Anna univ semester exam to be open book

Anna univ semester exam to be open book

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:19.04.2021

The semester exams in May for students of Anna University’s four campuses including College of Engineering, Guindy and Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet will be an open book-type proctored test online.

All students except those in the final year will write the test and will be allowed to refer to course material in physical form as well as on the web. Group discussions will be considered malpractice, the university.

The university had earlier conducted a 60-minute online proctored test with multiple choice based questions. “During that test, students tried to form WhatsApp groups and groups in Telegram to outsmart the online proctored test. Hence, the university has decided to move to descriptive type tests,” sources said.

According to the new format, the question paper will have Part A that will comprise five two-mark questions and Part B which will include five eight-mark questions. One question will be asked from each of the five units and there will be no choices for the Part B section.

“All questions in the exam will be of analytical type with no direct answers from the textbooks or reference books. Students can refer to course material in physical form as well as from the web. However, getting answers from others in any way or form and group discussions will be considered a malpractice,” said a circular from the Centre for Academic Courses at Anna University.

Students can use a maximum of 12 pages for writing the answers. They have to scan and upload answer sheets after completing the exam. The exams will be conducted for a total of 50 marks and will be for 90 minutes.

For the final year students, the end semester exams will be conducted in a multiple choice-based questions pattern as it was conducted earlier. The final year students need to appear for exams immediately so the university will conduct MCQ type exams.

“This decision was taken as a ‘one-time measure’ in view of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the circular said.

A professor from Anna University said that with MCQ-type questions, students will get either one mark or zero. “In the case of descriptive-type questions, the students can at least score minimum marks,” he said. The university will have three sets of question papers and the questions will be jumbled so students will not have the same questions or question paper.

No med college in TN treats infertility

No med college in TN treats infertility

Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com

Madurai:19.04.2021

The skylines of many cities in the state are dotted with advertisements of private infertility treatment centres, a multicrore industry which fleeces childless couples, but the government seems to be in no hurry to establish the facility in any of its 30 medical college hospitals. It had initiated discussions in this regard in 2016, and in 2019 even announced plans to set up infertility treatment facilities in Madurai, Coimbatore and Kilpauk medical college hospitals.

However, according to a reply received by women’s health expert and activist A Veronica Mary to an RTI petition, none of the government hospitals has infertility treatment facilities at present. In 2018, she had filed a petition before the Madurai bench of the high court seeking to establish such centres in government hospitals for the benefit of the poor. It was to know the status of the action taken that she filed the RTI petition.

The government had set up the ₹50 crore CEmONC - Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn care Services Centre at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai a few years ago with facilities for high-end treatment for gynaecology and obstetrics. However, if facilities like PGD-IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI), laser hatching, PGD sperm bank, egg bank, embryo bank, time lapse, fibroid clinic and laparoscopic surgery are established here, it would help thousands of couples from the economically poorer sections.

Even for middle class and upper middle class people, infertility treatment at private centres is way beyond their means. K Shanmugavalli (name changed), 29, had spent ₹5 lakh on treatment in Madurai for two years, but failed. ``I then contacted a centre in Chennai and am now pregnant but it cost me ₹9 lakh,’’ she said.

Veronica says the infertility treatment industry is worth ₹1,830 crore now which is expected to go up to ₹5,000 crore by 2023. ``AIIMs in New Delhi started infertility treatment way back in 2007, and Karnataka and Kerala in government hospitals in 2019, I do not know why Tamil Nadu has not done it,’’ she said. Sources at Government Rajaji Hospital said the facility would have started in Madurai but for the Covid crisis. Now they say they do not know when it will be established.

Even for middle class and upper middle class people, infertility treatment at private centres is way beyond their means

Doctors wary about certifying home deaths

Doctors wary about certifying home deaths

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:19.04.2021

Issuing death certificates during the pandemic is becoming a major issue in the city. On April 16, when a woman at a housing complex on Santhome High Road expired, no doctor including from private hospitals was ready to certify the death. Even calls to 108 proved futile. A day later, when a senior citizen died in KK Nagar, it took the family about the hours and calls to almost five hospitals to get the death certified.

The corporation says a doctor who can come to a conclusion about a patient after his/ her clinical history is known or established by records/interrogation can issue certificate. Otherwise, the body has to be sent to a hospital for a postmortem. But, with burial grounds and crematoriums requiring a doctor’s certificate and the white coats hesitant, residents are forced to run from pillar to post.

Gayathri*, a resident of the housing complex on Santhome High Road, told TOI there were more than 10 doctors in the complex and all refused. “It was a 52-year-old breast cancer patient who died of cancer. Even the doctors of the private hospital where she was admitted for a few days last week refused to come home to certify. And since only her 80-year old mother was with her, she couldn’t take the body to a hospital,” she said and called for figuring out a process so that families don’t go through hassle.

At KK Nagar, a neighbour of the deceased, said influence was used to get a private hospital doctor to the home to certify the death.

V Santhanam, a social activist, suggested that when a person dies at home, the death can be declared by a corporation official based on written statement from witnesses such as family members and neighbours. Corporation health officer M Jagadeesan said no doctor was stopped from declaring deaths.

A startup solution to ICU bed shortage

A startup solution to ICU bed shortage

In the last two weeks alone, over 15 hospitals have signed up with Dozee across India, and currently, over 4,000 Covid High Dependency Unit beds are being monitored.

Published: 17th April 2021 05:09 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: As the Covid situation turns grim and hospitals across the country are struggling with a shortage of ICU beds, a start-up providing contactless remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions, Dozee, is trying to ease the pressure.

Dozee is helping to convert any bed into a step-down ICU in under two minutes and enables RPM. In the last two weeks alone, over 15 hospitals have signed up with Dozee across India, and currently, over 4,000 Covid High Dependency Unit beds are being monitored.

With the second wave spreading on a larger scale, hospitals are now adopting RPM and new AI technologies. RPM significantly reduces the risks of in-person contact, managing staff shortages, and providing people with an alternative to the traditional forms of medical consultations. We are committed to providing our technology and closely working with hospitals,” said Mudit Dandwate, CEO & co-founder, Dozee.

A contactless vitals monitor, Dozee Pro, equipped with sensor, communication pod and cloud-based patient monitoring tool, captures real-time body vitals, and provides round the clock monitoring. Dozee has also set up a patient monitoring cell within hospitals to ensure 24X7 on-ground support and alert escalation.

பயணியர் குறைவால் பஸ் குறைப்பு குடும்பத்துடன் கண்டக்டர் தர்ணா!

பயணியர் குறைவால் பஸ் குறைப்பு குடும்பத்துடன் கண்டக்டர் தர்ணா!

Added : ஏப் 17, 2021 22:43

சென்னை:கொரோனா பரவலால், பயணியர் வருகை சரிந்ததால், அரசு பஸ்கள் குறைக்கப் பட்டு வருகின்றன. இதனால், வருவாய் இழந்த கண்டக்டர், பணிமனையில் குடும்பத்துடன் தர்ணாவில் ஈடுபட்டார்.

