Wednesday, May 19, 2021

கூகுள் 'நியூஸ் ஷோகேஸ்' இந்தியாவில் அறிமுகம்

கூகுள் 'நியூஸ் ஷோகேஸ்' இந்தியாவில் அறிமுகம்

Updated : மே 19, 2021 04:52 | Added : மே 19, 2021 04:51 

புதுடில்லி : கூகுள் நிறுவனம், இந்தியாவில் 'கூகுள் நியூஸ், டிஸ்கவர்' வலைதளப் பிரிவுகளில், 'நியூஸ் ஷோகேஸ்' என்ற செய்திப் பலகையை அறிமுகப்படுத்தியுள்ளது. இதில், சிறந்த செய்திகள், கருத்துருக்கள் ஆகியவற்றை தரும், அச்சு மற்றும் ஊடக நிறுவனங்களுக்கு சன்மானம் தரப்படும் என, கூகுள் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

கூகுள் நியூஸ், டிஸ்கவர் வலைதளங்களில் உள்ள நியூஸ் ஷோகேஸ் பகுதியில், ஜெர்மனி, கனடா, பிரேசில், பிரான்ஸ், ஜப்பான், ஆஸ்திரேலியா உள்ளிட்ட நாடுகளைச் சேர்ந்த, 700 செய்தி நிறுவனங்களின் தலைப்புச் செய்திகள் இடம் பெறுகின்றன. இதற்காக, இந்நிறுவனங்களுடன் கூகுள் ஒப்பந்தம் செய்துள்ளது. நெட்டிசன்கள், இந்த செய்திப் பலகையில், தங்களுக்கு பிடித்த தலைப்பை, 'கிளிக்' செய்து, சம்பந்தப்பட்ட செய்தி நிறுவனத்தின் வலைதளத்திற்கு சென்று விரிவான செய்தியை படிக்கலாம்.இத்தகைய வசதியை, கூகுள் இந்தியாவில் அறிமுகப்படுத்தியுள்ளது.

இது குறித்து, கூகுள் துணை தலைவர் பிராட் பென்டர் கூறியதாவது: நியூஸ் ஷோகேஸ், ஏற்கனவே பல நாடுகளில் வெற்றிகரமாக செயல்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்தியாவில் தற்போது அறிமுகமாகியுள்ளது. இதற்காக, 30 செய்தி நிறுவனங்களுடன் ஒப்பந்தம் செய்துள்ளோம். மேலும், பல நிறுவனங்களை இணைக்க உள்ளோம். இதன் மூலம், அச்சு, ஊடக செய்தி நிறுவனங்கள், நம்பிக்கைக்குரிய செய்திகளை மக்களிடம் எடுத்துச் செல்ல முடியும். அத்துடன் அந்நிறுவனங்களுக்கு, கூகுள் மூலம் குறிப்பிட்ட தொகையும் கிடைக்கும்.

ஆங்கிலம், இந்தி மொழிகளைத் தொடர்ந்து விரைவில் பிராந்திய மொழிகளிலும் இச்சேவை அறிமுகமாகும். அடுத்த மூன்று ஆண்டுகளில், 50 ஆயிரம் பத்திரிகையாளர்கள் மற்றும் பத்திரிகையியல் மாணவர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி அளிக்க, கூகுள் இலக்கு நிர்ணயித்துள்ளது.இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

Centre’s officers in ivory towers, don’t know ground realities: HC


Centre’s officers in ivory towers, don’t know ground realities: HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:19.05.2021

The Centre’s officers are living in “ivory towers” oblivious of ground realities that Covid-19 has not spared a single family, Delhi High Court said on Tuesday, after getting to know that an Indian firm collaborating with Sputnik vaccine makers of Russia is being starved of funds by the Centre.

“Which bureaucrat is giving you instructions? Is he not alive to the situation? God bless this country. That is why we are facing this situation. In such matters instructions are need to be taken from the highest authorities, that, too, within 30 minutes,” the court said, highlighting that such partnership attempts with foreign vaccine manufacturers are an opportunity to the nation facing shortage of vaccines.

“Tell your officers it is an opportunity for you, don’t lose it. The virus has not spared any single family. Your officers are living in ivory towers,” a bench of justices Manmohan and Navin Chawla remarked.

“Does your officer not see so many deaths are taking place in the country and we are short of vaccines? You are so short of vaccines and you are not taking it through. Maybe it is an opportunity for you. Don’t be so negative. It is like a raging fire and nobody is bothered. You people don’t understand the larger picture or what,” the court fumed.

“No one is applying its mind” when there is an opportunity for the government to get millions of vaccines, the bench said. “Otherwise, deaths will continue to happen. Every day you are castigated by each and every court and still you are not awake.”

HC’s reaction came after reports that the Indian firm collaborating with Sputnik makers is being starved of funds

Pvt hosps in 30 cities getting Covaxin directly

Pvt hosps in 30 cities getting Covaxin directly

Swati.Bharadwaj@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:19.05.2021

After kicking off direct supplies of indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to states, its developer Bharat Biotech has now commenced direct supplies to private hospitals in as many as 31 cities across the country, a top official of the company said on Tuesday evening.

The dispatches to private hospitals, which began on Monday, include direct supplies by the company to private hospitals in 25 cities and supplies to private hospitals in 10 cities as directed by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, government of India.

Tweeting about this, Bharat Biotech’s joint MD Suchitra Ella said the company has dispatched Covaxin to private hospitals in Gannavaram, Guwahati, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Ranchi, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow at the directions of MoHFW.

