Google removes 5 rogue lending apps

Google removes 5 rogue lending apps

Anam.Ajmal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:17.11.2020

Several digital lending applications, unauthorised by any financial regulator, were available for download on Google Playstore for over three months. These apps, whose names resembled legit companies, offered users short-term credit at very high interest rates and then, in some cases, harassed or abused the borrowers for repayment. Following queries sent by TOI to Google, the technology giant took down at least five of them.

“Such unauthorised apps grew during the lockdown when people needed quick cash. The apps’ names resembled legit companies. Many people did not know how to distinguish between the two. They were downloaded by at least 400,000 to 1million people,” said fintech researcher Srikanth L, who studied at least 10 such apps.

TOI tried reaching out to the numbers listed on the nowdefunct apps, but they were unreachable. Those taken down by the technology giant include Ok Cash, Go Cash, Flip Cash, ECash and SnapItLoan.

“Our Google Play Developer Policies are designed to protect users and keep them safe, and we recently expanded our Financial Services policy to help protect people from deceptive and exploitative personal loan terms. When violations are found, we take action,” a Google spokesperson told TOI on Friday.

According to Google’s policies, if any app “contains or promotes financial products and services”, it must comply with state and local regulations for any region or country. However, Srikanth’s research showed these apps had their servers hosted on Alibaba cloud, a Chinese company.

“A common feature among these apps is that they have no legal entity in India. It is possible some money is laundered through this as all these transactions will be outside RBI’s regulatory purview,” said Srikanth, a coordinator at citizen led collective Cashless Consumer, which raises awareness about digital transactions.

Full report on www.toi.in

Times View: Such rogue apps bring misery to the financially needy and the unsuspecting. They must be brought under regulation. Google too should monitor their functioning and take suo moto action against them.

CRACKING DOWN

Admission headache: Students asked for certificates though final yr results not out

Admission headache: Students asked for certificates though final yr results not out

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:  17.11.2020 

Several students seeking admission to B.Ped, M.Ped, B.Ed, M.Ed and other such courses are in a strange situation. While their final year results are yet to be announced, they have been asked to get their documents verified. Students said there is still one more round to be organized and it will put their entire year in trouble.

As per the notification, students have been asked to get their documents like TC, migration and others from November 18 to 25. Incidentally, universities like Ujjain’s Vikram University and a few others have announced their final year results recently but BU’s students are still waiting for their results.

Students will lose their admission if they fail to get their documents verified. Students said when results are not announced, from where would they get TC and migration? “I am seeking admission in B.Ped. I am waiting for my results. I have contacted Barkatullah University several times, but they are not telling me any date. How to get TC and migration when I do not have results in my hand,” said Bipin Jha, a final year student.

Another student demanded that the dates of the document verification be extended. “We are already in trouble due to the Covid pandemic. In such a situation, it is even more frustrating to see such notifications,” said another final year student, Vinita Sharma.

The teaching faculty were also of the view that students are in a catch-22 sitution after such notification. “Undoubtedly, this is a matter of concern for the students. What to verify when they do not have any documents? This is a situation which is frustrating for anyone,” said a senior professor of BU on condition of anonymity.

When contacted, BU’s registrar Ajeet Shrivastava admitted that a few results of final years are yet to be declared. “We are in process of declaring the results soon. We are hoping that we will be able to declare all final year results before November 25,” said Shrivastava.

Asked about the courses in which results are to be announced, Shrivastava said, “I can’t tell the names of the courses in which results are yet to be announced as I am outstation.”

Students fear losing admission if they fail to follow the order

Air of uneasiness at oath-taking, CM doesn’t get up to greet his deputies

Air of uneasiness at oath-taking, CM doesn’t get up to greet his deputies

17.11.2020 TOI     

The ceremony was attended by home minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. Nitish, who insisted on leveraging his higher numbers in previous terms to secure bigger share of departments and the post of speaker, has seen BJP playing by the same playbook to demand bigger share in the government.

The saffron party has kept its commitment to make Nitish the CM despite BJP winning more seats, but has also been firm on getting a share which is commensurate with its new-found muscle. While BJP has 74 members, JD(U) is 30 short of them with current strength. In the previous government, JD(U), with 71 members, had 18 ministers other than Nitish as CM. BJP, with 52 legislators, had 13 ministers, including deputy CM Sushil Modi. While Prasad and Renu Devi are set to be designated as deputy CMs, the party has staked its claim for the post of Speaker, with Nand Kishore Yadav being seen as the likely choice. Name of Yadav, who has been part of every NDA government in Bihar since 2005, was conspicuously missing from the list of ministers who took oath.

With BJP flexing its muscle and demonstrating its intent to rework the terms of trade with JD(U) by dropping its biggest face in Bihar Sushil Modi as deputy CM because of his perceived proximity to Nitish, the ceremony had an air of uneasiness hanging on it. The audience at Raj Bhavan closely looked at the “body language” of the dramatis personae and many eyebrows were raised when Nitish did not get up to receive Prasad and Renu Devi when they greeted him with folded hands after having been appointed ministers.

BJP also tried to soften the buzz about Sushil Modi’s unhappiness. “Sushil Modi Ji is not at all upset. He is an asset to us. Party will think about him, a new responsibility will be given to him,” Fadnavis said. On Sushil Modi not returning as his deputy, Nitish said, “It is the decision of BJP to not field Sushil Modi as deputy CM. They should be asked about this.”

