Kerala girl dies after snake bites her in class

Teacher, doctor suspended after incident sparks outrage

22/11/2019, E.M. MANOJ,KALPETTA

Fatal hole: Shehala Sherin, inset, was bitten by a snake after her leg was caught in a crack in the classroom floor.

The death of a 10-year-old girl after she was reportedly bitten by a snake in her classroom on Wednesday, sparked a wave of outrage and protests across Kerala on Thursday following allegations of negligence against the school authorities and the doctors who treated the child at four different hospitals. A teacher at the Government Sarvajana High School, Sulthan Bathery, and a doctor at the Bathery taluk hospital were suspended after a preliminary inquiry ordered by the government found them guilty of delaying treatment to the child, Shehala Sherin.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condoled the death of Sherin. Mr. Vijayan said in his Facebook post that the government had taken the tragic incident very seriously and stringent action would be taken against those responsible for it.

Sherin was injured after her leg was caught in a crack in the classroom floor around 3.15 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the child’s parents and classmates, the teachers at the school refused to take her to the hospital immediately after red spots were noticed.

Some students suspected the possibility of a snakebite but a teacher insisted that the red spots may be due to a nail or the sharp edges of the hole on the floor.

“The teacher refused to take her to a doctor,” one of the students said. Moreover, he discouraged another teacher who was ready to take the girl to hospital.

“If she had been taken to a hospital at the right time the life of my friend could have been saved,” the student said.

The students also complained that the school authorities did not allow them to use sandals or shoes inside classrooms.

There were many cracks on the floor of the old school building and snakes were a common sight on the premises, she added.

However, the school authorities said they had administered first aid to the child after the incident and informed her father. Abdul Azeez, an advocate, said he would come to the school and take the child to the hospital. He reached the school around 3.45 p.m. and took her to a private hospital and later to the taluk hospital at Sulthan Bathery.

After the child was under medical supervision for around an hour at the taluk hospital, she was referred to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. Her condition worsened on the way and she was admitted to the government hospital at Vythiri. Later she was shifted to a private hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Though the girl was taken to four different hospitals, none of them administered anti-venom, her parents alleged.

Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla said legal action would be taken against the culprits.

Judicial custody of NEET case accused extended

22/11/2019, STAFF REPORTER,THENI

The parents of four students accused in the NEET impersonation case were produced before the Judicial Magistrate here on Thursday. The Magistrate ordered extension of their judicial custody for the fifth time.

Ten persons – five students of different medical colleges in the State and their parents – were arrested by the CB-CID police for allegedly using impersonators to clear NEET and secure MBBS seats in the 2019 medical admissions.

A student of Government Theni Medical College, who was the first one to be arrested in the case, and his father were lodged in the Madurai Central Prison while all the others were lodged in Theni district jail.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court granted bail to all the five students held in the case, but rejected the bail petitions filed by the parents.

New medical college: activists raise concern

Axing of over 2,000 trees will ruin one of the last green spaces in town, they say

22/11/2019, ROHAN PREMKUMAR ,UDHAGAMANDALAM

The site has been chosen for the hospital, on the ground that that it houses only exotic, non-native flora. M. Sathyamoorthy

Activists are split over plans to build a medical college and hospital on a 25-acre site in Udhagamandalam town.

Some activists have voiced their concerns that axing of more than 2,000 exotic eucalyptus, wattle and pine trees will not only ruin the aesthetic beauty associated with one of the last remaining green spaces within the town, but also affect a wide variety of wildlife, such as leopards, sloth bear, Indian gaur and barking deer, that have adapted to survive in the area and its surrounding forests.

The proposed site, located near the Ooty Gymkhana Club, has been earmarked as the future site for the setting up of the government medical college and hospital, on the ground that the site would be ideal, as it is only populated with exotic, non-native flora.

Impact on wildlife

However, rather than being a proverbial ‘dead zone’, devoid of biodiversity, activists and local residents argue that a huge array of wildlife use the 25-acre site as part of a contiguous habitat which connects surrounding forest patches. They voiced their concern that cutting down the trees and building a hospital could impact wildlife in the area and exacerbate human-animal conflicts in the region.

Shobana Chandrasekar, from the ‘Make Ooty Beautiful’ campaign, said forests surrounding the defunct Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) Manufacturing Company in Udhagamandalam were some of the last remaining ‘green spaces’ in Udhagamandalam town. “While there is no question that the trees are exotic to the landscape, the area itself is extremely beautiful and is one of the last remaining green expanses within the town itself,” said Ms. Chandrasekar, who said residents and activists were fully in support of converting the existing infrastructure of the HPF factory into a hospital.

R. Saraswathi, a local resident, who lives near the proposed site, said it was not just the hospital that the locals were worried about. “This area (surrounding HPF) is very peaceful, and many retirees stay here. If a hospital and medical college comes up, it will mean more shops, traffic and more people and litter too. There will also be obvious concerns about medical waste contaminating nearby reservoirs,” she said.

‘People stand to benefit’

However, others like Nilgiris-based conservationist N. Mohanraj are of the opinion that benefits of having a medical college and hospital in the Nilgiris far outweigh any environmental concern.

“While the first priority should be to convert the existing HPF factory infrastructure into a hospital, we cannot also dismiss the alternative site due to environmental concerns. The site itself only contains exotic trees, and there are established protocols to deal with hazardous medical waste. In the long-run, people in the Nilgiris will stand to benefit from having a medical college and hospital, as currently, many lives are lost due to people having to be rushed to Coimbatore for treatment in case of emergencies,” said Mr. Mohanraj.

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Child of couple from Australia found dead on landing in Chennai

22/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

A five-month-old child of an Indian couple based in Melbourne was found dead when they landed in the city in the early hours of Thursday.

Sakthi Murugan, 32, and Deepa, 27, are software professionals. Accompanied by their son, Hrithik, they were coming to visit their parents, who live at Vengaivasal near Tambaram.

After flying into Kuala Lumpur, they took an AirAsia flight to Chennai.

On landing at 1 a.m., the couple, after collecting their checked-in baggage, were waiting for immigration clearance when they found that the child had turned blue and his body was motionless.

The panic-stricken couple sought the assistance of airport staff and a doctor was called in. The doctor declared the infant dead. The parents told the police that the baby was hale and hearty on the flight and had been fed just before landing. The airport security staff and police shifted the body to Chrompet Government Hospital for post-mortem.

“After conducting post-mortem, we have handed over the body to the parents. We have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of CrPC. The cause of death wll be known only after receiving theviscera analysis report,” a police officer said.

Airline officials were not available for comment.

31 convicted in Vyapam case

Quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Nov. 25

22/11/2019, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,BHOPAL

A CBI court on Thursday convicted 31 people in a case related to the infamous Vyapam recruitment and admission scam in Madhya Pradesh.

They were found guilty on a host of counts, including cheating by personation, cheating and forgery related to the 2013 police constable exam conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), better known by its Hindi acronym Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal), the prosecution said.

CBI special judge S.B. Sahu convicted the 31, including 12 imposters and seven middlemen, on different counts, CBI Special Prosecutor Satish Dinkar told PTI.

The quantum of punishment would be pronounced on November 25, Mr. Dinakar said.

91 witnesses

The prosecution produced 91 witnesses and enough evidence to nail the culprits for cheating by personation, cheating, dishonesty, forgery, forgery for cheating and forging document under IPC Sections 419, 420, 467, 468 and 471, Mr. Dinakar said.

Of the 12 imposters writing the examination on behalf of other candidates, six were arrested from Bhopal and the others from Datia, he said.

Irregularities in exams

The Vyapam scam refers to the irregularities in exams held by the MPPEB for admission to professional courses and State services over several years. The scam hit national headlines three years ago. The MPPEB is now known as Professional Examination Board.

As smartphones get bigger & better, tablets lose consumer adoption

Sindhu.Hariharan@timesgroup.com

22.11.2019

With all-pervasive smartphones and their growing screen sizes, the tablet device -a middle device for many households- appears to be losing sheen among consumers.

The overall India tablet market is managing to hold strong in recent years, but growth in shipments is being driven commercial/enterprise segment and not consumers, any more.

Five years ago, nearly 70% of all shipments were from the consumer category and rest enterprise. Today, it is the opposite.

Even as tablets may be gradually disappearing from households, the government’s Digital India campaign, education technology, hospitality, and travel & tourism have emerged as sectors with high demand for the devices.

Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), Cyber Media Research (CMR), notes that with the evolution of smartphones into new form factors and taller, foldable smartphones now commercially available, the future of tablet market is at a cossroads.

As per CMR’s analysis, the tablet market in India posted recovery in the July-September quarter on the back of festive season shipments recording a 7.8% growth YoY, after three consecutive quarters of decline at the rate of 5.2%, 11.1%, and 10.5% in June 2019, March 2019 and December 2018 quarters respectively. Lenovo led the market, followed by Samsung and Apple.

“The tablet market has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past four to five years. From 70-75% of individual consumers earlier, now 60-65% of users is commercial,” Rahul Agarwal, managing director and CEO of Lenovo India, said.

Consumers are saying we anyways have a phone and a laptop, why do we need an inbetween device, he adds.

Lenovo holds almost half of the market with roughly 49% share in September quarter, Agarwal notes, quoting analyst firm IDC. “We are focused on commercial segment, where our market share is almost 65%,” he said.

As smartphones get bigger, users have also demanded innovation in screen sizes from tablet makers. While seven and eight-inch tablet screens used to dominate the market a few years ago, the 10-inch tablets have become bestsellers today.

