A ‘sound’ way to heal prisoners

Former Tihar DG conducts sound healing session with inmates on jail premises

03/10/2019, HEMANI BHANDARI,NEW DELHI

Vimla Mehra used singing bowls, rimming sticks, wind chimes and tingsha bells during the session. special arrangement

Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, inmates at Tihar jail were in for a surprise when former Director General of the prison Vimla Mehra sat down with them in an attempt to heal them with sound.

In a first and impromptu programme, Ms. Mehra conducted a sound healing session with 10 inmates in Central Jail number 4 at Tihar School of Art. The session was also attended by Jail Superintendent Rajesh Chauhan.

Inside a small room, 10 inmates who were interested in the session lay on their back with their arms resting at the sides and eyes closed as the former DG pulled out the equipment — singing bowls, rimming sticks, wind chimes and tingsha bells — from her jute bag.

“Are you ready for meditation? You’ll hear sounds like you are listening to soothing music. Imagine you are in a jungle… there’s fresh air… chirping of birds… you are breathing freely,” she said to the inmates who appeared to be in a state of trance.

For the next 15 minutes, she used different combinations of the equipment which emanated “healing” sounds. The inmates were then asked to slowly open their eyes and wake up to the environment around them.

‘Food for soul’

“Ma’am, neend aa gayi thi [Ma’am, I fell asleep],” said an inmate after the session was over. Two others nodded in agreement.

Outside the room, in absence of any officers, Ravi Shankar Sharma (40), an undertrial who was arrested on charges of gang rape, said: “It was food for my soul. I had heard about sound healing but never had this kind of experience.”

Another inmate, Ramesh Sethi, who had heard of sound healing for the first time, said: “I am feeling a lot at peace.”

Ms. Mehra, who started learning sound healing soon after her retirement, said she is planning to turn the session into a regular programme with the help of the jail authorities. “Sound healing regulates the flow of energy in your body. The sounds tend to affect particular organs and prevents illness. I have been close to Tihar and wish to help the inmates in whatever way I can,” she said.

Ms. Mehra was Tihar DG from 2012 to 2014 and also the first woman Special Commissioner of Delhi Police.

‘On duty’ policemen face music for watching ‘Sye Raa...’
Photo taken in cinema hall lands seven errant sub-inspectors in trouble

03/10/2019, TADI VIDURA,KURNOOL

In plain sight: The photo that the sub-inspectors took at a theatre in Koilakuntla on Wednesday. U. SUBRAMANYAM The Hindu

While fans of ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi erupted in joy and broke into a dance to watch the ‘first day, first show’ of his latest movie Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy on Wednesday, seven sub-inspectors of police in Kurnool district had to face the music.

The policemen now face disciplinary action after they “bunked” duty to watch the new release.

The day saw overwhelming excitement among fans of Chiranjeevi as this was a project he had taken up after a long gap. The movie opened in cinemas across the country in different languages.

People could not wait to see their favourite star essaying the role of the freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. ‘The first day, first show’ craze was all-pervasive, with fans ready to do anything to get inside the cinemas. Apparently, so were police officers.

The lucky ones who made it included a set of seven young sub-inspectors from Bandi Atmakur, Nandivargam, Kolimigundla, Allagadda Special Branch, Racharla, Owk, and Gospadu in Kurnool district, who gave their duties the go-by and went to a cinema in Koilakuntla for a special early morning show.

One of them, perhaps overjoyed by the festive mood, captured the moment by clicking a picture and posting it on a social media platform after the show. Little did he or the others realise that this would land them in trouble.

The image was brought to the notice of Superintendent of Police K. Fakeerappa, who asked the Deputy Superintendents of Police of Nandyal, Allagadda and Dhone to hold an inquiry against the sub-inspectors.

Though it was an early morning show, what seems to have ticked off the Superintendent of Police was that these officers gathered at a theatre in Koilakuntla from different mandals.


No leave sought

The errant policemen had not sought permission nor did they apply for leave. Apart from that, a major reason for initiating action against them was the fact that it was Gandhi Jayanti. Also, Village Secretariats, a welfare delivery scheme run by the Andhra Pradesh government, was to be inaugurated on Wednesday.

“The sub-inspectors picked a wrong day to skip work,” said the officer. “If it were any other day, they might even have gotten away with it!”

HC summons three senior IAS officers in a contempt plea
Judge asks Registry to issue notice

03/10/2019, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Madras High Court has summoned three IAS officers S.K. Prabakar, V.K. Jeyakodi and K.S. Palanisamy to explain as to why they should not be punished for not complying with orders passed by the court last year to pay compensation to six land owners whose properties were acquired way back in 1996 for improvement of branch canals of the Amaravathi main canal in Tiruppur district.

Justice G. Jayachandran directed the High Court Registry to issue statutory notices, which require their presence in the court, to the three officials on a contempt of court petition filed jointly by nine persons who had parted with their lands for the project. The judge had given sufficient time to the officials to comply with the orders even after the filing of the contempt petition but found that they had failed to implement them.

Though a report was filed in the court titled ‘compliance report’, the judge said, it does not appear to reflect true compliance of orders passed by Justice V. Bharathidasan on November 28, 2018.

Then, allowing a writ petition filed by K. Sivaraj, K. Kumarasamy, R. Govintharaj, S. Palanisamy, M. Palanisamy and four others, the judge had recorded the submission that the government had sanctioned ₹2.72 crore on October 12, 2018, for payment of compensation.

After recording the submission, he ordered disbursal of compensation to the nine writ petitioners within two months. However, the money was not disbursed forcing the petitioners to move the present contempt petition. Since, an administrative order passed by former Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani had dispensed with the need to list contempt petitions before the judges whose orders had been allegedly disobeyed, the case got listed before Justice Jayachandran.

Finding that the officials did not appear to show any sign of compliance with the court orders passed in November last, the judge ordered statutory notices to then Public Works Department Secretary Mr. Prabakar (now heading the Highways and Minor Ports department), Commissioner of Land Administration V.K. Jeyakodi and Tiruppur Collector Mr. Palanisamy.

Special buses from Chennai to cater to Deepavali rush

Nearly 11,000 buses to be operated

03/10/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

The State Transport department will be operating nearly 11,000 buses from Chennai to various parts of the State for Deepavali.

Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar, after meeting the senior officials, announced the operation of special buses for Deepavali.

In a press release issued by the Transport department, 2,275 regular buses and 4,265 special buses would be operated daily from the city for three days from October 24. All the normal and special buses are proposed to be operated from five bus termini — Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Bus Terminus (CMBT) in Koyambedu, Tambaram Sanatorium MEPZ, Madhavaram bus terminus, Poonamallee and K.K. Nagar. Buses would also be operated from Tambaram railway station bus stop to places including Tiruvannamalai and Chidambaram.

The CMBT terminus would operate buses to Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Erode, Ooty and Ramanathapuram.

Buses from Tambaram Sanatorium would be operated to places including Kumbakonam and Thanjavur. Those passengers bound for Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai via Thindivanam should take buses from Tambaram railway station bus stop. For commuters proceeding on the ECR to Puducherry could take the buses from K.K. Nagar bus terminus and Andhra bound buses would be operated from Madhavaram bus terminus.

The transport department, to ease congestion for commuters wanting to return to Chennai after the festival, would operate 4,627 special buses from various places between October 27 and 30. In view of heavy rush, 26 special counters have been proposed to be opened from October 23.

Ahead of Ayudha puja that falls on October 7, the department would operate 1,695 special buses along with 2,225 buses for three days from October 4. They would be operated on October 8 and 9 for bringing back people to Chennai.

Bank account norms likely to be reviewed
03/10/2019, MANOJIT SAHA,MUMBAI

Following the hardships faced by customers in opening bank accounts, the government will review the norms for the same.

Top bankers highlighted the problem at a meeting with Finance Ministry officials last week. They said the officials were open to reviewing the issue after they were briefed about the problems.

The rules mandate proof of current address to open an account. Customers have to submit any of the six officially valid documents in proof of their address. The six documents are voter ID, passport, driving licence, letter issued by the National Population Register, NREGA job cards and Aadhaar.

Bankers said this caused major problems. They pointed to many instances of a person unable to open an account after shifting from a city or locality because he/she could not change his/her address in the documents. “We have highlighted the issue to the officials. They said they will look into it,” a banker said.

Banks want utility bills, not older than three months, considered proof. For this, the government may have to amend the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

HC comes across case of employment obtained through false quota claim

The man worked for Southern Railway for 40 years, retired in 2016

03/10/2019, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Madras High Court has come across a sordid case of a Southern Railway employee who got appointed under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) quota in November 1975 and even retired from service in March 2016, pending verification of his caste status by a State-level scrutiny committee after doubts were raised by his employer way back in 2000.

Dismissing a writ petition filed by the retired employee, A.R. Venkatachalam, a Bench of Justices R. Subbiah and C. Saravanan concluded that the petitioner had played fraud. “It is clear that the petitioner managed to continue in service by hoodwinking the authorities and by filing repeated legal proceedings without filing a copy of the community certificate.

“Even today, when the case was taken up for hearing, we asked about the community certificate. The learned counsel for the petitioner was, however, unable to give any explanation as to why the community certificate was not produced for verification. In fact, it is not clear on what basis the petitioner was allowed to be in service without production of community certificate,” the judges said.

Provisional pension

“Though serious doubts had arisen in 2000, it is even more surprising that the petitioner was allowed to be in service till the date of superannuation, and by a letter dated March 4, 2016, the petitioner was sanctioned provisional pension when indeed no community certificate had been sent for verification to the second respondent (State-level scrutiny committee).

“The second respondent has now filed collateral evidence to substantiate that the petitioner indeed belongs to another community which is not a Scheduled Tribe,” the judges observed and granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the committee once again if he was really in possession of a community certificate.

In 2000, an internal inquiry was initiated after receipt of complaints regarding the petitioner’s caste status. He failed to produce a community certificate. Later, it came to Southern Railway’s notice that the petitioner’s brother too had made a similar claim and that his community certificate got cancelled in 2007.

Meanwhile, the petitioner initiated multiple legal proceedings and the panel finally declared him as not a ST only on June 17 this year, and hence the present petition.

எஸ்பிஐ வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு இனிப்பூட்டும் செய்தி! முக்கியமாக சம்பளக் கணக்கு வைத்திருப்போருக்கு!