கொரோனா பரவல் காரணமாக, எந்த நேரத்திலும் ஊரடங்கு பிறப்பிக்கப்படலாம் என்ற அச்சத்தால், வெளியூர் பயணத்தை பொதுமக்கள் தவிர்த்து வருகின்றனர். பஸ்களில் பயணிக்கவும், பலர் தயக்கம் காட்டுகின்றனர். தென் மாவட்டங்களில் இருந்து சென்னைக்கு வரும் அரசு பஸ்களில், 25 சதவீத இருக்கைகளே நிரம்புகின்றன.

சென்னை உள்ளிட்ட தொழில் நகரங்களிலும்,பல நிறுவனங்கள், தங்கள் பணியாளர்களை வீட்டில் இருந்தே பணி செய்ய அனுமதி அளித்துள்ளதால், மாநகர பஸ்களிலும் கூட்டம் இல்லை. இதனால், ஓட்டுனர், நடத்துனர்களுக்கு பணி கிடைக்காமல் அல்லாடுகின்றனர்.

குடும்பத்துடன் தர்ணா'

தனக்கு கிடைக்கும், 22 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் சம்பளத்திலும், பணி இல்லாத நாட்களுக்கு சம்பளம் பிடிக்கப்படுவதால், வீட்டு வாடகை, வங்கிக் கடன், குடும்ப செலவுகளை சமாளிக்க முடிய வில்லை' எனக்கூறி, சென்னை, வடபழநி பணிமனையின் நடத்துனர் நந்தகுமார், குடும்பத்துடன் தர்ணாவில் ஈடுபட்டார்.

இது குறித்து, ஆம் ஆத்மி தொழிற்சங்க நிர்வாகிகள் கூறியதாவது:எம்.டி.சி.,யில், ஒரு பஸ்சுக்கு, 9,000 ரூபாய்க்கு டீசல் போட்டால், 22 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் வரை வசூல் வந்தது. தற்போது, 6,000 ரூபாய் கூட வசூலாவதில்லை. இதனால், ஏற்படும் நஷ்டத்தைக் குறைக்க, பஸ்கள் இயக்கத்தை குறைத்து விட்டனர். வேலை இல்லாத நாட்களுக்கு வருகை பதிவு வழங்க நடவடிக்கை எடுத்தால், இதுபோன்ற தர்ணாக்கள் நடக்காது.இவ்வாறு, அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

விவேகமானவர்... விவரமானவர்...விருப்பமானவர்!

விவேகமானவர்... விவரமானவர்...விருப்பமானவர்!

Dhinamalar 

Added : ஏப் 18, 2021 00:51

தமிழ் நகைச்சுவை நடிகர்களில் விவேக்கிற்கு தனி இடம் உண்டு. சிரிப்பலையை ஏற்படுத்திய இவர், சிந்திக்கவும் வைத்தார். ஊழல், மக்கள்தொகை பெருக்கம், மூடநம்பிக்கை ஒழிப்பு போன்ற சமூக சீர்திருந்த கருத்துகளை நகைச்சுவை கலந்து கொடுத்ததால், 'சின்ன கலைவாணர்' என அழைக்கப்பட்டார். லட்சக்கணக்கான மரங்களை நட்டு பசுமை நாயகனாக ஜொலித்தார். மண்ணுலகை விட்டு ளின் மனங்களில் என்றும் நிலைத்திருப்பார்.

பயோடேட்டா

பெயர் :விவேக்

முழுபெயர் :விவேகானந்தன்

பிறப்பு :1961 நவ. 19, பெருங்கோட்டூர் சங்கரன்கோவில்

பெற்றோர் : அங்கையா - மணியம்மாள்

படிப்பு :எம்.காம்.,

மனைவி : அருள்செல்வி,

மகள்கள் : அம்ரிதா நந்தினி, தேஜஸ்வினி

பெருமை

''இந்திய இளைஞர்களின் ஒரே 'சூப்பர்ஸ்டார்' ஜனாதிபதி அப்துல் கலாம். என்னிடம் திரைப்படங்களில் மரம் வளர்ப்பின் அவசியம் குறித்து பேசுங்கள். வெப்பமயமாதலை தடுக்க மரம் நடுவதை ஊக்குவிப்பு செய்யுங்கள் என்றார். இது எனக்கு கிடைத்த பெருமையாக பார்க்கிறேன். இதுவரை 33 லட்சம் மரக்கன்றுகளை நட்டிருக்கிறேன்.''

அறிமுகம் எப்படி

மதுரை அமெரிக்கன் கல்லுாரியில் படித்த பின் டி.என்.பி.எஸ்.சி., தேர்வில் வெற்றி பெற்று சென்னை தலைமை செயலகத்தில் பணியாற்றினார் விவேக். சென்னையில் நடந்த பரதநாட்டிய இறுதிப் போட்டியில் பங்கேற்ற போது, கலாகேந்திரா கோவிந்தராஜன் மூலம் இயக்குநர் பாலசந்தர் அறிமுகம் கிடைத்தது. 1987ல் வெளியான 'மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்' படத்தில் விவேக்கை அறிமுகம் செய்தார்.

விவேகானந்தர் பிரியர்

சுவாமி விவேகானந்தரை விவேக்கிற்கு மிகவும் பிடிக்கும். இந்திய விஞ்ஞானத்தின் பெருமையை தொழில் அதிபர் ஜே.ஆர்.டி டாடாவுக்கு எடுத்துச் சொன்னவர் விவேகானந்தர் என்றும், அமெரிக்காவின் சிகாகோவில் 'சகோதர...சகோதரிகளே' என விவேகானந்தர் ஆற்றிய உரையையும் அடிக்கடி நினைவு கூறுவார்.

வடிவேலுவுடன்...

விவேக் - வடிவேலு இணைந்து விரலுக்கேத்த வீக்கம், கூடி வாழ்ந்தால் கோடி நன்மை, பொங்கலோ பொங்கல், மனதை திருடி விட்டாய், மிடில் கிளாஸ் மாதவன் என பல படங்களில் நடித்துள்ளனர்.

ரசிக்க வைத்த வசனங்கள்

* இன்னைக்கு செத்தா நாளைக்கு பால்

* எப்படி இருந்த நான் இப்படி ஆயிட்டேன்

* கோபால்... கோபால்...

* எனக்கு ஐ.ஜி.,-யைத் தெரியும்!… ஆனா அவருக்கு என்ன தெரியாது.

விருது

* பத்மஸ்ரீ - 2009

* பிலிம்பேர் சவுத் - மூன்று முறை (ரன், சாமி, பேரழகன்)

* தமிழக அரசு விருது - ஐந்து முறை (உன்னருகே நான் இருந்தால், ரன்,

பார்த்திபன் கனவு, அந்நியன், சிவாஜி)

கலாம் 'சலாம்'

ஜனாதிபதி அப்துல் கலாம் மீது விவேக்கிற்கு அன்பு அதிகம். 2015ல் ஷில்லாங்கில் மாணவர்களிடம் உரையாற்றும் போது கலாம் மாரடைப்பால் எதிர் பாராதவிதமாக மரணமடைந்தார். இதே போன்று விவேக்கும் மாரடைப்பால் திடீரென மரணத்தை

சந்தித்தார். கலாமிடம் ஒருமுறை விவேக் எடுத்த பேட்டியின் முக்கிய அம்சம்.