“Today, smartphone screens are in the range of 6-inch, which gives users scope to use them for tasks like reading and entertainment, which they were doing on tablets earlier. The middle device today doesn’t make sense for a consumer,” Jaipal Singh, Associate Research Manager, IDC India, said.

Samsung recently launched its Galaxy Tab 6 with advanced display technologies and ‘first-ever’ on-screen fingerprint scanner on a tablet. Galaxy Tab S6 also lets users operate their appliances through voice commands with Bixby integration.


INVOGUE

Name rule spells trouble for TN kids

34-Character Cap For Names On Exam Portal

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.11.2019

Children in Tamil Nadu with long names or two initials are in a fix as the state government has set a limit of 34 characters (in English) on the online portal, Educational Management Information System (EMIS), where they upload details for the Class X board exams.

Tamil versions of the names shouldn’t exceed 54 characters, says an advisory (which TOI has accessed) sent by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (TNDGE) to all chief educational officers (CEOs) on November 15. CEOs and school headmasters upload details of Class X students, who will appear for SSLC exams in April-May 2020, on the EMIS portal.

The circular has set November 29 as the deadline for making corrections in students’ names, date of birth, religion, category or medium of instruction. The most common errors are in the names of students.

Most government ID cards are issued based on Class X mark certificates. If you don’t get it right at this stage, you’ll have to live with a misspelt name.

In Tamil Nadu, most students don’t use surnames. There is no uniform practice while filling applications either. While some put initials after the full name, others tend to either use initials in the middle or before the name.

The TNDGE circular clearly states that it should be name first followed by the initials with one empty space in between. Also, while filling the Tamil version, initials too should be in Tamil.

200 apply for name changes every month

This is where schools are facing a problem. The Tamil Nadu government in August made Aadhar mandatory for uploading details in EMIS. Aadhar cards of students with two initials carry their fathers’ names after their name. This makes their full name lengthy. When schools tried to link their Aadhar details with EMIS portal, it exceeds the character limit recently imposed.

So parents of these students are rushing to local notary offices to make changes in their names. “We named by daughter VS Saathana Eshwari. Now her name is just Yasika V,” said a parent from Madurai. On an average, 200 parents apply for name changes for various reasons every month, says official data.

Authorities at the state project directorate of Samagara Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), government agency responsible for EMIS, refused to even meet this reporter when asked for clarifications.

Only 3 of every 10 calls to ‘108’ a medical emergency

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.11.2019

Only three of every 10 calls received at the state-funded emergency management research Institute (EMRI) or ‘108’ report a medical emergency. While nearly half the calls the agency receives are termed “ineffective”, one-fifth of the remaining calls are non-emergency calls, performance reports published by the National Rural Health Mission in Tamil Nadu revealed.

The control room in Chennai, which works round-the-clock, got 17 lakh calls between April and June this year. Of these, around 5 lakh were for medical emergencies, including pregnancies, road accidents, poisoning, heart attack and strokes. Though the percentage of non-emergency and ineffective calls has come down from 83% in April-June 2013 to 68.46% in April-June 2019, staff say prank callers including drunk men continue to clog the helpline. “They complain about increasing onion prices, discuss current affairs, ask for cricket scores, sing songs or sometimes just keep silent. Over a period, we have learned to quickly disconnect such callers. But before we do so, we have to ensure the person calling isn’t in pain or scared to talk,” an employee said.

For instance, if students are calling in panic ahead of examinations or if someone sounds dangerously low, the line is transferred to ‘104’ for counselling. Even among emergencies, some calls are transferred to police and fire services.

As a result, staff point out that the percentage of unanswered calls has gone up from 1.72% in 2013 to 4% in 2019 and the percentage of calls attended to on the first ring has come down from 92% to 85%.

This is despite a reduction in the number of calls. Between April and June 2013, the agency got 23 lakh calls compared to 17 lakh in the same period in 2019. “But, in some months, we see very high numbers,” a senior official said.

The call centre, which works from the ‘108’ headquarters in the Directorate of Medical Services campus, has more than 120 lines and more than 60 operators on every shift. It receives more than 4,000 calls a day from across the state. “Almost every helpline across the globe has this problem,” said GVK EMRI state head Dr Selvakumar.

The ‘100’ helpline operated by the police department also faces similar problems. Those manning the police helpline initially asked callers to hang up if they had dialled by mistake. Now, callers are asked to dial 1 to proceed. “So if people have dialled by mistake they can cut the call. We are now trying to develop a programme to track those making prank calls so legal action can be initiated against them,” said a senior police officer.

NTA tightens NEET vetting, Aadhaar link may be must

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:22.11.2019

With more than 6,000 undergraduate medical admissions in Tamil Nadu under the scanner, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is making the application and verification process for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test — Under Graduate (NEET UG 2020) even more stringent. Henceforth, applicants will additionally have to fill in their class X and XII roll numbers and upload an identity card, apart from a live photograph to detect impersonation/ fraud. The NTA is also waiting for the approval of the ministry of information technology for Aadhaar verification. The registration for the 2020 NEET UG will commence from December 1, 2019.

Live photo to help verify and ‘flag’ discrepancies

According to a senior official of the ministry of human resource development (MHRD), NTA is going to introduce a number of changes in the registration process so that the agency can have data to verify, match and “flag” cases of potential discrepancies.

“Moreover, an applicant may also need to upload a live photo which the NTA is working on. The live photo will be the latest image so that in case of any discrepancy or in case the face in the identity card don’t match due to old photos, the invigilators at the centre can also verify using the live image. The class X and XII roll numbers will be used by NTA to also verify the candidates. At the test centres the candidates may also be asked to show the identity card uploaded at the time of registration. Therefore the candidates have to carry the identity card along with the admit card,” said the MHRD official.

According to an NTA official, the agency will reopen the registered forms for editing, “which means applicants will be able to provide the class XII roll numbers as majority of the education boards will issue admit cards once the NEET UG 2020 registration gets over.” In case of any discrepancies in names and photographs or mismatches, the applications will be flagged so that the designated centres could go for further verification on the day of the test.

நாக் -ஏ’ அங்கீகாரத்தை இழக்கும் நிலையில் சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்

By DIN | Published on : 21st November 2019 02:00 AM |

சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளாக 30 சதவீத பேராசிரியா் காலியிடங்களுடன் இயங்கி வருவதால், தேசிய ஆய்வு மற்றும் அங்கீகார கவுன்சிலின் ‘(நாக்) ஏ’ கிரேடு தரத்தை இழக்கும் நிலைக்குத் தள்ளப்பட்டிருப்பதாக பேராசிரியா்கள் கவலை தெரிவிக்கின்றனா்.

அவ்வாறு ‘நாக்- ஏ’ கிரேடு அங்கீகாரத்தை பல்கலைக்கழகம் இழந்தால், ஏற்கெனவே கடும் நிதி நெருக்கடியில் சிக்கித் தவிக்கும் பல்கலைக்கழகத்துக்கு பல்கலைக்கழக மானியக் குழு (யுஜிசி) உள்ளிட்ட மத்திய அரசின் அமைப்புகளிடமிருந்து கிடைத்துவரும் ஆராய்ச்சி மேம்பாட்டு நிதி, உள்கட்டமைப்பு மேம்பாட்டு நிதி போன்ற அனைத்து விதமான நிதியுதவிகளும் நிறுத்தப்பட்டுவிடும் எனவும் பேராசிரியா்கள் அச்சம் தெரிவிக்கின்றனா்.

உயா் கல்வியின் தரத்தை மேம்படுத்துவதற்காக பல்வேறு நடவடிக்கைகளை மத்திய அரசு எடுத்து வருகிறது. அதில் ஒன்றுதான் ‘நாக்’ அங்கீகாரம். மத்திய அரசின் புதிய கல்விக் கொள்கையின்படி, இந்த ‘நாக்’ அங்கீகாரம் அனைத்து உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களுக்கும் கட்டாயமாக்கப்பட உள்ளது.

‘நாக்’ அமைப்பு, உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களை 7 வகையான நிபந்தனைகளின் கீழ் ஆய்வு செய்து, அதனடிப்படையில் 8 பிரிவுகளின் கீழ் தர நிா்ணயம் செய்கிறது. அதாவது, கல்வித் திட்டம், கற்றல் - கற்பித்தல் -மதிப்பிடுதல், ஆராய்ச்சி மற்றும் புதிய கண்டுபிடிப்பு, உள்கட்டமைப்பு வசதி மற்றும் கற்றலுக்கு உதவும் வசதிகள், மாணவா்களுக்கு உதவும் திட்டங்கள், நிா்வாகம் மற்றும் தலைமைப் பண்பு உள்பட 7 நிபந்தனைகளின் கீழ் உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் ஆய்வு செய்யப்படும்.