By DIN | Published on : 01st October 2019 05:10 PM 

எஸ்பிஐ வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு இனிப்பூட்டும் செய்தி!

இந்தியாவின் முன்னணி வங்கிகளில் ஒன்றான எஸ்பிஐ வங்கியின் வாடிக்கையாளராக இருந்தால், சமீபத்தில் வங்கி மேற்கொண்ட முக்கிய கட்டண மாற்றங்களை நீங்கள் அறிந்து கொண்டே ஆக வேண்டும்.

ஏடிஎம்-மில் இருந்து பணம் எடுப்பதற்கான கட்டுப்பாடுகளிலும், சேவைக் கட்டணத்திலும் எஸ்பிஐ வங்கி புதிய மாற்றங்களை செய்துள்ளது. இந்த மாற்றம் அக்டோபர் 1ம் தேதி முதல் நடைமுறைக்கு வந்துள்ளது.

ஒரு வேளை நீங்கள் எஸ்பிஐ வாடிக்கையாளராக இருந்தால் இந்த மாற்றங்களை தெரிந்து வைத்துக் கொள்வது நல்லது.

ஏடிஎம்மில் பணமெடுப்பதற்கான கட்டுப்பாடுகளில் மாற்றம்:
1. வங்கிக் கணக்கில் குறைந்தபட்ச ரொக்கம் இருக்க வேண்டும் என்பது எஸ்பிஐ வங்கியின் விதிகளில் ஒன்று.

அதன்படி, ஒருவரது வங்கிக் கணக்கில் மாத சராசரி இருப்புத் தொகை என்பது ரூ.25,000க்குள் இருந்தால் அந்த வாடிக்கையாளர் எஸ்பிஐ ஏடிஎம்களில் 5 முறையும், இதர வங்கியின் ஏடிஎம்களில் இருந்து 8 முறையும் கட்டணமின்றி பணம் எடுத்துக் கொள்ளலாம்.

அதேப்போல, ஒரு வாடிக்கையாளரது வங்கிக் கணக்கில் மாத சராசரி தொகை ரூ.25,000க்கு மேல், ரூ.1 லட்சத்துக்குள் இருந்தால், அவர்களுக்கு எஸ்பிஐ ஏடிஎம்மில் அளவிலாத பணம் எடுக்கும் வாய்ப்புகளும், இதர வங்கி ஏடிஎம்களில் கட்டணமின்றி 8 முறையும் பணமெடுக்க அனுமதிக்கப்படுவர்.

அதேப்போல, நடப்புக் கணக்கில் மாத சராசரி இருப்பு ரூ.1 லட்சத்துக்கும் மேல் இருந்தால் அவர்களுக்கு அளவில்லாத எஸ்பிஐ மற்றும் இதர வங்கி ஏடிஎம்களில் பணமெடுக்க அனுமதி வழங்கப்படுகிறது.

அதே சமயம், எஸ்பிஐ நிர்ணயித்த எண்ணிக்கையை தாண்டி எஸ்பிஐ வங்கி ஏடிஎம்மில் இருந்து நீங்கள் பணமெடுத்தால் ரூ.10 + ஜிஎஸ்டியும், இதர வங்கி ஏடிஎம்மில் நிர்ணயித்த எண்ணிக்கையைத் தாண்டி பணமெடுத்தால் ரூ.20 + ஜிஎஸ்டியும் உங்கள் வங்கிக் கணக்கில் இருந்து அபராதமாக பிடித்தம் செய்யப்படும்.

அதே சமயம், நிர்ணயித்த எண்ணிக்கையை விட அதிக எண்ணிக்கையில் ஏடிஎம்களை பயன்படுத்தும் போது, பணமெடுப்பதைத் தவிர்த்து பிற விஷயங்களை ஏடிஎம்மில் மேற்கொள்ளும் போது அதாவது பண இருப்பை பரிசோதித்தல், பின் எண்ணை மாற்றுதல் போன்றவற்றுக்கு எஸ்பிஐ வங்கியில் ரூ.5+ ஜிஎஸ்டியும், இதர ஏடிஎம்கள் என்றால் ரூ.8 + ஜிஎஸ்டியும் வசூலிக்கப்படும்.

உங்கள் வங்கிக் கணக்கில் பணமில்லாமல், பரிவர்த்தனை முடியும் போது அதற்காக ரூ.20+ஜிஎஸ்டி அபராதமாக வசூலிக்கப்படும்.

ஒரு வேளை நீங்கள் எஸ்பிஐயில், சம்பளக் கணக்கை வைத்திருந்தால், உங்களுக்கு எஸ்பிஐ மற்றும் இதர வங்கி ஏடிஎம்களிலும் அளவில்லா பணப்பரிமாற்றம் செய்து கொள்ளும் சலுகை இன்று முதல் வழங்கப்படுகிறது.

இதே நாளில் அன்று

Added : அக் 01, 2019 22:27




அக் 01, 2019 22:27

லால்பகதுார் சாஸ்திரி: உத்தர பிரதேச மாநிலம், முகல்சராய் என்ற ஊரில், சாரதா பிரசாத் --- ராம்துலாரி தேவி தம்பதிக்கு, 1904, அக்., 2ல் பிறந்தார். காங்கிரஸ் அமைச்சரவையில், மத்திய போக்குவரத்து மற்றும் தொலைத் தொடர்பு, வணிக மற்றும் தொழில் துறை, உள்துறை அமைச்சராக பதவி வகித்தவர்.

மத்திய ரயில்வே மற்றும் போக்குவரத்துத் துறை அமைச்சராக பணிபுரிந்தார். அப்போது, தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள அரியலுாரில் நடந்த ரயில் விபத்தில், 144 பேர் பலியாகினர். விபத்திற்கு தார்மீக பொறுப்பேற்று, ரயில்வே அமைச்சர் பதவியிலிருந்து, சாஸ்திரி விலகினார். நாட்டின் முதல் பிரதமரான, ஜவஹர்லால் நேரு, 1964ல் காலமானார். அவருக்கு அடுத்ததாக, லால் பகதுார் சாஸ்திரி, நாட்டின் இரண்டாவது பிரதமராக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார்.

இவர் பதவியேற்ற இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளில், அப்போதைய சோவியத் யூனியனில் இருந்த, உஸ்பெகிஸ்தான், தாஷ்கென்ட்டில் கூட்டப்பட்ட உச்சி மாநாட்டில் பங்கேற்றார். அங்கு, திடீரென ஏற்பட்ட மாரடைப்பால், 1966, ஜன., 11ல் காலமானார். லால் பகதுார் சாஸ்திரி பிறந்த தினம் இன்று.

NEET impersonation: CB-CID grill Vellore doctor for seven hours

The third student has been released temporarily as the photos of her hall ticket and admit card are being forensically verified.
 
Published: 01st October 2019 05:05 AM 

By Express News Service

THENI: The CB-CID sleuths conducted inquiry with Dr Safi, whose son Mohamed Irfan of Thirupathur secured admission at Government Dharmapuri Medical College by alleged impersonation. The inquiry spanned over seven hours at the CB-CID office here on Monday.

The issue first gained national attention when one Chennai-based student, Udit Suriya, was found to have taken the help of an imposter to pass the test and secure a seat at the Government Theni Medical College and Hospital. Subsequent investigation revealed that there were more such alleged incidents of impersonation. Two more Chennai students and their fathers were arrested while a third was detained.

The third student has been released temporarily as the photos of her hall ticket and admit card are being forensically verified. Meanwhile, there were unconfirmed reports of Mohamed Irfan having escaped to Mauritius.

Superintendent of Police, CB-CID, Vijayakumar said that a summon was sent to Government Dharmapuri Medical College Dean Srinivasaraj, who missed the proceedings. Police said that Dr Safi might be produced before the court on Tuesday as he had confessed to having been in contact with a local person, who recommended a broker to engage an impersonator. The two brokers are said to have played a vital role in the impersonation case and the truth will come out once the two brokers are arrested, Vijayakumar added. Meanwhile, Dr Venkatesan (Udit Surya’s dad) who was remanded in custody at Madurai central prison. He has moved a bail petition before the JM court and the petition will be taken up on October 3.

NEET fraud: Madras HC seeks clarity on detention of accused

HC bench seeks CBCID’s reply on bail plea of student in NEET impersonation case

Published: 02nd October 2019 05:18 AM 

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has sought the response of CB-CID on the bail petition of KV Udit Suriya (20) of Chennai, who was arrested for impersonating in NEET. Justice GR Swaminathan orally instructed the CB-CID to reply whether the continued detention of the petitioner is required since he had already given his confession.

The Judge gave the above instructions after issuing necessary directions to the Registry of the court to convert the anticipatory bail petition, filed by Suriya last week, into a bail application, considering the fact that the petitioner was arrested during the pendency of the said anticipatory bail plea.

The case has been adjourned to October 14. Suriya and his father Dr Venkatesan were arrested by the CB-CID in Tirupati on September 25. Venkatesan has moved a bail application before a lower court in Theni and the same is expected to be taken up for hearing on October 3.

Meanwhile, three more students from Chennai, including a girl, have been brought under the CB-CID scanner for alleged impersonation in NEET. The scam was revealed following media reports on the image of Suriya looked different in his NEET admit card from the one used in his social media account.

D’puri student surrenders; 1 more held

Salem: A Dharmapuri Medical College student Mohammed Irfan, accused of NEET impersonation, surrendered before a JM II K S S Siva in Salem on Tuesday. Irfan was reportedly hiding in Mauritius. As per court order, Irfan would be kept in judicial custody at Salem Prison until October 9. His advocate P Srinivasan said, “Irfan claimed to have been pursuing medicine in Mauritius since November 2018. He is willing to cooperate and surrendered for security reasons.” Irfan’s father Mohammed Shafi (43), also a doctor, was detained by Theni CB-CID sleuths on Sunday. CB-CID sleuths said Govindarajan from Tirupattur has been picked up for an inquiry. He is suspected to have been the link between brokers and the students involved in the scam.

Info sought on students not turning up for reverification
Chennai: The Directorate of Medical Education has asked for details of those first-year MBBS students who have not yet turned up for reverification of certificates. Speaking to Express, an official source said, “In private colleges, a few certificates are yet to be reverified.”