*கல்வியில் நிறைய பட்டம், பரிசு வாங்கி இருக்கிறீர்கள். சின்ன வயதில் பட்டம் விட்டிருக்கிறீர்களா?

பத்து வயதில் என் உயரத்தில், பாதி அளவுக்கு பெரிய பட்டம் தயார் செய்து, நண்பர்களுடன் ராமேஸ்வரம் கடற்கரையில் பறக்க விட்டிருக்கிறேன்.

*கவிதை மீது உங்களுக்கு ஈர்ப்பு வர யார் காரணம்

முதலில் எனக்கு பிடித்த உங்களது இரண்டு வரி கவிதையை சொல்கிறேன். 'காலையில் நாம் சீரியல் சாப்பிடுகிறோம். மாலையில் சீரியல் நம்மை சாப்பிடுகிறது'. இன்ப எண்ணங்களுடன், துன்ப எண்ணங்கள் இணையும் போது, கவிதை வெளிப்படுகிறது.

*வீணை வாசிக்க கற்று இருக்கிறீர்கள். இசை எப்படி உங்களுடன் இணைந்தது.

ராமநாதபுரத்தில் எட்டாம் வகுப்பு படித்த போது, தமிழாசிரியர் வகுப்பில் நுழைந்ததும் ஒரு பாடல் பாட சொல்வார். அது எனக்கு பிடித்த பாரதியார் பாட்டு. 'ஆடுவோமே பள்ளு பாடுவோமே ஆனந்த சுதந்திரம் அடைந்து விட்டோமென்று' இது 1910ல் பாரதியார் பாடினார். சுதந்திரத்துக்கு முன் 1946ல் நாங்கள் பாடினோம்.

தடுப்பூசி விழிப்புணர்வு

கடைசி பத்திரிகையாளர் சந்திப்பிலும் சமூக அக்கறையுடன் பேசினார் விவேக். சென்னை ஓமந்துாரார் அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் கொரோனா தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக் கொண்ட பின் கூறுகையில், "தடுப்பூசியால் எவ்வித ஆபத்தும் இல்லையென பொதுமக்களுக்குத் தெரிவிக்கவே அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக் கொண்டேன். அனைவரும் தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக்கொள்ள வேண்டும். தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக் கொண்ட பின் உயிரிழப்புகள் போன்ற பெரிய பாதிப்பு இருக்காது. ஏதாவது ஒரு தடுப்பூசியை செலுத்திக் கொள்ளுங்கள். இரண்டாவது டோஸ் எடுத்துக் கொண்ட பிறகு, இரண்டு வாரத்திற்கு பின் தான் பாதுகாப்பு வரும். தடுப்பூசி செலுத்திக்கொண்ட பின்னரும் முக கவசம், கை கழுவுதல், சமூக இடைவெளியை பின்பற்ற வேண்டும்,''என்றார்.

நிறைவேறா ஆசை

'கமலுடன் நடிக்க வேண்டும் என்ற கனவு 'இந்தியன் 2' வின் மூலம் நனவாக போகிறது. அவருடன் நானும் நடிக்கிறேன்' என்று சமூக வலைதளத்தில் விவேக் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தார். ஆனால் அவரது ஆசை நிறைவேறவில்லை.

மகன் சோகம்

விவேக் மகன் பிரசன்னா 13, மூளைக்காய்ச்சலால் 2015ல் உயிரிழந்தார். மகனை நினைத்து இவர் எழுதிய கண்ணீர் கடிதம் மறக்க முடியாதது. மகன் மறைவால் மனதளவில் உடைந்து போன போதும், விரைவில் மீண்டு சமூகப்பணியில் அக்கறை செலுத்தினார்.

முன்னணி நடிகர்களுடன்...

ரஜினி, அஜித், விஜய், பிரசாந்த், சூர்யா, அர்ஜூன், விக்ரம், மாதவன், தனுஷுடன் நடித்துள்ளார்.

பிளாஸ்டிக் ஒழிப்பு

பிளாஸ்டிக் ஒழிப்பு திட்டம், டெங்கு, கொரோனா விழிப்புணர்வு நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் நடித்துள்ளார்.

'ஹீரோ'

விவேக் முதலில் 'ஹீரோ'வாக நடித்த 'சொல்லி அடிப்பேன்' படம் வெளிவரவில்லை. பின் 'நான் தான் பாலா', 'பாலக்காட்டு மாதவன்', 'வெள்ளைப்பூக்கள்' படங்களில் 'ஹீரோ' அந்தஸ்தில் அசத்தினார்.

சினிமா துறையில் 34 ஆண்டு பயணத்தில் விவேக் 234க்கும் மேற்பட்ட படங்களில் நடித்துள்ளார்.

நுாறாவது படம் 'சூப்பர் குடும்பம்'. 2020

மார்ச் 13ல் வெளியான 'தாராள பிரபு' கடைசி படம்.

சென்னைக்கு வாரமிருமுறை நவீன எல்.எச்.பி., பெட்டிகளுடன் அதிவிரைவு சிறப்பு ரயில்

சென்னைக்கு வாரமிருமுறை நவீன எல்.எச்.பி., பெட்டிகளுடன் அதிவிரைவு சிறப்பு ரயில்

Added : ஏப் 18, 2021 00:48

மதுரை:மதுரையிலிருந்து சென்னை எழும்பூருக்கு வாரமிருமுறை அதிவிரைவு சிறப்பு ரயில் நவீன எல்.எச்.பி., பெட்டிகளுடன் (கூடுதல் வசதிகள் இருக்கும் ) இயக்கப்படுகிறது.

மறு அறிவிப்பு வரும் வரை வியாழன், சனி இரவு 8:50 மணிக்கு மதுரையில் புறப்படும் இந்த சிறப்பு ரயில் (06158) மறுநாள் அதிகாலை 6:55 மணிக்கு சென்னை எழும்பூர் செல்லும். மறுமார்க்கத்தில் சென்னை எழும்பூரில் இன்று (ஏப்., 18) முதல் வெள்ளி,ஞாயிறு இரவு 10:05 மணிக்கு புறப்பட்டு மறுநாள் காலை 8:10 மணிக்கு மதுரை வரும்.

இந்த ரயில்கள் திண்டுக்கல், திருச்சி, தஞ்சாவூர், கும்பகோணம், மயிலாடுதுறை, சிதம்பரம், விழுப்புரம், செங்கல்பட்டு ஸ்டேஷன்களில் நின்று செல்லும். நேற்றிரவு மதுரையிலிருந்து இந்த சிறப்பு ரயில் சென்னை சென்றது.