இதில் 3.51 முதல் 4 புள்ளிகள் வரை பெறும் கல்வி நிறுவனத்துக்கு ஏ++ கிரேடு வழங்கப்படும். 3.26 முதல் 3.50 புள்ளிகளைப் பெறும் கல்வி நிறுவனத்துக்கு ஏ+ கிரேடும், 3.01 முதல் 3.25 வரை பெற்றால் ஏ கிரேடு, 2.76 முதல் 3 புள்ளிகள் பெற்றால் பி++ கிரேடு, 2.51 முதல் 2.75 வரை பெற்றால் பி+ கிரேடு, 2.01 முதல் 2.50 வரை பெற்றால் பி கிரேடு, 1.51 முதல் 2 புள்ளி வரை பெற்றால் சி கிரேடு வழங்கப்படும். 1.5 புள்ளிகளுக்கு கீழ் பெறும் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களுக்கு டி கிரேடு வழங்கப்படும். இந்த டி கிரேடு பெறும் கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் அங்கீகாரம் அளிக்கப்படாத கல்வி நிறுவனமாக அறிவிக்கப்படும். இதில் சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் -ஏ- கிரேடு அங்கீகாரத்துடன் இயங்கி வருகிறது.

இந்த நிலையில், கடந்த இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக 200 பேராசிரியா் காலிப் பணியிடங்களுடன் சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் இயங்கி வருவதால், ஏ கிரேடு அங்கீகாரத்தை இழந்து -பி- கிரேடுக்கு சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் தள்ளப்பட வாய்ப்பு உள்ளதாக பேராசிரியா்கள் கவலை தெரிவிக்கின்றனா்.

இதுகுறித்து சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழக மூத்த பேராசிரியா் ஒருவா் கூறுகையில், நாக் அங்கீகாரத்தில் ஒரு பல்கலைக்கழகம் வெளியிடும் ஆராய்ச்சிக் கட்டுரைகளின் எண்ணிக்கை, ஆராய்ச்சித் திட்டப் பணிகள், புதிய கண்டுபிடிப்புகள் ஆகியவை பிரதானமாக கணக்கில் கொள்ளப்படும். ஆனால், பேராசிரியா் காலிப் பணியிடங்கள் காரணமாக பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரை வெளியீடு கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளில் பாதியாகக் குறைந்திருக்கிறது. 400-க்கும் அதிகமாக இருந்த கட்டுரைகள் வெளியீடு இப்போது 200-ஆகக் குறைந்திருக்கிறது. இதனால், பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் நாக் அங்கீகாரம் நிச்சயம் பாதிக்கப்படும்.

தமிழக அரசும் அனுமதி: காலிப் பணியிடத் தோ்வின்போது, பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் அனைத்து துறைகளையும் ஒரே யூனிட்டாக கணக்கில் கொண்டு இடஒதுக்கீடு அமல்படுத்தவேண்டும் என்ற மத்திய அரசின் புதிய நிபந்தனையை பல்கலைக்கழக நிா்வாகிகள் காரணம் காட்டி பேராசிரியா் நியமனத்தை தாமதப்படுத்தி வந்தனா். இந்த நிலையில், சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் ஏற்கெனவே பின்பற்றி வரும் 200 பாயின்ட் ரோஸ்டா் முறைப்படி ஒவ்வொரு துறையையும் தனித் தனி யூனிட்டாக கணக்கில் கொண்டு பேராசிரியா் நியமனத்தை மேற்கொள்ளலாம். மத்திய அரசின் நிபந்தனையை பின்பற்றத் தேவையில்லை என தமிழக அரசு சாா்பில் கடந்த செப்டம்பா் மாதமே அனுமதி வழங்கப்பட்டுவிட்டது. ஆனால், அதன் பிறகும் காலிப் பணியிடங்களை நிரப்ப பல்கலைக்கழகம் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கவில்லை என்றாா் அவா்.

யுஜிசி எச்சரிக்கை: இதற்கிடையே, நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் பேராசிரியா் காலிப் பணியிடங்களை விரைந்து நிரப்ப வேண்டும். அவ்வாறு நிரப்பாத கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் மீது உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என யுஜிசி எச்சரித்தது. இதுதொடா்பாக அனைத்து பல்கலைக்கழக துணைவேந்தா்களுக்கும் யுஜிசி அனுப்பிய சுற்றறிக்கையில், தகுதியுள்ள பேராசிரியா்களின் பற்றாக்குறை உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களின் நிலையை மிகவும் மோசமடையச் செய்துள்ளது. எனவே, உயா் கல்வியின் தரத்தை மேம்படுத்துவது உடனடித் தேவையாக உருவெடுத்துள்ளது.

அதன்படி, நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள பல்கலைக்கழகங்களும், அதன் இணைப்புக் கல்லூரிகளும் பேராசிரியா் காலிப் பணியிடங்களை தகுதிவாய்ந்த நபா்களைக் கொண்டு விரைந்து நிரப்ப வேண்டும். இதுதொடா்பான விவரங்களை நவம்பா் 10-ஆம் தேதிக்குள் யுஜிசிக்கு தெரிவித்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

அவ்வாறு இன்றி, பேராசிரியா் காலிப் பணியிடங்களை நிரப்ப தாமதப்படுத்தும் உயா் கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் மீது உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என சுற்றறிக்கையில் யுஜிசி எச்சரித்திருந்தது. இந்த எச்சரிக்கைக்குப் பிறகும் காலியிடங்களை நிரப்ப சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கவில்லை என்கின்றனா் பேராசிரியா்கள்.

இதுகுறித்து சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழக துணைவேந்தா் துரைசாமி கூறுகையில், பேராசிரியா் காலியிடங்களை நிரப்ப விரைவில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்றாா்.

சர்க்கரை கார்டுக்கு டிசம்பர் முதல் அரிசி

Added : நவ 20, 2019 23:11

சென்னை சர்க்கரை கார்டுகளை அரிசி கார்டுகளாக மாற்றம் செய்வோருக்கு டிச. மாதம் முதல் ரேஷன் கடைகளில் இலவச அரிசி வழங்கப்பட உள்ளது.இதுகுறித்து உணவு வழங்கல் துறை அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறியதாவது: சர்க்கரை கார்டு மாற்றம் தொடர்பாக நவ. 26ம் தேதி வரை விண்ணப்பங்களை வாங்க அரசு அவகாசம் வழங்கி உள்ளது. விண்ணப்பங்கள் பெற்ற பின் அந்த கார்டுகளை அரிசி கார்டுகளாக மாற்ற உதவி ஆணையர்கள் வட்ட வழங்கல் அதிகாரிகள் முறைப்படி ஒப்புதல் அளித்து தலைமை அலுவலகத்திற்கு அறிக்கை அனுப்புவர்.ரேஷன் கடைகளுக்கு இம்மாத அரிசி ஒதுக்கீடு முடிந்து விட்டது. இதனால் டிச. மாதம் முதல் அரிசி கார்டுகளாக மாறிய சர்க்கரை கார்டுதாரர்களுக்கும் ரேஷனில் இலவச அரிசி வழங்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

ஓய்வு பெறும் நாளிலேயே ஓய்வூதிய பயன்கள் கருவூலத்துறை முதன்மை செயலர் ஜவஹர் தகவல்

Added : நவ 20, 2019 22:57 

மதுரை: ''ஒருங்கிணைந்த நிதி மற்றும் மனிதவள மேலாண்மை திட்டத்தின் மூலம் காலையில் பில் சமர்ப்பித்தால் மாலையில் பணம் பட்டுவாடா செய்யப்படும். ஓய்வு பெறும் நாளிலேயே ஓய்வூதிய பயன்கள் வழங்கப்படும்,'' என மதுரையில் கருவூலம் மற்றும் கணக்குத்துறை முதன்மை செயலாளர் ஜவஹர் தெரிவித்தார்.

மண்டல அளவிலான ஆய்வு கூட்டத்தில் பங்கேற்க வந்த அவர் மேலும் கூறியதாவது: மாநிலத்தில் 9.30 லட்சம் அரசு ஊழியர்கள், ஆசிரியர்கள் பணிபுரிகின்றனர். இவர்களுக்கு சம்பளம் உள்ளிட்ட இதர பணப்பயன்கள் 18 ஆயிரம் பணம் பட்டுவாடா அலுவலர்கள் மூலம் வங்கிகளில் செலுத்தப்படுகிறது. இதுதவிர மாநிலத்தில் 7.20 லட்சம் ஓய்வூதியர்கள் உள்ளனர். இவர்களுக்கான ஓய்வூதிய பணப்பலன்களும் இத்துறை மூலம் வங்கிகளில் செலுத்தப்படுகிறது.ஏற்கனவே இருந்த நடைமுறையின்படி சம்பளம் உள்ளிட்ட பில்களை சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அலுவலர்கள் மாவட்ட கருவூலங்களில் சமர்பிப்பர். அதை பரிசீலித்து சரியாக இருக்கிறதா என ஆராய்ந்து கருவூல அலுவலர்கள் வங்கிகளுக்கு அனுப்ப ஐந்து நாட்களாகி விடும்.

ஆனால் ஒருங்கிணைந்த நிதி மற்றும் மனித வள மேலாண்மை திட்டம் செயல்பாட்டிற்கு வந்தால் காலையில் பில் சமர்ப்பித்தால் மாலையில் பணம் பட்டுவாடா செய்யும் வகையில் ஆன்லைன் மூலம் அனைத்து பணிகளும் விரைந்து மேற்கொள்ளப்படும். ஓய்வு பெறும் நாளிலேயே ஓய்வூதியபயன்கள் வழங்கப்படும்.