Full report on www.toi.in

Bihar deputy CMs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi during the oath-taking ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Patna, on Monday

As Cong bristles, RJD distances itself from ‘picnic’ remark

As Congress bristled over RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari’s remarks about Rahul Gandhi and why the Mahagathbandhan lost the Bihar polls, his party on Monday distanced itself from what it said were entirely his “personal views” and insisted all was well with the grand alliance, reports Sheezan Nezami. RJD’s national spokesperson Manoj Jha said Tiwari accusing Rahul of “picknicking” ahead of the polls and blaming Congress for the alliance falling short of the majority should not be construed as the party’s official statement. He said a proper analysis was required to pinpoint the reasons why the Mahagathbandhan lost.

Full report on www.toi.in

›Continued from P 1

TN Health minister releases rank list for MBBS, BDS admissions, counselling to be conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium

TN Health minister releases rank list for MBBS, BDS admissions, counselling to be conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium

Time slots and dates will be allotted to the students and per day 500 students will be called for the counselling.

Published: 16th November 2020 01:23 PM 

Health minister Vijayabasker releases MBBS AND BDS counseling rank list, in Chennai on Monday. (Photo |EPS / R.Satish Babu)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Health Minister C Vijayabaskar released rank list for MBBS and BDS admissions 2020-2021 at the Directorate of Medical Education office here on Monday. Counselling will be conducted from November 18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium here.

The minister also released a separate rank list for 7.5 percent quota for government school students, government quota seats in government medical colleges and self-financing medical colleges and management quota seats for self-financing colleges. First copy of the rank list was received by Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and Selection Committee Secretary G Selvarajan.

Under the 7.5 percent reservation for government school students this year, N Jeevithakumar from Government Model Higher Secondary School, Silvarpatti, S Anbarasan from Government Higher Secondary School in Kallakurichi and S Dhivyadharshini from Government Higher Secondary School in Chennai secured first three ranks in the top 10 list.

R Gunasekaran who studied in Government Adi Dravidar Higher Secondary School in Vellore districts secured fourth rank in the 7.7 percent reservation for government schools students. 

Among the top 10 candidates for government quota seats, R Srijan from Erode, Mohanaprabha Ravichandran from Namakkal, and G Swetha from Chennai secured first three ranks in the top 10 list.

The Selection Committee received 24,714 applications for MBBS and BDS seats, among them 23,707 were accepted. The committee received 15,885 applications from the State board students, 7,366 from CBSE and SSCE students, 285 from Indian School Certificate Examination and 171 from other boards.

According to the Selection Committee data, 9,596 students applied were passed out in the current year and 14,111 students were from previous years.

Total 972 applications were received from students for 7.5 percent reservation, among them 951 were accepted.

Speaking to the press after releasing the rank lists, the Health Minister said, the counselling will begin from November 18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium due to Covid-19 this year to maintain physical distance. Time slots and dates will be allotted to the students and per day 500 students will be called for the counselling. After special counselling, counselling for 7.5 percent special reservation will be conducted.

The minister said, there are chances of government schools students getting 405 seats, 313 MBBS and 92 BDS seats, under 7.5 percent reservation. There are 3,650 MBBS seats in 26 government medical colleges. Among them 227 MBBS seats and 12 BDS seats are reserved for 7.5 percent special reservation.

In 15 self financing colleges there are 2,100 MBBS seats are there, among them 1,061 are reserved for State quota and 86 are for 7.5 percent special reservation.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to hand over seat allotment for government school students secured seats under 7.5 percent reservation, according to the officials.

The candidates can access the full rank list at www.tnmedicalselection.org website, the officials said.

Chennai girl secures third rank in NEET-UG “It’s the 7.5 per cent reservation for the government school students which has helped me move closer to getting a seat in Madras Medical College.

Chennai girl secures third rank in NEET-UG

“It’s the 7.5 per cent reservation for the government school students which has helped me move closer to getting a seat in Madras Medical College.

Published: 17th November 2020 05:41 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: “It’s the 7.5 per cent reservation for the government school students which has helped me move closer to getting a seat in Madras Medical College. It has been my dream and I thank the government for this opportunity,” says S Dhivyadharshini from Chennai, who secured third rank in the merit list released by Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, for 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students, on Monday.

Dhivyadharshini secured 620 marks in NEET-UG this year, after two earlier attempts. “I took NEET in 2018, but managed to get only 145 marks. In my second attempt in 2019, I could get only 466 marks. But this year, I am so happy to be a rank holder,” she says.

A student of Government Higher Secondary School, Arumbakkam, Dhivyadharshini passed Class 12 in 2018. Her father, B Shivakumar, is running a catering service and mother K Tamilselvi is a Corporation school teacher. “I want to be a gynaecologist and I aspire to help students like me. I sailed through because of my determination,” she adds.

‘This reservation is a timely help for students’

Cuddalore: Sarathkumar J, son of a farmer in Cuddalore district secured 515 marks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). He is one among the top ten students who made it to the Tamil Nadu NEET merit list released on Monday. Thestudents will be given medical seats as per 7.5 percent reservation for government school students. Sarathkumar a native of Veppur in Cuddalore district completed his education from Nallur Model School in 2019. He said, “ I could not pass NEET in the first attempt. This was my second attempt and has been possible only due to timely reservation announced by the State government.”