This astrologer gives biryani to 150 strays daily in Nagpur


A SHOT OF HOPE

This astrologer gives biryani to 150 strays daily in Nagpur

Sudhanshu.Bisen@timesgroup.com

Nagpur:19.05.2021

Whenever you go grocery shopping in the city, don’t be surprised to see strays feasting on chicken biryani on the streets. In these times of Covid-induced restrictions, when even some sections of humanity are struggling to get one square meal a day, Nagpur-based astrologer Ranjeet Nath, fondly known as Ranjeet Dada, has been providing this scrumptious dish to around 150 strays.

The 58-year-old astrologer has been cooking nearly 35kg of biryani daily since the onset of the pandemic. “He has been doing this for quite some years now, but his work grew manifold since the pandemic started,” says Rahul Motwani, who has been associated with Ranjeet.

Such is his fondness for stray dogs that he calls them his “bachche” (kids). “I don’t like to call them dogs or stays. I consider all of them as my kids,” says Ranjeet. His day starts with preparations for the biryani. He starts cooking it from noon and goes around the city on his bike at 5pm daily to feed the strays.

“I have 10-12 fixed locations and my ‘bachche’ know them. The moment they see me, they start running towards me,” says Ranjeet, who returns home around midnight after the entire vessel full of biryani is empty.

He does it seven days a week. “Once on the streets, I do not discriminate against strays. I also feed cats but since the biryani has meat, I do not offer it to cows,” he says.

There is less meat and more bones in the chicken biryani. “I get the bony part of the chicken at a cheaper rate, which helps me feed more dogs. Until last month, most of the expenditure was from my pocket,” he says.

“A video featuring Ranjeet’s kind gesture was uploaded by a food blogger after which donations started pouring in,” says Motwani.

KIND-HEARTED: Nagpur-based Ranjeet Nath cooks 35kg of biryani every day

‘A 3-month gap between two AstraZeneca doses gives better protection’


TIMES evoke

‘A 3-month gap between two AstraZeneca doses gives better protection’

19.05.2021

Scientist Andrew Pollard co-developed the AstraZeneca vaccination together with Sarah Gilbert at Oxford University. Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das at Times Evoke, Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, shares insights around the Covid-19 vaccination:

Both India and the UK recently changed the interval between two AstraZeneca doses. What is the ideal time gap?

We have very good data showing strong protection for the first three months between the two doses. A three-month interval produces very good protection – this gets even better with a longer interval from three to four months. A longer time gap gets a stronger immune response after the second dose.

The reason for the UK’s change is the situation posed by the B.1.617 variant and the attempt to improve immunity and curb transmission. But to get the maximum immune response, it’s worth waiting longer. There is a trade-off between getting a high response earlier or waiting longer and getting an even better immune response.

Could you address fears over AstraZeneca and blood clots? And why do diverse countriesrecommenddifferent age restrictions for your vaccine?

The biggest problem the world is facing now is the Covid-19 virus killing millions of people, with many more expected to succumb in the current waves. If we do a comparison between the risk of the virus and a very rare type of blood clot, the possibility of the latter happening is extremely low – the possibility of being affected by Covid-19 is high.

If you’re in a region where the disease is widespread, it’s much better to be vaccinated with a very, very small risk at all. If you’re in a part of the world where there are plenty of vaccines and almost no disease, the trade-offs are different. The diverse age restrictions in different countries are because they’re in the fortunate position of having most people vaccinated and very low rates of disease.

How effective is AstraZeneca against emerging variants?

The virus will generate variants as long as there is transmission. We’re a long way from vaccinating the world’s population, so we will see many variants evolving. However, we are optimistic that the current generation of vaccines will have a huge impact in improving immunity in vaccinated groups, so most people are protected against severe disease, hospitalisation and loss of life.

Can AstraZeneca be used eventually to vaccinate children?

There is very little good quality evidence at the moment about any change in the severity of the disease affecting children. We have not seen that in most populations – this is a very unusual and rare phenomenon as of now. For that reason, given how few adults worldwide have been vaccinated, we must focus the available doses on individuals most likely to be severely affected. My view is that highrisk people must be vaccinated before we start vaccinating children, who are still at low risk. The existing data on this is consistent throughout the pandemic – the rate of severe disease for children is low. The greater risk is for older adults and people with health conditions. Focus all available vaccines on them.

What are your views on vaccine equity?

We are all part of the human family – the value of a life in a rich country should be the same as a life in a poorer country. Morally, we should be distributing vaccines with equity. However, there is also a pragmatic reason for rich countries to do this – the virus will mutate and disrupt the global economy more if we don’t vaccinate the vulnerable in all countries. So, there are moral, health and economic security reasons for vaccine equity.

At the university, we are very firm on vaccine equity – one of the approaches we’ve taken in our partnership with Astra-Zeneca is to develop a distributed network of over 20 manufacturing sites around the world to maximise production, so the vaccine can be made and supplied to all countries at the fastest possible. That is our university’s goal – our work is not for profit and that is the nature of our partnership with Astra-Zeneca.

What lessons have been learned from the pandemic so far?

We need good surveillance systems to pick up disease threats earlier. We also didn’t have adequate capacity in most countries to produce enough personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. We must have more security around healthcare staff and stronger disease surveillance and monitoring.

Alongside, the world has done remarkably well in vaccine development, with 15 vaccines in total authorised in at least one country. That’s when we’re only a year on – that’s a huge success where normally, vaccines take around10 years to develop.

I hope the biggest legacy from the pandemic will be an improved public understanding of the value of science – as the new generation grows up with greater respect for science, they will become our leaders one day and will shape better public policy, based on evidence.