India’s ‘oldest’ chimpanzee dies at 59 

Rita loved soft drinks and watching TV, say Delhi zoo officials

02/10/2019 , Staff Reporter, New Delhi 


Rita died due to multiple organ failure.

India’s “oldest” chimpanzee, Rita, 59, died at the Delhi zoo on Tuesday afternoon following multiple organ failure, said zoo officials.

Rita was born at a zoo in Amsterdam in 1960 and was acquired by the National Zoological Park here in 1964. “The animal died on October 1, 2019 at 12.15 p.m. despite our best efforts and the best healthcare management provided to her,” an official statement said.

Since July 27, the chimpanzee was only consuming fruit juices, milk and water. According to her post-mortem, conducted by a panel of veterinary doctors, the cause of her death was “multiple organ failure”. “The tissues of the organs have been sent to IVRI [Indian Veterinary Research Institute] for further examination,” the statement said.

A zoo official said Rita was like a small child. “She would respond when we spoke to her. I used to show her videos on my phone and she was very curious. Later, we put up a television for her and played videos of animals,” said the official, who has been working at the zoo for around seven years.

Zoo curator R.A. Khan said Rita liked “Maaza”, a mango-flavoured soft drink, and they used to give her medicines crushed in different juices.

“She was active when she had a male chimpanzee, Moni, as her partner. After Moni’s death in 2015, Rita was alone in the enclosure and she moved less, but people still wanted to see her,” the zoo official said.

Rita was one of the oldest surviving chimpanzees in India and had also entered the Limca Book of Records, said the statement. Zoo officials said the average lifespan of a chimpanzee is 40-50 years.

Celebrating 50 years of Pandiyan Superfast Express 

From metre gauge to broad gauge, the train now runs on electrified track with latest LBH coaches
 
02/10/2019 , S. Sundar 


 
(From left) Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan cutting a cake along with Divisional Railway Manager V.R. Lenin at Madurai railway junction on Tuesday; a mother-daughter duo posing for a photograph at a ‘selfie’ booth put up by The Hindu.R. Ashok

Platform no 1 of Madurai railway station was teeming with people on Tuesday evening. Celebratory mood had set in as the empty rakes of Pandiyan Superfast Express was brought into the platform. Colourful festoons pasted on the coaches added to the celebrations.

All this happened to rejoice the golden jubilee year of the prestigious train of Southern Railway. Members of Rail Fans Association gathered in large numbers. Closer to the engine on the northern end of the platform, cakes were cut by Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan in the presence of Madurai Railway Divisional Manager V.R. Lenin and Paul Victor, fireman who had worked in the steam engine of the train.

Revelry caught up with railway staff too, as even travelling ticket examiners joined the passengers to take selfies and photographs standing in front of the rakes and engine to freeze their happiness for posterity.

As part of the low-key celebration, winners of essay competition organised by Southern Railway were honoured with prizes.

One of the most sought-after man at the events was D. Devaraj (76), who was the second fireman of the steam engines that hauled the good old rakes of Pandiyan Express during the black and white cinema era. He reminisced his youthful days working in the first train to run between Madurai and Chennai.

“In the pre-Independence era, we had trains than ran through Madurai from Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Quilon (Kollam). But, it was only in 1969 that the long-felt demand for a train for Madurai was realised with the introduction of Pandiyan Express,” he recalled.

From single steam engine pulling nine coaches to double engine hauling 18 coaches, Mr. Devaraj recalled the transformation Pandiyan Express went through to become one of the most prestigious trains of the zone. It was in 1974, the train got diesel engines. The metre gauge train then ran on broad gauge and the number of coaches of increased to 22.

Now, with electrified track, Pandiyan Superfast Express has the latest LBH coaches.

The train that used to run at a maximum speed of 75 km with steam engines and took nearly 13 hours to cross nearly 500 km now has maximum speed of 120 kmph and takes just in seven hours to reach the same destination.

“While steam engines warranted physical fitness for the engine crew, diesel engines demanded alertness with increased speed,” Mr. Devaraj recalls.

If we delay, we will pay, IRCTC promises Tejas passengers
Travel insurance and local food among slew of incentives

02/10/2019 , Special Correspondent, NEW DELHI 


 
New offer: In case of delay, a passenger can fill up a claim form online or file a claim on a toll-free number.

In a first, passengers travelling on the Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express, which will not be operated directly by the Railways, will get compensation for delays.

While ₹100 will be paid if the delay is for over an hour, travellers will be given ₹250 for delays of over two hours, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which will operate the train, said on Tuesday.

Baggage collection

The IRCTC has announced a slew of offers, including free travel insurance worth ₹25 lakh and on-board infotainment services, doorstep baggage collection, local food and no tatkal quota, to make the travel on its first train attractive ahead of its first commercial run on October 5.

In case of delay, a passenger will need to fill up a claim form with the insurance company in the link provided online or file a claim on its toll-free number.

Kerala council gets tough with foreign medical degrees

C. Maya

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCTOBER 02, 2019 00:00 IST

It has doubted genuineness of the course, citing visa details

The Travancore Cochin Council of Modern Medicine (TCMC) has refused to give registration to a bunch of medical undergraduate students holding certificates from universities abroad, despite them having cleared the Foreign Medical Graduates’ Examination (FMGE), after the students’ passports revealed that they have not actually spent the course period abroad.

Normal course

In the normal course, a foreign medical graduate who has cleared the screening test (FMGE, conducted by the National Board of Examinations), is eligible to seek registration from the State Medical Council.

However, the TCMC took the conscious decision not to give registration to some of these students as it doubted the veracity of the certificates they produced.

Veracity of certificates

“We have no idea whether this is another racket. Every year, the number of foreign medical graduates from Kerala has been going up and because we have no means of ensuring the genuineness of these certificates, we began checking their passports. The visa stamping clearly showed that many of the students have not spent more than two weeks in the country where they chose to study,” says V.G. Pradeepkumar, TCMC vice president.

TCMC stance

“We cannot allow those who attained medical education through off-campus means or distance education to practise in Kerala. Their documentation might be all fine, but ‘long distance medical education’ is not something we can overlook. The students might challenge our decision in court but as the State Medical Council, it is our responsibility to ensure that only well-qualified and trained doctors enter the profession,” TCMC Registrar, A. Muhammed Hussain, told The Hindu.

The students are free to seek the registration to practise in some other State.

In January last year, the TCMC took the decision that no foreign medical graduate will be allowed to practise in Kerala unless they underwent an year’s internship in a government hospital here.

Though many students even produced certificates stating that they had completed internship abroad, the TCMC stood firm that the students will not be allowed to practise till they were familiar with Kerala’s health system.

Though 14 students challenged this, Kerala High Court recently upheld the TCMC’s decision.

The visa stamping shows many of the students have not spent more than two weeks in the country where they chose to study

V.G. Pradeepkumar

TCMC vice president

NEET impersonation case: student surrenders before Salem court

STAFF REPORTER

SALEM, OCTOBER 02, 2019 00:00 IST

Mohammed Irfan being taken to Salem central prison after being remanded in judicial custody.E. LAKSHMINARAYANAN

He never studied in Dharmapuri, had been pursuing medicine in Mauritius: advocate

Mohammed Irfan, a first-year MBBS student who is alleged to have secured admission into the Dharmapuri Government Medical College through an act of impersonation in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, surrendered at a court in Salem on Tuesday.

He surrendered before Judicial Magistrate II K.S.S. Siva. The court remanded him in judicial custody till October 9, following which he was lodged in the Salem central prison.

The CB-CID had recently quizzed his father, Mohamed Shafi, a practising doctor, in connection with the case.

Advocate P. Srinivasan, who represented Irfan, claimed the student had told him that he had never studied at the Dharmapuri Medical College, and that he had turned himself in for his own protection. “The student is studying medicine at a college in Mauritius, and according to information given by him, he never studied at the Dharmapuri Medical College. He surrendered after he came to know about the investigation and for [his] protection,” Mr. Srinivasan said.

According to him, Irfan had been studying in Mauritius since November and came to Salem on Tuesday morning.

The advocate claimed that the student surrendered after his family was tortured by police as part of the investigation.

“The student was neither hiding nor did he flee to Mauritius. He has been studying medicine there and surrendered today (Tuesday),” he claimed.

Broker held

According toPTI, the CB-CID wing of the police on Tuesday arrested a broker, Govindaraj, in connection with a case of impersonation in NEET. He hails from Tirupattur.

The advocate claimed that the student surrendered after his family was tortured by the police as part of the investigation

HC agrees to hear Udit Surya’s plea for release

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

MADURAI/THENI, OCTOBER 02, 2019 00:00 IST

Dharmapuri college dean appears before CB-CID in Theni

Considering the age of Udit Surya, a medical student who was arrested in the NEET impersonation case, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday agreed to hear his anticipatory bail plea as his bail application. The CB-CID had secured Surya and his family during the pendency of the petition.

With the plea for anticipatory bail becoming infructuous, Justice G.R. Swaminathan said he will dismiss the petition. However, the petitioner’s counsel requested the judge to treat the plea as a bail petition, as it was during the pendency of the plea that the accused in the case were secured.

Justice Swaminathan observed that he felt pity for Surya, given the situation in which he was embroiled. With the petitioner in custody, the State shall submit before the court during the next hearing whether his continued detention was warranted, the judge said, and posted the case to October 14 for hearing.

During an earlier hearing, the court had taken a serious view of the impersonation case. It had asked if Surya was willing to surrender before the investigating officer for an inquiry. However, the case was adjourned as the petitioner’s counsel was unable to ascertain the same.

Surya had claimed that he had decided to discontinue the MBBS course in the Theni Government Medical College due to health reasons. He denied the charge that another person had taken NEET and attended the counselling for medical admissions on his behalf.

He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint from the dean of the Theni Government Medical College. Meanwhile, his father V.K. Venkatesan filed a bail application before the Judicial Magistrate, Theni.

Dean’s admission

The Dharmapuri Government Medical College dean, Srinivasaraj, appeared before CB-CID officers in Theni on Tuesday. According to sources, the dean explained the steps taken by the College administration to verify the certificates of all first-year MBBS students. He admitted that Mohammed Irfan, a medical student, did not turn up for verification and had reportedly vacated the hostel. The officials at the Directorate of Medical Education were informed about the missing student, Dr. Srinivasaraj said.

