துணைவேந்தர் பதவியில் பிரதிநிதித்துவம்திருமாவளவன் வழக்கில் ஆக.5 தீர்ப்பு

Added : ஆக 02, 2019 00:56

சென்னை:பல்கலை துணை வேந்தர், சிண்டிகேட் மற்றும் செனட் உறுப்பினர்கள் நியமனங்களில், ஆதிதிராவிடர், பழங்குடியினர் மற்றும் மகளிருக்கு, உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம் அளிக்கக்கோரி, சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில், திருமாவளவன், எம்.பி., மனு தாக்கல் செய்துள்ளார்.
இவ்வழக்கில், இரு தரப்பு வாதங்கள் முடிந்து, தீர்ப்பு தள்ளி வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

விருப்பப்படி நியமனம்

விடுதலை சிறுத்தைகள் கட்சி தலைவர், திருமாவளவன் தாக்கல் செய்த மனு:தமிழகத்தில், ௨௧ பல்கலை கழகங்கள் உள்ளன. மூன்று ஆண்டுகளாக, ஒன்பது துணைவேந்தர், எட்டு பதிவாளர், ௧௦ தேர்வு கட்டுப்பாட்டாளர் பதவிகள் காலியாக உள்ளன. பல்கலைகளுக்கு துணை வேந்தர்களை நியமிக்கும் போது, ஆதிதிராவிடர், பழங்குடியினர், மகளிருக்கு, உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம் வழங்கப்படுவது இல்லை.மக்கள் தொகைக்கு ஏற்ப, ஆதிதிராவிடர் மற்றும் பழங்குடியினரில் இருந்து, ஐந்து; மகளிரில் இருந்து, ஏழு; இதர சமூகத்தினரில் இருந்து, ஐந்து என, துணைவேந்தர் பதவிகளில் நியமனம் இருக்க வேண்டும். ஆட்சிமன்ற குழு, சிண்டிகேட், செனட் அமைப்புகளுக்கும், விருப்பப்படி நியமனம் நடக்கிறது.
உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம்

குறைந்தபட்ச பிரதிநிதித்துவம் கூட, ஆதிதிராவிடர், பழங்குடியினர், சிறுபான்மையினர், மகளிருக்கு வழங்கப்படவில்லை. உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம் வழங்க கோரி, 2017 ல், பல்கலை மானியக் குழு, கவர்னரின் முதன்மை செயலர், உயர் கல்வித் துறை முதன்மை செயலர் ஆகியோருக்கு மனு அனுப்பினேன்; எந்த பதிலும் இல்லை.எனவே, துணை வேந்தர், ஆட்சி மன்றக் குழு, நிர்வாக குழு, சிண்டிகேட், செனட் குழுக்களில், ஆதிதிராவிடர், பழங்குடியினர்,சிறுபான்மையினர், மகளிருக்கு, உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம் வழங்குவதை உறுதி செய்ய வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு, மனுவில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.
மனு, நீதிபதிகள் மணிகுமார், சுப்ரமணியம் பிரசாத் அடங்கிய, 'டிவிஷன் பெஞ்ச்' முன், விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. திருமாவளவன் தரப்பில், வழக்கறிஞர் பழனிமுத்து, அரசு தரப்பில், சிறப்பு பிளீடர் கதிர்வேலு ஆஜராகினர். இரு தரப்பு வாதங்களும் முடிந்து, வழக்கின் உத்தரவை, வரும், 5ம் தேதிக்கு, டிவிஷன் பெஞ்ச் தள்ளி வைத்துள்ளது.

உணவு பட்டியலில், 'ஐயர் சிக்கன்': பிராமணர்கள் எதிர்ப்பு

Added : ஆக 02, 2019 02:45

மதுரை:மதுரையில் உள்ள, ஓட்டல் ஒன்றில், 'கும்பகோணம் அய்யர் சிக்கன்' என, சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தும் விதமாக, அசைவ உணவுக்கு பெயர் சூட்டப்பட்டிருந்தது. பிராமணர்களின் போராட்டத்தை அடுத்து, அந்த உணவின் பெயர் நீக்கப்பட்டதுடன், ஓட்டல் உரிமையாளர் மன்னிப்பு கடிதமும், எழுதி கொடுத்தார்.

மதுரை, வடக்கு மாசி வீதியில், 'மிளகு' என்ற ஓட்டல் உள்ளது. இங்கு, வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு கொடுக்கும் உணவு பட்டியலில், 'கும்பகோணம் அய்யர் சிக்கன்' என்ற பெயர் இருந்தது.மேலும், இது குறித்து, இணையதளங்களில், விளம்பரமும் செய்தனர். ஜாதி துவேஷத்துடன், அசைவ உணவுக்கு பெயர் சூட்டப்பட்டிருந்தது.இந்த உணவு பெயரை கண்டித்து, பிராமணர்கள் நேற்று மாலை, அந்த ஓட்டலை முற்றுகையிட்டனர்.இதையடுத்து, ஓட்டல் மேலாளர், டுவிக் என்பவர், 'தவறுக்கு வருந்துகிறோம். சர்ச்சைக்குரிய, அந்த பெயர், உடனே நீக்கப்படும்' என, தெரிவித்தார்.மேலும், எழுத்துப்பூர்வமாக மன்னிப்பு கடிதம் தர, ஓட்டல் உரிமையாளர் ஒப்புக்கொண்டதால், போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டோர் கலைந்து சென்றனர்.

மருத்துவ மாணவர்களுக்கு உற்சாக வரவேற்பு

Added : ஆக 02, 2019 01:13


சென்னை:அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில், எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர்களுக்கு, நேற்று வகுப்புகள் துவங்கின.

 புதிய மாணவர்களுக்கு மூத்த மாணவர்கள், பூங்கொத்து கொடுத்து, உற்சாக வரவேற்பு அளித்தனர்.தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள, அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி களில், எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., படிப்பில் சேர்ந்த, முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர்களுக்கான வகுப்புகள், நேற்று துவங்கின. சென்னை மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிக்கு வந்த புதிய மாணவர்களை, மூத்த மாணவர்கள், பூங்கொத்து கொடுத்தும், ரோஜா மலர் கொடுத்தும் வரவேற்றனர்.சென்னை மருத்துவ கல்லுாரியில் நடந்தநிகழ்ச்சியில், டீன் ஜெயந்திபேசியதாவது:சென்னை மருத்துவ கல்லுாரியில், 'ராகிங்' முற்றிலும் தடை செய்யப்பட்டு உள்ளது. இதுவரை, ராகிங் நடந்ததாக புகார்கள் இல்லை. 'சீனியர்' மாணவர்கள், முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர்களுடன், நல்லுறவை ஏற்படுத்தும் வகையிலும், 'ராகிங்' நடப்பதை தடுக்கும் வகையிலும், குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.அந்த குழுவில் உள்ள மாணவர்கள், ராகிங்கில் ஈடுபடும் மாணவர்களை கண்காணிப்பர். இதில், அவர்கள் தவறு செய்தது தெரிய வந்தால், கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு, அவர் பேசினார்.

சென்னை கீழ்ப்பாக்கம், ஸ்டான்லி, ஓமந்துாரார் அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளிலும், முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர்களை, சீனியர் மாணவர்கள் வரவேற்றனர். மலர் கொடுத்தும், மரக்கன்றுகள் நடச்செய்தும், புதிய மாணவர்களுக்கு வரவேற்பு அளிக்கப்பட்டது.தமிழகம் முழுவதும், அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில் நடந்த நிகழ்ச்சியில், 'ராகிங் செய்ய மாட்டோம்' என, சீனியர் மாணவர்கள், முதலாம் ஆண்டு மாணவர்களுக்கு வாக்குறுதி அளித்தனர். மேலும், விடுதிகள், அங்கு அளிக்கப்படும் உணவுகள் தரமானதாக இருக்கும் என, பெற்றோர்களிடம், விடுதி காப்பாளர்கள் உறுதி அளித்தனர்.

