Phased lockdown exit will delay peak in TN by 4 mths, cut cases

Count Would Have Hit 3.5cr Sans Lockdown

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:6.5.2020

A staggered exit from the lockdown — with strict enforcement of social distancing — will help Tamil Nadu delay the peak by at least four months and pull down the number of cases by nearly half, says a study by researchers at the governmentrun Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.

The study said Tamil Nadu would have had at least 15,500 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday compared to the 4,058 cases it registered if the state had not introduced threephases of the lockdown, along with social distancing, mandatory use of masks and hand hygiene.

In a scenario without interventions, the reproductive number (R0) — or the number of people one person will infect — would have been 3.69. That is, every positive person would have infected more than 3 other people. The R0 now is 1.09.

The study has some interesting projections. Without a lockdown, the epidemic would peak in mid-July when there would be 3.5 crore cases at the same time, putting public health facilities under great stress.

A lockdown till the end of June, will delay the peak by four months to October when there would be 1.5 crore cases, which is less than half the non-lockdown peak. And though there would be more cases from mid-September with a lockdown than if there hadn’t been one, the epidemic would have been less devastating.

Overall, there will be far fewer cases with a lockdown and the incidence will also be spread out, with a much lower peak, giving public health authorities the time needed to cope. The lockdown, the study found, brought the R0 to 1.09.

Ideal medical solution to crisis is to extend lockdown: V-C Seshayyan

While the ideal medical solution to this problem will be to extend the lockdown till June, so we can keep the number of people infected at 1.3 lakh. We understand it may not be possible as it can cause huge socio-economic crisis,” said university vicechancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan, who had sent a note on the analysis to the state health department. In March, the state university was asked to study the effects of the lockdown to help the state formulate strategies based on scientific evidence. It submitted its findings to the state health department on Tuesday.

The lockdown, the study found, brought the R0 to 1.09. “Lifting of lockdown completely will push the R0 to 3.69 once again. This means we will see the number of cases increases once again. This study forecasts when that will happen,” she said.

For instance, if the state decides to exit the third phase of the lockdown on May 17, when researchers forecast 8,437 cases, TN will have 6.2 lakh cases by end of June. “Without the lockdown there could have been 85,718 cases on May 17. But if the state introduces a staggered exist preventing mass gatherings and ensuring stringent public health norms, it is likely to touch 6.2 lakh by June-end” said Dr N Srinivasan, a senior professor, who was also a part of the study.

Even in that case, the university estimates that the state should be able to handle the crisis. So far, 85% of the cases in the state are asymptomatic, while many of the remaining patients rarely report symptoms when they turn up at hospitals. Director of medical education Dr Narayanababu R said while 15% needed intensive monitoring due to age or comorbidities, less than 5% of patients needed interventions such as oxygen. The recovery rate has been nearly 50% and mortality is below 1.1%. “If we keep hospitalisations to the minimum, we should be able to treat most people successfully,” he said.

Fear of poor grades, lack of faculty make instts shy away from NAAC

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  05.05.2020

Possibility of poor grades is the reason behind non-participation of 22% of higher education institutions in the accreditation process of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) while 26% of institutions don’t apply as they lack permanent faculty and 5.5% for not having a permanent head of the institution.

These are some of the findings of the accreditation survey conducted by NAAC, under the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) in March. It said 72% of institutionsare currently in the process of improving their quality and resources to apply for NAAC accreditation.

The government rolled out the revised accreditation framework (RAF) in 2017, which came into effect in 2018 and has so far accredited 74 universities and1,485 colleges. According to HRD ministry sources, at present there are 600 unaccredited universities and 25,000 unaccredited colleges in the country.

Speaking to TOI, NAAC Director, Prof S C Sharma, said though the government has made accreditation mandatory, unless it is enforced it will take time for some institutions to come forward. “NAAC accreditation is a diagnostic tool. It helps institutions to understand themselves and improve. A total of 13,399 institutions have been accredited since its inception in 1994, including 1,559 under the RAF, 2017. A little bit of enforcement will act as a catalyst. The government had taken a good step by putting up State -Level Quality Assurance Cell (SLQAC). State-level incentive for accreditation will go a long way.”

On the importance of accreditation, he said it not only guides students in their decision on pursuance of higher education, “top universities abroad ask for the institute’s accreditation details”.

While launching RAF, NAAC had assured transparency and objectivity. NAAC has set the tone for digitised era of assessment and accreditation, wherein 70% weightage will be evaluated through ICT and 30% through peer team visits. Now it is planning to enhance its accreditation numbers to an average 2,500 HEIs in a year, from the existing 1,500. A big number of non-accredited colleges are government-run institutions or are in rural areas, which is now the thrust area for NAAC.

Less than 1% of the colleges managed the top grade of A++, while 66.4% of colleges were graded in between B++ and B. Among the universities, 6.5% were accorded A++ grade under the RAF, while 51.4% were graded between B++ and B grades.

