Madras HC asks girl to study till lover turns 21 to marry

TNN | Updated: Sep 6, 2019, 13:08 IST

 

Picture used for representational purpose only

MADURAI: The Madras high court has directed an 18-yearold girl to complete her graduation and then decide on her marriage when the man she is in love with turns 21, the legal age for men to wed. The directive came on a habeas corpus petition filed by a resident of Tirunelveli before the Madurai bench of the court, saying his daughter was detained by two people. 

The petitioner stated that his daughter had just joined college and therefore must complete her graduation before taking any decision on her marriage. However, the girl said she was in love with a boy and wanted to marry him. She also contented that she had joined a college and is willing to continue her studies but is not willing to go with her father. 

A division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and N Anand Venkatesh observed that the relief sought by the petitioner could not be granted as the girl was a major. “We cannot go against her wishes and force her to stay with the petitioner,” the court said.
The judges also took cognizance of the man’s submission that his parents had accepted their relationship and were willing to allow the girl to continue her education. However, the judges observed that he was 19 years old and could not marry the girl until he was 21. Hence, the court directed the girl to complete her studies by staying in the college hostel and on completion of graduation an appropriate decision can be taken on her marriage.

In memory of her son, she returns with sweet tributes

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.09.2019

Teachers’ day celebrations in educational institutions are usually marked by special programmes organised by students to cherish contribution of teachers in making their lives better and gifts with messages of gratitude.

On most occasions, alumni of the school or academicians are invited are chief guests. But this institution in Chennai has a very different way of celebrating September 5 and they have a unique guest speaker, a daily wage labourer from Kilpauk.

Chandra, no way connected to teaching, has been the guest speaker at this government-run teacher training institute for the past 12 years. A widow, her only connect to the said District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) near Lady Wellington College is her son Saravanan.

Saravanan, who studied in the same college from 2004 to 2006, committed suicide due to personal reasons. He would often ask her to prepare sweets for all his friends on teachers’ day, said Chandra. “This was the last thing I remember him asking me,” she said. Since his demise, Chandra makes it a point to arrive at the premises every September 5 and distribute sweets among students studying there in her son’s memory.

After distributing sweets, she speaks to teaching aspirants about suicide prevention and motivates them to achieve the dream of teaching young kids which her son couldn’t do. Hearing this, students on Thursday broke into tears and later thanked her for all her efforts, said V Usharani, principal of DIET. 


Chandra with aspiring teachers at DIET, Chennai on Thursday

6 hours after surgeons fix broken hip, 93-year-old walks on hosp corridors

Chennai 06.09.2019

Aravamudhan who fell down by accident, was brought to Fortis Malar Hospital with severe pain in the hip. Doctors knew the fracture could immobilize him. So, they counselled him to undergo a 35-minute surgery, minimally invasive Proximal Femoral Nail (PFN). Besides old age, Aravamudhan had cardiac failure, renal failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypothyroidism. “We had a good team and we decided helping him stay mobile will give him a better quality of life,” said senior surgeon Dr Nandkumar Sundaram. Increasingly, doctors are able to do successful surgeries on hips and knees to keep senior citizens alive, he said. A smiling Aravamudhan said, “I was nervous about the operation. I was expecting a long recovery but I walked the same day.” TNN

Flights, trains to Mumbai hit because of heavy rain in Maha
Check Flight Status Before Going to Airport, Flyers Advised
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:06.09.2019

Travelling to Mumbai has become a hassle as passengers suffered delays and cancellations of flights and trains on Wednesday and Thursday because of heavy rain and waterlogging in Mumbai.

Railways has been cancelling trains since Wednesday and trains that departed from the city and other destinations in the state on Tuesday could not be operated till Mumbai.

Around 21 flights on Chennai-Mumbai route were delayed by more than an hour since Wednesday noon. Nine arrivals were delayed and two were cancelled from Mumbai on Thursday. Flights on Wednesday morning were on time but the night flights, especially the red-eye ones, suffered maximum delay because heavy rain affected operations at Mumbai airport late in the evening.

An airport official said flights to Mumbai started to get delayed since 1.20pm on Wednesday and this continued till late Thursday. However, a few morning flights were on time.

An airport official said five Air India flights, 11 IndiGo flights, two SpiceJet flights and two Vistara flights were delayed since Wednesday night. IndiGo operates the maximum number of flights on the route. On Thursday, four departures and nine arrivals were delayed by more than one hour. Though airlines informed passengers well in advance, the delays had an effect on other routes too as airlines use the same aircraft to fly multiple routes.

Airlines have advised passengers to reach the airport after checking flight schedules.

The delays also affected one Chennai-Salem train which had to be cancelled because the pairing rake was running late. Similarly, Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Central-Mumbai CST Mail (11028) was cancelled on Thursday. Since the rakes are stuck, it may take a day or two for trains to return to normal schedule on the Chennai-Mumbai route.

Around 21 flights on Chennai-Mumbai route were delayed by more than an hour since Wednesday noon

6 days after marriage, woman ends life; one held

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:06.09.2019

Six days after marriage, an engineering college student committed suicide at her house near Trisulam.

Police said Manisha, 21, a final year engineering student fell in love with Abinraju, 24, a driver from the locality. She married him on August 25. Police said the woman was already pregnant. After marriage, Abinraju told her that he was in love with another woman. Following this, Manisha ended her life on August 30. The woman’s parents lodged a complaint following which police arrested Abinraju on Wednesday.

Police collected an audio clip from Manisha’s phone wherein the woman, Abinraju and his girlfriend could be heard having a lengthy conversion. Abinraju is heard asking Manisha to allow him to live with the other woman.

The man has been booked for abetting the suicide and was produced before a court that sent him to judicial custody.

One-third of traffickers are women and neighbours, says new study 

Of the 429 accused, 50% are in the age group of 25 to 45 years

06/09/2019 , Shiv Sahay Singh, Kolkata 


 
In need of help: Lack of legal support to survivors and a prolonged trial give impunity to traffickers in many cases. R. Ragu

A recent study conducted on the profile of persons accused in trafficking in almost 200 cases in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh has revealed that one-third of them are women.

“One-third, or 162 out of 429 traffickers (accused in cases of trafficking) are female. Fifty per cent, or 216 accused in these cases are from the age group of 25 to 45 years,” Snigdha Sen, a researcher who has come out with the findings, told The Hindu.

For the study and analysis, Ms. Sen collaborated with several organizations such as HELP from Andhra Pradesh, Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra (GGBK) from West Bengal and Partners for Anti-Traficcking (PAT), which is a consortium of eight community-based organizations in Bengal.

Not family members

In the study, Ms. Sen analysed documents such as chargesheets, FIRS and police general diaries related to 198 human trafficking cases registered between 2008 and 2018. Of the 429 people whose names appeared as accused in these 198 cases, only in 30 were the accused family members, including from the extended family.

“There was a belief in some people that in many cases family members are involved in trafficking. That does not hold true in this research. In most cases, if the survivors are asked they will say Didi (sister) took them from their village. But on a more detailed inquiry, it will be revealed that the accused is not a relative but a neighbour or an acquaintance,” Subhasree Raptan, programme manager of GGBK said.

The largest group of the traffickers (34%, or 148) were neighbours, while 31% were completely unknown to the survivors, the study said.

Lack of legal support

According to Ms. Sen, of the 198 cases analyzed — in which the names of 429 accused have figured — only one trafficker from the source area was convicted. Similarly, in all the cases analysed, only two other traffickers were convicted from the destination area. According the researcher and the organisations who are part of the study, a “lack of legal support to survivors and a prolonged trial give impunity to traffickers”.

Ms. Raptan highlighted that in many cases of trafficking, survivors were not told that they were entitled to victim compensation from public prosecutors representing their case in courts.

The last published report of the National Crime Record Bureau for 2016 recorded 8,132 cases of human trafficking in the country, of which 3,579 cases (around 44%) were from West Bengal alone.

Delhi zoo welcomes cobras, pythons, gharials 

Two exchange programmes were held 

 06/09/2019 , Staff Reporter , New Delhi

In two exchange programmes with two other zoos, the Delhi zoo has got 19 snakes, including Indian cobras and Rock Pythons, a pair of ‘gharial’ (long snout crocodile), and a pair of wolf.

The National Zoological Park, commonly known as the Delhi zoo, now has a total of 27 snakes and as it had only eight before the exchange happened, officials said.

The zoo has obtained four Indian cobras, five rock pythons, two monitor lizards, four rat snakes, two common sand boa and two red sand boa.

“We got the snakes on August 26 and in return we have given them six red jungle fowl, six painted stork among other animals,” a zoo official said.

“Though the snakes are in the enclosure, it is not put for public viewing yet,” the official added.

Officials also said that the Delhi zoo had more snakes earlier and as numbers kept on decreasing, the exchange programme was conducted.

The Delhi zoo had obtained the pair of ‘gharial’ and the pair of wolves from Jaipur zoo and gave a pair of hippopotamus in return.