இதற்காக மண்டல வாரியாக பணம் பட்டுவாடா அலுவலர்கள், கருவல அலுவலர்களுக்கு பயிற்சியளிக்கப்படுகிறது. மதுரை மண்டலத்தில் மட்டும் ஒரு லட்சத்து 52 ஆயிரத்து 743 அரசு ஊழியர்களுக்கு மூவாயிரத்து 167 பணம் பட்டுவாடா அலுவலர்கள் மூலம் பணப்பலன்கள் வழங்கப்படுகின்றன. இந்தாண்டு இறுதிக்குள் ஒருங்கிணைந்த நிதி மற்றும் மனிதவள மேலாண்மை திட்டத்தை செயல்பாட்டிற்கு கொண்டு வர நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படுகிறது, என்றார்.

NEET impersonation scam: Anticipatory bail pleas of accused adjourned to Nov 28

Appearing before Justice G R Swaminathan on Tuesday, the student claimed that he wrote the exam and that he did not involve in any malpractice.

Published: 20th November 2019 05:25 AM

By Express News Service

MADURAI: Awaiting reports on the verification of thumb impression of a medical student who is apprehending arrest in connection with NEET impersonation scam, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court adjourned the anticipatory bail petitions filed by the student and his father V Ravikumar to November 28.

Appearing before Justice G R Swaminathan on Tuesday, the student claimed that he wrote the exam and that he did not involve in any malpractice. However, he could not explain the reason for the mismatch between the photograph in his hall ticket and his face in person. Since the report on verification of fingerprints and thumb impression of the student is yet to arrive, the judge adjourned the petitions by extending the interim protection (against arrest) granted to the father-son.

Meanwhile, one Saravanan, who was also arrested in connection with the scam, withdrew his bail petition. He is the father of one of the students who got bail. Similarly, V K Venkatesan, father of a Theni medical student who was granted bail, also withdrew his bail application on Monday. The petitions were Saravanan and Venkatesan’s second ones before the High Court Bench as the previous ones were dismissed by the court.

Nurses at Madurai's Government Rajaji Hospital sensitised on ill effects of bribery
During a preliminary inquiry conducted by the dean, the suspected FNA's identity was confirmed by the complainant.

Published: 20th November 2019 10:24 AM

By Express News Service

MADURAI: A day after a departmental inquiry was initiated against a Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) Female Nursing Assistant (FNA) who allegedly demanded and took bribe, all the FNAs at the hospital were sensitised on the ill-effects of bribery on Tuesday.

On Monday, Thanikodi, a retired staff of GRH who previously worked as an Office Assistant, submitted a complaint to GRH Dean Dr J Sangumani stating that his daughter-in-law K Logambikai delivered her second child -- baby boy -- at the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) block on Friday.

He alleged that an FNA named Karthika, who was posted at the labour ward in the first floor of the block, demanded and took Rs 1,000 as bribe from Logambikai's mother Saratha for allowing her to enter the ward to see the mother and newborn.

During a preliminary inquiry conducted by the dean, the suspected FNA's identity was confirmed by the complainant.

Sources said the nursing assistant, as instructed by the Dean, returned the Rs 1,000 to Logambika the same evening. On Tuesday, Karthika was shifted from CEmONC block to Superspeciality block.

Later, Dr Sangumani initiated an inquiry into the allegation by forming a panel of doctors, including Resident Medical Officer Dr A Srilatha, Assistant Resident Medical Officer Dr P Muruga Porselvi and Dr P Jothi Sundaram of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

On Tuesday, all the GRH nursing assistants were sensitised on the ill-effects of demanding bribe from patients and their relatives. Dr Sangumani warned of stern action against those who demand and accept bribe.

It may be recalled that in August last year, a vigilance committee was reconstituted by the then dean Dr D Maruthupandian, thus revamping the vigilance system that deals with complaints on bribery and corruption by hospital staff and workers.

Following the promotion of one of its committee members -- Dr R Balaji Nathan -- who is now the Dean of Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem, Dr Sangumani, on Tuesday, made the Head of Department of Cardiology Dr S R Veeramani as the vigilance committee member, replacing Dr Balaji Nathan. Dr Veeramani has been made as the in-charge of issues arising in the CEmONC block.

Two Nigerian students held for drug peddling

Two Nigerian men studying in a private college in Kattankulathur, have been arrested by the Narcotics Intelligence bureau (NIB) for supplying ganja.

Published: 21st November 2019 06:35 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Two Nigerian men studying in a private college in Kattankulathur, have been arrested by the Narcotics Intelligence bureau (NIB) for supplying ganja. Based on a tip-off, a team from NIB conducted a raid at their house in Urapakkam and found seven kilograms of ganja which was later seized.

They have been identified as Ayooluwa David Adebakin, studying third year BBA course, and Olugu Olisaaemeka Emmanuel, studying second year B.Sc. The duo were arrested and were remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a magistrate court in Kancheepuram. During investigation, it was revealed that the two students sold ganja in sachets to their friends in college.”They allegedly sneaked the drug in their backpacks and all their transactions were made online,” said the police officer.

‘Doctors to be trained in advanced treatment protocols’

Health Dept. inks MoU with UK’s King’s College Hospital

21/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu’s Health Department, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK’s King’s College Hospital, will impart training to doctors on advanced treatment protocols for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said.

Shortly after releasing a video to create awareness on Parkinson’s disease on Wednesday, she said the Kings College Hospital, in the first phase, was focussing on neurological disorders.

The MoU was signed during the visit of Chief Minister and Health Minister to the UK.

“The first focus is on bringing in treatment protocols for neurological disorders. There are advanced treatment protocols in many foreign countries. We will be training our doctors and starting the procedures here,” she said. Hands-on training and demonstrations would be organised for doctors, she added.

Rehabilitation unit

As per an announcement in the Assembly, a neurological rehabilitation unit will be established at the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, K.K. Nagar at a cost of ₹64 crore. “When a person is diagnosed with a neuro-degenerative disease and is prescribed medicines, he/she also needs therapy on a long-term basis. This unit will cater to these needs. We are forming an expert committee to establish this unit and the views of survivors and NGOs will be obtained,” she added.

The release of the video, ‘Dancing with a stranger’, was jointly organised by SAAR Foundation (Support Awareness Action Rehabilitate) And IAPG (Indian Alliance of Patient Groups). The video features Shanthipriya Siva, an ophthalmologist who was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s eight years ago.

V. Natarajan, retired professor of Neurology, said there was a misconception among people that Parkinson’s was a deadly disease but there was no need for fear.

Lakshmi Narasimhan, head of neurology, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, said, “It is a treatable disease but not curable. Patients should take medications and follow exercises to lead a normal life,” he added. R. Narayana Babu, director of medical education and Ratna Devi, founder of IAPG also participated

Anna univ, set for IoE tag, has 300 vacancies

Needs 1:12 Faculty-Student Ratio

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:21.11.2019

Anna University, set to secure the Institute of Eminence (IoE) tag, has 300 of 900 regular teaching posts vacant, sources said. “To achieve the academic and research goals under the eminence tag, the university needs a 1:12 faculty-student ratio for which it may need at least 1,200 faculty members,” an official said. The faculty members are now burdened with administration and teaching work that is hampering their research output. “Once the institute gets eminence tag, we may need to concentrate more on research in cutting edge areas and ease the academic burden of faculty members,” he added.

Since the last recruitment in 2014, the university has not able to take in new faculty members due to reasons including vacancy in vice-chancellor’s post, higher education department ban on recruitment to redeploy excess Annamalai University staff and the UGC ban citing a pending court case in following reservation in universities.

The university, which has been managing with the help of teaching fellows, recently calculated the vacancy positions to implement reservation in recruitment based on 200-point roster system after the state government directed universities to take department as a unit to implement reservation.

“The governor-chancellor has appointed his nominee and there is a delay in appointing state government nominee. After getting state government’s nominee, we will initiate the recruitment process soon,” said a top university official.

As per All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) norms on recruitment, the selection committee shall consist of chancellor’s nominee, state government nominee and experts.

Education consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said vacancies in Anna University should immediately be filled. “The university should give preference to faculty members in 30-35 age group who are working in cutting-edge areas and future technologies rather than recruiting people in the 40-45 age group.” E Balagurusamy, former vicechancellor, hoped the government would fill all vacancies. “The state government has agreed to IoE status. They would eventually fulfil all requirements for IoE.”

NEET mum on subject marks but low scorers still getting into MBBS

TNN | Nov 19, 2019, 04.53 AM IST

Last year, TOI had exposed how candidates scoring single digit, zero and negative marks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) got admission in medical colleges in 2017.
But are students with such low scores still getting in? Well, we can't be sure because this year the practice of giving the marks scored in individual subjects has been stopped with the National Testing Agency (NTA) releasing only percentile scores. But data accessed by TOI shows that there are hundreds, if not thousands, with single digit percentile scores in physics and chemistry who have got admission into MBBS.

For instance, a student whose score was 1.7 percentile in physics got admission in a private medical college. This means that 98.3% of students who wrote NEET scored higher than him in physics. Or that his marks fell among the bottom 1.7% scores of the 15.2 lakh students who took the test.

Mounting troubles for Mount Road

Potholes and bumps are a common sight at Thousand Lights. A big pothole right next to the Gemini Flyover has been the source of traffic snarls here.

Published: 20th November 2019 06:22 AM |

By Omjasvin M D and lensman R Satish Babu

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Anna Salai, or Mount Road, is a city landmark by itself. The 15-km stretch, connecting the old commercial centre of Parry’s Corner in the North, with the now-bustling industrial area Guindy in the South, is one of the most-important roads. Though it has the status of NH, it’s as battered and bruised as any other city road. Potholes, loose gravel, and lack of median markers, are a common sight. Express reporter Omjasvin M D and lensman R Satish Babu travelled to survey road condition.