Varsities ditch black gowns, to go traditional

Varsities ditch black gowns, to go traditional

Sangamesh.Menasinakai@timesgroup.com

Hubballi:  18.04.2021 

The sea of black caps and gowns at convocation ceremonies is set to recede, with several universities opting for khadi and regional wear following a UGC directive and the governor’s order in November last year.

The Karnataka Folklore University (Haveri), Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (Gadag) and the University of Horticultural Sciences (Bagalkot) have already incorporated local traditional attire in their convocation functions.

The University Grants Commission had issued a directive in 2019, asking universities to go traditional for special occasions and convocation ceremonies. “Using handloom garments would give a sense of pride of being Indian,” the commission said, seeking an “action-taken report” from universities. On November 9 last year, governor Vajubhai R Vala issued an order asking varsities to implement the UGC directive and submit action-taken reports.

KM Indiresh, vice-chancellor of the University of Horticultural Sciences, said graduates wore traditional clothes, mostly in white, for the convocation this year. “Black gowns and caps were worn by only guests and academic council members. However, we have decided to make white kurta and pyjama for men and sarees for women common for all from next year’s convocation, as per the governor’s order,” he said.

KB Gudasi, VC of Karnatak University, Dharwad, said wearing khadi once a week is already mandatory on campus. “We decided to make khadi attire compulsory from the next convocation and on special occasions,” he said.

The trend is expected to gain momentum once offline classes and campus activities resume. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, convocations have been low-key affairs or have gone virtual, leaving little opportunity for students to gather and celebrate their graduation.

Dr Sanjeev Kulkarni, a gynaecologist and president of Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre in Dharwad, said mandating khadi on special occasions is not enough. Kulkarni has made khadi mandatory twice a week at his Bal Balaga School for the past 25 years. “Professors and students should not think they are just following orders. Khadi economy is a sustainable one as it gives equal share to the grower, spinner and buyer. It will instil pride and promote selfsufficiency,” he said.

Man loses ₹90L to conmen who promise to ‘legalise’ his PhD

Man loses ₹90L to conmen who promise to ‘legalise’ his PhD

Santoshkumar.B@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:18.04.2021

A 36-year-old aerospace design engineer from T Dasarahalli lost over $1,20,000 (Rs 90 lakh) to a gang of cybercriminals, who promised to legalise his PhD degree obtained through distance education in 2015, when he was working with a private firm in Germany.

Sumanth (name changed) approached North CEN crime police on April 8, and filed a cheating and cybercrime case.

Sumanth said he completed his BE in aerospace design engineering and joined a private company in 2014. He was deployed to Germany and had been searching for study opportunities online or through distance education to utilise his free time.

“I found a PhD opportunity through online study from Must University, which claims to be based in the US. I enrolled there and completed the course in aerospace design by 2015. After completing two years of work in Germany, I returned to Bengaluru,” Sumanth said.

Sumanth said that he received a call from a stranger in 2018 and was informed that his PhD was not genuine as he got it from an unaided university. The caller said the PhD could be transferred to an aided university in the US to legitimise it. Sumanth ignored the call then.

“But in November 2019, I received a call from another number and this time the caller claimed he was from the US embassy office in Delhi. He threatened that I would be jailed if I don’t cancel my PhD or get it legalised,” Sumanth explained.

Sumanth said he agreed to cancel his PhD and paid $2,000 to a bank account provided by the stranger to cancel the degree. Within a few weeks, another stranger contacted him on phone and informed him that there was no provision to cancel his PhD and promised that he’d help Sumanth transfer his PhD to an aided university and get a legal degree. The fraudsters sent fake acceptance letters in the name of California State University.

Sumanth said the strangers posed as police and attorneys from the US. “They threatened me saying I have to follow their instructions or face legal consequences. I was scared and paid more than $1,20,000 to the callers in multiple transactions. They promised me that the money would be reimbursed once all procedures were completed,” he added.

Sumanth suspected something foul as the miscreants started demanding more money in the name of various charges and discussed the developments with his friend. He approached CEN crime police based on a suggestion from his friend and learnt that he had been cheated.

The aerospace design engineer had done PhD through distance mode in 2015. He got a call from a stranger in 2018 who said his PhD was not genuine but could be legitimised. He received another call in 2019, with the caller threatening Sumanth would be jailed if he didn’t cancel the PhD or get it legalised

Girl says she was denied entry to exam hall for wearing headscarf

SULLIA LAW COLLEGE

Girl says she was denied entry to exam hall for wearing headscarf

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mangaluru:  18.04.2021 

An uneasy calm prevailed at KVG Law College in Sullia, Dakshina Kannada, on Saturday after a student was allegedly not allowed to appear for an examination while wearing a headscarf.

Sabna, a first-year law student, demanded that she be allowed to write the examination while wearing a headscarf. She urged the authorities to allow her to do so after conducting a thorough check, if necessary. Her parents, along with leaders from the Campus Front of India (CFI), discussed the issue with the principal. Later, the student blamed the college for not allowing her to write the exam.

Mohammed Sadik, state president, CFI, said initially the principal refused and the girl couldn’t appear for two exams. “We arranged a protest and the media was also informed, after which the principal said she can wear a headscarf. The college was not strict with the rules, ever since classes began about three months ago, he said.

Udaya Krishna, principal, said students have to wear uniform, and at the time of admission, they also sign an undertaking that they will follow the dress code. This year, due to the pandemic, and since classes resumed only after January, the dress code rules were not implemented strictly.

“On Friday, three students came to my chamber, seeking permission to wear their headscarf. Two of them agreed to write without headscarf, but one girl refused to do so. On Saturday, despite asking her to take the hall ticket and write the exam, she walked out along with her parents, and is now blaming the college of denying permission to appear for the exam,” he said.

Despite asking her to appear for the exam, she walked out, and is now blaming the college, the principal said

Man, 63, dies after avoiding hospital

Man, 63, dies after avoiding hospital

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:  18.04.2021 

A 63-year-old man who ignored the advice of getting admitted to a hospital after testing positive died at his home five days later. The man, from Taralu village in Bangalore Urban district, did not tell his family members that he had Covid-19 and switched off his phone. They learned about it while checking the phone following his demise on April 16.

Relatives believe he hid his health status as he feared hospitalisation costs and social stigma. The senior citizen worked as an attender at a club near Jayanagar. He developed acute fatigue and got admitted to Sevakshetra Hospital on April 9. A test revealed on April 11 that he had contracted the coronavirus infection. The hospital, which didn’t treat Covid-19 patients at the time, advised him to seek treatment at another facility and discharged him. But instead of visiting another hospital, the man went home, where he died on April

16. The last rites were performed as per Covid-19 safety protocols after a mediaperson coordinated with the health department.

“We found out that he had Covid-19 only after his death. We accessed his phone and saw the message. The hospital that discharged him should have alerted government authorities,” a relative said.