“Under the RAF, grades are more objective and dataoriented unlike before. Earlier it was 100% peer team verification. It was not 100% objective .... If it is not mathematical, it becomes subjective. Now 70% is objective and 30% is subjective. If you don’t find the evidence as claimed by the institutions one cannot record it for assessment,” said Sharma.

“Now we want to adopt machine learning and artificial intelligence in accreditation to make things faster and take it to the next level. Also now NAAC’s mission is to handhold rural and government colleges,” he said.

The government rolled out the revised accreditation framework (RAF) in 2017 and has so far accredited 74 universities and 1,485 colleges. At present there are 600 unaccredited universities and 25,000 unaccredited colleges in the country

To Have A Name And To Express It In The Manner One Wishes Is A Part Of Right To Freedom Of Speech And Expression':

 Kerala HC [Read Judgment] 

Akshita Saxena

4 May 2020 12:02 PM 

"Name is an expression of one's individuality, one's identity and one's uniqueness. Name is the manner in which an individual expresses himself to the world at large. It is the foundation on which he moves around in a civil society. In a democracy, free expression of one's name in the manner he prefers is a facet of individual right." 

In a significant ruling, the Kerala High Court has held that expression of one's name in the manner one wishes is a Fundamental Right enshrined under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution. 

"To have a name and to express the same in the manner he wishes, is certainly a part of right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1) (a) as well as a part of the right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India," the High Court has held. 

The observation has been made by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, in a writ petition preferred by a young girl, seeking a direction to the CBSE to allow her application for change in name. 

Background 

In the backdrop, the State of Kerala had accepted the Petitioner's wish to change her name and effected a Gazette notification to that effect in 2017, pursuant to which change of name was carried out in the birth certificate, and other Government issued documents of the Petitioner. 

However, by the time the aforesaid processes were completed, the Petitioner had written her All India Secondary School Examination in 2018 and a certificate was issued to her by the CBSE in her former name, based on the records available with the school. 

Subsequently, her application for change in name, moved through the Principal of the School, was rejected by the CBSE, citing Rule 69.1 (i) of the Examination Bye Laws. 

The said provision stipulates that "Applications regarding changes in name or surnames of candidates will be considered, provided the changes have been admitted by the court of law and notified in the Government Gazette before the publication of the result of the candidate." 

Thus, stating that the application for change in name was made after publication of the result, the same could not be entertained. 

Findings 

The court observed that the State or its instrumentalities cannot stand in the way of use of any name preferred by an individual or for any change of name into one of his choice based on a "hyper-technicality" except to the extent prescribed under Article 19(2) or by a law which is just, fair and reasonable. 

"Subject to the limited grounds of control and regulation of fraudulent or criminal activities or other valid causes, a bonafide claim for change of name in the records maintained by the Authorities ought to be allowed without hesitation," it held. 

On the aspect of stipulations made under Rule 69.1 (i), the court said that the same contemplates two situations. First, where the change of name arises before publication of the result of the candidate and the second is where the Court directs. 

"The word "and" in the sentence 'Court of Law and notified in the Government Gazette before the publication of the results of the candidate' if used as a conjunctive does not make any sense. If the word "and" in the above referred sentence is used as a conjunctive it will convey a meaning that even after a Court of Law accepts a change of name, the same to attain validity, must be notified in the Government Gazette. That will be an absurdity," it observed while holding that only one of the two conditions have to be complied with before publication of result. 

It added, 

"There is no prescription under any law for the time being in force that once a Court of law accepts a name, the same to attain validity must be published in the Government Gazette. Admission by a Court of law as regards a change of name is undoubtedly an order in rem declaring to the world that the name of a person has been changed. Notification of change of name by publication in the Government Gazette is another method to convey to the world that there is a change of name. Both are different methods and not supplementary to each other." 

"Normally the word "and" is to be given its literal meaning as a conjunctive. However, if the use of the word "and" conjunctively, produces an unintelligible or absurd result, then the court has the power to read the word "and" as "or" or vice versa, so as to give effect to the intention of the framers of the rule." 

In the present case, the Gazette notification intimating the change in name of the Petitioner had been published in the year 2017, before the publication of the examination result by the CBSE in the year 2018. The court thus held that the condition prescribed under Rule 69.1 (i) had been complied with inasmuch as the Gazette notification was published, and thus the Board was obligated to allow the Petitioner's request. 

"In the instant case, it is evident that publication of change of name of the petitioner in the Government Gazette was on 12- 12-2017, as can be seen from Ext. P1 while publication of the result of the petitioner for her All India Secondary School Examination was on 29-5-2018. Thus, on account of the publication of change of name of the petitioner in the Government Gazette as per Ext. P1 having been carried out prior to publication of her results, CBSE was liable to correct the change of name in Ext.P4, immediately on receipt of application from the school," the court held. 

The court remarked that the Petitioner could not be deprived of her Fundamental Right to a name of her own choice based on a "hyper- technicality". 

It also took note of Rule 69.1 (ii) of the bylaws as per which application for correction of name of the candidate will be considered within 5 years of the date of declaration of results, provided the application is forwarded by the Head of the institution. 

