Fewer state board students may enter top engg colleges

Their Poor Show In Class XII Gives CBSE Applicants An Edge This Year

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com  03.06.2019


Poor performance in the Class XII examination may cost state board students seats in top engineering colleges this year. Only one-fifth of students have scored more than 95% in Class XII compared to last year, an analysis of class XII exam results shows. This puts CBSE students, who secured higher marks, at an advantage and the top colleges may admit fewer students from the state board.

Out of 8 lakh students, 931 got above 575 marks (95%) compared to 5,178 students in the previous year. While 231 students scored above 98% in 2018, only 31 got 590-plus out of 600 this year, results data obtained through RTI showed.

Compared to 2017, the number of centum scorers fell sharply in 2019 with no student getting full marks in biology. In Physics, 14 got full marks while in maths 65 scored a centum. The number of centum in chemistry came down from 1,123 in 2017 to just 80 this year.

Teachers said a new question paper pattern in the Class XII exam led to the poor performance. “Questions resembled those asked by CBSE board exams with many of them application-oriented. The question paper pattern made it difficult for the students to score high marks in the exams,” a teacher said.

Also, in a reversal of sorts, the CBSE and ISC boards called for a ‘liberal evaluation’ of answer scripts owing to which many students scored higher marks and the number of centum was more compared to previous years.

Out of the 1,33,166 students who have applied for engineering counselling this year, 12,000 are from CBSE, up by 60% from last year, and 500 are from other boards. Last year, the number of applicants from CBSE was 7,500.

Career consultants said this would affect the state board students in getting admission to top engineering colleges and other professional courses such as veterinary science and agriculture.

“We can expect 10% to 15% more students from other boards joining top engineering colleges this year,” said Jayaprakash A Gandhi, career consultant. The collective poor performance may bring down the engineering cut-off this year. “It will come down by five marks to 15 marks at different levels,” Gandhi said.

The performance of state board students was a direct result of the directorate of government examinations’ sudden move to change the question paper pattern putting scores of students at a disadvantage. “The pattern was not introduced in the quarterly or half-yearly exams. The students were in for a surprise,” educational consultant D Nedunchezhiyan told TOI.

Schools said due to the new question paper pattern, the CBSE students are better placed for admission this year. “Following the CBSE, state board introduced higher order thinking skills (HOTS) based questions in Class XII exams. But CBSE and ISC had adopted moderation and liberal evaluation which have put state board students at a disadvantage,” a principal of a matriculation school said.

Professor Rita John from department of theoretical physics at University of Madras said even the so-called bright students were not able to answer application-oriented questions due to lack of understanding of the concepts. “Blueprint method has made way for rote learning at schools. The revised textbooks will give students concept-based learning and if properly practised, students would be able to answer all the questions,” she said.

In New Delhi

WATER WOES

Water-starved Chennaiites shift houses, visit kin in other cities

Kamini.Mathai@timesgroup.com 3.06.2019

As the water crisis worsens in Chennai, residents seem to be either getting out of the city on short breaks, or postponing their return after a holiday, or shifting homes from one part of the city to another in the hope of getting better water supply.

Ashok Kumar, a long-time resident of Kodambakkam, had to move to KK Nagar looking for ‘greener pastures’. “We were getting water for just three hours a day. We couldn’t handle it because we would sometimes not be home at the time,” says the 50-year-old who runs a catering unit.

Deficit rainfall in 2017 and a failed monsoon in 2018 have resulted in depleted groundwater levels, leaving the city grappling with chronic water shortage. Earlier this month, the state government declared 17 districts, including Chennai and Kancheepuram, droughthit. These districts recorded deficit rainfall ranging between 19% and 59% last year.

Seventeen districts, including Chennai, declared drought-hit

Water crisis: Tenants leave houses

The four reservoirs that supply drinking water to Chennai are nearly empty. Perungudi resident M S Srikanth moved into a relative’s house for two days. Then he took a train out to his sister’s home in Bengaluru for the weekend. “It wasn’t a holiday,” says a distraught Srikanth, a project scientist at Anna University. “I had to take my family and leave the city because we did not have water for 10 days.” Although back from his visits just last week, Srikanth is already thinking of where he can go next as he has just been informed his building is still not getting water.

K Gopal from Peungudi is another who left the city for a relative’s home in Kerala to get away from the crisis. But, says Gopal, despite the brief respite, he is back again in the throes of the crisis. “Some of the tenants in our building have moved out,” he says.

20 ரூபாய் கட்டணத்தில் 'டூப்ளிகேட்' ரேஷன் கார்டு

Added : ஜூன் 02, 2019 01:04

ரேஷன் கார்டை தொலைத்தவர்களுக்கு, மாற்று கார்டுகள், தலா, 20 ரூபாய் கட்டணத்தில், ஜூலை முதல் வழங்க, உணவுத்துறை முடிவு செய்துள்ளது.

ரேஷன் கார்டை தொலைத்தவர்களுக்கும், ஏற்கனவே உள்ள கார்டில், பிழை திருத்தங்கள் செய்தவர்களுக்கும், 'டூப்ளிகேட்' எனப்படும், மாற்று கார்டுகள், அரசு, 'இ - சேவை' மையங்களில் வழங்கப்பட்டன.ஒரு கார்டுக்கு, 30 ரூபாய் என, கட்டணம் நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டது. ஆனால், சேவை மைய ஊழியர்கள், அதிக கட்டணம் வசூலித்தனர். இதனால், அந்த மையங்களில், மாற்று கார்டு வழங்குவதை, 2018ல், உணவுத்துறை நிறுத்தியது. ரேஷன் கார்டை தொலைத்தவர்கள், மாற்று கார்டுகள் வழங்கும்படி, அரசுக்கு கோரிக்கை விடுத்து வருகின்றனர்.இதையடுத்து, ஒவ்வொரு மாவட்டத்திலும், மாற்று கார்டுகளை அச்சிட்டு வழங்கக் கூடிய கருவிகள் வாங்குவது உள்ளிட்ட பணிகளை, உணவுத் துறை மேற்கொண்டு வருகிறது.இவை, இறுதி கட்டத்தை எட்டியுள்ளன. ஜூலை முதல், 20 ரூபாய் கட்டணத்தில், மாற்று ரேஷன் கார்டுகள் வழங்கப்பட உள்ளன.

- நமது நிருபர் -

போலி ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரை ஒழிப்பு : யு.ஜி.சி., நடவடிக்கை துவக்கம்

Added : ஜூன் 02, 2019 00:42

சென்னை: போலி ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகளை கண்டுபிடிக்க, யு.ஜி.சி., முடிவு செய்துள்ளது. இதற்காக ஆய்வு கமிட்டி அமைக்க, உத்தரவிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.நாடு முழுவதும், உயர்கல்வியில் உள்ள குளறுபடிகள், மோசடிகள், முறைகேடுகளை களைய, மத்திய அரசு பல்வேறு நடவடிக்கைகளை எடுத்து வருகிறது.

புதிய திட்டம்இதற்காக, மத்திய மனிதவள மேம்பாட்டு துறையும், பல்கலைக்கழக மானிய குழுவான, யு.ஜி.சி.,யும், புதிய திட்டங்களை அறிமுகம் செய்து வருகின்றன.பிஎச்.டி., ஆராய்ச்சி படிப்பு மேற்கொள்வோரில் பலர், உண்மையில் தாங்களாகவே ஆராய்ச்சி செய்து, அதன் முடிவுகளை தாக்கல் செய்வதில்லை. மாறாக, யாராவது சிலர் மேற்கொண்ட ஆராய்ச்சி படிப்பு மற்றும் கட்டுரைகளை காப்பியடித்து, அதை, பிஎச்.டி., பட்டம் பெற தாக்கல் செய்வதாக, புகார்கள் அதிகரித்து உள்ளன.இதுபோல, போலி ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகள் சமர்ப்பிப்பதை கட்டுப்படுத்த, ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகளை ஆன்லைனில் சரிபார்க்கும் வசதியை, மத்திய அரசு ஏற்படுத்தியது. கமிட்டிஇதன் ஆய்வில், பல கட்டுரைகளை, யாரோ சிலர் எழுத, யாரோ சிலர் தங்கள் பெயரை போட்டு, பட்டம் வாங்கியிருப்பது தெரியவந்துள்ளது.எனவே, வரும் காலங்களில், போலி ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகளை ஒழிக்க, யு.ஜி.சி., முடிவு செய்துள்ளது. இதன் முதல் கட்டமாக, போலி ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகளை கண்டிபிடித்து, அவற்றை நீக்குவதற்கு கமிட்டி அமைக்க உத்தரவிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

பிளஸ் 2 மாணவர்களுக்கு நாளை அசல் சான்றிதழ்

Added : ஜூன் 02, 2019 00:37

சென்னை,:பிளஸ் 2 பொதுத்தேர்வு எழுதிய மாணவர்கள், நாளை அசல் மதிப்பெண் சான்றிதழ் பெறலாம் என, அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