ஒரு மாதம் பயிற்சி

இந்திய மருத்துவ கவுன்சில், நாடு முழுவதும், ஒரே பாடத்திட்டத்தை அறிமுகம் செய்துள்ளது. இந்த பாடத்திட்டம் தொடர்பாக, பேராசிரியர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி அளிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. புதிய பாடத்திட்டத்தின்படி, முதலாம் ஆண்டின் துவக்கத்தில், ஒரு மாதத்திற்கு, மருத்துவமனையில், பயிற்சி பெற வாய்ப்பு தரப்படுகிறது.இதில், நோயாளிகளை எப்படி அணுகுவது, ஒருடாக்டராக, அவர்களை புரிந்து பணியாற்றுவதுஉள்ளிட்டவை குறித்து கற்பிக்கப்படும்.நாராயண பாபு,மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனர்'ராகிங்' குறித்து புகார் செய்யலாம் ராகிங் குறித்து, கல்லுாரி டீன்கள் அல்லது கல்லுாரிகளில் உள்ள, ராகிங் தடுப்பு குழுவினரிடம் புகார் அளிக்கலாம் எம்.சி.ஐ., எனப்படும், இந்திய மருத்துவ கவுன்சிலில், ராகிங் தடுப்புக்கான ஒழுங்குமுறை கமிட்டி உள்ளது.
இந்த ராகிங் தடுப்பு ஒழுங்குமுறை குழுவை, 18001 11154 என்ற இலவச எண்ணிலும், 011 - 2536 7033, 2536 7035, 2536 7036 என்ற எண்களிலும், தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம்* மேலும், mci@bol.net.in, contact@mciindia.org என்ற, இ - மெயில் முகவரிகள் மற்றும்,www.mciindia.orgஎன்ற இணையதளத்திலும், புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம். சிறப்பு அவசர உதவிக்கான, 011 - 2536 1262 என்ற எண்ணிலும், antiragging-mci@nic.in என்ற, இ - மெயிலிலும், மருத்துவ மாணவர்கள் புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம்.

யு.ஜி.சி., எச்சரிக்கை:உரியகல்வித்தகுதி இல்லாதவர்களை பேராசிரியர்களாக நியமிக்க கூடாது

Added : ஆக 02, 2019 00:46

சென்னை:'உரிய கல்வித்தகுதி இல்லாதவர்களை, கல்லுாரிகள் மற்றும் பல்கலைகளில் பேராசிரியர்களாக நியமனம் செய்யக்கூடாது' என்று, பல்கலைமானிய குழுவான,யு.ஜி.சி., கட்டுப்பாடு விதித்துள்ளது.

யு.ஜி.சி., சுற்றறிக்கையில், கூறப்பட்டுள்ளதாவது:உயர்கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில், அனைத்து மாணவர்களுக்கும், தரமான கல்வியை அளிக்க வேண்டிய கட்டாயம் உள்ளது. ஆனால், பல பல்கலைகளில் கல்வித்தரம், உள்கட்டமைப்பு வசதிகளில் குறைபாடுகள் உள்ளதாக, புகார்கள் எழுந்துள்ளன.குறிப்பாக, யு.ஜி.சி., குறிப்பிட்டுள்ள கல்வி தகுதியை பெறாதவர்களை, பல கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் பேராசிரியர் பணியில் சேர்த்துள்ளதாகவும், குறைந்த ஊதியம் காரணமாக, இந்த நியமனங்களை மேற்கொள்வதாகவும் தெரியவந்துள்ளது.எனவே, யு.ஜி.சி.,யின் விதிகளை, உயர்கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் முறையாக கடைபிடிக்க வேண்டும் என, அறிவுறுத்தப்படுகிறது.இவ்வாறு, சுற்றறிக்கையில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

SHOCKING: Youth killed brother to conceal incestuous affair with sister, aunt
15-yr-old school teen near Ulundurpet was found murdered with his throat slit on Sunday; while villagers suggested human sacrifice, sniffer dog bring out truth

Published: 02nd August 2019 04:03 AM |

By Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: A couple of days after a schoolboy was found dead in a forest area near Ulundurpet, his brother, sister and aunt were arrested for murdering him. Police said the boy’s own brother murdered him as he had come to know of an illicit affair between the trio.

According to a police source from Ulundurpet, the deceased Sivakumar (15), studied class 10 in a government high school in Elavansurkottai. He lived with his mother, brother Sarathkumar (21), a farm labourer and his 18-year-old sister Soundarya. His father works abroad. On Sunday, Sivakumar went missing and the same night, his body was found in a nearby forest area, with his throat slit.

A police team was formed to inquire about the murder as rumours spread that he was murdered as part of human sacrifice. However, the sniffer dog brought to the spot ran till the house of the deceased itself and stopped. On checking the house, police found a scythe there and it smelled of blood. They suspected it may have been used to murder the boy.

Police then secretly watched their movements. Their suspicions centered around Sarathkumar and he was taken to the police station on Thursday. During inquiries, he confessed to murdering his own brother, said a police source. Sarathkumar was allegedly having an affair with his own sister and aunt, Pushpavathi (40). Sivakumar once saw them during their illicit affair, and as Sarathkumar was afraid that he would tell others, he decided to murder the boy.


On Sunday, he took his brother for a rabbit hunt in the nearby forest area and asked Sivakumar to fix the cage for rabbits. As he was doing it, using the scythe, Sarathkumar killed Sivakumar, police said. After that, he went home and when their mother searched for Siva, he said that the boy had gone for rabbit hunting. He also joined their relatives when they went to search for him and cried on seeing Siva’s body.

Return used Aavin covers, get 10 paise

The state government recently banned sale and use of one-time use plastic but exempted essential products like oil and milk.

Published: 02nd August 2019 06:30 AM

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: In an effort to stop one-time-use milk covers from polluting the environment, State-owned Aavin Milk has announced that it will be offering `10 paise on the return of each cover. Residents can return used Aavin milk covers at its retail stores, dairy centres and regional offices located across the city.
In a release, the milk-producing body also urged other private milk producers to join in this recycling program.”

The state government recently banned sale and use of one-time use plastic but exempted essential products like oil and milk. Because of this, such covers find their ways to rivers, lakes and other public spaces, polluting the same,” said a release issued by Aavin.

For more assistance, regional officers can be contacted at 94442 47327 (North zone) and 97907 73955 (South Zone) or people can dial the toll free helpline number number 1800 425 3300.

Welcome move


Aavin Milk has announced that it will be offering `10 paise on the return of each cover

Residents can return used covers at its retail stores, dairy centres and regional offices located across the city

Aavin said the move is aimed at stopping such covers finding their ways to rivers, lakes and other public spaces, polluting the same
TN government had recently banned sale and use of one-time use plastic

Dismissal of MTC driver for misconduct upheld

A division bench of the Madras High Court has upheld the dismissal of an MTC driver from service, for his alleged misconduct of quarrelling with his superior and slapping him.

Published: 02nd August 2019 06:34 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has upheld the dismissal of an MTC driver from service, for his alleged misconduct of quarrelling with his superior and slapping him.

“A person, when dismissed from service, is put to a great hardship but that would not mean that grave misconduct should go unpunished. Although the doctrine of proportionality may be applicable in such matters, but punishment of dismissal from service for such misconduct, cannot be said to be unheard of. Maintenance of discipline of an institution is equally important,” the bench of Justices Dr Vineet Kothari and C V Karthikeyan observed.

The bench was dismissing an appeal from N Mohandass, on July 24. Mohandass raised an industrial dispute, questioning the dismissal order dated July 23, 1997. And the Labour Court passed an award holding that there was no violation of principles of natural justice during the enquiry and also that there was no justifiable reason to interfere with the findings of the enquiry officer. It, however, ordered his reinstatement but denied back wages. Challenging this, the management filed a writ petition and a single judge restored the order of dismissal.

Hence, the present appeal from Mohandass. Dismissing it, the bench said, “In view of the change in the economic policy of the country, it may not now be proper to allow the employees to break the discipline with impunity. In the light of the findings recorded and the legal precedent, it is not a fit case where any relief can be given to Mohandass. The Labour Court clearly erred in directing reinstatement of the workman, though without back wages and it did not take into account the binding precedent of the Supreme Court.” The bench restored the order of dismissal.

2 Ayurveda doctors held for causing death by negligence

They tried to treat malaria with allopathic medicines in 2013

02/08/2019, RAINA ASSAINAR,NAVI MUMBAI

Two Ayurveda doctors, who practise in Panvel taluka, were arrested on Wednesday for causing the death of a 23-year-old girl by negligence, six years ago. Ashish Bhagat (38) and Vijay Bhagat (55) were produced before court on Thursday, and released on bail.

Madhukar Bhalerao, a retired assistant commissioner of the State’s sales tax department, had approached the Panvel City police 2014, with a complaint against the doctors alleging negligence, which led to the death of his daughter Geetanjali on September 8, 2013.