Earlier programme

In July, the Delhi zoo had got a male white tiger in another such exchange programme with the Lucknow zoo.

Are you game for train delays? 

Vizag railway station gets first-of-its-kind gaming zone
 
06/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, VISAKHAPATNAM 


 
Children playing video games at the Gaming Zone at Visakhapatnam Railway Station on Thursday.K.R. Deepak

A ‘Gaming Zone’, set up on Platform 1 of Visakhapatnam Railway Station, was opened for the public by Divisional Railway Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava on Thursday.

A first-of-its-kind initiative in the Indian Railways, the facility was set up by Waltair Division under non-fare revenue to provide paid entertainment to waiting passengers and children.

The project was developed under NINFRIS (New, Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme) of the Ministry of Railways to improve passenger convenience and service apart from promoting innovative ideas and concepts for enhancement of non-fare revenue. The ‘open tender’ was bagged by ES Fun Time at a cost of ₹3.6 lakh per annum. The facility is spread across a 400 sft area. The gaming zone is for bonafide passengers/rail users who can utilise the facility on payment of ₹50 per game, during their visit to the railway station.

The zone offers modern gaming facilities and Virtual Reality (VR) games, such as car racing and gunfighting. Other games like Hit Mouse, Doraemon, DoraemonFriend, Musical Play, Basketball and Air Hockey are also available. Mr. Shrivastava said that the goal is to provide entertainment to passengers and children besides utilising the vacant space for generating revenue.

Traffic fines: ₹30 lakh in 5 hours

06/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, Bengaluru 


 
Minsk Square on Thursday evening. SOMASHEKAR 
G.R.N.SOMASHEKAR G R N

Motorists beware. The Traffic Police have announced that they will be strictly implementing the hefty penalties under the amended Motor Vehicles Act. In a span of five hours, the police, on Thursday, collected ₹30.11 lakh as fines for traffic violations.

On September 4, the first day the new fines were levied, the total collection reached ₹21.8 lakh within a few hours.

Traffic police had booked 2,978 cases till Thursday 1 p.m. The bulk, 2,639, were for riding without a helmet. That alone accounted for ₹26.3 lakh.

At a press conference on Thursday, City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao told presspersons that the traffic police will be tough and are conducting special drives to ensure that people follow the rules.

“The special drive is not to earn revenue but to act as a means of deterrence,” he said, adding that the city’s traffic problems have become infamous nationally.

“This is due to pedestrians not following rules and a lack of traffic sense especially among two-wheeler riders,” he said.

Many motorists feel that the high penalties will only embolden people to bribe police personnel in an attempt to avoid the high fines. A senior police official said any cop caught accepting bribes will be severely punished. “Citizens are welcome to file complaints with us,” added Mr. Rao.

This monsoon, Mumbai has got more rain than annual average 

06/09/2019 , Tanvi Deshpande, Mumbai 



has received more than 3,000 mm rainfall this season, way beyond its annual average of 2,514 mm. The last time this happened was in 2011.

Schools and colleges remained closed on Thursday. Rain has largely abated and the Met Department has scaled down its alert from orange to yellow.

The Hindu reported on Thursday that the city received more than the entire month’s rainfall in the first four days of September (496.5mm). This brings the total rainfall in Mumbai since June 1 to 3078.2 mm — 1117.3 mm above normal. Mumbai has already received 122.4% of its annual average rainfall.

The city received 242.2 mm rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, the second highest in a decade. The highest was 303.7 mm in 2017. The all time record for the highest 24-hour September rainfall is 318.2 mm in 1981.

According to data from BMC’s automated weather systems, some areas that received the highest rainfall between 3 p.m. on Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Wednesday are Vikhroli (354 mm), Borivali (330 mm), Marol (314 mm), Wadala (310 mm), Andheri West (304 mm), Kandivali (303 mm) and Dharavi (300 mm).

There is still a month to go for the monsoon season to end, tweeted K.S. Hosalikar, Deputy Director General, IMD, on Thursday. “As on date, Santacruz has received 3078.2 mm and Colaba has received 2162.2 mm.”

The IMD had issued an ‘orange alert’ (heavy to very heavy rain) for Mumbai for Thursday, but scaled it down to ‘yellow alert’ (heavy rain at a few places). Between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m., Mumbai received only 8.9 mm rainfall.

Headmistress, teacher arrested for electrocution of boy in school
Kin of the deceased accept body

06/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, RAMANATHAPURAM

The headmistress and a teacher of the Government High School near Uchipuli in the district were arrested on Thursday, a day after a Class VIII boy was electrocuted while operating the electric motor in the school.

A day after the boy – R. Kartheeswaran, son of Ramesh, a construction worker – was electrocuted, police arrested Headmistress A. Rosemary, 55, and teacher G. Tamizharasu, 44, who allegedly asked the victim and other boys to operate the electric motor installed to pump water into the overhead tank.

Acting on the complaint lodged by Mr. Ramesh, Uchipuli police arrested them under Section 304 (culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before Judicial Magistrate Radhakrishnan here in the evening and remanded in judicial custody at Ramanathapuram District Jail.

Though the HM was in Ramanathapuram to attend a meeting convened by the Chief Educational Officer when the accident occurred, she was arraigned in the case as she was the head of the school, the police said. Sources in the CEO office said that she would also be placed under suspension in view of her arrest.

The CEO had already ordered the suspension of Tamizharasu and Abilasha, the victim’s class teacher. Abilasha’s name, however, did not figure in the FIR. When contacted, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rameswaram) S. Magesh said that she would be arraigned in the case if necessary, after a detailed investigation.

Meanwhile, the family members of the boy, who had been refusing to accept the body, demanding compensation and action against the teachers, accepted the body on Thursday.

New traffic rules may entail steeper penalties, court visit

06/09/2019 , SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, NEW DELHI

Traffic violations after the implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 2019, will not only have you digging deeper into your pockets to pay steeper penalties, but will also entail a visit to a court as many States are yet to pass an order that would allow police personnel to let off offenders after the payment of the fine.

State orders awaited

According to the new Act, as many as 30 offences are compoundable, including common violations such as over-speeding, not wearing helmets and seatbelts as well as not restraining children under the age of 14, among others.

However, most States are yet to issue an order granting officers the authority to discharge offenders.

As a result, regardless of the offence you have committed, you will be given a date on which you will have to appear before a court.

“So far, we have only received information from the Karnataka government that it has issued the relevant notification,” a senior official of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, data collected in the first four days since the implementation of the Act on September 1 showed that Haryana had issued 343 challans and collected ₹52,32,650 in penalties, while Odisha had issued 4,000 challans and collected ₹88,90,107.

VIP darshan ticket may cost ₹20,000 

TTD likely to open exclusive counter

06/09/2019 , G.P. Shukla, TIRUMALA

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is likely to peg the cost of each VIP darshan ticket at ₹20,000, which devotees can buy without any recommendation from any VIP.

The main intention behind the proposal is to mobilise funds for the newly floated Sri Venkateswara Alaya Nirmana (SRIVANI) Trust under which the TTD desires to take up construction of temples of Lord Venkateswara at all important cities and towns across the country.

Open to all

Highly informed sources have confirmed that a counter will be exclusively set up for the issue of VIP tickets and devotees will be free to avail any number of tickets of their choice by tendering the cost.

It will be an open-to-all facility and no kind of recommendation will be entertained in the process.

Devotees purchasing the VIP tickets across the counters will be extended all courtesies which include priority in the darshan, accommodation and laddus.

They will be allowed ahead of the normal VIPs and will be permitted to have the darshan of the presiding deity from the closest quarters (from Kulasekhara Azhwar padi) inside the sanctum sanctorum, apart from a ‘harathi’ on a par with protocol dignitaries.

To check middlemen

Though it was earlier thought to fix the cost of each ticket at ₹10,000, the management had second thoughts given the popularity of VIP darshan coupled with the fear of touts.

The TTD is confident that the new proposal is sure to check the rampant middlemen system atop the sacred town and usher in more transparency in the issue of darshan tickets.

The TTD expects an initial sales of 200 and 300 tickets on average every day.

74-year-old woman from A.P. gives birth to twins
Team of doctors at Guntur IVF clinic helps couple realise their dream

06/09/2019 , P. Samuel Jonathan, GUNTUR 


 
Rajarao and Yerramatti Mangayamma. T. Vijaya 

KumarT_VIJAYA_KUMAR 

In a miracle of sorts in modern medicine, a 74-year-old woman gave birth to twin daughters at a private hospital in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday. Yerramatti Mangayamma realised her dream after doctors at an In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) clinic performed a Caesarean section operation under the supervision of specialists.

Her husband Rajarao and her close relatives were present at the hospital when the surgery was performed. The couple are from Draksharamam in the East Godavari district.

In 2016, 72-year-old Daljinder Kaur gave birth to a boy at Amritsar.