Son of daily wage labourers secures fifth rank 

Chandhini R @ Erode: A tiny village named Kundamallanayakanur in Kanjikovil panchayat gets its first ‘doctor-to-be’ after K Boopathy secured fifth place in the rank list for admissions to undergraduate medical courses under 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation for government school students who have cleared NEET. K Boopathy, a student of Kavindapadi Boys Higher Secondary School got 559 marks out of 580 in the NEET this year. He hails from a poor family -- father Kumar and mother Parvathy -- are daily wage labourers who earn less than ‘300 per day.Speaking to TNIE he said, “One thing this achievement taught me was -- It doesn’t matter where you are from, what matters is where you want to go.” After finishing school in 2019, Boopathy enrolled in the free NEET coaching classes offered by the government and prepared for 40 days. 

Rank lists for MBBS, BDS released

Rank lists for MBBS, BDS released

Separate rank lists for the 7.5 per cent reservation for govt school students was released by the health minister

Published: 17th November 2020 05:42 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Health Minister C Vijayabaskar released the rank lists for MBBS and BDS admissions 2020-2021 at the Directorate of Medical Education office here on Monday. Counselling will be conducted from November 18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium here.

The minister released rank lists for the 7.5 per cent quota for government school students, government quota seats in government medical colleges and self-financing medical colleges, and management quota seats for self-financing colleges 

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The first copy of the rank list was received by Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and Selection Committee Secretary G Selvarajan. A total of 972 applications were received from students for 7.5 per cent reservation, among which 951 have been accepted.

Speaking to reporters, the Health Minister said, “Counselling will begin from November 18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium. Only 500 students will be called per day. Counselling for 7.5 per cent special reservation will begin after the special category counselling.”As many as 405 seats -- 313 in MBBS and 92 in BDS -- are reserved for government school students under 7.5 per cent reservation. There are 3,650 MBBS seats in 26 government medical colleges.

Among them, 227 MBBS seats and 12 BDS seats are reserved for 7.5 per cent reservation. In 15 self-financing colleges there are 2,100 MBBS seats, among them 1,061 are reserved for State quota and 86 MBBS are for the 7.5 per cent quota, said the minister.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to hand over seat allotment for government school students, said officials. The candidates can access the full rank list at www.tnmedicalselection.org website, the officials said.

Know these...

There are 3,650 MBBS seats in 26 government medical colleges. Among them, 227 MBBS seats and 12 BDS seats are reserved for 7.5 per cent reservation

Vasan Eye Care founder A M Arun passes away at 51

 Vasan Eye Care founder A M Arun passes away at 51

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  17.11.2020 

Fifty-one-year old A M Arun, the founder of Vasan Eye Care, passed away in Chennai on Monday. Arun is survived by his wife Meera, son Yuthish, 23, and daughter Sarana, a Class XII student.

He was declared dead by doctors in a private hospital in Alwarpet. Since the cause of death could not be ascertained, the Teynampet police registered a case under unnatural death and his body was sent to Omandurar Multi specialty Hospital for postmortem. Police said Yuthish told them that he saw his father lying motionless on the floor at 7.30am on Monday and rushed him to Kauvery Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. A team of forensic experts performed the autopsy and handed over the body to his family around 3pm.

Family members told police they last saw Arun on Sunday night when he walked to his room on the first floor of the house on J J Road off Kasturi Rangan Road at Teynampet. Police said Arun who has been taking medicines for blood pressure and a few ailments, had recently quit drinking.

In a message on the hospital webpage, Arun said, "I ventured into the healthcare business by taking over a small medical shop in Trichy. It had a reputation of over 60-years of being a trustworthy and very reliable pharmacy for sourcing medicines and medical supplies. From that very day in 1999 to this day, each foot I have put forward and each path I chose to tread have been with the support, courage and motivation of my team....". The government of Singapore picked up a stake in the eye care chain to ride the healthcare wave in India. But the fall of the eye care chain was also dramatic after he was accused of money laundering.

Arun's last rites will be performed on Tuesday.

13.75L voters in TN above 80 years, largest electorate in Sholinganallur

13.75L voters in TN above 80 years, largest electorate in Sholinganallur

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.11.2020

Woman voters continue to outnumber men in Tamil Nadu, according to the draft electoral rolls released on Monday. The total electorate in the state is 6.1 crore. There are 3.01 crore male voters, 3.09 women voters and 6,385 third gender voters.

“In terms of largest electorate, Sholinganallur assembly segment tops the state with 6.5 lakh voters. Kilvelur in Nagapattinam district has the smallest electorate with 1.7 lakh voters,” chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo said. Except districts such as Kallakurichi, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Kanyakumari, the remaining 34 districts have more women voters than men.

In Chennai, there are 19.99 lakh woman voters and 19.39 lakh men, taking the tally to 39.4 lakh. The numbers may vary when the final roll is published in January, which would be the final for the assembly polls. Claims and objections can be made from November 16 to December 15.

The election department also listed out 13.75 lakh voters in the state above 80 years, who may be given the option of postal ballot due to Covid-19. The election commission has facilitated postal ballot facilities for those who are 80 years and above and people with disabilities for the first time.

In TamilNadu,Chennai(1.12 lakh), Salem (71,220) and Coimbatore (69,835) topped the districtsin termsof highelectorate in the age group of 80 years and above. “The election commission conveyed about postal ballot facility to these special category voters. It will be confirmed during elections,” said a source.

The election department will hold special camps in designated locations on November 21, 22 and December 12 and 13. Forms for inclusion, deletion, modification and transposition of entries will be available in these locations and filled in forms could be submitted there.

