In-charge appointments on rise in BDU as nepotism takes over merit

TNN | Feb 14, 2020, 04.36 AM IST

Trichy: To speed up the evaluation of PhD thesis and award degrees without delay, Bharathidasan University started a separate directorate of research in 2018. A director in-charge was appointed after separating research section from the controller of examination.
Head of chemistry department S Muthusamy was appointed as director in-charge, but the move didn’t seem to have served the purpose, said members of the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA) who have threatened to go on an indefinite protest seeking appointment of a full-time director for research section a few days ago. Delay has indeed become the order of the day, they said in the absence of a full-time director.

This is one example of how the ‘in-charge syndrome’ has gripped Bharathidasan University as 12 of the statutory and non-statutory posts including that of the controller or examination and director of distance education have been filled with in-charge officers.

What’s worse, such posts are being rewarded to those who do not have the required qualification, which is against the BDU Act. For instance, when controller of examination (CoE) K Duraiarasan left the office a few weeks ago, S Srinivasa Ragavan, librarian in-charge, BDU, has been made the CoE. Srinivasa Ragavan was one among the candidates for the post of director, Centre for Distance Education (CDE), for which none was found suitable.

Not possible to fully enforce hand hygiene at GRH: Dean

TNN | Feb 14, 2020, 04.49 AM IST

Madurai: Government healthcare centres in the city including primary health centres, community health centres (CHC) and Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) actively started enforcing hand hygiene only after the novel coronavirus (nCoV) breakout across the globe, said health officials and staff on Thursday.

However, officials at GRH have said they are not able to completely enforce hand hygiene owing to the huge patient footfall and attenders. Despite round-the-clock cleaning by sanitation workers, many spots in the hospital are still unclean.

“We are trying our best to keep the wards and corridors clean and the situation has improved much now compared to few years ago. We are also trying to restrict the number of attenders as well to prevent spread of infection but it is difficult because we always face opposition to it,” said GRH dean Dr J Sangumani.

The dean also said that it was not practical to strictly enforce hand hygiene in a tertiary healthcare centre. “Currently we are strictly keeping hand sanitizers and hand washing solutions outside ICUs and infection-prone wards, enforcing hand hygiene for attenders. However, we can’t keep it for public use in the campus or for outpatients because many tend to misuse it,” said Dr Sangumani.

The best way to prevent the spread of nCoV or any viral infection, as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is practising hand and cough hygiene. “We always used to create awareness about hand hygiene and try to enforce it at all healthcare centres. However, it wasn’t strict enough before and some used to be a little careless. But, after nCoV breakout, though there has been no case in Tamil Nadu, the onus fell on hand hygiene,” said a city health official.

Health centres in the city have kept hand washing solutions or hand sanitizers for public use and healthcare workers are also actively educating patients and attenders about hand hygiene, including the recommended six-step reverse hand washing method, cough hygiene and nCoV.

“We are also keeping surgical spirit at the entrance of our CHC and are asking all those who visit to sanitize their hands when they leave,” said a medical officer at Sellur CHC.

Hope death warrant against convicts is issued on Feb 17: Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi

ANI | Feb 13, 2020, 07.47 PM IST

NEW DELHI: After a Delhi court adjourned for February 17 the hearing on the plea of the state and Nirbhaya's parents seeking issuance of the death warrant, her mother Asha Devi on Thursday hoped that the death warrant would be issued against the four convicts on February 17.

"I have full faith in the Supreme Court. I am hoping that the death warrant is expected to be issued on Monday (February 17). One day, all the four convicts will be hanged," Asha Devi told media in Delhi.

A Delhi court adjourned the hearing as a petition challenging the rejection of the mercy plea of convict Vinay Kumar Sharma is pending before the Supreme Court.

The lawyers of the victim's parents have objected to adjourning the matter for February 17, and have asked for hearing the matter on February 15.

The Patiala House Court observed that Article 21 of the Constitution protects the life and liberty of the convicts till the last breath of life.

Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court reserved the order on the issue of rejection of mercy petition of Vinay Kumar Sharma, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case.

A bench of Justice R Banumathi heard the case and the order has been reserved for Friday at 2pm.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Delhi government, said that convict Vinay Sharma was not kept in solitary confinement as it was argued by convict's lawyer AP Singh in the Supreme Court.

The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. She died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.

One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

Delhi: Hanging of four Nirbhaya convicts gets entangled in procedural maze

TNN | Feb 14, 2020, 04.36 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Nearly three years after the Supreme Court sent the Nirbhaya case convicts to the gallows, the noose seems to have got entangled in a procedural maze with lawyers filing petition after petition in various courts since a Delhi trial court fixed January 22 as the date for the convicts’ hanging.

On Thursday, a bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna found themselves dealing with two petitions related to the case. One was filed by the Union government seeking separate hanging of the four convicts — Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Thakur — as and when their mercy petitions were dismissed by the President. The other was a petition by Sharma challenging the President’s rejection of his mercy plea.

The SC reserved its verdict on Sharma’s petition and said it would pronounce judgment on Friday, when it will also hear the counsel for all four death-row convicts on the Centre’s plea for their hangings to be separated. So, no one knows when the death row convicts will be deemed to have exhausted their legal remedies and a finality reached about the date when they will be hanged.

After the SC rejected review and curative petitions of the four convicts, Gupta had filed a plea in Delhi high court claiming to be a juvenile at the time of crime on December 16, 2012. The high court dismissed his plea. His appeal was rejected by Supreme Court as well. Mercy petitions of other three — Singh, Sharma and Thakur — who invoked the President’s mercy powers for commutation of death penalty to life imprisonment, have also been turned down.

The Centre is challenging a Delhi HC order of February 5 declining the plea for the convicts to be hanged separately by de-linking those who have already exhausted all their remedies from those who have not. The HC had set a deadline of 7 days for the convicts to exhaust all options.

The bench will hear this petition on Friday and appointed senior advocate Anjana Prakash Sharma as amicus for Gupta, who was unrepresented. “Otherwise, tomorrow, they will come and seek adjournment saying he is not represented. That appears to be the tactic,” the bench noted.

The SC is aware of the delaying tactics, but can do little except hear the petitions filed through advocates A P Singh and Vrinda Grover as these were within the convicts’ rights. Once the seven-day period granted by the HC got over, Sharma filed a petition in the SC challenging rejection of his mercy plea by the President.

Among many grounds, his counsel claimed the convict suffered from mental illness and was hence unfit for execution, he suffered constant physical torture in jail, there was complete lack of application of mind to various factors by the Union and Delhi governments in recommending to the President to reject his mercy plea and that the President adopted a pick and choose policy to reject his plea when many such pleas were pending with him.

Sharma’s counsel kept repeating his arguments for two hours, leaving Justices Banumathi, Bhushan and Bopanna at the brink of exasperation. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta took just 15 minutes to show the files of the Union home ministry and the Delhi government to point out that each and every aspect and fact narrated in the mercy petition were carefully scrutinised and considered, including Sharma’s family background and economic condition.

He said the Union home minister recommended rejection of the mercy petition saying the case fell in the rarest of the rare category and the crime was a “dastardly and unpardonable act” that shocked the conscience of the nation.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

HC refuses to give quietus to DVAC probe against Rajenthra Bhalaji

14/02/2020

They also wanted to know whether the investigating officer was right in deciding unilaterally that the Minister need not be prosecuted because only less than 10% of his assets were found to be disproportionate to his known sources of income in the preliminary inquiry.

They wondered whether it was for the police or the court concerned to apply the benefit of a 1977 Supreme Court verdict, which provides for a permissible variation of less than 10%.

‘No hard and fast rule’

In reply, Mr. Subramanian said there was no hard and fast rule that all preliminary inquiries should be completed within a short span of time and should not be elaborate. “Though the nomenclature is ‘preliminary inquiry,’ depending upon the nature of a complaint the inquiry could be detailed too. There’s no straitjacket formula. In this case, the inquiry had to be done in detail because the court was seeking status reports periodically.

“What was initially thought of as a preliminary inquiry became a detailed inquiry because of the sequence this case took with this court seeking status reports. Your Lordships had gone through the reports and also gave guidelines. The preliminary inquiry as directed by this court was completed and a report was submitted to the Vigilance Commissioner and it went up to the government. Therefore, now the case should be given a quietus,” he argued.

‘No bias’

Claiming that there was no deliberate attempt on the part of DVAC to convert a preliminary inquiry into a detailed inquiry, the senior counsel said voluminous documents and materials that had to be gone through for a very long check period of 22 years had led to the preliminary inquiry turning out to be a detailed inquiry. “There was absolutely no bias. IPS officers had conducted the preliminary inquiry and submitted a report to Vigilance Commissioner,” he pointed out.

HC imposes cost on petitioner

14/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

In an unusual petition filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday, a petitioner sought a direction to the Centre and the State to waive educational loans to the tune of ₹55,000 crore all over the country.

Annoyed over the frivolous petition, a Division Bench of Justices M. Duraiswamy and T. Ravindran imposed a cost of ₹ 10,000 on the petitioner. The court observed that the petitioner had wasted the time of the court and dismissed the petition.

The petitioner, A.M. Sundaravel of Tirunelveli, said that he had read various media reports on many multi-national, national and private corporate companies having failed to repay loans. Banks were only strict in recovering loans that were obtained for educational purposes, the petitioner said.

During the course of the hearing, the court questioned the petitioner as to how he had filed the public interest litigation petition seeking such a prayer.

