Smart choice gets med seats even for modest NEET score

ROUND 1 CUT-OFF LOWER THAN 2019

Smart choice gets med seats even for modest NEET score

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.111.2020

High scores in NEET may fetch hundreds of students a seat in medical colleges, but those with scores as low as 183 (out of 720) marks have also managed to land a seat in deemed universities, in the first round of online allotments itself.

Medical counselling committee attached to the directorate general of health services (DGHS) allots about 80,000 seats in AIIMS, Jipmer, central institutions and 15% seats surrendered by state-run medical colleges and deemed universities.

This year, when the committee released the allotment on November 5, the cut-off in  the general category allotment for students in general/OBC/EWS category for all India quota seats in government colleges was 618 marks compared to 591marks in 2019. For students in the SC and ST category, cut-off was 521 and 492 this year compared to 485 and 459 in 2019. The lowest cut-off was 115, allotted to an ST student with disability.

Under management quota for deemed universities, the cut-off for admission was the lowest to colleges in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where the annual tuition is the highest. The lowest score that got a seat was a student with 183 marks. The student was allotted a seat in Chennai-based Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Residential Institution in Enathur. The college charges an annual fee of ₹22.5 lakh.

“Over the last two years, we are seeing low-scoring students making smart choices when they lock seats. When they are sure that their chances of entering medical colleges are low, they opt for deemed universities in the first round itself. Students with high scores either opt for all India quota seats in central or state government-run colleges or wait for the state counselling, where there are greater chances of them getting seats in colleges of choice. Those with low scores have no option but to choose deemed universities in the first round of counselling,” said Manickavel Arumugam, who has been counselling medical aspirants on admissions.

A student with 584 marks opted for New Delhi-based Hamdart Institute of Medical Science and Research.

Students have time till Saturday to join the colleges. “Students with high scores allotted to deemed universities may opt for round two or wait for state counselling because there is no fine for not joining round 1,” said NEET coach and counsellor Sai Prakash. “But students with low scores have to join now if they want a medical seat this year. Unlike public colleges, cut-off for deemed universities is likely to go up in the second round,” he said.

State to add 875 seats, 3 pvt med colleges

 State to add 875 seats, 3 pvt med colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.11.2020

Tamil Nadu will add 875 more MBBS seats this academic year. These seats will come from three new private colleges and additional seats granted to six medical colleges.

With this, the state will have 52 medical colleges with 8,000 seats, including 26 government institutions that have 3,650 seats.

On Tuesday, the National Medical Commission granted approval to Bhaarat Medical College and Hospital under the Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research (deemed University) to admit 150 medical students from 2020. It also granted permission for Indira Medical College and Hospitals in Tiruvallur affiliated to the Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University to admit 150 seats. Earlier, the committee had permitted Panimalar Medical College Hospital and Research Institute to admit 150 students. Seats from the two colleges will come into the state seat matrix for which counselling will be done by the state selection committee.

The government Kanyakumari Medical College will add 50 more seats, while ESIC college in KK Nagar will add 25 more seats. Besides, permission has been granted for PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research to add 100 more seats. Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (Saveetha University) and Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute (Meenakshi University) – have permission to increase 100 seats. All the three colleges will now have 250 seats each. In addition Vinayaka Missions Kirupananda Variyar Medical College in Salem (Vinayaka Mission Deemed University) will add another 50 seats taking its seat tally to 150.

Heavy rainfall warning for Chennai ahead of Deepavali

Heavy rainfall warning for Chennai ahead of Deepavali

The weather bulletin says heavy to very-heavy rain with thunderstorms is likely to occur in Chennai, Tiruvalllur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu on November 12.

Published: 11th November 2020 05:41 AM 

Representational image. (File Photo | R Satish Babu, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: After a mini-break, the next active monsoon spell would begin from Wednesday and the regional meteorological centre has issued heavy rainfall warning in Chennai, especially on November 11-12. The weather bulletin says heavy to very-heavy rain with thunderstorms is likely to occur in Chennai, Tiruvalllur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu on November 12.

N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said the State would receive good rainfall in next five days. Weather blogger Pradeep John said with Madden-Julian Oscillation, a phenomenon which is a fluctuation in the tropical weather with eastward movement of the pulse of cloud and rainfall, in the basin the rainfall activity would pick-up pace. “Starting Wednesday, the rains would continue till November 18. Chennai would witness heavy rains. The intensity would reduce a bit around Deepavali.”

Delhi High Court Holds 'To Have A Name And Express The Same' Is Protected Under Articles 19 & 21, Allows DU Student's Plea

Delhi High Court Holds 'To Have A Name And Express The Same' Is Protected Under Articles 19 & 21, Allows DU Student's Plea: In a landmark judgment, the Delhi High Court today while hearing a DU student's plea, held that 'to have a name and express the same' is protected under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution...

50% super-specialty, PG medical seats for government doctors in Tamil Nadu

50% super-specialty, PG medical seats for government doctors in Tamil Nadu

TNN | Nov 10, 2020, 04.36 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday issued two crucial orders concerning post-graduate and super-specialty medical courses. While GO (463) reserved at least 50% of PG medical seats for in-service government doctors, the other GO (462) reserved the entire 50% state quota super-specialty medical seats for in-service candidates.

The new admission policy for MD/MS and MDS courses will come into force in 2021, and for the PG super-specialty (DM/MCh) courses, it will come into effect in 2020. The in-service candidates availing themselves of these two categories of seats have to sign a bond pledging to remain in government service till superannuation.

That these GOs have been issued was disclosed in the Madras high court when Justice N Anand Venkatesh took up a batch of cases filed by in-service medicos for further hearing.

On Monday, when the central government wanted the court to defer the hearing till the Supreme Court decides a similar issue pending before it, P Wilson, senior counsel for serving doctors, pointed out that the case before the apex court had nothing to do with the present petition and that it would not come in the way of the Tamil Nadu government granting 50% in-service reservation.

Concurring with the submission, Justice Anand Venkatesh refused to defer the hearing. He then recorded the stand of the state government and disposed of the plea. After surrendering 50% of PG medical seats in government colleges and government share of seats in self-financing to All India Quota for admission by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the state will be left with 50% of seats. Of this 50% of the seats – that is 25% of the overall seats – will be reserved for in-service candidates. The remaining seats will be for the open category, where all students, including non-service candidates from the state, can apply.

But in case of super-specialty seats, the order says that all 50% of seats reserved for the state will be in-service candidates from this academic year. “This difference was introduced because since 2016 counselling for all super-specialty seats was done by the DGHS purely based on NEET ranking. In case of PG, the state selection committee conducted counselling for 50% of state quota seats. This year, we asked for 50% of seats. We cannot reserve seats for the open category from this,” said Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayana Babu.

