Active cases below 45k, same as last October

Active cases below 45k, same as last October

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:27.06.2021

Even as 5,415 new infections were reported on Saturday, active case loadin Tamil Nadu dropped below 45,000 to 44,924. This took the cumulative case tally to 24.6 lakh. The148 deaths increased the toll in the state to 32,199.

Saturday’s new cases includes 205 instances of children aged12 and below. The last time Tamil Nadu had cases below 45,000 was on October 8, 2020, when the number of people under treatment dropped to 44,437 after it hit a peak on July 31with 57,968 cases.

Coimbatore continued to be the hotspot with 671 fresh Covid-19 cases. It was followed by its neighbour Erode with 574, Tirupathur 380, Salem 369 and Tirupur 337. The seven northern districts added 1,023 new cases, followed by central districts with 816 cases. With 314 cases reported in Chennai, the city and its neighbours — Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur together added 780. The 10 southern districts added 613 new cases.

Around 47% (2,527) of the new cases on Saturday were from the eight western districts. This has taken the number of people under treatment in these districts to 19,935, around 44% of the state’s active cases. This includes 6,122 active cases in Coimbatore, 4,509 in Erode, 2,598 in Salem, 2,052 in Namakkal and 2,021in Tirupur.

Chennai, with 3,590 active cases, and its three neighbouring districts with 7,298 people stillunder treatment.Theeight central districts have 6,811 active cases. This includes 2,204 in Thanjavur, 1,052 in Trichy and 770 in Karur. The northern districts have 5,923 people under treatment including 1,339 in Cuddalore, 1,196 in Kallakurichi and 1,156 in Tiruvannamalai. The southern districts have the least active cases with 4,955. This includes 757 in Virudhunagar, 679 in Sivaganga and 619 in Madurai.

Vellore reported the most number of deaths at 19 on Saturday. The western districts reported 48 deaths, while the north had 37 succumbing to the infection. Chennai and its neighbours reported 22 deaths. Southern districts too reported 22 deaths, central had19 deaths. At least 7,661 people were discharged, taking the total discharged to 23.8 lakh.

50% weightage for Class X score in TN Class XII marks

50% weightage for Class X score in TN Class XII marks

For Those Unhappy With Marks, Exam After Covid Ends

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.06.2021

Chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced the evaluation criteria to compute marks for state board Class XII students by fixing 50% weightage for Class X board exam marks, 30% for Class XII internal assessment and practical exams, and 20% weightage for Class XI marks.

The average of the best of three marks scored by students in any of the Class X board subjects would be taken for arriving at the weightage, a government release said. The state education board would also give opportunity for students who are aggrieved with their marks to write an exam after the pandemic and that would be considered as their final Class XII score. Marks will be declared for nearly 8.5 lakh Class XII students before July 31 as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The evaluation method announced by TN is different from that of the CBSE which gave almost equal weightage to Class X, XI exams and XII preboard tests (30:30:40).

Explaining the rationale behind more weightage for Class X marks, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said students had appeared for Class X exams in a non-pandemic year after attending physical classes. “The Class XI exams conducted last year too was affected by the pandemic. The present method was chosen by the chief minister keeping in mind the interest of rural students, urban students, toppers and average students,” he said. The formula was fixed based on the report submitted by a10-member committee.

Exam for pvt candidates after Covid

The state board would conduct a separate exam for private candidates after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides.

State board schools completed practical exams for Class XII students before April. The Class XII practical exam marks (20 marks) and internal assessment (10 marks) will be calculated for 30 marks. If the subject doesn’t have practical exams, then the internal assessment marks will be converted into 30 marks.

Further, if the students could not take part in Class XII practical exams due to Covid-19, their Class XI marks will be used for tabulation. If students could not attend both Class XI and XII practical exams, their practical marks would be calculated based on Class X and Class XI theory exam marks. If students had failed in a subject in Class XI, they will be awarded 35 marks considering the Covid-19 situation.

Students who did not take part in theory exam, internal assessment and practical exam in Class XI and XII would be considered as private candidates, the release added.