The court asked him to pay the cost imposed to the credit of the Chief Justice Relief Fund.

Ironically, in his petition, Mr. Sundaravel said that should the court find the PIL petition to be frivolous, wasted the time of the court or vexatious and in the event of imposition of cost by the court, he was ready to pay the cost.

No helmet? sorry, no entry into Commissioner’s office

Office of the CoP shows the way in stricter enforcement of helmet rule

14/02/2020, S. SUNDAR,MADURAI

In a move aimed towards stricter enforcement of helmet rule, Office of Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, has been made out of bounds for those coming on two-wheeler without wearing a helmet.

In case of police personnel and DPO staff coming to the CPO without wearing a helmet, the registration number of those vehicles would be noted down and challan for violation of traffic rules would be sent to them.

Madurai City has been teeming with thousands of two-wheelers and they account for most of the road accidents ending up in fatalities. Out of the 193 fatal accidents reported in the city last year, 103 were involving two-wheeler riders. “Had they worn helmets, the fatalities could have come down significantly,” Commissioner of Police S. Davidson Devasirvatham said.

“We have stepped up the enforcement of traffic rules. The number of cases booked has gone up by over 340% this year. The violators are being imposed fines and we also recommend to the Regional Transport Office for suspension/cancellation of driving licence,” the Commissioner said.

However, the general perception among the road users is that the enforcers in many cases were violators of road rules.

When Mr. Davidson found a police personnel entering the CPO on a motorbike without a helmet on Thursday, he instructed the police personnel manning the main gate to note down the registration numbers of such police personnel. “I have asked our officers to send challans to those violators to put an end to such a practice,” he added.

Similarly, those from the general public who come to the CPO for various reasons would not be permitted into the CPO premises if the two-wheeler riders did not wear a helmet. “We have not allowed any motorbike with the rider not wearing the helmet inside our office today and this will continue. Some of them parked the vehicles outside and walked into the office,” a police constable said.

Govt. notifies medical devices as drugs

14/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,NEW DELHI

The Union Health Ministry notified medical devices used on humans as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act with effect from April 1, and released the Medical Devices Amendment Rules, 2020, for mandatory registration of such devices. The notification will make companies accountable for quality, said an official. However, Rajiv Nath, Coordinator of Association of Indian Medical Device Industry, said small manufacturers making low-risk equipment would find it tough to comply with the new rules.

SC reserves judgment on plea by Nirbhaya case convict
Have filed an RTI request, says Vinay’s lawyer

14/02/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a plea by the Nirbhaya case convict, Vinay Sharma, against the rejection of his mercy petition.

Sharma’s lawyer, A. P. Singh, argued that the rejection of the mercy plea amounted to a gross miscarriage of justice. The file sent to the President did not have the signatures of the Home Minister and the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi. Mr. Singh said he had filed an RTI request, to which Justice Ashok Bhushan replied that the court’s jurisdiction while hearing a challenge against the President’s rejection is limited.

“You cannot argue here like how you are arguing a first appeal,” he observed.

Governor’s signature not necessary for my release, Nalini tells High Court

14/02/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

S. Nalini, 52, one of the seven convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has contended before the Madras High Court that the signature of the Governor was not mandatory for releasing them and that the advice given by the council of Ministers to him on September 9, 2018, was sufficient to let them out of prison.

Arguing her habeas corpus petition before Justices R. Subbiah and R. Pongiappan, petitioner’s counsel M. Radhakrishnan recalled that a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the famous Maru Ramu’s case (1980) had held that consent of the Governor was just a “constitutional courtesy” and nothing more.

Further, referring to the Supreme Court’s recent insistence that the Governor could not sit over mercy pleas for long and that a decision must be taken within a reasonable time, counsel argued that Nalini’s detention since September 10, 2018, should be considered illegal. The judges directed State Public Prosecutor A. Natarajan to get instructions from the Home Department by February 18 on points canvassed by the petitioner’s counsel and make submissions on the plea that her detention after September 9, 2018, should necessarily be considered as illegal.

Governor launches hybrid cath lab

14/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday launched a Flex Arm Hybrid Cath Lab Operating Room at Kauvery Hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, he pointed out that one out of four deaths was because of cardiovascular diseases. The high prevalence of heart diseases among the youth was more alarming, he said.

The Governor laid emphasis on lifestyle modifications such as switching to healthier food and living a stress-free life, which go a long way in preventing heart diseases.

He added that the Tamil Nadu Urban Healthcare Project would focus on providing advanced treatment for non-communicable diseases.

Government Employees Want State To Clear Backlog Of Promises

14.02.2020

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Despite the government implementing the 7th Pay Commission recommendations which benefited more than 18 lakh government employees, the state’s directly paid workforce wants more. Various associations of the government employees are looking forward to some of their still pending demands being fulfilled in the last full Budget of this AIADMK government, set to be presented by deputy chief minister and finance minister O Panneerselvam on Friday.

The government decided to implement the pay commission recommendations in October 2017, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016. The additional burden due to the increase in salaries of all government employees and teachers among others came to nearly ₹15,000 crore annually and this led to increase in revenue and fiscal deficit of the state.

“Despite implementing the pay commission recommendations, we are yet to receive the arrears due from 2016. Around ₹150 crore or a little more is what is needed, but the government is yet to release the amount,” said A Selvam, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association.

Lakhs of government employees and teachers went on an indefinite strike demanding fulfillment of a charter of demands in January 2019. The strike lasted a few days and was withdrawn after government threatened action against striking employees.

“The charter of demands includes release of arrears and withdrawal of new pension scheme. But even as we withdrew the strike, action was taken against 5,000 employees, including teachers, under Section 17D of The Tami Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules. Action under this rule means, the employees will not get any retirement benefit. We have been asking the government to withdraw the action against the employees, but the government is stubborn,” said Selvam. More than 1,500 employees and teachers were transferred to other districts and they continue to suffer.

Another demand of the employees is withdrawal of the new pension scheme. “Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had announced in the assembly about setting up a committee under former IAS officer T S Sridhar. Despite the committee submitting the report, the government has not implemented recommendations,” said an employee at the secretariat.

Another grouse of employees is chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is not willing to meet associations’ of government employees. “After the strike, we have been trying to get an appointment with the chief minister to explain the demands, but he is not ready to meet us. We were able to meet some ministers who could only assure us that our demands will be taken up with the CM,” said Selvam.

The association says there are several employees including noon meal workers and rural librarians who have completed 35 years of service. But, they still don’t get any retirement benefit except ₹2,000 pension. “There are several demands of government employees. But, with the present financial situation of the state, it is not possible to implement all the demands. It will take time,” said a senior secretary, not willing to be named.

Email your feedback with name and address to southpole.toi@timesgroup.com

MORE THE MERRIER

Tamil Nadu to add 150 MBBS seats in 2 state-run colleges

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.02.2020

Tamil Nadu will add at least 150 more MBBS seats in two state-run medical colleges during admissions set to begin in June, the directorate of medical education said on Thursday.

In addition, the state has issued no objection certificates for starting three medical colleges in and around Chennai. If all these colleges start functioning, the state will have 600 additional seats in the coming academic year. The state has got permission to increase 50 seats in Kanyakumari Medical College and Hospital from 100 and is awaiting the Centre’s nod to increase 100 more seats in Coimbatore Medical and College Hospital.

“The aim is to slowly increase seats in all tertiary care hospitals to 250. This is happening even as we are increasing the number of medical colleges in the state,” said director of medical education(in-charge) Dr R Narayanababu.

The state has given NoCs to Priyadarshini Medical College, Barath Medical College and Panimalar Medical College. If decks are cleared, each of these colleges will have 150 seats. This year, the state has added 159 PG seats, the counselling for which will begin in a few days. With this, the total number of PG seats has gone up from 1758 to 1917.

Beside basic PG degrees such as general medicine and general surgery, the state is adding more seats in super speciality courses such as cardiology, nephrology and gasteroenterology.

The real bonanza, however, will come in 2021when the state plans to start admissions for 1,650 seats in 11new medical colleges. Health minister C Vijayabaskar said the construction of these colleges will begin soon. Inspections will be scheduled by September. It will not just be UG seats, the state has applied for 375 additional PG seats – 100 of which will be exclusively for emergency medicine.

More morning flights from Chennai

With Better Airside Capacity, More Airlines Will Park Flights Overnight

Ayyappan.V@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.02.2020

There could be more early morning flights from the city airport as SpiceJet is looking at increasing the number of planes that will be parked at the airport to fly early morning schedules.

Ajay Singh, chairman, SpiceJet, said that the airline has asked for more parking slots as there was scope for fleet expansion in the south and to small towns.

"We have asked for six parking bays at Chennai. The airport is also expanding the airside capacity. The routes will be decided later," he added. “Airside” capacity is the number of landings and takeoffs an airport can accommodate in an hour. Spicejet currently has 16 aircraft parked overnight at the airport.

The airport now has 46 domestic flights in the 4am to 8.30am window. IndiGo has the maximum number of planes parked overnight and operates around 26 flights in that window, while SpiceJet operates 11 flights in the same window.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is also expanding its airside capacity by adding more parking bays, rapid exit taxiways, straightening of taxiways connecting runways so that more planes can be operated.

"The idea to allow airlines to park planes at night is to have more early morning flights. The planes will be used to fly multiple sectors before they return at night for parking. This means the airport will get more morning flights and also a few more evening flights. Once the airside capacity augmentation work is over, we can encourage airlines to build a base here,” said an AAI official.