In the present case the court said, "it can be seen from Ext. P6 that the Head of the institution had forwarded the application for change of name of the petitioner within a period of 16 months from the date of publication of the results. In such a view of the matter also, the 2nd respondent was bound to carry out the change of name of the petitioner in the records maintained with the CBSE." 

Case Details: 

Case Title: Kashish Gupta (M) v. CBSE & Ors. 

Case No.: WP (C) No. 7489/2020 

Quorum: Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas 

Appearance: Advocate KR Vinod (for Petitioner); Advocate S Nirmal (for Respondents) 

What’s in a name? HC has the answer

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:  05.05.2020

A person’s right to choose a name he or she likes is part of the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19, the high court has held. Government or authorities cannot unreasonably deny such choice, the court held.

The ruling was given by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas while coming out against CBSE on a petition filed by a 17-year-old student from Mattancherry through advocate K R Vinod. By the time the student got the name changed with the state government, the Plus Two results had come out.

With CBSE declining to allow change of name in their records and the student having to pursue higher studies, a petition was filed and the court heard the case through videoconferencing during vacation sitting considering the urgency.

In the judgment, the court said, “Name is something very personal to an individual. Name is an expression of one’s individuality, one’s identity and one’s uniqueness. Name is the manner in which an individual expresses himself to the world at large. It is the foundation on which he moves around in a civil society. In a democracy, free expression of one’s name in the manner he prefers is a facet of individual right. In our country, to have a name and to express the same in the manner he wishes, is certainly a part of the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1) (a) as well as a part of the right to liberty under Article 21of the Constitution of India.”

“State or its instrumentalities cannot stand in the way of use of any name preferred by an individual or for any change of name into one of his choice except to the extent prescribed under Article 19(2) or by a law which is just, fair and reasonable. Subject to the limited grounds of control and regulation of fraudulent or criminal activities or other valid causes, a bonafide claim for change of name in the records maintained by the authorities ought to be allowed without hesitation,” the court said.

State or its instrumentalities cannot stand in the way of use of any name preferred by an individual or for any change of name into one of his choice, the high court said

Unions move court against govt’s salary ‘cut’ ordinance

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:  05.05.2020

The Kerala Disaster and Public Health Emergency (Special Provisions) Ordinance 2020, brought in by the state government to defer salaries of its employees have been challenged before the high court by various employee unions, including one representing government nurses.

The ordnance was issued on April 30 after the high court had on April 28 issued a stay on the government’s order of April 23 to defer payment of six days’ salary for five months. It gave the government the power to defer payment of salaries in the event of disaster and public health emergency.

The petitioners have alleged that the ordinance allows the government to defer their pay in part or in full and it is vitiated with mala fides and is aimed at circumventing the HC order.

They also argued that the deferment of salary can only be done through an amendment of the Kerala Service Rules.

The period of deferment is not specified and the decision was taken without their consent and without giving them an opportunity to raise their objections. The ordinance amounts to oppression and dictation and such a power cannot be exercised by the government, particularly against the employees, the petitions said.

Meanwhile the government nurses contended that the ordinance is “clearly thanklessness” to the health workers who are the frontline soldiers in the fight against Covid-19.

Telangana almost doubles PG medical fees in private colleges, draws criticism

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  05.05.2020

The Telangana government on Monday almost doubled the fees of postgraduate medical courses in private colleges to ₹7 lakh per annum from ₹3.8 lakh a year, inviting sharp criticism from doctors.

The April 14 dated GO on fee fixation was made public on Monday, two days before the web counselling for the 2020-2023 block period begins for some 600 plus seats across Telangana.

The fee was fixed based on the recommendations of the Telangana Admissions and Fee Regulatory Committee and will be applicable to all private unaided non-minority and minority postgraduate medical/ dental professional institutes in the state, the GO said.

For convenor quota seats (category A), two colleges--Chalmeda Anandrao Institute of Medical Sciences and Deccan College of Medical Sciences, will be allowed to charge ₹7.75 lakh per annum for clinical degree courses.

Likewise, the tuition fee of seven other colleges was fixed at ₹7.5 lakh and for five colleges at ₹7 lakh per annum. For dental courses, the highest fee was fixed at ₹6 lakh per annum.

Apart from raising the fee, the state has also directed colleges to seek a bank guarantee.

“The managements of the institution may seek bank guarantee for tuition fee chargeable for the next academic year,” reads the GO.

The members of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association(TJUDA) criticised the state for doubling fee, and called the move anti-student.

“This is just a strange decision by the government of Telangana, favouring private medical colleges,” said P S Vijayender of TJUDA. “The state is slowly taking medical education away from middle-class students,” he said.

Commenting on the state’s decision to allow institutes to seek bank guarantee, they questioned how middleclass people will be able to show ₹14 lakh balance as a guarantee after paying ₹7 lakh as first-year tuition fee.

JUDA members said this move will force many students to think twice before choosing private colleges, and added that with hardly two days left to select web options, they can’t even seek judicial help and get a stay on fee hike.