Report confirms it

Assistant police inspector Rahul Sonawane, Panvel City police station, said after the complaint was received, the relevant documents, health reports, and medical treatment history to the Raigad civil surgeon. “We received the civil surgeon’s report last month, which confirmed negligence on the part of the doctors. The report said the victim had died of malaria and the doctors, who had completed Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, attempted to treat the victim with allopathic medicines.”

Specialist doctor

He also said the doctors, after learning about her illness, should have immediately referred to a specialist doctor instead of treating themselves. The police registered a case on July 28. As per the complaint, Mr. Bhalerao’s wife had taken their daughter to Dr. Ashish in New Panvel on August 26, 2013, as she was suffering from fever.

Dr. Ashish told her that the girl had symptoms of malaria and prescribed her medicines, and also asked to get her blood tested.

“Even after two days, there was no improvement in her condition and hence Mr. Bhalerao met Dr. Vijay in Panvel with the blood reports. He changed the medicines and told him that there was nothing to worry. After a few days, her health deteriorated, and he visited Dr. Vijay again on August 3, 2013, who told him to admit the girl at Patel Hospital in Panvel,” Mr. Sonawane said.

Doctors at Patel Hospital said the girl needed to be admitted to ICU. Since the hospital did not have the facility, they asked the father to go either to MGM Hospital at Kalamboli or Paramount Hospital at Panvel. At MGM, there was no vacant bed at ICU and hence the complainant took his daughter to Paramount Hospital where she was admitted to ICU, and during the course of treatment, she died on September 8, 2013.

“The negligence in treatment happened between August 26 and September 3, 2013, when the victim was under the treatment of both BAMS graduates,” Mr. Sonawane said.

HC allows bike-sharing app Rapido to continue operations in State

Judges also stayed operation of cyber crime police’s letter to Google, Apple

02/08/2019, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Rapido submitted that all necessary safety measures were being followed by the firm.

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday stayed the operation of an order passed by a single judge of the court on July 18 restraining Hyderabad-based Roppen Transportation Services from operating their mobile app Rapido, which facilitates sharing of pillion seats in motorcycles, in Tamil Nadu until the State government frames regulations for services such as car pooling, bike taxi and call taxi.

Justices Vineet Kothari and C.V. Karthikeyan also stayed the operation of a letter written by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime Cell, Central Crime Branch here to Google LLC and Apple India Private Limited on July 6 requesting them to remove Rapido from their app stores. The letter had led to Apple removing the app from its platform and making it impossible for Rapido to operate in other States too.

The interim orders were passed after Rapido explained to the judges the procedure of booking bikes through the app and submitted that all safety measures such as insistence on the riders wearing helmets and possessing valid insurance were being followed by the appellant firm.

Since Advocate General Vijay Narayan could not appear, the procedures were explained in the presence of Special Government Pleader A.N. Thambidurai.

Two weeks’ time

Pointing out that the government had not filed any counter affidavit either before the single judge or before them, the Division Bench granted two weeks’ time for filing the counter affidavit.

“Respondent State may also disclose in its counter affidavit as to when it is likely to frame specific regulations for bike sharing app operators as has been done by other States such as Telangana, Rajasthan and Chandigarh,” the judges ordered.

The interim stay by the Bench would now allow Rapido and similar bike sharing applications to operate in the State until further orders to be passed by the court.

Sexual harassment: HC strikes down ‘inadequate punishment’

Court sends back case for re-fixing quantum of punishment for policeman

02/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

Expressing shock over how a police constable was simply given a punishment of postponement of his increment for three years on a charge of sexual harassment of a girl, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday remitted the case back to disciplinary inquiry, to re-fix the quantum of punishment.

A Division Bench of Justices K. Ravichandrabaabu and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy observed that the punishment imposed on the constable was totally inadequate and disproportionate to the grave misconduct committed by him. The matter should be considered afresh for determining the quantum of punishment.

The court said that under Rule 6 of the Tamil Nadu Police Subordinate Service (Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules, 1955, the appellate authority is empowered to confirm, enhance, reduce or set aside the penalty.

Even though the constable had agreed with the findings of the inquiry officer, a minor punishment was imposed on him, the court observed.

The court was hearing an appeal preferred by the State against the order of a single bench that had set aside the punishment.

It was said that the constable, P. Karuppusamy, had abducted a girl and abused her in 2012. Following the incident, a criminal case was registered against him in Theni district. The single bench had taken into account the reliance of the inquiry officer on preliminary inquiry statements alone and disposed of the case at the admission stage itself.

The HC Bench observed that the single bench had erred on this account, set aside the order and allowed the appeal preferred by the State.

High Court allows life convict to remain in Madurai prison

02/08/2019, B. TILAK CHANDAR,MADURAI

Bringing relief to a life convict, an author of a book of poems, with proven good conduct, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Additional Director General of Police/Inspector General of Prisonto issue proceedings permitting his retention in Madurai Central Prison so that his 92-year-old mother could visit him as often as possible.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan passed the direction after hearing the plea of V. Radhakrishnan from Madurai, the life convict.

Following the acceptance of his clemency petition, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with a condition to remain in prison for the rest of his life.

He was originally placed at Tiruchi Central Prison. After his mother filed a plea before the HC, he was transferred to the Madurai prison.

However, the prison authorities filed an appeal, which was allowed by a Division Bench on the grounds that there was no provision under the prison rules to consider a relative’s request for prisoner’s transfer.

He was allowed to prefer a fresh application seeking transfer. He filed a fresh application to the prison authorities.

With no response, he filed the petition seeking a direction to retain him at the Madurai prison.

It was submitted that only the IG of Prisons could take a final decision in this regard. The court observed that a bare reading of the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules gave an impression that the prison authority could decide where the prisoner would reside. But, then, no textual reading could remain constant. The jurisprudential ground beneath had shifted, the court said.

“Incarceration or conviction does not reduce a prisoner into a non-person. While there may be a sharp and drastic shrinkage of fundamental rights, there is still some residue left. It is the obligation of the prison authorities to protect the human rights of prisoners,” the court said.

The HC Bench took cognisance of the Model Prison Manual prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which says prisoners may be transferred from one prison to another so that they can be nearer to their home district.

Therefore, subject to considerations of security, prison discipline and public interest, the competent authority is obliged to respect the choice of the convict prisoner.

If circumstances warranted, the authorities were always at liberty to pass appropriate orders transferring the petitioner to some other prison, the court said.

02/08/2019

 EXCHANGE RATES

Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit except yen at 4 p.m. on August 01 CURRENCY

TT BUY

TT SELL

US Dollar.

.68.86

.69.18

Euro.

.76.01

.76.36

British Pound.

.83.42

.83.82

Japanese Yen (100).

.63.22

.63.52

Chinese Yuan.

.9.98

.10.02

Swiss Franc.

.69.20

.69.53

Singapore Dollar.

.50.07

.50.31

Canadian Dollar.

.52.08

.52.32

Malaysian Ringitt.

.16.61

.16.70

Source:Indian Bank

SC transfers Unnao cases to Delhi court
02/08/2019

Sunday’s ‘accident’ killed two of her aunts accompanying her in the car and left her and her lawyer critically injured. The victim is on ventilator support at King George’s Medical College and Hospital in Lucknow. The CBI is investigating suspicions of foul play.

The court ordered the CBI to complete its probe into the ‘accident’ case in the next seven days. As an exception, it said, the CBI could take another week. But under no circumstance should the probe extend beyond a fortnight.

The agency, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, initially sought a month’s time to complete the probe. “A month? You have seven days… you do what you have to do within that time,” CJI Gogoi said.

The court also ordered protection for the girl and her family by personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force at the urging of its amicus curiae V. Giri.

Mr. Giri said the girl was in the hospital with just her mother to attend to her. The family was not financially well off. The State should pay her an “exemplary” compensation, he said.

But the Uttar Pradesh government protested that it would pay a compensation only “as per statute”.

“What is happening in this country? You want the Supreme Court to follow statutes to order compensation?” the CJI said.

The court finally fixed ₹25 lakh as the interim compensation and ordered the U.P. government to pay the amount on August 2.

The court insisted on getting a complete low-down on the Unnao cases and the status of the CBI probe.

Further, the court directed Mr. Mehta to have a team of doctors check the medical condition of the victim and her lawyer to see if they could be airlifted to Delhi for advanced treatment.

At 2 p.m., Mr. Mehta informed the court that both were medically fit to be shifted. The court said it would pass the necessary orders whenever their families gave their consent to shifting both to Delhi.