Thousand Lights

Spencer Plaza

Technically, Mount Road is supposed to be a six-way road. But, thanks to unauthorised parking of vehicles, it has been reduced to a four-way road on many stretches. This results in traffic congestion.
Bus commuters too are hassled, as sewage flows freely on to the road near Spencer Plaza. The stretch between LIC and Thousands Lights was made two-way in August. But since then, a traffic signal has not been installed at the two junctions.

Teynampet
Lane separators painted in white or yellow are mandatory for a highway, as per the codes of Indian Roads Congress (IRC). However, in this stretch near the DMK party office, there are no lane separators, making the drive dangerous for small vehicles.

Omandurar Government Estate
The road near the Government Estate Metro Station has loose gravel scattered, making it slippery for bikers. Selvan, who uses the stretch often, says the maximum speed bikers can go on here is 30 kmph. Anything higher can result in skids and accidents.

Saidapet
The road near the Saidapet bus depot is filled with potholes, bumps and dust. For, every five minutes, a bus arrives and departs from the bus stand and hundreds of passengers use it too. The road has not been patched up even after the Chennai Metro Rail was inaugurated. Loads of sand remain causing pollution.

near LIC building
The roads around the iconic building, which once was a landmark for Chennai, are in bad shape. Underground electric line works have been delayed, causing chaos. The road has been dug up, and there are no signs of it being closed any time soon.

Madras varsity conducts 162nd convocation

He said that this year marks the 50th year of his graduation from the varsity.

Published: 20th November 2019 06:14 AM 

Nearly 95,000 candidates received their degrees in view of the convocation ceremony  P Jawahar

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The University of Madras used to fondly be called the ‘Cambridge of the South’, said T Ramasami, former secretary, department of science and technology and former director of Central Leather Research Institute, speaking at the 162nd annual convocation of the University of Madras on Tuesday. He said that this year marks the 50th year of his graduation from the varsity.

Nearly 95,000 candidates received their degrees in view of the convocation ceremony. Governor Banwarilal Purohit, along with Ramasami, gave away the degrees, medals and prizes.

A total of 884 students received their degrees in person while the rest received it in absentia, said P Duraisamy, the vice-chancellor of the varsity, speaking at the event. Among those who were present at the convocation, 701 candidates received their PhD, 95 received prizes and medals and 86 rank holders received their degrees.

Addressing the gathering, Duraisamy said the varsity has improved significantly over the last few years. “For example, the university has jumped 21 places in the NIRF ranking; from the 41st rank in 2017, we have come to 20th now,” he said. He added that the college is also moving technologically forward by formalising courses on digital platforms like SWAYAM and NPTEL as a part of the curriculum and uploading certificates on to the National Academic Depository (NAD).

He also said that the varsity is in the process of revamping the UG curriculum to include courses related to entrepreneurship, skill development, start-up, venture capital and financial markets, in consultation with the entrepreneurial bodies such as Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industries and MSMEs.

“In order to promote research, the existing administrative sections have been restructured and new offices of Dean (Research) and Director (Research Schemes and Projects), have been created. M Phil and PhD admissions have been made online to ensure transparency and we have established a scheme to grant `30,000 towards journal submission fee and book publication,” he said.

DVAC case against former VC

20/11/2019, V. VENKATASUBRAMANIAN, ,THANJAVUR

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Thanjavur unit, has booked a case against a former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur, and three others on the charge of committing malpractices and irregularities in the appointment of professors and associate professors.

According to the FIR filed on November 14, G. Baskaran, former V-C, S. Muthukumar, former Registrar, G. Sakthisaravanan, former Personal Assistant to the Registrar, and N. Baskaran, former Distance Education Director, colluded with one another to appoint 10 professors and 11 associate professors in the university, overlooking the norms laid down by the UGC.

For selecting the ineligible candidates for these posts, the four accused reportedly accepted bribes ranging from ₹15 lakh to ₹40 lakh from each person. Further, they created false records and used the forged documents to help 21 candidates selected by them to receive the UGC scale salary. The accused also appointed 70 persons as daily wage employees in non-teaching positions.

12-year-old girl stopped from going to Sabarimala temple

Kerala police stop her at Pampa after examining her Aadhaar card

20/11/2019, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA, ,SABARIMALA

Police personnel examining the Aadhaar card of a 12-year-old girl, who had come to offer prayers at Sabarimala.PTI

A 12-year-old girl from Puducherry, who had come with her father for darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple here, was not allowed to proceed from Pampa on Tuesday morning.

The age of the girl had been shown as 10 in the ‘Virtual Q’ booking. Women police examined her Aadhaar card and found that she was 12 years old and refused to allow her to proceed further, the police said.

After those accompanying the child were informed about the current situation in Sabarimala, her father and other relatives proceeded to the temple.

‘Ready to wait’

A nine-year-old girl from Kerala, who came to the temple complex from Karnataka on Monday, had a placard around her neck that said “Ready to wait. Will visit the shrine after attaining 50 years.” Hailing from Thrissur, Hridyakrishnan said she had visited the shrine thrice thus far and would have darshan of Lord Ayyappa again only after she was 50.

The Pampa base camp is at the foothills of Sabarimala, about 5 km from the shrine. The Lord Ayyappa temple opened on November 16 evening for the two-month long Mandala-Makaravillakku pilgrimage season.

The State and temple precincts had witnessed protests by right wing outfits and BJP workers last year after the LDF government decided to implement the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the shrine. However, the government is exercising caution this year, even though the top court has not stayed its verdict while posting various petitions on the matter to a larger bench.

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has made it clear that Sabarimala was not a place for activists, and said the government would not encourage women who wanted to visit the shrine for publicity.

Deliberations on IoE status for varsity
20/11/2019, T. RAMAKRISHNAN,CHENNAI

At its meeting on Tuesday, the State Cabinet deliberated on enabling Anna University to join the Institution of Eminence (IoE) scheme of the Centre.

Broadly, two decisions needed to be taken. One pertained to the formulation of a law, and the other, the cost, government sources said. As for the proposed law, there are some issues, especially those pertaining to reservation, which require deeper study. That the university cannot have constituent colleges once it gets the IoE status is another aspect to be considered. On the issue of the cost, the total amount required has been estimated at ₹2,500 crore, of which the Centre will provide ₹1,000 crore.

The government was keen on the university acquiring the IoE status, though it may take some more time to complete the formalities, sources said.

Sugar cards can be changed to rice cards

20/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Now, family cardholders can convert their sugar option cards to rice cards by which they can get rice and other items provided under the Public Distribution System. In a statement, Food Minister R. Kamaraj said there were many requests from consumers to convert sugar cards to rice cards. Such consumers can apply online through www.tnpds.gov.in and also at the respective assistant commissioner’s offices till November 26, said an official release here.

Getting a driving licence is now a breeze, thanks to Sarathi

However, owing to lack of awareness about the online process, people still depend on driving schools

20/11/2019, R. SRIKANTH ,CHENNAI

A few years ago, getting a driving licence (DL) or even a learner’s licence was a hellish exercise.

The difficulty in getting DLs and LLRs started right from the application stage — one would find it difficult to even get an application form that would normally be “sold” outside Regional Transport Offices (RTOs).

But since the full-fledged launch of the Sarathi software — which is part of the pan-India Pari Vahan software — in 2018, the system of issuing LLRs, DLs, renewal of DLs and other formalities has become easy, with all transactions, including the payment of fees, completely made online. The site can be browsed at https://sa rathi.parivahan.gov.in/.

Simplified procedure

Today, all one needs is a little bit of time and a smartphone or a computer to fill in forms and upload documents for an LLR — the first stage for getting a driving licence — through the Sarathi software, which is self-guided.

Once the online application is completed, a time slot will be allotted to visit the RTO concerned for fulfilling necessary formalities. For getting a permanent driving licence, the applicant has to just give the LLR number, and the database can then be accessed by the RTOs.

A senior official of the State Transport Authority said all RTOs in the city, numbering 24 (including Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur), are posted with a help desk personnel at the entrance (in some cases, Regional Transport Officer himself) to help direct different applicants to the respective officials.

When LLR applicants visit the RTO at the time allotted, an official will check the documents, carry out physical verification and make them take a written test of traffic regulations and signs, after which they will be sent to take a photo for issuance of the temporary driving licence. While RTO officials claim the process of issuing licences has been simplified, a section of residents believe going through driving schools guarantees LLRs/DLs.

But a senior official of the State Transport Authority denied that going through driving schools would help get LLRs or driving licences easily. He said since the launch of the Sarathi software, the possibility of showing “discretion” to applicants routed through driving schools had become a thing of the past. The official faulted a majority of the people for not being aware of the fact that LLRs and DLs are being issued through the online system. He said only 20-30% applicants were aware of the online system, as a large number of people still visited RTOs and had to be explained the procedures for filling in applications. He rued that despite making the online process easier and simpler, most applicants sought the help of driving schools.

Abilash Surendran, a resident of Pammal, got his twin driving licences for four and two-wheelers without much sweat, after he filed the application for his learner’s licence and driving licence through the Sarathi software.

CCTV cameras installed

The State Transport Authority official said a series of technological developments were happening at RTOs across the State. He said closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras were installed at all RTOs. Awareness posters to help applicants fill in applications through the Sarathi software have been put up and verification of driving skills by Motor Vehicle Inspectors have been made stricter, unlike random verification followed until a few years ago, the official added.