In the state, there are about 1400 PG medical seats, of which nearly half of them are in private colleges.

The members of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) criticised the state for doubling fee, and called the move anti-student

NEWS DIGEST

Siddha ‘doc’ vows ‘Covid cure’, booked

Police booked a fake Siddha practitioner after he spread rumours that he had found a cure for Covid-19. K Thanigachalam was running a clinic at Jai Nagar near Koyambedu without any government approval or recognition.

 Inquiries further revealed that he had no accreditation or a degree in Siddha medicine. He had posted videos on social media claiming to have found a cure for Covid-19. Some newspapers and magazines too picked up on this content and had published reports recently. This prompted an inquiry and subsequently, the directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy filed a complaint against Thanigachalam.

 A case has been filed against him under section 8 of the Epidemic Diseases Act and Regulations. The rule restricts spread of information without government’s approval. In a release on Monday, the ministry of health and family welfare urged people to not entertain people who claim to have found a cure for Covid-19. Any treatment not acknowledged by the director of public health is illegal.

Stanley gets funds for RT-PCR machine: After the dean of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital requested Tamil Nadu Foundation to help get RT-PCR machine to facilitate Covid-19 screening, TNF has come forward to make the donation. The machine costs of ₹32.62 lakh. Dr Balaji, Stanley dean, and Dr Dilli Rani, professor of microbiology, received a cheque for the amount. The machine will be used by the premier institute not only for the diagnosis of Covid-19 but also for education and research activities. Tamil Nadu Foundation is a 45-year-old charitable trust supported by more than 1,000 NRI members. Its members from the US are currently helping students studying in government schools in rural Tamil Nadu.

More cops on city borders as a larger crowd tries to flee

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  05.05 2020

As more than 500 cars were caught at Vandalur check post on Monday for trying to sneak out of the city without valid passes, people fleeing Chennai started taking interior routes on their bikes to escape police attention. Police, however, blocked these connecting roads too by on Monday afternoon.

The Chengelpet police set up an additional check post at Paranur as a precautionary measure to ensure that no one crossed the city’s borders on bikes. Police strength at East Coast Road (ECR) and Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) check posts were also increased on Monday.

Ever since Covid-19 cases in Chennai witnessed a steep hike, people started taking all shortcuts to leave the city and reach their native districts.

“Some hid under tarpaulin sheets, vegetable loads of trucks. But after Koyambedu cluster grew, people fear travelling by trucks. So they came up with fake vehicle passes and medical documents,” said a senior police officer. All of these vehicles were turned back. From Tuesday, city police will start screening vehicles right from Chromepet and Tambaram to ensure there are no long queues at Vandalur or Paranur.

As queues started to grow, a separate lane was created for emergency and essential services vehicles at the checkposts to ensure they were not stranded in this traffic. Additional police force was deployed to check passes in other lanes and clear the queue faster, a police officer added. Each check post now has a 40-member team headed by a deputy superintendent of police (DSP).

Despite the efforts, some vehicles managed to sneak out and were caught while entering other districts. Such cases were reported at Sivaganga and Kanyakumari on Monday. Police are using special mobile apps to track such violators.

As a precaution, thermal screening was done for all passengers at district borders, and those with fever were immediately directed to nearby hospitals, said a police officer from Sivaganga district.

While there was a clampdown on those leaving Chennai, many entered the city freely from other districts.

COPS UNDER PRESSURE: Many tried to leave Chennai on bikes

City residents flummoxed as e-pass website yet to function

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  05.05.2020

Even as the Chennai Corporation announced that those employing house helps and cooks can apply for online passes for them, residents found that the website tnepass.tnega.org is still under renovation.

Self-employed workers such as plumbers, electricians, air conditioner servicemen, carpenters, home care providers for people with special needs and others were also told to apply for permission on the same website.

However, several residents complained that the website was not working. “When I tried accessing the website, it read that the relaxations announced are in the process of being incorporated and that we can continue to apply online according to existing guidelines,” S Gokul, a resident of Madipakkam, said.

The existing guidelines allow public to access the website only to apply for inter-state and inter-district travel passes, which are issued only on the following grounds — death of direct blood relation, extreme medical emergency of family member and pre-fixed marriage (only direct blood relatives).

On one hand, workers and house helps are worried that they would be held up by authorities if not in possession of a pass while the public question the necessity of passes for domestic helps.

“The centre’s guidelines are clear that there would be free movement of people in all zones, except in containment areas, between 7 am and 7 pm,” said S Karthik, a resident of Velachery.

When asked, a senior official with the City Corporation said that states have the authority under the disaster management act to not comply with the centre’s suggested guidelines and can issue orders restricting public movement. The official also added that they are working on the website and that pending passes are being approved. While clarifying the legal grounds, the official accepted that there is no concrete thought behind the decision to restrict movement of domestic help and requiring them to apply for passes.