In a separate order, the CJI Bench directed Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar, Secretary General of the court, to conduct an enquiry within seven days into whether any lapse or negligence on the part of Registry officials caused the Unnao victim’s letter to reach the CJI late.

Thursday’s first hearing began with the CJI asking Mr. Mehta to have a responsible officer of the CBI present in the court by noon with the entire case detail. The CJI was not swayed when Mr. Mehta asked the court to reschedule the case for Friday. “Tomorrow is another day, Mr. Solicitor. We want this to happen today,” he responded.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

02/08/2019

A wake-up call?

The death of billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of Café Coffee Day, V.G. Siddhartha, is extremely saddening. The market capitalisation of the company has taken a nosedive in the last few days, which would force the creditors to take a serious haircut. Had he been part of the U.S. system, there is a very high chance that he would have found a way to deal with the creditors and, most importantly, he would have been alive. His death just shows how nascent the corporate debt markets are in India, and how private equity firms operate in the country. Access to capital markets is key for entrepreneurship and for businesses to thrive and grow. Hence, this should be a wake-up call for the government to see that capital is made available to the firms with good growth prospects, if it is serious about making India’s GDP reach $5 trillion and beyond ( Front page, “Siddhartha cremated in family estate,” August 1).

Varad Seshadri,

Sunnyvale, California, U.S.

Criminalising talaq

Marriage is a civil contract and criminalising what is obviously a civil issue is a step in the wrong direction. The Centre’s logic that the Triple Talaq Bill will act as deterrent to the abhorrent practice of instant talaq is hard to digest. However, the fact that Muslims take recourse to this detested form of divorce, even after the 2017 Supreme Court verdict, is a worrying development and one cannot but share the government’s concerns over this. Religion should not be a factor when it comes to the irresponsible desertion of spouses and children. Herein lies the need for a common divorce law, which the Bill fails to address (Editorial, “Beyond talaq,” August 1).

Abdul Assis P.A.,

Thrissur, Kerala

Rather than addressing a social issue, the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill through both the Houses of Parliament gives rise to questions. The government’s reasoning that it was giving effect to the Supreme Court verdict declaring it unconstitutional is absurd, considering that the Bharatiya Janata Party was opposed to the same court’s verdict when it came to allowing entry to women in the Sabarimala shrine. The Centre’s claim that it is a step towards gender justice also sounds false. The Act may not be of much benefit as it expects the victim or someone from her family, in most cases women who come from the poorest sections of the society, to take up the issue against her husband with the concerned authority.

A.G. Rajmohan,

Anantapur

Unnao case

The Unnao case appears to be a tragedy from the medieval ages — a poor girl is raped by the local strongman, the state machinery doesn’t help and even the judiciary fails to protect her family. (Front page, “SC takes note of complaint by rape survivor’s family,” August 1). Instead, her alleged tormentors keep openly threatening her and get her family members and witnesses in the case eliminated. This is a fit occasion for the Supreme Court to step in. A thorough inquiry must be held under its aegis, all culprits arrested immediately and the trial conducted on a day-to-day basis. The victim and her family must be provided strong security. Let people like her tormentors know that rule of law does prevail. In this regard, the fact that the CBI has taken over investigation in the case surely comes as a welcome development.

Harjas Bains,

Bassi Pathana, Punjab

Medical college planned at Dayanand Hospital

02/08/2019,NEW DELHI

Standing Committee of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation on Thursday passed a resolution to set up a medical college at Swami Dayanand Hospital. The hospital gets the most number of daily patients in East Delhi and is planned to be expanded to a 500-bed hospital, the resolution stated. Hospitals with more than 400 beds are suitable for setting up medical colleges and since the hospital meets all other criteria, the move is being undertaken to help train skilled doctors and deliver affordable health care, it said.

Free electricity for Delhiites using up to 200 units

Move will encourage power saving, says Kejriwal; BJP, Cong. call announcement ‘election gimmick’
02/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,NEW DELHI

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.Sushil Kumar Verma Sushil Kumar Verma

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced free electricity for people consuming up to 200 units under a domestic connection. The decision, which came into effect from August 1, has been taken barely six months before Delhi Assembly elections due in February 2020.

“In Delhi, people who consume up to 200 units will not have to pay electricity bills. Their bills [will be] waived,” Mr. Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference. Those consuming 201-400 units of electricity will get about 50% subsidy, he added.

“Now people using 210 or 300 units will think that if they use under 200 units, their bill will be zero. We believe this will encourage them to save electricity,” the Chief Minister said.

Attacking the move, both the BJP and the Congress termed it an “election gimmick”. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the Delhi government has “looted” ₹8,500 crore from the people as fixed charge and load charge and demanded that Mr. Kejriwal refund it or else his party will “initiate a movement” against it.

The Chief Minister said around 35% of the total consumers use less than 200 units during summer and in winter, the percentage goes up to around 70. Terming the move “historic”, he claimed Delhi has the cheapest electricity rate in the country.

The Delhi Congress, however, claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party government was misleading the people on power tariff. “It is a lie that Delhi has the cheapest rates of electricity and I challenge Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders who are misguiding people. When Congress was in power, even then power tariff in Delhi was lowest in the country,” senior Congress leader Haroon Yusuf said.

Asked about the timing of the move, Mr. Kejriwal said: “When we took over, the power sector was in a bad state. We worked and slowly improved it. Since then, the DERC has been reducing rates... It was not possible earlier, as power companies’ financial state was bad. At that point, there was no question of making it free.”

(With PTI inputs)

Sheela Priya to head Bharathiar University VC search panel

02/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,COIMBATORE

The State government has replaced the convener of the three-member search committee to recommend names for the post of Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University following the resignation of K. Ganesan, former Higher Education Secretary, as the government nominee.

According to a Government Order issued on Wednesday, M. Sheela Priya, retired Additional Chief Secretary and former State Chief Information Commissioner, will be the new government nominee.

She has been also appointed as the convener of the search committee replacing Mr .Ganesan, who had resigned within days of his nomination.

Panel members

In the panel, C. Subramaniam, former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University in Thanjavur, continued as the senate nominee and S.P. Thyagarajan, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras, continued as the syndicate nominee.

The varsity remains without a Vice-Chancellor for more than one-and-a-half years.

Coimbatore siblings’ murder: SC confirms death sentence

2:1 decision concludes that crime is in rarest of rare category

02/08/2019, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI

Manoharan

The Supreme Court, in a 2:1 majority judgment, confirmed the death sentence of a man accused of the gruesome rape and murder of a 10-year-old child and the murder of her seven-year-old brother in Coimbatore nine years ago.

The majority decision of Justices Rohinton Nariman and Hemant Gupta on Thursday concluded that the convict, Manoharan, showed no remorse for the heinous crime and found it to be a case of the “rarest of rare category”, deserving the death penalty. Manoharan had come in appeal.

Justice Sanjeev Khanna, while confirming the guilt of Manoharan, dissented with the majority decision and awarded the accused life sentence without remission/commutation till his natural death. Justice Nariman, writing for the majority, said the trial court and, subsequently, the Madras High Court had correctly balanced the mitigating and aggravating factors for and against Manoharan to find that the “crime committed was cold-blooded and involves the rape of a minor girl and murder of two children in the most heinous fashion possible”.

The majority judgment said Manoharan falsely retracted only those parts of his earlier confessional statement which implicated him of the rape of the young girl and the murder of both children. “Consequently, we confirm the death sentence and dismiss the appeal,” Justice Nariman wrote.

Justice Khanna held that the retraction of the confession should not be treated as absence of remorse or repentance but as “an afterthought or on advice propelled by fear that the appellant (Manoharan), in view of his admission, may face the gallows, and that the earlier confession made seeking forgiveness would be the cause of his death”.

Justice Khanna said the retraction should not be held against Manoharan.

Bharti Airtel logs first quarterly loss in 14 years

Telco posts ₹2,866 crore loss in Q1

02/08/2019, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,NEW DELHI

Bharti Airtel on Thursday posted a staggering ₹2,866 crore loss for the June quarter, its first consolidated loss in 14 years, as the telco lost ground to rival Reliance Jio and took a hit from exceptional items such as charges towards accelerated depreciation of 3G network gear.

The revenue rose 4.7% to ₹20,738 crore during the first quarter ended June 2019.

“After accounting for hit of ₹14,454 million (₹1,445.4 crore) towards exceptional items (net of tax), the resultant net loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 came in at ₹28,660 million (₹2,866 crore), compared to profit of ₹973 million (₹97.3 crore) in the corresponding quarter last year and ₹1,072 million (₹107.2 crore) in the previous quarter,” the company said in its quarterly report.