If airlines park more planes overnight at the airport, including small 70-seater ATR types, there will be more flights to smaller cities too. The airport already has morning flights to Ahmedabad, Siliguri, Pune, Surat and Tuticorin in addition to flights to metros. Sources said that parking slots used by Jet Airways is being allotted to other airlines to increase their flight frequency.

Several airlines find operating flights to smaller towns economically feasible as officials consider these routes as untapped market. "It is feasible to fly to small towns. We are one of the first airlines to bid for regional routes when the government offered Udan routes. There is a bright future for aviation as only 3% people of India fly," said Ajay Singh

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Take it easy, shrinks, schools tell students in grip of exam fever

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.02.2020

A 17-year-old class topper, unable to cope with the pressure of preparing for board exams and NEET, broke down at a psychologist’s clinic recently. With the exam season around the corner, students and parents are feeling the heat. Dizzying expectations and hours of preparation are resulting in anxiety-ridden youngsters landing at the doors of psychologists.

Clinical neuropsychologist B S Virudhagirinathan said many students with exam-related anxiety are seeking help. “A student came with a complaint that she goes blank in the exam hall. During assessment, we found that her memory was getting affected due to high anxiety.” The reason, he says, is parents pushing children too hard. “Many parents are not allowing their children to relax during exam preparation. It is important that they take breaks and relax by listening to music or playing,” he says.

Realising the need calm nerves, schools have begun to advise children on best methods to prepare for exams.

Principal of Velammal Vidyalaya Shyamala Subbu said their school has brought in experts from outside who taught students a few simple techniques for exam preparation and exercises to relax. The school also told students to have a good night’s sleep and not refer to many books at the last minute. “We advised them to stay away from gadgets while preparing for exams and to take healthy food,” she said. Another school has asked students to avoid junk food and have healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, juices and lots of water while preparing for the exams.

Radhika Unni, principal of SBOA School and Junior College, said parents and teachers should be available to boost the youngsters and allay their fears.

“Some students start preparations early and some might do it at the last minute. Parents need to give them positive feedback and at the same time ensure they get enough rest during preparations,” she said.

The Tamil Nadu health helpline 104 has launched a pre-exam counselling service.

Chemistry not must for BE & BTech

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.02.2020

In an effort to attract more students towards engineering, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has removed chemistry from the mandatory list of subjects for admission to BE, BTech courses.

Hitherto, physics, chemistry and mathematics were must for joining engineering courses.

In its approval process handbook for 2020-21, the council has allowed students who have completed higher secondary with physics and maths along with optional subjects of biology, biotechnology, computer science, information technology, agriculture, engineering graphics and business studies to take up engineering.

Chemistry is one of foundation courses for engineering degrees, say profs

The decision has received flak from professors and academicians who feared that the quality of engineers may go down as chemistry knowledge is must for most engineering streams. Professors argued that along with maths and physics, chemistry is one of the foundation courses for engineering degrees. “Without knowing composition of cement or composition of soil one cannot become a civil engineer. Likewise, chemistry knowledge is needed in material science, mechanical engineering, mining, biotechnology, electrical engineering, textile engineering and chemical engineering. Chemistry is everywhere,” said professor Pandurangan, department of chemistry, Anna University.

Even computer science students need to know about composition of materials. “Chemistry is a basic requirement for engineering students as it touches all branches of engineering. It is not a sensible move by the AICTE as it could further bring down the quality of engineers,” said E Balagurusamy, former VC, Anna University.

“AICTE should not dilute engineering education as per the whims and fancies of private engineering colleges. In the previous year, it took a decision to relax faculty-students ratio from 1:15 to 1:20 and it has affected research and other activities in engineering colleges,” he said. Anna University VC M K Surappa the move was taken without consulting the universities. “AICTE should have consulted all the stakeholders including technical universities before taking the decision to change the eligibility criteria,” he said.

மானியமில்லாத சமையல் எரிவாயு உருளை விலை ரூ.147 உயா்வு

By DIN | Published on : 13th February 2020 05:42 AM

மானியமில்லாத சமையல் எரிவாயு உருளையின் (14.2 கிலோ) விலை புதன்கிழமை நாடு முழுவதும் ரூ. 149 வரை உயா்த்தப்பட்டது. சென்னையில் ரூ. 734-க்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வந்த எரிவாயு உருளையின் விலை ரூ.147 அதிகரித்து ரூ. 881-க்கு விற்பனையானது.

ஏழை, எளிய மற்றும் நடுத்தர மக்களின் நலனைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு மத்திய அரசு சமையல் எரிவாயு உருளைகளை மானிய விலையில் வழங்கி வருகிறது. அதன்படி, ஒரு குடும்பத்துக்கு ஆண்டுக்கு 12 எரிவாயு உருளைகள் மானிய விலையில் வழங்கப்படுவதுடன், அதன் மானியத் தொகை நுகா்வோரின் வங்கிக் கணக்கில் நேரடியாக செலுத்தப்படுகிறது.


எண்ணெய் நிறுவனங்கள் ஒவ்வொரு மாதமும் 1-ஆம் தேதி, வீட்டு உபயோகம் மற்றும் வணிக பயன்பாட்டுக்கான சமையல் எரிவாயு உருளையின் விலையை மாற்றி அமைத்து வருகின்றன. இது சா்வதேச அளவில் கச்சா எண்ணெய் விலையில் ஏற்படும் மாற்றத்தைப் பொருத்து இருக்கும்.

இந்நிலையில் இந்த மாதத்துக்கான வீட்டு பயன்பாட்டுக்கான சமையல் எரிவாயு உருளையின் விலை நிா்ணயம் குறித்து 1-ஆம் தேதி முதல் எந்த அறிவிப்பும் வெளியாகாத நிலையில், செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை நள்ளிரவு (பிப். 11) முதல் எரிவாயு உருளையின் (14 கிலோ) விலை ரூ.147 உயா்ந்துள்ளதாக அறிவிப்பு வெளியானது.

சா்வதேச சந்தையில் கச்சா எண்ணெயின் விலை, அமெரிக்க டாலருக்கு நிகரான இந்திய ரூபாயின் மதிப்பு ஆகியவற்றை கருத்தில் கொண்டு எரிவாயு உருளையின் விலை மாதா மாதம் நிா்ணயம் செய்யப்படுகிறது.

கடந்த ஆண்டு ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம் முதல் கொண்டு தொடா்ந்து 6-ஆவது முறையாக எரிவாயு உருளை விலை உயா்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. கடைசியாக ஜனவரி 1-ஆம் தேதி எரிவாயு உருளைக்கு ரூ. 19 உயா்த்தப்பட்டது. இந்நிலையில், மானியமில்லாத 14.2 கிலோ எடைகொண்ட எரிவாயு உருளை விலை நாடு முழுவதும் புதன்கிழமை (பிப். 12) ரூ. 149 வரை உயா்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதன்படி, சென்னையில் ரூ. 734-க்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வந்த மானியமில்லாத எரிவாயு உருளையின் விலை ரூ.147 அதிகரித்து ரூ. 881-க்கு விற்பனையாகிறது. தில்லியில் 714-க்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வந்த எரிவாயு உருளை ரூ. 144 உயா்த்தப்பட்டு ரூ. 858-க்கும், கொல்கத்தாவில் 747-க்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வந்த உருளை ரூ. 896-க்கும், மும்பையில் ரூ. 684-க்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வந்த உருளை ரூ. 145 உயா்த்தப்பட்டு ரூ. 829-க்கும் விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டது.

ஊடகங்களின் முன்னோடி!

By பொ. ஜெயச்சந்திரன் | 13.02.2020

வாய் ஓயாமல் எல்லோரிடமும் பேசி செய்திகளைச் சொல்லித் திரியும் இயல்புள்ள மனிதர்களை "ஆல் இண்டியா ரேடியோ' என அழைக்கும் கிண்டல் இன்னும் பல இடங்களில் ஒலிக்கிறது. அப்படிப்பட்ட வானொலியை நாம் நினைத்துப் பார்த்தால் நமக்குள் ஓர் இன்ப அதிர்ச்சி உண்டாகும்.

அமெரிக்காவிலுள்ள பிட்ஸ்பர்க் நகரில் 1920-ஆம் ஆண்டு முறையான வானொலி சேவை தொடங்கியது. இங்கிலாந்தில் 1922-இல் பிரிட்டிஷ் ஒலிபரப்பு நிறுவனம் என்ற அமைப்பு வானொலி நிலையத்தை அமைத்தது.

வானொலி வரலாற்றின் முதல் பக்கத்தில் இந்தியாவுக்கும் இடம் உண்டு. ஏனெனில், பம்பாயில் 1921-ஆம் ஆண்டு இந்திய அஞ்சல் - தந்தி துறையுடன் "டைம்ஸ் ஆப் இந்தியா' நிறுவனம் இணைந்து ஒலிபரப்பினை நிகழ்த்திக் காட்டியது. அன்றைய பம்பாய் மாகாண ஆளுநர் "சர்' ஜார்ஜ் லாயிடின் நேயர் விருப்பமாக சிறப்பு இசை நிகழ்ச்சி ஒன்று ஒலிபரப்பாக, அருகில் உள்ள புணேவிலிருந்து ஜார்ஜ் லாயிடு நிகழ்ச்சியைக் கேட்டு ரசித்தாராம்.
கல்கத்தா நகரில் நவம்பர் 1923-இல் "வங்க வானொலி மன்றம்' என்ற அமைப்பு சிறிய மார்க்கோனி ஒலிபரப்பியுடன் வானொலி சேவையைத் தொடங்கியது. வானொலி வரைபடத்தில் சென்னைக்கு இடம் கிடைத்த நாள் 1924-ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜூலை மாதம் 31-ஆம் தேதி. இந்தப் பணியினை முனைப்புடன் மேற்கொண்டவர் சி.வி.கிருஷ்ணசாமி செட்டி என்னும் வானொலி ஆர்வலர். சென்னை மாகாண வானொலி மன்றம் அவரின் முயற்சியால் தொடங்கப்பட்டது.