Anna Univ may do online verification for affiliation of engineering colleges

Physical Inspection Of Universities Not Possible Due To Covid-19 Crisis

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:05.05.2020

Anna University may switch to online verification of details instead of physical inspection of colleges for granting affiliation due to Covid-19 crisis. For next academic year (2020-21), 536 engineering and standalone MBA, MCA colleges in the state sought the extension of affiliation from Anna university.

The inspection of engineering colleges started in the first week of March and it was stopped after two weeks following the Covid-19 spread. Sources said the inspection was conducted in more than 200 colleges before it was stopped.

“In view of Covid-19, it is not possible to resume inspection of engineering colleges this year,” sources said.

The inspection committees check on infrastructure facilities like lab and classrooms, faculty-students ratio, cadre ratio in departments and also verify PhD degree certificates. Citing the Covid-19 crisis, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has granted extension of approval for institutions based on self-disclosure if there is no change in their applications from last year’s approval.

Further, AICTE has also gone to the Supreme Court seeking extension of time till June 15 for scrutinising the applications from colleges with changes in intake, seeking approval for new courses and establishing new institutions. As per the approval process handbook, the deadline for granting approval was April  30. AICTE also announced that it would use online meeting platforms for conducting the scrutiny of applications for institutions intend to start new courses or for establishing new institutions.

“We intend to follow AICTE’s approval process for granting affiliation this year,” said M K Surappa, vice-chancellor of Anna University.

Koyambedu pushes many dists back to red

Mayilvaganan.V@timesgroup.com

5.5.2020

The Koyambedu wholesale market, that attracts people from across Tamil Nadu looking to sell their produce or seeking jobs, has become a super spreader of Covid-19, pushing many districts back into the red zone from the orange zone as infections rise.

From Cuddalore in northern Tamil Nadu to Dindigul in the south, people who visited the 65-acre Koyambedu market in Chennai that also receives trucks from all over the country, have started testing positive in droves.

Almost all the 122 positive cases reported in Cuddalore on Monday can be traced back to Koyambedu. Test results of 450 more Koyambedu contacts are awaited. Forty-nine people from Villupuram who visited the market tested positive on Monday, while 33 had tested positive on Sunday.

Now, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Dindigul and Tenkasi are all likely to be reclassified as red zones. These were among the 14 districts in TN that had moved from red to orange just a few days ago.

The Koyambedu cluster has sent the official machinery in the districts into overdrive – border control has been stepped up to stop, test and isolate people coming from Chennai.

Villupuram superintendent of police S Jayakumar said four centres have been set up to quarantine 459 people who visited Koyambedu market and 287 of their close contacts.

District authorities of Tirupur and Salem have issued advisories and helpline numbers asking people linked to Koyambedu to come forward for testing voluntarily.

10 of 100 from city tested +ve in Dindigul

Dindigul collector M Vijayalakshmi said of 100-odd people who returned from Koyambedu and were tested, 10 tested positive on Monday, “Tracing and screening of their contacts is being done,’’ she said.

Collectors and health officials in western districts have also raised their guard. In Tiruppur, two loadmen who travelled in a truck carrying watermelons from Koyambedu two days ago have tested positive. In Coimbatore, 28 people with travel history to Koyambedu have been traced so far, while in Nilgiris 43 have been traced.

Deputy director of health services Dr G Ramesh Kumar, said the 28 people traced in Coimbatore are from Mettupalayam, Sirumugai and Pollachi.

“They will be tested for Covid-19 tomorrow,” he said.

Ariyalur and Perambalur, the two districts in central Tamil Nadu had all these days maintained single-digit positive cases. No more. Over the past four days, the number of positive cases shot up from eight to 34 in Ariyalur and nine to 36 in Perambalur. And, all of them are linked to Koyambedu. Since there are few employment opportunities for villagers in these two districts, they do odd jobs at Koyambedu market to supplement income from their farmland.

(With inputs from Bosco Dominique, Karal Marx, Devanathan and Deepak Karthik)

TTD resumes operations on a cautious note

Employees told to strictly adhere to norms

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,TIRUPATI

Employees arriving at the TTD administrative building in Tirupati on Monday.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) began resuming its operations on a cautious note from its administrative building here on Monday after a partial relaxation of the lockdown.

The administration was functioning in ‘work from home’ mode ever since the lockdown was imposed, with only a skeletal staff coming to work at the administrative building.

‘Follow guidelines’

Joint Executive Officer P. Basanth Kumar said that employees reporting at the administrative building would have to compulsorily wear masks.

He also laid down several guidelines, such as entering through the thermal scanner at the main entrance, wearing a mask for the entire duration of their working hours, and maintaining a distance of six feet from fellow employees.

“Meetings shall be avoided and in case of an emergency, video-conferences shall be conducted,” he said.

 As the departmental and section heads started arriving from Monday, the temple, treasury, accounts, health, vigilance and security departments are required to have 100% attendance, while others continue to function with one-third of the actual strength and the rest working from home.

OP services resumed

At Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled (BIRRD), the TTD’s orthopaedic superspecialty hospital, outpatient (OP) services resumed on Monday.