Irfan’s father Mohammed Shafi, of Vaniyambadi in Vellore district, who was summoned for examination in connection with the NEET impersonation case, appeared before the authorities on Monday. After recording his statements, a senior official of the CB-CID said it will take steps to send Shafi, a practising doctor, to judicial custody.

Man commits suicide, ‘7 of his wives’ claim body

MS Nawaz TNN

Haridwar:02.10.2019

At least five women came forward to claim the body of a 40-year-old man who committed suicide on Sunday. All of them claimed to be his wife and told the cops they had no idea about any other woman in his life. After an intense drama, the man was cremated. Subsequently, two more women, also claiming to be his wife, came forward. The local police have now decided to wait for a few more days to see if any more women turn up.

The deceased, Pawan Kumar, worked as a driver. According to the police, the man consumed poison on Sunday night and although his wife rushed him to a nearby hospital after seeing him in an unconscious state, he succumbed during treatment in the hospital. According to the police, Kumar was facing severe financial crisis. Praveen Singh Koshiyari, SHO city police station, told TOI, “We are probing as to why he took the extreme step. We have sent the body for autopsy.”

Recruitment Notification TOI 2.10.2019

Death penalty sought for rapist-killer of physiotherapist

Rebecca.Samervel@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:02.10.2019

A week after a 29-year-old man was found guilty of the 2016 rape and murder of a 24-year-old physiotherapist, the prosecution on Tuesday sought the death penalty for him. Making submissions on the quantum of sentence before the Dindoshi sessions court, special public prosecutor Raja Thakare urged the court not to show any leniency toward the accused, Debashish Dhara.

“What was the fault of the girl? It was not that he was provoked, or girl did some kind of action to incite him. She was just at her home. The action of the accused is utterly perverse,” Thakare said.

Additional sessions judge Abhishri Dnyaneshwar Deo is likely to pronounce the sentence on Friday. The maximum punishment Dhara faces is death, the minimum is life in jail.

The prosecution submitted that sympathy, if shown, would be misplaced and counterproductive and would send a wrong signal to the society. The prosecution said the victim was a brilliant, unmarried, young girl who had a bright future and whose parents had high expectations and hopes from her.

During hearing on Tuesday, Dhara claimed after his conviction, he had been assaulted in jail by other inmates. Seeking leniency, he said he was the only breadwinner in the family and wanted to be transferred to a jail in West Bengal so that he could be closer to his family.

His advocate Tushar Gangawane cited mitigating circumstances and said Dhara was young and was not a hardcore criminal. “Death penalty is the exception. There is a global move to abolish death sentence and 138 countries have abolished it,” the defence submitted.

However, citing several aggravating circumstances against Dhara, the prosecution submitted, “The accused has committed a heinous crime, not only of murder of a helpless and innocent woman, but has raped her and also committed unnatural offence leaving the body entirely naked…further he even tried to burn her by putting books on her body and setting it on fire, obviously with the intention of destroying the evidence.”

Rumours fly fast as bank transactions online fail on payday

Rachel.Chitra@timesgroup.com

02.10.2019

There was widespread concern on Tuesday as thousands of private sector bank customers saw their online transactions fail—attributed by some lenders to increased traffic due to online offers coinciding with payday. However, the downtime coincided with news of bank stress, plunging bank stocks and rumours in social media to send a wave of alarm through customers.

Concerns triggered by PMC Bank were further fuelled by a negative research report on Yes Bank. RBI responded by stating that rumours of banks being shut down were baseless.

Yes Bank on Tuesday retweeted and quoted RBI’s statements after the bank faced a deluge of enquiries from its worried depositors. Videos of the plight of PMC Bank victims went viral on Tuesday, creating panic—further exacerbated by failed online transactions at private banks such as Yes Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IDFC First Bank.

Bank stocks plunge on NBFC concerns

Fears about the health of NBFC sector, which, in turn, could impact the banking industry, pulled the sensex down by 700pts on Tuesday. But it recovered to close 362 pts lower at 38,305. Biggest losers were Yes Bank (-22.8%), RBI Bank (-8.7%), Induslnd Bank (-6.3%) & SBI (-5.5%). P 21

NO MONEY

Bank users unable to pay rent, fees

Bank users kept reporting that they were unable to pay rent, school fees and other dues on the first of the month.

Banks said the reason for the failures was a combination of festive season purchases, offers from e-commerce sites and payday for salaried professionals. A Kotak Mahindra Bank spokesperson said the bank would deploy additional servers to cope with the higher than anticipated volumes. An HDFC Bank spokesperson said its systems were back to normal by evening and had faced some issues in the morning, which had been resolved. HDFC Bank on Monday had launched its own festival offer to complement that of e-commerce firms.

While Yes Bank has not responded to requests for comment, online the bank reassured its customers that the netbanking problem was temporary and normal services would soon be restored.

Yes Bank customers like Satish Bhatnagar complained that during an NEFT transaction, money had been debited from their Yes Bank account but not credited to the receiver bank. Yes Bank responded, "We are facing some technical issues. Regular services are expected to resume shortly. We regret the inconvenience caused."

On its netbanking site, the standard message flashed to customers was, "Dear customer, due to heavy traffic on our netbanking we are temporarily unable to process your request. Please try again later or use Yes Mobile App to carry out your transactions."

HDFC Bank's website also responded similarly to customers. "Dear user, the netbanking system is busy processing heavy load from currently logged in customers, request to try after some time. thank you for your cooperation."

Chennai to Madurai Pandiyan Express completes 50 years of service 

Back in 1970s, Pandiyan Express was one of the very few trains between Chennai and Madurai taken regularly by passengers becasue of its affordable fare and less travel time.
 
Published: 01st October 2019 04:53 AM |

File photo of Pandiyan Express (Photo|EPS)

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Pandiyan express, one of the most sought after trains in Chennai - Madurai section had completed 50 years of service on Tuesday.

The first dedicated overnight express train from Madurai to Chennai was flagged off on October 1st 1969 and it covered 495 km by 11 hours 30 minutes on single meter gauge track. Now the train covers the same distance in 7 hours 30 minutes.

“Those days not many could afford to travel by flight. The train provided the fastest connectivity at an affordable fare and played a vital role in the business development of Southern Tamil Nadu,” says S Rethinavelu, Senior President of Tamilnadu Chamber of Commerce, Madurai.

Prior to introduction of Pandiyan express, Chennai - Kollam mail and Chennai - Kumabkonam - Thookudi Janatha express (fully unreserved coaches) catered to the transportation demand of the Southern Tamil Nadu. Though a parcel passenger also operated from Chennai then, it was not preferred by many as the train took 23 hours to reach Madurai.

A Xavier, retired senior loco inspector of Southern Railway recalled that the train was hauled by twin steam locos for a first two years. “After introduction of diesel locos the train was was operated at 75 kmph, which is highest speed for any meter gauge train then in 1972,”. Xavier retired in 2002 and during his stint as loco inspector he trained the diesel loco pilots in Madurai division between 1973 and
1979.

In 1978, first class AC and two tier AC coaches were first introduced in Kollam mail and Pandiyan express. “The train always operated fully loaded with passengers for the past five decades since it was always considered ‘prestigious train’ by passengers. The waiting list for sleeper class during Deepavali and Pongal festivals was more than 1100. This is a testimony for the train demand,” said Arun Pandiyan, an ardent railway fan based in Chennai.

The Pandiyan express had a good patronage as it provided connectivity to trains bound to New Delhi and few other northern parts of the Country. “Over 49 years, the train was suspended only for a brief period between December 1998 and April 1999 for gauge conversion works between Villupuram and Tiruchy. Those days, railway operated special trains to Madurai via Erode from Chennai,” pointed out Pandiyan.

Rethinaveli added that railways should consider reducing the travel time to six hours given that the section has got fully electrified double line.

Fact file: 

The train made maiden run on October 1st, 1969 as an over night express.
The travel time reduced from 11 hours to 7.30 hours.
First class AC and two tier AC coaches introduced in 1978.
Operated at 75 kmph during MG track.
The train now leaves Chennai Egmore 9.40 pm and reaches Madurai at 5.30 am
The departs from Madurai at 8.45 pm and reaches Chennai at 4.55 am.

Madras HC clears deck for inquiry into appointments in Tamil University

Madurai Bench rules Syndicate cannot sit in judgement over DVAC investigation
 
Published: 01st October 2019 05:05 AM |

Madras High Court (File Photo | D Sampath Kumar/EPS)

By N Ramesh

Express News Service

THANJAVUR: Decks have been cleared for registration of case against four including former V-C G Baskaran after Madras HC ruled that the syndicate of Tamil University could not sit in judgement over DVAC probe into allegation of irregularities in appointment of 21 professors and 100 non-teaching staff in the University.

A division bench of Madurai Bench on September 19, delivered its judgement in this regard. Justice T S Sivagnanam pointed out that the government pleader had stated that DVAC had made an enquiry and submitted a report to the Vigilance commissioner which was forwarded to the State government seeking permission to register a case against G Baskaran, former Vice-Chancellor, Tamil University, S Muthukumar, former Registrar, G Sakthi Saravanan, Assistant, PA to Registrar and N Baskaran, Director of Distance Education.

The communication dated July 3, 2019 sent by DVAC to the Registrar of the Univeristy states that the Government informed that permission was not required to register case against G Baskaran and N Baskaran as they were no longer public servants. As for S Muthukumar and Sakthi Saravanan, the government informed that the Syndicate of the Tamil University will have to give permission. The judge said the syndicate cannot sit in judgement over the enquiry conducted by DVAC and approval of the syndicate was only a formal approval. “Therefore we direct the V-C, Tamil University, Thanjavur as well as the syndicate to bear in mind this observation and act in fair and transparent manner and respond to the proceedings of the DVAC within two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order,” Judgement dated Sep.19 said.

Meanwhile, sources said DVAC which launched a preliminary enquiry based on complaint by C Sivakumar a student of the University found various violations in appointment of 21 professors and 100 non-teaching staff during 2017.

According to sources the report points out only two in each were interviewed for appointing professors in departments of Indian Languages, Rare earth manuscripts, Philosophy and Tamil studies in foreign countries, where as the norm is at least three should be interviewed.

Similarly many of the 21 appointed as professors did not guide a single PhD scholar which was a requirement. Moreover, one of the selected candidate did not sign the application form which is a disqualification. Even some selected candidate did not have PhD in relevant department. Many eligible candidates with high Academic Performance Indicators score were not recruited, the report notes.