Sanakkayala Uday Shankar, an IVF specialist, said the couple approached the clinic in November 2018. “I decided to go ahead with the IVF procedure after a team of experts, including a pulmonologist and cardiologist, confirmed that she had no health issues,” Dr. Uma Shankar told reporters.

The doctors collected semen from her husband, and using the IVF technique, combined it with the ovum of another woman. The treatment met with success during the first cycle itself and the woman conceived in January. “We then started preparing the woman under the close supervision of three teams of doctors, including a nutrition specialist, cardiologist and pulmonologist,” said Dr. Uma Shankar.

The twin girls weighed 1.5 kg each and were put under observation for six hours.

The couple were married on March 22, 1962, and had since then been making rounds of hospitals. They were already into their 70s when a neighbour told them about the clinic in Guntur.

A team of doctors, including cardiologist P.V. Manohar, paediatricians Ramesh and Radha Madhavi, anaesthetist Ramesh, and gynaecologists Neelima and Keerthi, assisted during the surgery.

Muharram on Sept. 11 

06/09/2019 , CHENNAI

The State government has declared September 11 a public holiday, in view of Muharram. The Chief Kazi to the government of Tamil Nadu, in his letter, stated that since the moon was not sighted, Muharram would be observed on September 11.

Students of two colleges in limbo 

Anna University withholds results, cites irregularities 

6/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

Dozens of students of two self-financing engineering colleges who were called for inquiry to Anna University on Thursday returned disappointed as the inquiry was postponed.

The final-year students of ARM Engineering College and ARS Engineering College were called for an inquiry to the office of the Controller of Examination. Both colleges are in Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai. When the students arrived, they were told that the inquiry had been postponed to September 16.

Results withheld

“Around 80 of us [final-year students] received a letter from the university asking us to appear for an inquiry. We don’t know why we were called. Our results were released on May 21 by Anna University and we were told that our final semester results had been withheld. When we asked the college, they said we should ask only the university. For four months, there was no response. The university then sent us a letter that we should appear for an inquiry on September 5. We asked for what we were called. They told us to return on September 16,” said a student who received the letter.

The student said the next semester would begin in a month and there was no intimation on whether the students would have to pay the semester fee, or whether they had arrears.

Anna University Controller of Examination M. Venkatesan said the results had been withheld for irregularities.

“We formed a committee and conducted an inspection. We found that the college had not conducted classes. We could not see the students during the inspection. We wanted to have an inquiry with the students. We communicated to the students, but principals of both colleges reacted to our letter immediately, saying the university had to give sufficient time for the students,” the official said.

“So we had to revise the dates, and the scheduled inquiry from September 5 to 7 was postponed to September 16 to 18. The college principals were intimated, but they had not communicated it to the students,” Mr. Venkatesan said.

“It appears that we could have had the inquiry, as the students had turned up in full strength,” the CoE also said.

Institute of Eminence tag for five

06/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, NEW DELHI

The Human Resource Development Ministry has awarded the status of Institute of Eminence to IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University and University of Hyderabad, said an official statement.

Four private universities — Vellore Institute of Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Jamia Hamdard and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology — were issued Letters of Intent to grant them the status. The new greenfield Bharti Institute, a project of Airtel’s Satya Bharti Foundation, has also been issued the letter.

A separate cell but no special facilities

06/09/2019 , PRESS TRUST OF INDIA, NEW DELHI

P. Chidambaram, who was brought to Tihar Jail on Thursday evening, will get no special facilities, except a separate cell and a Western toilet as specified by the court, jail officials said. Like other inmates, he will have access to the library, and can watch television for a specified period.

After the mandatory medical check-up, he was lodged in Jail No. 7, which houses those accused in Enforcement Directorate cases. His son Karti was kept in the same cell for 12 days in the same case last year.

A jail official said food is served between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., but it is kept aside for those who arrive late owing to court procedures. The usual dinner menu is roti, dal, sabji and rice.

Mr. Chidambaram will be lodged in the cell from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Breakfast will be served between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. He can drink water from a reverse osmosis plant or buy packaged water from the canteen.

Chidambaram sent to Tihar jail till Sept. 19 in INX Media case
Former Minister, son get anticipatory bail in Aircel-Maxis money laundering case
 
06/09/2019 , Nirnimesh Kumar, New Delhi

In custody: P. Chidambaram being taken to Tihar jail in New Delhi on Thursday. PTIPTI

A Delhi court on Thursday sent former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram to custody in Tihar jail in the INX Media case, even as another court granted anticipatory bail to him and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.

Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar said: “Having considered all the facts and circumstances of the case, the nature of offences and the stage of investigation, which is still in progress, the accused is remanded in judicial custody till September 19.”

“I am only worried about the economy,” Mr. Chidambaram commented, when a reporter asked him if he had anything to say after the court ordered his judicial custody.

Earlier, the CBI produced him before the court and urged it to send him to judicial custody, submitting that he was an influential person in public life and wielded substantial and pervasive influence over witnesses, having the potential to tamper with evidence.

Opposing the prosecution plea, Kapil Sibal, counsel for Mr. Chidambaram, argued that the CBI had not brought anything on record to even suggest that his client had ever tried to influence the witnesses or interfere in the investigation.

‘Ready to surrender’

Mr. Sibal further argued that his client was ready to surrender to the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case since his appeal challenging the Delhi High Court order denying him protection from arrest had been dismissed.

Mr. Chidambaram also filed an application in the court seeking permission to surrender in the money laundering case connected with the INX bribery case. The court sought the ED’s reply by September 12.

Earlier, special judge O.P. Saini granted anticipatory bail to the father-son duo in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case. “Considering the distance of time between the commission of alleged crime and the filing of the instant application, unexplained delay in investigation, there being no possibility of the accused tampering with the evidence or threatening any witness or fleeing from justice and there being no possibility of their committing a similar crime again, I am satisfied that it is a fit case for grant of benefit of anticipatory bail,” he said.

யார் நல்லாசிரியர்?

By ஆர். வேல்முருகன் | Published on : 05th September 2019 02:38 AM


மாதா, பிதா, குரு, தெய்வம் என்ற வரிசையில் பெற்றவர்களுக்கு அடுத்தபடியாக நாம் அனைவரும் போற்றுவது ஆசிரியர்களைத்தான். குரு எனும் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு அடுத்துத்தான் தெய்வமே எனும்போது அவர்களின் முக்கியத்துவம் அனைவருக்கும் புரியும்.

ஆனால், இப்போது ஆசிரியர்களின் பணி என்பது வேலைப்பளு இல்லாத, ஊதியம் அதிகம் உடைய, அதிக விடுமுறைகள் கொண்ட, பெண்களுக்கான பணியாக மாறிவிட்டது. 

கடந்த காலங்களில் ஆசிரியர் பணி என்றால் ஒரு மரியாதை இருந்தது. கிராமங்களில் ஒற்றை ஆசிரியரின் சொல் வேத வாக்கு. ஆனால், இப்போது மாணவர்கள், குருவை மிஞ்சிய சிஷ்யனாக இருக்கின்றனர்.
ராட்சசி திரைப்படத்தில் மாணவர்களின் தகுதி குறித்துக் கேள்வி கேட்கும் ஆசிரியர்களிடம் தலைமை ஆசிரியை தகுதியில்லாத ஆசிரியர்களை நீக்கலாமா என்பார். சினிமாவுக்கு வேண்டுமானால் இது சிறப்பாக இருக்கலாம். ஆனால் நடைமுறையில் இது சாத்தியமா? ஆசிரியர் சங்கங்கள் வேலைநிறுத்தத்தில் ஈடுபட மாட்டார்களா? 

வேறு எந்தத் தொழிலை விடவும் ஆசிரியப் பணி என்பது சிறப்பு வாய்ந்தது. இப்போதும் ஒரு சில ஆசிரியர்கள் தங்கள் மாணவர்களுக்கு பாடத் திட்டத்தைத் தாண்டி வாழ்க்கைக் கல்வியைக் கற்றுக் கொடுக்கின்றனர். அவர்களின் பெருமை சம்பந்தப்பட்ட கிராமங்களைத் தாண்டி வருவதில்லை. ஆனால், ஏதோ ஒரு சமயத்தில் மெழுகுவர்த்தியான ஆசிரியர்களின் புகழ் ஒளி வெளியில் தெரிகிறது.

முன்னாள் குடியரசுத் தலைவர் அப்துல் கலாம் பள்ளியில் படித்தபோது பறவைகள் பறப்பது குறித்துப் பாடம் நடத்தியது புரியவில்லை என்று கூறினாராம். கடற்கரைக்குச் சென்று பறவைகள் பறப்பதைப் புரிய வைத்த ஆசிரியர் கலாமின் மனதில் என்ன தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியிருப்பார் என்பது இப்போதைய ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு ஒரு பாடமாக இருக்க வேண்டும்.