BIRRD Director Madanmohan Reddy said that the hospital would follow the norms prescribed by the government while registering and treating patients. OP tickets will be generated at five counters from 8 a.m. to noon from Monday and all patients with valid tickets will be provided medication, Dr. Reddy said.

Govt. asks all departments not to propose new schemes

State announces measures to curb expenses amidst pandemic

05/05/2020, ALOK DESHPANDE,MUMBAI

The State finance department on Monday announced belt-tightening measures to free up funds for fixed expenditure such as salary payments, as the virtual halt in economic activity has hit revenues..

The State government has asked all departments to not propose any new scheme in the current fiscal. It will also not be spending on any scheme it had undertaken from the start of the current financial year.

Public health, medical education, food and civil supplies and relief and rehabilitation have been designated as the priority departments. All others have been barred from issuing new purchase orders or tenders.

All departments have been directed to not undertake any construction activity, except that required for pre-monsoon work. Officials with the authority to give technical clearance have been asked not to do so.

Recruitment in all departments, except public health and medical education, has been stopped. All transfers of officials have been suspended, given that they would need to continue with relief work even after the pandemic is over.

Government officials’ transfers cost the State exchequer ₹100 crore to ₹200 crore as each official has to be given travel allowance to the new place of joining, sources said.

Departments have also been asked to return unspent money in their bank accounts to the State treasury before May 31, 2020. Officers who fail to do so will face a departmental enquiry, a government resolution (GR) said.

The resolution issued on Monday spelling out these guidelines, recorded that the State's current financial condition is likely to remain for the next two three months and revitalising the economy is a challenge..

“These measures are being taken as the decision to disburse March salaries to government employees in two instalments has not been a good enough measure,” said the GR.

Salary deferment Ordinance challenged in High Court

Various employees’ organisations file petitions

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,KOCHI

The recently promulgated Ordinance that empowers the government to defer payment of salary and allowance of employees of the government and government-owned institutions has been challenged before the Kerala High Court.

The petitions have been filed by various employees’ organisations including the Kerala NGO Association and Higher Secondary School Teachers Union.

25% of pay

According to them, the Kerala Disaster and Public Health Emergency (Special Provisions) Ordinance has provided for deferment of the pay in part in the event of disaster and public health emergency in the State. In fact, 25% of the pay could be deferred every month as per the Ordinance.

Circumvention

The petitioners point out that it was issued to circumvent an order of the High Court staying a government order which sought to deduct six days’ salary every month from April to August. The petitioners allege that there was mala fide intention on the part of the government in issuing the Ordinance.

The payment of salary and other service conditions of government employeess are governed by the Kerala Service Rules (KSR) and Kerala State & Subordinate Service Rules (KSSS) formulated under Article 309 of the Constitution.

Rights and benefits

Unless the service rules are amended in accordance with the law, the rights and benefits conferred on the employees could not be taken away. The remuneration paid to the government employees for the service rendered by them should be paid in a month and not in part.

It is the right of property of every government employee and in view of Article 300(A) of the Constitution that right could not be deprived of except in accordance with the due process of the law.

Therefore, the Ordinance is illegal and arbitrary, the petitioners contended.

UGC panels’ suggestions disruptive: Gurukkal

‘Many do not have Internet access’

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Kerala State Higher Education Council vice chairman Rajan Gurukkal has termed the recommendations made by two expert committees constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the academic calendar and online education ‘pointedly disruptive’ to the State’s higher education scenario.

According to Prof. Gurukkal, the proposals by the panels chaired by the Central University of Haryana Vice Chancellor R.C. Kuhad and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Vice Chancellor Nageshwar Rao have sought de facto switching over to virtual learning. The Mr. Rao-headed panel had recommended to the UGC that all open universities, universities with NAAC grading above 3.0 and the top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework-ranked universities be permitted to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in online mode.

UGC norms

However, the move differed with the UGC Regulations of 2018 under which only universities with a NAAC score above 3.26 could offer stand-alone online courses, while the rest of the universities could tag only 20% of their programmes to massive open online courses (MOOCs). Now, the panel has proposed a hike to 40% in the particular criterion, thereby pushing at least 200 universities to go fully online and forcing an unprecedented number of teachers to a mode unfamiliar to them. Besides, the committee has also proposed a single online podcast of course material for various courses except engineering, medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and architecture.

Internet access

“While online teaching and evaluation are being projected as the new normal on the pretext of the pandemic crisis, the mode is unfeasible in the case of about 30% of students for want of Internet connectivity at houses. As such, it upsets the State’s avowed objectives of access, equity, and excellence in the higher education sector. Further, this massive shift to online mode could leave one third of the teaching faculty redundant. There is an implicit intention to cut public expenditure on higher education by replacing a huge portion of the teaching faculty component. Moreover, administering of courses online on short notice will compromise quality,” he cautioned.

Treat COVID patients but attend to other emergencies too, High Court directs government

Takes up letter on death of a woman as PIL petition

05/05/2020, MARRI RAMU,HYDERABAD

Treating COVID-19 patients is, no doubt, a priority for the government, but attending to medical emergencies and pregnant women cannot be undermined.