For inclusion, proof of address and age should be submitted along with the form. Aadhaar card may be submitted as proof of age. Proof of age is compulsory for applicants below the age of 25 years. Online filing can also be done on www.nvsp.in and https://voterportal.eci.gov.in. All those who will complete 18 years as on January 1, 2021, and those whose names are not included on the roll can apply for inclusion by filing Form 6.

7.5% quota may help 300 from govt schools

2ND, 3RD TRY FOR A FEW CANDIDATES

7.5% quota may help 300 from govt schools

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

17.11.2020

More than 300 students from humble backgrounds could enter medical colleges in the state this year thanks to the 7.5% special reservation for government school students. Of the 5,750 seats, 313 will be filled by these students.

N Jeevithkumar, a government school student from Siluvarpatti in Theni district, topped his category with 664 of 720 marks.

His father K Narayanamoorthi rears goats for a living, while his mother N Parameswari works in the 100-day job guarantee scheme. His teachers helped him join a private coaching institute.

Suryalakshmi S M of Government Girls Higher Secondary School at Porur in Chennai scored 368 marks in her first attempt. “With the help of mentors from KMC and my school teachers, I prepared for a whole year and was able to score 536 out of 720 in my second attempt,” said the daughter of a casual worker at a flour mill.

Even then, she may not have got a seat as the cut-off for BC students is likely to go up to 550 marks. But, thanks to 7.5% reservation, she is now expected to get into the prestigious Madras Medical College.

Hari Krishnan S of the Government Higher Secondary School in Lalgudi, Trichy, with 423 marks and ranked 38th in his category, is likely to get into one of the top three government colleges. “In the beginning I didn’t have the confidence to do well in NEET. My confidence grew along with practice,” he said. His only coaching was the state government’s online test series and video lectures. His father works in a grocery store.

“Without the 7.5% reservation, only 15 students would have got MBBS admissions from government schools. Though the reservation is justified, there is a huge gap between government school students and others as the cut-off may differ at least by 200 marks in all the categories,” said career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi.

“We need to train government school teachers to prepare students for exams such as NEET,” said Dr Prasad Mane, secretary, Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association, adding that they are willing to help government school students in the first and second year of MBBS too.

Post Diwali return by govt buses hell: Passengers

 Post Diwali return by govt buses hell: Passengers

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 17.11.2020

Returning to the city from their native places after Diwali on government mofussil buses was risky and tough, complain passengers.

Windshields of several new blue/sandal-coloured buses turned foggy in the interior side more frequently than usual during heavy rains.

Some passengers were told to leave the side windows open to avoid fogging. But this led to window seats getting completely wet.

Drivers, who halted at least once in 30 minutes, eventually had to travel much slower due to poor visibility from inside.

T R Pandian, who travelled in a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Villupuram (TNSTC) bus from Kancheepuram to Chennai on Sunday evening, said that it took almost three hours to reach Koyambedu in a point-to-point (PP) service. For most parts of the journey, the driver couldn’t accelerate beyond 10-15 km an hour.

“This could happen when glasses meant for A/C buses were fit in these non A/C buses. Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of each glass is different and TNSTC needs to relook into whether appropriate ones were used while manufacturing windshields,” said Pandian, who is also an industry expert.

TNSTC drivers, who fear facing repercussions from higher-ups in case they complain against this, agree that it was an extra risk because their resting time will be cut if they travelled very slow.

Managing director of TNSTC Villupuram Muthukrishnan rejected these allegations and said such phenomenon was possible during the rainy season in one or two buses but not a common issue which is applicable to all new buses.

A senior technical staff at TNSTC said usually temperature outside the bus is less compared to inside during rains. Therefore, air inside the bus (with windows shut) carries moisture, which condenses when it comes in contact with the cold windshield.

“Foggy glasses can be cleaned easily using cloth. By opening the window for a few minutes, the dryer outside air can enter inside and set it right. There was no need to panic,” he added. However, official data suggests that at least 2,700 road accidents happen every year in the state during rains. Over 450 get killed in it and more than 3,500 get injured.

Besides the issue of foggy windshields, roofs of some of the new buses turned leaky forcing many passengers to cancel trips.

HC unseals Kilpauk school that owes ₹13cr rent to Kanchi temple

HC unseals Kilpauk school that owes ₹13cr rent to Kanchi temple

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 17.11.2020

Coming to the rescue of a 40-year-old school sealed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department for nonpayment of rent to a temple, the Madras high court has ordered the department to remove the seal and permit functioning of the school.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh passed the order while directing the Dharmapuri Rao Bahadur, Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Charities which runs Seetha Kingston Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kilpauk to pay ₹20 lakh as monthly rent for occupying the land owned by Kanchipuram Arulmigu Ekambaranathar Thirukkoil. The school owed an accumulated rent to the tune of ₹13 crore to the temple. The trust challenged the lock and seal of its premises on July 23, and requested the court to fix the rent as ₹15 lakh per month.

When the plea came up for hearing, the trust submitted that it is not in a financially healthy position and it will not be able to pay ₹25 lakh as rent per month demanded by the department. On its part, the temple wanted the court to consider its loss in revenue due to non-payment of rental arrears to the tune of ₹13 crore by the school.

Recording the submissions, the court said, “this court, while fixing the tentative rent payable by the trust, must come up with some practical solution since if it ultimately becomes impossible of performance, from the point of view of the trust, a situation may arise where the trust will not be able to pay the monthly rent as fixed by this court.”