பெங்களூரு இந்திய அறிவியல் கல்வி மையத்தில் (ஐ.ஐ.எஸ்சி.) கடந்த ஆண்டு, தங்கள் ஆசிரியையின் பெயரில் ரூ.1 கோடிக்குக் கட்டடம் கட்டி பெருமைப்படுத்தியுள்ளனர் மாணவர்கள். இப்போதும் பல்வேறு பள்ளிகளில் ஆசிரியர்கள் பாடத்திட்டத்தைத் தாண்டி தங்கள் மாணவர்களுக்குக் கற்றுக் கொடுத்து வருகின்றனர். அந்த மாணவர்களுக்கு ஆசிரியர்கள் என்றுமே முன்மாதிரிதான்.

தான் கூறியதை மீறி கிரிக்கெட் கிளப்புக்கு விளையாடியதால் ஆத்திரமடைந்த ஒரு பள்ளியின் உடற்கல்வி ஆசிரியர் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட மாணவரைக் கத்தியால் குத்தினார். இதன் மூலம் எதிர்கால இந்தியாவில் ஒரு கிரிக்கெட் வீரரின் கனவை முனையிலேயே அந்த ஆசிரியர் ஒடித்துவிட்டாரே.

ஒரு மாணவனின் வாழ்க்கையில் பொதுத் தேர்வுகள் என்பது மிகவும் முக்கியமானது. பொதுத் தேர்வுகளில் விடைத்தாள்களைத் திருத்தும் ஆசிரியர்களின் தவறுகளால் பாதிக்கப்படுவது மாணவர்களின் வாழ்க்கை என்பதை உணர மறுக்கிறார்கள். எத்தனை மாணவர்களின் எதிர்காலக் கனவு சிதைக்கப்படுகிறது?

தொடக்கப் பள்ளி முதல் பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள் வரை எங்கும் எதிலும் முறைகேடுகள். அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் விடைத்தாள் திருத்துவதில் எத்தனை மோசடிகள்? கோவை பாரதியார் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் துணைவேந்தரே ஆசிரியர்களிடம் லஞ்சம் வாங்கியதான முறைகேட்டில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். இதுபோன்று பல மோசமான உதாரணங்கள். 

உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்புகளின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் இருந்தவரை ஆசிரியர்களின் நிலை நன்றாக இருந்ததாக பலர் கூறுகின்றனர். ஆனால், இன்று நிலைமை அப்படி இல்லை. இப்போது மத்திய அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில் பணிபுரியும் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு இணையான ஊதியம் கிராமப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களுக்கும் உண்டு. ஆனால் மத்திய, மாநில அரசுப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களின் தகுதிகள், மலைக்கும் மடுவுக்கும் உள்ள வித்தியாசம்தான். மத்திய அரசுப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களின் தகுதிக்கேற்ப இவர்களின் தகுதியையும் உயர்த்த வேண்டும்.

சுமார் 95 சதவீதத்துக்கும் மேலான அரசுப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்கள் தங்கள் குழந்தைகளைத் தனியார்பள்ளிகளில்தான் படிக்க வைக்கின்றனர். அந்த அளவுக்கு சக ஆசிரியர்களின் மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கின்றனர். பள்ளிப் படிப்பைத் தனியார் பள்ளிகளில் தொடரும் அரசுப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களின் குழந்தைகள் உயர் கல்வியைத் தொடர விரும்புவது அரசுக் கல்லூரிகளில்தான்.

எனவே, அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில் படிக்கும் மாணவர்களுக்கு மட்டுமே அரசுக் கல்லூரிகளில் மத்திய, மாநில அரசுகள் இடம் ஒதுக்க வேண்டும். இல்லாவிட்டால் அவர்களுக்கான சலுகைகளைக் குறைக்க வேண்டும்.
விருது வழங்கத் தேர்வு செய்யும்போது தகுதியின் அடிப்படையில் மட்டுமே தேர்வு செய்து வழங்க வேண்டும். அப்போதுதான் விருதுக்கும் மதிப்பிருக்கும்; பெறுபவருக்கும் திருப்தியிருக்கும். அதை விடுத்து விருதை வாங்குவதால் என்ன பலன்? 

ஆசிரியர்களின் அடிப்படைத் தகுதியை உயர்த்தி தொழில்நுட்ப ரீதியாக அவர்களைத் தயார்படுத்த வேண்டும். அப்போதுதான் அவர்களால் நாளைய தலைமுறையைச் சிறப்பாக உருவாக்க முடியும்.
முன்னாள் குடியரசுத் தலைவரும் ஆசிரியருமான சர்வபள்ளி ராதாகிருஷ்ணனின் பிறந்த நாள்தான் ஆசிரியர் தினமாகக் கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது. அந்த நாளில் இவர்கள் எனது ஆசிரியர்கள் என்பதை ஒவ்வொரு மாணவரும் பெருமையுடன் நினைவில் நிறுத்தி வணங்கினால் அதைவிடச் சிறந்த விருது ஏது? 

உண்மையாய் மாணவர்களை நேசித்து அவர்களை ஏற்றி விட்ட, ஏற்றி விடக் காத்திருக்கும் அனைத்து ஆசிரியர்களுக்கும் உளப்பூர்வமான ஆசிரியர் தின வாழ்த்துகள்.

Chennai: Appeal against selection process for 207 medical seats

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published  Sep 4, 2019, 3:39 am IST

As per the prospectus, the vacant NRI seats shall revert back to the management quota.

Madras high court

Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the selection committee, Directorate of Medical Education and Medical Council of India, on an appeal, which sought to set aside an order of a single judge, dismissing a petition, challenging the selection process for the 207 seats that got reverted to the management quota owing to not getting filled under the NRI quota.

A division bench comprising Justices M.M.Sundresh and RMT.Teeka Raman posted to September 9, further hearing of an appeal filed by S.Dheeran, an aspiring medical student.

Appellant's counsel M.Velmurugan submitted that appellant has passed higher secondary in the year 2017 under the ISCE syllabus. The appellant had scored 303 marks out of 720 in the Neet conducted for the year 2019-2020. The appellant was also a sports person involved in the game of cricket, wherein he has played in the regional competition of Tamil Nadu region under ISCE school level competitions and further has been awarded with certificate of merits and awards towards the contribution to the game and as such he was entitled to qualify as a sports personality and claim reservation under special category in the admission for medical colleges for the year 2019-2020, he added.

Velmurugan said at present the entire admission process has been completed for all the other categories except the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota. There were 260 seats allocated to the NRI quota. It appears that call letters for counseling were sent to applicants under NRI quota to attend counseling on August 9, 2019, and the outcome of counseling was that only 53 persons were selected for admission under the NRI quota. About 207 seats fell vacant under the NRI quota. As per the prospectus, the vacant NRI seats shall revert back to the management quota. However, no guidelines has been provided as to in what manner the vacant NRI seats shall be filled up under the management quota. Since the appellant was having a possibility of getting a seat left vacant, the appellant attempted to enquire as to how the vacant NRI seats which revert to the management quota were likely to be filled up.

But, it was shocking to know that the Selection Committee was not likely to fill up the said vacant seats. But the respective private medical colleges seem to absorb the seats available with the respective colleges by themselves as per their own undefined priorities. The private colleges appear to be indulging in unethical practices like demanding money while filling the vacant NRI seats. Therefore, it would only be proper and appropriate for the available vacant NRI seats, presently vacant management seats were also filled up by the selection committee itself to meet the ends of transparency and to ensure that selection was based on merit and not on any other criteria. The appellant sent a representation in this regard. The appellant had also filed a petition. But a single judge dismissed it. Hence, the appellant filed the present appeal, he added.

Seniority list: High Court directs state to amend service rules within 2 months

Authorities should prepare seniority list and panel for promotion every year, says HC

Published: 05th September 2019 04:52 AM

Madras High Court

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court passed an order directing the State government to make necessary amendments in Tamil Nadu Ministerial Service Rules indicating the right time for preparation of seniority list and promotion panel during promotion of government servants, within two months.


A Bench, comprising justices K Ravichandrabaabu and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, passed the order while disposing of a batch of appeals filed by some revenue assistants, appointed through promotion from junior assistant post, expressing grievances over a seniority list prepared for appointing Deputy Tahsildars.

The judges observed that the inter-se seniority list between the two categories of assistants — directly recruited assistants and those appointed through promotion — can be prepared reasonably three months in advance before the crucial date for preparing the panel. This would help the aggrieved parties to approach the appellate authority and express their grievance with regard to the list, they added.

Moreover, authorities should prepare the seniority list as well as panel for promotion to the next higher post for every year, without accumulating the same for years together, they ordered.

UoM to revise UG &PG course syllabus
The vice chancellor also said as soon as the blueprint of the revised syllabus is ready, it will be sent to the Board of Studies for

Published: 05th September 2019 06:21 AM 

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The University of Madras will soon revise syllabus of most of the undergraduate and post-graduate courses offered by it, for the affiliated colleges. The university authorities said they have planned to revise the syllabus of the undergraduate and post-graduate courses, simultaneously. The revision process is likely to start from September and the revised courses are scheduled to be implemented from the next academic year.