அரசு தேர்வு துறை வெளியிட்ட செய்திக்குறிப்பு:மார்ச்சில், பிளஸ் 2 தேர்வு எழுதி, தேர்ச்சி பெற்ற மாணவர்களுக்கு, அசல் மதிப்பெண் சான்றிதழ்கள், நாளை வழங்கப்படுகின்றன. மாணவர்கள், தாங்கள் படித்த பள்ளிகளிலும், தனி தேர்வர்கள், தேர்வு மையம் அமைக்கப்பட்ட பள்ளிகளிலும், சான்றிதழ்களை பெற்றுக் கொள்ளலாம்.பிளஸ் 1, பிளஸ் 2 ஆகிய இரண்டு வகுப்புகளுக்கான, பொதுத் தேர்விலும் தேர்ச்சி பெற்றால் மட்டுமே, அசல் மதிப்பெண் சான்றிதழ்கள், தனித் தனியாக வழங்கப்படும். இரண்டு வகுப்புகளிலும் முழுமையாக தேர்ச்சி அடையாதவர்களுக்கு, இரு தேர்வுகளிலும் பெற்ற, மதிப்பெண்கள் அடங்கிய மதிப்பெண் பட்டியல் வழங்கப்படும். அனைத்து பாடங்களிலும் தேர்ச்சி பெற்ற பிறகே, தனித்தனி மதிப்பெண் சான்றிதழ்கள் வழங்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

வேட்டி கட்ட அனுமதி அரசு ஊழியருக்கு சலுகை 

Added : ஜூன் 02, 2019 00:32

சென்னை: 'அரசு அலுவலகங்களில் பணிபுரியும் ஆண் ஊழியர்கள், தமிழர்களின் கலாசார உடையான வேட்டி அணிந்து வரலாம்' என, தமிழக அரசு,அறிவித்துள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில், அரசு அலுவலகங்களில் பணிபுரியும், ஆண்கள் மற்றும் பெண்கள், நேர்த்தியாக, துாய்மையான உடைகளை அணிந்து வர வேண்டும்.பெண்கள், சேலை, சல்வார்கமீஷ், சுடிதார் அணிந்து வரலாம். சுடிதாருடன் துப்பட்டா அவசியம்.ஆண் ஊழியர்கள், பேண்ட், சட்டையில் வர வேண்டும் என, சில தினங்களுக்கு முன், தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுஇருந்தது.அந்த உத்தரவில், ஆண் ஊழியர்கள், தமிழ் கலாசாரத்தை பிரதிபலிக்கும், வேட்டி மற்றும் இந்திய கலாசாரத்தை பிரதிலிக்கும் உடைகளை அணிந்து வரலாம் என, திருத்தம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. திருத்தப்பட்ட உத்தரவு, நேற்று பிறப்பிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Pallavaram jeweller loses 24 sovereigns to fake doc 

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Jun 2, 2019, 6:40 am IST

Shankar Nagar police registered a case and have identified the man from the CCTV footage from the hospital. Investigations are on.

Without a second thought, Prakash Kumar sent the gold chains to the hospital through his employee, Venkateshan (32).

Chennnai: The Shankar Nagar police have launched a search for a man who cheated a jeweller of 24 sovereigns of gold in Pallavaram, on Saturday evening.

According to police, the victim Prakash Kumar (48), owned a popular jewellery shop near his house in Pallavaram.

On Saturday evening around 4:30 pm, Prakash received a call from one Dr Govindharajan* (non-existing person) from a popular private eye hospital in Pammal. The alleged doctor who made the call asked Prakash to bring four gold chains of a particular design to his hospital. The doctor said, one of the hospital staff was retiring that day, and as the felicitation function was going on, he had asked the jeweller to bring the chains to the hospital.

Without a second thought, Prakash Kumar sent the gold chains to the hospital through his employee, Venkateshan (32).

Police sources said, "When Venkateshan came to the hospital, a man intercepted him and asked him to give the six chains which Dr Govindharajan had asked for, stating that the doctor was busy with the function, and had wanted him to fetch the jewels.

Believing him, Venkateshan gave away the six gold chains worth 24 sovereigns to the man, and was waiting to receive cash in return for the jewels given. But, the man did not return.

Following this, the employee enquired with the reception and found that the man was not an employee of the hospital, and that there was nobody called Dr Govindharajan. Realizing that he was conned and robbed, he immediately alerted Prakash Kumar, who lodged a complaint with the Shankar Nagar police.

Shankar Nagar police registered a case and have identified the man from the CCTV footage from the hospital. Investigations are on.

It may be noted that the accused had earlier robbed a jeweller in Kancheepuram using the same modus operandi on May 7. Sivakanchi police are investigating that case.

Erratic small bus services hit last-mile connectivity in Chennai

The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Published: 01st June 2019 06:57 AM

Passengers say irregular small bus services have forced them to look for other alternatives | d sampathkumar

By JAYAKUMAR MADALA

Express News Service

CHENNAI: For a brief period after their introduction, small buses were an instant hit. People who were earlier dependant on autos or share autos for last mile connectivity started preferring the new buses. But they are no longer an option because of their irregular service.

The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. As many as 189 buses and 82 routes were introduced to provide public transport facilities to the nearest bus stands or railway station. However, a sharp decline in the number of trips and irregular frequency, are factors that are forcing the public to look for other alternatives.

“I used to travel in the S13 (Guindy Race Course- Velachery MRTS) route before. But for a month, the frequency of the bus has reduced so much that now I am using private autos because I am not sure whether the bus will arrive,” says Abirami Gunasekar, an office goer.

The small buses have been preferred as they charge `9 for a trip. “I use the S26 (Ashok Nagar Metro Railway station-Valasaravakkam) route every day to reach different houses I work in the stretch. But now, a lot of my time goes in waiting for the bus rather than working,” says Sarala, a domestic servant.

A common reason for the reduction in services among officials in various MTC depots in the city, has been bad patronage. “We had as many as 20 trips a day earlier, but now we have only 6 trips — three in the morning and three in the evening, as we do not have enough passengers to even fill the seats,” says an official in the Mandavelli bus depot.

“Only if the buses are regular, we can trust them to come and wait. If they come on different times on different days, how can we use them regularly? We will be late for our work,” adds Abirami.When Express tried contacting MTC authorities to inquire about the reason for the reduction in services, they were unavailable for comments.

Tiruvarur-Karaikudi train service resumes 

Special Correspondent 
 
Tiruvarur, June 02, 2019 00:00 IST 

The long-awaited passenger rail service from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi resumed on Saturday following the completion of the broadgauge conversion works. Nagapattinam Member of Parliament M. Selvaraj flagged off the train that was decorated by enthusiastic passengers.

The train operated with DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) rake is scheduled to run for six hours from 8.15 a.m. to 2.15 p.m. In the return direction, the train will start from Karaikudi at 2.30 p.m. and reach Tiruvarur at 8.30 p.m.

There are 74 level crossings along the route, including 60 unmanned ones. The start of the train services in the Tiruvarur-Pattukottai-Karaikudi section has generated hopes among rail users for resumption of Kamban Express and Rameswaram Express.

Angry over repeated harassment, woman burns husband alive

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.06.2019

A woman torched her husband after he abused and harassed her, demanding money to buy liquor, atMadurantakam on Friday. Later, the woman surrendered at the police station and informed the personnel that she killed her husband.

Police said the woman identified as Malar, 45, of Anaikundram village near Madurantakam, retaliated after she was repeatedly harassed since her marriage. After her husband Kanniappan beat her up and slept in a field in front of their house, Malar brought kerosene, poured it on him and torched him. Kanniappan realised that he was burning as he woke up from sleep. However, the fire engulfed him completely. Even as he cried out for Malar to help him, she stayed away. Only after he was fully burnt, she ventured out of the house but proceeded directly to the police station and gave herself up. Soon, a team rushed to the spot and found the man lying dead. They sent his body to the government hospital in Chengalpet for autopsy. Orathi police registered a murder case and arrested the woman. Police seized the kerosene can from her house and lifted fingerprints from it to verify if she poured the fuel on her husband. Malar was produced before a magistrate court in Chengalpet and sent to prison.

DEMANDED MONEY FOR REMOVING POST

TNEB engineer held for taking ₹30,000 bribe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.06.2019

Directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DV&AC) officials on Friday evening caught a TNEB assistant executive engineer accepting ₹30,000 as bribe from a man at his Anna Nagar office.

The victim, Karuppiah, 51, of Anna Nagar had earlier approached assistant executive engineer Manimaran, seeking to remove an electric post from his 300 sq ft plot. To his shock, Manimaran demanded ₹50,000.

With no other option left, Karuppiah agreed to pay the money and gave him ₹20,000 as advance.

However, since no action

was taken, Karuppiah met Manimaran again, Manimaran told him that the post would be removed only after paying the pending amount of ₹30,000.

Karuppiah then approached DV&AC officials and lodged a complaint. As advised by the officials, Karuppiah paid ₹30,000 to Manimaran at his office on Friday evening.

Immediately, a 10-member team led by Lavakumar, superintendent of police, which was waiting outside, barged into the office and arrested Manimaran.

Since there were other staff members at the office when the arrest took place, tension prevailed in the area. Manimaran was taken for further investigation.

Medical council puts 11,000 doctors in ‘dormant’ mode

Slaps Notices On 78 Medicos for Online Ads

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.06.2019

Nearly 11,000 doctors over 70 years of age have been placed in the “dormant and inaccessible” mode in the state medical registry after they failed to update their credentials before the March 31 deadline.

These doctors will not be eligible to practice medicine until they update the council about their status.

In 2018, Tamil Nadu Medical Council had asked doctors over the age of 70 to update their credentials by January 31 and extended the deadline until the end of March. The move was as a part of efforts to revise the state medical registry, council president Dr K Senthil said.

Of the 1.38 lakh members in the state, more than 15,000 were senior doctors — those aged 70 or older as of June 1, 2018. Some doctors are aged more than 90 and the council does not know if they actively practice.

A notification from the council published in the Tamil Nadu gazette said these doctors must send in their registration certificates, Aadhaar cards and proof of practice as prescribed on the council website.