இந்த மன்றம் நிதி நெருக்கடியால் 1927-இல் செயலிழந்தது. அந்த அமைப்பிடமிருந்து ஒலிபரப்பு உரிமையைப் பெற்றுக் கொண்ட சென்னை மாநகராட்சி 1930-ஆம் ஆண்டு ஏப்ரல் 1-ஆம் தேதி முதல் வானொலி சேவையை மீண்டும் தொடங்கியது. தினம் மாலையில் இரண்டு மணி நேரம் வானொலி நிகழ்ச்சிகளை மக்கள் கேட்டு மகிழ, மெரினா கடற்கரை உள்பட 6 இடங்களில் ஒலிபெருக்கிகள் அமைக்கப்பட்டன. பள்ளி நாள்களில் மாலை நான்கு மணிக்குக் கல்வி ஒலிபரப்பு உண்டு. சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் இந்த சேவை 1938-ஆம் ஆண்டு வரை நீடித்தது.

அதே ஆண்டு ஜூன் 16-ஆம் நாள்"ஆல் இண்டியா ரேடியோ' சென்னையில் காலூன்றியது. மத்திய அலை - சிற்றலை ஒலிபரப்புகள் அன்று தொடங்கப்பட்டன.

1936-ஆம் ஆண்டு ஆங்கிலப் புத்தாண்டு தினத்தன்று தில்லி வானொலி நிலையம் தொடங்கியது. இந்தியா விடுதலை அடைந்தபோது தில்லி, பம்பாய், கல்கத்தா, சென்னை, திருச்சிராப்பள்ளி, லக்னௌ ஆகிய 6 இடங்களில் மட்டுமே வானொலி நிலையங்கள் இருந்தன. இந்திய நிலப்பரப்பில் 2.5 சதவீத பரப்பளவையும், மக்கள்தொகையில் 11 சதவீத அளவையும் மட்டுமே வானொலி ஒலிபரப்பு சென்றடைந்து கொண்டிருந்தது. விடுதலைக்குப் பிறகு ஏற்பட்ட வேகமான வளர்ச்சியால் இந்தியாவில் 2010-ஆம் ஆண்டு வரை 231வானொலி நிலையங்கள் செயல்பட்டன. வானொலி ஒலிபரப்பு 91.79 சதவீத நிலப்பரப்பையும், 99.14 சதவீத மக்களையும் சென்றடைந்தது.

ஆனால், இந்த 2020-ஆம் ஆண்டில் இந்தியாவில் 220-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வானொலி நிலையங்களில் 400-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட பண்பலைகள் உள்ளன. அதில் தமிழகத்தில் 11வானொலி நிலையங்களில் 11 பண்பலைகள் உள்ளன.
தமிழகத்தில் விடுதலைக்குப் பின்னர் திருநெல்வேலி (1963), கோயம்புத்தூர் (1966), நாகர்கோவில் (1984), மதுரை (1987), ஊட்டி (1994), தூத்துக்குடி (1994) என மேலும் 6 வானொலி நிலையங்கள் தொடங்கப்பட்டன.

வானொலி நிகழ்ச்சிகளை வெளியிடுவதற்காக 1938-ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜூன் 16-ஆம் தேதி "வானொலி' என்ற பத்திரிகை வெளிவரத் தொடங்கியது. ஆனால், அது பல ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு நிறுத்தப்பட்டு விட்டது. தில்லி வானொலி நிலையம் 1938, அக்டோபர் 16-ஆம் தேதி கிராம நிகழ்ச்சியினை ஒலிபரப்பவே, திருச்சி வானொலியிலும் விவசாய நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இடம்பெற்றன. எனினும், 1959-ஆம் ஆண்டு டிசம்பர் 17 முதல் முறையான வானொலி வேளாண்மை ஒலிபரப்பு திட்டமிட்ட வகையில் தொடங்கி நடைபெற்று வருகிறது.

ஒரு நாட்டின் எதிர்காலம் இளைஞர்கள் கையில் என்ற கருத்துக்கு ஏற்ப வானொலியில் தனியாக இளைஞர்கள் நிகழ்ச்சிக்கான அலைவரிசை 1969-ஆம் ஆண்டு தில்லியில் தொடங்கப்பட்டதை அடுத்து சென்னை வானொலியிலும் உடனே இளையபாரதம் என்ற ஒலிபரப்பைத் தொடங்கினர். இந்தியாவில் வானொலித் துறை 1990-களின் இறுதியில் தனியார்மயமாக்கப்பட்டது. எனினும் இரண்டாம் கட்டமாக பண்பலை வானொலிகளைத் தொடங்குவதற்கு உரிமம் வழங்கப்பட்ட பிறகுதான் இந்தத் துறையில் வளர்ச்சி ஏற்பட்டது.
தொடக்கத்தில் வானொலிகளின் மூலமாகவே வானொலி நிகழ்ச்சிகளைக் கேட்க முடியும் என்ற நிலை இருந்தது. ஆனால், செல்லிடப்பேசிகளில் பண்பலைகளைக் கேட்பதற்கான வசதிகள் ஏற்படுத்தப்பட்ட பிறகு, வானொலி சேவை அதிகரிக்கத் தொடங்கியது.

தமிழ் இலக்கிய உலகில் புகழ்பெற்ற பலர் வானொலியை அலங்கரித்தவர்களாக இருந்திருக்கிறார்கள். சாகித்ய அகாதெமி விருதாளர்களான தி.ஜானகிராமன், மீ.ப.சோமு, அகிலன் (இவர் ஞானபீட பரிசும் பெற்றவர்) அ.ச.ஞானசம்பந்தன், சு.சமுத்திரம் ஆகியோர் அவர்களுள் சிலர்.
வானொலியின் ஒலிக்களஞ்சியங்களைக் குறுந்தகடுகளாக்கி மக்களிடம் சேர்க்கும் திட்டத்தை இந்தியா முழுவதும் 2000-களில் வானொலி தொடங்கியது. அதன் ஓர் அம்சமாக 2005-இல் எம்.எஸ்.சுப்புலட்சுமியின் இசைக் குறுந்தகடு வெளியீடு, விற்பனை சென்னை மியூசிக் அகாதெமியில் நடைபெற்றது. டி.டி.கே. சாலை முழுவதும் நீண்ட வரிசையில் அவற்றைக் காசு கொடுத்து வாங்க மக்கள் காத்து நின்றனர்.

அதே போன்று 2006-ஆம் ஆண்டு காமராஜர் நினைவு அரங்கத்தில் நிகழ்ந்த எம்.எஸ்.விஸ்வநாதன் பங்கேற்ற நிகழ்ச்சிக்கு வந்த பெருந்திரள் கூட்டமும் குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. நவீன உலகில் தகவல் தொடர்பு சாதனங்கள், தொலைக்காட்சி, அறிதிறன் பேசி, ஐபேட், இண்டர்நெட் எனப் பல வழிகளில் தகவல் தொடர்பு அதிகரித்துவிட்ட போதிலும் வெகுஜன ஊடகத்தின் முன்னோடி வானொலிதான்.

(இன்று உலக வானொலி தினம்)

3 இடங்களில் 'ரெய்டு'

Added : பிப் 12, 2020 21:09

ஈரோடு: ஈரோடில், மூன்று இடங்களில் நேற்று, வருமான வரித்துறையினர் சோதனை நடத்தினர்.ஈரோடு, மூலப்பட்டறையில் உள்ளது,

ஆண்டவர் லேத் ஒர்க்ஸ். 'ஆயில் மில் மிஷினரி' தயாரிப்பாளர்களான, ஈரோடு கொல்லம்பாளையத்தைச் சேர்ந்த பாலசுப்பிரமணியம், சண்முகம் ஆகியோர், இதன் உரிமையாளர்களாக உள்ளனர்.இவர்களுக்கு, மூலப்பட்டறையில் மட்டுமின்றி அசோகபுரம், சோலாரிலும், லேத் ஒர்க்ஸ் உள்ளது.இந்நிலையில், நேற்று காலை, ஒரே நேரத்தில் மூன்று இடங்களிலும், வருமான வரித்துறை அலுவலர்கள் சோதனையில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.

பூர்வீக வீட்டை தானமாக வழங்கிய பாடகர் எஸ்.பி.பி.,

Added : பிப் 12, 2020 23:29

சென்னை: பின்னணி பாடகர் எஸ்.பி.பாலசுப்ரமணியம் தன் பூர்வீக வீட்டை காஞ்சி சங்கரமடத்திற்கு தானமாக வழங்கி உள்ளார்.