The official said there was a plan to install CCTV cameras on the testing track in RTO North West soon. Only Anna Nagar has a full-fledged testing track in the city, while other RTOs use arterial roads for carrying out driving tests.

For issuing driving licence for heavy vehicles, tests are carried out at the two testing tracks at the Institute of Road Transport in Guimmidipoondi (North) and Taramani (South).

The official also said earlier integration of Sarathi software with the main server was an issue, but now all local servers had been linked to the main server, resulting in fewer instances of crashing and disabling operations.

Coughing up a lot for cracked mobile screens? may be an insurance can help
Mamtha.A@timesgroup.com

Chennai:20.11.2019

Frequent physical damages and rising cost of smartphone repairs — sometimes equal to cost a brand new phone — is driving more phone buyers to insure them. Insurers see a 50%-60% rise in policies sold covering mobile phones. Mobile insurance policies range between ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 for high-end phones.

“We have seen about 50%- 60% higher sales on mobile phone insurance compared to last year. About, 60%-70% of claims were requested against cracked screen, as the demand matches the customer’s concern,” Vivek Chaturvedi, head of marketing and direct (online) sales, Digit Insurance, said. Digit Insurance has seen loss claim ratio at 75% for its mobile insurance product.

A 26-year-old, Aparna Vijay, purchased an insurance for her iPhone. “I have finally bought a 12-month mobile insurance cover for my iPhone at ₹1,300, which is much cheaper than the five screen guards at ₹4,500 (₹900 each), which were replaced last year. Why use a phone case or a screen guard ruin that very experience.”

Unlike internal damages like software failure which are covered under protection plans offered directly by mobile phone companies, eligibility criteria for external damages to be covered under insurance policies differ from player to player. Online mobile insurer, Acko General Insurance’s Ashwin Ramaswamy, head of strategic partnerships, said, over 70% of claims are settled within 48 hours of the application submission. “We charge premium between the range of ₹149 and ₹2,999 (from low to high-end phones) on buyers. Screen damage is by far the single largest damage issue that we have received,” he added, which has a partnership with Amazon to sell mobile insurance policies, alongside phones. In the case of a phone loss due to theft, insurance companies entertain claims only with the First Information Report (FIR), without which the claim is rejected.

Likewise, any defects caused while repairing or cleaning the device is not eligible for a claim.

There are exceptional cases when insurers reject a claim as the damage to phone is caused by a friend or a relative. Chaturvedi, said, “In such case, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) linked covers will be helpful. Whether you use the phone or your family or friend does, this mobile insurance policy will be valid for all, as it is linked to the IMEI of the phone and not the user.”


DAMAGE CONTROL

Falling interest rates hit pensioners
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:20.11.2019

Pensioners have been hit hard by the trend of falling interest rates in the country. A study conducted by the country’s largest lender the State Bank of India estimated that pensioners have lost an average ₹5,845 annually due to the falling interest rate regime.

Taking the argument forward, it said considering that there are more than 4 crore pensioners, who have average term deposits of ₹3.34 lakh per account, the net impact on private final consumption expenditure — a barometer for consumption — due to low interest income is estimated at 0.3%.

The annual interest income at the rate of 8.5% in 2015 worked out to ₹28,390 and the present interest income at the rate of 6.75% was estimated at ₹22,545, which shows a loss of ₹5,845 annually.

The economy is passing through a low interest rate regime with RBI cutting rates for five consecutive times to boost growth. Inflation has also remained benign and low for a sustained period, hurting the real monthly returns of pensioners. RBI has reduced its key policy rate by 135 basis points from 6.5% at the beginning of the year to 5.15%. Deposit rates during the same period have come down by an average of 1% for most banks.

The SBI study backed the idea of according full tax rebate on the Senior Citizens Savings scheme (SCSS). Under this scheme a senior citizen can depoit ₹15 lakh and the current interest rate is 8.6%. “However, the interest on SCSS is fully taxable which is a major drawback ( the interest amount of ₹1 lakh deposit for 5 years is around ₹51,000, which is taxable),” the report said.

Jio joins Airtel & Voda with plan to raise tariffs

Youngest Telco Says Move Needed For Fresh Tech

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:20.11.2019

Reliance Jio, the country’s largest telecom operator, said on Tuesday it plans to raise tariffs, adding that the move is necessary to make fresh network and technology investments and factor in any regulatory interventions.

Its rivals Vodafone Idea and Airtel on Monday announced their decisions to increase tariffs from next month. When it happens, it will be the first significant tariff increase by the new telecom operator, which had disrupted the financials of the mobile industry through its aggressive plans after launching services in September 2016. “As per media reports, we understand that Trai is likely to initiate a consultation process for revision of telecom tariffs. Like other operators, we will also work with the government and comply with the regulatory regime to strengthen the industry to benefit Indian consumers and take measures, including appropriate increase in tariffs in next few weeks in a manner that does not adversely impact data consumption or growth in digital adoption and sustains investments,” the company said in a statement.

The company said it plans to compete with rivals on the basis of quality and service in the marketplace.

“Jio will always keep the customer at the centre of everything and ensure that the customer continues to benefit the most.” The company said it will work aggressively on shifting 2G customers to a 4G eco-system so that data-driven benefits can be accessed by all. “…there are still over 40 crore Indian consumers who have not benefited from the advent of the latest technologies. We believe that the ambitious objectives of the ‘Digital India’ mission can be achieved only if India is made “2Gmukt” in the shortest timeframe possible… This requires continued investment at an industry level. Vodafone Idea and Airtel had said that they will increase tariffs in view of their unprecedented losses and heavy government dues and mounting debt.

Vodafone Idea and Airtel, which had reported record losses in July-September, said increase in tariffs will help them “remain viable”, while giving them elbow room to invest for network and technology expansion.

Voda, Airtel lose 50L users in Sep

New Delhi:Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel lost nearly 50 lakh users in September this year, while rival Reliance Jio added almost 70 lakh users, according to data from sectoral regulator TRAI. Total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA and LTE) increased to over 117 crore. Bharti Airtel lost nearly 24 lakh users in September to take its user base to 32.6 crore. Similarly, Vodafone Idea lost almost 26 lakh users to take its user base to 37.2 crore. Jio had 35.5 crore. AGENCIES

AIIMS RISHIKESH TELLS ITS FACULTY

‘Sign leave application only in Hindi’

Dehradun:20.11.2019

Rishikesh-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has issued an order making it mandatory for all its faculty members to sign their leave applications in Hindi. The order, a copy of which has gone viral on social media, says that not just the applicant but also the forwarding authority should sign in Hindi

otherwise the leave application will not be accepted.

Talking to TOI, Dean Academics, Manoj Gupta said that the idea behind the order was to promote Hindi language. “We are simply trying to promote Hindi language as per the guidelines of the Centre. The leave application and other forms are in English and the applicant can fill those in any language, but only signature in Hindi is mandatory,” Gupta added. TNN

Notification Dr. NTRUHS 20.11.2019

MTC asked to pay ₹13L relief to injured cyclist

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
20.11.2019

A Chennai accident claims tribunal has directed Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) to pay ₹13.29lakh as compensation to a passenger who suffered injuries due to the rash and negligent driving by a bus driver.

According to the petition by M Meenakshi (40) of Salladaiyanpet, her bicycle was knocked down by a rashly driven MTC bus near Perumbakkam Main Road, in 2016. The woman was a vegetable vendor and as a result of the accident, she suffered 70% disability.

In response, MTC submitted that the cyclist was riding the vehicle in an unsafe manner and that the driver gave way for her, but she skid and fell near the left bumper of the bus and sustained injuries.

MTC said that contributory negligence had to be fixed on the woman.

After examining the submissions and documentary evidence, the tribunal noted that the accident happened only due to the rash and negligent driving by MTC bus driver. The tribunal also assessed the disability certificate from the regional medical board, which held the woman’s functional disability at 70%. She had suffered brain injury too.

After computing her loss of income, medical expenses and other factors, the tribunal held that the woman was eligible for a compensation of ₹13.29lakh. The tribunal directed MTC to deposit the amount within two months.

Sugar cardholders can change to rice: Govt

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.11.2019

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced a special week-long drive for 10.19 lakh family card holders who had opted for sugar in the public distribution system (PDS) to change their cards to avail of all commodities, including rice. The move would entitle a family to get 5kg of rice per person (including a child) per month free of cost.

The average monthly off-take of rice in PDS is 3.13 lakh metric tonne. “Majority of those with sugar cards have demanded that the cards be changed to get rice and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has issued an order to that effect,” food minister C Kamaraj said.

All that the sugar cardholders will have to do is to submit applications with the Xerox copies from November 19 to 26. This can be done through www.tnpds.gov.in or block supply officials and assistant commissioners of the civil supplies department in the region.

The minister said the government would take speedy action to consider the applications and change the cards for rice.

All cardholders now get 500gmsper head a month subject to a maximum of 2kg a month. In the case of sugar cardholders, they are entitled to get 500gm per head a month plus an additional 3kg of sugar subject to a maximum of 5kg a month. The PDS outlets collect ₹13.5 a kg for Antyodaya Anna Yojana cards and ₹25 for all other cards.