“For now they are delisted from the active registry and will not be able to practice medicine. Some 300 families have sent death reports. Others have to furnish details to get back into the registry,” he said.

“To make it convenient for the seniors, we have asked them to send the details by post,” Dr Senthil said.

The council has also issued showcause notices to 78 doctors who had advertised themselves online. Online directories, which had earlier listed names of doctors on their web pages, are now entering into contracts so that their names and profiles can be “enhanced” online.

The council says besides violating the code of conduct, which prohibits advertisements, doctors’ consultation fee has gone up by at least ₹300 and patients are forced to pay money for needless procedures and therapy.

A circular dated May 21 from the council asked medical college deans and medical associations to direct doctors registered with it to refrain from online advertisements. It said it is a violation of the Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics Regulations notification clause 6.1.1 of the Medical Council of India to solicit patients for professional gain (except for formal announcement for a short period as exempted in the said clause), the circular said.

“We have sent notices to some doctors and initiate action against them,” Dr Senthil said.

Salem-based gynaecologist prohibited from practice
Chennai:

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council has asked a Salem-based gynaecologist not to practise gynaecology or obstetric medicine until an inquiry into a case filed against her is completed.

In February, a woman under the doctor’s care died following labour in February, a week after the Tamil Nadu Medical Council revoked the doctor’s suspension for “negligence and misconduct” that led to a similar death in 2016. The decision to issue prohibitory orders was taken after the state health department — commissioner of maternal and child health — complaint to the council about the doctor’s negligence.

On February 28, Durga Damodharan was admitted to Arokya Hospital in Salem. She died on March 1. Durga delivered a girl, but she suffered from severe bleeding after labour. The doctors removed her uterus but could not stop the bleeding. Senior health officials who conducted the maternal audit said the hospital did not have facilities to deal with such cases and she did not refer Damodharan to a centre with better facilities on time. On October 10, 2018, the debarred Dr Arivukkarasu for six months for similar reasons. On February 18, while she was four months into the punishment period, the council decided to revoke the suspension based on her appeal. It warned her over displaying her unrecognised degree in her appeal application – a violation of the code of medical ethics, but allowed her to restart practice. “We have told her to stop practicing obstetrics and gynecology until the case against her is investigated,” said council president Dr K Senthil.

வீடுகளில் 'லோ வோல்டேஜ்' பிரச்னை

Added : மே 31, 2019 23:59

சென்னை, வீடுகளில் 'லோ வோல்டேஜ்' எனப்படும் குறைந்த மின்னழுத்த பிரச்னையால் மின் சாதனங்களை இயக்க முடியாமல் பொது மக்கள் சிரமப்பட்டு வருகின்றனர்.தமிழகத்தில் வீடு உள்ளிட்ட அனைத்து இணைப்புகளுக்கும் மின் வினியோகம் செய்யும் பணியை மின் வாரியம் மட்டுமே செய்கிறது.தற்போது மின் தேவையை பூர்த்தி செய்யும் அளவுக்கு மின் உற்பத்தி மின் கொள்முதல் இருந்தும் மின் சாதனங்களின் பழுது காரணமாக மின் தடை ஏற்படுவது தொடர் கதையாகி வருகிறது.இந்நிலையில் சென்னை உட்பட பல பகுதிகளில் குறைந்த மின்னழுத்த பிரச்னை ஏற்படுகிறது.இதனால் மின் சாதனங்களை இயக்க வழக்கத்தை விட கூடுதல் மின்சாரம் செலவாகிறது.இதுகுறித்து பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் கூறியதாவது:குறைந்த மின்னழுத்த பிரச்னையால் மின் விசிறி சுற்றுகிறதே தவிர காற்று வருவதில்லை; மேலும் 'மிக் ஷி, வாஷிங் மெஷின், அயர்ன் பாக்ஸ்' போன்ற சாதனங்களை இயக்க முடியவில்லை. இதுதொடர்பாக மின் ஊழியர்களிடம் புகார் அளித்தால் நடவடிக்கையும் எடுப்பதில்லை.பொறியாளர்களிடம் தெரிவித்தால் ஊழியரை அனுப்புவதாக கூறுகின்றனர்; யாரையும் அனுப்புவதில்லை.இந்த பிரச்னையால் வழக்கத்தை விட கூடுதல் மின்சாரம் பயன்படுத்தும் நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இதனால் மின் சாதனங்கள் பழுதாவதுடன் மின் கட்டணமும் அதிகம் செலுத்த கூடிய நிலை உருவாகியுள்ளது.இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.இதுகுறித்து மின் ஊழியர்கள் கூறியதாவது:டிரான்ஸ்பார்மர் மின் வினியோக பெட்டியில் இருந்து அவற்றின் திறன் அளவுக்கு மட்டுமே மின் சப்ளை செய்ய வேண்டும். திறனை விட அதிக மின் சப்ளை செய்யும் போது குறைந்த மின்னழுத்த பிரச்னை ஏற்படுகிறது.எனவே அந்த இடங்களை கண்டறிந்து கூடுதல் டிரான்ஸ்பார்மர்கள் போட வேண்டும். இதுதொடர்பாக பொறியாளர்களிடம் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது. அவர்கள் தங்கள் உயரதிகாரிகளிடம் விபரத்தை தெரிவித்து கூடுதல் சாதனங்களை வாங்க அலட்சியம் காட்டுகின்றனர்.மின்னழுத்த பிரச்னை தொடர்பான புகார்களை தெரிவிக்க நுகர்வோருக்கு தனி தொலைபேசி எண் வழங்கலாம். அதில் பெறப்படும் புகார்களின் அடிப்படையில் அந்த இடங்களில் கூடுதல் சாதனங்கள் பொருத்தலாம்.இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

மருத்துவ கல்லூரி 'டீன்'கள் 4 பேர் ஓய்வு

Added : மே 31, 2019 23:43

சென்னை,அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனைகளில் பணியாற்றும் நான்கு டீன்கள் இந்த மாதம் ஓய்வு பெற உள்ளதால் புதிய டீன்களை தேர்ந்தெடுப்பதற்கான பணிகள் துவங்கியுள்ளன.சென்னை ஸ்டான்லி அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனையின் டீன் பொன்னம்பல நமச்சிவாயம் நேற்றுடன் ஓய்வு பெற்றார். கோவை இ.எஸ்.ஐ., பெரம்பலுார், கன்னியாகுமரி மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனைகளின் டீன்கள் இந்த மாதத்தில் ஓய்வு பெற உள்ளனர்.நான்கு இடங்களுக்கும் புதிய டீன்கள் நியமிக்கப்பட உள்ளனர். இதற்காக 10க்கும் மேற்பட்டோரை தேர்வு செய்து அந்தப் பட்டியலை தமிழக அரசிற்கு மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனரகம் அனுப்பியுள்ளது. மேலும் சென்னை எழும்பூர் குழந்தைகள் நல மருத்துவமனை இயக்குனராக இருந்த அரசர் சீராளரும் நேற்றுடன் ஓய்வு பெற்றார்.

டாக்டர்கள் சீனியாரிட்டி பட்டியல் குளறுபடி: கவர்னரிடம் புகார்

Added : மே 31, 2019 23:36

மதுரை, தமிழக டாக்டர்கள் பணிமூப்பு பட்டியலில் 25 ஆண்டாக குளறுபடி நீடிப்பதாக மதுரை மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரி பேராசிரியர்கள் மன உளைச்சலில் உள்ளனர்.தமிழ்நாடு அரசுப்பணியாளர் தேர்வாணையம் கடந்த 1990-91ம் ஆண்டில் அரசு உதவி டாக்டர் பணிக்கான தேர்வை நடத்தியது. இதில் 553 பேரை தேர்வு செய்து 1991 நவ.12ல் அரசாணை வெளியிட்டது. 

தேர்வானவர்களில் பலர் முதுநிலை, பட்டயப்படிப்பு படித்துக்கொண்டு இருந்தனர். பலர் அந்த ஆண்டே பணியில் சேர்ந்தனர். ஒரு பகுதியினர் படிப்பை முடித்து 1993, 94ல் பணியில் சேர்ந்தனர்.இந்நிலையில் பதவி உயர்வுக்காக பின்பற்றப்படும் சி.எம்.எல்., (சிவில் மெடிக்கல் லிஸ்ட்) பட்டியலில், தாமதமாக பணியில் சேர்ந்தவர்களின் பெயர் முன்னிலையில் இருப்பதாக 1990-91ல் பணியில் சேர்ந்த மதுரை மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரி பேராசிரியர்கள் போர்க்கொடி துாக்கியுள்ளனர். இக்குளறுபடியை சரிசெய்யக் கோரி கவர்னர் பன்வாரிலால் புரோகித், சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலர் பீலாராஜேஷிடம் மனு அளித்தனர்.மனுவில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது:

தமிழக அரசுப்பணியில் சேர நியமன ஆணை பெற்ற ஒருவர் குறிப்பிட்ட காலத்திற்குள் சேரவில்லை என்றால் தகுதி இழப்பார் என்பது விதி. சில நேரங்களில் வேண்டுகோளை ஏற்று ஆறு மாதங்கள் கழித்து பணியில் சேர அரசு அனுமதிக்கும். எங்களுடன் தேர்வாகி இரண்டு, மூன்று ஆண்டுகள் கழித்து பணியில் சேர்ந்தவர்களின் பெயர்கள் பணிமூப்பு பட்டியலில் எங்களுக்கு முன் உள்ளது. மூன்று ஆண்டுகளுக்கு ஒருமுறை இப்பட்டியல் மறுவரையறை செய்யப்படும் நிலையிலும், தொடர்ந்து அவர்களின் பெயர்கள் முன்னிலையில் உள்ளது.குளறுபடிகளை களைய சென்னை உயர்நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டது. ஆனால் குளறுபடி சரி செய்யப்படவில்லை. நாங்கள் டீன், இயக்குனராக பதவி உயர்வு பெறும் வாய்ப்பு பணிபோகும் நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. மன உளைச்சலில் தவிக்கிறோம். பட்டியலில் திருத்தம் செய்து பதவி உயர்வு வழங்க வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு கூறியுள்ளனர்.