Share your thoughts at: timesevoke@timesgroup.com

This (protection) gets even better with a longer interval from three to four months. A longer time gap gets a stronger immune response after the second dose The existing data is consistent throughout the pandemic – the rate of severe disease for children is low. The greater risk is for older adults and people with health conditions. Focus all available vaccines on them

At the university, we are very firm on vaccine equity... our work is not for profit and that is the nature of our partnership with AstraZeneca

‘Criminal action against hospitals for fleecing patients’

‘Criminal action against hospitals for fleecing patients’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021

Tamil Nadu chief secretary V Irai Anbu on Tuesday warned stringent action against private hospitals fleecing patients undergoing Covid treatment. He also said any government official taking bribe from people for distributing aid would be booked.

The warning has come in the backdrop of reports that many private hospitals are charging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 75,000 per day as just room rent for Covid treatment. There was also a video in circulation on Tuesday, showing government officials admitting to taking Rs 500 bribe for distributing Rs 2,000 per ration card holding family as Covid relief.

In a strongly-worded statement, the CS said that people were facing medical emergencies, financial crisis and mental agony owing to the pandemic. In such a situation, some government employees, corporate hospitals and private firms were indulging in “unlawful and inhuman acts”. Chief minister has ordered that stringent action should be taken against such people, said Irai Anbu.

The government has directed all secretaries and heads of departments to take action against their subordinates found guilty of indulging in such activities, he said. Similarly, police department, especially director of vigilance and anti-corruption, has been directed to take suitable action against erring officials, he said.

“Whoever it may be and whatever position he/she may be in, appropriate action will be taken against them based on complaints,” said the CS. He added the government would step up surveillance in places where public are subjected to harassment.

The government machinery has been functioning relentlessly to save the lives of people during the pandemic. However, the acts of some corrupt people in the system was tarnishing the image of upright government servants, he said.

WORD OF CAUTION: The warning to private hospitals came amid reports that hospitals are charging a bomb as just room rent for Covid treatment

Attendants of patients risk all in Covid wards


Attendants of patients risk all in Covid wards

They Walk In And Out Without PPEs

Team TOI

Chennai:19.05.2021

Government hospitals across Tamil Nadu are insisting that Covid-19 patients in the ICUs and wards should have attendants to care for them, exposing the deficiency, if not collapse, of the state’s healthcare system.

Besides putting themselves at risk through exposure to a high viral load environment, such attendants can infect their families and the public at large as they walk in and out of the hospital.

’They can cause super spreader events,” the director of public health Dr T S Selvavinayagam had said two days ago while prohibiting entry of visitors and attendants in all covid wards.

But on Tuesday, patients from several government hospitals across the state said doctors and nurses, violating all medical ethics and public health norms, told attendants to remain with the patients. These attendants are not even given PPE kits, without which doctors and nurses do not step into these wards.

TOI has photographs sourced from various districts – Chennai, Chengalpet, Coimbatore and Ramanathapuram showing attenders sitting by the bedside all day, sharing food and space on the beds with patients. In these high-infection zones, most of the attendants had neither N95 masks nor PPEs on them -- a cloth mask was their only protection against a sure-shot infection. Sometimes, attendants are made to adjust oxygen flow, remove IV drips and walk patient to toilets. That done, they venture out of the hospital to buy food for themselves. Close contacts of people in home quarantine are told to say inside to prevent spread of the infection. But in the state’s biggest hospitals, people are allowed to walk in and out, putting themselves and everyone else at risk.

“Now, no attendant wants to leave the ward because they are worried their relative won’t get care. Attendants had to alert nurses and doctors even about deaths,” said a patient relative.

One of biggest fears for most family members is that their relative would be left unattended and lonely in the ward. "My husband was moved to the ICU as soon as he was admitted because his condition was critical. After wheeling him in I was about to leave the ward, but they told me to stay. I wanted to protest, but saw an attendant for every patient. They were alerting nurses about dipping oxygen or dropping blood pressure. I didn't leave because I was scared he would die without attention," said Sathya in Chennai. Her husband died the next day. And four days later she and her sons tested positive.

At the Covid ward in Ramanathapuram GH, there were15 patients and more than 15 attendants. On Tuesday, patient attendants witnessed five deaths in the wards. Hospital dean Dr M Alli said the hospital was doing its best amidst staff shortage. “Nearly 30 doctors and nurses are positive. When cases are increasing there is only so much we can do,” she said. “We allowed attendants but when we try to regulate them, they don’t want to leave. They threaten us and we are forced to call the police,” said medical superintendent S Balasubramanian of Rajaji Government General Hospital in Madurai.

Despite the risk, many attendants say they don’t have a choice. “We have seen patients with hypoxia faint outside restrooms due to fall in oxygen saturation. I now take my dad to the toilet. I alert the nurse when he feels faint,” said Sandhya, whose 67-year-old father was admitted to RGGGH in Chennai on Saturday. On Monday, when Sandhya complained of body pain and sore throat, doctors told her she must have turned positive. “They did not do tests, but gave me medicines,” she said.

RISK OF INFECTION: Covid-19 patients with their attendants at a makeshift health facility in Chennai

TN logs highest number of new cases in country

TN logs highest number of new cases in country

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021

Tamil Nadu on Tuesday reported the highest number of new cases in the country since the start of the pandemic in March last year.

The state, however, is seeing a decline in total number of fresh cases. After reporting 33,658 cases on May 15, the state reported 33,181cases on May16 and 33,075 on May 17.

On Tuesday, a total of 33,059 people tested positive, thereby taking the cumulative Covid tally to 16,64,350.

The death count, however, continued to increase with another 364 people from TN succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours. The state's death toll current death toll is18,369 — the fourth highest in the country.

Another worrying trend is the spike in the number of active cases. As of Tuesday, 2,42,949 patients are undergoing treatment in healthcare centres and in their homes.