Again, the parties will come back to this court and there will be more uncertainty in running the school during this academic year, the judge said.

Fixing ₹20 lakh as the tentative monthly payable by the trust, the court added: “In case the trust is not able to come to a settlement with the temple and resolve the dispute, the students and the staff belonging shall be informed latest by March 2021 to look for an alternative school to continue their studies/employment.”

TN State Counselling

 

Good NEET show pushes up cut-offs Many Might Miss Out On Dream Seat As Cut-Offs Jump By At Least 80, Some Play Smart And Wait As NEET 2021 Just 6 Months Away

Good NEET show pushes up cut-offs

Many Might Miss Out On Dream Seat As Cut-Offs Jump By At Least 80, Some Play Smart And Wait As NEET 2021 Just 6 Months Away

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

17.11.2020

High scores, fewer seats and new government policies may crush hopes of several medical aspirants this academic year as cut-offs for MBBS is likely to go up by at least 80 marks in most categories during the state counselling.

This year, the state is likely to offer 4,179 seats – 3,032 in government colleges – under the state quota when it opens the seat matrix on Wednesday. While 227 of the 3,032 seats will be taken for government school students, the state will be able to add just 50 more seats this year after the government college in Kanyakumari got the National Medical Commission nod for 50 additional seats.

In 2020, there are 5,119 students with scores above 500 compared to 1,359 students in 2019.

Experts say when the 69% rule of reservation is applied to the state quota seats after reserving seats for special category – quotas for people with disability, sportsmen, children of ex-servicemen and government school students – any students, including those in the scheduled groups, who score below 350 marks may not get a seat in state-run colleges. In 2019, the cut-off for SC, SCA and ST were 360, 301 and 267 respectively. This year, the cut-off for government school students is likely to be around 180 marks.

“We are top heavy this time,” said student counsellor Manickam Arumugam, who has been closely following medical admissions for several years now. This year, there were 968 students with scores above 600 compared to 139 students last year. The open category cut-off in government colleges may be around 600 in government colleges this year compared to 520 last year.

The biggest gap is likely to be among MBC candidates with a difference in cut-off of at least 90 marks. The cut-off for MBC students could be 526 in 2020. While the cut-off for BC is expected to be above 560, for BCM it is likely to touch 528.

Like last year, the seats for general category are likely to be over in the first two days. The schedule may not even call for BC category because by then all BC seats may be exhausted. “It is not a surprise to many students,” said Sundar R, a NEET tutor and counsellor. “This year, many students did not apply because they know the 2021 exams are just six months away. Also, the state has promised 1,600 more additional seats from 11 new medical colleges. Some students with scores as low as 183 have already opted for seats in deemed universities,” he said.

More candidates have scored better in NEET 2020, and will fight each other for the 5,750 MBBS seats TN has to offer

INTAKE BEGINS: Health minister C Vijayabaskar released rank list on Monday

SOME PROFILES

R SRIJAN, 710/720 | Srijan, who topped NEET this year, was offered a seat at any college of choice, including AIIMS Delhi. He chose Jipmer. “New Delhi was too far off and I wanted a central institute. People said Jipmer lecturers are very good,” he said. A native of Vellakoil, he took private coaching and this was his 2nd attempt. He plans to be a cardiologist.

R MOHANAPRABHA, 705/720 | She was second on the TN medical ranklist. She underwent NEET training in Namakkal and was ranked 52nd nationally. She said she wants to become a neurologist and cited the state having relatively fewer neurologists as one of the reasons for it.

N JEEVITHKUMAR, 664/720 | Topper among government school students, he studied in Tamil medium in Theni and secured 1823rd rank nationally. His father K Narayanamoorthi rears goats & mother Parameswari is a daily wager. He was coached in Namakkal, this was his second attempt.

This year, many students did not apply because they know the 2021 exams are just six months away. Also, the state has promised 1,600 more additional seats from 11 new medical colleges. Some students with scores as low as 183 have already opted for seats in deemed universities Sundar R | A NEET TUTOR AND COUNSELLOR

Cut-off score for MBBS admission in TN up by 80 marks

Cut-off score for MBBS admission in TN up by 80 marks

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:17.11.2020

Be it open or reserved category, the cut-off mark for MBBS/BDS admission for all students this year has gone up by 80 marks, compared to last year. This became clear when health minister C Vijayabaskar unveiled the official NEET rank list for Tamil Nadu on Monday.

About 940 Open Category (OC) candidates with scores of 601 upwards will be in the reckoning for MBBS admission, whereas it will be 560-plus marks for about 1,430 backward community (BC) candidates. Most Backward Community candidates numbering about 750 with scores above 526 too will be in the zone of consideration. For SCs, the cut off will be 453 and for STs it is  348.

This year’s list has several exceptional features. There is nearly a 20% fall in the overall number of applications from eligible candidates from 57,004 last year to 37,983 this year. And at least 313 seats, including 227 in government run colleges, will go to students from government schools.

“The 7.5% seats meant for government school students will be allotted after counselling for people with disability, sports quota candidates and children of ex-servicemen,” said the minister, adding: “Many students from government schools have managed to secure high marks in NEET.”

The face-to-face counselling, delayed by nearly four months this year, will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from Wednesday, Vijayabaskar said.

Tirupur-based Srijan R (left) was the state NEET 2020 topper with 710 marks and Jeevithkumar N of Theni scored 664, the highest among government school students

57,215 CLEARED TEST FROM TN 

Counselling to be held with pandemic protocols in place

Counselling will be held in strict adherence to all pandemic protocols, Vijayabaskar said, adding that parents and students must wear masks and maintain distancing at all times.