சுரிதாருக்கு துப்பட்டா அவசியம் : பெண் ஊழியர்களுக்கு அரசு உத்தரவு

Updated : ஜூன் 01, 2019 02:08 | Added : ஜூன் 01, 2019 02:06 |

சென்னை : 'அரசு அலுவலகங்களில் பணிபுரியும் பெண் ஊழியர்கள் சல்வார் கமீஷ் மற்றும் சுரிதார் அணிந்து வந்தால் கட்டாயம் துப்பட்டா அணிந்து வர வேண்டும்' என தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழர்களின் உடை நாகரிகம் தற்போது மாற்றம் அடைந்துள்ளது. சேலை அணிந்து வந்த பெண்கள், வேட்டி அணிந்து வந்த ஆண்கள் நவ நாகரிக உடைகளை அணியத் துவங்கி உள்ளனர். 'பேஷன்' என்ற பெயரில் அரைகுறை ஆடை அணிவது அதிகரித்து வருகிறது.இதை தவிர்க்க அரசு ஊழியர்களுக்கு உடை கட்டுப்பாடு விதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. தமிழக அரசு அலுவலகங்களில் பணிபுரியும் ஊழியர்கள் பணிக்கு வரும் போது சுத்தமான நல்ல உடைகளை அணிந்து வர வேண்டும்.

பெண் ஊழியர்கள் பணிபுரியும் இடத்தில் சேலை, சல்வார் கமீஷ், சுரிதார் ஆகியவற்றை அணிந்து வரலாம். சல்வார் கமீஷ், சுரிதார் உடன் துப்பட்டா அணிந்து வர வேண்டும். ஆண் ஊழியர்கள் பேன்ட், சட்டை அணிந்து வர வேண்டும்; சாதாரண உடையில் வருவதை தவிர்க்கவும். நீதிமன்றம் மற்றும் விசாரணை கமிஷனுக்கு செல்லும் அதிகாரிகள் 'கோட்' மற்றும் 'டை' அணிந்து செல்ல வேண்டும்.

பெண் அலுவலர்கள் சேலை, துப்பட்டாவுடன் சல்வார் கமீஷ், சுரிதார் அணிந்து செல்ல வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

ஹெல்மெட் அணிந்தால் பெட்ரோல் இலவசம்

Added : ஜூன் 01, 2019 06:00

துாத்துக்குடி : 'ஹெல்மெட்' அணிந்து, டூவீலர்களில் வருவோருக்கு, இலவசமாக, 1 லிட்டர் பெட்ரோல் வழங்கும் திட்டம், திருச்செந்துாரில் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

துாத்துக்குடி மாவட்டம், திருச்செந்துார் சுற்றுவட்டார பகுதிகளில், விபத்துகளை குறைக்கும் முயற்சியாக, திருச்செந்துார், சப் - டிவிஷனில், போலீசார் மற்றும் பெட்ரோல் பங்க் உரிமையாளர்கள் இணைந்து, 'ஹெல்மெட் அணியாவிட்டால் பெட்ரோல் இல்லை' என்ற புதிய திட்டத்தை, இன்று முதல் அமல்படுத்தியுள்ளனர். மேலும், ஹெல்மெட் அணிவதை ஊக்குவிக்கும் வகையில், இலவச பெட்ரோல் திட்டமும் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

திருச்செந்துார், டி.எஸ்.பி., பாரத் கூறுகையில், ''ஹெல்மெட் அணியாவிட்டால் பெட்ரோல் இல்லை என்ற புதிய திட்டம், இன்று முதல் அமலுக்கு வருகிறது. இதற்காக, மாதத்தில் ஒரு நாள், மகிழ்ச்சி நேரம் என அறிவித்து, காலை, 9:00 முதல் பகல், 12:00 மணி வரை, முதலில் வரும், 30 வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு, 1 லிட்டர் பெட்ரோல் இலவசமாக வழங்கப்படும்,''என்றார்.

Order restraining admission of students to engg college quashed

According to senior advocate P Wilson, the Trust had availed credit facilities from Central Bank of India and Bank of India and mortgaged its properties as security for that borrowing.

Published: 31st May 2019 05:12 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A vacation bench of the Madras High Court has set aside the orders dated May 10 last of a vacation judge who had restrained Sri Devi Karumariamman Educational Trust at Valasaravakkam here from admitting students in its engineering college for 2019-20.A bench of Justices RMT Teekaa Raman and P D Audikesavalu quashed Justice S Vaidyanathan’s order, while allowing a writ appeal from the Trust, by its trustee J Kumaran, on May 22.

According to senior advocate P Wilson, the Trust had availed credit facilities from Central Bank of India and Bank of India and mortgaged its properties as security for that borrowing. Bank of India assigned the debt owed to it by the Trust to Maximus Arc Limited, invoking Sec. 5 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act.

Contending that the Trust had defaulted in paying dues under credit facilities availed from the Bank of India and it became inevitable to enforce such securities for realising the dues, Maximus Arc moved the Court with a writ petition for a direction to the Anna University to disaffiliate the engineering college of the Trust and restrain it from admitting students from 2019-2020.

When the matter came up on May 10 last, Justice Vaidyanathan restrained the Trust from admitting the students from 2019-2020 onwards, directed the university to disaffiliate the engineering college and posted the matter for further hearing on June 7. Aggrieved, the Trust preferred the present appeal.Trust senior counsel urged that Maximus Arc, who is merely an assignee of the debt from Bank of India, cannot seek any order for preventing his client from admitting students in its college. Properties given as mortgage security for borrowing by the Trust from the bank, does not include the college.


Accepting his arguments, the bench observed that on a perusal of the order impugned in this appeal, it was seen there had not been any discussion or finding on the rival contentions which had material bearing to decide whether the petitioner (Maximus Arc) was entitled to the relief.

That apart, the interim order passed was having the effect of granting the relief sought for in the writ petition itself without giving adequate opportunity to the Trust. “In that view of the matter, we set aside the order dated May 10.” the bench said and remitted the matter back to the writ court for fresh decision after affording opportunity to all parties to place their respective contentions.

Direction

Justice Vaidyanathan restrained the Trust from admitting the students from 2019-2020 and directed Anna university to disaffiliate the college

SRM founder sets aside 300 free seats for poor and deserving students from Perambalur
Students from the Perambalur Lok Sabha segment, who want to pursue Engineering, Arts and Science, Horticulture, Management, Health Sciences and Diploma in Engineering can apply.

Published: 31st May 2019 04:22 AM

By Express News Service

TIRUCHY: Making good on a poll promise, Perambalur MP TR Parivendar has announced 300 students belonging to economically weaker sections in his constituency would be given free education at his SRM group of institutions from this academic year.

He appealed to those eligible in his constituency to submit applications on or before June 15. IJK chief Parivendar won by a huge margin of 4.03 lakh votes as part of the DMK alliance and made many promises during his campaigns. One of them was to arrange for free higher education to 300 students in his institutions and job opportunities for 300 youth every year.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, he thanked the voters of Perambalur. “The first poll promise that I am going to fulfil is providing free education for students from poor families. There are six assembly constituencies for Perambalur Lok Sabha constituency. Fifty students from each assembly constituency will be offered free education in SRM institutions.”

He appealed for applications to be sent to Director (Admissions), SRM Nagar, Potheri, Kancheepuram District - 603203. Application forms can be downloaded from www.ijkparty.org. Students from the Perambalur Lok Sabha segment, who want to pursue Engineering, Arts and Science, Horticulture, Management, Health Sciences and Diploma in Engineering can apply.


The courses are listed in the application forms. He said a committee comprising one representative from each party in the coalition would be formed to select eligible students to avail this benefit. “The entire process would be transparent. There would not be any caste or religious discrimination in the selection process,” he assured.

Speaking on the drinking water shortage in the constituency, Parivendar said, “I would be arranging 15 tanker lorries to supply drinking water to all places reeling under water scarcity. This will be done in a week or two.” He also announced the promise of jobs to 300 youth for this year would be implemented in the next few months. “Perambalur is called an underdeveloped constituency.

I assure of turning it into a developed one by bringing companies here to provide jobs and boosting agriculture. I would definitely strive to make the long-awaited Ariyalur-Perambalur-Namakkal railway line a reality,” he said. Parivendar also said that agricultural produce like grains and vegetables of farmers in Perambalur Lok Sabha constituency would be procured by his institutions from their fields itself.

BJP man sells tea for Rs 1 on Modi’s swearing-in

Thanjavur: A BJP functionary running a tea stall in Peravurani on Thursday sold tea at a subsidised rate of `1 per cup to celebrate the swearing-in of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister for the second time. G Rajasekar (55) has been running the tea stall on Pattukkottai road in Peravrani for several years. As Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister on Thursday for his second term, Rajasekar decided to sell tea at the rate of Rs 1 per cup instead of the usual rate of Rs 7. Around 1,000 cups of tea were sold, Rajasekar said.

