர்கள் கூறியதாவது:

தெற்கு ரயில்வேயில் மின்மயமாக்கல், இரட்டை வழிபாதை அமைத்தல், அகலப்பாதை அமைத்தல் போன்ற பணிகளில் பெரிய அளவில் முன்னேற்றம் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. சென்னை - கன்னியாகுமரி ரயில் வழித்தடத்தில் மதுரை வரை இரட்டை பாதை பணிகள் நிறைவு பெற்றுள்ளன. இதனால், சென்னையில் இருந்து தென்மாவட்டங்களுக்கு செல்லும் முக்கிய ரயில்கள் முன்பைவிட விரைவாக செல்கின்றன. மேலும், கூடுதலாக சிறப்பு ரயில்களும் இயக்கப்பட்டு வருகின்றன.

இதற்கிடையே, தெற்கு ரயில்வேயின் புதிய காலஅட்டவணை வரும் ஆகஸ்ட் 15-ம் தேதி வெளியிடப்பட்டு, மறுநாளே அமலுக்கு வரவுள்ளது. இதில், முக்கிய விரைவு ரயில்களின் வருகை அல்லது புறப்பாடு 10 முதல் 20 நிமிடங்கள் வரை மாற்றம் இருக்கும். மேலும், தாம்பரத்தில் இருந்து கூடுதலாக 2 ரயில்களின் சேவையை தொடங்குவதற்கான அறிவிப்பும் அட்டவணையில் இடம் பெறும் என்றனர்.