According to information on the Covid hospital bed management system, the 63-year-old was allotted a bed at Oxford Medical College on April 15. A medical officer at the Bolare primary health centre, which covers Taralu village, said the man refused to get hospitalised even after his condition worsened. “Health and ASHA workers visited his house multiple times and explained to him that he required hospitalisation. A gram panchayat member also tried to persuade him, but to no avail,” the medical officer said.

Dr Ranganath Nayak, medical director, Sevakshetra Hospital, told STOI that doctors had clearly explained everything to the man. “When he was discharged on April 11, we didn’t have a Covid ward. We are a charitable hospital, mostly with geriatric patients. We could not have accommodated a Covid-19 patient then and we told him the same. He refused to understand the gravity of the situation,” said Dr Nayak. The hospital started admitting Covid-19 cases three days ago.

Patient refused admission when ASHA workers visited his house. What more can health dept do if patients and their families do not cooperate?

Dr Srinivas Gulur | HEALTH OFFICER, BENGALURU URBAN

2 Guj docs return to duty hours after cremating moms

2 Guj docs return to duty hours after cremating moms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Vadodara:18.04.2021

Within a few hours of the demise of their mothers, two Gujarat doctors returned to the business of saving lives. One of them said her mother had said there was no greater duty they could perform.

At 3.30 am on Thursday morning, her mother passed away in the Covid ICU after a week’s battle with the virus. Six hours later, Dr Shilpa Patel, an associate professor with the anatomy department at the state-run SSG Hospital, was back in the saddle trying to save lives.

After carrying out the last rites of her 77-year-old mother, Kanta Ambalal Patel, Dr Patel diligently donned her PPE suit once again, staying true to her mother’s words: duty before everything else. Dr Rahul Parmar, too, lost his mother, Kanta Parmar  (67), who passed away from age-related issues in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

But Parmar, who as nodal officer for Covid management and part of the dead body disposal team at central Gujarat’s biggest hospital, finished the cremation rituals and rushed back to join duty on Friday. “It was a natural death. I finished the cremation rituals with my family and returned to Vadodara,” said Parmar, who is with Preventive and Social Medicine Department at SSG.

The officer on special duty for Covid-19 in Vadodara, Dr Vinod Rao, said the Covid warriors displayed great personal commitment and devotion to duty.

Covid patient dies within 8 hrs of admission

Covid patient dies within 8 hrs of admission

FAMILY ALLEGES DELAYED TREATMENT, MISMANAGED ADMISSION

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:18.04.2021 

Maninagar resident, Rupal Thakkar, lost her battle to Covid within eight hours of being admitted to Shalby Hospital in Prahladnagar. Battling uneasiness and severe weakness at home, Rupal inquired for admission at the hospital on Friday and got confirmation, following which she went all by herself to the hospital. Her family was shocked to learn about her death in the wee hours of Saturday and alleged a mismanaged admission process and inadequate infrastructure.

“The hospital confirmed a room and bed for her. But when she reported at the emergency ward around 7pm on Friday, she was denied admission citing ‘there was no relative accompanying her’,” said Dipan Thakkar, Rupal’s brother.

Around 9pm, she was finally on oxygen support through Bipap. “The hospital didn’t have an ICU bed, so we decided to shift her next morning,” Dipan added. Around 3.30am, he learnt from the hospital that Rupal’s oxygen levels had dipped critically. “Despite repeated attempts, we couldn’t find a single ambulance. By 5am, I leanrt that she has a cardiac problem and within 30 minutes, she was no more,” said Dipan.

The family was left devastated but their ordeal didn’t end yet. “On Saturday morning, the hospital asked us to obtain death certificate from Rupal’s physician. After repeated arguments, they asked for an NOC from the police station. Finally we got a certificate around1pm and initiated process for last rites,” her brother said.

Later, when they went to collect her belongings, the family alleged that Rupal’s ATM card and Rs 5,000 in cash were missing.

Sunil Mehta, general manager of Shalby Hospital, said the patient was critical when she arrived. “She did not have any relative with her that can complete the formalities. The hospital howeverstarted treatment,” he said. Talking about the postdemise procedure, Mehta said that the hospital followed the protocol. He added that Thakkar did not have the said ATM or cash on her.

Is a heart attack and cardiac arrest the same?

Is a heart attack and cardiac arrest the same?

Heart attack

Symptoms of a heart attack may be immediate with sudden and intense chest pain. But just as often, symptoms like tiredness start slowly and can persist for hours, days or weeks before an attack.

A heart attack is caused by the blockage of a coronary artery, so blood can’t reach a section of the heart muscle. If the blocked artery isn’t reopened quickly, the heart muscle begins to die. The longer a person goes without treatment, the greater the damage.

Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). It usually occurs suddenly. The heart can’t pump blood to the brain and other organs, causing loss of pulse and consciousness. If untreated, death will occur within minutes.

— DAILY MIRROR

Pandemics are caused by germs but spread by people who are in denial

BY INVITATION

Pandemics are caused by germs but spread by people who are in denial

SHAHID JAMEEL

18.04.2021 

India recorded 216,828 new Covid-19 cases and 1,182 deaths on April 15, 2021, bringing the overall tally to about 14.3 million cases and over 174,000 deaths. With a 1% daily increase in new cases and a 7% increase in active cases, the pandemic is severely affecting the healthcare system.

These statistics hide innumerable stories of despondency and desperation. Take for example Mohammed Nisar, a 60-year-old, who fell ill on April 14. Unable to get a hospital bed in his native Azamgarh, UP, his family drove him to Lucknow. With no luck there, he was driven to Aligarh, where they got him admitted in a small private hospital. He is critical and all his co-passengers have tested positive.

In early February, Sir Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease expert and director of Wellcome Trust, told me: “There will be another phase/ peak in India I am afraid — don’t let people get into a sense it is finished…it is not!” What did he see that I didn’t? Perhaps I was blindsided by false narratives doled out daily. Distance often brings the objectivity that science demands.

The 1918 ‘Spanish’ flu had a mild first wave but returned later in the year to cause havoc. In India there were an estimated 12 to 20 million deaths in the second wave. Bombay, then with a population of 1.1 million, reported about 15,000 deaths just in the month of October 1918. What happened to the flu virus in 1918 is happening to the Covid-19 virus in 2021. It’s called mutation and its normal for a virus.

Every time a virus multiplies, random errors are introduced in its genome. While most errors are deleterious and are never seen, some offer advantage by allowing that variant to multiply faster, transmit better or evade pre-existing immunity. More spread means more hosts, more virus multiplication, more errors and more mutants. This is how viruses evolve and with close to 140 million cases globally, there is enough opportunity. Mutations can also accumulate into lineages and some variants become variants of concern (VOC).

By the end of 2020, India had over 10 million cases but only about 5,000 viruses were sequenced. Such low sequencing density can only catch major variants already circulating in the population. But it is the minor emerging ones that inform what is to come. One such variant was first reported on October 5, 2020, followed by isolated sightings in December and January, before it broke loose in February, around the time when daily cases started rising in India. Maharashtra led the way with about 15% to 20% cases there showing this ‘double mutant’, also called the Indian variant, and now the B.1.617 lineage.