Engineering courses going out of fashion?

Only 1.32 lakh have applied this year for the TN Engineering Admissions, much less than the 1.59 lakh applications received in 2018

Published: 01st June 2019 03:52 AM 

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: There is a significant drop in the number of engineering aspirants in Tamil Nadu. Only 1.32 lakh students have applied this year for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA), much less than the 1.59 lakh applications in 2018. While the deadline to send the application is May 31 midnight, only 1,32,442 applications had been received till 7 pm Friday. Officials are hoping the numbers will go up by a few hundred by midnight.



A total of 1.76 lakh seats, spread across 500 engineering colleges in the State, will be offered during the counselling. The reduction in demand compared to the last year, and the surplus of seats despite quality control measures taken by regulatory bodies display the declining interest in engineering courses among students.


This is surprising because since 2016, there has been a steady increase in admissions. The numbers grew from 1.38 lakh in 2016 to 1.45 lakh in 2017 and a substantial 1.59 lakh last year. “With the number of applicants decreasing, the number of students who turn up for counselling and, subsequently, enrol into colleges will reduce further,” says the principal of a private engineering college.

Experts claim the lack of interest is primarily due to dearth of appropriate opportunities and poor quality of education. “Students prefer commerce and arts these days rather than enrol in a below-average engineering college,” says an Anna University faculty member on the condition of anonymity.

After two decades, the counselling is being conducted again by the Directorate of Technical Education this year. For the last 22 years, it was the Anna University that was conducting the process. This year, the university’s vice-chancellor resigned from the TNEA committee as he was upset with the untimely restructuring of the panel.

Admissions to Ayush UG courses likely to be based on NEET marks
Admission to Ayush undergraduate courses in the State for this academic year is likely to be based on National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) marks.

Published: 01st June 2019 03:57 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Admission to Ayush undergraduate courses in the State for this academic year is likely to be based on National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) marks. Last year, the State sought exemption from NEET for Ayush UG courses as an amendment to Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 to conduct admission for the courses based on NEET marks, had not been made.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Institute of Child Health, Egmore, Health minister C Vijay Baskar said, “Last year, the State could get NEET exemption for Ayush UG courses because the central government did not make amendment to Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970. But, this year the Central government has amended the Act. We have sought opinion of the Attorney General, and a decision will be taken based on that”.

However, NEET for UG courses was over and results are likely to be declared on June 5. Only those who appeared for NEET can now apply for Ayush courses, if the test is to be made compulsory for Ayush UG courses this year. This is likely to cause confusion among students.

Last year, the State conducted admission to Ayush UG courses based on Plus Two marks. It had said that NEET cannot be made mandatory for admission to Ayush courses by going against Tamil Nadu Admission in Professional Education Institutions Act, 2006.

Chennai hostels in deep water as crisis looms

Empty tanks and dry taps push hostel owners out of business. Unhygienic conditions force female

hostellers to shift to PG accommodation; operators float drastic plans as crisis compounds

Published: 01st June 2019 06:51 AM 

 |


Propreitors say more women have been vacating the hostels 

Smriti Baskar

By Madhumitha Viswanath

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Asma wakes up at 3 am every day to offer prayers before starting her fast for Ramzan. Prior to this, she needs to wash her hands and legs. But due to acute water shortage, sometimes she has to forgo fasting as there is no water even to clean herself.

“On some days, I brush my teeth at work. At times, I have to carry three to four buckets to my room on the second floor when I’m fasting. It is difficult but I cannot afford to rent a house,” said Asma, who has been staying at a ladies hostel at Adambakkam for the past five years.

Similar stories tumbled out of 5,000-odd hostels across Chennai, a majority of which are closing down because of the water crisis. Many men’s and ladies hostels especially in Ekkaduthangal, Saidapet, Alandur, Adambakkam, Kolathur, Ramapuram, Porur and OMR are struggling to provide water for basic activities.


At a loss

Ten days back, two hostels at Saidapet and one at Adambakkam closed down because their borewells — some at even 300 ft — had gone dry. With taps running dry and private tanker water becoming a thing of luxury, hostel residents are moving out. Hostel association members said close to 10-15 hostels had closed down since March.Many hostel members have shifted to paying guest accommodations, in the hope of at least one bath a day. “Hostel owners are already running around to get a permit from the authorities. We are struggling to get water from private tankers. Because of such obstacles, many owners are leaving the business altogether. Some of the workers at these hostels come from neighbouring districts, but now their headcount has also come down by 30 per cent,” said Shobhana Madhavan, president of Tamil Nadu Hostel

Owners Welfare Association.

The deepening crisis and no permission from the state government to tap groundwater has spiked the price of water from private tankers. Due to this, hostel owners are paying close to `2,000 more for every load of water and, in turn, charging every member an extra `500-`1,000 for the past two months. “Ten days ago, when the water tanker arrived at the hostel around 2 am, the driver demanded `5,000 and refused to give us water otherwise. I had no other choice but to pay him. In such dire situations, we are forced to reduce the supply drastically,” said Sivakumar V, manager of a hostel in Saidapet, who is planning to shut down.

Hygiene compromised

In many other hostels, drastic measures are being taken to keep water usage at a bare minimum. This includes shutting off supply for western toilets, using only a few taps, washing clothes in the washing machine only twice a week and providing supply for one hour in the morning and evening. This has raised serious hygiene concerns for women. Proprietors of many working women’s hostels said that more women members have been vacating hostels to stay on rent in areas where the issue is less severe.“During periods, we find it hard to manage with a few buckets of water for a whole day. Also, the quality is very poor. Some of my friends from OMR are staying for a few days in a week with their relatives in the city. Many haven’t told their parents about the situation as they ask them to quit their job and come back home,” said Bhargavi Ramesh, an IT employee who stays at a hostel in T Nagar.

Building approval papers to be uploaded online in 48 hours

The BRAP mandates that the checklist must not be open-ended.

Published: 01st June 2019 04:20 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: To ensure that the State gains its ranking in ease of doing business, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has directed its officials to upload inspection reports of building plans as part of approval process within 48 hours after completing the exercise.

This comes after CMDA ordered that for all planning permission applications received by it the inspection report should be limited to the checklist published and should be uploaded online within 48 hours.

The Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) 2019 has mandated that the State should have a detailed procedure covering all applicable steps and the comprehensive inspection checklist or form be published online.

The BRAP mandates that the checklist must not be open-ended and avoid use of phrases like “any other statutory clearances or licences”, “any other document”, “others”, “such as” and “etc.”


“A provision must be made by the State/ UT Administration that inspection reports must be submitted within 48 hours. Inspection reports filed beyond 48 hours should be considered as invalid,” the BRAP said.

Now all your orthopaedic needs just a tap away

Also, 3D animation videos in the app will provide directions for particular unit or labs in the hospital.

Published: 01st June 2019 04:34 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative to make government hospitals more patients’ friendly, Orthopaedic Surgery Department of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital launched a free mobile application ‘Stan Ortho’ on Thursday to enable the public to know about the treatment services provided by it.


The app is available on Google Play store, doctors said. Speaking to Express, T Tholgapiyan, Head of the hospital’s Orthopaedic Surgery Department, said, “The app will provide all information about treatment options for a particular condition and its description. Also, 3D animation videos in the app will provide directions for particular unit or labs in the hospital.

Madras University invites applications for PG course

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

MANGALURU, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Applications invited

The Department of Kannada, University of Madras, Chennai, has invited applications for admissions to its regular post-graduation course in Kannada and M.Phil in Kannada for 2019-20. Call Ph: 9840239321 or 8939387354.

801 students of Mailam college get placements

JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

UPDATED: JUNE 01, 2019 05:39 IST

Leading MNCs, IT firms offer jobs at the Achievers’ Day

As many as 801 candidates received offer letters at a hiring drive at Mailam Engineering College which recently celebrated Achievers’ Day.

M. Dhanasekaran, chairman and managing director, Mailam Subramaniya Swamy Educational Trust, presided over the programme.

Vice-chairman S.V. Sugumaran, MLA and trust secretary Narayanasamy Kesavan felicitated the dignitaries.

S. Senthil, principal, and Rajendran Dandapani, business solutions evangelist, Zoho Corporation; gave away offer letters to 801 students who were placed in various MNCs such as TCS, CTS, Infosys, HCL, Wipro, OFS, Emphasis, Sutherland Global Services, IDBI Federal, Kotak Mahindra and so on during the academic year 2018-19. Placement officer Sathish Kumar explained the placement made during the year.

A one-day national seminar on “Nanobiophotonics – Imaging and Sensing- NANOBP’19” sponsored by CSIR, New Delhi, was conducted in IFET College of Engineering, Villupuram.

The seminar was inaugurated by V. Velmurugan, associate professor, Centre of Nanotechnology, VIT, Vellore, who was the chief guest.

In his inaugural address, Prof. Velmurugan explained the synthesis, properties and application of nanomaterial.

P. Hema of the department of information technology and V.S Shruthi of the department of computer science and engineering, hosted the afternoon sessions on image processing and sensing related to nanotechnology.

K.V. Raja, chairman; A. Mohamed Ilyas, vice-chairman; K. Shivaram Alva, secretary, G. Mahendran, principal; S. Matilda, vice-principal and dean academics; and J. Asha, dean placement, participated.

The programme was coordinated by a team led by K. Sivasankari.