Customer ‘without mask’ shot at by bank guard

Customer ‘without mask’ shot at by bank guard

Kanwardeep.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bareilly:26.06.2021 

A railway employee, in his 40s, who had gone to the bank to get his passbook updated was shot in the leg by the security guard there for not wearing a face mask. The incident occurred in the Civil Lines area of Bareilly on Friday and a purported video has gone viral.

Rajesh Rathore, who works with the telecom department of Indian Railways, has been admitted to a private hospital. Inspector general (Bareilly range) Ramit Sharma along with senior police officials rushed to the spot and carried out an investigation.

Rajesh’s wife Priyanka told TOI, “My husband had gone to the Bank of Baroda branch. He was not wearing a mask and was denied entry. After some time, he returned with a mask, but the same guard again denied him entry, saying it was lunch time. It was 11.30 am then. He then pushed my husband and shot him with his gun. No one at the bank helped my husband who made a call on my daughter’s mobile phone and informed us about the incident. I rushed to the bank where my husband was lying on the floor while none of the bank officials bothered to help him. I took him to hospital in an e-rickshaw.”

In a statement, the Bank of Baroda said, “We deeply regret the unfortunate firing incident that took place at Station Road branch, Bareilly, today as a result of a reported altercation between the guard and the victim. The injured has been immediately admitted in the district hospital and is reportedly out of danger.”

Late for office? Govt staffers will face pay cut

Late for office? Govt staffers will face pay cut

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gandhinagar: 26.06.2021 

If you are a government employee, then make sure to arrive in office on time. Leaving early without intimation is also not an option if you do not want a salary cut or face disciplinary action.

After receiving multiple complaints about employees coming late for work and leaving before scheduled time, the state general administration department has passed an order saying that such employees will face strict action.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, government employees were given exemption from electronically swiping their cards, which register entry and exit time, till June  30. However, many employees took advantage of the concession and either flouted attendance norms or remained absent from office altogether.

GAD issued an order to all secretaries and department heads to watch out for employees bunking office and take necessary action against them by deducting their half day salary. The GAD circular said, “At a high-level meeting held under chairpersonship of additional chief secretary (finance), the issue of employees remaining absent was discussed and it was decided that action would be taken against such people.”

As per the new instruction, any employee who comes to office 10 minutes later than scheduled time or leaves 10 minutes earlier than scheduled time for three days in a month, will lose half a day’s salary. The GAD circular also states that employees will have inform immediate superior and department head in advance and take permission if they happen to be late for office.

GAD has directed the concerned section officer, under and deputy secretaries to ensure that the employees report to work on time and do not leave before 6pm time limit set by the government.

Employees may strike work

The Gujarat State Employee Coordination Committee, in a letter to chief minister Vijay Rupani, demanded that the government must provide all pending benefits under the seventh pay commission. The association has threatened a strike if the government fails to accept their demands. TNN

Covid gains for medicos as avg salary rises by 25%

Covid gains for medicos as avg salary rises by 25%

Parth.Shastri@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:26.06.2021 

When Dhanvantari Covid Hospital started functioning, the advertisement for various positions indicated monthly salary of Rs 2.5-Rs 3 lakh for specialists and Rs 1.25-Rs 1.5 lakh for MBBS graduates with GMC registration. The pay package was about twice what the doctors were drawing at government hospitals. Similar moves across the health sector also resulted in correction in salaries of resident doctors.

Covid pandemic put the healthcare sector in sharp focus, with the first wave marked by fear and second by apprehension. “By mid-April, many were exhausted. There was seemingly non-stop queue of patients. Many were getting serious and needed transfer or midnight assistance. Doctors worked round-the-clock with no other way out,” said a junior doctor at the Civil Hospital on condition of anonymity.

Thus, healthcare workers in both government and private sector gained, even as some of the demands are pending and a few agitations are still going on.

Babu Thomas, CHRO of Shalby Group of Hospitals, said that the rise in incentives is directly linked to the risks that healthcare professionals are exposed to during the pandemic. “In the first wave, 200 of our staff members were infected with Covid-19. This dropped to 13 in the second wave due to factors like vaccination. The salary parity of clinical staff thus rose 20-25% across the sector. Moreover, those working in Covid wards were also provided additional incentives,” he said.