Around the same time other VOCs were also increasingly seen in Indian patients. These include viruses of the UK variant lineage (B.1.1.7), the South Africa variant lineage (B.1.351) and the Brazil variant lineage (P.1). While Punjab is now taken over by the UK variant, Maharashtra is showing increasing presence of the Indian variant, Delhi has the UK and Indian variants, and West Bengal has all the VOCs. All these viruses have acquired mutations that allow them to be more ‘infectious’ and partially evade pre-existing immunity. Not surprisingly then, there are increasing reports of re-infections in those vaccinated.

Would vaccines available in India still work? We know from studies elsewhere that the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India) does well against the UK variant, but poorly against the South Africa and Brazil variants. Covaxin also does well against the UK variant, but has not been tested against the others. The Indian variant has not yet been tested against any vaccine. Since vaccines work by raising antibodies and T cells to multiple targets, they still remain a powerful control strategy.

Pandemics are caused by germs but spread by people. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, those in denial of the disease and the utility of vaccines are also variants of concern. This attitude prevented high rates of vaccination at a time when the daily cases were low and significant protection could have been achieved. Now it’s an uphill battle.

Those in responsible positions attribute the second wave to people not following “Covid appropriate behaviour”. After a year of false narratives on how Indians are somehow special, for an average person, the private cost of illness is very low. As a result, masks are inconvenient and crowded places cannot be avoided if one is to make a living. The daily scenes of crowded election rallies addressed by the tallest leaders and crowded religious festivals endorsed by them have further diminished this private cost of illness. Together, these human variants of concern are responsible for what awaits us in post-election West Bengal and the rest of India when pilgrims return home.

An election, just like a war, has a victor, but a pandemic has only the vanquished. Their stories will again get buried in the numbers and the lies. Both the viral and human variants of concern will win again.

Jameel is a virologist, and director, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University

Pvt vehicle not ‘public place’ under NDPS Act: Top court

Pvt vehicle not ‘public place’ under NDPS Act: Top court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:18.04.2021

The Supreme Court has reiterated that a private vehicle would not come within the expression of a public place under the NDPS Act and different provisions mentioned in the act for private and public place must be followed.

Section 42 deals with power of entry, search, seizure and arrest without warrant or authorisation and provides a detailed procedure to follow. Section 43 deals with power of seizure and arrest in public place.

While deciding a criminal appeal, a bench of Justices U U Lalit and K M Joseph said that the explanation to Section 43 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act clearly says that a private vehicle would not come within the expression of 'public place'.

In that case, recovery was made from the accused while they were in a jeep at a public place. The Punjab and Haryana high court had held that the case of the accused would be covered by Section 43 of NDPS Act and not by Section 42.

Setting aside the HC order, the apex court said that rigor of Section 42 may get lessened in certain situations but in no case, total noncompliance of Section 42 cannot be accepted.

“The evidence in the present case clearly shows that the vehicle was not a public conveyance but was a vehicle belonging to the accused. The Registration Certificate of the vehicle, which has been placed on record, also does not indicate it to be a Public Transport Vehicle. The explanation to Section 43 shows that a private vehicle would not come within the expression public place as explained in Section 43 of the NDPS Act,” the bench said.

In a case, recovery was made from the accused while they were in a jeep at a public place. The Punjab and Haryana high court had held that the case of the accused would be covered by Section 43 of NDPS Act and not by Section 42

WhatsApp users warned against breach of information

WhatsApp users warned against breach of information

New Delhi: 18.04.2021 

Country’s cyber security agency CERT-In has cautioned WhatsApp users about certain vulnerabilities detected in the popular instant messaging app that could lead to breach of sensitive information.

A “high” severity rating advisory issued by the CERT-In, or the Indian computer emergency response team, said the vulnerability has been detected in software that has “WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.21.4.18 and WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.21.32.”

The v2.21.4.18 and v2.21.32 denotes the versions of the WhatsApp messenger that are downloaded by users for using the platform on their devices.

“Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in WhatsApp applications which could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or access sensitive information on a targeted system,” it said. PTI

Ignorance of law, lack of case info extend convicts’ jail stay

Ignorance of law, lack of case info extend convicts’ jail stay

Shanmughasundaram.j@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.04.2021

After spending 12 years behind the bars without much legal aid, 49 year-old life convict Ram (name changed) took up the case on his own and approached the Supreme Court. Now, he was out on bail and trying to win back his freedom.

As on April 15, there were 15,796 prisoners in Tamil Nadu. Of these, 4,311 and 8,683 were convicted and remanded prisoners. “Persons like me are rare. Many prisoners are illiterate and lack knowledge about their legal rights and the available facilities in the existing judicial and prison system,” said Ram, a native of Chennai, who was incarcerated from 2005 to 2018 Puzhal-I central prison in connection with a murder case.

Several hundreds of prisoners are still in the dark about their case status as they lack awareness about their legal rights or assistance from the system. “Unaware that they have to undergo their sentence concurrently, many prisoners remain in prison for more number of years,” said a probation officer.

They can do away with this by approaching court to get direction as per provision of 428 of CrPC (period of detention undergone by the accused to be set off against the sentence). But the ignorance on the part of the prisoners and lack of support from prison welfare officers leave several inmates in jails beyond stipulated imprisonment periods.

The department has trained educated convicts as paralegal volunteers to help their fellow convicts, who themselves were illiterates. However, it is not of much use. “It is difficult to get the case kattu (case brief) from advocates, making it difficult for many prisoners to use the free legal service extended by the legal service authorities,” said an ex-convict, who preferred anonymity. He was one among the 1,600-odd prisoners who had benefited from Tamil Nadu government’s premature release scheme a few years ago.

The daughter of a life convict said her father was imprisoned long beyond the stipulated period after being convicted in a murder case. Though he was eligible to be released under premature release scheme, charges under Arms Act denied him the freedom. He continues to languish in Vellore Central Prison for Men.

Activists seek facilities such as Kiosks where case details and the current status of the cases could be accessed. All prisons mus have the facility to help the inmates to have up to date details of their cases.

Job, Higher Edu Limitations Mean Courses See Few Takers

Job, Higher Edu Limitations Mean Courses See Few Takers

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.04.2021

A survey carried out by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) among undergraduate engineering students on regional language preference shows that a majority of students are interested in Tamil as course language.

According to AICTE, 83,195 undergraduate students took part in the online survey titled as “Undergraduate Engineering Education in Mother Tongue.” Among them, 12,487 students said they would choose to study engineering in their mother tongue Tamil if given to the option. Hindi (7,818), Telugu (3,991) and Marathi (3,226) came next. As many as 1,953 students have answered, not sure. The survey included participants with 22 mother tongues.

The ministry of education has given emphasis to provide engineering and medical studies in regional languages. The survey was to get the views of stakeholders (students) on the matter.

The state introduced Tamil BE Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in 2010.