ஆந்திராவில் நெல்லுார் மாவட்டத்தில் பிறந்தவர் பின்னணி பாடகர் எஸ்.பி.பாலசுப்ரமணியம். இவர் பாடகராக மட்டுமல்லாமல் நடிகர் இசையமைப்பாளர் என பன்முகத்தன்மை கொண்டவர்.இவர் 50 ஆயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பாடல்களை 15க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மொழிகளில் பாடியுள்ளார்; 45 படங்களுக்கு மேல் இசை அமைத்துள்ளார். இவரது இசைப்பயணம் ஐந்து தலைமுறைகளை கடந்தது.

காஞ்சி காமகோடி பீடத்தின் தீவிர பக்தர். நெல்லுாரில் தன் சொந்த ஊரான திப்பராஜுவரி தெருவில் உள்ள தன் பூர்வீக வீட்டை சமஸ்கிருத வேத பாடசாலை அமைக்க காஞ்சி காமகோடி பீடாதிபதி விஜயேந்திரருக்கு வழங்கி உள்ளார். நெல்லுாரில் உள்ள விஜயேந்திரரை சந்தித்து வீட்டு மனை பத்திரத்தை எஸ்.பி.பாலசுப்ரமணியம் நேற்று முன்தினம் வழங்கினார்.

எதிரொலி கேட்டான்.. வானொலி படைத்தான்.

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Updated : பிப் 13, 2020 02:08 | Added : பிப் 12, 2020 23:24





- இன்று உலக வானொலி தினம் -

நவீன உலகில் 'இன்டர்நெட்', 'டிவி', அலைபேசி என பல சாதனங்கள் வந்துவிட்டன. முன்பு மக்களின் தகவல் தொடர்பு மற்றும் பொழுதுபோக்கு சாதனமாக விளங்கியது ரேடியோ (வானொலி). 2010ல் நடந்த யுனெஸ்கோ பொதுக்கூட்டத்தில், உலக வானொலி தினத்தை அறிவிக்க வேண்டும் என ஸ்பெயின் ரேடியோ அகாடமி வலியுறுத்தியது.

இதன்படி ஆண்டுதோறும் பிப்., 13 உலக வானொலி தினமாக கடைபிடிக்கப்படுகிறது. 'வானொலி பன்முகத்தன்மை' என்பது இந்தாண்டு மையக்கருத்து. பிரதமர் மோடி 2014, அக்., முதல் மாதந்தோறும் 'மனதின் குரல்' என்ற வானொலி நிகழ்ச்சி மூலம் மக்களிடம் உரையாற்றி வருகிறார்.

பரிணாமம்:

தகவலை மக்களிடம் விரைவாக கொண்டு சேர்ப்பதில் வானொலியின் பங்கு முக்கியமானது. 'ரேடியஸ்' என்ற லத்தீன் மொழியில் இருந்து ரேடியோ என மருவியுள்ளது. எதிரொலி அடிப்படையில் ஜேம்ஸ் கிளார்க் மாக்ஸ்வெல், மைக்கேல் பாரடே என இரு விஞ்ஞானிகள் மின்காந்த அலைகளை, ஒலி அலைகளாக மாற்றும் கருவியை கண்டறிந்தனர். இவர்களை பின்பற்றி ஹென்றிச் ஹெர்ட்ஸ் என்பவர் மின்காந்த அலைகளை, டிரான்ஸ்மீட்டராக மாற்றினார்.

பின் இத்தாலியின் குலீல்மோ மார்க்கோனி (1874- - 1937) வானொலியை கண்டுபிடித்தார். இவர் இயற்பியலுக்கான நோபல் பரிசு (1909) பெற்றவர். இன்று உலகில் ஒரு லட்சத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட வானொலி நிலையங்கள் உள்ளதாக தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. இன்றும் மக்களுக்கு பல தகவல்களை அளிக்கும் சாதனமாக வானொலியின் சேவை தொடர்கிறது.

13 students eat poisoned laddus accidentally, hospitalised

13/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,DHARMAPURI

Students of Begarahalli Government Higher Secondary School undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri.

Thirteen students of a government school who accidentally consumed sesame laddus laced with rat poison, meant to kill rodents, were rushed to Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri. The students are said to be out of danger.

The students, aged 17-18, of Begarahalli Government Higher Secondary School, were rushed to the nearest primary health centre, after they ate the laddus, brought by a fellow student to the school.

A student of Gejanayakkanahalli village, D. Palanichamy, reportedly brought the sesame laddus to school in a packet, and shared it among his classmates. It was later found that his father had laced the laddus with rat poison and set them aside to kill rodents at home. Unaware of this, the boy had brought them to school.

After eating the laddus, 13 boys, including Palanichamy, complained of giddiness, and a few others vomited and fainted. They were rushed to the nearest primary health centre. From there, the boys were taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri. Their condition is being monitored.

Medical negligence during childbirth: SHRC recommends ₹10 lakh compensation

Woman, infant died after nurse tried to manage delivery in the absence of doctor

13/02/2020,DENNIS S. JESUDASANCHENNAI

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Wednesday recommended the payment of ₹10 lakh as compensation to a man, whose wife died after a nurse attempted to administer the process of childbirth in the absence of a qualified gynaecologist at a Primary Health Centre. The newborn also died in the incident, which occurred in Erode district in December 2018.

SHRC acting chairperson D. Jayachandran recommended that a sum of ₹5 lakh be recovered from the respondent, Dr. S. Vijayalakshmi, an assistant surgeon who was attached to the PHC in Vijayamangalam at the time of the incident. The Commission also recommended disciplinary action against her.

According to the complainant, B. Raj of Perundurai taluk, his wife Kanchana had registered her pregnancy under the National Health Mission scheme at the Primary Health Centre in Vijayamangalam and underwent periodic check-ups during 2018. When she visited the PHC after developing labour pain on November 11 that year, the respondent informed her that she was ready for delivery.

However, when the patient visited the PHC again the same afternoon, she was told that the doctor had gone to Chennai, and that the nurse would have to administer the delivery. During an inquiry, it came to light that the nurse had called the respondent over the phone and had explained the complexity of the pregnancy to her, but the latter still did not return to the PHC.

The procedure was ill-administered by the nurse, leading to the patient being shifted to another PHC at Thingalur, which refused to provide treatment. The patient was eventually taken to the government hospital in Erode, where the doctors declared her and the infant dead.

The Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on the incident in December 2018 and had called for a report. The woman’s husband eventually submitted a complaint against the respondents in September last year

Directives to govt.

After considering the arguments from both sides, the SHRC recommended the payment of ₹10 lakh as compensation to the complainant. It also recommended disciplinary action against all four members of the Special Maternal Death Audit Committee, which met on December 23 last year.

Mr. Jayachandran asked the State government to strictly monitor the presence of doctors to provide delivery care on a 24x7 basis in all PHCs across the State. He further recommended that a duty chart in Tamil, with mobile numbers, be displayed in all PHCs, and that the authorities should make random calls and undertake surprise visits to PHCs.

“This Commission also recommends that the Government of Tamil Nadu shall take steps to improve the quality of all the Primary Health Centres like CEmONC (Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care) in a full-fledged manner and ensure the functioning of PHCs on a 24x7 basis,” the SHRC order stated.

Pregnancy can be terminated: Dean

13/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

The Dean of Government Sivaganga Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that the 24-week pregnancy of a woman with special needs could be terminated. In a counter affidavit, the Dean said a complete physical examination of the woman was done and she was fit for termination of pregnancy.

Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana posted the case for passing orders.

Earlier, the court had directed the Dean to constitute a committee of medical experts to see if the pregnancy could be terminated.

The woman was currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The mother of the woman with special needs had moved the High Court Bench seeking a direction to terminate the pregnancy of her daughter, who was sexually assaulted by their neighbour. The accused, Kasi, was arrested and remanded in judicial custody following a complaint filed by the mother.

‘No coronavirus patients in Sivaganga’

13/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,SIVAGANGA

Sivaganga Government Medical College Dean Rathinavel on Wednesday said there were no coronavirus patients in the district. In a statement issued here, he said 84 persons, who had been to various parts of China and returned home recently, were screened on arrival at airports by medical teams.

Death during delivery: HC reserves order

13/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved orders in the case pertaining to the death of a 22-year-old pregnant woman due to medical negligence. It was said that the woman was left unattended for hours at K. Pudur Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Madurai.

Taking cognisance of the submissions made in the case, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana reserved the orders. Only after the court’s intervention the death certificate of the woman was issued. The court was hearing the petition filed by S. Manimuthu, husband of the deceased woman, M. Sakthikali, who sought a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the medical negligence.

In his petition, Mr. Manimuthu said his wife was admitted to K. Pudur UPHC for her first delivery. The duty doctor had assured a normal delivery following a check-up and left the clinic. Within minutes, his wife experienced labour pain, he said. However, there was no one to attend to her for hours together, except a nurse. A commotion ensued at the UPHC as the staff were unable to deal with the situation, and there was a delay in referring his wife to Government Rajaji Hospital. Soon, she breathed her last, he said.

Victim’s mother sits on a protest outside court

13/02/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,NEW DELHI

Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi broke down at the Delhi court requesting a fresh date to execute the four death row convicts in the gang rape and murder case and sat on a protest outside the court premises. “I too have some rights,” she said after the court offered a lawyer to one of the four convicts, Pawan Gupta. After the hearing, Ms. Devi joined a protest led by women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana outside the Patiala House Courts premises.

“There is no appeal pending in any court in the country... I appeal to the Supreme Court to issue the death warrant as this court (trial) is in no mood to issue one,” she said.