Would the rush for healthcare workers continue? Thomas said that hospitals like his have retained majority of the staff members. “It’s likely that the healthcare workers would be in demand for at least some time. In addition to our existing staff, we have also kept a few fresh nurses on call if we need to scale up the operations at a short notice,” he said.

Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association , said that from doctors to paramedics, those on Covid duty got 50% incentive of their salary on top of the salary hike. “Not just hospitals, several Covid care centres also opened up, and the state government also launched a major recruitment drive. This increased demand. The salary was also hiked to retain talent,” he said. “I believe that the trend is likely to continue.”

Students’ Canada dreams and Covaxin conundrum

FOREIGN DEGREES OF UNCERTAINTY

Students’ Canada dreams and Covaxin conundrum

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:26.06.2021 

Rajesh Ashara, a resident of Ankleshwar, had to thrice defer his plans for Toronto, Canada to pursue a masters’ degree in environmental engineering due to air travel restrictions imposed amid Covid-19 pandemic.

He has managed to book his ticket for this weekend by taking a longer route. His troubles however do not seem to end here. The reason being that he has been vaccinated with Covaxin, the anti-Covid-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech which is yet to get approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).

As a result, most countries including Canada treat those administered with Covaxin as ‘non-vaccinated’.

“I have booked hotels in Canada where I will be staying for 14 days as part of my quarantine period. For those who have taken two doses of WHO-approved vaccines, the quarantine rules are not applicable,” said Ashara.

He is more worried about following another rule that may require receiving another vaccine, approved in that country.

“I do not wish to risk my health by taking yet another dose of vaccine and that too of a different make. I am not sure of the health hazards associated with such a decision,” said Ashara.

Ankit Mistry, a visa consultant based out of Ahmedabad, says he has been receiving 40-50 inquiries on a daily basis about students planning to go overseas and their concerns regarding vaccination.

“I am flooded with all sorts of queries about which vaccination to be taken and which should be avoided. We are also asked if a ‘mix and match’ of vaccines can be taken. We tell them to consult doctors and medical experts. A majority of these queries are from students planning to go to Canada,” said Mistry.

The cost of quarantining in Canada can vary from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh depending on the hotel and city.

Earlier there were three connecting flight routes apart from the direct flights. They included via Muscat and Ethiopia and another one via Russia and Siberia for reaching Canada. Presently, students prefer to go Canada via Frankfurt and Mexico as the other two routes are closed for now.

Dhruvi Patel is keeping her fingers crossed for the direct flights connecting Ahmedabad and Toronto to reopen. She has got her student visa to pursue BSc with biology as the main subject at a university in Canada. Patel has taken two doses of Covaxin and hopes that the prevailing confusion about vaccination ends by the time she takes a flight to Canada.

Maha law varsity training India’s 1st batch of grads eligible to be judges

Maha law varsity training India’s 1st batch of grads eligible to be judges

Vaibhav.Ganjapure@timesgroup.com

Nagpur:26.06.2021 

The Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU-N) here is currently training the country’s first batch of 40 students, who would be eligible to directly become judges after completing their five-year BA LLB (honours) degree in ‘adjudication and justicing’.

The graduates would need to clear the examinations conducted by the public service commissions of respective states, like MPPSC in Maharashtra, to be recruited as judges. “This is the first such course in India. The batch has been selected after a rigorous process. Besides clearing Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), they were subjected to group discussions and then interviewed by a panel of eminent high court judges,” MNLU chancellor Justice Bhushan Gavai told TOI.

The course was the brainchild of former CJI Sharad Bobde, also the first MNLU chancellor, who had proposed a National Judicial Academy (NJA) on the lines of National Defence Academy (NDA) to train law students in the art of judging. TOI was the first to report the proposed NJA on August 19, 2019.

Justice Gavai, also a Supreme Court judge, added these 40 students would be trained in such a way that they are ready to discharge duties of a judicial officer on graduating. “We’re making efforts to get permission from the government to allow them to appear in public service commission exams when they reach their final year. This way they can be directly recruited, after graduating.”