(Compiled by

M. Dinesh Varma)

Bharathidasan University receives A+ Grade NAAC accreditation certificate

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUCHI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has presented the Certificate of Accreditation specifying A+ Grade to Bharathidasan University.

The university was given a CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 3.32 on a four-point scale at the start of April based on the Self-Study Report submitted by the University to NAAC and the Report of the Peer Team of NAAC which inspected the University during 26th to 28th March 2019.

P. Manisankar, Vice-Chancellor, called on the Governor of Tamil Nadu and Chancellor of Bharathidasan University Banwarilal Purohit earlier this week and apprised him about the Certificate of Accreditation.

Congratulating the Vice-Chancellor on the achievement, the Governor encouraged the university to continue its efforts persistently so as to figure among the first 25 institutions in NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) India Ranking.

In a press release, G. Gopinath, Registrar, said Bharathidasan University has advanced to 60th place in NIRF India Ranking in University Category for 2019 (from 67th place in 2018) and to 94th place in NIRF India Ranking in Overall Category for 2019 (from above 100 in 2018).

The CGPA of 3.32 has paved way for the university to conduct distance education programmes and on-line courses, and entitles the university to more funding from Central Government agencies, the release from Bharathidasan University said.

Bribery case accused denied bail again

STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

He tried to secure ‘Two Leaves’ symbol for Sasikala faction of AIADMK

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the bail plea of Sukesh Chandrashekar, who was arrested in 2017 for allegedly bribing Election Commission officials to secure the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol for the Sasikala-led faction of the AIADMK.

Justice Mukta Gupta said, “Despite the fact that no charge under Section 467 IPC has been framed, the allegations against the petitioner are serious in nature as there has been recovery for a sum of Rs. 1.30 crore from his hotel room.”

The forged identity card of Member of Rajya Sabha and a forged sticker of Member of Parliament affixed on the Mercedes car clearly gave entry to the petitioner in all sensitive areas, thereby compromising on security, the High Court order said.

The High Court and the trial court denied him bail on several occasions.

Interestingly, Justice Gupta pointed out that he also tried to influence the jail officers to do him favours.

A charge sheet was filed by the police before the trial court in the case in July 2017, alleging that T.T.V. Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar conspired to bribe EC officials to get the ‘two leaves’ symbol.

The police also included in the charge sheet allegations of forgery.

Govt. doctors oppose transfers

R. SujathaWilson Thomas

CHENNAI/COIMBATORE, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

UPDATED: JUNE 01, 2019 04:30 IST

Say the resulting loss of posts will impact patient care

The Health Department on Friday launched a week-long compulsory counselling for transfer of doctors to peripheral hospitals and rural medical colleges to comply with the Medical Council of India’s norms.

As many as 900 doctors, including seniors, from clinical and non-clinical specialities, have been asked to attend the counselling. But this could lead to the removal of nearly 400 posts in government medical college hospitals across the State and impact patient care, the affected doctors said. They blamed the government for not implementing its order of 2009.

At that time when the doctors had demanded time-bound promotion and higher pay band, the government said it would provide promotions based on vacancy. Of the 11,000 doctors (in the three directorates — Medical Education, Medical and Rural Health Service and Public Health) 2,500 should have been promoted since then. The order was never implemented but recruitment continued. There are now 18,000 doctors in government service.

“The MCI norms on minimum criteria are meant for private medical college hospitals. The structure is entirely different in government medical college hospitals,” Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association (TNGDA) secretary N. Ravishankar said, suggesting that counselling should start from higher posts to lower posts so as to fill up all vacancies.

A. Ramalingam of Service Doctors and Postgraduates Association said the Civil Medical List should be followed. The government, according to him, is looking at institution-wise seniority list which was hurting the promotion prospects of seniors. “For a college to admit 150 students it should have 500 beds. But in all our government medical college hospitals the bed strength is around 750 to 1,000. The current restructuring has not considered patient workload,” he said.

Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, however, dismissed the concerns and said, “We need to do this exercise to increase the number of postgraduate seats in the State. The MCI has given us guidelines and we are following that. We are trying to retain those with super-speciality experience by placing them on deputation. We are moving these specialists to where there is a requirement, without causing too much displacement.”

New Vice-Chancellor for Open University

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

K. Parthasarathy, the new Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Open University, receiving his appointment order from Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday.Special arrangement

Governor-Chancellor Banwarilal Purohit has appointed K. Parthasarathy as the Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Open University for a period of three years with effect from the date of his assumption of office.

Mr. Parthasarathy, who specialised in the field of androgogy has served as a professor for over 22 years in Bharathidasan University. Apart from serving in various capacities including the head of department and dean of faculty, he was the founder Director of Institute for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (IECD) at the university.

Apart from being a member in the academic council, executive council and on the planning board of Bharathidasan University he has been on its Board of Studies. He has been a member in the BoS of Annamalai University, Barathiyar University and University of Madras.

As a teacher he has been involved in the introduction of 117 new courses and formulation of innovative academic programmes such as rural technology and trouble shooting and maintenance of electrical and electronics equipment.

He has guided 17 Ph.D. research scholars and has to his credit 24 research papers and eight books, indicating his rich experience in the area of promoting research, according to a release.

Govt. advises its staff to avoid casual attire

Dennis S. Jesudasan

CHENNAI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Dress code:According to the latest advisory, women employees must wear sari, salwar kameez or churidhar with dupattaFile photo

‘Wear neat, clean, formal dress’

The State government has made an amendment to the Secretariat Office Manual advising employees in the Secretariat to avoid casual attire while on duty. Government servants are required to wear “neat, clean, formal attire that is appropriate to the workplace setting so as to maintain the decorum of the office while on duty,” stated a G.O. issued by the Chief Secretary.

The G.O. specified sari or salwar kameez or churidhar with dupatta of sober colour for women and formal shirts and trousers for men. “Casual attire shall be avoided,” the G.O. stated.

While appearing before a court or tribunal or any other judicial body, a male officer should wear a full-sleeved short buttoned-up coat and trousers and if he prefers, an open coat. “He should invariably put on a tie and the dress should be sober and subdued in colour and design.”

As for a female officer, she should wear a sari or salwar kameez or churidhar with dupatta of a sober colour, it added.

The amendment issued on May 28 removed the paragraph in the Secretariat Office Manual that reads: “Government servants are not bound by any restrictions in the matter of dress and are at perfect liberty to wear, while on duty, whatever dress they like, provided it is in conformity with the ideas of decency current in society.”

Office Assistants attached to Ministers and officers of the Secretariat are to use items of identification supplied to them while on duty.

S. Peter Anthonysamy, president, Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association (TANSA), said following several complaints the government made these changes. “Government staff could dress in line with the culture of the State. We will abide by the rules.”

‘New H-1B visa rules may not affect hiring in US’

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Despite the recent changes in the H-1B visa rules, companies in the United States may not change their hiring patterns for MBA graduates.

According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) corporate recruiters survey 2019, released on Wednesday, 48% of US employers have planned or are willing to hire the same number of international candidates as last year (47%). In 2017, the companies had hired as much as 55% international candidates.

The H1-B visa rule changes were enforced from April 1 this year, but those with advanced degrees from US institutions have an edge over those with bachelor’s degrees. The survey has noted that in US companies, MBAs continue to draw the highest pay package.

The survey, conducted among 1,200 employers in 45 countries, found that most employers planned to increase MBA starting salaries in 2019 (56%), including 63% of Asia-Pacific employers and 49% of European employers.

On average, new recruits in 2019 are estimated to earn US$115,000 — more than double the median for new bachelor’s degree recruits (US$55,000) and the highest ever recorded in the US, when adjusted for inflation, according to the survey.

Consulting sector

By industries among US employers, median MBA starting salaries are highest in the consulting and finance/accounting industries. “There has been a feeling of uncertainty in recent years around the direction of the US visa policy, which is impacting international hiring and application trends,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president of GMAC.

There has been a feeling of uncertainty in recent years around the direction of the US visa policy

Sangeet Chowfla

President, GMAC

Fewer takers for engineering seats in Tamil Nadu this year

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

While more and more management seats were surrendered to the TNEA in the past few years, fewer students showed interest in the programme.

1,32,442 candidates have registered against 1,59,631 last year

The State’s engineering colleges are staring at a bleak future. For the first time in the last five years, the number of students seeking admission through single window has fallen drastically.

According to the the Directorate of Technical Education officials, who will be conducting online counselling for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission 2019 this year, till 5 p.m. on Friday, the last date for submitting applications, 1,32,442 candidates had registered. The deadline for submitting applications was 11.59 p.m. on Friday.

This is perhaps the lowest number of applications received so far by the TNEA. In the past few years while more and more management seats were surrendered to the TNEA for admission, fewer students showed interest in the programme.

In 2017, as many as 1.40 lakh candidates registered for admission. In 2018, the number of applicants had seen a slight increase: 1,59,631. TNEA had on offer 1,78,139 seats.

At the start of admissions as many as 16,000 remained vacant. When the final admission data was released two weeks ago, as many as 1.37 lakh seats, including those under management quota, had not been filled.

This year, the All India Council for Technical Education reduced the number of seats across the country for engineering. Yet, it is estimated that the State would have around 1.75 lakh seats at least. Admissions are being made by DoTE instead of Anna University. Random numbers for applicants will be generated on June 3 and verification of original certificates at TNEA facilitation centres will be done between June 6 and 11.

The merit list will be published on June 17. Online counselling will commence for special category from June 20 and for the general category on July 1.