Varsity officials said the move is significant as syllabus of all the courses was hardly ever revised in one go. “The university offers over 150 courses and it is very difficult to revise and upgrade the syllabus of all the courses in one go. So, usually the process is undertaken in a phase wise manner, but this time it has been decided to undertake the revision process for all courses simultaneously,” said a senior faculty member of the university.

Usually, the syllabus of each subject should be revised, ideally in four to five years, but there are many courses offered by the university, the syllabus of which has not been revised for eight years. The varsity official further added that a few courses were revamped recently, to meet the needs of the market, hence, these courses will be excluded from the process.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, P Duraisamy, said the revision of the syllabus is necessary to foster quality education and to prepare the students to meet the present day needs of the market. “The aim behind revision of syllabus is to make our students more employable and upgrade their skills so they can meet the needs of the industry.

We will also seek the recommendations of industry experts from renowned institutions like Indian Institute of Madras and others while upgrading our syllabus,” said Duraisamy.

The vice chancellor also said as soon as the blueprint of the revised syllabus is ready, it will be sent to the Board of Studies for its examination and approval.

Study first, marry later, High Court tells woman

She is in relationship with a 19-year-old youth

05/09/2019, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

Hearing the case of an 18-year-old woman in relationship with a 19-year-old youth, the Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday asked the girl to continue with her studies and said a decision on her marriage could be taken after he turned 21, the legal age for men to marry.

The court was hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by the woman’s father from Tirunelveli, who alleged that his daughter was illegally detained by the youth . It was said that the couple were in love and wanted to get married.

Apprehending that his daughter could quit her education for marriage, the father, in his petition, said that his daughter had only joined college and therefore she must complete her graduation before taking a decision on marriage.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and N. Anand Venkatesh observed that the woman had expressed her willingness to continue her studies. However, she had categorically stated that she would not go with her father.

The court took cognisance of the youth’s submission that his parents had accepted their relationship and were willing to support her education. He further stated that the woman could continue her studies from her hostel and a decision on marriage would be taken after he turned 21.

The court observed that in the specific view taken by the parties, the relief sought by the father could not be granted as his daughter was now a major. Therefore, she could not be compelled to stay with her father against her wishes.

Taking into consideration that the couple could not get married as the youth was 19 years old, the court said that the woman could not be sent with him. The court asked her to continue her studies from the college hostel. Once the youth turned 21 years, the parents of both the youth and the woman could create a congenial atmosphere for the couple’s marriage, the court said and disposed of the petition.

Student denied admission to Madras varsity

Candidate alleges he has been targeted because he participated in several protests

05/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

A student of the Department of Buddhism of the University of Madras has been declared ineligible for the programme.

Kripa Mohan, who graduated from the University’s Department of Journalism and Communication in 2018, applied for a master’s programme in the Department of Philosophy for a course in Buddhism on July 31.

He said his admission was rejected as he had not produced an eligibility certificate. According to him, the head of his department told him that his admission was rejected due to pressure from the Governor/Chancellor’s office.

Mr. Kripa Mohan was a secretary of the student body of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle while being a student in the journalism department. “Now I am a member. We organised protests when Tarun Vijay (former Rajya Sabha member) and BJP leader L. Ganesan came to the University. We protested against ban on beef eating and the New Education Policy recently. When I applied for the programme the Buddhism HoD said I need not provide TC as I had graduated from another department in the same University. Just the PG provisional certificate was required.” On August 29, the department head rejected his admission since he had not submitted the eligibility certificate.

Rules not followed

Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy said when a student joins another programme in a different department he has to get a letter from the previous department head. “He had completely violated the admission guidelines. Last year and the year before, he created a lot of protests. The candidate had graduated from Anna University in engineering and then done a PG in journalism. He has not met the conditions of the admission guidelines,” he said and added that the letter from the head of journalism department regarding his conduct was factored in. The Chancellor’s office was not involved in the rejection process, he added.

Applicants of entrance test for Ph.D. yet to get hall tickets
The examination is scheduled to be conducted on September 8

05/09/2019, SANJANA GANESH ,MADURAI

A section of applicants waiting to write the preliminary entrance examination for Ph.D. says that it is yet to receive hall tickets from Madurai Kamaraj University. For the first time, the institution has sought online applications. The test is to be conducted on September 8.

A total of 52 Ph.D. and 44 M. Phil programmes will be in the offing and tests will be held in Madurai, Coimbatore, Chennai and Tirunelveli. However, without any admit cards, the applicants say that they do not have any idea about which centres they are to head to.

According to University Grants Commission guidelines laid in 2010, M. Phil and Ph.D. admissions were to be conducted through common entrance tests by each university.

Only two years ago did MKU begin the process of conducting the examination.

Prior to this, individual schools conducted their separate tests and admitted students.

Students were to pay a total of ₹ 2,000 to write the entrance before August 25. The date was extended to August 27 by the Registrar’s office.

Deepika Babu, an aspirant for a Ph.D. in Commerce, says that she had applied on August 24 and that amount was deducted from her account. “However, I received no acknowledgement from the university about my centre or receipt of my payment. I called the university and even emailed but it was not of any use,” she said.

N. Arun, another aspirant, says that he is unclear about which centre he must travel to.

“As I do not have an admit card, I may not be able to travel to Coimbatore or Chennai though they have been listed in my order of preference,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan said that the arrangements were made to outsource it to a large-scale information technology service and consulting organisation that any irregularity, including corruption, is avoided.

“There are some small technical errors which will be solved tomorrow and the day after. In case of further confusion, applicants can approach the university supervisors at the centre to sort out the issue,” he said.

Research Coordinator, MKU, V.S. Vasantha, said there had been a high demand from students in Madurai to continue writing the examination in the district limits.

“It was initially planned that only three centres would be in Madurai. Now, there are seven. Students can approach the university in person and all grievances will be redressed by Thursday,” she said.

Students with problems in their hall tickets may contact: 9442357392 and 9443344483 and through the mail id: rco@mkuresearch.org

Heavy rain brings Mumbai to a standstill
Intermittent rain and showers likely, says Met Department

05/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,MUMBAI

Monsoon fury: The flooded Andheri subway, top, and a flooded street in Parel.Emmanual Yogini & Vijay Bate

Mumbaikars woke up to heavy rainfall on Wednesday morning, which lead to waterlogging in several key spots and affected the city’s suburban railway system and traffic.

While the island city received light rain in the morning, the eastern and western suburbs received between 11 mm and 14 mm of rainfall from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has given a forecast of intermittent rain and shower, with very heavy rainfall at isolated places in city and suburbs. As a precautionary measure in the wake of the IMD’s warning, schools have been asked to remain closed today.

“The principals of the schools where students are already in are requested to take all precautions and ensure that the children are sent back home carefully and safely,” said an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Due to the heavy showers, there were multiple point failures at Virar, affecting suburban rail services on Western Railway (WR). Trains were running 15 minutes late between Vasai Road and Churchgate, with very few services being run between Virar and Vasai Road. On the Central Railway’s (CR), Central Line as well as Harbour Line, services were over 20 minutes late as water entered the tracks at various spots.

According to Mumbai police, traffic is moving slow due to heavy showers and waterlogging at various spots across the city.

Traffic snarls have been reported at Amrut Nagar Jn, Gandhi Nagar at Kanjurmarg, Sakinaka Junction, Sonapur Junction at Mulund, Netaji Palkar Chowk in Andheri Ganesh Mishthanna in Antop Hill, 90 Feet Road in Dharavi, Andheri Subway, Chincholi Port Rd. in Malad, Shivaji Chowk in Antop Hill, Western Express Highway near Metro Station, Milan Subway, King Circle, Poisar Subway, Hindmata Junction, Dadar T.T Circle, Postal Colony in Chembur, LBS Road in Kurla (W), Mazgaon dockyard Jn.

The rain had some minor impact on air traffic as well. An airport spokesperson said that at 10 a.m., operations at the Mumbai airport were normal with minor delays of 10 to 15 minutes.

Laws alone are not enough, says IMA

‘Multidimensional approach needed’

05/09/2019, BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN,NEW DELHI

“Laws are needed but it is not enough,’’ said the Indian Medical Association (IMA) reacting to the Health Ministry’s proposed draft Bill which states that anyone who attacks a doctor at a hospital may be jailed for up to 10 years or fined ₹10 lakh.

The Ministry has asked for feedback from the public on how to improve the draft Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019, which was made public earlier this week.

The Association said, “Violence on doctors and hospitals is a complex phenomenon and will require multidimensional institutional response. A law for deterrence alone might not have the desired impact.’’

Dr. R.V. Asokan of the IMA said, “We have requested that the government declare hospitals as safe zones with structured security. It is also our considered opinion that inadequacies of infrastructure and human resources in public sector and out of pocket expenditure in the private sector are the root causes of violence.’’

He said high expectations, lack of understanding of limitations, patient load, and lack of professional counselling are all contributory factors. Such determinants of violence have to be addressed comprehensively, Mr. Asokan added.