Of them, nearly onethird were in the Chennai region. In hotspot Chennai, the number of people testing positive dipped for the third day in a row. A total of 6,016 got infected, and this included 74 from a children's home for intellectually-challenged.

In Kancheepuram, the daily infection count (761) fell sharply by 38% compared to Monday. But the death count increased to 19 on Tuesday. At the other two neighbouring districts —Chengalpet (2,299) and Thiruvallur (1,890) —the positivity rate hasn't reduced.

Coimbatore, which is the second worst-affected district in TN, had 3,071 new cases. But the recovery count (1,305) was not even half of it. This is why there is acute shortage for oxygen-supported and ICU beds over there. Only six such beds were vacant in the entire district on Tuesday evening.

Cases were increasing in other major cities like Salem (650) and Vellore (520), it dropped down marginally in Madurai (1,011) and Trichy (1,271) on Tuesday.

As far as vaccination was concerned, a total of 50,091 got their jabs on Tuesday —20 % less compared to Monday (63,101). So far, a total of 70,13,735 people have got vaccinated in the state.

This 1,100-yr-old Chola hosp had beds, docs, surgeons and a protocol in place

This 1,100-yr-old Chola hosp had beds, docs, surgeons and a protocol in place

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:19.05.2021

As a raging pandemic befuddles governments of even the most advanced nations on how best to use their resources, inscription on the walls of a Chola temple, built more than 1,100 years ago, shows how the visionary kings had operated a 15-bed hospital complete with doctors and surgeons. The inscriptions give details on medical procedures, salary paid to doctors in the form of paddy — proportionate to their work, the kind of herbal drugs used, and the method to ration food among inmates.

The comprehensive engravings on the granite wall of Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Thirumukkoodal near Kancheepuram, located 70km south of Chennai, on the medical centre established by Virarajendra Chola in 1069AD at the confluence of rivers Cheyyar, Vegavathi and Palar has surprised archaeologists.

The centre had two physicians, including a surgeon, and one barber to perform minor operations, two people for fetching herbs, and nurses and medical attendants to take care of patients. The 55ftlong inscriptions with 33 lines running from top to bottom cover an area of 540sqft. It is considered to be one of the biggest such engravings discovered so far in the Indian subcontinent. While 95% of it is written in Tamil, the rest is in ‘Grantha’ script. According to archaeologists, it throws light on 19 herbal medicines used for treating fever, lung diseases and dropsy.

CAST IN STONE: The engravings about the medical centre on the walls of Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Thirumukkoodal near Kancheepuram are considered among the biggest

Ancient temple will be renovated for consecration

As per the inscriptions, first documented a century ago, the hospital was meant to treat inmates of a students’ hostel and temple servants. S Rajavelu, adjunct faculty member of department of history, Alagappa University and former epigraphist with ASI, who studied the inscriptions in the past, said the facility also catered to the public. “It was akin to a medical hospital and college, where students stayed and it was meant for treating the public. It was an ayurvedic cum siddha hospital because we have references of medicinal plants,” he said.

“The hospital was running on the grants from the government, routed through the temple,” Rajavelu said.

The inscriptions talk of an ‘Atular Salai’, which means hospital. Similar health care centres were also functioning in Thiruvakkam near Kancheepuram, Thanjavur and Srirangam, he added.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which maintains the 9th century temple, now plans to recreate the garden by planting herbs mentioned in the inscription. T Saravanan, who took over as senior conservation assistant of ASI’s Kancheepuram sub-circle recently, said the temple would also be renovated for consecration. “The herbal garden is being established as part of renovation works that would commence this year. It is being executed on the directions of the ASI’s director-general, who visited the temple early this year,” he said.

Trapped in pandemic panic, people now look up at hospitals as temples, but in the days of yore temples themselves doubled up as hospitals.

AHEAD OF TIME: The engravings on the granite wall of Venkatesa Perumal Temple has surprised archaeologists

On second run, Pinarayi drops star woman min

On second run, Pinarayi drops star woman min

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:19.05.2021

The CPM, in a bid to induct fresh faces in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, dropped the immensely popular K K Shailaja from the new cabinet, sending shockwaves across the state and among its own cadre, and spawning doubts on the continued efficacy of the state’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, CPM MLAs formally elected Pinarayi Vijayan as its parliamentary party leader and chief minister candidate and announced 11 names to be inducted as ministers in the second LDF government, scheduled to be sworn in on Thursday. Shailaja has been made the party whip.

The list of ministers was finalised by the CPM politburo — comprising Vijayan, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, M A Baby and S Ramachandran Pillai — which met here in the morning.

OUT OF FAVOUR: Shailaja was widely praised for her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis

Pinarayi’s son-in-law Riyas in new Kerala cabinet

The party decided not to tamper with the policy it adopted ahead of the crucial election, of giving preference to new faces. As part of this policy, it had denied tickets to those who contested elections twice in succession, including senior leaders like G Sudhakaran and TM Thomas Isaac. Accordingly, it decided to include all new faces in the next ministry. Politburo member Balakrishnan then presented the list before the state committee members for ratification.

The new ministers include CPM central committee member and three-time MLA M V Govindan, central committee member and former speaker K Radhakrishnan, state secretariat members and former MPs P Rajeeve and K N Balagopal, state committee members Saji Cherian, V N Vasavan, V Sivankutty and Mohammed Riyas, former Thrissur mayor R Bindu, former journalist and two-time MLA Veena George, politician-cum-businessman and two-time MLA V Abdurahiman. Riyas is the sonin-law of CM Vijayan and Bindu is the wife of CPM acting secretary and LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan. State committee member M B Rajesh is the party’s speaker candidate while T P Ramakrishnan the parliamentary party secretary. The portfolios will be decided by Vijayan later.