‘Exceptional hit’

The “exceptional hit” for the quarter included amongst other heads a charge towards accelerated depreciation of 3G network equipment and operating costs on network re-farming and up-gradation programme as well as incremental provision for derivative liabilities pertaining to customary indemnities provided to a clutch of investors of Airtel Africa and expenses relating to its recent listing, the company explained.

Airtel’s revenue from India mobile services increased 4.1% year-on-year to ₹10,724 crore.

In revenue terms, Reliance Jio is now comfortably placed on top of the telco stack given that its topline stood at ₹11,679 crore in June quarter (just three years into its commercial operations) against ₹11,269.9 crore of Vodafone Idea.

Airtel, though, registered an improvement in many of the operational parameters. For instance, for the June quarter, Airtel’s India Average Revenue Per User stood at ₹129 against ₹123 in the March quarter. Also, mobile data traffic on its network grew 94% year on year.

Commenting on the earnings, Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said the first quarter of the year has begun with a “healthy and equitable growth across all our lines of businesses. Headline pricing remained stable, albeit at low levels,” he said.

SC transfers Unnao cases to Delhi court

02/08/2019

Sunday’s ‘accident’ killed two of her aunts accompanying her in the car and left her and her lawyer critically injured. The victim is on ventilator support at King George’s Medical College and Hospital in Lucknow. The CBI is investigating suspicions of foul play.

The court ordered the CBI to complete its probe into the ‘accident’ case in the next seven days. As an exception, it said, the CBI could take another week. But under no circumstance should the probe extend beyond a fortnight.

The agency, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, initially sought a month’s time to complete the probe. “A month? You have seven days… you do what you have to do within that time,” CJI Gogoi said.

The court also ordered protection for the girl and her family by personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force at the urging of its amicus curiae V. Giri.

Mr. Giri said the girl was in the hospital with just her mother to attend to her. The family was not financially well off. The State should pay her an “exemplary” compensation, he said.

But the Uttar Pradesh government protested that it would pay a compensation only “as per statute”.

“What is happening in this country? You want the Supreme Court to follow statutes to order compensation?” the CJI said.

The court finally fixed ₹25 lakh as the interim compensation and ordered the U.P. government to pay the amount on August 2.

The court insisted on getting a complete low-down on the Unnao cases and the status of the CBI probe.

Further, the court directed Mr. Mehta to have a team of doctors check the medical condition of the victim and her lawyer to see if they could be airlifted to Delhi for advanced treatment.

At 2 p.m., Mr. Mehta informed the court that both were medically fit to be shifted. The court said it would pass the necessary orders whenever their families gave their consent to shifting both to Delhi.

In a separate order, the CJI Bench directed Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar, Secretary General of the court, to conduct an enquiry within seven days into whether any lapse or negligence on the part of Registry officials caused the Unnao victim’s letter to reach the CJI late.

Thursday’s first hearing began with the CJI asking Mr. Mehta to have a responsible officer of the CBI present in the court by noon with the entire case detail. The CJI was not swayed when Mr. Mehta asked the court to reschedule the case for Friday. “Tomorrow is another day, Mr. Solicitor. We want this to happen today,” he responded.

Man faces action for cancelling food order

02/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,BHOPAL

Two days after a man in Jabalpur cancelled an order on food aggregator Zomato for being assigned a non-Hindu delivery executive, the local police on Thursday decided to make him sign a bond stating he would not post incendiary messages on social media that were against secularism and could disturb harmony.

“His tweets ended up dividing Twitter users on religious lines and could stoke communal disharmony. Therefore, we are taking preventive measures and taking him to the SDM court where he will be asked to sign a bond and a notice would be served on him,” said Amit Singh, Jabalpur Superintendent of Police.

The police had warned him that if he made such statements again, he would be charged under Section 122 and sent to jail for the remaining bond period.

Senior bank executive held in Srijan scam

02/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The CBI has arrested the Chief Manager, Indian Bank, Zonal office, in connection with the multi-crore Srijan scam in Bihar.

Armed with a non-bailable warrant issued by the Special Judge, CBI Court II, Patna, a CBI team, led by Devesh Kumar, Sub Inspector of Police, CBI, New Delhi, arrived here and arrested Chief Manager D. Deo Shankar Mishra on Wednesday.

Magistrate V.S. Balamurugan issued a transit warrant to produce him before the CBI Court II in Patna.

The accused was allegedly involved in the scam when he was posted as the Branch Manager in Bhagalpur in Bihar.

The CBI has been investigating the over ‘₹1,000-crore scam’ after registering a case in August 2017.

UGC panel urges review of process to appoint V-Cs

It says quality of research is linked to academic leadership

02/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

A panel set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to promote and improve the quality of research in Indian universities, has called for a review of the way Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) are appointed. The panel emphasised that the quality of research culture depended on good academic leadership.

In the last three years, several appointments have come under fire, with some V-Cs being removed because of financial irregularities and lack of qualifications.

“The UGC /MHRD as well as State governments must seriously review the mechanism by which Vice-Chancellors are appointed. Good academic leadership is essential for improving the research culture, including the quality of Ph.D./M.Phil. Degrees,” says the report of the committee headed by former Indian Institute of Science director P. Balaram. The report was made public on Wednesday.

The report underlines that “It is also extremely important to ensure that Governing Bodies of the universities [syndicate/executive council etc.] have eminent academics as members.”

court orders

Amid doctors’ protest, RS clears NMC bill in Parliament

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:02.09.2019

Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill with an aim to reform medical education sector inflicted with corruption and malpractices. The proposed legislations seeks to regulate the cost of private medical education, ease the burden of entrance exams on students, increase the number of medical colleges and create a mid-level health cadre with limited rights to prescribe drugs.

Though Lok Sabha had passed the bill on July 29, it will have to reapprove the legislation because the government introduced some minor changes, which have been passed by the Upper House. It was passed on a day when doctors are on a countrywide strike against the proposed legislation.

The bill that seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 was approved by a voice vote in the Upper House, amid a walkout by AIADMK. The key provisions of the bill include setting up of a new medical education regulator - National Medical Commission (NMC) – which will replace the Medical Council of India (MCI), introduction of final year MBBS exam as National Exit Test which will also serve as a licentiate exam for MBBS students, entrance exam for post graduate medical courses as well as a screening test for foreign medical graduates.

Full report on www.toi.in

Rahul calls FM ‘incompetent’

New Delhi:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman “incompetent” as he warned that the economy was hurtling towards recession.

Tagging a news report painting a bleak picture of Indian economy, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Mr PM, the economy has derailed and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. If your incompetent finance minister is telling you there is light, trust me it’s the train of recession coming at full throttle.”

A day earlier, Rahul had tweeted, “Demonetization and GST rollout are perfect examples of ineptitude and lack of depth in the Modi government.” TNN

Zomato, Uber Eats face online backlash

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:02.09.2019

A day after Zomato won over the internet for refusing to give in to a customer’s demand of changing a delivery executive because he was Muslim, some users on Twitter said they would boycott the company for "hurting religious sentiments". #ZomatoUnistalled and #BoycottUberEats were two of the top trends in India on Thursday afternoon.

The anger directed at Uber Eats, another food aggregator, was a result of the support it lent to Zomato. The company had tweeted on Tuesday that it stood by Zomato.

A number of users also downgraded Zomato on the Google Play Store and iOS by giving the company the lowest rating possible. They claimed that Zomato had double standards because it served halal meat even though the company had clarified on Tuesday that the halal category is a result of restaurants seeking that distinction --not us as an aggregator... "We provide this information, so that you, as a customer can make an informed choice about whether you want to eat halal meat, or not,” it had said.

Despite the brickbat, several Zomato customers stood firmly behind the company and left reviews thanking the company for defending the values of a plural India.

A review on iOS by a user who goes by the name Humane Foodie, wrote, "Wish all humans were treated as equal, just as Zomato proved! Please keep promoting humane values along with the wonderful business model and awesome service you already provide."

Zomato customer gets notice for ‘non-Hindu rider’ tweet
Bhopal/Jabalpur:

The Jabalpur administration has issued a notice to Amit Shukla, who triggered a storm by refusing to accept a “non-Hindu delivery boy” for a Zomato order, prompting the aggregator to say “food has no religion”.