Making this observation, Telangana High Court on Monday instructed the State government to issue a circular ensuring that people facing medical emergencies are taken care of and pregnant women are attended to in all government hospitals. A bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy passed the order, having taken up a letter written by lawyer K. Kishore Kumar as PIL petition.

The advocate wrote to the CJ expressing concern over the death of a woman, Jenila, and her newborn in Yapadine village of Ieeja mandal in Jogulamba Gadwal district within two days of delivery in a government hospital. Her husband held the government responsible for the two deaths, alleging that she was made to travel for over 200 kms to be admitted in a hospital for delivery.

As she developed pains before delivery, the family rushed her to the PHC in Gadwal on April 24. Doctors there advised her family to shift her to Kurnool in AP, stating that she was anaemic. Due to lockdown, she could not be taken there.

With the help of district administration, she was taken to Mahbubnagar government hospital in an ambulance. Doctors there wanted her to be admitted to the government maternity hospital in Hyderabad. “Doctors there refused to admit her on the ground that she was coming from a COVID-19 hotspot area,” lawyer Kishore Kumar stated in his letter.

She was sent to Gandhi Hospital for coronavirus diagnostic tests. She tested negative and was sent back to maternity hospital where she gave birth to a baby boy. The newborn was taken to Niloufer Hospital after developing complications, where he died.

The woman was sent to Osmania General Hospital where she died . The bench said the government should think of making available adequate number of ambulances.

The bench directed the government to file a counter affidavit on the matter. It is posted to May 20 for next hearing.

AP police reject travel passes given by Telangana police

Stranded migrants diverted to other routes after intervention by Nalgonda police yields no result

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,NALGONDA

Nalgonda Superintendent of Police A.V. Ranganath with Miryalaguda MLA N. Bhaskar Rao at Wadapally on Monday.By Arrangement

Extreme situations of stranded people continued at the inter-State border here at Wadapally in the district on Monday, as Andhra Pradesh police denied entry to its returning migrant population.

Nearly 300 persons, including those belonging to other States, waited at the check post for hours, after which they were diverted to other routes.

Nalgonda Superintendent of Police A.V. Ranganath, along with Miryalaguda MLA N. Bhaskar Rao, reviewed the situation and spoke to top officials on the other side, but it did not yield results. “The problem is that AP Police do not have instructions, and they are not accepting the passes. We convinced most of the waiting groups to take other routes,” Mr. Ranganath said.

However, about 70 people stayed back at the check post hoping for entry relaxation. The numbers increased by night. Local police along with legislator Mr. Bhaskar Rao arranged water, lunch and biscuit packets for the migrant groups.

Protest for pending dues

Meanwhile, about 15 km away, a large group of workers employed at the Yadadri Thermal Power Plant at Damaracherla, staged protests, demanding clearance of pending salaries. Of the 2,200 workers employed at the project, about 1,800 are from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

SP Ranganath held talks with labour contractors of the protesting groups and, following guidelines, said that transport facility would be arranged for those willing to return to their native places. Police pacified the workers for the day.

Centre urged to unearth black money

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,HYDERABAD

The National Backward Classes Welfare Association has requested the Centre to make all out efforts to bring out black money in the country so that it could be used for rebuilding the economy. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, president of association and former legislator R. Krishnaiah suggested that the government could issue Covid bonds with the facility for investment of unaccounted for money with 30% penalty. Mr. Krishnaiah stated that a psychological change is apparent among those holding the unaccounted for money after the coronavirus attack on humanity as they had been found helping the needy people in different ways. In such a situation, an opportunity provided to bring out the unaccounted for money with investment in government bonds after 30% deduction as penalty by the Income Tax Department would encourage such individuals to bring out their black wealth, he said.

Serpentine queues, bumper business as liquor shops open

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,BENGALURU

Serpentine queues and chaos in some places marked the opening of liquor shops in the city on Monday after 40 days. People started queuing up from early morning till evening to purchase liquor. At many places, maintaining social distance became a challenge for both the police and staff of the shops. In many shops, stocks of beer were exhausted by 3 p.m. In some other places, the police decided to close shops by 6 p.m., forcing many to return empty handed.

Ravi Prakash, a resident of R.T. Nagar, said: “After the lockdown was announced, people were selling liquor in black charging exorbitant rates. Now, MRP shops are open. I stood for more than an hour to get inside the shop.”

Some people decided to hoard lest shops are closed again. “Due to the lockdown, we could not get liquor for more than a month. The lockdown has already been extended before. So I stocked up,” Ashish, a resident of Sahakarnagar, said.

Jagadish, the owner of a liquor shop in Kogilu Cross, said: “Due to the lockdown, our employees had gone to their home town. We had to run the business with limited staff. Most of our stock was exhausted.”

Many shops put up boards stating that liquor will be sold only to those wearing masks. The Excise Department had directed the shops to allow five people inside for purchase and maintain 6-ft social distancing.

The department maintained that there was enough stock of liquor in Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Ltd. (KSBCL) depots and measures have been taken for operations of distilleries and breweries.