A child cannot be put behind bars, rules SC

‘Police have no right to detain children’

13/02/2020, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court has made it clear that the police have no right to detain children in conflict with law in a lockup or a jail.

A juvenile in conflict with law, if apprehended, has to be placed immediately under the care of the special juvenile police unit or a designated child welfare officer. The child has to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

“Once a child is produced before a JJB, bail is the rule,” a Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose declared. If for some reason bail is not granted, a child cannot be put behind bars.

He has to be lodged either in an observation home or in a place of safety.

The law is meant to protect children and not detain them in jail or keep them in police custody, said the court.

The eight-page order on February 10 came after the court’s attention was drawn by the recent media reports about “children being detained in police custody and tortured in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh”. The order sends a significant message to the authorities in the light of reports about children detained in connection with the protests against the Citizenship (Amendments) Act.

The Bench has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and directed them to file their responses within three weeks.

Court offers lawyer to Nirbhaya convict

A condemned convict is entitled to legal aid: judge

13/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,NEW DELHI

Awaiting justice: Nirbhaya’s mother protesting outside the trial court in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI

A Delhi court on Wednesday offered Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, an advocate, noting that a condemned convict is entitled to legal aid.

Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana adjourned the hearing for Thursday and told Pawan, who has removed his lawyer, that he could choose from a list of empanelled advocates to represent him in the case.

Nirbhaya’s parents and the Delhi government had on Tuesday moved the court seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts, after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of a fresh date for the execution of these convicts.

The trial court had on January 31 stayed the execution of the four convicts — Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31).

Except Pawan, all convicts have exhausted their legal remedy to file a curative petition before the Supreme Court.

The President has also rejected the mercy pleas of Mukesh, Akshay and Vinay.

The four convicts have since been sentenced to death by a local court.

The order has been upheld by the High Court and the Supreme Court.

VIT’s Riviera 2020 gets under way

13/02/2020, T. MADHAVAN,VELLORE

Rohit Kumar and Sankar Viswanathan at the event in VIT. C. VENKATACHALAPATHYC. VENKATACHALAPATHY

Riviera 2020, the international cultural and sports fest of Vellore Institute of Technology, began with a scintillating music show, and cultural and sports events.

The four-day extravaganza, expected to witness over 40,000 participants from 300 educational institutions across the country and outside, kicked off with a 9.9 km marathon. It was flagged off at Katpadi by Sankar Viswanathan, VIT vice-president, and about 5,000 students took part.

Arjuna awardee for kabaddi, P. Ganesan, inaugurated the fest and said that students should grab the opportunities that VIT is providing through the fest. Asian Games gold medallist (rowing) Rohith Kumar inspired students with anecdotes.

“Not getting comfortable and complacent, to keep challenging oneself and moving forward — these are mantras one has to keep in mind to scale new heights in life,” he said.

While the Vaak Yuddh event saw intense debating sessions, Sahiti tested knowledge of films and Super Singer brought musical talent to the fore. In the evening, thousands of students were treated to music by singer Sid Sriram and his band.

NEET scam: sleuths seek UIDAI assistance to track down suspects

CB-CID shares photos, biometric data for verification with Aadhaar database

13/02/2020, S. VIJAY KUMAR ,CHENNAI

The Crime Branch-CID of the Tamil Nadu police has written to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), seeking its assistance to track down those suspected of having acted as proxies in the sensational NEET scam.

Investigators have shared the photographs and biometrics of at least a dozen suspects with the UIDAI authorities for verification with the national Aadhaar database.

The suspects, booked on the charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and impersonation, were hired as proxies by candidates from Tamil Nadu to write the test on their behalf in different centres across the country.

The scam first surfaced in the Theni Medical College in Tamil Nadu, where the first case of a candidate clearing NEET with the help of a proxy who took the test on his behalf in north India was exposed. After the case was transferred to the CB-CID, more such cases were detected, and the agency had arrested 15 persons, including seven medicos and six parents. An investigation is on to apprehend the proxies who were hired to write the examination for these candidates at centres in other States.

Since the proxies are suspected to be undergraduate or postgraduate medicos, the agency has written to the Board of Governors of the National Medical Commission, requesting that the photographs of the suspects be shared with all medical colleges in the country for identification.

“We have written to the Director-General of Health Services to verify data in deemed universities. The details of proxies have also been shared with the Directors of Medical Education (DME) of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Rajasthan for posting the photographs of suspects on the notice boards in all medical colleges,” Superintendent of Police C. Vijaya Kumar told The Hindu on Wednesday.

Social media

After Director-General of Police M.S. Jaffar Sait held a review meeting with senior officials on the progress made in the case, investigators decided to write to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, seeking their assistance in identifying the suspects. “Since a majority of youth, particularly students, are active on social media, it is possible to identify the suspects if their photographs are shared with the administrators of such platforms,” he said.

Mr. Vijaya Kumar said the photographs/fingerprints of the proxies will not match with any records maintained by the National or State Crime Records Bureaux since they were not habitual offenders. “It has been almost three months since we wrote to the Central and State health authorities. Special teams are closely coordinating with these officials, and a breakthrough is expected soon. The possibility of a similar scam in NEET in other parts of the country cannot be ruled out,” he said. The CB-CID, which is currently focusing on the NEET scam in MBBS admissions, will soon start probing allegations of similar irregularities in postgraduate admissions, sources in the agency said.

LPG consumers are a worried lot as backlog goes up to 10 days

IOC says with one lakh new cylinders arriving in a week, issue will be sorted out soon

13/02/2020, , DEEPA H. RAMAKRISHNAN,CHENNAI

Out of gas: The lack of supply of fresh stock of cylinders to the plants is the main reason for the delay. K. PichumaniK. Pichumani

Panic calls to cooking gas agencies have increased in the last couple of weeks with the consumers getting their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refill supplies after delays. The current backlog ranges between 5-10 days, which is much more than last month’s backlog of 4-8 days.

“The situation has been worsening since October last year; only consumers did not notice it. But between January and February, the delay has increased. While core city consumers are better off and get cylinders within 5-6 days, those on the outskirts get them in 10 days. In some rare cases, it even takes 15 days,” said a distributor, who did not want to be named.

Vatsala Kumar, a consumer, said she was worried about her refill supply. “I had waited for a week after the other cylinder got over to make the booking thinking that I would get the refill immediately since I needed to keep aside the required amount. Now I have an SMS saying four days to delivery. But it has been five days now. Hopefully, I will get it in a couple of days,” she said.

Oil industry sources said that the lack of supply of fresh stock of cylinders to the plants was the main reason for the delay. “The supplies have been stopped since October. Every month a certain number of cylinders have to get into the system so that older cylinders can be taken out for mandatory tests. Currently, a large portion of cylinders are being sent to consumers beyond the due date for such tests and they lead to leaks,” said a source in the know.

While admitting to backlog in supplies, official sources in Indian Oil Corporation said that it was limited to Chennai city and surroundings. “The rest of the State has not been affected. We are getting one lakh new cylinders in a week, which will ease the pressure. We are not compromising on safety aspects and are conducting the mandatory checks on bottles at the plant and also at the distributor point. We are also asking consumers to insist upon conducting pre-delivery checks before accepting the refills,” the official said.

On the complaint about commercial cylinders being given priority over production of domestic refills, the official denied it. “Our plants at Ennore, Chengalpattu and Athipattu supply LPG refills to Chennai area. Commercial cylinders bottling does not exceed 15 per cent,” he said.

MIOT Hospital celebrates 21st anniversary

13/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

MIOT International Hospital celebrated its 21st anniversary on Wednesday by honouring its staff and a few local doctors for service beyond the call of duty. The hospital, founded by orthopaedic surgeon P.V.A. Mohandas, with a staff strength of 3,500 people had served people despite the hostile atmosphere it faced, said Managing Director Prithvi Mohandas. The hospital reflected the spirit with which his father and orthopaedic surgeon P.V.A. Mohandas worked, Dr. Prithvi said.

His father had cycled 12 km to his hospital from home on the day of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran's death, when the entire city had shut down and there were riots.

Hospital Chairman Mallika Mohandas said the anniversary celebrations had reaffirmed her belief that they were on the right track. On the occasion two doctors from the hospital presented the treatment of two patients — an 18-year-old engineering student from Nagpur who fell from the fourth floor and suffered multiple fractures and a 10-year-old boy of Tuvalu Islands, who fell from a tree and became paraplegic.

Tuvalu’s Health Minister Isaiah Tappe said with the help of the hospital, Tuvalu was setting up a dialysis unit.

Fraudsters pose as genuine sellers online, dupe buyers
With no direct interaction with victims, they operate from far-off places like Delhi

13/02/2020, R. SIVARAMAN, CHENNAI

A businessman in Mandaveli was tempted by an advertisement for the sale of a used car on an online portal. According to the ad, the car was on sale for ₹1.8 lakh, way lower than its market price. The seller, claiming to be an army personnel, had posted that he was selling the car since he was moving to Delhi.

As soon as the buyer evinced interest to buy the car, the seller sent a picture of the car, without its registration number, RC book or insurance records, through WhatsApp. He asked the buyer to pay an advance through mobile wallet or link-based payments. The seller promptly sent a gate pass for the vehicle from an army camp, so that the buyer could drive it away. Convinced, the businessman transferred the entire amount and the seller vanished. His mobile phone was switched off.