Admission to siddha, ayurveda courses to go by NEET scores

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

A crèche inaugurated by Health Minister Vijaya Baskar on Friday at the Institute Of Child Health.M. Vedhan

We have sought legal opinion on the matter, says Health Minister

This year, admissions to courses offered under the Indian systems of medicine (AYUSH) could be on the basis of NEET scores.

In March, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which had made National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) mandatory for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy courses, had relaxed the rule for yoga and naturopathy courses for 2019-20.

Last year, the Central government had made the test mandatory for admission to AYUSH courses but some States had protested against it. The Tamil Nadu government had also admitted students based on Plus Two marks pointing out that these admissions were governed by the respective councils which had not amended their rules for admission.

While there are councils for Ayurveda and Siddha there is none for yoga and naturopathy.

On the sidelines of the inauguration of a series of facilities at the Institute of Child Health here on Friday, Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar told reporters, “While last year too the State was under the compulsion to admit students through NEET, we did not go ahead with that. However, since the rules have been amended this year, we have sought legal opinion from the Attorney General. But it does seem that we will have to go ahead with AYUSH admissions with NEET scores.”

Dr. Vijaya Baskar said the State would have as many as 300 additional seats in MBBS this year, including 150 seats for the yet-to-be opened Karur Medical College, 100 seats each for Tirunelveli Medical College and Madurai Medical College. While the government had received orders to increase seats in Tirunelveli College, oral assurance has been received for Madurai College, the Minister said.

The State will have 3,350 seats this year, including the 100 seats for IRT Perundurai Medical College, Dr. Vijayabaskar said.

On the 10% reservation for students of economically weaker sections, the Minister said additional seats had been sought to accommodate the students. A decision would be taken after discussion with the Chief Minister, he added.

The Minister inaugurated a creche for the children of the employees of the ICH, the Government Ophthalmic Hospital and the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The creche was painted through an agreement with Kansai Nerolac Paint Limited. The three-room creche includes cradles for infants, play facilities for toddlers besides board games such as table tennis, carrom and chess.

The hospital has also set up a therapy centre for paediatric patients to participate in music, dance and theatre sessions. The institute has also put in place a pneumatic sample transport system to speed up laboratory services.

Chainsmoker’s damaged sperms lead to failed IVF

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:01.06.2019

Infertility is not always a woman’s burden, after all. In an interesting a case, a chainsmoking man’s sperms were found to be affected by nicotine. A couple in their 30s was recently screened at the city-based Nova IVI Fertility, Koramangala, after their two cycles of IVF failed elsewhere.

The husband was asked to undergo DNA fragmentation index (DFI), a specialized test, which pointed to the fragmented sperm leading to failure in conception.

Doctors said this was due to his nicotine dependency. The man was counselled and put on antioxidants as part of the treatment. After the man quit smoking, the wife conceived through IVF and is now six months pregnant. In this case, the significant factor in miscarriage is the quality of the man’s sperm.

“Whenever there is spontaneous abortion or IVF fails, it’s the woman who faces the stigma and emotional burden. In this case, the couple came to us after the woman faced spontaneous abortion, followed by two failed attempts at IVF.

“While the woman had no problems, we counselled the couple. We told them that the husband would need to take the DFI test, after he admitted that he was a chainsmoker. The results were shocking,” said Dr Santosh Gupta, fertility specialist, Nova IVI Fertility.

While sperm fragmentation up to 25-30% is normal, anything higher than that is considered a hurdle to fertility.

“Usually, the fragmentation index among smokers would be 50-60%. But in this case, it was 70%, which was quite alarming. When a person is nicotine-dependent, smoking causes oxidative damages. Anti-oxidants help in this condition. The man was asked to stop smoking completely, take more of fruits as they are rich in oxidants. Medicines with anti-oxidants were given to help his condition,” she added.

The woman conceived in December 2018 through IVF, after healthy sperms were picked up through a sperm selection technique.

A couple in their 30s was recently screened after their two cycles of IVF failed elsewhere. The husband was asked to undergo DNA fragmentation index which pointed to the fragmented sperm leading to failure in conception

Srirangam temple to ban mobile phones
Trichy:01.06.2019

The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department that manages has mooted a proposal to prohibit devotees from carrying mobile phones into the Arulmigu Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. Locker facility has been proposed at all entry points for devotees to deposit mobile phones for a minimal fare.

HR&CE sources said the decision to ban the usage of mobile phones was taken based on a suggestion post a safety audit conducted by the Tamil Nadu Police (security) recently. Taking a cue from the mobile phone ban at the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, HR&CE department has passed an internal circular briefing the proposal and inviting suggestions. TNN

Politicians in state tear into Modi govt over appeal in SC

‘BJP Intends To Push Greenfield Project Against State Interest’

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

The Modi government moving the Supreme Court, challenging the Madras high court order that quashed the land acquisition proceedings for the ₹10,000 crore Chennai-Salem greenfield project, has triggered sharp reactions from Tamil Nadu political parties. While the DMK dubbed it an ‘unpardonable betrayal of Tamils’, the PMK, an NDA ally, expressed shock over the move and vowed to fight until the project was dropped.

A vacation bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna in the Supreme Court has scheduled hearing of the appeal for June 3, after counsel for the Centre said the prayer was of ‘utmost importance.’ In its April order, the high court had found the project report of the consultant highly flawed and held public hearing and environmental clearance from the Union government mandatory. The bench had observed that it would have adverse effects on environment and water bodies as it needed a mega realignment. The order had received widespread appreciation, and the affected farmers celebrated with sweets and fireworks.

DMK chief M K Stalin hit out at the state and central governments they failed to learn lessons from the “gift (read defeat)” handed over by the electorate in the state, especially in Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram Lok Sabha constituencies, where the alignment had been proposed. “It is shocking that the government headed by Narendra Modi, who vowed to build inclusive India, remains anti-Tamil Nadu just a day after assuming charge,” the DMK leader said, demanding that the scheme be withdrawn, and new routes be considered. The DMK-Congress combine had won the seats by a margin of 70,750 and 3.04 lakh votes, while Anbumani faced a humiliating defeat in Dharmapuri.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari had said in an election rally in Salem that the project would be executed after discussions with farmers. NHAI sources said the agency was keen on moving the SC with an appeal and papers were getting ready when election code of conduct was put in place. “Following the recommendations from expert appraisal committee of environment ministry, the NHAI engaged IIT Madras and got a report on the impact of proposed alignment on mountain ecosystem. It also entrusted an additional study to Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. KITCO Limited, a joint venture of Kerala government and public sector banks completed 40% of socio-economic assessment on the impact of land acquisition,” said an official source. The agency reduced the acquisition of land from 2,400 hectares to 2,020 hectares following protests by farmers, activists and political parties.

The high court verdict came on a batch of petitions from 35 land owners and Anbumani Ramadoss. “We will put pressure on the state and central governments and get them to withdraw the project, which is unnecessary and would adversely affect farmers,” said Anbumani, who had filed a caveat before the Supreme Court. Incidentally, PMK founder Ramadoss and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were present when Union minister Gadkari announced the BJP’s intent to execute the project.

Madras univ plans startup ecosystem

Varsity To Get ₹15cr For Setting Up Career Hub

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

University of Madras will provide a startup eco-system for students and will revamp courses related to entrepreneurship and self-employment from the coming academic year, said P Duraisamy, vice-chancellor of the university.

Under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) phase II scheme, the university would receive ₹15 crore from MHRD for creating an entrepreneurship and career hub at the university. The facility would be accessible for students from university departments and its affiliated colleges, he told TOI.

“The university has already received ₹7.5 crore under the scheme. We plan to set up a separate cell for helping the students to launch startups. We also plan to revamp the courses to hone their entrepreneurship skills,” said Duraisamy, who has completed two years as vice-chancellor of the university.

Listing out various academic reforms introduced in the past two years, he said the university was ranked 41 in NIRF rankings two years ago, but has now moved up to be among top 20 universities in the country.

“The university has introduced plagiarism check and online monitoring system to improve quality of PhDs. We have instituted Best Thesis and Best Teacher awards to encourage quality research, leading to publications and patents,” he said.

The Institute of Distance Education (IDE) was marred by corruption and malpractices in exams and payment system. Now, the IDE is completely revamped and even aggressively planning to introduce online courses, he said. “After finding out that the three study centres outside the state cheated in examinations, we closed all the centres outside Tamil Nadu. We also introduced online payment to eliminate malpractices in the challan payment system,” he said.

The university also introduced choice-based credit system (CBCS) and common syllabus for distance education programmes. Due to the ban on recruitment for the last two years, the vacancies in the university have risen to more than 50%.

“We will soon begin the recruitment after consulting the state government. Many of our departments do not have the minimum six faculty members required to get aid from UGC and other funding agencies. We will try to fill at least the government sanctioned posts,” the vice-chancellor said.

For the next one year, Duraisamy said, his priority would be to bring the university out of its current financial crisis.

“The university has huge potential. We will aim to move up in our rankings and will lay the road map to become category-1 university which ushers in greater autonomy and funding,” Duraisamy said.

Home loan scam: Banker,4 builders get three-year jail

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

A bank manager and four builders, involved in a ₹10 crore scam between 2005 and 2007, have now been found guilty of the fraud by a CBI court and sentenced to three years of imprisonment each, besides being fined up to ₹10 lakh.

In four orders, special judge S Jawahar of the XI additional special court, convicted former manager of Anna Nagar branch of State Bank of Saurashtra (now SBI) Pinaki Bhattacharya and sentenced him to a three-year jail term and impose a fine of ₹9.75 lakh in all the four cases where charges of corruption, forgery and cheating were framed against him.