NEWS DIGEST

NEET case: HC grants interim relief to student

Directing a student to cooperate with the inquiry in connection with the NEET impersonation case, the Madras high court has granted interim relief to him by asking the authorities not to arrest him till November 28. V Ravikumar and his son, residents of Chennai, filed two separate petitions before the high court seeking anticipatory bail as a case was registered against them in connection with NEET impersonation. Ravikumar said his son had cleared NEET and the allegation of impersonation in the exam arose due to mismatch of photograph in the hall ticket. When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, Justice G R Swaminathan inquired as to whether the student was involved in impersonation. However, the student said he himself had appeared for the examination.

DVAC books Tamil Univ ex-VC for graft: The Department of Vigilance and Anti Corruption has booked the former vice-chancellor and former registrar of Tamil University in Thanjavur and two others for malpractices and irregularities in the appointment of faculty and non-teaching staff at the institution during their tenure. Dr G Baskaran, former vicechancellor, S Muthukumar, former registrar, G Sakthisaravanan, personal assistant to the former VC, and N Baskaran, former director of distance education, Tamil University, were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Photo of abandoned girl released: The Trichy district administration on Tuesday released the photo of a four-month-old girl found abandoned on a bathing ghat at Mannachanallur in Trichy on July 19. Locals rescued the infant and Childline volunteers admitted her in the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. After basic treatment, the baby was kept in the hospital. She was named Prathiksha. The baby was later handed over to Saranalayam, an adoption centre in Coimbatore with a temporary custody order by the child welfare committee of Trichy.

Two trucks gutted in fire at Tasmac godown: Two trucks parked outside a Tasmac godown at Thuvakudi in Trichy were gutted on Tuesday. Security guards on duty at the godown found one of the trucks on fire around 6am. The fire spread to the other vehicle parked nearby. On being alerted, fire and rescue services personnel from the Navalpattu station rushed to the spot. A fire tender was deployed. One more team of firemen from BHEL also joined the operation. The teams extinguished the fire in 40 minutes, but by then both the vehicles were gutted. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the trucks were parked at the godown around 11pm on Monday to load liquor for supply in neighbouring districts.

Teacher suspended for corporal punishment: A mathematics teacher in Alangariyur panchayat union middle school in Erode district was on Tuesday suspended for resorting to corporal punishment. Selvaraj S of Bhavani beat 12 Class VII girls after they allegedly failed to complete homework given by him, A Eesan, a villager said. Soon, the district school education authorities and police reached the school. After inquiry, Bhavani district education officer K Palani suspended Selvaraj.

Changes to flight timings, gates to be notified faster

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.11.2019

With the new boarding gate management system in place, passengers at Chennai airport will no longer have to rush from one boarding gate to another at the last minute as it will provide real time details on changes in flight timings, boarding gates and others on the flight information display screens at the terminals.

So far, the system was used only in Bengaluru airport. This is the first time the system is introduced at an Airports Authority of India (AAI) airport. There are plans to introduce it at all AAI airports in the future after it is tried out in Chennai.

Airport director S Sreekumar said airline staff will be able to update changes at the boarding gate itself and need not call up Airports Operation Control Centre (AOCC) every time they want to make a change.

“This was causing a delay in updating the information. The new system will also reduce the number of calls to the control centre thereby reducing the workload of staff,” he added.

As the changes will be fed into the system by the airline staff and airport staff immediately, all agencies involved in flight operations will be able to view the updates.

At most times, staff know about the changes in flight schedule and boarding gates well in advance but there’s a delay in communicating it to the passengers, leading to confusion and passengers are pushed to rush from one gate to another at the last minute as the announcement is made only when it gets closer to the boarding time.

Boarding gates are assigned to aircrafts almost an hour or two before departure so that it will reflect on the boarding pass. But because of constraints in the apron area and delay in arrival of flights, sometimes an incoming aircraft gets assigned to another gate.

This happens quite often because domestic carriers use the same aircraft to fly to multiple destinations and there will be delays in Chennai when there is air congestion at another airport.

“AOCC used to get hundreds of such calls with requests to update the changes. This was increasing the workload. The new system will help conserve manpower, space and machinery at the control centre,” he added.

Check-in counters and boarding gates have already been designed for use by any airline. The airport is also looking at e-boarding by which passengers can scan a barcode on their phones and walk in. This will be introduced in the new integrated terminal for passengers who register in DiGi Yatra system.

The new boarding gate management system at Chennai airport will provide real time details on changes in flight timings, boarding gates and otherss on the flight information display screens at the terminals

‘6 med colleges to be set up as per int’l norms’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.11.2019

Minister for health and family welfare C Vijayabaskar on Tuesday said the six medical colleges coming up in different parts of the state would be established as per international standards. On the sidelines of an event in the city, the minister told reporters that steps were being taken to prepare blueprints for the upcoming medical colleges in Dindigul, Namakkal, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, the Nilgiris and Tiruppur districts.

Govt buses caught fleecing public, charge ₹10 to₹40 extra per ticket

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:20.11.2019

Fleecing customers is not a practice seen only among private buses or autorickshaws. Government buses too have joined the party as RTI replies reveal that more than 40 government buses collected between ₹10 and ₹40 extra per ticket from every passenger they have catered to since 2018.

These buses, which were to be operated as ordinary services, were run as express services that charge 1.2 to 1.5 times more than ordinary ones. A handful of cases are booked for the sake of it, but more than 500 violations can be identified across the state every day, activists said.

Any bus operator, be it the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) or private operators, is to collect fares as approved by the regional transport (district collectors) or state authorities based on permits issued, trip length, timing and type of service. Rules mandate all operators to exhibit a table with these fares in buses. But, many choose to give this rule the slip and collect excess fare.

In light of this issue, transportation activist Kathirmathiyon conducted a sample survey along 42 routes in west TN. He filed a series of RTI petitions seeking the approved fare tables and travelled in these buses to find out how much a ticket really costs. “Besides operating ordinary as express services, TNSTC Coimbatore has added stops illegally and has submitted wrong details about trip length while applying for permits,” he said.

Similar violations by TNSTC Villupuram were identified by activists in Chennai. While the approved fare for travel between Poonamalle and Tiruvallur is ₹31 per ticket for 29km, conductors collected ₹35.

“Instead of levying fines, regional transport offices should either suspend conductors’ licences or bus permits. The transport commissioner has written about this to his subordinates at least five times in the last two years, but there hasn’t been one suspension,” Kathirmathiyon said.

An official from TNSTC Coimbatore said, “No excess fare was collected even in special buses operated during Diwali. Express services are operated only when the length of the trip exceeds 80km. We operate 214 express and 1,028 ordinary services.”

Govt vows to follow 8-hour duty rule for PG docs at hospitals

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.11.2019

The system of eight hours of duty on shifts will be strictly adhered to for post-graduate medical students in government medical college hospitals, but depending on exigencies, they would have to work beyond hours considering the nobility of the profession, the government informed the Madras high court on Tuesday.

M Indumathi, deputy director of medical education, also assured the court that a proper and effective mechanism should be put in place on the compliance of a communication dated July 9, 2015, in connection with the duty hours of PG medical students.

Recording the submission, a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee observed that when a considerable amount of public money is spent to make such persons doctors, we should also preserve them to serve the society.

The issue pertains to a plea moved by doctor G R Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors Association for Social Equality, seeking to implement 8-hour duty for PG students instead of the present 24/7 duty. When the plea came up for hearing, the petitioner submitted that despite the communication dated July 9, 2015, the eight-hour duty time is hardly implemented, and PG students are compelled to work round the clock even without a weekly holiday.

“The notification was issued as a result of continuous agitations and representations made by the medical students’ community as well as social welfare organisations and doctors. The failure on the part of the directorate of medical education to implement the guidelines is causing serious consequences in the life of the post graduate and UG CRRI students,” the petitioner said.

Non-implementation of the notification is in total violation of the basic human rights of the students, he added.

'நீட்' ஆள்மாறாட்ட வழக்கு டாக்டர் ஜாமின் மனு தள்ளுபடி

Added : நவ 19, 2019 01:10

மதுரை:'நீட்' தேர்வு ஆள் மாறாட்ட வழக்கில், சென்னை டாக்டர் வெங்கடேசனின் ஜாமின் மனுவை, உயர் நீதிமன்ற மதுரைக் கிளை தள்ளுபடி செய்தது.

சென்னை, தண்டையார் பேட்டையைச் சேர்ந்தவர், வெங்கடேசன். சென்னை ஸ்டான்லி அரசு மருத்துவமனை டாக்டர். இவரது மகன் உதித் சூர்யா.'நீட்' தேர்வு ஆள்மாறாட்ட புகாரில், இருவரையும், தேனி, சி.பி.சி.ஐ.டி., போலீசார் கைது செய்தனர். உதித் சூர்யாவிற்கு, அக்., 17ல் உயர் நீதிமன்றக் கிளை, நிபந்தனை ஜாமின் வழங்கியது. அவரது தந்தையின் ஜாமின் மனுவை தள்ளுபடி செய்தது.வெங்கடேசன், 'செப்., 25ல் கைது செய்யப்பட்டேன். எனக்கு சிறுநீர் தொற்று, சிறுநீரக கல் அடைப்பு பிரச்னை உள்ளது. 'மதுரை மத்திய சிறை மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெறுகிறேன். முறையாக சிகிச்சை பெற வேண்டியுள்ளது. ஜாமின் அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும்' என, மீண்டும் மனு செய்தார். நீதிபதி, ஜி.ஆர்.சுவாமிநாதன் நேற்று விசாரித்தார்.அரசு தரப்பில், 'முக்கிய குற்றவாளியை கைது செய்யவில்லை. விசாரணை துவக்க நிலையில் உள்ளது. ஜாமின் அனுமதிக்கக் கூடாது' என தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது. மனுதாரர் தரப்பில் வாபஸ் பெற்றதால், நீதிபதி மனுவை தள்ளுபடி செய்தார்.