Likewise, another victim from Porur was keen on buying a high-end bike and checked online. A seller, who claimed to be from the Central security services, had advertised a picture of a his bike for sale, quoting ₹50,000 on an online portal. The market price for the bike was over ₹ 1.5 lakh. As he was attracted by the offer and showed interest, the fraudster sent him vehicle details over WhatsApp, and asked him to send an advance through mobile wallet. The seller sent a fake receipt of a courier company, indicating that the product had been shipped. After collecting all the money from the buyer, he switched off his mobile phone and vanished.

These are not isolated cases. In the last two months, the Cyber Crime Unit of the Central Crime Branch has received more than 60 complaints of such frauds.

A senior police officer said, “We are receiving too many complaints from victims who lost their money to fraudsters who posed as genuine sellers on sites such as OLX, Quikr and others, by listing goods at very cheap prices.”

Similar pattern

Fraudsters usually pose as armed forces personnel or personnel from central security forces and post fake or stolen identity cards and documents relating to cars/ two-wheelers.

They share fake Aadhaar and other identification details and ask buyers to pay the initial advance, and then the entire amount.

Another senior officer said, “All communication is through WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. There is no face-to-face interaction between the buyer and the seller. Overenthusiastic buyers are not ready to verify the credentials of the sellers and get cheated quickly.”

Sometimes, sellers who post their products for sale too are cheated by fraudsters. On seeing an ad posted by a genuine seller, the fraudsters come forward to pay the quoted price. Then they get the sellers to share the OTP for money transfer under the pretext of mobile wallet transfer and swindle the entire money, the police said.

In most cases, the fraudsters operate from far-off places such as Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. “It is tough to crack these cases and trace the money trail, since all transactions are done through mobile wallets or the UPI mode. Online sale portal representatives also said that transactions were done outside the portal and so they had no control,” the police said.

Soon, data may be sent 1,000 times faster

13.02.2020

Data could be transmitted a thousand times faster than current internet cables after a breakthrough, scientists have said. The new research uses terahertz quantum cascade lasers that could send data around the world at speeds unimaginable using current technology. The study, was published in the journal Nature Communications this week.

The study saw researchers make a breakthrough in the control of terahertz quantum cascade lasers, which they say could be used to transmit data at a speed of 100 gigabits. Current ethernet connections work at 100 megabits a second, a thousand times less quick.

To be used to send to data, the lasers need to be switched off about 100 billion times every second. That requires precise control, and engineers have so far been unable to do it. Now researchers think they have found a way of controlling that very fast modulation, using sound and light.

“At the moment, the system for modulating a quantum cascade laser is electrically driven. But the electronics that delivers the modulation put a brake on the speed of the modulation. The mechanism we are developing relies instead on acoustic waves,” said John Cunningham, a professor of Nanoelectronics.

When an electron passes through the optical part of the laser, it travels through a host of “quantum wells” that throw out a pulse of light energy. An electron can emit a number of those photons, and that is controlled — using soundwaves to vibrate those quantum wells — in the new experiment. But, the research is not perfect yet. THE INDEPENDENT

THE SPEAKING TREE

Knowledge Is Often Mistaken For Wisdom

Jaya Row  13.02.2020

Knowledge is accumulation of facts and data. It is to be well informed. Wisdom is application of the information. It is transformational. Society esteems the wise for their virtuosity. Subject matter experts number in the thousands, but rare are the wise. You may know recipes but not know how to make a delicious meal.

We know we should exercise, eat healthy and be positive. How many are able to actually follow through and achieve it? Across time and throughout history many have been exposed to the spiritual dimension. But seldom has it been acted upon.

Instant gratification leads to long term misery while real happiness appears in the garb of pain. Anything that is in our long term interests is unpleasant in the beginning. But due to ignorance, we run after the rapture of the moment.

There are three stages of gaining wisdom – sravana, listening/ reading; manana, reflection; and nidhidhyasana, application. Sravana is the intake of knowledge. Having listened, we need to mull over it, contemplate on it, and look at it from different angles. Only then will the knowledge get integrated into our system. This is called manana. When knowledge is internalised we live it. Nidhidhyasana is meditation which leads to Realisation, the last step to gaining knowledge of Self.

In the Bhagwad Gita, Arjuna speaks words of wisdom but is unable to live them. Krishna bridges the knowing-doing gap in Chapter 7 by guided reflection. He presents knowledge from a fresh perspective and ignites original thinking.

Krishna begins with an analysis of the world and shows how Spirit permeates the universe. As humans, we have the choice of staying with the world or penetrating through to the Force. Pursue limited, myopic goals or rise above the obvious and seek the Eternal. The choice is ours. Krishna supports us in our chosen path and ensures we obtain what we strive for. All paths eventually lead to him. In the end, everyone seeks happiness, infinite bliss. Some look for it in the world, some through different religious practices.

Krishna respects all paths. In this lies the open-mindedness of the Indian tradition. Not only do we respect all faiths but we accept agnostics and atheists too in our fold.

The onus is on us to figure out the quickest and most effective path to the goal of total fulfilment. The ignorant, unaware of the higher, seek and obtain trivial, finite ends. A few visualise that which transcends the material plane – they belong to four categories. Some turn to God only to enhance their wealth. They believe that will bestow riches on them. The distressed, who meet with tragic circumstances and are agitated, seek solace. Others are curious and look for answers to questions. But the jnanis, the wise, excel. They see the futility of worldly pursuits and abide in the transcendental. They are not carried away by the glitter of transitory joys. They seek permanent happiness. They experience enlightenment.

The Spirit is hidden, unmanifest, shrouded by maya, illusion. We see the manifestations and get carried away by them. The deluded world does not know the Truth – the Unborn, the Imperishable – says Krishna. But the virtuous who have freed themselves from worldly enticements seek the Higher with determination.

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Hours after wedding, man disappears from dhaba, found hanging from tree
Pankul.Sharma@timesgroup.com

Bareilly:13.02.2020

A salesman at a petrol pump in Meerut fought his way to marry the girl of his choice in Bareilly. Both families bowed to the wishes of the lovebirds and they got married on Monday.

On his way home along with his bride and brother on Tuesday, he mysteriously disappeared from a roadside dhaba, where they had halted for refreshment, only to be found hanging from a tree two kilometres away. Police said Dushyant Giri, 22, committed suicide.

Station house officer (SHO) of Pakbada police station inspector Surendra Pal Singh told TOI, “When we were sending the body for an autopsy, Giri’s family members told us that they didn’t want any further action, including the postmortem. But, following the standard procedure, we sent the body to a mortuary for an autopsy. The evidence collected from the spot suggests that it was a case of suicide.”

A native of Kuandali village under Saidnagali police station limits in Amroha district, Dushyant tied the knot with his girlfriend Asha, 20, on Monday. On Tuesday, Dushyant was on his way home along with his bride, brother and two photographers in a car, when they halted at a roadside dhaba for refreshment in the afternoon, said police.

However, people accompanying the couple found Dushyant missing from the dhaba all of sudden. After his brother and others failed to trace him, they informed police and sent the bride back to her parent’s house in Bareilly.

During the search operation, police found Giri hanging from a tree in a field in Pakbada area, around two kilometres from the highway.

Full report on www.toi.in


WAS ON HIS WAY HOME:

Dushyant Giri with his bride Asha

Kejriwal likely to retain old cabinet, swearing-in ceremony on February16
New Delhi:13.02.2020

Arvind Kejriwal’s new cabinet is unlikely to have fresh faces as he is expected to retain all six incumbent ministers, top sources in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Wednesday.

Speculation was rife over inclusion of Oxford-educated Atishi and Rajiv Chadha, a prominent young face of the party, in the new cabinet.

However, sources told PTI that the AAP chief is unlikely to tinker with the existing combination and is set to retain all the incumbent ministers.

Kejriwal will take oath as chief minister of Delhi for a second straight five-year term at the Ramlila Ground on February 16.

At a press conference, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said all the cabinet ministers of the new government will take oath along with Kejriwal.

“The Aam Aadmi Party chief feels that retaining ministers in the outgoing dispensation, whose works have won the party a second term, is the best thing to do,” a source said.

Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, the other members in the outgoing cabinet are Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Imran Hussain and Kailash Gahlot.

Chadha and Atishi will have a bigger role in the party in the future and they might also be given charges of some government-run bodies, an AAP functionary said. PTI

SMILE OF SUCCESS: Delhi CM-designate Arvind Kejriwal along with Manish Sisodia during a meeting with newly elected party MLAs in New Delhi on Wednesday

Death row convict in Nirbhaya case entitled to legal aid: Court

New Delhi:13.02.2020

A Delhi court on Wednesday offered a counsel to Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, saying a condemned convict is entitled to legal aid till his last breath.

Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana expressed displeasure over delay from Pawan’s side who said he has removed his earlier lawyer and will need time to engage a new one. District legal services authority (DLSA) provided Pawan’s father with a list of its empanelled advocates to choose from.

Pawan has not yet filed a curative petition — the last and final legal remedy available to a person — which is decided in-chamber. He also has the option of filing a mercy plea.

Nirbhaya’s parents and the Delhi government had moved the court on Tuesday seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts.

The date of execution, first fixed for January 22 in Tihar jail, was postponed for 6am on February 1 by a January 17 court order. The trial court later, on January 31 stayed, “till further orders” the execution of the four convicts in the case, who are lodged in Tihar Jail.