கல்விக்கு வயது தடையில்லை: 91 வயதில் பிஎச்.டி. பட்டம் பெறும் மூத்த மாணவா்

By DIN | Published on : 01st October 2019 09:24 AM 


எஸ். எம். மிஸ்கின்

திருச்சி பாரதிதாசன் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில், செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை பிஎச்.டி. பட்டம் பெறுகிறாா் 91 வயது நிரம்பிய மிஸ்கின். இதன் மூலம் கல்வி கற்பதற்கு வயது ஒரு தடையில்லை என்பதை நிரூபித்து மற்றவா்களுக்கு முன்னுதாரணமாகத் திகழ்கிறாா்.

திருவாரூா், தெற்கு வீதியில் வசிப்பவா் எஸ்.எம். மிஸ்கின். இவா் (காசோலை மோசடி) காசோலை பணமில்லாமல் திரும்பி வருவது தொடா்பாக ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டு, பிஎச்.டி. பட்டம் பெற இருக்கிறாா். 1928- இல் பிறந்த இவருக்கு தற்போது 91 வயதாகிறது. சற்றேற கோலூன்றியபடி நடந்து வரும் இவா், வாா்த்தைகளில் எவ்வித தடுமாற்றமின்றி பேசுகிறாா்.

1956- இல் சிஏ படிப்பை முடித்த இவா், சுமாா் 58 ஆண்டு இடைவெளிக்குப் பிறகு, 2014- இல் பிஎச்.டி. ஆய்வுக்குப் பதிவு செய்தாா். தொடா்ந்து, 5 ஆண்டுகளில் படிப்பை முடித்து பிஎச். டி. பட்டம் வாங்கவுள்ளாா். காசோலை பணமில்லாமல் திரும்பி வருவதால், நுகா்வோா் மற்றும் வணிகா்கள் சந்திக்கும் பிரச்னைகள், இதற்கான சட்டங்கள் ஆகியவற்றை ஆய்வு செய்து பட்டம் பெறுகிறாா். இதற்கென இவா், உச்சநீதிமன்றம் மற்றும் உயா்நீதிமன்றத்திலிருந்து சுமாா் 400 வழக்குகளை எடுத்து ஆய்வு செய்துள்ளாா்.

படிப்புக்கு 58 ஆண்டு காலம் இடைவெளி விட்டிருந்தாலும், இடைவெளி காலங்களில் இவா் சாதித்தவை ஏராளம். இத்தனைக்குப்பிறகும் மீண்டும் கல்வியில் நாட்டம் ஏற்பட்டு, 91 வயதில் பிஎச்.டி. பட்டம் பெற்று, வெற்றிகரமாக பூா்த்தி செய்யவிருக்கிறாா்.

இதுகுறித்து மிஸ்கின் தெரிவித்தது:

பிறந்த ஊா் கூத்தாநல்லூா் என்றாலும் 5-ஆவது படிப்பதற்காக சென்னை செல்ல நேரிட்டது. 6, 7, 8- ஆவது வரை சென்னையில் படித்தபோது, 2 -ஆம் உலகப்போா் நடைபெற்ால், திரும்பவும் திருவாரூா் வந்து 9- ஆம் வகுப்பு படித்தேன். பின்னா் மீண்டும் 10 -ஆம் வகுப்பு சென்னையில் படித்து விட்டு, சென்னையில் உள்ள காயிதே மில்லத் அரசு கல்லூரியில் இன்டா்மீடியட் வகுப்பு 2 ஆண்டுகள் படித்தேன். பின்னா் லயோலா கல்லூரியில் 1950 -இல் பி.காம் சோ்ந்தேன். படிப்பை முடித்த பிறகு தொழில் நிமித்தமாக வியட்நாம் சென்றேறன். சில மாதங்களில் அங்கு உள்நாட்டுப் போா் தொடங்கியதால், திரும்பவும் ஊா் திரும்ப நேரிட்டது.

பின்னா், சிஏ படிப்பில் சோ்ந்து, 1956 -ஆம் சி.ஏ. முடித்தேன். சென்னையிலேயே பணிபுரியும் வகையில் வாய்ப்புகள் வந்தன. அப்போது, திருவாரூரில் கணக்கு தணிக்கை (ஆடிட்டிங்) தொடா்பான பணிகள் எனில் தஞ்சாவூா் அல்லது திருச்சிக்கோ செல்லும் நிலை இருந்தது. எனவே, பயிற்சியை முடித்தபிறகு, 1960- இல் திருவாரூரில் பணியைத் தொடங்கி தற்போது வரை பணிபுரிந்து வருகிறேறன்.

இதேபோல், லயன்ஸ் சங்கத்தின் தென்னிந்திய கவா்னராகவும் இருந்துள்ளேன். 1995-இல் வண்டாம்பாளையத்தில் லயன்ஸ் கண் மருத்துவமனை தொடங்கப்பட்டது. இதன்மூலம் இப்பகுதியில் உள்ள கிராமப்புற மக்களுக்கு இலவசமாக, கண் சிகிச்சைகள் செய்யப்பட்டன. கிராமப் பகுதிகளுக்கு கண் சிகிச்சை முகாம்கள் நடத்தி, சிகிச்சை தேவைப்படுவோரை அழைத்து வருவோம். காரணம், திருவாரூா் மாவட்டத்தில் சுமாா் 12 மணி நேரம் வரை விவசாயப் பணிகளை செய்வதால், கண்களில் பெருமளவு பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்படும். அத்துடன் பொருளாதாரத்திலும் பின்தங்கியவா்கள் என்பதால், அவா்களுக்கு இலவசமாக சிகிச்சை அளித்து, திரும்பவும் வீட்டுக்கு செல்வது வரை அனைத்தும் இலவசமாகவே செய்வது வழக்கம்.

இதன்பிறகு, திருவாரூா் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள பெண்கள் படிக்கும் வகையில், 1999 -இல் இராபியம்மாள் மகளிா் கல்லூரி தொடங்கப்பட்டது. இந்நிலையில், கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன், வேலைப்பளு குறைகிறதோ என்ற எண்ணம் தோன்றியது. இதனால், மீண்டும் படிக்கும் ஆா்வம் ஏற்பட்டது. இதையடுத்து, 2014 அக்டோபரில் பிஎச்.டி. ஆய்வுக்குப் பதிவு செய்து, படிக்கத் தொடங்கினேன். காசோலை பணமில்லாமல் திரும்பி வருவது குறித்து சுமாா் 400 வழக்குகளை ஆய்வு செய்தேன். பிஎச்.டி. பட்டம் பெற சா்வதேச பத்திரிகைகளில் 2 கட்டுரைகள் வெளிவர வேண்டும். அதேபோல், பகுதி நேரமாக பிஎச்.டி. படிப்பவா்களுக்கு 4-6 ஆண்டுகள் வரையிலான காலம் ஆகும். நான் 5 ஆண்டுகளில் முடித்துள்ளேன். இதுவே என் மனதுக்கு மிகவும் சந்தோஷமாக உள்ளது.

வயதானவா்கள் வீட்டிலியே இருந்தால், அவா்களது உடலும் வீணாகும். மன உளைச்சலும் ஏற்படும். அத்துடன் எப்போதும் மருத்துவத்தை நோக்கிச் செல்ல வேண்டிய நிலை ஏற்படும். எனவே, வயது முதிா்ந்தவா்கள் வீட்டில் இருக்கும் காலங்களில் பயனுள்ள பணிகளில் ஈடுபட வேண்டும். என்னிடம் சுமாா் 10 ஆயிரம் புத்தகங்கள் உள்ளன. பெரும்பாலானவை சட்டம் தொடா்பான புத்தகங்கள் ஆகும். இவற்றை படிப்பது எனக்கு பிடித்தமான ஒன்று. அதேபோல், கூட்டுக் குடும்பமாக வசித்தால், மனதும், உடலும் எப்போதும் மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்கும். எனவே, எப்போதும் கூட்டுக் குடும்பமாக வாழப் பழகுங்கள் என்றாா் அவா்.

இவரது பேரன் பெரோஸ் தெரிவித்தது:

எங்களது வீட்டிலேயே, சுதந்திர தினம் மற்றும் குடியரசு தினங்களில் கொடியேற்றுவது வழக்கம். அதேபோல், நாட்டுப்பற்றை நிரூபிக்க எல்லையில் சென்று போா் புரிய வேண்டியதில்லை. நமக்கு நாட்டுப்பற்று உள்ளது என்பதை நிரூபிக்க, அரசுக்கு ஒழுங்காக வரியைக் கட்டினாலே போதுமானது என்று தாத்தா அடிக்கடி கூறுவாா். இவருக்கு தற்போது வரை 60-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட நிறுவனங்கள் வாடிக்கையாளா்களாக உள்ளன. நாங்கள் வேண்டாம் என்று தடுத்தும், எங்களையே நாடுகின்றனா். இந்த வயதிலும் தாத்தாவின் உழைப்பு எங்களுக்கு வழிகாட்டியாகவும் எடுத்துக்காட்டாகவும் உள்ளது என்றாா். 91 வயது எஸ்.எம். மிஸ்கின், செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை மாலை திருச்சி பாரதிதாசன் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் நடைபெறும் நிகழ்ச்சியில், தமிழக ஆளுநா் பன்வாரிலால் புரோகித்தின் கரங்களால் பட்டம் பெற இருக்கிறாா். தள்ளாத வயதிலும், முதுமையைப் புறம் தள்ளி, பிஎச்.டி பட்டம் பெற இருக்கும் இவா், மாணவா்களுக்கும், இளைஞா்களுக்கும் ஓா் உதாரண புருஷா் ஆவாா்

அடேயப்பா.. 36 மணி நேரத்தில் ரூ.750 கோடிக்கு ஸ்மார்ட் போன்கள் விற்பனை! By DIN | Published on : 30th September 2019 05:44 PM |

 

வர்த்தகத் திருவிழா

சென்னை: ஒன்றரை நாளில் (36 மணி நேரம்) ரூ.750 கோடிக்கு ஸ்மார்ட் போன்கள் விற்பனை ஆகியுள்ளதாக இணைய வர்த்தக தளமான அமேசான் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

இந்தியாவில் அமேசான் மற்றும் ப்ளிப்கார்ட் இரண்டும் இணைய வர்த்தகத்தில் கோலோச்சி நிற்கும் தளங்களாகும். இவ்விரண்டுமே வருடத்தில் நானகைந்து தடவை இணையத்தில் வர்த்தகத் திருவிழாவை நடத்துவ வழக்கம். அந்த சமயத்தில் மிக குறுகிய காலத்திற்கு பல்வேறு விதமான வீட்டு உபயோகப் பொருட்கள், மின்ணனு சாதனங்கள், அலங்காரப் பொருட்கள் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு விதமான பொருட்களும் மிக அதிக தள்ளுபடியில் கிடைக்கும்.