“Last year, we had just 10 students from government service in super-specialty courses. We have more than two dozen medical colleges and we are planning to add 11 more. We need more super-specialists who can offer high end surgeries free of cost to our patients,” he said.

HC: No amount of wealth can take place of mother’s love

HC: No amount of wealth can take place of mother’s love

Court Restores Custody Of Minor To Mom

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh: 11.11.2020 

While holding the habeas corpus petition filed by a woman seeking custody of her child, who is aged under 5 years old as maintainable, the Punjab and Haryana high court observed that “no amount of wealth or mother-like love can take the place of mother’s love and care”. The HC also observed that the mother’s protection for the infant is indispensable and no other protection will be equal in measure and substance to the same.

“A writ of habeas corpus is not solely dependent on and does not necessarily follow merely determination of illegality of detention and is based on the paramount consideration of welfare of the minor child, irrespective of legal rights of the parents,” observed the HC.

Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi of the HC passed these orders while restoring the custody of a three-and-half-yearold girl to her mother. Amid the matrimonial dispute between the Bathinda-based couple, the child was taken away by husband in November 2019. While upholding the right of the mother over her minor child, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi also observed, “In the present case, the question of welfare and interest of the minor daughter has to be judged on the consideration of universally acknowledged superiority of the mother’s instinctive selfless love and affection of her children, particularly the infants. The lap of the mother is the natural cradle where the safety and welfare of the infant can be assured and there is no substitute for the same.... Motherly care and affection is indispensable for the healthy growth of the infants.”

Divjyot S Sandhu, the wife’s counsel, had argued that in view of Section 6(a) of the Hindu Maintenance and Guardianship (HMG) Act, the petitioner is entitled to the custody of her daughter. Sandhu also submitted that due to her tender age, custody of the child with her father is not lawful/proper.

Counsel for the husband, however, argued that his custody of the minor child, being a natural guardian under Section 6 of the HMG Act, is not illegal. Submitting that the habeas corpus petition is not maintainable in such matters, the counsel said the wife has an equally efficacious remedy of filing petition under the HMG Act/the GW Act for custody of the minor child.

After hearing both the parties, the HC, in its order released on Monday evening, ordered the father to restore the girl’s custody to her mother by November 15. The HC, however, has allowed the father once-a-week visiting rights.

While pointing out that the father’s custody of the minor daughter cannot be said to be illegal, the HC was of the view that “there was no valid ground to deny interim custody of the minor daughter who is aged less than five years old, to the mother, as it is in fact essential to the welfare and in the best interest of the minor daughter” and also as per the statutory right conferred by Section 6(a) of the Hindu Maintenance and Guardianship Act.

ESSENTIAL FOR HER WELFARE

While pointing out that the father’s custody of the minor daughter cannot be said to be illegal, the HC was of the view that "there was no valid ground to deny interim custody of the minor daughter who is aged less than five years old, to the mother, as it is in fact essential to the welfare and in the best interest of the minor daughter"

191 உயர் சிறப்பு டாக்டர்கள் கொரோனா தடுப்புக்கு நியமனம்

Added : நவ 11, 2020 00:59

சென்னை:கொரோனா தடுப்பு பணிக்காக, 191 உயர் சிறப்பு டாக்டர்கள், ஒப்பந்த அடிப்படையில் நியமிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளனர்.

தமிழகம் முழுதும், கொரோனா தொற்று குறைந்து வருகிறது. ஆனால், பண்டிகை காலங்களில் தொற்று அதிகரிக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளதாக, மருத்துவ நிபுணர்கள் எச்சரித்துள்ளனர். கொரோனா தொற்று தடுப்பு நடவடிக்கைகளை குறைக்கக்கூடாது என, தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது. இதன்படி, கொரோனா தடுப்பு பணிக்காக, 191 உயர் சிறப்பு டாக்டர்களை, மூன்று மாத ஒப்பந்த அடிப்படையில், தமிழக அரசு நியமித்து உள்ளது.

சென்னை ஓமந்துாரார் அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனைக்கு, 40 பேர்; கிண்டி கிங்ஸ் கொரோனா சிறப்பு மருத்துவமனைக்கு, 50 பேர்; புதுக்கோட்டை அரசு மருத்துவமனைக்கு, 30 பேர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.சிதம்பரம் ராஜ முத்தையா மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிக்கு, 20 பேர்; திருவள்ளூர் மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிக்கு, 21 பேர்; கோவை, இ.எஸ்.ஐ., - கரூர், ஈரோடு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளுக்கு, தலா, 10 என, 191 உயர் சிறப்பு டாக்டர்கள் நியமிக்கப் பட்டுள்ளனர்.மேலும், முதுநிலை பட்டம் பெற்ற, ௫௪௭ டாக்டர்களும், தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள, 37 மருத்துவமனைகளுக்கு நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

ஜோ பைடன் கொரோனா குழுவில் மொடக்குறிச்சி பெண் டாக்டர்

ஜோ பைடன் கொரோனா குழுவில் மொடக்குறிச்சி பெண் டாக்டர்

Updated : நவ 11, 2020 00:44 | Added : நவ 11, 2020 00:43

ஈரோடு : அமெரிக்க அதிபராக தேர்வான, ஜோ பைடனின் கொரோனா கட்டுப்படுத்தும் குழுவில், ஈரோடு மாவட்டம், மொடக்குறிச்சியை பூர்வீகமாக கொண்ட பெண் டாக்டர் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளார்.அமெரிக்காவின், புதிய அதிபராக வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ள ஜோ பைடன், தன் பதவியேற்புக்கு முன்னதாக, கொரோனா தடுப்பு மற்றும் வழிகாட்டுதல் குழுவை அமைத்துள்ளார். இதில், மூவர் தலைமையில், 13 பேர் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளனர்.

ஆராய்ச்சி பணி

தலைமை பொறுப்பில், இந்திய வம்சாவளியைச் சேர்ந்த டாக்டர் விவேக் மூர்த்தியும், குழு உறுப்பினராக, இந்திய வம்சாவளியைச் சேர்ந்த பெண் டாக்டர், செலின் ராணி கவுண்டர், 35, என்பவரும் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளனர்.செலின் ராணி, ஈரோடு மாவட்டம், மொடக்குறிச்சி பேரூராட்சி, பெருமாபாளையத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர். இவர், நியூயார்க் பல்கலையில் உள்ள, கிராஸ்மேன் மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரியில் உதவி பேராசிரியராகவும், அமெரிக்க நாட்டின் காசநோய் தடுப்பு பிரிவில், துணை இயக்குனராகவும் பணிபுரிகிறார்.இவர், 1998 முதல் 2012 வரை தென் ஆப்பிரிக்கா, மால்வாய், எத்தியோப்பியா, பிரேசில் போன்ற நாடுகளில் காசநோய், எச்.ஐ.வி., தொடர்பான மருத்துவ சேவை, ஆராய்ச்சி பணிகளை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளார்.மேலும், தமிழகத்தின் நீலகிரி மாவட்டத்தில் மலைவாழ் மக்களை பாதிக்கும் நோய்கள் குறித்தும், இரண்டு ஆண்டுகள் ஆராய்ச்சி செய்துள்ளார்.