Pinarayi Vijayan called on governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday evening and staked a claim to form the new government.

Full report on www.toi.in

City divided into 348 grids; e-registration must for travel


City divided into 348 grids; e-registration must for travel

No Entry From One Grid To Another Without Pass

Selvaraj.a@timesgroup.com

Chennai:19.05.2021 

In a novel initiative to contain lockdown violations by motorists, the Greater Chennai Police have divided the city into 348 grids and allowed intergrid movement only if roadusers had valid e-registration.

A press release from commissioner of police Shankar Jiwal’s office clarified that an epass or e-register is mandatory for anyone stepping out of their houses after 10am or before 6am. Those who don’t possess these valid registrations will not be allowed to enter from one grid to another.

The move, however, caught commuters by surprise, resulting in chaos and traffic pileups at key junctions and thoroughfares on Tuesday morning.

Commissioner Jiwal came out with the detailed traffic curbs shortly after chief minister M K Stalin’s review meeting for top police officers.

As per the new plan, the 138 police stations in city limits have been divided into 348 grids called sectors. Cops barricaded roads and allowed movement only on a handful of routes so as to enable police to verify and allow only those who had e-registrations or and frontline workers out on essential purposes. Commuters without valid documents to justify their movement outside their respective sectors were disallowed from proceeding any further.

Due to the strict enforcement, places like Spencer’s signal witnessed a big pile-up of vehicles disallowed from using the stretch. After making lockdown violators spend about an hour in the hot sun, police let them go with a warning. Similar scenes were witnessed in traffic junctions at Nandanam, Teynampet, Thiruvanmiyur, Adyar, near Gandhi statue on Kamarajar Salai, Saidapet, Guindy, Ashok Nagar and few more places. City traffic police inspector V Praveen said, “we stopped the bikes and cars at key intersections and allowed them to drive one after another, making a beeline, so that we can verify their credentials.”

Another traffic police officer at Teynampet said, “we formed two lanes – one for cars and the other for bikes -- at Teynampet junction. It was a little chaotic initially, but later it became smooth.” However, arguments broke out when a few doctors and journalists out on duty too were caught up in the melee. Many took to the social media slamming city police for enforcing the curbs without adequate prior intimation or publicity.

Traffic pile up on main roads led motorists to take a detour and crowd narrow streets to reach their destinations.

On Monday, meanwhile, Chennai police slapped 2,855 cases on people for flouting lockdown norms.

FOLLOW THE RULES: People travelling without e-pass and proper travel documents during lockdown were stopped at Anna Salai by police personnel on Tuesday

HC orders sacked govt employee to undergo mental evaluation


TRIED TO BRIBE CJ OF MADRAS HC

HC orders sacked govt employee to undergo mental evaluation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021

A special court for corruption cases has directed a former government servant to undergo medical check-up at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Kilpauk after he claimed he was suffering from mental illness. He is facing a case of attempting to bribe high court judges.

“The expert shall examine the accused and take all necessary tests as per medical jurisprudence and submit a report whether the accused can understand court proceedings and capable of making defence. The accused shall co-operate with the medical expert, failing which adverse inference will be drawn against him,” said special judge J Omprakash.

The accused, after being terminated from service, had appealed twice before the high court and after both appeals were dismissed, he wrote to the chief justice of Madras high court seeking a job and enclosed ₹10,000 for a ‘favourable order’.

Based on a complaint from the registrar of the high court, an FIR was registered by the Central Crime Branch and he was arrested.

Police filed the final report and the special court had taken cognizance of the report on November 11, 2020.

When the case came up for trial, the accused appeared before the court and raised various grounds to discharge him from the case. He said he was suffering from mental illness between 2012 and 2014 and that he continued psychiatric treatment for the illness till date.

The court noted from his medical records which stated that the accused was suffering from recurrent depressive disorder and took treatment at Tiruvannamalai medical college from December 2020 until March 2021.

After perusing the submissions, special judge passed an interim order directing the accused to appear before the director of IMH for mental evaluation.

Doctors, journalists exempted from Chennai’s e-pass rule

Doctors, journalists exempted from Chennai’s e-pass rule

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021 

Police commissioner Shankar Jiwal on Tuesday exempted doctors, health workers, lawyers, journalists, essential commodities staff, state and central government employees, secretariat staff, embassy and consulate officials from carrying e-registration passes while travelling in the city.

However, they have to show their identity cards when asked.

The police are advised to have an exclusive lane for the ambulance vehicles to ply through the city without any stops, the release added.

If anyone is stopped by cops despite displaying their identity cards, they can contact public relations officer M S Baskar on his mobile 9498130011 or on the landline 04423452320.

On Tuesday morning, chaos prevailed on city roads as cops blocked roads to check e-passes.

The city police seized 4,107 vehicles from lockdown violators, and a fine amount of ₹16,57,500 was collected from them. Apart from them, the city police booked cases against 3,044 people for not wearing face masks and cases against 345 people for not maintaining social distancing.

As per a release, the health workers, doctors, journalists, essential commodities staff, state and central government staff, secretariat staff, embassy and consulate officials and lawyers have been allowed to travel in the city without availing the e registration pass

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

TN medicos want govt to increase stipend

TN medicos want govt to increase stipend

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.05.2021

Post graduate and super speciality doctors, who treat Covid-19 patients at government hospitals, have requested chief minister MK Stalin to increase their stipend.

These doctors (non-service) claim that they are paid only ₹37,000 to ₹47,000 as stipend per month, lowest in the country.