Tahsildar of Gorakhpur (an area in Jabalpur) Pramod Chaturvedi served Shukla a notice on Thursday under Sections 107 and 116 CrPC — a preventive measure to preempt breach of peace — and asked him to appear in person to explain his actions.

Police have initiated a parallel probe. Jabalpur SP Amit Singh said, “The additional SP-crime has been asked to look into the matter. Once our investigations are complete, we will initiate necessary action.” Shukla’s followers on Twitter have more than doubled — from 900 to 2,010 — since the controversy broke. He told TOI on Thursday that his tweet “was being pursued in the wrong direction”. “Zomato should have replied in my personal messaging box. They should be held accountable for all this chaos,” said Shukla, adding he is not “actively associated with any group”. TNN

Medical aspirant kills self

Trichy:02.09.2019

A 19-year-old girl from Perambalur committed suicide by hanging on Thursday. Police said Keerthana, daughter of retired TNSTC employee Selvarasu, aspired to become a doctor.

She had passed Class XII with 1,053 marks from a private school in Salem district in 2018. Police said she could not get an MBBS seat since her NEET 2018 score was only

202. She spent a year in Chennai attending a private NEET coaching academy and scored 384 marks in NEET 2019, but wasn’t called for MBBS counselling. Police said Keerthana, who was dejected for a few weeks, was further saddened as her friend managed to secure a medical seat. On Thursday, Keerthana hanged herself when her parents were away. Perambalur police have registered a case and are investigating. TNN

TN parties protest NEET, NEXT in Parl, AIADMK walks out

Dravidian Majors Register Strong Opposition To Both Exams

Julie.Mariappan @timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.09.2019

Accusing the Centre of depriving poor and rural students of a chance to study medicine by insisting on national-level competitive examinations, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and National Exit Test (NEXT), the two principal Dravidian parties opposed The National Medical Commission Bill, 2019, in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The ruling AIADMK MPs walked out as a sign of protest when the motion was put to vote, after failing to get ‘any assurance’ from the Centre.

The bill envisaged a National Medical Commission to conduct NEET in English and other languages, besides specifying the regulations for the common counselling for admission to UG and PG super-specialty seats in all medical institutions. The commission will also conduct NEXT for granting licence to practice medicine and for enrolment in the state or national register. DMK MP Trichy Siva asked for ‘division of votes’ on his amendment challenging the conduct of NEET. The result was 61 – yes, and 106 – no, while four abstained. Another amendment sought against NEXT too was rejected by majority of the House.

Earlier, AIADMK MP Vijila Satyananth said the state was ‘frustrated and agitated’ over the conduct of entrance tests that lacked common syllabus. “The standardized medical exam faces unprecedented opposition in every corner in our state… Our children are forced to appear for NEET in CBSE syllabus. So, bring a common syllabus for the whole of India and then have a common entrance test,” the MP said. The competitive tests only resulted in private coaching centres thriving and the proprietors becoming multi-millionaires, she said. The commission’s mandate to determine fees in respect of 50% seats in private medical institutions would only result in the rich grabbing the rest of the seats, she added.

Siva alleged the admission of students belonging to backward classes and scheduled castes had drastically come down with the advent of entrance tests. “We had seven students committing suicide in our state because of NEET. Despite scoring high, they could not get through NEET,” he said, seeking exemption. The DMK MP hit out at the Centre for forcing the UG students to appear for NEXT and thereafter for NEET for post graduate courses. “Through this bill, everything is being centralized…Tamil Nadu is agitated,” the MP said, accusing the Union government of snatching away the powers of the state, despite health coming under the state list.

AIADMK skipped triple talaq vote in Rajya Sabha deliberately, says Stalin

Chennai:DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday accused the AIADMK of staging a drama over the Triple Talaq Bill, which was passed by the Parliament. It received the President’s assent on Thursday. Stalin was in Ambur campaigning for the party candidate ahead of the August 5 Lok Sabha election in Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. Speaking to Muslim party leaders in Ambur, Stalin said though AIADMK Lok Sabha member and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam’s son, P Ravindranath Kumar, spoke in support of the bill, AIADMK leaders called it ‘a slip of the tongue’. “How can it be a slip of the tongue when the MP spoke in detail in support of the bill and the BJP? I was happy that the AIADMK opposed the bill in Rajya Sabha. But when the voting was taken up, AIADMK MPs walked out of the House. They walked out deliberately to help the government,” said Stalin. TNN

Rly season tickets now for 160-km travel

Chennai:02.09.2019

Southern Railway has announced that passengers can buy season tickets for travel from Chennai Central to Melalathur via Arakkonam and Katpadi as well as from Chennai Egmore to Gudiyattam via Park-Chennai Central, Arakkonam and Katpadi. These stations cover a distance of more than 150km. As per rules, season tickets can be issued only for a maximum distance of 150km. But the Railway Board had delegated powers to general managers of zonal railways and the Southern Railway GM took the decision to increase the maximum limit to 160km, an official release on Thursday said. The move followed representations from rail passenger associations, season ticket holders and rail users. TNN

Students may soon take shot at PhD directly after 4-year UG

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.08.2019

The University Grants Commission has released a draft of the changes it proposes in PhD programmes, including a recommendation to let students with four-year UG degrees enrol for a doctorate, so far permitted only in the IITs.

The draft, released on Wednesday seeking responses by August 16, moots entrance test and interview for admitting candidates in PhD programmes. It also proposes an easing of norm that only professors can guide up to eight research scholars at a time. The draft suggests that assistant and associate professors too be allowed to guide eight scholars against three and six at present. “There is huge shortage of qualified faculty members. The relaxation of ceiling for assistant and associate professors will help universities improve research output,” said P.Duraisamy, VC, University of Madras.

Academics warn of pitfalls in UGC’s PhD revamp plans

However, Anna University vice-chancellor M K Surappa said eight research scholars for assistant professors appeared to be on higher side. “The junior faculty members can guide four or five research scholars at a time,” he said.

Doubts have also been raised about the draft’s suggestion that candidates who have completed undergraduate courses of minimum fouryear duration in engineering, science, law, architecture, social sciences, humanities and others be considered eligible to enrol for PhDs like in the US.

“In the US, research scholars have to undergo rigorous course work. They will be allowed to do research only after qualifying the courses. The same system may not be applicable to our education system. We need at least PG and one-year research preparatory courses before enrolling students into PhD,” said professor K Jothi Sivagnanam, head, department of economics, University of Madras.

The draft has proposed a minimum credit requirement in PhD courses – 12 to 16 credits. It also wants departments to formulate good pre-PhD course programmes to help students from diverse backgrounds acquire good understanding of the fundamentals of the disciplines they propose to do research in.

Professor Sivagnanam said the purpose of MPhil programmes was to prepare candidates for PhD courses. “But, due to frequent changes in regulations, MPhil programmes have been rendered useless. UGC should convert MPhil into one-year research preparatory course,” he added.

The proposed entrance test for research scholars will test research aptitude, analytical skills, writing skills. Qualifying marks are to be 50%. The syllabus for the entrance test shall consist of 50% of questions that test research aptitude while 50% shall be subject specific. Further the university should conduct interviews. The weightage for entrance test and interview is to be the same.

To encourage quality of research publications, UGC is planning to remove the mandatory publication requirement prior to award of the PhD degree. “Quality assessment of MPhil/PhD degrees should be the responsibility of the institutions,” it said.

‘Why suppress info on rejection of NEET Bills’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:02.08.2019

The Madras high court has wondered why the Tamil Nadu government did not inform anyone, including the state legislative assembly, about the return from the Centre of its two NEET Bills seeking to exempt the state from the exam, that too after acknowledging the receipt of the returned copies of the Bills.

The state government has even written to the Centre asking for the reasons for denial of the Presidential assent, a division bench of Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad said on Thursday.

Noting that ministers and their secretaries cannot deny knowledge of such communication, the bench said providing assent or returning a Bill is the prerogative of the President, which none can question.

Though the state has sought the reasons for denying assent, the Centre has not replied to the communication yet. However, the state has no impediment in once again passing the Bills in the assembly and send them back to the President for his assent, the bench added.

The issue pertains to a PIL moved by Tamil Nadu Students Parents Welfare, represented by P B Prince Gajendra Babu and U Mustaffa seeking direction to the state government to complete the procedures for obtaining the presidential assent for the Bills on or before August 15, 2017.

During the course of hearing, the Centre informed the court that the Bills were returned as early in September 2017.

The Union government filed an affidavit submitting that the state was not only informed, but the true copies of the Bills were also returned which was acknowledged by the state.