'ராஜ் பவுண்டேஷன்'

செலின் ராணி பற்றி, அவரது பெரியப்பா மகனான, ஈரோட்டில் வசிக்கும், ஓய்வு பெற்ற, குடிநீர் வடிகால் வாரிய பொறியாளர் தங்கவேல் கூறியதாவது:என் சித்தப்பா ராஜ் கவுண்டர். இவர், 1966ல் அமெரிக்கா சென்று, அந்நாட்டு விமான நிறுவனத்தில் பணி செய்து, அமெரிக்காவைச் சேர்ந்த பெண்ணை, காதல் திருமணம் செய்து, அங்கேயே வசிக்கிறார்.

இவருக்கு மூன்று பெண்கள்; மூத்தவர், செலின் ராணி.இவர், அமெரிக்காவில் பிறந்து, அங்கேயே படித்து, பணி செய்கிறார். இருப்பினும், 'ராஜ் பவுண்டேஷன்' என்ற அமைப்பை, மொடக்குறிச்சியில் துவங்கி,நான்கு முறை மொடக்குறிச்சிக்கு வந்துள்ளார்.மொடக்குறிச்சி அரசு மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளி மேம்பாட்டுக்காக, பல்வேறு உதவிகள் செய்துள்ளார். செலின் ராணியின் கணவர் கிராண்ட், அமெரிக்காவில் உள்ள பத்திரிகை ஒன்றில் பணிபுரிகிறார்.செலின் ராணி, அமெரிக்க அதிபர் அமைத்துள்ள குழுவில், இடம் பெற்றதன் மூலம், மொடக்குறிச்சி பகுதி மக்கள் பெருமை அடைந்துள்ளனர்.இவ்வாறு, அவர் கூறினார்.

பள்ளிகள் திறப்பு குறித்து ஓரிரு நாளில் முடிவு

பள்ளிகள் திறப்பு குறித்து ஓரிரு நாளில் முடிவு

Updated : நவ 11, 2020 05:45 | Added : நவ 11, 2020 05:42

சென்னை : பள்ளிகள் திறப்பு குறித்த கருத்து கேட்பு அறிக்கையை, தமிழக அரசிடம், பள்ளி கல்வித்துறை தாக்கல் செய்துள்ளது. இந்த அறிக்கையில் உள்ள கருத்துகள் அடிப்படையில், முதல்வர் இ.பி.எஸ்., ஓரிரு நாளில் முடிவை அறிவிப்பார்.

கொரோனா பிரச்னை காரணமாக, ஏழு மாதங்களாக பள்ளிகள், கல்லுாரிகள் திறக்கப்படவில்லை. தனியார் பள்ளிகள், கல்லுாரிகளில் ஆன்லைன் வழியாகவும், அரசு பள்ளிகள் மற்றும் உயர்கல்வி நிறுவனங்களிலும், 'வாட்ஸ் ஆப்' வழியாகவும் பாடங்கள் நடத்தப்படுகின்றன.

தமிழக பள்ளி கல்வித்துறை சார்பில், கல்வி, 'டிவி' வழியாகவும் பாடங்கள் நடத்தப்படுகின்றன. இந்நிலையில், வரும், 16ம் தேதி முதல் பள்ளிகள், கல்லுாரிகளை திறக்கலாம் என, தமிழக அரசு அனுமதி அளித்தது. இதற்கு சில அரசியல் கட்சிகள் எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்தன. அதனால், பள்ளிகளை திறப்பதா, தள்ளி வைப்பதா என்பது குறித்து, நேற்று முன்தினம் பெற்றோரிடம் கருத்து கேட்கப்பட்டது.

இந்த கருத்துகளை, மாவட்ட வாரியாக முதன்மை கல்வி அதிகாரிகள் தொகுத்தனர். அதில், 9ம் வகுப்பு முதல், பிளஸ் 2 வரை, கருத்து கேட்பில் பங்கேற்ற மாணவர்கள் பட்டியல் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது. ஒவ்வொரு மாவட்டத்திலும், மாணவர்கள் எண்ணிக்கை எவ்வளவு; கருத்து கேட்பில் பங்கேற்ற பெற்றோர் எத்தனை பேர்; திறக்க ஆதரவு எவ்வளவு; தள்ளி வைக்க கோரியவர்கள் எத்தனை பேர் போன்ற குறிப்புகள் உள்ளன.

ஒவ்வொரு பள்ளியிலும் செயல்படும், பெற்றோர், ஆசிரியர் கழகத்தின் தீர்மானம் என்ன என்ற விபரமும், பட்டியலில் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளது. இதையடுத்து, மாவட்ட வாரியாக கருத்துகேட்பு குறித்த, ஏகமனதான முடிவுகள் உள்ள அறிக்கையை, பள்ளி கல்வி இயக்குனரகத்திற்கு, முதன்மை கல்வி அதிகாரிகள் அனுப்பினர்.மாவட்ட வாரியான அறிக்கையை, தமிழக பள்ளி கல்வி துறை செயலர் தீரஜ்குமாரிடம், பள்ளி கல்வி இயக்குனர் கண்ணப்பன், நேற்று தாக்கல் செய்தார்.

இந்த அறிக்கை, தலைமை செயலர், பள்ளி கல்வி, உயர்கல்வி மற்றும் சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவின் ஆய்வுக்கு பின், முதல்வரிடம் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட உள்ளது. அதன்பின், பள்ளிகள் திறப்பு தொடர்பான அறிவிப்பை, முதல்வர் வெளியிடுவார் என, எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.

4 நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை எச்சரிக்கை: வட மாவட்டங்களுக்கு 'ஆரஞ்ச் அலர்ட்'

4 நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை எச்சரிக்கை: வட மாவட்டங்களுக்கு 'ஆரஞ்ச் அலர்ட்'

Updated : நவ 11, 2020 06:59 | Added : நவ 11, 2020 06:57

சென்னை : தமிழகத்தின் பெரும்பாலான இடங்களில், இன்று(செப்.,11) முதல் நான்கு நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை பெய்யும். சென்னை, செங்கல்பட்டு உள்ளிட்ட கடலோர மாவட்டங்களுக்கும், கனமழை எச்சரிக்கை விடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில், வட கிழக்கு பருவமழை துவங்கி, இரண்டு வாரங்களாகும் நிலையில், மூன்று நாட்களாக வறண்ட வானிலை நிலவியது.கிழக்கு திசை காற்றின் வேக மாறுபாட்டால், மழை குறைந்து வறண்ட வானிலை நிலவியதாக, சென்னை வானிலை மையம் அறிவித்தது.