7 students expelled for ‘stealing noodles’

05/09/2019,GUWAHATI

A sports academy in Arunachal Pradesh has rusticated seven students for stealing two packets of noodles from the hostel’s canteen, the mother of one of the students has alleged, adding that the academy claimed to have a video evidence and did not get in touch with the parents before taking the extreme action. However, the SLSA defended the move, saying the students were “found smoking, indulging in unruly activities and stealing a mobile phone of a Class 10 student”.

Sathyabama institute’s part-time M. Tech degrees deemed invalid
Persons working in A.P. varsity lose jobs; information panel seeks documents
05/09/2019, S. VIJAY KUMAR ,CHENNAI

Several persons working in the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in Anantapur have lost their jobs as the university has held “invalid” their postgraduate engineering degrees obtained from the Chennai-based Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University).

The students had obtained M. Tech degrees by undergoing a part-time course. The JNTU in November last year communicated to the postgraduates that “all weekend M.Tech programmes offered by Sathyabama University” are not considered valid.

Acting on petitions filed by four such affected persons, the Tamil Nadu Information Commission directed the Sathyabama University to furnish documents explaining the validity of “weekend” (part-time) M.E/M.Tech courses offered by it. The documents must be sent to the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the JNTU.

The case pertains to a batch of petitions filed by former students, some of them employed in JNTU and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, seeking copies of approval/permission obtained by the university to offer M.E/M.Tech courses to working professionals in part-time mode during 2003-12. They said their salary was stopped with effect from January 2019 by the JNTU authorities on the ground that the M.E/M.Tech course offered by Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University) could not be considered as a valid course.

Terminated from service

The petitioners also claimed that many candidates who obtained the postgraduate degree in part-time mode and were employed in Andhra Pradesh were terminated from service for the same reason. The Public Information Officer did not furnish the information sought under the Right to Information Act. Since the appellate authority in the university also failed to provide any information, the petitioners moved the commission under Section 19(3) of the Act.

The contention of the university authorities was that no approval was required from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to conduct the course and also submitted certain documents in support of their claim.

After hearing both sides, State Information Commissioner S. Muthuraj said the petitioners as well as other students who studied in the university were severely affected by the decision of JNTU, Anantapur. This would definitely result in the loss of their livelihood.

“In the facts and circumstances of the case, the Commission directs the Registrar of Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University) to send valid documents regarding the equivalence of the course M.E/M.Tech (PG) programmes (Part time) to the Government of Andhra Pradesh as well as to the JNTU, Anantapur, in order to set-right the issue,” he said.

Mr. Muthuraj said the students if the university failed to take legally valid steps, a lot of students along with the petitioners who studied the course would definitely lose their livelihood. Moreover, they had a legal right to know whether their M.Tech (part time) PG programme was legally acceptable degree of not.

The Commission directed the Registrar to inform all the petitioners about the action/decision taken within a period of two months and report compliance.

Vengaivasal up in arms against groundwater extraction
Residents say the water table in the locality has dipped over the past decade to an alarming level

05/09/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Residents of Vengaivasal near Tambaram want a stop to the indiscriminate drawal of groundwater in their locality.

Though the sale of groundwater from private wells has been happening for a decade now, it has become rampant this year. Lorries draw groundwater through the day and this has hastened groundwater depletion, they complain.

Various residents’ welfare associations have joined hands to desilt waterbodies, such as Chitteri, in the area to improve groundwater recharge. T. Senthil Kumar, a resident of Vengaivasal, said the water table plummeted in the area.

“Many of us had to sink borewells up to 500 ft. to get water, as panchayat supply was not adequate. But nearly 20-30 lorries continue to draw water from our area daily. There are about 40 private agricultural wells in the area. Borewells are sunk close to agricultural wells and water is being drawn for sale through lorries,” he charged.

‘Forced to buy water’

Residents noted that they were forced to purchase water as the water table had dipped this year. The Vengaivasal Panchayat provides water supply for one hour on alternate days.

S. Nandakrishnan, secretary, Anbu Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said the water table was at a depth of 15 ft, until a decade ago. Now, borewells have to be sunk deep to meet daily needs.

Several residents have to buy a tanker load of water for ₹2,000, owing to the indiscriminate drawal of groundwater.

“We are trying to desilt Chitteri at a cost of ₹10 lakh in the locality and save rainwater. The groundwater drawal and sale through lorries must be stopped for residents to reap the benefits of groundwater recharge,” he said.

Residents’ welfare associations have represented to the Kancheepuram Collector, seeking action against overextraction of groundwater from the locality.

MKU Convocation 2019

Power shutdown on Friday
Chennai:5.09.2019

Power supply will be suspended in the following areas from 9am to 4pm on Friday for maintenance work. Supply will be resumed before 4pm if the works are completed.

Kottivakkam: VGP Layout, Anna Salai, Palavakkamkuppam, Sankarapuram, Seashell Avenue, Radio Colony, Chari Avenue, Ram Garden, Jaisankar Nagar, ECR Road, Poonga Street and Ambedkar Street.

Selaiyur: Madambakkam, Palayakara Street, Maruthi Nagar, ALS Nagar, Ramana Nagar, Madambakkam Main Road, North Side, North Mada Street, East Mada Street, Manicakam Avenue, Alamelupuram, Esther Garden, Padmavathy Nagar, Selaiyur of Agaram Main Road, Vedachalam Nagar, Janakiraman Street, Indira Nagar West, Ex-Servicemen Enclave, Avvai Nagar, New Balaji Nagar, Bharathi Nagar, Bajanai Koil Street, Madha Koil Street, Palayathan Street, Ranganathan Nagar, Harrington Road, Burma Colony, Ranganathan Street, Karnam Street, Ramasamy Street and Eswaran Koil Street.

Telangana to raise retirement age of staff

04/09/2019 , HYDERABAD

In a significant announcement, Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao has said that the retirement age of State government employees will be increased to 60 or 61 years in line with the election promise. He also directed officials to prepare promotion charts of employees. The unhealthy practice of lobbying for promotions should go, he said.

Guest lecturers in govt. colleges demand reservation in recruitment 

They have highlighted the assurances made by former CM Jayalalithaa and the Higher Education Department

04/09/2019 , Pon Vasanth B.A, CHENNAI

With the Teachers’ Recruitment Board issuing a notification for filling 2,340 vacancies for the Assistant Professor post in government arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu, the guest lecturers who have been working on a temporary basis in these colleges for the past many years have appealed for special reservation for them in the recruitment process.

They have highlighted the assurances made by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the Higher Education Department in the past on giving priority to guest lecturers during recruitment.

Between 3,500 and 4,000 guest lecturers are engaged by the Higher Education Department on a consolidated pay of ₹15,000. Their contracts are renewed every year to technically mean they are recruited only for one academic year. Different associations representing guest lecturers said there were people working on a temporary basis in government colleges for the past 15 years.

“Provided they possess necessary qualifications, it is only fair that they are given preference during the recruitment,” said V. Thangaraj of the Tamil Nadu All Government College UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers’ Association. “Let the government reserve a percentage of seats for the guest lecturers,” he added.

Echoing his view, A. Kathali Narasinga Perumal, State president, Tamil Nadu Constituent Colleges Guest Lecturers' Association, said injustice was meted out to guest lecturers for the past several years.

“In recent times, there has been an emphasis on qualifications prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). However, UGC regulations are never followed in our salary,” he said.

Another guest lecturer from a Chennai-based college, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that while UGC prescribed ₹50,000 as salary per month, the guest lecturers received only ₹15,000. “This is after the revision in 2016. Until then, we were getting only ₹10,000.” he added.

Process postponed

Mr. Thangaraj said the government must either implement reservation for guest lecturers in the recruitment or compensate them for not paying UGC-prescribed salary for the past many years.

The Teachers’ Recruitment Board has postponed the commencement of the process of receiving applications for recruitment to fill 2,340 vacancies in Assistant Professor posts in government arts and science colleges. The receiving of applications, to be submitted online, was scheduled to commence on Wednesday (September 4).

An announcement by the TRB on its website said the online registration had been postponed due to “technical reasons”. The new date will be announced later, it said.

Five States to get new Governors 

Arif Mohammed Khan sent to Kerala

02/09/2019 , SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, NEW DELHI 



The Centre on Sunday appointed new Governors for five States. A communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said President Ram Nath Kovind appointed new Governors for Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana.

Former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan, who walked out of the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986 after it decided to overturn the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano judgment, was appointed Governor of Kerala.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been named the Governor of Maharashtra, while Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan will be the new Governor of Telangana.

Former Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will be the Governor of Himachal Pradesh in place of Kalraj Mishra, who has been given the charge of Rajasthan, replacing Kalyan Singh.

Critic of triple talaq

Mr. Khan, an ardent critic of instant triple talaq and advocate of reforming the Muslim personal law, will be replacing Justice P. Sathasivam (retired).