For instance, a M.D/M.S (Doctor of Medicine/Master of Surgery) postgraduate in Gujarat earns ₹84,000 to ₹87,500 and those in super speciality wards are paid up to Rs1,12,000 -- almost double of what a TN PG medico earns. Recently, many states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have increased the stipend amount for PG doctors, acknowledging their service during the pandemic. But Tamil Nadu has not revised the stipend amount for over three years.

Keerthi Varman, president of Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association said, “We are working for almost 100 hours every week but we are paid a pittance.

Even final year MBBS (undergraduate) students, who were roped in by Greater Chennai Corporation for Covid-19 duty, are earning more (₹40,000 per month) compared to a PG doctor in Chennai Medical College hospitals".

Another PG student from Stanley Medical College Hospital, who tested positive for Covid last week, said they hardly get four to five hours of sleep every day and work in life-threatening conditions. Staff nurses, who work on six-seven hour shifts, get the same pay as PGs.

"We are not asking for extra. All we are requesting is something we deserve," he said, requesting anonymity.

A senior state health department official rejected the PG doctors' allegation and said that they were paid ₹75,000 to ₹90,000 per month as remuneration for Covid work at par with top central medical institutions.

The government has recently given a one-time incentive of ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 too, he said.

"Alongside this, they are provided one-week quarantine at star hotels after every 6-7 days of service in Covid wards. The government takes care of their accommodation and food expenses," he said.

Though PGs accept that they are provided quarantine facilities, they denied the health authority's claim about stipend amount. According to their bank statement, they received ₹37,000- ₹47,000 as stipend in April.

NURSING STUDENTS GET VACCINATED


NURSING STUDENTS GET VACCINATED

SAFETY FIRST: Nursing students working at the Covid-19 ward of Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai wait for their Covid vaccine doses at the Elango Corporation School on Monday

‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’


TWO MADRAS HC RULINGS GO GOVT’s WAY

18.05.2021 

‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’

Chennai: Amidst allegations of under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court emphasised the need for accurate reporting of such deaths to ensure adequate supply of drugs and oxygen proportionate to the severity of the spread in the state.

“No one can blame this particular government for this (since it took charge only 10 days ago). So, therefore, this government should be particularly keen in ensuring reporting of every Covid death so that the allocation (of vaccines, drugs and oxygen) is adequate and appropriate,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday. “We are one of the leading states in the country, we are pretty educated and our health care facilities are among the best in the country, so this would be an ideal place for a case study,” the court asserted.

“We are not saying that the government is inducing it (under-reporting), maybe at the local level people feel if they under-report it would be better. Government should take steps and encourage that the reporting is accurate,” the judges said. TNN

‘Cannot interfere with the state’s lockdown decision on industries’

Chennai: In a setback to employees of automobile manufacturing and allied industries in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court has refused to interfere in the exemption granted to such units to function despite the complete lockdown implemented in the state.

“It is a decision which appears to have been taken after deliberate consideration of the present situation. It is the matter for the particular industry to look after the welfare of its employees and also to consider the prospects of the industry,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday.

“We can only make an appeal to the industries to ensure that the best Covid protocol is maintained, please have as little staff as possible during this period to live up to the spirit of the lock down,” the bench said.

The bench made the observations on PILs moved by employee unions of Renault Nissan and Wipro Infrastructure challenging the exemption granted to the units during the lockdown. TNN

Shanthimalar is new dean of KMC

Shanthimalar is new dean of KMC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.05.2021

State health department has appointed Dr R Shanthimalar as the new dean of Kilpauk Medical College after transferring Dr Vasanthamani P as the section committee secretary.

Dr Shanthimalar was working as secretary and additional director of medical education before taking over administration of the Kilpauk Medical College, one of the five state run Covid-19 hospitals. Dr Vasanthamani, one of the senior-most doctors in the state, will be incharge of medical, dental, nursing and other paramedical courses in the state.

Meanwhile, Dr J Sangumani, dean of Madurai Medical College, and Dr A Rathinavel, dean of Sivaganga Medical College, have swapped positions. Similar swaps have happened between Dr R Murugesan, dean of Government Salem Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital and Dr Valli Sathiyamoorthy, deancum special officer, Government Medical College in Tiruppur; and between Dr R Suganthy Rajakumari, dean, government Kanyakumari Medical College, Asaripallam, and Dr B Tiruvasagamani, dean cum special officer, Government Medical College, Virudhunagar.

Brief spells of rain are likely in the city towards weekend, say weather bloggers


Brief spells of rain are likely in the city towards weekend, say weather bloggers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.05.2021

The city may not have received rain from Cyclone Tauktae, but its strength and intensity may continue to bring in strong seabreeze to the land, resulting in a slight dip in temperatures at least for the next two days. While weathermen have forecast slightly below normal temperature, weather bloggers said the city may have chances of rainfall towards the end of the week before another system may form closer to Andaman island.

For the next 48 hours, IMD has forecast Chennai city and suburbs to have maximum and minimum temperatures around 36 deg C and 28 deg C, with partly cloudy skies.

Strong seabreeze or easterlies had been keeping day temperatures below normal for much of May, considered peak summer season. Since the weather system intensified over Arabian Sea last week, it has been pulling winds from Bay of Bengal over the land. This has helped keep a check on day temperatures.

On Monday, Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 35.8 deg C and 37.5 deg C, which are 1.7 deg C and 0.9 deg C below normal. The average temperature for the month of May is 37.1 deg C.

“Easterlies may continue to be present through the day keeping day temperatures near normal or slightly below normal,” a meteorologist said.

“There are chances of rainfall in the city between May 20 and 22,” weather blogger Pradeep John said.