இந்நிலையில், இன்று முதல் 4 நாட்களுக்கு, சென்னை முதல் தென்காசி வரை பெரும்பாலான மாவட்டங்களில், கனமழை பெய்யும் என, எச்சரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சென்னை வானிலை மைய இயக்குனர் புவியரசன் வெளியிட்ட செய்திக்குறிப்பு: தமிழகம் முழுதும், இன்று முதல், 14ம் தேதி வரை, பரவலாக இடி, மின்னலுக்கு வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது.தமிழக கடலோர பகுதியில் நிலவும் வளிமண்டல மேலடுக்கு சுழற்சியால், சென்னை, திருவள்ளூர், செங்கல்பட்டு மற்றும் காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்டங்களில், இன்று இடியுடன் கூடிய கனமழையும், மற்ற மாவட்டங்களில் மிதமான மழையும் பெய்யலாம்.

சென்னை, திருவள்ளூர், செங்கல்பட்டு, காஞ்சிபுரம், விழுப்புரம், கடலுார், மயிலாடுதுறை, தஞ்சாவூர், திருவாரூர், நாகை போன்ற டெல்டா மாவட்டங்களிலும், புதுச்சேரி மற்றும் காரைக்காலிலும், நாளை கன, மிக கனமழை பெய்யும். மற்ற இடங்களில் மிதமான மழை பெய்யும்.

வரும், 13ம் தேதி தமிழகம் மற்றும் புதுச்சேரியில், பல இடங்களில் இடியுடன் கூடிய கனமழை பெய்யும். அடுத்த நாள், தமிழகம், புதுச்சேரியில், கடலோர மாவட்டங்களிலும், கனமழை பெய்யும். சில உள் மாவட்டங்களிலும், இடியுடன் கூடி மிதமான மழைக்கு வாய்ப்புள்ளது. சென்னையில், இன்று பல இடங்களில் மிதமான மழையும்; சில இடங்களில் கனமழையும் பெய்யும்.இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

கனமழை அறிவிப்பை தொடர்ந்து, நாளை மற்றும் வரும், 14ம் தேதிக்கு மிக கனமழைக்கான 'ஆரஞ்ச் அலர்ட்' எச்சரிக்கை விடப்பட்டுள்ளது. கனமழை பெய்தால், வெள்ளப்பெருக்கு ஏற்படுவதை தடுக்கும் வகையில், முன்னெச்சரிக்கை மேற்கொள்ள, வருவாய் துறை மற்றும் பொதுப்பணி துறையினருக்கும், வானிலை மையம் தகவல் அனுப்பி உள்ளது.

தமிழக கடலோர பகுதிகளில், இன்று மணிக்கு, 40 முதல், 50 கி.மீ., வேகத்தில் சூறாவளி காற்று வீசலாம்.எனவே, மீனவர்கள்அந்த பகுதிகளுக்கு செல்ல வேண்டாம் என, தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Gold hidden in flyer’s face mask seized

Gold hidden in flyer’s face mask seized

Two Packets With Paste Of Metal Found Stitched Inside

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.11.2020

Gold smugglers are keeping up with the times. Customs officials at Chennai international airport on Monday found gold paste hidden in two packets stitched inside the mask of a passenger.

Officials said they recovered gold paste weighing 114g from the mask of the passenger who arrived from Dubai in an Emirates flight (EK 544) on Monday.

One gold chain weighing 50g was also recovered from the passenger.

Gold was seized from three more passengers who arrived from Dubai by the same flight.

On persistent questioning, the three passengers admitted to carrying gold paste bundles concealed in their rectums. Sixteen bundles of gold paste were recovered from them.

A total of 1.84 kg of gold valued at ₹97.82 lakh was seized from all the four passengers. Three of them were arrested.

Earlier, seven passengers who had arrived from Dubai by Indigo (6E 66) and Emirates (EK 542) flights were intercepted and searched. A passenger had plastic pouches of gold in the form of paste stitched inside his jeans.

Gold cut bits were recovered from the trouser pockets of another passenger.

On persistent questioning, five passengers admitted to carrying gold paste bundles concealed in their rectums. Twelve bundles of gold paste were recovered from their rectums. Six strips and five gold cut bits were also recovered from them.

A total of 1.65kg gold valued at ₹87.48 lakh was seized from these seven passengers, said Customs officials . Two of them were arrested.

In total, Customs officials seized 3.5kg of gold worth ₹1.85 crore and arrested five passengers.

Admissions to mechanical engg course at all-time low

Admissions to mechanical engg course at all-time low

Just One In 4 Seats Filled In Counselling

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.11.2020

Admissions to mechanical engineering course have been on a decline since 2017 and this year is no different. Engineering colleges were able to fill around just one in four seats for the course.

About five years ago, mechanical engineering was the most sought after course. In 2020, however, or 8,179 of the 29,354 seats — a mere 28% — were filled in online counselling, conducted from October 1 to 28. Only 11of 461engineering colleges were able to fill all seats for mechanical engineering course this year and 75 colleges could fill more than 50% of seats during counselling.

“Even some top engineering colleges also could not fill 50% of (seats for the course) ,” said career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi.

The declining trend could be a result of preference for white collar jobs, outdated syllabus and fewer placements due to poor growth of the manufacturing sector. Branches like computer science engineering and information technology had more takers with 65% and 71% of seats filled. Even newly launched courses like artificial intelligence and data science had more takers with more than 60% seats filled in the counselling Nagaraj, a professor from the mechanical engineering department of a private college, said students preference for white collar jobs is reflecting in the poor admission rate.

“IT companies provide attractive offers while core companies are unable to do so. It is also a reflection of the poor growth of the manufacturing sector in our country despite various government programmes,” he said. Industry automation has also brought down the requirement of engineers in recent years, he added.

The poor admission rate will also affect faculty members as colleges may try to reduce their staff strength. “Many faculty members from mechanical engineering departments are now seeking jobs in the industry and many are even willing to take trainee-level jobs,” said a professor, requesting anonymity.

Despite all this, some colleges said they were able to fill more than 90% seats in mechanical and other core courses this year. “We need to understand the requirements of the industry and train students. Even IT majors hire mechanical engineers with certificate programmes like project lifecycle management (PLM) software,” said RM Kishore, vicechairman, RMK Engineering College. He added that students must be ready to learn interdisciplinary areas and emerging areas to keep up with changing requirements.