While the survey findings portray Tamil medium as the popular pick among the group, experts find it very surprising as the two Tamilmedium courses have hardly any takers.

“If true, there should have been a big craze to opt for Tamil-medium courses. Even at College of Engineering, Guindy, seats in the Tamil medium courses are the last ones to be filled. The gap in cut-off for Tamil medium and other students is also huge. It is an indicator that students do not prefer Tamil-medium courses,” said career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi.

“Those who picked Tamil medium are struggling in campus recruitment. They are also not able to go for higher education as the GATE is conducted only in English,” he added.

As many as 17 colleges — College of Engineering (CEG) and 16 constituent colleges of Anna University — have around 1,500 Tamil-medium seats across the two streams.

“The Tamil-medium courses are a failure as the state government could not provide the students books and journals in Tamil. Due to lack of jobs and higher education opportunities, the colleges filled less than 30% seats these past few years. Seats in CEG are filled every year, but that has nothing to do with Tamil medium,” a professor from Anna University said.

A dean of constituent college said some colleges could not fill even a single Tamil medium course seat.

“Tamil BE courses are not successful as text books, resources are not available in Tamil,” said B Chidambararajan, principal of SRM Valliammai College in Chennai.

While the AICTE allowed colleges to start a course in regional language from 2021-22, few TN institutions applied.

Man who hung a thought at THE END OF LAUGHTER

Man who hung a thought at THE END OF LAUGHTER

Comedy That Makes The Audience Think Was Actor Vivekh’s Forte. Be It Spreading Awareness On Environment Or Covid Vaccination, He Was At The Forefront Of Activities And Making A Difference

D Govardan & Neeraja Ramesh TNN

18.04.2021

When it came to his comedy sketches in films, Vivekh worked with a two-track mind — first, he baited his audience with his slapstick slice of life vignettes, and then when he had them right where he wanted, delivered a punchline that silenced them into introspection. And for that he will always be remembered – the comedian with a message in his medium.

The actor died at a hospital in Chennai on Saturday following a cardiac arrest. He was 59, and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

“Vivekh was a jovial person with no ego,” recalls N Mohan, manager to late director K Balachander who launched Vivekh’s career in 1987 with ‘Manadhil Urudhi Vendum’.

The director’s next ‘Puthu Puthu Arthangal’ (1989) made Vivekh popular and there was no looking back.

Vivekh acted in more than 200 movies, sharing screen space with generations of heroes from Rajinikanth to Dhanush. Over the years his fan following grew so much that his face began appearing on posters. Apart from comedies, he also began playing the protagonist and other character roles. In ‘Vellai Pookal’ (2019), for instance, he played the lead role of a retired police officer who goes to Seattle to reunite with his estranged son, while in ‘Dharala Prabhu’ (2020), he endeared himself to the audience as fertility expert Dr Kannadasan.

Mohan says Vivekh’s sense of humour permeated his real life. Whenever Vivekh came to meet Balachander, he recalls, he used to bring a rose. After a few visits, the director chided him for it. So, the next time he brought him an apple. “When Balachander sir chided him again, he started offering him a pen,” says Mohan.

Before his tryst with celluloid, Vivekh had donned many roles — from a harmonium player at a temple in Madurai to a telephone operator with Madurai Telephones to junior assistant in the state Secretariat in the 1980s. That was when he became a member of the Madras Humour Club, where his acting skills were noticed by film producer Kalakendra Govindharaj, who introduced him to Balachander.

“My first shot before the camera was with Vivekh for a scene in ‘Parthale Paravasam’ (2001),” says actor-director Samuthirakani, who was assisting Balachander then. “Sir said to me, if you want to learn to be an actor, act in this scene with Vivekh.”

Comedian Vadivelu, who has also acted with Vivekh, called his style acting “unique and simple”. “His dialogue delivery reached the masses as it always carried a social message,” he says.

Over the years, his comedy began to take a social turn. On screen, he began using his roles to voice concerns about a range of raging issues such as population growth, idol worship, denial of rights for better education for the less privileged and female infanticide. A voracious reader, Vivekh would sometimes scour newspapers and magazines in between shots to incorporate current civic and social issues into his dialogues.

Yoga partner and friend Vairamuthu says he was amazed by Vivekh’s knowledge on various subjects and that the two of them shared a strong bond over books and Tamil language. The industry gave Vivekh the moniker ‘Chinna Kalaivanar’, after yesteryear comedian N S Krishnan, who voiced similar concerns in the 1940s and 1950s was known as ‘Kalaivanar’.

“He helped scores of people throughout his life. He practised what he preached on screen,” says Samuthirakani. In 2010, the actor turned to activism and launched the ‘Green Kalam’ initiative, planting more than 30 lakh saplings. In 2018, he was part of TN government’s noplastic drive urging people to go green. The following year, when Chennai was reeling under a water crisis, he campaigned for rainwater harvesting. Two days before his cardiac arrest, Vivekh urged people to stay safe and get vaccinated.

“Death has no comic sense, that is the reason it took him away from us,” says Vairamuthu. “Now the trees he planted will shed tears for him.”

As hospitalizations go up so does Covid waste

As hospitalizations go up so does Covid waste

U..Tejonmayam@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.04.2021

Biomedical waste treatment facilities in the city could soon be handling double the quantity handled in the pre-Covid period.

Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital dean Dr P Vasanthamani said from an average 250kg a month in pre-Covid times, the hospital disposed 3,500kg to 4,000kg waste every month between July and October 2020. Of the 450 Covid beds, 320 are now occupied. “From 905kg in February 2021, it rose to 1,617kg last month. But we streamlined the collection and disposal during last year’s peak. We have built a shed to segregate and keep Covid waste separate,” she said. Initially, between May and July 2020, the hospital generated nearly 26,000kg waste as leftover food and packaging material from the bedside were also treated as biomedical waste. “Then, food waste was disposed as general waste after guidelines were revised.”

Around 112 private hospitals in Chennai, of the 387 in the state, are treating Covid patients. More than 55 city hospitals have less than five beds vacant or are full.

In August 2020, Tamil Nadu PollutionControlBoardofficials say10 of the 12 common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBMWTFs) incinerated an average 27 tonnes a day of Covid waste. Last month, the quantity dropped to five tonnes a day, but the daily average from April 1 to 12 was seven tonnes. The 12 CBMWTFs have the capacity to handle 55.167 tonnes a day An official from Tamil Nadu Waste Management Ltd, one of the two companies handling Covid waste from hospitals in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur, said biomedical waste collected from around 1,000 hospitals rose from 3,000kg a day to 5,000kg a day during the first wave in 2020 and the firm struggled as drivers and pickers refused to work. “We are expecting the load to go up in the coming days. But unlike last year, we have manpower, all safety gear and sanitized vehicles,” he said.

Harish Manian, CEO of MGM Healthcare, said they brought down the weight of the Covid waste by allowing staff in low risk zones like visitor screening areas to wear lightweight safety gear compared to high risk zones like ICUs. From an average 200kg of just Covid waste a day, the total waste now is around 300kg.