MIRROR IMAGE: A mirage seen on Kamarajar Salai along the Marina beach on Monday

COVID-19 Restrictions FAQS


COVID-19 Restrictions FAQS

18.05.2021 

While using a car within Chennai for an emergency, how many people are allowed in the vehicle? - Dr D Arul Samraj

Driver plus three passengers are allowed in a car during the lockdown. Please carry documents to prove the urgent need for stepping out.

My son has to travel from Bengaluru to Chennai. Can he use his bike to get here? We couldn’t find bike travel listed among options on the e-registration portal – Kannan S

He has to get an e-pass to travel by road to Chennai during the lockdown. There is a provision to apply for a pass for two-wheelers for individual travellers. It can be applied here: https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass

I work for an e-commerce company that offers same day delivery of groceries, food, other essentials. We have been provided with a soft copy ID card by the company. Can we use that as proof to show law enforcers? - Vignesh

It is preferable to have a hard copy of the identity card issued by the company. Please request for one from your employer if the soft copy is not accepted by law enforcers.

My brother’s son is getting married on Sunday and there are other domestic functions on Saturday. I stay at a different location. Can we show the invitation and travel on Friday itself? – K Balasubramanian

You can travel to the venue if the domestic functions scheduled on Saturday are mentioned on the wedding invitation. You cannot travel without a document that can prove the purpose of travel.

The yearly rituals for my father’s death anniversary are scheduled on Sunday. Can I get three pundits from within Chennai to come to my home on the day? – Venkat K

It will be difficult to travel on Sundays without a valid proof. Please arrange a document detailing the ceremony so they can use it as proof.

I run a pharmaceutical distribution company. Can I supply medicines to hospitals within city limits? - Rajeev

This comes under the essential category. You can deliver goods by using your company identity card or a letter from the hospitals.

Within how many kilometre radius are we allowed to go on a two-wheeler to buy groceries during this lockdown? - Nidhiya

The government has allowed people to travel only for essential purposes and people are not allowed to ride around. It is better to buy groceries from the nearest shop than to go looking for a particular outlet.

FOR COVID-19 RELATED QUERIES & EMERGENCIES

Helpline: 108/ 104 or 044-4612 2300/ 044 2538 4520 For hospital bed availability, visit: https://stopcorona.tn.gov.in/beds.php

DAY 1 CRACK DOWN: Police check two-wheeler riders for e-pass at Perungalathur on Monday. E-registration is mandatory for inter-district and inter-state travel

Days after 24th birthday, Covid kills techie twins


Days after 24th birthday, Covid kills techie twins

Piyush.Rai@timesgroup.com

Meerut:18.05.2021 

Gregory Raymond Raphael remembers the day clearly. April 23, 1997. The delivery, doctors said, had been successful and his wife Soja was fine. Heart beating with joy, he had rushed to the hospital. The babies, twins, looked alike. The young parents named them Joefred Varghese Gregory and Ralfred George Gregory. Having lived a life where they did almost everything together — both chose computer engineering, both had jobs in Hyderabad — they caught the deadly fever the same day, on April 24. Last week, after struggling with Covid-19, they died hours apart on May13 and May14.

Raphael said he almost knew that if his sons had to make it, they would come home together. Or they wouldn’t. “Whatever happened to one, it happened to the other,” he said.

ONE IN LIFE AND DEATH:

Ralfred George Gregory (L) and Joefred Varghese Gregory

‘Twins wanted to give us a better life’

“That’s how it was since their birth. I had told my wife after we got news that Jeofred had died that Ralfred won’t return home alone either. They died on May 13 and May 14, hours apart.”

He said, “The twins had a lot of plans for us. They wanted to give us a better life. As teachers we have struggled much to bring up the children well and they wanted to give us back, everything from money to happiness. Before they died, they were planning to leave for Korea and then perhaps Germany for work. I don’t know why god punished us like this.” The Raphaels have a third son, the eldest one, Nelfred.

Residents of Meerut’s Cantonment area, the family initially treated the brothers at home, thinking the fever would subside. But it didn’t.

Full report on www.toi-.in

WhatsApp to HC: New privacy policy not put off

WhatsApp to HC: New privacy policy not put off

Abhinav.Garg@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:18.05.2021

Instant messaging platform WhatsApp on Monday told Delhi high court that the new privacy policy has not been deferred and came into affect from May 15th. It clarified before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and justice Jyoti Singh that the deadline for the policy to come into effect has not been extended, but accounts won’t be deleted immediately.

“We are still trying to persuade consumers but if they don’t accept slowly, slowly these accounts will be deleted. There is no universal deadline for this,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the company, said.In response, the Centre maintained that the new privacy policy of WhatsApp violates the IT law and rules, and sought directions to the social media platform to keep status quo intact.

Appearing for Centre ASG Chetan Sharma, said that India has the largest number of users of WhatsApp in the world and there is an imminent need to maintain the status quo.

Govt awaiting reply from Facebook CEO

ASG Chetan Sharma said the government has written to Facebook CEO on the issue and a reply is awaited.

However both WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook opposed any stay. It stressed that the policy doesn’t violate Indian law saying that any move to delete accounts will be on a case to case basis but there is no time limit for the same.

The HC then posted the matter for detailed hearing on June 03. It is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the new privacy policy. It also issued notice to the Centre, Facebook and WhatsApp and sought their stand on one of the petitions by a lawyer who has claimed that the new policy violates users’ right to privacy under the Constitution.

Monday, May 17, 2021

The Trouble With Doctor Google


CITY CITY BANG BANG

The Trouble With Doctor Google

SANTOSH DESAI

17.05.2021 

The internet has been an invaluable tool during the times of the pandemic. Marooned in our little socially-distanced islands, we have retained contact with the outside world through digital means. At an uncertain time, when the world and the experts that we depend upon to keep us alive have all been in learning mode when it comes to this new global threat, the ability to stay up-to-date with all the developments in the world of medicine and healthcare has been extremely useful. The facility of being able to speak to doctors and consult them over video has made a huge difference at a time when personal contact of any kind is best avoided.