This year, a total of 57,215 students from Tamil Nadu cleared the test. Of the 24,712 applications received for government quota seats, the selection committee of the Directorate of Medical Education has accepted 23,707 forms. For management quota, applications of 14,276 students, out of 14,511, were cleared. This is more than 19,000 applications fewer than last year.

The selection committee confirmed Tirupur-based Srijan R from the Indian Public School in Erode topped the list with 710 marks in NEET 2020, followed by Namakkal-based Mohanaprabha Ravichandran of Alpine Public School. He had scored 705 marks. Chennai’s G Swetha from Velammal Vidyalaya, Ayanambakkam, who got 701 marks, stood third.

Among government school students, Jeevithkumar N from the Government Model Higher Secondary School in Silvarpatti in Theni district topped the list with 664 marks, followed by Kallakurichibased Anbarasan S from Government Boys Higher Secondary Schools. He has scored 646 marks. Chennai’s Dhivaydharshini S from Government Higher Secondary School in Arumbakkam scored 620 marks. At least 14 government students have scored above 500 marks. The cut-off for the government school students is estimated to be around180 marks.

The state has 26 government medical colleges with 3,650 seats of which 3,031are state quota seats. Among the 15 self-financing colleges affiliated to the state TN Dr MGR Medical University 1,147 of the 2,100 seats will be under the state quota, according to the tentative list released by the selection committee.

Tamil Nadu will add 875 MBBS seats to its medical colleges, including deemed universities this year. Admission for deemed universities and all India quota seats are conducted by the directorate general of health Services. Of additional seats two government Kanyakumari Medical College and ESIC college in KK Nagar have got 50 and 25 additional seats respectively. Two self-financing colleges Indira Medical College and Hospitals in Tiruvallur and permitted Panimalar Medical College Hospital and Research Institute will add150 seats each. With this, the state will have 52 medical colleges with 8,000 seats.

Merit List

 

Medical dental counselling

 

Restarting schools unlikely to trigger surges: Experts

Restarting schools unlikely to trigger surges: Experts

Umesh.Isalkar@timesgroup.com

Pune:16.11.2020

Experts tracking Covid’s spread in the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) have said that reopening of schools is unlikely to cause a surge in cases.

They cited data from sero surveys in the PMR, which shows adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age had the second-highest antibody prevalence (35%) after the age group of 51 to 65 (35.5%), meaning the young have had substantial contact with the virus already.

A vaccine, the experts said, is also unlikely to have a major link with reopening of schools as according to global consensus, children could be the last to receive any Covid-19 inoculation. Even for healthy adults, vaccination is at least a year (or more) away due to prioritization.

The experts were reacting to reports that said parents were increasingly hesitant to send children back to school until there was a vaccine in circulation.

“We are not preventing infection in children by closing schools,” said epidemiologist Amitav Banerjee. “This is evident from the results of the Pimpri Chinchwad sero survey which found that scores of adolescents unwittingly contracted the virus and have recovered from it.”

He added, “So since this antibody study has shown that children are already on the same level of immunity as the general population, the reopening of schools will not cause a resurgence of infection in the community.”

Banerjee said the health ministry’s messaging during the pandemic’s early phases had sparked fear among parents. “These initial briefings implied that children were at high risk. But they were not based on evidence. The next eight months showed that the virus hasn’t impacted children much.”

Social scientist and anthropologist Aarti Nagarkar, however, cited a recent ICMR observation that stated children could act as silent spreaders. “In another study, Indian researchers studying data from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, found that children and young adults are efficient spreaders within households, especially in resourcelimited settings. So we have to be careful while reopening schools,” Nagarkar said.

But some experts cited contact-tracing data that suggests children are less likely to be the main transmitters.

Most countries, based on evidence gathered so far, opened primary and lower classes first with no impact on transmission levels in their immediate communities.

Woman wrongly diagnosed with cancer to contest polls

Woman wrongly diagnosed with cancer to contest polls

Sajimon.PS@timesgroup.com  16.11.2020 

Alappuzha: Rejani V  , who was given chemotherapy after a wrong diagnosis of cancer, is contesting local body polls to register her protest against the government authorities for her present plight.

In 2019, Rejani was subjected to chemotherapy at Kottayam Medical College Hospital on the basis of a wrong test report from a private laboratory.

The doctors later realized that the woman was not affected by cancer when the result of the samples to the MCH lab was found negative.

“I don’t know how to explain those days. I am an ordinary woman and mother of a girl child. The shock and my mental depression at that time cannot be expressed in words. I had lost my hair and turned bald. I also experienced physical uneasiness,” said 39-year-old Rejani. Rejani, abandoned by her husband, has an eight-year-old daughter. She worked as a cashier in a textile shop in Pathanamthitta.

“The government has not come forward to help me. I knocked many doors of government departments but none opened for me. So in September 2019, I staged one-day fasting protest in front of Mavelikkara taluk office and BJP supported my agitation. After that, I got Rs 3 lakh from the chief minister’s distress relief fund. I requested the government to give me a job or better compensation as I was unable to work due to the health issues after undergoing chemotherapy. Still I am facing various health issues. The government did not consider my requests. So I have decided to contest in the election as an NDA candidate to register my protest against the government,” she said.