TNPCB chairman A V Venkatachalam said the waste increased manifold last year. “But we diligently reviewed the situationandfoundinstalled capacity of our CBMWTFs is phenomenally high. That’s why we did not face any hardship in the management of biomedical waste.”

22 of Tamil Nadu’s 39 Covid deaths reported in city

22 of Tamil Nadu’s 39 Covid deaths reported in city

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.04.2021

Tamil Nadu scaled a new peak in terms of active cases with 65,635 people under treatment for the viral infection as on Saturday. The state added 9,344 new infections while 5,263 people were discharged.

Of the 39 deaths reported on Saturday, 22 were from Chennai, which also recorded 2,884 fresh infections.

Chennai has 23,625 active cases and has so far reported 4,386 deaths. At least 23 districts reported fresh cases in three digits. Of these, 11 had more than 200 new cases. After Chennai, the highest number of fresh cases and deaths were from Chengalpet (807 cases and three deaths). Active cases in the district have spiked to 6,263. Together with Tiruvallur (389) and Kancheepuram  (248), there were 4,328 new cases in the Chennai region.

The region accounted for more than 50% of Tamil Nadu’s active cases. Testing in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpet and Kancheepuram districts has also increased over the last one week. Chennai corporation commissioner G Prakash said the city, which is testing 20,000 people a day at present, plans to scale up testing to 25,000. “We are doing this across the state. Health workers have been asked to track down at least 30 close contacts of people who test positive. When we test more people, we will be able to identify cases and isolate them early,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.

As the state inches close to 1 lakh tests a day, the health department is pushing districts to increase the number to 1.25 lakh a day, the health secretary said. Meanwhile, public health officials say isolating people early and initiating treatment will help keep fatality rate below 1.5%.

In the west, the highest number of new cases were reported from Coimbatore (652), while in the central region, it was Trichy (323) and in the south, Tuticorin (261). The western districts together reported 1,820 cases and three deaths, while the 10 southern districts added 1,880 cases and four deaths. The central region reported 817 cases and four deaths.

HC suspends jail term, Lalu to walk free

HC suspends jail term, Lalu to walk free

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ranchi/Patna:  18.04.2021

RJD president Lalu Prasad is set to walk out of jail after the Jharkhand high court suspended the remaining duration of his prison sentence in the Dumka treasury fodder scam case, RC 38A/96, on Saturday. Lalu, at present undergoing treatment at AIIMS in New Delhi under custody, is likely to be released next week. Lalu’s counsel Kapil Sibal on Saturday told the court that the RJD chief had completed more than half of his term in the Dumka treasury case and was entitled to be released.

Concerned about dad Lalu’s health: Tejashwi

Lalu’s family and party supporters were elated. While Lalu’s wife, former CM Rabri Devi, and their eldest daughter, Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, arrived at AIIMS Delhi, his sons and other daughters expressed happiness on social media.

Lalu’s younger son, leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, thanked the high court. “But we are more concerned about his health now,” he said. Tejashwi said a decision on Lalu’s coming to Patna would depend on the advice of doctors attending to him at AIIMS Delhi. “He is suffering from different ailments, including of the kidney and heart. We don’t want to take any chances,” he said.

Lalu’s elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, tweeted, “The messiah of the poor and downtrodden is now back. Tell those who have been doing injustice to them that our leader is coming back.”

One of Lalu’s daughters, Rohini Acharya, said she had got his “Eidi (Eid blessings)”, for which she has been observing Ramzan. Rohini also said she was observing “Chaitra Navaratra” rituals for his father’s release.

RJD workers and supporters celebrated the news by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets. Though the party appealed to its supporters not to celebrate the occasion in a big way, and to follow Covid-19 guidelines, a few supporters went to Rabri Devi’s 10, Circular Road residence in Patna to celebrate.

Earlier, RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari said, “The whole of Bihar welcomes his (Lalu’s) bail. It has been a long wait for him, his family members and party workers.”

Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM(S), part of the ruling NDA in the state, also welcomed news of Lalu’s bail. HAM(S) spokesperson Danish Rizwan said, “Our leader Jitan Ram Manjhi always expressed his concern about Lalu-ji’s ill health. We hope now Lalu-ji will be able to take care of himself in a better way. We are pleased with his bail.”

CELEBRATIONS GALORE: RJD supporters outside party office in Patna on Saturday

Velachery repoll: Just 186 of 548 votes cast

Velachery repoll: Just 186 of 548 votes cast

34 Less Than What Was Recorded On April 6

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.04.2021

Repolling at booth 92 in Velachery constituency concluded in a smooth manner on Saturday. Only 186 of the total 548 votes were polled, accounting for a 34% turnout.

The votes cast were 34 less than the 220 recorded on election day (April 6).

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had ordered repolling at the booth after Greater Chennai Corporation staff were caught carrying two EVMs and a VVPAT machine on a twowheeler after polling hours on April 6. The authorities claimed they were unused machines. A day later, the civic body suspended three staff members including an assistant engineer in connection with the incident. However, since the method adopted for transportation was against standard protocol, a repoll was ordered.

By noon on Saturday, around 90 votes were polled at the all-male booth at Seetharaman Nagar in Velachery. The area was fortified with heavy police presence and voters were not allowed to take their vehicles near the polling booth.

“The number of polling officials and police personnel on duty for the repoll easily outnumbered the number of voters who turned up,” said a corporation official.

Earlier in the day, corporation commissioner, G Prakash, who is also the district election officer, inspected the arrangements at the polling booth.

The last vote was polled around 5 pm and until the end of polling hours, no voter turned up. After the conclusion of polling, the EVM machines were loaded onto a van in the presence of booth agents and then sent to the strong room. The entire process was videographed.

On April 6, when the state went to polls, commotion prevailed at Velachery after polling hours because of the incident and workers of the Congress and DMK thronged the Velachery police station seeking action against the corporation staff, who were initially assumed to be AIADMK workers.

A food delivery agent who noticed the machines being transported on two bikes confronted the riders, after one of the machines fell down on Taramani Main Road in Velachery and the issue soon escalated. Some party cadres also treated the staff to mob justice before police intervened.

UNDER STRICT WATCH: Repolling underway at DAV Public School, Velachery on Saturday

Rly commuters found without masks to pay ₹500 penalty

Rly commuters found without masks to pay ₹500 penalty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.04.2021

For the next six months, Southern Railway will impose a fine of up to ₹500 on passengers who are mask-less in stations and trains.

The decision to impose fines came after the railways received many complaints. Southern Railway has also carried out awareness programmes at railway stations to encourage passengers to wear masks.

The board has authorised all Zonal Railway to impose fine up to ₹500 under Indian Railways (Penalties for activities affecting cleanliness at Railway premises) Rules, 2012, on those not wearing face mask. Officials authorised to collect these fines include the station master or manager, an officer above the rank of ticket collector of the commercial department or an officer of an equivalent rank of the operating department, RPF officials and any other official who may be subsequently authorised by the Railway administration.