கலெக்டர் வைத்த 'டெஸ்ட்'; தாசில்தார்கள் 'பெயில்'

Updated : நவ 19, 2019 06:44 |


ராமநாதபுரம்: 'ஆதரவற்ற விதவைச் சான்றுக்கான விதிகள் என்ன' என ராமநாதபுரம் கலெக்டர் வீரராகவ ராவ் திடீர் தேர்வு நடத்தினார். இதில் தாசில்தார், துணை தாசில்தார்கள் தோல்வி அடைந்தனர்.

கலெக்டர் அலுவலகத்தில் நேற்று நடந்த குறைதீர் கூட்டத்தில் பரமக்குடியை சேர்ந்த பெண் ஒருவர், 'ஆதரவற்ற விதவைச் சான்று பெற தாலுகா அலுவலகத்தில் மனு கொடுத்தேன். தகுதியில்லை என கூறிவிட்டனர். சான்று வழங்க வேண்டும்' என மனு அளித்தார். தாசில்தாரை அழைத்த கலெக்டர் வீரராகவ ராவ், அந்த சான்றுக்கான விதிகள் குறித்து கேட்டார். அதற்கு தாசில்தார், 'ஆண்டுக்கு ரூ.72 ஆயிரம் வருமானம் இருக்க வேண்டும். சொத்து இருக்க கூடாது' என்றார். மற்றொரு தாசில்தாரிடம் கேட்டதற்கு, அவர் வேறு விதிகளை கூறினார்.

இதையடுத்து, 'சான்று பெற என்ன விதிகள் என எழுதி உங்கள் பெயரையும் எழுதிக் கொடுங்கள்' என தாசில்தார், துணை தாசில்தார்களுக்கு உத்தரவிட்டார். பத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் எழுதிக் கொடுத்தனர்.

அதை படித்த கலெக்டர், 'நீங்கள் எழுதியது அனைத்தும் தவறு. 2006 அரசாணையின் படி மாத வருமானம் ரூ.4000க்குள், ஆண்டு வருமானம் ரூ.48 ஆயிரத்திற்குள் இருக்கலாம். மறுமணம் செய்திருக்க கூடாது. இந்த இரண்டு தகுதியும் இருந்தால் சான்று வழங்கலாம். சொந்த வீடு இருந்தலோ, வாடகைக்கு விட்டிருந்தாலோ மாத வருமானம் ரூ.4000க்குள் இருந்தால் அவர்களுக்கும் வழங்கலாம். அரசாணையை நன்றாக புரிந்து கொள்ளுங்கள். இது தெரியாமல் விண்ணப்பத்தை நிராகரிப்பது அநீதி' என்றார்.

Nursing the gender bias: Meet Stanly Jones, male nurse at Ayanavram Railway hopsital
For over two decades, Stanly Jones, chief nursing superintendent at Southern Railway Headquarters 

Hospital, has been trailblazing his way up the social ladder

Published: 19th November 2019 06:30 AM 

Stanly ranked first in south India in the Christian Medical Association of India for Nursing Exam in 1987  P Jawahar
By Vaishali Vijaykumar

Express News Service

CHENNAI: It’s 5.30 pm on a mundane Thursday. The Intensive Care Unit at Southern Railway Headquarters Hospital in Ayanavram smells of medicines. The patient monitor is beeping incessantly. Stanly Jones, chief nursing superintendent from the department, is busy round-the-clock, attending to patients and taking notes of their progress to show the concerned doctors. He’s on an evening shift for the week. Stanly takes some time off his schedule to talk to CE about being a male nurse and challenges in climbing the career and social ladder.

The he-man label

“Are you surprised by the number of male nurses in the ward? It has improved. We talk about sexism in all professions but nursing. When I joined this hospital, there were only two of us and now 60 out of the 250 functioning nurse staff are male. The initial days were a struggle. I was asked to collect a blood sample from a patient and she refused to identify me as a nurse. Only after calling up the management, she believed. We’ve gone past that stage of feeling unwelcome,” says Stanly, dressed in a crisp white pant and shirt. A maroon apron has to be worn while performing duties inside the ICU.

Stanly grew up in a time when nursing was considered strictly a female-dominated profession. After schooling, in 1984, he went on to pursue a three-year diploma in nursing at Scudder Memorial Hospital and School of Nursing in Ranipet. He worked at Scudder Memorial Hospital for two years and later moved to BM Birla Heart Research Centre, Kolkata, where he worked for three years in the cardiology department. At the age of 24, he assisted a cardiomyoplasty surgery that happened for the first time in South Asia at Kolkata Birla Hospital in the 90s.

Despite getting a better pay, he moved to Southern Railway Headquarters Hospital in Ayanavaram in 1992 due to family commitments. He has completed 27 years of service and still continues to work there. “I wanted to become a doctor but I couldn’t. My mother suggested I take up this profession since a few of my cousins were in this field already. I feel blessed about the decision and there’s no looking back. Until 1984, only three colleges and hospitals took in male nurses.

From 1989, missions and private hospitals started accepting male nurses. Several nursing institutes have come up in recent times. Men are seeing it as a lucrative career option and that’s a step forward,” shares Stanly who ranked first in south India in the Christian Medical Association of India for Nursing Exam in 1987.

Make way for men

Although the nurturing aspects of nursing may be seen as traditionally feminine, Stanly has seen the perception change. Male nurses excel in areas like an emergency ward, ICU and operation theatre duty.

“The profession expanded after men came into it. Now there are men pursuing midwifery courses while that was not the case a decade ago... we were even restricted inside the obstetric department,” says the 52-year-old, who is the first from Tamil Nadu to win the 2015 Florence Nightingale Award instituted by Tamil Nadu Nursing Midwife Council.

Caring without expectations
Keeping gender barriers aside, the larger picture of the nursing profession still seems to be unorganised and under-appreciated. Poor salary, short-staffed, bonds and agreements, and occupational hazards. Multiple issues seem to plague the profession.

“It’s usually the nurse who is more prone to get affected when there’s a disease outbreak. The shift timings are exhausting and pressure-filled Private hospitals tend to keep the original documents and certificates to themselves and hold nurses on a contract basis. As a result of which it becomes difficult to switch workplaces. Nobody addresses the stress nurses go through daily. We too experience fatigue because of the monotony of the job and deteriorating condition of patients. They’re held accountable for any situation at the hospital,” says Stanly.

Work is worship

Nursing is often known as a noble, and selfless profession in the health sector. Stanly respects his duties, the responsibilities that come along with it, and the satisfaction of saving lives.“Patients remember us and express their gratitude after treatment. We enjoy the privilege of being addressed as a brother or sister and thereby becoming a part of their families. If we’re open to learning from fellow mates without seeing seniority then the profession can grow leaps. Men need to be given a chance to prove their calibre. It’s a nurse who opens the eyes of a newborn and also closes the eyes of the dead. We need to recognise their efforts,” shares Stanly with pride and hope.

Marked absent for being 10 min late, bus driver attempts suicide

A government bus driver created flutter in Tambaram depot by attempting suicide, on Monday.

Published: 19th November 2019 06:35 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A government bus driver created flutter in Tambaram depot by attempting suicide, on Monday. The driver Harimuthu, sources said, was not allowed on duty by his branch manager as he reported late to work. An argument broke out between the duo, after which the manager marked the driver absent in the records.

Infuriated, Harimuthu went and bought some petrol in a plastic bottle, poured it over himself, and threatened to commit suicide. He was stopped from doing so by his colleagues. When contacted, a TNSTC senior official said the branch manager had lodged a complaint against the driver.”There was mistake on the branch manager’s part. An inquiry will be held,” the official said.

Will Agra be renamed?

Panel to examine if city had ‘old name’

19/11/2019, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,AGRA (U.P.)

An Uttar Pradesh department has set in motion an exercise to examine if this city was known by any other name in ancient times, triggering speculation that the Yogi Adityanath government is planning to rename Agra.

Agra’s Bhim Rao Ambedkar University has now constituted a committee to go into the issue, following a letter from the local administration, Vice-Chancellor Arvind Dixit said on Monday.

According to him, some Agra residents posted a demand to rename Agra on the State government’s Stamp and Registration Department website. This was then referred to Agra administration, which in turn approached the university.

In State capital Lucknow, there was no official confirmation on any such move. However, in the recent past, Allahabad has been renamed Prayagraj and Faizabad district is now called Ayodhya.

‘DMK will not exist after civic polls’

19/11/2019, STAFF REPORTER,TIRUPPUR

The DMK will not exist after the upcoming local body polls, Minister for Animal Husbandry Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan said on Monday.

Addressing mediapersons during an event for distributing welfare assistance in Uthukuli, he claimed that the schemes introduced by the AIADMK government will ensure its victory in the local body elections. “We have implemented many schemes for the people and we shall ask for votes based on the schemes,” he said.

Regarding actor Rajinikanth’s comments targeting Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Chief Minister had been effectively implementing welfare schemes for the benefit of the people.

Mr. Radhakrishnan distributed welfare assistance worth ₹73.77 lakh.