Industry experts said there was a mismatch between what students learn and the skills that the industry requires. “Mechanical engineering course was not updated while the industry underwent a lot of changes. It is one of the main reasons for poor job opportunities,” said V Thiagarajan, retired general manager (TQM and Six Sigma), WABCO India. “Several new concepts like lean manufacturing for loss elimination, single minute exchange of die (SMED are being followed by the industry. But, these concepts are not being taught.”

He added that students must be introduced to electronics and be updated with technology like the Internet of Things (IoT).

City likely to receive rain from tonight

City likely to receive rain from tonight

Intensity May Increase Tomorrow

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.11.2020

After a brief lull, city residents must now brace for some heavy pre-Diwali spells and localised flooding, as weathermen have forecast rain to start from Wednesday night with intensity increasing from heavy to very heavy over localities on Thursday.

This round of rainfall is likely due to the presence of an elongated region of low pressure or a trough of low closer to north Tamil Coast. Private weather forecasters and bloggers said this round of monsoon spells will last for at least a week with a few days recording moderate to heavy spells expected in some parts of the state.

IMD has forecast thunderstorms with light to moderate rain with isolated heavy fall while the sky condition could be generally cloudy in the city for the next 48 hours. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30°C and 23°C. The agency has also issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorm over isolated places in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam districts on November 12.

“There’s usually low pressure over the equatorial Indian Ocean this time of the monsoon. Under its influence, a trough in easterlies or a trough of low closer to the northern coast brings moist easterlies from the sea which converges closer to the coast resulting in rainfall. The rainfall could begin in coastal regions including Chennai from November 11 and after two or three days, winds could penetrate into interior regions bringing rainfall,” said N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, IMD.

Weather blogger Pradeep John said trough, which is a remnant of cyclone Goni which made landfall in Philippines, could bring heavy rainfall in the city on November 12 followed by two days of light spells. The rainfall intensity picks up again on November 15 and 16, with interior districts too likely to get some spells. “Besides late night or early morning rainfall, this time we could also expect on and off spells in the city during the day. We can expect rainfall till November 18 or 19,” he said.

Skymet Weather, in its online update, said the coastal region of Tamil Nadu will be battered more than the interiors and that northern parts of the state will see rainfall intensity higher than the southern regions. It is because the equatorial belt has been active with two cyclonic circulations and the northeasterly winds have gathered strength all along the coast, which could trigger heavy rainfall over TN coast and south coastal AP.

“Some of the cities like Chennai, Puducherry, Karaikal, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam are at risk of localised flooding associated with incessant rains,” the private forecaster said.

2 docs held in equipment purchase scam

2 docs held in equipment purchase scam

Chinese Spare Parts Used To Assemble Ultrasound Machine At Lower Cost

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.11.2020

Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption has uncovered a scam in Thiruvarur district where around ₹50 lakh meant for purchase of medical equipment like Doppler Ultrasound and Puerpal Sterilisation kits was allegedly misappropriated by two former deputy directors of health services.

In one of the procurement orders, the DVAC discovered that instead of the original equipment, an assembly made from spare parts bought from China with cracked version of the software was used. This was bought at 12% of the cost of the original equipment.

The FIR, which was filed last week, has named Dr R Sumathi and Dr A Subramani as accused. The former works in Tirunelveli district, while the latter is posted in Trichy currently.

DVAC said the scam pertains to works under state balanced growth fund at a cost of ₹74.5 lakh through the state planning commission in 2015.

Nine pieces of Doppler Ultrasound were meant to be procured. It is an equipment which detects foetal growth and congenital malformation during pregnancy. As per the purchase order, the brand to be procured was Ethiroli Tiny 16A. However, this is not a standard brand in ultrasound machines, DVAC said.

In the register, DVAC discovered that entries were made under the brand name of Wipro Ge Logiq 100 Pro, which wasn’t in the order. Only eight machines were supplied, of which only one was of the Ethiroli make. The remaining seven were assembled using Chineese spare parts and cracked software at a cost of ₹30,000.

But for the machines, payment of ₹31.36 lakh at a unit price of ₹3.48 lakh was made. This translated into a misappropriation of ₹28.96 lakh with the bills signed by Dr Sumathi, DVAC said.

Sterilisation kits were bought for unit price of ₹24,970, but the original price was only ₹4,000. Payment was made for 10 kits, while only two were supplied. This was a misappropriation of Rs2.41 lakh by Dr Subramani, DVAC said.

A similar scam was detected in the purchase of an Implantable Loop Recorder, which is a cardiac monitor, wherein ₹1.9 lakh was paid for the recorder which costs only ₹80,000.

Operation tables, which cost ₹40,000, were procured at ₹99,875. Generators costing ₹1.1 lakh were bought for ₹2 lakh.

Procedures of the TN Medical Services Corporation were not followed, DVAC said. They were booked for corruption and criminal breach of trust.

The FIR, which was filed last week, has named Dr R Sumathi and Dr A Subramani as accused. The former works in Tirunelveli district, while the latter is posted in Trichy currently.

Zoo, children’s park to open today, only 10 visit museums on Day 1 after Covid

Zoo, children’s park to open today, only 10 visit museums on Day 1 after Covid

Arrangements Made To Follow Pandemic Protocol At Zoo, Parks; Museums Expect More Visitors

Oppili P & Yogesh Kabirdoss TNN

11.11.2020

The zoo at Vandalur, children’s park and snake park in Guindy will begin receiving visitors from Wednesday, more than seven months after they were shut due to Covid-19. But, the monuments at Mamallapuram will remain closed as they come under the category of tourist attractions that cannot reopen. Two museums thrown open on Tuesday met with lukewarm response with only 10 visitors.

Elaborate arrangements have been made at the zoo, with the children’s park, aquarium, reptile house, butterfly house, walkthrough aviary, nocturnal animal house, interpretation centre and narrow paths off limits for visitors. A maximum of 7,000 visitors will be allowed daily.

Golf carts with a capacity to transport 14 visitors will carry only seven each, the lion safari vehicle that can transport 25 people per trip will have only 13 visitors per trip, said a zoo official. Chairs meant for visitors, golf carts and batteryoperated vehicles have been disinfected.

Asked if the animals that had spent the last seven months in a quiet atmosphere be affected with the reopening of the zoo to the visitors, the official said that even during the peak of the lockdown, at least 400 people including zoo keepers and official of various ranks had been coming into the zoo. The animals would come out of their enclosures by 9am and return around 4.30 in the evening.

“This routine was meticulously followed during the lockdown period. Moreover, every animal enclosure has a CCTV camera, which is exclusively monitored by a team of zoo staff. When an animal is found to be sick or behaving unusually, its health condition is checked and treatment provided accordingly.”

With restrictions in place, the number visitors to the zoo or the children’s park will be minimal. Citing the example of theatres in the city, the official said that on Tuesday, theatres recorded very poor patronage. “We expect a similar situation in the zoo and the park,” the official added.