MNLU executive council member Justice Ravindra Chavan, who helped draft the syllabus, said these students could fill the vacuum of good judges in lower judiciary. “They would be trained in all aspects of judiciary, including understanding the case properly, applying relevant provisions of the law, and developing a vision to dispense justice.”

Vice-chancellor Vijender Kumar said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the admissions were delayed and the course started in October last year. “These students were selected by a panel of HC judges. The teaching methodology for them is different from other students. We are also training our teachers in subjects related to justicing. Since these students hail from 10 states, including the Northeast, we’re training them in a way that they can appear in any judicial exam after their graduation,” he added.

WILD CARD ENTRY

Bride calls off wedding as groom fails to read newspaper without glasses

Bride calls off wedding as groom fails to read newspaper without glasses

Auraiya:26.06.2021 

In a unique incident, a bride in Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya called off her wedding because the groom could not read the newspaper without his spectacles. Not only was the wedding called off, a case against the groom and his family was also registered.

Archana, the bride from Jamalpur village of Sadar Kotwali area, was all set to marry Shivam, a resident of Banshi village. Until the day of the marriage, the bride’s family was unaware of the groom’s weak eyesight. It was only when the bride and other women from her family noticed that the groom was wearing spectacles for a good part of the day of the wedding that they felt suspicious about it, and asked him to read a newspaper without the glasses as a test.

The groom, who could not see without his glasses, failed the test. Consequently, through a unanimous decision of the bride’s family, the marriage was called off. The bride’s family then demanded that the groom’s family return the cash and the motorcycle given as dowry, along with all the expenses that they had incurred for the marriage. An FIR was lodged when the groom’s family refused the demand. ANI

Court relief for 4 PG Ayurveda students

Court relief for 4 PG Ayurveda students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:26.06.2021 

The high court has allowed four post-graduate students of Ayurveda (2017-18 batch) who didn’t appear for the All India AYUSH - Post Graduate Entrance Test (AIAPGET-2017) to continue their studies and complete their courses.

Granting relief to Dr Sontakke Kanchan Ramrao and three others, a division bench headed by Justice Aravind Kumar said the entrance exam is a must. The students were on a better footing in the light of Supreme Court, as a one-time measure, permitting PG Ayurveda course students admitted before October 31, 2019 without taking the entrance exam, to continue studies in Federation of Self Financed Ayurvedic Colleges case, the bench held.

A direction was issued for announcing the exam results of the four students pursuant to interim orders granted by the court and also issue necessary certificates if they have completed their courses successfully.

The authorities had said petitioners’ admission cannot be approved as they hadn’t appeared for the entrance exam and relief vis-avis entrance examination granted in the Supreme Court’s judgement in Federation of Self Financed Ayurvedic Colleges case was limited to candidates who had the benefit of interim orders.

However, the division bench noted based on the SC decision, students of 2018-19 batch were given relief by coordinate benches of the high court and the petitioners, admitted much earlier, were on a better footing.

ஒரே ஒரு பயணியுடன் பறந்த 'ஏர் இந்தியா' விமானம்

ஒரே ஒரு பயணியுடன் பறந்த 'ஏர் இந்தியா' விமானம்

Added : ஜூன் 25, 2021 21:35

புதுடில்லி:அமிர்தசரசில் இருந்து துபாய் வரை சென்ற 'ஏர் இந்தியா' விமானத்தில் ஒரே ஒரு பயணி மட்டும் முன் பதிவு செய்திருந்ததை அடுத்து, அவருக்காக விமானம் இயக்கப்பட்டது.

பஞ்சாபைச் சேர்ந்தவர்எஸ்.பி.சிங் ஓபராய். இவர், வளைகுடா நாடுகளில் ஒன்றான ஐக்கிய அரபு எமிரேட்சின் துபாயில் தொழில் செய்து வருகிறார். இவர் சமீபத்தில் பஞ்சாப் வந்து மீண்டும் துபாய் செல்வதற்காக 'ஏர் இந்தியா' விமானத்தில் சமீபத்தில் டிக்கெட் முன் பதிவு செய்திருந்தார்.அன்று அதிகாலை 3:45க்கு விமானத்தில் ஏறியவருக்கு அதிர்ச்சி காத்திருந்தது. விமானத்தில் அவரை தவிர வேறு பயணியர் இல்லை.