A ‘new normal’ day in Assam

Life back on track with conditions after relaxation of curbs

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,GUWAHATI

Heavy traffic on GS Road in Guwahati after relaxation of lockdown on Monday. Ritu Raj Konwar

A semblance of normalcy returned to Assam on Monday with the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown allowing several commercial activities to resume across the State’s green zones.

There are no red zones in Assam with 32 of the 43 who tested positive for COVID-19 having been discharged while one person died. Of the State’s 33 districts, only four are marked orange zones.

People ventured out of their homes to buy essential commodities and other items as 33% of shops and commercial establishments were allowed to open by the government from 6 am to 6 pm. The business outlets have been instructed to open on a rotation basis.

State-owned and private buses began plying with 50% passengers under the Transport Department’s watch. Government and private offices also began functioning with 50% workforce. Private vehicles and app-based cabs allowed to carry a maximum of two passengers were on the streets too.

Social distancing

“The police have been asked to monitor the movement of people to ensure they venture out with mask and maintain social distancing,” Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The liquor shops, which were allowed to open two days ahead of the general relaxation date, did considerable business.

The Department of Excise could not provide data but the All Assam IMFL Retailers’ Association said the daily sale in the State was about ₹15 crore.

Hotels, restaurants, gyms, salons, parks, swimming pools, shopping complexes, theatre halls and weekly markets continued to remain shut.

Kejriwal chairs Cabinet meet as govt. offices open

Training manual designed for caregivers, COVID-19 patients under home isolation

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday chaired the first Cabinet meeting after government offices were opened as part of the new lockdown guidelines.

Among the major decisions, the Cabinet approved the process of home isolation of mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients. “A training manual has been designed which will be given to all patients and their caregivers. A team of health workers will call each patient and educate them on best practices for home isolation. This will be followed by a daily call that will track important vitals of the patient,” the government said in a statement.

The Delhi government also approved a proposal to extend a one-time financial assistance of ₹5,000 to owners of e-rickshaws registered in Delhi. “Permit-holders of paratransit vehicles who were also holding PSV badges have already been covered under the existing scheme,” the statement said.

The Delhi Cabinet also approved ration for May to 38 lakh non-PDS card-holders who registered for ration e-coupons online. Each individual will be given 4 kg of wheat and 1 kg of rice. Every family will also receive a COVID-19 relief kit that is being given to PDS card-holders.

Meanwhile, an ex-gratia amount of ₹1 crore was approved for the kin of Ankit Sharma, an IB staffer who died on February 26 in the north-east Delhi riots.

Liquor shops open, then shut again

Chaos reigns across city as crowds fail to adhere to social distancing norms

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,NEW DELHI

People form a queue to buy liquor in east Delhi on Monday. Sandeep Saxena

Hundreds of people thronged liquor shops across Delhi on Monday as the vends opened after a gap of 40 days, leading to chaos as customers did not adhere to social distancing norms. In north, east and south Delhi, the police had to resort to crowd-controlling measures to manage the crowd. By the afternoon, most of the shops were told to shut as the situation grew out of control.

“Liquor shops in Delhi will remain shut till vendors make arrangements such as deployment of marshals and markings on ground to ensure social distancing. All beat staff have been instructed to be vigilant and not allow any shop to operate if the vendor does not follow safety protocols,” said a senior police officer.

With only a select number of vends open, those looking to buy alcohol had to first find a shop that was open and then join a serpentine queue. “I have visited four wine shops in the area but they are all closed. I have been walking from one shop to the other only to find shuttered stores. I came early hoping to avoid the rush but it looks like there are none open near my neighbourhood,” said Vivek, a resident of Jangpura.

In areas where the vends were open, residents complained about the chaos.

In C-Bock Market of Vasant Vihar, long queues outside a liquor shop prompted the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association to alert authorities about the situation. Chaos was also seen outside liquor shops in Malviya Nagar and Vasant Kunj with people queuing up as early as 7 a.m. to buy alcohol.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the Delhi government did not give any extra relaxation and the liquor vends were opened as per central government guidelines. The Excise Department said that 160 out of 800 liquor shops were permitted to open.

The four government corporations that own these vends are supposed to deploy marshals and ensure that no more than five people are allowed inside a vend at any given time, read an order issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev on Sunday. “The onus for opening any shop and fulfilling qualifying criteria under Clause-7 (ii) (d) of the MHA’s Order dated 01.05.2020 shall be on the corporation concerned,” it further added.

Ravi Dhawan, Commissioner of the Department of Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax, did not respond to multiple phone calls and messages seeking comment.

A report prepared by Delhi Police on the situation suggested that shop timings should be extended and there should be sufficient stock of liquor. It, however, added that crowd-management measures need to be taken on priority.

Confusion over who will pay migrants’ train fare

05/05/2020

“What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the Rail Ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis,” she said.

“Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot -- without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones,” Ms. Gandhi stated. By making a “humble contribution”, the Congress would stand “shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the workers”, she added.

(With inputs from Amarnath Tewary)