According to Rejani, till the last election, she cast her vote for CPM and her experiences forced her to rethink. Rejani is contesting in Bharanikavu block panchayat from Palamel block division. “I am an ordinary person and I know the problems of the poor. So, I don’t make tall promises. But I will stand with the ordinary people and will try to address their issues,” she said.

DU students find PG dreams in balance

DU students find PG dreams in balance

Mohammad.Ibrar@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:16.11.2020

Delhi University student Nitish Kumar Mishra appeared for the online open book examination in July-August but found himself marked absent when the results were announced on October 27. Despite writing several times to DU, the final-year BCom (H) examinee from Aryabhatta College, and many others like him, are still awaiting to be declared eligible for postgraduate courses.

DU is yet to rectify many such mistakes, though its own PG admission process is to begin from Wednesday. Several students have either got zero or have been marked absent.

“Even after 18 days, the DU examination department has not rectified the results despite many emails to them,” said Mishra. While the PG admission notification states provisional admission will be granted to those whose results are yet to be declared, it doesn’t say anything about those with wrong results, he said.

He is worried that he will miss out on his LLB admissions that starts from Wednesday despite getting a good rank in the entrance.

Aakansha, a student of Dyal Singh College, has cleared the entrance for MA in Punjabi at DU. She got her results only on November 2, but it says she was absent. “The next day, I wrote to my college nodal officer, who told me to send screenshots of the mails.” She said, “I even got a receipt letter from the examination department after uploading my answer sheets.”

The story of Janki Devi Memorial College’s philosophy student, Ruchika Khavatiya, and six of her classmates is no different. “The DU authorities directed me to a phone number that doesn’t work,” said Khavatiya, who aspires to study law in postgraduation. Their faculty had spoken to the principal, who took up the matter with DU, she said. “But there has been no rectification.”

DU dean of examinations D S Rawat told TOI, “We will rectify all results in a couple of days.” He said the authorities had been working on the issues since Sunday.

STUDENT SAYS

Even after 18 days, DU examination department has not rectified the results despite many emails to them

Nov Peak: Covid Taking Four Lives Every Hour

Nov Peak: Covid Taking Four Lives Every Hour

However, Positivity Rate Much Lower Than June

Sidhartha.Roy@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:16.11.2020

Novel coronavirus has been claiming nearly four lives in the capital every hour in the past one week. On Sunday, 95 people succumbed to the infection, the third highest single-day toll till date.

This month, 1,103 fatalities have been reported in Delhi in the last fortnight, which means 73.5 deaths every day on average for the last 15 days (three deaths in an hour). In fact, this week has witnessed nearly 90 deaths every day and recorded the highest single-day death toll — 104 — on Thursday and the second highest of 96 on Saturday. The total number of Covid-19 deaths in Delhi stood at 7,614 on Sunday with an overall case fatality rate of 1.5%.

Delhi reported its first Covid-19 case on March 2. That month, two people succumbed to Covid-19 and, in the next, almost two fatalities were reported every day. May saw 414 deaths — 13.3 on average every day — but June, which saw the first major wave of Covid-19, recorded 2,269 fatalities, which amounts to 75.6 deaths on average every day. The death toll dipped to an average of 39.3 a day in July and 15.5 deaths/day in August as the Covid-19 graph dipped.

The number of Covid-19 fatalities, however, started increasing from September, which saw 917 deaths or 30.5 deaths every day on average. This figure rose to 37 deaths daily on average in October.

“We are trying our best to save every life and the best treatment possible is being provided, including plasma therapy. However, in many cases, patients are arriving at hospitals at a stage when their condition has already deteriorated to severe,” said a senior doctor of a Delhi government hospital.

On Sunday, 3,235 fresh cases were recorded in Delhi as only 21,098 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours compared with the nearly 60,000 tests being carried out daily. While nearly 20,000 RT-PCR tests are being carried out daily of late, the number was 9,221 in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi government’s health bulletin. The positivity rate rose to 15.3% on Sunday compared with 14.7% on Saturday.

The overall positivity rate in November is 12.8%, which is a significant rise from the previous four months. The overall positivity rate in June was 21.1%, including some days when it went beyond 30%. July, however, saw the overall positivity rate dip to 9.6%, which further decreased to 7.1% in August, 7% in September and 6.6% in October even as the number of tests being carried out increased massively.

The total number of positive cases recorded in Delhi till date is more than 4.8 lakh, while more than 4.3 lakh have recovered, putting the recovery rate at 90.1%. The number of active cases on Sunday came down to 39,990 from 44,456 on Saturday, but the number of containment zones increased from 4,288 to 4,358. Out of the total active cases, 27,089 patients are recuperating under home isolation and 8,741 are admitted in hospital.

While 47.5% Covid beds in hospitals are still vacant, the availability of ICU beds reserved for Covid-19 patients is going down with only 164 or 12.2% of total 1,341ICU beds with ventilators available as per the Delhi Corona mobile application.

A DOCTOR SAYS

We are trying our best to save every life... However, in many cases, patients are arriving at hospitals at a stage when their condition has already deteriorated to severe

BCU VC and syndicate fight over upkeep plans

BCU VC and syndicate fight over upkeep plans

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: 16.11.2020

The Bengaluru City University vice-chancellor’s plan to lay a foundation stone for redevelopment work of the university has run into rough weather, with some syndicate members saying they have not approved the agency or the proposal.