Another prominent appointment is that of Ms. Soundararajan, who will be replacing Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

Redesigning medical education 

In addition to raising the standards of medical professionals, the system should innovate

02/09/2019 , Krishna Reddy Nallamalla

Despite tremendous changes in health systems over the last century, medical education curricula have remained mostly outdated. The key elements that define today’s global health systems include ageing populations; demand for quality, equity and dignity; transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases and from episodic illnesses to lifelong ailments; double burden of disease in some countries; and disruptive advances in medical knowledge, IT, and biotechnology.

Medical education is the bedrock on which the needs of ‘human resources for health’, one of the major building blocks of any health system, are met. Today’s health professionals are required to have knowledge, skills, and professionalism to provide safe, effective, efficient, timely, and affordable care to people. They are required to: be proficient in handling disruptive technologies, understand the economics of healthcare, have the skills to work in and handle large and diverse teams, be ethical, demonstrate empathy, and be abreast of rapid developments in medicine.

Today’s medical education should be able to groom such professionals to face medicine of the 21st century. In addition to raising the standards of medical professionals, the system should innovate to meet the growing shortage of health professionals to serve ageing populations with lifestyle and lifetime ailments.

Required reforms

First, there is a pressing need to revisit the existing guidelines for setting up medical schools and according permission for the right number of seats. Methods of education across fields are undergoing changes on account of advances in e-learning methods and tools, including remote learning, virtual classrooms, digital dissections, and simulation systems for imparting skills. Extending teaching privileges to practising physicians and allowing e-learning tools will address the shortage of quality teachers across the system. Together, these reforms could double the existing medical seats without compromising on the quality of teaching.

There are ongoing innovations in medical education to prepare professionals for the complex and rapidly changing healthcare system. In fact, The Lancet report, ‘Health Professionals for a new century: transforming health education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world’ (2010) outlines key recommendations to transform health professional education. According to a study by Densen P. (2011), “it is estimated that the doubling time of medical knowledge in 1950 was 50 years; in 1980, 7 years; and in 2010, 3.5 years. In 2020 it is projected to be 0.2 years — just 73 days.”

At this pace of change, a student can be prepared to process information that is readily available than to know past knowledge. Periodic re-certification based on continuing learning systems may become essential to keep up with the fast pace of change. Virtual learning tools eliminate the need for didactic classrooms. Dynamic curricula designed around specific health systems will become more relevant than the systems designed for the classical hospital-based care. Since health professionals work in teams, inter-professional combined learning methods are being introduced. Even the concept of the teaching hospital is changing from a single, large hospital to a network of hospitals and community health centres.

For a more responsive system

The Medical Council of India has been mired in controversies, resulting in deterioration in the quality of education. Also, its policies and strategies were delinked from the rapid changes happening in health systems within India and globally. By monopolising control over every aspect of medical education, it bred the culture of deep-rooted corruption. However, if MCI splits its functions into four well-defined areas, and stipulates fixed and rotating terms to key people, it could enable the creation of a more responsive system.

Krishna Reddy Nallamalla is a senior cardiologist and currently Country Director, ACCESS Health (India)

Jailed convict celebrates birthday, 7 suspended

 02/09/2019 , Sitamarhi

Seven prison officials have been suspended after a video of a murder convict celebrating his birthday in jail went viral online on Saturday. In the video, Pintu Tiwari, who is serving a life sentence for killing two engineers in Darbhanga, is seen cutting a cake and serving mutton curry to other inmates on his birthday as the ‘invitees’ recorded the celebration on mobile phones. PTI

Aadhaar system for NRIs in 3 months 

‘It will do away with 180-day wait’
 
02/09/2019 , PRESS TRUST OF INDIA, New Delhi

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said its systems will be ready within three months to issue Aadhaar cards to NRIs with Indian passports without the mandatory 180- day waiting period, as announced in the Budget.

The legal measures would be notified soon, UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said.

“We are working to make the appropriate technological changes and we will provide an appointment facility where people outside the country also can apply for a time slot and specify the place they would like to go to get their Aadhaar made... as soon as they come to India they can, very conveniently, go and get their Aadhaar made,” Mr. Pandey said.

Sources privy to the development said a notification by the IT Ministry was awaited.

The UIDAI — which has made operational two more Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs) in Bhopal and Chennai after the fourth centre in Hisar was launched recently — is confident of meeting its target of opening 114 such centres in the coming months at an estimated cost of ₹300-₹400 crore to facilitate enrolment, updation and other activities.

Willpower unmarred for couple on wheelchair 

They believe wheels do not make a difference, people can lead a very normal life
 
01/09/2019 , Hemani Bhandari , NEW DELHI 


 
Deepak and Achala got married in 2017.SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKARSHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Around 10 a.m., Deepak Maggo (31) sat on his wheelchair and stepped out of his house. He hopped on to his car and showed how he drives to work everyday using a hand-operated kit.

Deepak’s wife Achala, 32, a senior tax assistant in the Income Tax office, drives an SUV. “Mujhe hamesha bhagna tha, udna tha. Bas rengna nahi tha [I always wanted to run, to fly. I never wanted to crawl],” she said.

Deepak and Achala, both wheelchair users, got married in April 2017 after meeting on Facebook two years before that. Today, their message to wheelchair-bound people is that they can lead a “very normal” life and the wheels should not make a difference.

Ms. Achala took completely to wheels in 2014, months after she met with a car accident near her house in Ashok Vihar. Recalling the incident, she said she had pressed the accelerator instead of applying brake and rammed a car. The incident, she said, left a scarring impact on her mental health.

Spinal illness

“I was about three years old when the doctors diagnosed me with a spinal illness. I was able to walk properly till I was eight, but an operation went wrong. Since then, I used a stick to walk and underwent a series of therapies, including stem cell, but nothing helped. After the accident, I started suffering from mental illness and took medicines. I could not deal with it and thought of ending my life ,” she said.

College dropout

Another setback she recalled, was when she had to drop out of a Delhi University college during graduation. There was lack of infrastructure, classes were on first floor and I was falling randomly, she said. “I recall giving up hope completely that year. But then I studied German and took tuitions at home. Meanwhile, I took Staff Selection Commission Exam and finally got a government job in 2014. Life has been better since then because people are extremely helpful and infrastructure at work is also very supportive,” she said.

Mr. Maggo, on the other hand, comes from a fairly humble background. “I was always independent because I learnt to “crawl” very early in my life. I rarely used a wheelchair till a few years ago. I used to always crawl. I remember crawling in front of 500 people when I was preparing for Chartered Accountant exams and no one made me feel any less,” he said. Mr. Maggo could not clear the examination but now works as a supervisor at the New Delhi Railway Station.

The couple said that wheelchair-bound people connect with each other on Facebook to be able to share their woes and that is how the two met. Mr. Maggo sent a friend request to Ms. Achala. They met, she counselled him into going out of his comfort zone and join sports activities. In the second meeting, he proposed marriage to her.

Ms. Achala recalled taking a year and a half to decide whether it was a wise decision to marry someone who is also on a wheelchair.

“My mother was very possessive. She was not sure whether two wheelchair-bound people would be able to lead a good life. But we discussed how it would be better for us to be together because we were both in the same position and would be able to understand each other better,” she said.

Making trips

The two went to Dubai for their honeymoon and have been taking trips across India since marriage. They make sure the accommodation they are selecting has no accessibility issues. “We also check if the washroom doors can let our wheelchairs in; it is very important,” said Ms. Achala.

She is thankful to her husband for making her confident about travelling, something she was apprehensive about before she met him. “I went to Vaishno Devi with my friends 10 years ago and crawled all the way up. It built my confidence,” said Mr. Maggo.

They have shared travelling videos on their YouTube channel named “Perfect Couple on Wheelchair”. But how do they call themselves a perfect couple? “I support him mentally and emotionally and he supports me physically,” she smiles.

IRCTC to reintroduce convenience fee for online ticket booking from today 

₹15 and ₹30 plus taxes to be collected for sleeper and AC class, respectively

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, MANGALURU

The convenience fee was suspended after demonetisation in Nov. 2016.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a PSU of Indian Railways, has decided to reintroduce the convenience fee, which was suspended on the Union Finance Ministry’s advise after demonetisation in November 2016 to encourage digital transactions, with effect from Sunday.

Those booking online train tickets from Sunday through www.irctc.co.in will have to shell out ₹15 and ₹30 plus taxes as convenience fee per ticket for sleeper class and air-conditioned classes tickets, respectively. This is in addition to the payment gateway charges, if any. Those using UPI for the transaction would be charged ₹10 and ₹20 plus taxes for sleeper class and air-conditioned classes tickets, respectively.

In a letter to the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), Indian Railways’ information technology arm, on Saturday, IRCTC said the Railway Board had approved the corporation’s proposal to levy the convenience fee. It asked the CRIS to make necessary changes in NGeT system to apply the changes for online booking of all tickets through IRCTC. The corporation had suspended collection of convenience fee of ₹20 and ₹40 for sleeper and AC classes from November 23, 2016. The Finance Ministry, which used to reimburse part of the expenses, had told IRCTC that reimbursement cannot continue, according to the corporation’s chairman and managing director M.P. Mall.