Only a handful visited the Government Museum at Egmore and ASI museum in Fort St George till 3pm on Tuesday. Irshad Pathan of Greater Noida near Delhi, who was in Chennai for an official work, visited the museum. “It was our weekly off and we just wanted to move around the city and that brought us to the Government Museum in Egmore,” he said. The museum has introduced touch-free toilets and added more wash basins before galleries. “We are expecting footfalls to increase in weeks to follow,” Commissioner of Museums M S Shanmugam said.

Medical counselling likely from Nov 17: Health minister

Medical counselling likely from Nov 17: Health minister

Trichy: 11.11.2020

Counselling for MBBS, BDS admissions in the state could begin tentatively by November 17, state health minister Dr C Vijayabaskar has said.

Speaking to reporters at the Trichy International Airport on Tuesday, Vijayabaskar said that online applications from candidates will be accepted till November 12. “The rank list will be released on November 16 after which the counselling will commence between November 17 and 19, according to the decision of the chief minister,” he said.

Terming the 7.5% reservation for students of government schools in medical admissions as an historical achievement of the AIADMK government, the health minister said that students of rural schools would secure a minimum of 303 seats in the counselling.

He also ridiculed DMK president and opposition leader M K Stalin for taking credit for the 7.5% reservation.

On the status of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, the health minister said that the Tamil Nadu government has successfully completed the first round of trial by administering the vaccine to 75 volunteers who developed no side effects. He said that the next phase of the trial will start soon.

Vijayabaskar also appealed to the people to wear face masks and follow social distancing during the festival to avoid the second wave. TNN

Dental council prez sacked over illegalities

11.10.2020 

The health ministry has declared that Dr Dibyendu Mazumdar ceases to be president of Dental Council of India (DCI) with immediate effect as his election to the post, held on December 15 last year, was “illegal and invalid”.

The ministry has sought a fresh election. After receiving a complaint regarding the December poll, the ministry had constituted a two-member panel on January 6 and reconstituted it in February to enquire into the complaints and file a report. According to the panel’s report, the very membership of Dr Mazumdar is illegal as he had “attained the age of 65 years on July 9, 2019”, well before the election. It also said there were illegalities in the electoral roll used for the election. TNN

Full report on www.toi.in

Govt staff, kin can get treatment at 93 pvt hosps

Govt staff, kin can get treatment at 93 pvt hosps

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:10.11.2020 

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has in an important decision taken in the interest of government servants and dependent members of their families on Monday allowed them to undergo treatment as 93 recognised private hospitals in the state.

Chouhan said that the government servants could not get medical reimbursement for their treatment in private hospitals earlier. However, government officials and employees can now avail treatment of various diseases in private hospitals identified by the government and also claim medical reimbursement.

Chief minister said that government employees and their dependents can avail treatment of serious ailments like kidney transplant, homo dialysis, cancer disease, hip, knee-elbow shoulder partial replacement, mammography, MRI CT scan, Cochlear implant, heart disease, head injury, neuro surgery and spinal surgery besides tests and treatment of other diseases. After test and treatment, the government employee will also be able to get medical reimbursement from his department.

Colleges To Restart On November 17

SOP SPELT OUT

Covid test must for staff, students; libraries, canteens won’t open

Colleges To Restart On November 17

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:10.11.2020

As colleges and universities in Karnataka prepare to open gates for physical classes from November 17, the state government has made it mandatory for all teaching and non-teaching staff and students to undergo RTPCR test for Covid -19 three days before reopening.

As per the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the state government on Monday, only after their tests results are negative can they attend physical classes. However, canteens and libraries will remain closed for now.

On November 5, UGC had written to all states with guidelines to reopen colleges and hold classes and exams. Following this, the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) too submitted draft guidelines to the government. The UGC and KSHEC guidelines were taken into consideration to draft the detailed SOP for government and private educational institutions.

As per the SOP, students are required to present a proforma or a letter, signed by them or by their parents, stating that they are ready to attend classes in person.

Institutions have been directed to consult the health department and based on their student strength and number of classrooms, chalk out a plan to hold classes while keeping social distance.

According to the SOP, institutions can extend their teaching hours and depending on availability of classrooms, students can be accommodated on a rotational basis.

In physical classes, projects and laboratory sessions are to be held in batches to avoid crowding.

Option of online classes

Students have the option to attend online classes. Colleges must arrange for contact classes for such students, where they can visit physically to clear their doubts. At such times, social distancing is a must. Teachers are required to prepare study materials and send them to students via Telegram, WhatsApp or email. Study lectures, enotes, audio books and practice questions, among other materials, must be available for students on the institution’s website.

Those opting for online classes could be allowed to occupy in-campus and off-campus hostels.

Part of new normal

Other guidelines include thorough sanitisation of campus, including furniture, study materials and washrooms.

Entries and exits must be manned well and the institutions must have a designated person, who will ensure staff and students entering campus sanitise, wear mask, shield and do not have any Covid symptoms. All students and teachers should always display ID cards. Entry of visitors is to be closely monitored. Teachers and lecturers must wear mask at all times.

If a family member of a student is suffering from Covid symptoms, s/he must be asked to avoid coming to college. Used masks must be discarded in the right manner.

Colleges must seek continuous feedback from students and parents about the situation. They must also encourage students to take up immunity-boosting exercises like yoga.

6-yr-old sets Guinness record

6-yr-old sets Guinness record

Ahmedabad:  10.11.2020 

A Class II student, Arham Talsania, of Ahmedabad-based Udgam School For Children, has set the Guinness World Record by clearing the powerful Python programming language exam at the age of six. The exam was conducted at Pearson VueTest Center authorized by Microsoft on January 23, according to a press statement by the school. The test, which is difficult to crack by many buddy engineers, has been passed by this incredible boy, thus becoming the world’s youngest computer programmer, it said.

Arham has broken an earlier Guinness record of seven-year-old Muhammad Hamza Shahzad, a British boy of Pakistani origin. In an exam where a candidate needed 700 out of 1000 marks to get the prestigious certificate, ArhamTalsania, now turned 7, had scored 900 and got recognized as ‘Microsoft Technology Associate’, it said. TNN

HC Issues Notice To NTA

NEET 2020

Student says OMR sheet tampered with

HC Issues Notice To NTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:10.11.2020

The Gujarat high court on Monday issued a notice to the National Testing Agency after an MBBS aspirant complained that his OMR (optical mark recognition) marksheet in NEET was tampered with.

Palitana town’s Jayveersinh Gohil has claimed that he was expected to get 692 marks out of 720 in NEET with only two questions left unattempted and four questions wrongly answered. He expected this result after tallying his answers with the answer key published by the National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET. But he got only 354 marks.

The student claimed that the answersheet shown to him reflected that the two questions which were left out were shown as attempted and there were eight other questions which were not attempted. He alleged a scam and claimed that his answersheet was tampered with because his signature and handwriting do not tally with the ones found in the answersheet.