According to the syndicate members, it was decided to set aside Rs 155 crore for construction, renovation and development activities of the campus. As the university does not have an engineering department, it was decided to entrust it to either the public works department, central PWD or any other PSU after the syndicate approves the masterplan.

On October 23, vice-chancellor S Japhet wrote to the government seeking approval to prepare a masterplan and said the health and family welfare department’s engineering division had quoted Rs 155 crore.

The VC had planned a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the works on November 18. The syndicate, however, objected saying no agency was entrusted with the work or approved by the syndicate. Six members wrote to the governor on Sunday seeking the VC’s suspension for alleged misrepresentation of the syndicate and misuse of his official powers, among other charges.

In his reply to syndicate members, Japhet said, “The syndicate’s decision has been communicated to the government ... the agency’s proposal was forwarded to the government for according administrative approval since the matter was required to be placed before the state cabinet. The government has decided to hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the development work on November 18, and the chief minister is expected to participate.”

Six members wrote to the governor on Sunday seeking the VC’s suspension for alleged misrepresentation of the syndicate and misuse of his official powers, among other charges

Foreign-educated docs demand percentile-based qualifying exam

Foreign-educated docs demand percentile-based qualifying exam

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:16.11.2020

Thousands of Indians who have studied medicine abroad and are mandated to pass Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) to gain eligibility to work as doctors in their home country, are demanding their scores be put out in percentile form.

According to the Association of MD Physicians (AMD), which is spearheading these medicos’ cause, percentile scoring would help more of the eligible to work in India, which is required given the pandemic scenario.

AMD estimates the number of foreign medical graduates awaiting recognition in the country runs up to 30,000.

FMGE is held twice a year and not more than a couple of thousand candidates end up clearing it. According to AMD, 17,789 doctors appeared for the exam in August 2020, and 1,197 passed. The minimum score to qualify is 150 out of 300.

“We have candidates writing FMGE since 2008. Many miss qualifying by 2-3 marks,” a foreign medical graduate said. Successful candidates have to intern for one year at any general hospital and then apply for medical council registration in respective states.

Foreign medical graduates see a deliberate design in making it impossible for many of them to pass FMGE. They point to Opaque practices like absence of revaluation, lack of provision to see answer script and unavailability of previous question papers.

They also point out that FMGE sticks to percentage-based evaluation, even though most other exams in the country are evaluated through percentile method.

Most of these doctors have passed courses equivalent to MBBS in Russia, the US, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, China, Germany, Nepal, Bangladesh and other countries.

A top Indian physician said FMGE mirrors the state of medical education in India. “Over 15 lakh students take undergraduate NEET for only 80,000 medical seats. Many of the rest end up going to countries like China, Mauritius and Russia, where medical education is cheaper. This entire process is only leading to projection of artificial shortage of doctors, which in turn is aiding medical colleges to increase their fee,” he explained.

“Results of so many candidates are withheld every year. If percentile is considered as qualifying criteria, a minimum of 7,000 doctors will get through the exam,” Dr Rajesh Rajan, president, AMD, said.

According to the website of National Board of Examinations (NBE), which conducts FMGE, 15,663 candidates wrote FMGE in December 2019 and results of 1,606 were withheld. Results of 535 candidates were announced later and 170 were declared ‘pass’.

AMD wrote to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, National Medical Commission, and also the NBE about its demand. NBE said changing qualifying criteria is beyond its purview.

Earlier this week, AMD approached the Delhi high court seeking a stay on the upcoming exam scheduled for December 4.

“When there are plenty of doctors trained in modern medicine around, the government is depending on medical students, Ayurveda and homoeopathy doctors to work in Covid wards. Isn’t this a joke?” said Dr Rajan.

Dr Devi Shetty, chairman, Narayana Health, said foreign medical graduates must be made to take up the final exit exam of Indian medical colleges. “FMGE candidates must be allowed to write the same final exam which students enrolled in Indian medical colleges are writing and the universities concerned can assess them,” said Dr Shetty.

Responding to TOI, NBE executive director Dr Pawanidra Lal said FMGE exam is equivalent to MBBS. “The passing criteria for MBBS students, appearing in first, second, third and fourth-year exams, is to secure 50% marks separately in theory and practicals for each subject. Hence, it is only justifiable that any equivalent exam shall also have the same level.”

“Percentiles are for ranking exams like NEET, postgraduation in medicine or super-speciality courses, where the candidates appearing have already secured 50% marks in the qualifying examination like MBBS or FMGE. The two are therefore not comparable,” he added.

On the allegation of results being withheld, Dr Lal said: “Result is withheld in case of those students, who fail to submit the required certificates prior to the examination. Once those are submitted, their results are declared.”

UGC TO RELEASE PENDING FELLOWSHIP

UGC TO RELEASE PENDING FELLOWSHIP

16.11.2020

The University Grants Commission has announced to release pending fellowships for Junior Research Fellows (JRF) and Senior Research Fellows (SRF) . The disbursal, said UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain, delayed due to technical issues and transition from old system to a new procedure. The JRF scheme of the UGC is for candidates who qualify the National Eligibility Test (NET) and the UGC-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The tenure of fellowship is initially for two years. JRF scholars get monthly stipend of Rs 31,000 and SRF scholars get Rs 28,000. CSIR-UGC NET Fellowships are tenable in Universities/IITs/Post Graduate Colleges/Govt. The programme is aimed at National Science & Technology Human Resource Development.

Supreme Court Weekly Round Up

Supreme Court Weekly Round Up: Week commencing November 8 to November 14, 2020