Mr. Mall told The Hindu, “Every service has a cost and if the cost is not recovered, we cannot sustain.” The corporation may offer some promotional scheme for UPI transactions, he added.

Mr. Mall said the corporation was expecting to earn about ₹550 crore following reintroduction of the fee in 2019–20.

‘Waiver helped Railways’

Sanjeev Dyamannavar from Prajaa.Raag, a mobility initiative in Bengaluru, said no online service provider levies charges like this. Online ticket booking had helped the Railways to maintain minimum number of staff at its reservation counters while people also benefited from round-the-clock booking facility. Now, people may travel distances to reservation counters, he said.

Yogendra Swamy from Mysuru Grahaka Parishat said that while on the one hand, the government says ‘go digital’, and on the other, it levies charges for digital transactions.

New sitting arrangement at Madurai Bench of Madras High Court 

A new set of judges will preside over court proceedings from September 3 

01/09/2019 , Staff Reporter, MADURAI

A new set of judges will preside over the court proceedings at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court from September 3.

Justice T.S. Sivagnanam will be the Administrative Judge at the High Court Bench for the next three months. A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and R. Tharani will hear public interest litigation petitions, all division bench writ and appeal matters, criminal contempt and appeals relating to orders in contempt proceedings.

After Division Bench sitting, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam will hear old writ petitions. Justice R. Tharani will hear civil revision petitions of 2014.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and N. Anand Venkatesh will hear habeas corpus petitions, all criminal appeals and criminal cases to be heard by Division Bench, including crime against women and children.

After Division Bench sitting, Justice S. Vaidyanathan will hear old civil revision petitions. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh will hear criminal original petitions and writ petitions (CrPC) of 2017.

Justice V.M. Velumani will hear writ petitions relating to labour and service from 2016 and writ petitions relating to Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme. Justice S.S. Sundar will hear writ petitions relating to labour and service up to the year 2015.

Justice V. Parthiban will hear criminal appeals, including appeals relating to crime against women and children and criminal revision petitions from 2015.

Justice M. Govindaraj will hear writ petitions relating to motor vehicles, motor vehicle tax, all other taxes and duties, export and import, customs and central excise, prohibition and state excise, mines and minerals, forests and industries.

Justice M. Sundar will hear writ petitions relating to general miscellaneous, education, land reforms, land tenancy, land ceiling, land acquisition and other land laws.

Justice J. Nisha Banu will hear first appeals and second appeals up to 2014. Justice G. R. Swaminathan will hear criminal original petitions, anticipatory bail petitions and bail petitions, writ petitions (CrPC) up to the year 2016.

Justice P.T. Asha will hear second appeals from 2015, civil miscellaneous second appeals, company appeals, transfer civil miscellaneous petitions and civil revision petitions up to 2013.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan will hear criminal original petitions and writ petitions (CrPC) from 2018. Justice B. Pugalendhi will hear criminal appeals including appeals relating to crime against women and children and criminal revision petitions up to 2014, CBI and Prevention of Corruption Act cases.

Justice Krishnan Ramasamy will hear civil miscellaneous appeals and civil revision petitions from 2015.

Being on alert against fake news 

When it comes to evaluating information on social media, even the educated are easily duped

01/09/2019 , A. Amalraj

The Internet gives access to a vast trove of data, both necessary and unnecessary. A surfer gets information posted by anonymous people who, uninhibited by the fear of law, post anything and escape the consequences.

As Web pages are susceptible to accidental or deliberate alteration, there is little possibility of finding if the information is valid, doctored, morphed or just a figment of the imagination of the hidden author.

Free services that allow encrypted messages, which are easy to access and forward, are the order of the day. Not a day passes without some text, photo or video, often modified to suit the taste of the creator, landing on our mobile phones. This unchecked way of information-sharing often tends to create scandals of mind-boggling proportions. Luckily, most of these scandals have a short shelf life. The importance of the message withers0 away when new information takes its place in quick succession.

Fake news is now a mounting problem as fraudsters and anti-social elements use social media platforms to target people. Factual news is increasingly getting buried in an avalanche of incorrect information with potential to create rifts between communities, castes and religions. An incident of little significance taking place in an isolated area can easily be showcased as sensational news.

Fact checking

Testing the accuracy of the received information is a hard task. Factual information should reveal details of the author and those responsible for the truthfulness of the content. These should be available for verification by independent questioning. The credibility of information depends on evidence. When there is insufficient material to verify the legitimacy of information, doubts arise about its veracity. The origin and the time of delivery of information received in cyberspace cannot be ascertained easily to make proper conclusions.

Combating the information overflow is a daunting task for ordinary citizens. What and what not to trust are never-ending questions that defy easy answers. Faced with a shower of information, the audience at best, ignores it and at worst, believes it all.

Safeguarding information from falling into the wrong hands is becoming increasingly difficult, making it susceptible to modifications. When it comes to evaluating information on social media channels, even the educated are easily duped.

Our education system should be attuned to preventing young minds from falling prey to this deluge. Regular practice of reading, analysing and evaluating information may be the best defence against sinking into misinformation bogs. It is not unusual to see young minds taking extreme decisions and falling prey to the social media circus.

Students in schools and colleges should be given regular opportunities to think about, and evaluate, information harvested from a variety of sources, to learn to recognise their own vulnerabilities to disinformation, and to look beyond sources that reinforce their beliefs.

Unlike in the case of conventional crimes, the criminal characteristics of those who use communication tools to spread false news are not readily definable. The creators and victims of false news could be from any strata of society. Agonising for a prolonged period of time over doctored news and images will take one nowhere, except succeeding in the author’s intention of causing harm.

The personal information available in different social media and Web platforms are a treasure trove waiting to be harvested for nefarious activities. Children get a rap for sharing too much information online, but adults are no better when it comes to online privacy. When in doubt, share less.

Persons and groups authoring malicious news are not restricted by State or national boundaries. The culprit, concealing his identity, may live in any part of the planet. This makes combating the information deluge a challenging task, both for the police and the public.

amalraj8575@yahoo.co.in

ILLUSTRATION: SATWIK GADE

Former MP’s son held for misusing rail pass

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

The Government Railway Police on Saturday arrested the son of N. Selvaraj, former MP who passed away recently, for travelling on his father’s railway pass. He was released on bail.

According to police, Kalairaj, a civil engineer, is the son of the politician who was elected from Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency in 1980. He travelled in H-1 coach of the Bangalore Mail on Saturday morning.

Railway vigilance officials, at Perambur, found that he travelled on his father’s railway pass.

He was taken to the GRP station in Chennai Central and a case was registered under section 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation) of the IPC. Further investigation is on.

Around 300 UG seats vacant in Anna varsity

01/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, CHENNAI

As many as 300 seats will remain vacant across Anna University’s undergraduate programmes this academic year. The phenomenon of seats going vacant has become the norm over several years due to delay in the conduct of medical admissions.

This year, the online single window counselling for engineering seats overlapped that for medical seats. The first phase of counselling for engineering began on July 3 and candidates had four days’ time to lock in their choices. Counselling for medicine began on July 8. This allowed candidates to withdraw from engineering counselling if they were allotted a seat in a medical college.

“It appears that students with good scores in NEET managed to get into medical colleges but did not release the seats they had registered for at Anna University. They had paid registration fees so we could not cancel their seats,” an official explained.

Anna University Vice- Chancellor M.K. Surappa said, “Many meritorious students have gone to deemed universities.”

He said it would have helped if the medical admissions had taken place before engineering admissions. A high rate of unemployment in the last one year and a greater number of seats compared to demand are some of the reasons for poor admission, he said.

‘More doctors need to work in rural areas’

01/09/2019 , Staff Reporter, CHENNAI

Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday said more doctors should work in rural areas.

Shortly after inaugurating the Fourth International Dental Conference and Exhibition, World Dental and Oral Health Congress- 2019 Asia series, he said, according to the World Health Organisation, the ideal dentist-population ratio was 1:7,500.

“There are about 300 dental colleges in India and nearly 25,000 graduates pass out every year. But most of them settle down in urban areas. Hence, the dentist-population ratio is about 1:10,000 in urban and 1:1,50,000 in rural areas,” he said.

He said such conferences would enthuse more youngsters to pursue dentistry, as it was necessary that there be a greater spread of doctors in rural areas. He emphasised the need for dental awareness programmes, maintenance of standardised patient data and creation of dental software, uniformly put to use all over the country.

The two-day event was attended by students and dentists from nearly 15 countries such as the U.K., the U.S., France and India. Organised by the World Dental Council and Graviton International, the conference will cover all aspects of dentistry, according to Charulatha, organising chairman.

S.M. Balaji, advisory member, World Dental Council, and Shovendhu Jha, registration co-chair, were present.