When the plea came up for hearing on Thursday, senior counsel R Viduthalai submitted that the union and the state governments are hand in glove in the issue. Viduthalai further contended that it is the constitutional duty of the president to reveal the reasons of denial of assent to a Bill.

Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned the hearing to August 13.

The court observed that providing assent or returning a Bill is the prerogative of the President, which no one can question

STANDING TALL

NO LONGER PRONE: Athi Varadar, the statue of Lord Vishnu carved out of a fig tree, was placed in a standing position early on Thursday at the Devarajaperumal temple in Kancheepuram. From June 29, when it was taken out of the water tank, till July 31 it had been in the sayanam (sleeping) position. It will remain in the posture for another 17 days, after which it will be taken back to the temple tank where it will remain for another 40 years

Lufthansa to raise capacity in business class in flights from city

PTI

Published Jul 31, 2019, 5:30 pm IST

The move by the airliner comes in the backdrop of the 50 per cent expected growth of international passengers in the country by 2020.

The Lufthansa Group recently celebrated 25 years of service in Chennai. (Photo: AFP)

Chennai: German airline Lufthansa Group Wednesday said it has lined up plans to increase capacity in business class on its flights operating from the city.

The move by the airliner comes in the backdrop of the 50 per cent expected growth of international passengers in the country by 2020, a press release said.

The Lufthansa Group recently celebrated 25 years of service in Chennai.

Having commenced the regional operations in 1994 with bi-weekly flights from city, the airliner currently operates daily flights from Chennai to Frankfurt.

"In the 25 years since Lufthansa commenced its operations in Chennai, the city has become a flourishing global hub for IT and heavy industries", Lufthansa Group Airlines South Asia, Senior Director Sales, George Ettiyil said.

"We at Lufthansa are proud of the role that we have played in enabling this growth", he said.

Ettiyil said that over the next five years, Lufthansa aims to strengthen its presence in the city to capitalise the growth opportunity.

"The airline has already announced its plans to increase the capacity in the Business Class on its flights from Chennai summer 2020 with a different seat configuration", the airliner said.

Ettiyil said Chennai and the larger Tamil Nadu region remain key markets for Lufthansa.

"We plan to build on the success that we have earned here by facilitating more premium offerings and experiences for Lufthansa customers from Chennai", he said.

Tamil Nadu gets 150 more seats in new medical college

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedAug 1, 2019, 3:10 am IST

The campus has hostel facilities, built at a cost of Rs 71 crores, a 200-seater auditorium and 11 surgical departments.

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurates the government medical college at Sanapiratti, Karur on Wednesday through videoconferencing from the Secretariat, Chennai on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the government medical college at Sanapiratti, Karur on Wednesday through videoconferencing from the Secretariat, Chennai.

Built on an area of over 17.45 acres, the college has been constructed at a total cost of Rs 115.71 crores.

The campus has hostel facilities, built at a cost of Rs 71 crores, a 200-seater auditorium and 11 surgical departments.

The six-floor medical college and hospital will also have an 800-bed facility, along with classrooms constructed over an area of 3.20 lakh square feet.

The Karur government medical college is the 23rd medical college in the state.

The construction of the college began in March last year.

The state government has sanctioned 150 medical seats to the college. Classes are set to commence from this academic year.

Meanwhile the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced that Arasu Cable TV subscription would be available for a monthly charge of Rs 130, excluding GST, from August 10.

The Chief Minister said after the request from the public, the government has decided to offer the Arasu Cable channels at a monthly subscription of `130 + GST across the state, excluding Vellore constituency.

Athi Varadar darshan now in standing posture

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | A. MURUGAN

Published  Aug 1, 2019, 3:21 am IST

He is 12-feet tall, two-and-half feet wide.

The doors of Vasantha Mandapam, where the deity had been placed for worship all these days, were closed at 5 pm on Wednesday after the administration provided prior notice to the public about the closure of darshan during the change of posture.

Kancheepuram: At dawn on Thursday, Athi Varadar will offer darshan in ninra thirukolam (standing pose) to bless multitudes of his devotees pouring into this temple town from all over the country and even beyond.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had announced this change from the Lord's sayanam (reclining) posture after being taken out of the Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple tank on July 1 for public worship through 48 days before immersion on August 17.

The doors of Vasantha Mandapam, where the deity had been placed for worship all these days, were closed at 5 pm on Wednesday after the administration provided prior notice to the public about the closure of darshan during the change of posture. The doors would be opened at five in the morning to resume darshan, but in standing position for the next 17 days, officials said. He is 12 feet tall, and two-and-half wide.

They said close to 45 lakh devotees have had the divine darshan so far and the crowd density could increase further as the day of immersion draws close - there is also a serious debate and strong recommendation from certain influential sections of Hindu seers to retain Athi Varadar in the temple instead of returning the deity to the slushy tank bed that could be further polluted by human interference. "We are expecting more than two lakh bhaktars (devotees) per day for the remaining 17 days", said an officer, adding that no decision has been taken, yet, on the demand to retain the deity in the temple.

On Monday, Satakopa Ramanuja Jeeyar of the Manavala Mamunigal Mutt had told media persons that Athi Varadar should not "buried" in the slush of the tank bed. He also claimed that several other mutt heads too held a similar view; besides, Krishna Premi of Mangalasasana Divyadesa Samrakshana Trust (Kancheepuram) had told him that Athi Varadar had appeared in his dream and said he should not be buried again. The Trust has petitioned the HR&CE to give up the idea of sending the deity back to the tank bed, claiming that the practice had begun centuries ago due to the fear that Muslim invaders could damage the idol - this argument attracted criticism from certain Muslim parties and leaders who saw in it an attempt to denigrate their community.

Doctors working round the clock not paid and honoured enough: HC

A division bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the role of doctors in a society is incomparable with that of the others, but they are less honoured.

Published: 01st August 2019 04:37 AM 

Madras High Court (Photo | D Sampath Kumar, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the role of doctors in society is incomparable with that of the others, but they are less honoured. The bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and V Parthiban made the observation while passing further interim orders on a PIL petition filed in 2017, by one AK Velan, seeking to restrain the doctors from going ahead with their agitations to protest against the alleged irregularities in the admission of candidates for PG courses.


Why are the doctors not properly paid? What is the salary paid to them? What about the pay scale of police and teachers? - were the other questions the bench asked. “Can you equate a doctor’s profession with others? Working round the clock, they should be paid more. Their lives are also at risk and there is no security for them,” the bench said, adding that they should be given preference.

Rush of devotees pushes up Kancheepuram room tariffs

Even budget hotels are quoting upwards of ₹8,000 a night

01/08/2019, SANJAY VIJAYAKUMAR,CHENNAI

About 34 lakh devotees have visited Sri Devarajaswamy temple so far.

As thousands throng the Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram to catch a glimpse of a fig wood idol of Varadaraja Perumal, even a stay at a budget hotel is an expensive proposition for visitors.

Online hotel booking sites show tariffs in ordinary hotels quoting upwards of ₹8,000 per night, with over 90% already booked.

According to the State government, about 34 lakh devotees have visited the temple for a darshan of the wooden idol of Varadaraja Perumal, popularly known as Athi Varadar, which is taken out of the temple tank once every 40 years and displayed for 48 days. It has been attracting devotees since July 1.

The numbers are expected to go up as the idol is moved to a standing position from Thursday.

An online hotel booking site claimed that Kancheepuram was the top choice for those looking for rooms between July 31 and August 4. “Prices might be higher than usual for the dates you've selected,” it warned.

Expensive stay

For a three-star hotel, the prices for a night’s stay ranged from ₹8,100 to ₹11,000 plus taxes on July 31. On Booking.com, The Naagaa Residency Deluxe quoted a rate of ₹11,718 plus taxes for a room and said only limited rooms were available. When contacted, an official at the hotel said bookings could be done only through online sites.

Parents protest, stall second round of medical counselling
They say a college’s prospectus listed the wrong annual fee

31/07/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The second round of the single-window counselling for admissions to medical and dental courses was stalled around 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday as sections of the aspirants’ parents protested demanding their wards be admitted to a private college.

On Tuesday, counselling began for 261 MBBS and BDS seats that were returned from the all-India quota to the State by the Directorate General of Health Services and the vacancies arising from students not joining in allotted colleges. A total of 20 seats were allotted on Tuesday.

However, parents complained that the Rajah Muthiah Medical College, a private medical institution, had in its prospectus mentioned the annual fee as ₹5.80 lakh, whereas at the counselling they were informed the fee was only ₹4 lakh. Citing this, some of them said they had not originally opted to be wait-listed for the college as the fee was high.