இம்முறை அமேசான் நிறுவனம் சார்பாக ஞாயிற்றுக் கிழமை (29.09.19) துவங்கி, எதிர்வரும் 4-ஆம் தேதி வரை 'தி கிரேட் இந்தியன் ஷாப்பிங் பெஸ்டிவல்' என்னும் பெயரில் இணையத்தில் வர்த்தகத் திருவிழா நடந்து வருகிறது.

அதன்படி அந்த வர்த்தகம் துவங்கிய ஒன்றரை நாளில் (36 மணி நேரம்) ரூ.750 கோடிக்கு ஸ்மார்ட் போன்கள் விற்பனை ஆகியுள்ளதாக அமேசான் தற்போது தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

31 புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லூரிகளில் தமிழகத்துக்கு 6!

Updated : அக் 01, 2019 00:13 | Added : அக் 01, 2019 00:04

புதுடில்லி: நாடு முழுவதிலும் புதிதாக துவங்க இருக்கும் 31 புதிய அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லூரிகளில் தமிழ்நாட்டிற்கு 6 கல்லூரிகள் ஒதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

இதுகுறித்து சுகாதார மற்றும் குடும்ப நல அமைச்சகம் வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையில், டில்லியில் செப்.,26ல் நடந்த தொழில்நுட்ப மதிப்பீட்டுக் குழு கூட்டம் நடந்தது; கூட்டத்தில் நாடு முழுவதும் புதிதாக துவங்க உள்ள 31 மருத்துவ கல்லூரிகளின் பட்டியல் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது என தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதில் தமிழகத்திற்கு மட்டும், 6 கல்லூரிகள் ஒதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

அதிகபட்சமாக ராஜஸ்தான் மற்றும் ம.பி., மாநிலத்தில் தலா 10 கல்லூரிகள் அமைய உள்ளன. தமிழகத்தில் 6, காஷ்மீரில் 2, உ.பி.,யில் 3 என மொத்தம் 31 புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லூரிகள் திறக்கப்படும் என அறிக்கையில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.







எங்கெங்கு:

தமிழகத்தில் திருப்பூர், நீலகிரி, ராமநாதபுரம், நாமக்கல், திண்டுக்கல் மற்றும் விருதுநகர் மாவட்டங்களில் புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லூரிகள் அமைய உள்ளன.

முதுமை காலத்தில் பெற்றோரை தவிக்கவிட்டால் 6 மாதம் சிறை

Updated : அக் 01, 2019 06:38 | Added : அக் 01, 2019 06:28 

புதுடில்லி: முதுமை காலத்தில் பெற்றோரை கைவிடும் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு, 6 மாதம் சிறைதண்டனை விதிக்கும் வகையில் மத்திய அரசு சட்டதிருத்தம் கொண்டு வர உள்ளது.




குழந்தைகளாக இருக்கும் போது தங்களை கஷ்டப்பட்டு ஆளாக்கிய பெற்றோர்களை வயதான காலத்தில் காக்க வேண்டிய கடமை ஒவ்வொரு பிள்ளைக்கும் இருக்கிறது. ஆனால் நன்றியுணர்வும் மனசாட்சியும் இல்லாத ஒரு சிலர் தங்கள் பெற்றோர்களை வயதான காலத்தில் தவிக்க விட்டு விடுகின்றனர்.

ஆயிரம் கனவுகளுடன் வளர்த்த பிள்ளைகள் கைவிடும் போது தாங்க முடியாத மனஉளைச்சலுக்கும் வேதனைக்கும் பெற்றோர் ஆளாகின்றனர். ஒரு சிலர் தவறான முடிவுகளை எடுத்து விடுகின்றனர்

இந்நிலையில் இது தொடர்பாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க பிரதமர் அலுவலகம் முடிவு செய்து சமூக நலம் மற்றும் அதிகாரம் வழங்கல் துறை அமைச்சகத்துக்கு அறிவுறுத்தியது. அதன்படி நடைமுறைக்குட்பட்ட, பெற்றோர் மற்றும் மூத்த குடிமக்கள் பராமரிப்பு நலச்சட்டம் 2007 ல் திருத்தம் கொண்டுவருவதற்கான சட்டவரைவை தயாரித்துள்ளது.

தற்போது நடைமுறையில் உள்ள சட்டத்தின்படி வயதான பெற்றோர்களை கவனிக்காமல் தவிக்க விடும் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு 3 மாதம் சிறை தண்டனை கிடைக்கும்.





இந்த தண்டனை காலத்தை 3 மாதத்திலிருந்து 6 மாத காலமாக அதிகரிக்க புதிய வரைவில் வழிவகை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. தற்போது மகன்கள், மகள்கள், பேரக்குழந்தைகள் மட்டுமே சட்டவரம்புக்குள் வரும் நிலையில் புதிய சட்டவரைவின்படி, தத்து குழந்தைகள், மருமகன்கள், மருமகள்கள், பேரக்குழந்தைகள் ஆகியோரும் சட்ட வரம்புக்குள் வர வழிவகை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தற்போதைய சட்டத்தின் படி பெற்றோருக்கு பராமரிப்பு தொகையாக ரூ 10,000 வரை வழங்கலாம். இந்த வரம்பும் நீக்கப்பட்டு பிள்ளைகள் அதிகம் சம்பாதிக்கும் பட்சத்தில் பெற்றோருக்கு கூடுதல் தொகையை பராமரிப்பு செலவுக்கு தரவும் சட்டத்தில் திருத்தம் ஏற்பாடு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Workplace Not Darkplace

Employers should eliminate the stigma around discussing mental health at work

Jeffrey Pfeffer & M Muneer  -1.10.2019

Last year, an email sent by an employee to her colleagues went viral in social media. She just wrote she needed a break to focus on her mental health. The reason it went viral was her CEO’s reply: “I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this… You are an example to us all.”

But such a response is all too often the exception. More frequently, depression and stress are ignored or stigmatised, not treated as the real illnesses – threats to physical and psychological health and productivity – that they are.

Mental health problems and associated costs are a worldwide issue. But a 2017 WHO report finds that 18% of global depression cases emanate from India. About 57 million people! A 2016 survey of 200,000 professionals in India found that 46% reported suffering extreme stress as a consequence of their work. An Assocham study shows 43% of private sector employees in India are afflicted with mental health issues at work. Adjusted for population size, India ranks first in the incidence of mental disorders, and low- and middle-income countries tend to have the highest incidence.

The cost burden of mental problems is enormous. Depression shows much comorbidity with other diseases, and research indicates that depression leads to other health problems including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A systematic review of studies of workrelated stress estimated costs to be as high as $1 trillion per year, with the majority of the expense coming from lost productivity, not direct health costs. We believe that learning and talking about mental health issues at work is a necessary first step to improving mental health in the workplace, and by extension, curbing the enormous costs they create.

Typical symptoms of depression amongst working professionals include mood-swings, anxiety, agitation and apathy; insomnia; difficulty in waking up in the morning; lethargy and drowsiness, lack of interest in daily affairs; over-eating, or conversely, loss of appetite, unexplained aches and pains in the body; and increased consumption of alcohol, tobacco.

As clinical depression has risen by around 50% in the last eight years, there has been an increase in other ailments including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disorders. Major depression increases absenteeism, ‘presenteeism’ (reduced productivity) and has direct medical costs.

Employers should build cultures of physical and mental health in their workplaces through management practices that promote wellbeing. In order to get to a place where managers and employees understand the implications of mental health at work, enterprises should stop treating it as something distinct (and less important) than other forms of illness. They should provide comprehensive mental health coverage as part of their medical benefits, all while working to reduce the stigma.

Yet, in India, till a few months ago, mental illness has always been in the list of exclusions of health insurance policies. The Indian Mental Healthcare Act came into effect only in 2017, which prompted Irda to mandate insurers to offer this as part of the normal health policy in 2018. In contrast, the US had passed a mental health parity law mandating equal medical coverage for mental and physical illness way back in 2008, but big differences in coverage and access remain. One study found that behavioural care was between “4-6 times more likely to be out-of-network than medical or surgical care”, and insurers paid primary care providers 20% more for the same types of care than they paid addiction or mental health specialists.

An important first step is reducing the stigma associated with admitting any sort of mental distress. One board member said that he would vote out a CEO if he admitted to mental illness. An article about depression in the technology industry noted that admitting to depression could harm company perception and would put funding at risk. A second step entails recognising mental problems as “real” diseases like cancer or heart disease. Neuroimaging studies show changes in the physiology of the brain diagnosed with depression.

Ultimately, the best way companies can eliminate the stigma around mental health at work is to just start talking about it. EY, for example, launched a programme called We Care with the goal of educating employees about mental health issues and encouraging them to seek help. The programme is also centred on support for colleagues who may be struggling with it. Many companies are proactively tying up with an external partner to offer Employee Assistance Programmes. Some organisations are training managers regularly to spot symptoms and offer assistance early. And once the lines of communication are open, HR departments can (and should) consider offering benefits that provide more accessible mental healthcare.

Indian organisations can lead on this front by encouraging employees to get trained regularly, giving them frequent breaks, having stress buster sessions, urging them to break large assignments into smaller ones, and ensuring proper work-life balance. That’s probably easier said than done!

Mental illness is enormously costly, yet research advances make the effective treatment of disorders such as anxiety and depression much more possible. Recent research in psychology identified six specific neuro-imaged forms of depression. When treatment was matched to the specific manifestation of the disease – precision medicine applied to mental health – the effectiveness of treatment was substantially enhanced.

For reasons both economic and humane, employers should work to destigmatise mental disorders, increase insurance coverage of treatments and ensure that care uses the best, most recent available evidence.

Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, M Muneer is co-founder of Medici Institute Foundation




They should provide comprehensive mental health coverage as part of their medical benefits. Stop treating it as something distinct (and less important) than other forms of illness

UP’s Munnabhai who performed ‘thousands of surgeries’ arrested

Was Working At A Local Hosp As Surgeon For Past 10 Years

Sandeep.Rai@timesgroup.com

Meerut:01.10.2019

Munnabhai MBBS met Ranchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad of 3 Idiots in UP’s Deoband when police on Monday arrested one Om Pal for fraudulently working at a local CHC as surgeon for the past 10 years by impersonating Dr Rajesh R, who was the real degree holder from Mysore. He was also running a nursing home at the town in Saharanpur district.

According to Saharanpur SP (rural) Vidyasagar Mishra, Om Pal, 50, claimed that he had conducted thousands of ‘operations’ during his free run. He was appointed on contract in the CHC by forging MBBS degree of a Mysore University’s alumnus. His true identity was revealed when he went to police to lodge a complaint after getting an extortion call.

Mishra says that Om Pal worked in early 2000s as a paramedic at the air force base hospital in Mangalore and still gets pension. “A doctor named Rajesh R was working with him in Mangalore. Before Dr Rajesh R moved abroad, Om Pal got his MBBS degree ‘cloned’ after fixing his own photograph.”

He used this fake degree to get himself registered as a medical practitioner in UP. “On the basis of this degree, he not only got a surgeon’s job at Deoband CHC, but also get himself several certificates and diplomas for surgery — two of them from the US,” the SP (rural) said.

On papers he was Dr Rajesh R, but in prescriptions and hoardings he used ‘Dr Rajesh Sharma’, so that the unusual name doesn’t arouse any suspicion at a small place like Deoband, SP Mishra said. His dream run, however, came to an end when he himself went to seek police’s help after getting an extortion call.

The caller was trying to blackmail him by demanding ₹40 lakh for remaining quiet about Om Pal’s real identity. “But, Om Pal — who was a well-known figure in Deoband — was so confident about his infallibility that he refused to budge and informed police,” says a cop who was part of the probe.

“Interestingly, an inquiry regarding his degrees was conducted by the health department a couple of months ago, but since he showed certificate of his registration with the Medical Council of Karnataka and UP, it was assumed that his credentials were genuine,” Mishra says.

However, when our investigation team probing the extortion case went to Bengaluru to ascertain the authenticity of his medical degree and registration with the council, his real identity came out,” he says, adding “The registration number he claimed was his own belonged to one Rajesh R who was registered with Karnataka Medical Council and had obtained his degree from a medical college in Mysore in 2001. Om Pal even held a certificate of Diplomate of the National Board (DNB) in General Surgery whose registration number was not found in UP Medical Council though claimed in the certificate.”

Om Pal alias Dr Rajesh Sharma was arrested on Monday morning.

FREE RUN: Saharanpur policemen with fake surgeon Om Pal who was working as a doctor for a decade and also running a private nursing home

According to Saharanpur SP (rural) Vidyasagar Mishra , Om Pal’s true identity was revealed when he went to police to lodge a complaint after getting an extortion call

Govt identifies land for medical college in Ooty

Shantha.Thiagarajan@timesgroup.com

Udhagamandalam:01.10.2019

The Nilgiris district administration has submitted a detailed report on the existing government headquarters hospital in Ooty and availability of land to set up a new medical college in the district at the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) meeting held last Thursday in New Delhi.

The TEC met to consider proposals received under centrally sponsored schemes for establishment of new medical colleges under phase III.

The centrally sponsored scheme works with a ratio of 60:40 — the Centre bearing 60% of the total cost and the state paying the remainder.

As per the norms of Medical Council of India (MCI), at least 20 acres should be available for a medical college to come up, with a minimum capacity of 300 beds for inpatients. While the existing government hospital in Ooty has about 7.61 acres of land, the district administration has identified a plot of 13.61 acres at Indu Nagar in Ooty.

The district administration has been trying to get nod to set up a medical college in the Nilgiris for the past two years.

Last June, a meeting was held by the directorate of health services in Chennai, at which Nilgiris district has been identified as one of six districts for submission of proposal for a centrally sponsored medical college. The other districts were Dindigul, Tirupur, Ramanathapuram, Namakkal and Virudhunagar.

The Nilgiris district is home to about 7.35 lakh people (2011 census) and despite being a major tourist destination lacks a multi-specialty hospital. The nearest multi-specialty hospitals are in Coimbatore, 85km from Ooty, with a travel time of three to four hours.

Dr H Ravi Kumar, joint director of Ooty Government Headquarters Hospital told TOI, “A proposal for a medical college in Ooty has already been sent to the state government. The same has been forwarded to the state finance commission and the Central finance commission. A plot in Indu Nagar of 13.61 acres has been identified by the district administration. With these, the norms of MCI (Medical Council of India) are satisfied.”

The Ooty GH does not have special medical facilities and to treat emergency patients within the “golden hour” a medical college in the hill town is a must, said Dr H Ravi Kumar, joint director of Ooty GH

Brindavan Exp turns 55, but charm long lost

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 01.10.2019

If there is one thing old timers and regular end-to-end travellers of the Chennai-Bengaluru Brindavan Express would love to bring back, it would be its lost glory. What began as a service for end-to-end passengers, especially tourists, on October 1, 1964, they feel, has lost it sheen and purpose and only fond memories remain.

Named after Brindavan Gardens in Mysuru (then Mysore), it provided perfect connectivity till Karnataka capital Bengaluru (Bangalore), the gateway for nearly 30 places of tourist interest in that state.

Initially, a steam locomotive hauled eight conventional coaches and took 7.30 hours to Bangalore. In April 1966, a diesel van replaced the steam engine, reducing the running time to 5.30 hours. With halts at Katpadi, Jolarpettai and Bangalore Cantonment, it was the fastest broad gauge (BG) train.

The tremendous response affected bus services between the two cities. It was a favourite for regulars to Bangalore for its punctuality, cleanliness and for allowing only reserved passengers.

It had a completely vestibule rake and a highlight was the food in the pantry car (it was once ranked among the top five in the railways) served in the coaches. It also had a counter for those who preferred going there.

Over time, it began losing its charm with the running time changed to six hours, several halts introduced, and punctuality hardly adhered to. In 2014, the railways discarded the three AC chair car coaches, following the introduction of the Double Decker AC train and a few years later, it removed the pantry car. Recently, the timings were revised with a delay of 15 minutes, before, thanks to the efforts of rail users in Bengaluru, the previous schedule was restored.

Ashok Kumar Verma, divisional railway manager, Bengaluru railway division doesn’t agree its popularity has dipped after introduction of the double-decker train. “We are happy the service continuous to be popular among passengers and are working hard to ensure punctuality of the train,” he said.

(Inputs from Christin Mathew Philip)

Pandian Express: Keeping time & pace for 50 years

Looking Back At The Journey Of The Flagship Train of Madurai Division
Francis.T@timesgroup.com  01.10.2019

Undisputed King of Southern Railway or Honeymoon Express — sobriquets of the Pandian Express, the flagship train of Madurai railway division, are a testimony of the passion and emotional bonding passengers have towards the train that completes 50 years of its journey between the temple city of Madurai and the state capital Chennai on Tuesday.

Inaugurated on October 1, 1969, Pandian Express — named after the Pandya Kingdom, the first train in Indian Railways to be named after a kingdom — marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Southern Railway, as the need for a faster overnight connectivity between the two cities was fulfilled by the Madurai division. Led by twin steam locomotives, to haul an 18-coach rake, the train announced its departure from the Madurai Junction with the symbolic steam whistle and thick smoke amid cheers from several hundreds gathered to see it off.

D Paul David Sam, the second fireman during the inaugural run recalls the frenzy around the maiden journey, “Several people came to the railway station to see the new train with two engines. The platform was filled with people and wore a festive look. It used to be a tough job considering the smoke and ash coming from the engines. Even the wooden coaches were filled with smoke, but the passengers cherished the smell and ash. By the time we reached Trichy, our clothes would get dirty.”

It was for this debut that the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), for first time in the history of metre gauge (MG), manufactured new rakes for the purpose with a unique bottle green livery with two vermilion bands above and below the windows. During its initial days it had two first class, eight sleeper, one mail van, five unreserved and two SLR coaches. “The rakes had much bigger fans with shutter windows, all newly-introduced features. Since the coach capacity was too high, Southern Railway operated the train with double steam locomotives from Madurai to Villupuram and from thereon, with a single electric locomotive,” says Arun Pandian, a railfan.

With a maximum speed of 75kmph, the train 117/118, used to be the fastest in the MG traction, covering 495km in 11 hours and 10 minutes. For the newly-married heading to Kodaikanal, the Pandian Express used to be the go-to train due to its timings and fewer halts, with many travelling in the comforts of first class. And thus train earned the nickname ‘Honeymoon Express’.

For Maduraiites taking the train was like a homecoming. “Pandianla varen (I’m coming by Pandian),” is one way of bringing joy to Maduraiites. “From the days of cushionless seats to now, lots of memories are associated with the train. My family’s first outing on this train was in the first class coupe. It was a joyride for everyone. On other occasions, dinner with family on board the train was a routine amid peals of laughter and the nonstop chatter,” recalls Mariappan, a resident of Madurai. The train was known for its punctuality, so much so that it was preferred by the likes of M G Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi, says Arun Pandian.

In 1975, the train gave way to steam engines and a diesel locomotive was used. In 1985, two three-tier AC, one first AC and one second AC coaches were added to the rake, thus making it the first MG train to run with all existing classes of Indian Railways. The MG era of Pandian Express came to an end in March 1998 due to gauge conversion and it was during the summer that the new broad gauge era began with the same timings. From October 1, 2002 it was converted into a superfast express and the running time was reduced to nine hours. Gradually, more coaches were added due to increased demand on the Madras-Madurai section. Considering the demand, railways converted the rakes to Linke Hofmann Busch and at present, it takes 7 hours and 50 minutes to reach Madurai, while the return journey takes while it takes 8 hours and 10 minutes.

As Pandian Express completes 50 years, passengers hope its legacy of punctuality will be etched in the annals of Indian railway history.