Gohil also submitted that in 2019 NEET, the original answersheet used to go to NTA, the second copy to the main centre and the third copy was given to the student. This year, the changed system has left him with no evidence. Hence, his advocate Hitesh Acharya requested the high court to direct the authorities to provide the original answer sheet.

The HC has posted further hearing on November  27.

Deadline to get PINs for medical, dental courses extended

Ahmedabad:

The admission committee has pushed back the deadline to buy PINs and register for medical and dental undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The committee had earlier set the deadline at November 9 but following a Gujarat high court, regarding students who passed their Class X exams from states other than Gujarat, before 2017, the committee extend the deadline to December 10 in lines with the court’s directive, a sources in the committee said.

Govt sets up panel for medical college reforms

Ahmedabad:

The state government has constituted a committee to look into issues at state government-run medical colleges such as the filling of vacant positions, use of equipment and research carried out by these colleges. The committee will submit its report to the government in the next seven days, based on which medical colleges will be upgraded soon, a source said.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has now been constituted to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI). The NMC has also released details of the kind of requirements that will arise in medical colleges in the coming days and the reforms needed. “Based on the NMC’s directive, a 10-member committee has been constituted by the Gujarat government,” a source said.

UGC to disburse research fellow scholarships this week

UGC to disburse research fellow scholarships this week

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:10.11.2020

Coming as a big relief to thousands of research scholars, the University Grants Commission (UGC) will disburse the emoluments to the Junior Research Fellows (JRF) and Senior Research Fellow (SRF) over Wednesday and Thursday. According to the commission the technical issues which had delayed the disbursal has been resolved and along with the existing emoluments, the backlog would also be cleared and the fellowships would be deposited in the respective accounts.

The JRF scheme is open to candidates who qualify in the National Eligibility Test (NET) of UGC and the UGC-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) joint test and the tenure of fellowship is initially for two years. According to Rajnish Jain, secretary, UGC, “There were some technical problems due to change in financial procedures which resulted in delay. However, the have been resolved and the emoluments will be deposited in the accounts of the research fellow in two to three days.”

No air routes from city figure among top 25 in country

No air routes from city figure among top 25 in country

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.11.2020

The number of flights may be increasing at the city airport but none of the routes from the city are on the list of top 25 busiest ones across the country in terms of demand, shows online booking trends.

As business travel resumes, Mumbai-Delhi and Bengaluru-Delhi, Delhi-Patna, Kolkata-Bengaluru, Kolkata-Mumbai and similar routes from other metro are the busiest. However, similar kind of demand is not there for travel from Chennai. This shows the business travel is yet to resume and a majority of people who travel are families and guest workers.

Nevertheless, more people have started flying from Chennai for Diwali and to return to the city after the government announcement to reopen colleges. And flights from Chennai to Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Patna, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Madurai, Varanasi, Jaipur are the most popular among the travellers this month.

Nishanth Pitti, CEO, EaseMyTrip said Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Jaipur were the top five destinations from Chennai based on booking trend. More people are also travelling to Coimbatore, Madurai, Goa, Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad as these destinations figure among the top ten in popularity for the season.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO & cofounder, ixigo, said, “We have seen a 40% increase in advance bookings for festive travel, in the last three weeks . Leisure destinations like Goa this month are also witnessing strong traffic from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. We have seen a 74% month-on-month increase in bookings for Goa around Diwali.”

The city airport handles around 180 domestic flights a day as arrivals and departures have touched 90 flights a day on most days.

“The numbers are edging closer to the 100 arrivals a day approved by the state government. The demand for travel is likely to increase further closer to Diwali. The government move to open colleges too may see students returning,” said an airport official

Over 12,000 Schools Hold Meetings

Over 12,000 Schools Hold Meetings

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.11.2020

A majority of parents of students of private schools want reopening put off to January 2021 fearing a possible second wave of Covid-19.

More than 12,000 schools conducted meetings with parents for views on reopening schools for Classes IX to XII from November 16. In districts such as Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram, Trichy, Ranipet and Vellore, parents of students of private schools wanted the reopening postponed, while a majority of those of government school students wanted them reopened.

S Baskaran, whose daughter is a student of Vidyodaya Girls Higher Secondary School in T Nagar, said it would be ideal to reopen schools in January 2021. Thiagarajan Dhandapani, whose child studies at GRT Mahalakshmi Vidyalaya Matriculation HS School in Ashok Nagar, said a second wave of Covid-19 was happening worldwide. “We don't know what is going to happen next.”

Some said students are not taking online classes seriously. “They are not paying attention and are not writing any tests. Schools should reopen at least for board exam students and physical classes may be conducted on alternate days,” said Devi, whose daughter is a student of Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar. Online classes are frequently interrupted due to network issues, she said.

Shivakumar, another parent, said motivation to attend online classes was poor. “The government should consider dropping the entire academic year,” he said.

Agnes Rita, principal of GRT Mahalakshmi Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, said around 80% of the parents who attended the meeting on Monday said they were not willing to send their children to school.

B Purushothaman, senior principal, Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Kolathur, said 56% of parents who attended the meeting didn’t want schools to reopen.

CBSE schools also conducted meetings with parents most of whom were against sending their children to schools. “Parents of students who will appear for the board exams are worried about practicals,” said R Srinivasa Raghavan, principal of Bala Vidyamandir Senior Secondary School, Adyar.

In government schools, a significant portion of parents wanted them reopened. “Parents who are doing casual jobs feel their children would be safe at schools. But those from middle class backgrounds worry about monsoon season and a possible second wave of Covid-19,” a government school headmaster in Chennai said.

M Mercy, headmistress of Syed Murthuza Government Higher Secondary School in Trichy, said two-third of parents wanted schools opened, believing their children can learn better in a classroom atmosphere.

SHARING VIEWS: Parents share their views on reopening of schools at Everwin School in Kolathur on Monday

STATE GOVT ISSUES TWO KEY ORDERS

STATE GOVT ISSUES TWO KEY ORDERS

50% super-specialty, PG med seats for govt doctors in TN

Pushpa Narayan & K Sureshkumar TNN

Chennai:10.11.2020

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday issued two crucial orders concerning post-graduate and super-specialty medical courses. While GO (463) reserved at least 50% of PG medical seats for in-service government doctors, the other GO (462) reserved the entire 50% state quota super-specialty medical seats for in-service candidates.

The new admission policy for MD/MS and MDS courses will come into force in 2021, and for the PG super-specialty (DM/MCh) courses, it will come into effect in 2020. The inservice candidates availing themselves of these two categories of seats have to sign a bond pledging to remain in government service till superannuation.

That these GOs have been issued was disclosed in the Madras high court when Justice N Anand Venkatesh took up a batch of cases filed by in-service medicos for further hearing.