Closer to home, at a time when the second wave has highlighted just how ramshackle our healthcare infrastructure is, the only help available to people who have been helplessly hunting for oxygen, vital medicines and hospital beds has come in the form of digitally-powered networks of good Samaritans. Strangers across cities have worked tirelessly in real time to try and help those in desperate need.

And yet, there is the flip side too. A lot of the information going around is false and worse, motivated. Untested remedies, fanciful conspiracy theories, unscientific advice all abound. Easy and instant access to healthcare information is a boon in so many ways, but equally, it also serves to heighten panic and encourage self-medication and self-diagnosis.

It is easy to mistake information for knowledge and worse, expertise. A search engine is a rabbit hole of stress into which we dive headlong as we keep ferreting out more layers of information till we reach the direst point on the spectrum. Every headache becomes a potential stroke, indigestion turns into an impending heart attack, and virtually any imaginable symptom pursued long enough turns into cancer. There is a perverse need to believe in the worst, an almost competitive sense of direness that one ends up chasing. The internet has been the single greatest catalyst for mass hypochondria.

The problem is not just with the users, but also in the way that healthcare information is organised and presented. Try and search for a relatively commonplace symptom like ‘swollen lymph nodes in the neck’, and among the first results that get thrown up is ‘malignant lymph node neoplasm’, meaning cancer. And this is by no means an isolated example. Apart from instances where the search engine throws up the most dreaded option first, there is the more common occurrence of it listing a series of possible conditions with no indication of what is more common and what is exceedingly rare. By presenting each ailment as an undifferentiated list, it implicitly accords the same probability to each option, thereby inducing anxiety.

It is interesting that almost all the popular medical sites suffer from the same problem. It makes one wonder if this is a feature or a bug, given that user engagement is likely to be much higher, the more serious the ailment one thinks one has. Apart from the stress that this generates, there are other consequences too, with patients insisting on more expensive and often needless tests, so convinced they are that the doctor is missing something potentially serious.

So many times, one’s certainty that one is a few months from dying of something horrible gets punctured the moment one sees a doctor, who is often hurtfully disdainful of one’s well-researched case about the hopelessness of one’s situation. While it is certainly a matter of relief when that happens, it does not deter us from behaving exactly the same way the next time around. Psychologically, it is difficult to stop oneself from diving into the murky waters of search engines even when one is fully aware of the dangers that it poses.

The gap between practical experience and theoretical knowledge is particularly large when it comes to medicine. Theoretical knowledge is no substitute for clinical experience, which is why so many times one’s selfdiagnosis is so woefully wrong. The doctor looks at the whole picture, and draws on experience that superficial reading simply cannot replicate, and arrives at a diagnosis using a very different mode of analysis than the one used by googlehappy amateur researchers.

Unlike other areas, where access to what was hitherto seen as expert knowledge can be liberating and empowering, when it comes to medicine, the situation is much more complex. At one level, having a more informed set of patients who are able to receive and implement expert advice knowledgeably can be an advantage. In a few cases, this kind of direct access can help individuals identify serious problems early and potentially save lives. On the other hand, for the vast majority, what it does is create stress and in some cases a fear of going to the doctor and getting diagnosed, so convinced is one that one has a terminal problem. One can only imagine the damage it would inflict particularly in countries where access to a doctor can take weeks or months. The agony of stewing in one’s naive certainty, while awaiting real diagnosis can be debilitating.

As our pandemic experience tells us, both having too much information too readily available and not having enough to go on are problematic. We are flooded with information of all kinds, proven and unproven, which has made dealing with the pandemic that much more difficult. On the other hand, so much is still unknown about the virus and our efforts to contain it.

At a time like this, it could be argued it makes sense for us to fear the worst, for that is what might well be what ends up protecting us. Equally, it is important to keep a sense of perspective about the virus to prevent us from being turned into paranoid emotional wrecks. Perhaps the best course is to limit our information to only that which is immediately useful, and to use Google to figure out which show or movie to watch next.

santosh 365@gmail.com

Palanivel Thiagarajan’s tweet on criticism wins hearts on internet

Palanivel Thiagarajan’s tweet on criticism wins hearts on internet

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan’s attempt to clear the air over recent social media reports won hearts on Twitter on Sunday.

Published: 17th May 2021 04:21 AM 

Tamil Nadu minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan’s attempt to clear the air over recent social media reports won hearts on Twitter on Sunday. His tweet read, “It has come to my notice that some of my old interviews are being shared widely during the past few days.

These videos are from several news debates, conclaves, interviews, press conferences, virtual conclaves, and other interviews where I directly engaged with our citizens over the past 5 years, while being an opposition MLA. Those who have come across these videos after my appointment as a Minister, are editing them in bits and pieces and are sharing them widely.

Many who see these mistakenly assume that these clips were recorded post my appointment as a Minister. They are sharing comments in support of me and are criticising my political opponents, causing me concern and distress.”

Quoting an instance, he said, “Central Minister Nirmala Sitharaman personally contacted me over the phone to congratulate me and wish me success in service to the people and said that she looked forward to working together. This kind of magnanimity in politics deserves to be appreciated. And to be emulated, especially by first-time Ministers such as myself.”

PTR requested the public to stop showering him with praise based solely on his speeches, and to stop the negative criticism of those on the other side of the political divide. The Finance Minister had also said he took part in some programmes as part of CM’s transparent governance model and to communicate with the people in a direct and effective manner. But his focus remains on pandemic measures.

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