₹1,000 CRORE AID

Ex-VCs ask Modi for full ‘IoE’ grant to Anna University

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.10.2019

Former vice-chancellors of Anna University have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give 100% financial support to one of the oldest technical institution in the world to enable it to get Institute of Eminence (IoE) status.

“I humbly request you to treat Anna University on a par with other central institutions and extend 100% financial support to enable the university to become an Institute of Eminence,” E Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor of Anna University, said in a letter to the PM.

“It is really matter of pride and honour to note that Anna University is one of the two state universities to receive this distinction. This recognition would certainly make Anna University a world class institution and enable it to break into top 100 global rankings in near future,” he said.

The university, one among 10 shortlisted, is yet to get IoE status due to the delay in getting the letter of commitment of funding from the state government. Under the IoE scheme, the Centre would give ₹1,000 crore to central government institutions over five years to enable them become global institutions. State universities will get the status if the state government concerned will commit to pay half the amount, with the Centre giving the rest.

“For more than two centuries, the university has produced hundreds of stalwarts in engineering and technology who have contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of our nation,” Balagursamy pointed out in his letter.

Anna University, established in May 1794 as a School of Survey Engineering, is the oldest engineering school in India and the first modern technical school established outside Europe at that time. It became a College of Engineering in 1858 and a technical university in 1978.

K Karunakaran, former vice-chancellor of Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore, has also written to the Prime Minister Modi urging him to give full financial support to Anna University.

“Even though it is a state university, considering the contribution to the development of our country and reputation at various levels for more than two centuries (225 years), I submit to the PM to consider it as a special case for granting full financial support,” he said.

After Neet impersonation, CB-CID probing marksheet tampering now

Student On Leave Studying Abroad: Cops

Pushpa Narayan & A Selvaraj TNN

Chennai:01.10.2019

Impersonation may not be the only illegality in medical admissions this year. Police are suspecting tampering of NEET marksheets by a student, who managed to secure admissions in a government medical college, where tuition fee is low.

The Dharmapuri Government Medical College dean Dr K Srinivasaraj received a complaint on email that one of his first year students, Mohammad Irfan, had tampered with his NEET marksheet. “By that time we had also received directions from the directorate of medical education asking us to verify documents and match photographs of students. But Irfan wasn’t in college. We have asked him to appear before us for verification,” Dr Srinivasaraj said. Since the inquiry process isn’t completed the college is yet to file a police complaint.

On Monday, the CB-CID police, who have been investigating the medical admissions scam, also received another tip off about about Irfan. “We have detained Irfan’s father Mohammad Shafi. He told us Irfan has applied for medical leave and hasn’t been in college since September 8. Now, we found that he is now pursuing medicine at the Anna Medical College in Mauritius,” a senior police official said. It is still not clear whether Irfan obtained permission from the Medical Council of India or submitted original documents to the college in Mauritius before admissions. The police have sought information including the certificates he submitted during medical counselling and admission in TN for further inquiry. “We will know details only when we hold an inquiry,” said a senior police official. Dharmapuri medical college deputy dean Dr Murugan said the complaint mentions that he changed his NEET score from 207 to 407. The email did not have any names, he said.

Many medical colleges, both government and self-financing, are yet to complete the verification process ordered by the directorate of medical education. The directorate had asked colleges to verify if the photos of first year MBBS students on NEET scorecards and admit cards matches with students in classrooms. Many medical colleges, including the Chennai-based Madras Medical College, withheld final reports because some of their students have been on leave.

Meanwhile, state health secretary Beela Rajesh will be meeting officials from National Testing Agency and the Medical Council of India on October 9 to discuss the irregularities in the admission process. “Tamil Nadu was the first to spot the scam. We will provide all updates to the centre on ways to prevent them. We will be asking for photographs of students and biometrics scans,” health minister C Vijaya Baskar told reporters.

Police are suspecting tampering of NEET marksheets by a student, who secured admissions in a government college

CHEATED 14YRS AGO

CBI court convicts bank manager for ₹3cr loan fraud

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.10.2019

A CBI special court in Chennai on Monday convicted an Indian Bank manager for cheating the bank of ₹3.27 crore 14 years ago.

Branch manager T V Srinivasan and advocate K Nagabhushanam were sentenced to undergo three years imprisonment and fined ₹10 lakh each for forging documents to obtain a housing loan.

Srinivasan, from 2003 to 2005, colluded with five others including the owner of Raj Builders, Rajendra Prasad, now dead, in getting a loan of ₹3.27 crore sanctioned, special public prosecutor M V Dinaker said.

The manager approved housing loans to 68 government employees on basis of forged income certificates, without physically identifying them. The 68, all low-ranking officials at Integral Coach Factory, Southern Railway, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Municipal Corporation, were supposed to use the loans to build houses on a 4.67 acre plot at Galivari Nagar, Arakkonam.

K Nagabhushanam was instrumental in forging salary slips and income certificates, the prosecution said. In 2009, Indian Bank in an internal audit found that all the documents submitted were forged and the housing loan accounts turned inoperative. A complaint was filed with the Economic Offences Wing of CBI, which arrested seven people in 2010 under Prevention of Corruption Act and for cheating. Rajendra Prasad and one other person, Kumari, died during the trial.

Denying the allegations, counsel for the accused submitted that the entire documents were forged by the employees and there was no role of the bank manager who only carried out his duty. He also submitted that the entire money was recovered by the bank through sale of the property and there was no loss to the bank.

S Jawahar, Judge for XI special court for CBI cases, Chennai, said the accused cheated the bank by sanctioning loans for people who were not eligible and created illegal gains and sentenced Srinivasan and Nagabhushanam. The three others arrested were acquitted.

450 AYUSH seats vacant across state

Chennai:01.10.2019

More than 450 seats in ayurveda, siddha and homeopathy colleges are vacant under government and management quota at the end of the counselling conducted by the selection committee based on merit in NEET scores.

The sole unani institution in the state – Government Unani Medical College that has 50 seats — had 41 vacancies at the end of counselling. “To join unani, candidates should have qualified both in Urdu and NEET. We did not have that many candidates this year,” said a senior official in the selection committee. In addition there were 101 government quota seats in self-financing AYUSH colleges. “We couldn’t fill most management quota seats. We have asked Centre to reduce NEET eligibility. Or all the seats will remain vacant,” he said. TNN

Thieves steal all wheels of new car
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.10.2019

A man who had parked his month-old car outside his home at TVS Colony, Anna Nagar woke up on Monday morning to find that someone had stolen all four wheels.

The JJ Nagar police said Mahesh Babu, who works in a private firm, usually parked his Maruti Ciaz for the night at a relative’s house two streets away, but had left it on the road outside his home as he planned to visit a temple early on Monday to get puja done for the car.

Police suspect that someone well-versed with automobile mechanics was behind the theft as they managed to unbolt all four wheels and no one heard a thing even though it is a residential locality.

Mahesh doesn’t have space within his house’s compound to park the car and usually did not park outside his home. On Monday morning, there were a few stones beside the car, whose body was resting on the road.

Police were scanning CCTV camera footage to identify the culprits. Police said that it could have been the handiwork of a gang as it would be difficult for one person to carry away all four wheels at once. They are also checking on autorickshaws moving in the locality at the time of the incident.

Several residents of TVS Colony said that two years ago, miscreants escaped with a wheel from a car parked on the roadside. They appealed to police to intensify patrolling in the area.

WHO’S BEHIND THE WHEELS? The month-old car was parked outside the woner’s house on the night of the incident

Subashree aces global English proficiency test

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.10.2019

The dream of R Subashree, who died after an illegally erected banner fell on her, to study in Canada could have come a step closure to reality, had she been alive.

Her test result in IELTS examination which is an international test of English proficiency for non-native speakers, showed she had achieved C-1, a top rank, in the exam. The result was couriered to her house on Sunday.

Subashree died after an illegally erected banner fell on her. “It’s one of the painful moments,” her father R Ravi told TOI. “It was her dream, ambition and career. Everything just disappeared like a daydream,” he said.

After almost 20 days leave, Ravi went to work on Monday. “I want to start the usual life. God has assigned me and my wife Geetha to do more to this world and we will do it,” said Ravi.

Subashree’s mother R Geetha said, “To study abroad was her dream. She used to tell us tales about her foreign trips. She planned to take me and my husband to Canada with her and settle there in the future.”

Ravi said the score would have helped her enrol in MBA and MS courses, which she had planned to do simultaneously, at a leading university in Canada.

Subashree, who fell on the road after being knocked off her two-wheeler by a falling banner erected in connection with a marriage in the family of AIADMK ex-councillor C Jayagopal, was fatally run over by a tanker truck.

Jayagopal was arrested by a special team from a hideout in Denkanikottai on September 27. His brother-in-law Meganathan was apprehended on September 28.

PM Modi takes language route to enter Tamil hearts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.10.2019

Countering allegations that his government attempts to impose Hindi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to play the Tamil pride card in Chennai on Monday. On his maiden visit to Tamil Nadu after being voted back to power at the Centre, he sought to recall his statement in the US that Tamil is the oldest language in the world.

“When I spoke in Tamil to the Indian community in America during my recent visit and said Tamil is the oldest language in the world, it was widely reported in all the media in the US,” he told supporters outside the airport. Modi also recalled his speech at the UN meet, quoting ancient Tamil poet Kaniyan Pungundranar’s famous verse, “Yaadhum Oorey Yaavarum Kelir (we belong to all places, and to everyone).” The PM even greeted supporters, mostly partyworkers, at the airport, with a ‘vanakkam’.

MESSAGE TO TN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with governor Banwarilal Purohit and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday at IIT-M’s 56th convocation | P 2

‘Should make India meet expectations of world community’

Hours later, at the 56th convocation of IIT-Madras, the Prime Minister invoked Tamil again in the presence of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam. “We are in the state of Tamil Nadu, which has a special distinction. It is home to the oldest languages in the world, Tamil,” he said, drawing loud applause from the packed hall at Students Activity Centre of IIT-Madras.

At the airport, Modi suggested a padyatra to mark the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. “We shall take up a padyatra, and shall spread the ideals of Gandhi through padyatras,” he said. Recalling his visit to the US, he said the world was looking to India with great expectations and that it was increasing by the day. “Now it is our responsibility to not only make India a great nation but also to see to it that it meets the expectations of the world community,” he said.

WARM GESTURE: IIT Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi presented a memento in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 56th annual convocation of the institute on Sunday