On Monday, when the central government wanted the court to defer the hearing till the Supreme Court decides a similar issue pending before it, P Wilson, senior counsel for serving doctors, pointed out that the case before the apex court had nothing to do with the present petition and that it would not come in the way of the Tamil Nadu government granting 50% in-service reservation.

Concurring with the submission, Justice Anand Venkatesh refused to defer the hearing. He then recorded the stand of the state government and disposed of the plea.

ALL SUCH SEATS FOR SERVICE CANDIDATES

‘Need more super-specialists to offer high end surgeries for free’

After surrendering 50% of PG medical seats in government colleges and government share of seats in self-financing to All India Quota for admission by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the state will be left with 50% of seats. Of this 50% of the seats – that is 25% of the overall seats – will be reserved for inservice candidates. The remaining seats will be for the open category, where all students, including non-service candidates from the state, can apply.

But in case of super-specialty seats, the order says all 50% of seats reserved for the state will be for in-service candidates from this academic year. “This difference was introduced because since 2016 counselling for all super-specialty seats was done by the DGHS purely based on NEET ranking. In case of PG, the state selection committee conducted counselling for 50% of state quota seats. This year, we asked for 50% of seats. We cannot reserve seats for the open category from this,” said Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayana Babu.

“Last year, we had just 10 students from government service in super-specialty courses. We have more than two dozen medical colleges and we are planning to add 11 more. We need more superspecialists who can offer high end surgeries free of cost to our patients,” he said.

8 மாவட்டங்களில் 2 நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை பெய்யும்

8 மாவட்டங்களில் 2 நாட்களுக்கு கனமழை பெய்யும்

சென்னை : தமிழ்நாட்டில் தென் மாவட்டங்கள் உட்பட 8 மாவட்டங்களில் நவ.,13 மற்றும் 14 ஆகிய 2 நாட்கள் கனமழை பெய்ய வாய்ப்பு உள்ளதாக சென்னை வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. பருவமழை தீவிரமடைந்து வருவதால் தமிழ்நாடு மற்றும் புதுச்சேரியில் கனமழை பெய்து வருகிறது. தென் மாவட்டங்களில் நவ.,12 மற்றும் நவ.,13 ஆகிய 2 நாட்களில் கனமழை பெய்ய வாய்ப்பு உள்ளதாக சென்னை வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. இது தொடர்பாக அம்மையம் கூறுகையில், இன்றைய வானிலையை பொறுத்த வரை, நேற்றைய நிலையை பெரும்பாலும் நீடித்து வருகிறது. பெரும்பாலான இடங்களில்வறண்ட வானிலை நிலவும். கடலோர மாவட்டங்களில் லேசான மழைக்கு வாய்ப்புள்ளது. தமிழ்நாட்டின் தென் மாவட்டங்களில் குறிப்பாக மதுரை, விருதுநகர், சிவகங்கை, துாத்துக்குடி, ராமநாதபுரம் மற்றும் டெல்டா மாவட்டங்களான, திருவாரூர், தஞ்சாவூர், புதுக்கோட்டை ஆகிய 8 மாவட்டங்களில் நவ.,13,14 ஆகிய 2 நாட்கள் கனமழை பெய்யும். இவ்வாறு தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

Dailyhunt

Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Dinamalar

Hry govt hikes MBBS fee to ₹40L

GOVT TO HELP GET EDUCATION LOAN

Hry govt hikes MBBS fee to ₹40L

Students Will Sign Bonds

Manvir.Saini@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:09.11.2020 

In a move which may trigger unrest among students seeking admission in government-run medical colleges in Haryana, the Haryana medical education and research department has revised the fee for medical courses and introduced bonds for students, for which a system of loans has been put in place.

The move is meant to ensure that MBSS pass-outs are retained in government service for seven years. Repayment of EMIs will be done by government in case MBBS pass-outs join and stay with Haryana government for seven years.

Now, a student seeking admission in an MBBS course will have to pay Rs 40 lakh for the four-year course.

The amount would be to around Rs 10 lakh per annum, including the course fee, which will start from Rs 80,000 per annum. The fee will increase by 10% with each passing year.

At present, the government-run medical colleges have a fee structure of Rs 56,000 per annum, while private colleges charge Rs 12 lakh per annum. With the new policy unveiled by the government, students seeking admission in MBBS courses will have to adhere to the revised structures.

According to the policy, students will have to furnish a bond with the medical education department. The government shall facilitate an educational loan of Rs 10 lakh per year for four years. After a five and a half year moratorium period, students will have two options of repayment.

Those passing out shall be given a job in Haryana and the government shall repay the loan in seven years. In case the pass-out wants to opt out of Haryana, he/she shall have to repay the loan at his/ her own level.

The policy has a quota system in education but it does not spell out exact financial relaxation for students coming from various categories including SC/ST, backward class or economic weaker sections.

The notification has also increased fee for PG courses, which will start at Rs 1.25 lakh with increase of Rs 25,000 every year.

According to the state government, this is to provide job assurance to MBBS doctors. “This way, students will be assured of a job. As far as bond money is concerned, Rs 10 lakh per annum is inclusive of course feel.

“After paying the course fee, the remaining amount shall go to a trust, which shall repay the student’s loan and other things. This is the best scheme the state has come out with,” a senior officer of the department of medical education and research, Haryana said. However, opposition parties are not convinced.

Haryana’s main opposition party, the Congress has termed this as the worst move initiated by the Manohar Lal Khattar-Dushyant Chautala led BJP-JJP government on those seeking admission to medical colleges in Haryana.

“This diktat shall keep children from poor backgrounds, especially those from SC/ST and backward class categories, away from medical education. Secondly, this entire exercise appears to be a scam to help private medical colleges hike fee. Once they come to know that the government course will cost a student Rs 40 lakh, they can charge up to Rs 30 lakh in addition to underhand capitation fee,’’ said AICC chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala.

He said, “This will add another dark chapter in the lives of the youth of Haryana. We ask the government to withdraw this with immediate effect or else we shall take legal recourse. We shall not allow this anarchy,’’ he asserted.

Abhay Chautala of INLD termed it as a move of the BJP-JJP government to keep children of the poor, farmers and Dalits away from medical colleges.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, who was interacting with mediapersons in Fatehabad, maintained that the fee hike had been pending for many years.

“The course fee is less than that being charged in Punjab,’’ he said. He did not comment on the bond money, as prescribed in the policy.

The chief minister described the fee hike as marginal and said there had been no fee hike for several years. According to him, medical fees in Himachal is nominal as compared to other states.

On the question pertaining to submitting bonds worth Rs 10 lakh, the chief minister said it has been included so that after pursuing MBBS, students can work in the state and provide their services to people. He said the bonds are being submitted to encourage students to work in the state.