The builders in the four cases — N Ramji of Balaji foundation, P Vazhuthi of Om Ayangaran, T Karthik Prakash of SK Constructions and Subhash Chandran of Saravana Foundation — were sentenced to undergo imprisonment for three years each, besides a fine of ₹5 lakh each.

Apart from this, M Shanmugasundaram, a technician of Southern Railway’s Loco workshop, K Madhivanan a worker at Chennai Port Trust, and M Jayakumar, a tailor at the Ordinance Clothing Factory (OCF) in Avadi, were also convicted and sentenced in the case.

The banker and bosses of real estate companies connived with the railway employees and offered to build houses for gullible clerical staff in various central government entities during 2005-2007.

M V Dinaker, CBI senior public prosecutor, told TOI all the four cases had a similar modus operandi where the manager conspired with the real estate company owners and others to identify 40-50 lower level central government employees. Though they were ineligible for housing loans, the accused forged their payslips and other documents to get loans sanctioned in their names. The loan sums were then directly transferred into the accounts of the real estate bosses.

The houses that the companies promised to build were in Tiruninravur in Tiruvallur district, in an area where water and electricity connections were not available. “The money was then diverted by the accused to their other projects elsewhere,” Dinaker told TOI.

As a result, many of the accounts turned non-performing assets (NPA) as the loans were not paid.

Most of the gullible people tricked inot the scam were employed in Southern Railway, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCF), Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) Avadi, Chennai Port Trust and other such central agencies.

Annamalai varsity class of ’69 honours teachers

Chennai:01.06.2019

With heads held high, the class of 1969 left Annamalai University in Chidambaram filled with great hopes and dreams. While they set out on different paths, they promised to stay in touch. And they did. “We stayed in touch though life took us to different places,” said P Balasubramanian, a 73-year-old industrialist and alumni of engineering. The ‘students’ got together again on Friday at Ambassador Pallava hotel to celebrate 50 years of leaving college, but this time celebrated it by honouring their teachers. “We are what we are today because of our teachers. We planned this for long,” he said. About 44 students from the batch gathered with their spouses to honour eight teachers, who they had traced. They held Guruvandhanam – a thanksgiving ceremony to their teachers, who were aged above 80. “A teacher’s role is crucial in shaping students. I am happy to see that all my students are well established and leading prosperous lives,” said S Sadique, an 84-year-old former professor. TNN

Asset case: PCB official placed under suspension

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.06.2019

The pollution control board has placed under suspension one of its senior officials two days before his retirement on Friday, for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A Thanga Pandian, an additional chief environment engineer in Chennai, posted in Tuticorin in 2005-2008, gave approval for the expansion of Sterlite company.

After gathering evidence against Thanga Pandian, the vigilance department recommended his suspension.

Generally, in a case where a government employee is found to be involved in smaller offences, the vigilance department recommends to initiate departmental action.

In this case with solid evidence, the department has recommended for suspension.

An official said a couple of cases was already pending against the official over the last decade. However, he was promoted to the rank of additional chief environment engineer.

So far, no officer in this rank has been placed under suspension in the board, the official added.

Audio clips on ‘bribery’ in university recruitment process go viral

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BALLARI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

The process for recruitment in Vijayanagar Sri Krishnadevaraya University has been bogged down by allegations of corruption with two audio clips going viral as far as the ongoing recruitment for non-teaching posts is concerned.

However, Vice-Chancellor M.S. Subhas has dismissed the allegations stating that the process of recruitment for teaching and non-teaching posts is going on in the most transparent manner.

One of the two audio clips has a voice of a woman and a man, identified as Fathima and Ramesh, both said to be working as contract employees in the university and who had applied for non-teaching posts, discussing in Telugu about payment of bribe to get appointment. The woman is heard saying that Rs. 10 lakh had to be paid for the post, while the man asks her to be cautious to ensure that the money did not go into the wrong hands. He also asks her how she could arrange for the money.

In another audio clip, a man, identified as Chidananda, also a contract employee and a candidate, is heard requesting a librarian, identified as Kattimani, to talk to the Vice-Chancellor to get him a job.


Meanwhile, Mr. Subhas, after coming to know about the audio clips, summoned all the four — Ramesh, Fathima, Chidananda and Kattimani — and terminated them from service on the charge of indulging in activities that tarnished the image of the university. After that, Ramesh was reportedly manhandled by some people for releasing the audio clip. However, he has not lodged any police complaint in this connection.

When contacted, Mr. Subhas told The Hindu that the allegation of bribery, as shown in the audio clip, is false and baseless.

Mr. Subhas also said that it was the outcome of a tussle between two groups of contract employees with one wanting the recruitment process to go on while the other was against it.

“We have initiated action against all the four involved in the two audio clips. The written exam for the non-teaching posts was held as per schedule on Saturday and another will be held on June 3,” he said.

The allegation of bribery, as shown in the audio clip, is false and baseless. It is the outcome of a tussle between two groups of contract employees with one wanting the recruitment process to go on while the other is against it, says Vice-Chancellor of Vijayanagar Sri Krishnadevaraya University M.S. Subhas

Economic reservation in MBBS won’t affect 69% quota: Minister

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.06.2019

Tamil Nadu is yet to take a decision on implementing reservation for economically weaker sections in medical admissions. Even if the state has to implement it as per the Centre’s announcement, it will not affect the existing 69% reservation, health minister C Vijayabaskar said on Friday.

“The Union health ministry has asked us to identify and inform it about 10% seats for the quota. It’s a policy decision that will be made after discussion with the chief minister and the chief secretary,” he said. As of now, it will not affect the existing quota. “This would mean that the state will have 79% of its seats reserved and 21% for admission under the open category. We will seek additional seats to accommodate students under the new quota.”

This year, the state will have 24 government colleges and 16 self-financing colleges offering 3,400 medical seats. There will be 2,250 seats in government colleges. Last week, the minister said the state would conduct MBBS counselling online, as done by Delhi-based Directorate General of Health Services. This year, however, the selection committee is likely to make only the application process, not allotments, online. “For this year, it may be difficult to verify details like nativity,” the minister said.

The state, meanwhile, has been talking to the Centre regarding NEET-based admission for AYUSH courses. “This year, it is mandatory to admit students who are NEET-qualified as the law has been amended. As a matter of policy, we are against NEET. We are talking to the Centre for exemption,” he said.

This year, the state will have 24 govt colleges and 16 self-financing colleges offering 3,400 medical seats

Govt to rejig doc postings to better use specialists

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

The Directorate of Medical Education has initiated a process to shuffle and post 900 doctors, including specialists who have been posted at places that do not utilise their potential.

The directorate said many specialists in the state, particularly those on the clinical side (such as ophthalmology and paediatrics), were posted at nonclinical wings because either there were no doctors available for the posts or the doctor had requested such a posting.

“We are making amends. We want to place the right specialists at the right places,” said director of medical service Dr A Edwin Joe.

“We have enough doctors in most specialities. If we don’t need specialists in a particular department, we send them to district headquarters hospitals. This would mean they will have work for the directorate of medical services. This will also ensure specialty services in rural areas.”

Recently, several doctors were redesignated to suit Medical Council of India norms. “Several assistant professors were designated as associate professors. Some associate professors were made professors. This has created some vacancies which we need to fill,” he said. Counselling for the new postings will be held for a week.

The restructuring would mean that several doctors in the city could be asked to work in medical college and hospitals in rural areas. This has upset the government doctors’ association.

“Under a process of restructuring, MBBS and diploma holders will be posted in peripheral hospitals but specialists are asked to work in rural medical colleges. Why should they retain junior doctors and transfer seniors? Officials have said attendance at counselling is compulsory,” said Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association president Dr K Senthil.

“If existing doctors are expelled from the medical college to district hospitals, what will be the fate of doctors doing PG courses now?” he asked. He said if there is saturation in a speciality, the government should decrease the number of PG seats.


The restructuring would mean many city doctors could be asked to work in and hospitals in rural areas. This has upset the government doctors’ association

TN comes up with dress code for staff to ‘maintain office decorum’
Julie Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

The Tamil Nadu government believes clothes maketh the man, and woman. It has brought in a dress code for those working at Fort St George, the seat of its power.

Women will have to wear “saris or salwar kameez or churidar with dupatta of sober colour” and men will have to wear “formal shirts with formal pants”. There’s no word on whether ‘veshties’ are allowed.

An order issued by the personnel and administrative reforms department signed by chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan on Tuesday sought to amend the dress code prescribed in Tamil Nadu Secretariat Office Manual to “suit the present-day circumstances and to maintain the decorum of the office”.

“When the elected representatives wear veshti, why insist on pants,” asked an official. The order says a male officer who makes an appearance before a court or tribunal or any other judicial forum should wear a “short buttoned up coat with full sleeves, with trousers”. If the officer prefers an open coat, he should put on a tie as well and the clothes should be sober and subdued in colour and design. A woman officer should wear a sari or salwar kameez or churidar with dupatta of a sober colour.

What’s the trigger for the order? Apparently, officials had turned up in court shabbily dressed and this had evoked criticism. “The government may have taken a decision to preserve Tamil culture. Let everyone abide by the order,” said Tamil Nadu secretariat association chief Peter Anthonysamy.

‘Not sure whether veshti can be worn’

Chennai: “A section of youngsters prefers Tshirts and jeans, which don’t go well with the prescribed norms. Formal attire will evoke the respect of the public visiting the secretariat. Not sure if veshti can be worn,” an official said, pleading ignorance of the office manual. It remains to be seen if government agencies and departments elsewhere will follow suit.