The Tihar jail authorities had filed a status report on Tuesday before the trial court stating that no legal option was preferred by any convicts — Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Kumar Sharma, 26, and Akshay Kumar, 31— in last sevenday period granted by the Delhi high court. PTI

Govt: Only recommended early release of Rajiv convicts
Guv Deciding Authority, State Tells HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.02.2020

The state government on Wednesday clarified to the Madras high court that it has only recommended the release of all seven life convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case as it lacks power to order such release.

“The state cabinet has only made a recommendation to the governor. The governor has to take a decision. He cannot be questioned by the state for not acting on its recommendation,” public prosecutor A Natarajan said.

The prosecutor made the submission on a plea moved by Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts, seeking to declare her detention as illegal since the governor has failed to order her release based on the recommendation of the state cabinet dated September 9, 2018.

When the plea moved as a habeas corpus plea came up for hearing before a division bench of R Subbiah and R Pongiappan, the court directed the prosecutor to file the reply as an affidavit by February 18 as to whether Nalini’s imprisonment after the state’s recommendation for release would amount to illegal detention.

According to the petitioner, as per the Supreme Court judgment in Maru Rams case, the advice of the state government under Article 161 of the Constitution would be binding on the head of the state the governor. She contended that as the power under Article 161 (power of the governor to grant pardons and suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases) has already been exercised by the government of Tamil Nadu, the governor has no discretion but to act on the advice of the council of ministers. Since she has not been released as per the advice of the council of ministers, the continuous detention was illegal and violative of Article 14 and 21of the Constitution, she claimed.

Behind the bars for more than 27 years, Nalini is the longest serving woman prisoner in the country.

Purohit will take a good decision: Min

Opposition DMK, which during its tenure passed a resolution in the cabinet to punish all convicts barring Nalini in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, is not worthy enough to criticise the AIADMK dispensation which has been working for the release of the convicts, said state minister for law, prison and courts C Ve Shanmugam. Speaking to reporters at Villupuram on Wednesday, Shanmugam, citing the Supreme Court direction that the TN government may request governor Banwarilal Purohit regarding the premature release of the convicts, said, “We, the AIADMK government, believe that the governor will take a good decision regarding the release of Nalini, Sriharan, Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Ravichandran and Robert Payas.” TNN

Overnight hike in LPG price leads to chaos

Consumers Who Booked Cylinders Before Increase Asked To Pay Up

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.02.2020

An overnight hike in LPG prices has put several consumers who had booked their cylinders earlier in a fix as agencies have begun demanding that they pay the difference amount of ₹147 at the time of delivery. The consumers had paid the prehike amount of ₹734 online.

Price of a non-subsidised LPG cylinder weighing 14.2 kg in Chennai has increased by ₹147 to ₹881according to Indian Oil website. The price hike has been the steepest since January 2014 and consumers, especially those who have paid for the cylinders online, are having a hard time making the revised payments.

“When I booked an LPG cylinder yesterday, it was ₹759 and I paid the amount online. I also received a booking confirmation message on my mobile,” said Ganesan, a government employee. “But on Wednesday, the delivery boy asked me to pay ₹145 more since the price was hiked at midnight. Would they return the difference amount if the price had dropped,” he asked.

T Narendranath, a resident of Alwarpet, also booked a cylinder and paid online on Monday. But on Wednesday, when the delivery boy came to his house, he had to return because Narendranath and his family were away and their house help at home did not have money to pay the hiked rate. “We had paid the earlier price online so that when we return home we will have the cylinder. But now it seems like we have to go home and request the agency to deliver once again,” he said.

Narendranath also complained that when he went to re-book the cylinder online, he had to make a new payment. “They would neither adjust this with the old payment nor would we get back the money we paid online. The only option we have is to pay the difference in cash. The authorities should have thought through all this before making the announcement,” he said.

K Parthiban, who also paid for the cylinder online, complained about the steep hike. “People who earn well can afford to buy the cylinders but what about others? The caretakers of my house, who draw a monthly pay of ₹4000, are already worried about making ends meet,” he said.

An official from the oil industry said the steep price hike and increase in online payments by customers was the reason behind the confusion. “But customers only have to pay the amount mentioned on the printed bill and not a rupee more,” he said.

When I booked an LPG cylinder yesterday, it was ₹759 and I paid the amount online. I also received a booking confirmation message on my mobile. But on Wednesday, the delivery boy asked me to pay ₹145 more since the price was hiked at midnight. Would they return the difference amount if the price had dropped?

GANESAN

Chennai resident

Govt issues guidelines for appointment on compassionate grounds
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.02.2020

Following court directions, the government issued comprehensive guidelines for the legal heirs of government staff, eligible for consideration under compassionate grounds.

An order issued by chief secretary K Shanmugam said the legal heirs of government staff who died in harness, retired on medical invalidation (within age of 53), defence personnel killed/disabled in action and who died in harness were eligible for consideration. The legal heir or dependents of missing government servants may be considered when a competent court declared the missing government staff was dead in view of the provisions of Indian Evidence Act 1872. That apart, legal heirs of government staff who die under suspension and yet to reach the age of superannuation, and the dependents of the persons belonging to SC killed in communal clash, will also be considered.

The legal heirs of those staff, who are retained in service after the date of superannuation, under temporary appointment, consolidated pay, daily wage, contract appointment and whose services not regularised, those not coming under regular time scale of pay, are not eligible. The order said the legal heirs/close relatives of the deceased government staff are also eligible for compassionate. This included, son/unmarried daughter/wife/husband/legally adopted son/legally unmarried adopted daughter/widowed daughter/divorced daughter/deserted daughter. Father/mother and unmarried brothers and unmarried sisters of the unmarried deceased government staff also eligible.

Police set up spl team to fight fake news on social media
Residents Urged Not To Believe Rumours
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.02.2020

“Beware, don’t encourage people who approach your doorstep asking you to take a blood test for diabetes. They could be anti-social elements, belonging to a particular banned outfit roaming around to spread HIV.” – Tamil Nadu police. Such messages, purportedly from the law enforcers for effect, have been flooding social media platforms over the past few days and causing panic.

The city police have decided to act against such messages which are alarming and designed to disturb the public peace. A special team has been set up and will monitor and bust such fake news doing the rounds in social media. Police will also keep urging members of the public not to believe any rumours. “These fake messages don’t look like random rumours, but seem to be carefully composed. They look official enough to deceive people” said a police officer.

The subject could be about kidnappers on the prowl to take away children, about burglars set to strike at houses or about the safety of women. Recently, senior officers were surprised to see two messages with the logo of the state police asking the members of public to be wary of the child lifters, particularly in the northern parts of the state. Another one spoke about police providing exclusive cab services to women to ensure their safety. Both were found to be false. “We know these are fake messages, but still we conducted checks as the message appeared genuine,” said the officer.

The special team, comprising officers and staff from the social medisa monitoring wing, will check with personnel across various districts and after ensuring no such information had been passed will post the clarification message on the police’s social media accounts like Facebook and twitter. “Sometimes the messages are disturbing; some even land on our phones,” the officer said.

The team will monitor fake message and also probe the source of such messages. Once the culprit is found, he/she will be taken to task for spreading rumours.

“Our aim is to create awareness in the minds of the public and also to ensure they don’t get duped,” said police commissioner A K Vishwanathan.

AICTE: 50% seats vacant, no new engg colleges for 2 years

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:13.03.2020

The All India Council for Technical Education has put the brakes on engineering education. With a glut in BTech institutes across India, no fresh applications for setting up new institutes will be accepted till 2022. The decision draws upon the experience of the admission season of 2019-20 which saw every other seat in this technical stream remain vacant.

India is home to the second largest cohort of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates after China. But estimates show the country is the world’s capital in terms of engineering capacity. Put together, India has a total of 27 lakh seats in the undergraduate (14 lakh), diploma (11 lakh) and postgraduate

(1.8 lakh) space, but only 13 lakh students took admissions in 2019-20, with seven lakh of them joining undergraduate programmes. “In view of the large number of vacant seats in various programmes during the last few years and the likely future demand, the council shall not grant approval to new technical institutions at the diploma/ undergraduate/postgraduate level in engineering and technology,” stated the new AICTE handbook that defines the guidelines for the coming academic year.

ENGINEERING SPACE NEEDS RE-ENGINEERING

‘Ban on new BTech institutes should be reviewed after 2 years’

The council’s committee headed by IIT-Hyderabad chairman B V R Mohan Reddy suggested that the ban be reviewed after two years.

In 2019, merely six lakh graduates found jobs during campus placements, according to AICTE data. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 518 engineering colleges shut down.

Experts say the technical education sector needed a massive revamp. “The hopeless engineers and sluggishness in the industry are leading to a massive breakdown of technical education in India,” said G D Yadav, former vice-chancellor, Institute of Chemical Technology.

The National Perspective Plan also states that existing colleges asking for new programmes or for increase in student intake in engineering and technology will be turned down, barring those that are starting courses in emerging areas. The Reddy report stated if one looked at seats available versus students admitted, the number stood as low as 49.8%. “Creating any further capacity is a big drain on investments since, at the very basic level, it involves the creation of physical infrastructure like buildings and laboratory infrastructure. We recommend that we do not create any new capacity starting from the academic year 2020. The creation of new capacity can be reviewed every two years after that.”

When the sun of the new millennium rose, shining on the aspirations of a young India, it marked the golden age for professional education. In the early part of the previous decade, hundreds of new institutes came up and thousands of aspirants queued up to join them. That was a time when the country was bullish on education and India added tens of thousands of seats to its professional colleges every year. Two decades hence, the picture is one of stark contrast in technical professional colleges.