“Now, we hear the fee is only ₹4 lakh. I could have managed to pay it. But since we had not opted to get wait-listed during the first round of counselling, we are being denied a seat,” a parent from Namakkal, whose daughter had secured a NEET score of 468, said.

Medical Selection secretary G. Selvarajan said the private college had reduced the fee structure just two days ahead of counselling, following a Supreme Court ruling.

Though the prospectus listed the old fee, candidates who opted for the college were informed during the counselling about the change, he said.

One section of parents said had the government opted to implement the 10% Economically Weaker Section quota in medical admissions, the State would have gotten more seats.

Officials said only 1,054 of the 2,246 eligible candidates attended. Counselling for the remaining seats would be held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Siddhartha cremated in family estate

Body was recovered from Nethravati river near Mangaluru; 

thousands pay their last respects

01/08/2019, 

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,

HASSAN/MANGALURU/CHIKKAMAGALURU

Search ends: The body of V. G. Siddhartha being removed from the banks of Nethravati river near Hoigebazar on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTSPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Café Coffee Day founder and billionaire entrepreneur V.G. Siddhartha, whose body was traced in Nethravati river near Mangaluru 36 hours after he went missing, was on Wednesday cremated in his family’s coffee estate in Chatanahalli village in Hassan district.

His eldest son Amartya Hegde lit the funeral pyre after the last rites were performed in an atmosphere marked by quiet grief, as his mother Malavika Hegde and grandfather and former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna struggled with their emotions.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people paid their last respects to Siddhartha at Coffee Day Global Ltd, a firm owned by him in Chikkamagaluru. Siddhartha’s biggest entrepreneurial innovation, CCD, had its roots in the coffee-growing hilly districts of Chikkamagaluru and Hassan, where his father owned large estates.

Mobile phone recovered

It was in the early hours of Wednesday that the body of Siddhartha was found by a group of local fishermen in Nethravati river.

He had gone missing from the bridge across the river on Monday evening and an intensive, all-day search by a 300-strong team on Tuesday had failed to find the body. Three fishermen found it floating near the Hoigebazar area, where the river joins the Arabian Sea, at 6.30 a.m. They brought it ashore and informed the police. The police have also recovered his mobile phone.

The police are continuing investigations into the circumstances leading to his death, with a letter purportedly written by him blaming the Income Tax Department for his “succumbing to the situation”.

10% quota case for statute Bench?

Three-judge SC Bench reserves orders

01/08/2019,

KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI

A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice S.A. Bobde on Wednesday reserved its orders on the question of referring a batch of petitions challenging the validity of a constitutional amendment providing 10% economic quota in government jobs and educational institutions to a Constitution Bench.

The Bench, however, refrained from staying the 103rd Constitutional Amendment of 2019 providing 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the “economically backward” in the unreserved category.

At the end of a day-long hearing, Justice Bobde clarified that the Bench would first pass orders on whether or not to refer the challenge to a Constitution Bench. Once that order is pronounced, the court would specifically hear arguments on the question of stay of the quota law. Earlier, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan made a strong pitch for referring the issue to a Constitution Bench. Mr. Dhavan argued that economic reservation violates the 50% reservation ceiling limit fixed by a nine-judge Bench in the Indra Sawhney case. Further, the 1992 judgment had barred reservation solely on economic criterion.

Responding for the government, Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal submitted that the amendments were in tune with past decisions of the Supreme Court.

Accused in student’s murder sent to juvenile home

The boy allegedly confessed to having committed the crime

01/08/2019, STAFF REPORTER,KODAIKANAL

After a 16-year-old boy was killed by his classmate on the campus of a residential school here on Monday night, the police on Wednesday arrested the suspect, who allegedly confessed to having committed the crime.

The police registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and sent the accused to a juvenile home in Salem. The school announced that it will remain closed till Monday in the light of the incident which created panic among teachers, students and parents. Inquiries revealed that there were some simmering petty issues between the two boys. In the recent past, the school had taken disciplinary action against the accused.

A post-mortem was conducted on the body of the victim at the Kodaikanal Government Hospital. “On Monday night, the accused allegedly attacked the victim on the head with a wooden stump, due to which the victim suffered a fracture in the skull. He also stabbed the victim on the neck with a pair of scissors, but that injury does not seem fatal. Though the post-mortem report is awaited, the cause of death seems to be internal bleeding caused by the skull fracture,” said a senior police officer monitoring the probe.

‘Counselling is key’

“Such events in a boarding school can be averted by providing psychological counselling to students who have problems. The school had identified that the (accused) boy had certain behavioural problems and had taken disciplinary steps, but had the school also recommended psychological counselling for him, he would not have committed a murder,” said Dheep, founder of TOPKIDS, Holistic Personality Development & Counselling Centre, Madurai.

“Counselling is important for adolescents, especially if they are found to have anger-related issues, which could be a result of emotional distress. The boy who has been remanded in a juvenile home should be given counselling. An inquiry by psychologists should be conducted before the commencement of a judicial inquiry. Though theoretically it is a norm for juvenile homes, how effectively it is followed remains a question. Most people come out as hardened persons rather than reformed individuals from juvenile homes,” he added.

Engineering Admission

Call for more rail services on Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUVARUR, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Under-utilised:Rail users want resumption of long distance trains that were withdrawn when the gauge conversion work was taken up 15 years ago.File Photo

People in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts disappointed over rejection of regular and additional services on the new broad gauge line

The reported rejection of the plea for regular and additional passenger services on Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section at the Southern Railway’s Divisional level officials has dampened the spirit of people in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.

Rail users in Pattukottai, Adhiramapattinam, Muthupettai, Peravurani, Aranthangi and Tiruvarur have been demanding early introduction of passenger services on the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section apart from resumption of long distance services that were withdrawn when the gauge conversion work was taken up 15 years ago.

The railway officials, at the Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee meeting held at Tiruchi on July 30, while responding to the demand for launching new train services on the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section, had reportedly said that a pair of DEMU passenger special was being operated now and there was no proposal to introduce new trains.

“Rail users in Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section are eagerly awaiting early resumption of passenger services on the newly-laid broad gauge line,” said president of Pattukottai Taluk Rail Passengers’ Welfare Association N. Jayaraman. In the absence of train services, people were forced to use the very few bus services to far-off places such as Chennai or take multiple short-distance buses, much to their discomfort.

So the rejection of the plea to operate more train services on this section was most disappointing and unacceptable.

The divisional railway authorities have to convince the headquarters to resume the regular services that were in operation before gauge conversion.

New forum floated

A new forum - Karaikudi-Pattukottai-Tiruvarur BG Line Federation of Rail Users Association - had been formed to put forth the demands of rail users, Mr. Jayaraman said. Gatekeepers must be posted at level crossings to ensure smooth operation of the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi DEMU service with running time of three hours instead of the present seven hours. If the railways adopted a step-motherly attitude with respect to this section, the federation would resort to a legal route, he said.

Meanwhile, the Adirampattinam Rural Development Association has approached the Chief Operating Manager of Southern Railway in Chennai, seeking resumption of Chennai-Karaikudi/Rameswaram service. It has also suggested change in timings for the DEMU service so that passengers got a link to Mannai Express, Karaikal Express and Chennai Express at Tiruvarur.

Revising the departure timing from Tiruvarur to 5 a.m. and the return service from Karaikudi to 2.30 p.m. would benefit school and college students and office-goers, it said.

Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association has raised its voice for additional services between Thanjavur and Tiruchi citing the fact that electrification of the 50 km track had almost been completed.

Leading a demonstration near Thanjavur Junction recently, Association secretary V. Jeevakumar demanded rail link to Thanjavur from Pattukottai and Ariyalur and also provisioning of basic facilities at Budalur and Alakudi railway stations on the Thanjavur-Tiruchi section apart from the demand for increase in number of daytime services between Thanjavur and Tiruchi.

Temporary stoppage at Melmaruvathur

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUCHI, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

In view of Aadi Pooram festival, the following trains will stop for a minute at Melmaruvathur from August 2 to 5:

Chennai Egmore – Tiruchi – Chennai Egmore Rockfort Expresses; Chennai Egmore-Madurai – Chennai Egmore Vaigai Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Madurai – Chennai Egmore Pandian Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Shencottah– Chennai Egmore Pothigai Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Mannargudi – Chennai Egmore Mannai Expresses;and Tambaram – Nagercoil – Tambaram Antyodaya Expresses.