இருந்தாலும் அவர் ஒருவருக்காக விமானம் இயக்கப்பட்டது. மூன்று மணி நேர பயணத்தில், அவர் விமானத்தில் அங்கும் இங்கும் அலைந்தபடி விமான ஊழியர்களுடன் 'செல்பி' எடுத்து மகிழ்ந்தார். கொரோனா இரண்டாம் அலையின் போது ஏப்ரல் - மே மாதங்களில் வெளிநாட்டு பயணியர் விமான சேவை கடும் வீழ்ச்சி அடைந்துள்ளது.

கடந்த ஐந்து வாரங்களில் நம் நாட்டில் இருந்து துபாய் சென்ற மூன்று விமானங்கள், தலா ஒரு பயணியுடன் இயக்கப்பட்டதாக தகவல் வெளியாகி உள்ளது.

சென்னை: தமிழகத்தில், பல்வேறு தளர்வுகளுடன், ஜூலை, 5 வரை ஊரடங்கு நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதற்கான அறிவிப்பை, முதல்வர் ஸ்டாலின், நேற்று வெளியிட்டார்.

தாராள தளர்வுகளுடன் ஜூலை 5 வரை ஊரடங்கு நீட்டிப்பு

Updated : ஜூன் 26, 2021 00:29 | Added : ஜூன் 25, 2021 23:49 |

சென்னை: தமிழகத்தில், பல்வேறு தளர்வுகளுடன், ஜூலை, 5 வரை ஊரடங்கு நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதற்கான அறிவிப்பை, முதல்வர் ஸ்டாலின், நேற்று வெளியிட்டார்.

முதல் பிரிவில் எதற்கெல்லாம் அனுமதி?

நோய் பரவல் அதிகம் உள்ள முதல் பிரிவில், கோவை, நீலகிரி, திருப்பூர், ஈரோடு, சேலம், கரூர், நாமக்கல், தஞ்சாவூர், திருவாரூர், நாகப்பட்டினம், மயிலாடுதுறை என, 11 மாவட்டங்கள் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளன. இந்த மாவட்டங்களில், ஏற்கனவே அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள கடைகளுடன், மேலும் அனுமதி தரப்பட்டுள்ள கடைகள்:

* மின் பொருட்கள், ஹார்டுவேர், கல்வி புத்தகங்கள், எழுதுபொருட்கள், காலணிகள், பாத்திரம், பேன்சி, அழகு சாதனப் பொருட்கள், போட்டோ, வீடியோ, சலவை, தையல், அச்சகங்கள், ஜெராக்ஸ் கடைகள்

* மிக்சி, கிரைண்டர், 'டிவி' போன்ற வீட்டு உபயோக மின்பொருட்கள் விற்பனை மற்றும் பழுது நீக்கும் கடைகள்

* வாகன விற்பனை மற்றும் பழுதுபார்க்கும் மையங்கள்; வாகன உதிரிபாகங்கள் விற்பனை கடைகள்; மொபைல் மற்றும் அதை சார்ந்த பொருட்கள் விற்பனை

* கணினி மென்பொருட்கள், வன்பொருட்கள், உதிரிபாகங்கள் விற்பனை. கட்டுமான பொருட்கள் விற்பனை கடைகள்

* சாலையோர ஓட்டல்கள், டீக்கடைகளில் காலை, 6:00 மணி முதல், இரவு, 7:00 மணி வரை, 'பார்சல்' சேவை

* அரசின் அனைத்து அத்தியாவசிய துறைகள், சார் பதிவாளர் அலுவலகங்கள், 100 சதவீதம், மற்ற அலுவலகங்கள், 50 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படும். தனியார் அலுவலகங்கள் மற்றும் நிறுவனங்கள், 50 சதவீத பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* வங்கிகள் மற்றும் காப்பீட்டு நிறுவனங்கள், 50 சதவீத பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* தகவல் தொழில்நுட்பம் நிறுவனங்கள், 20 சதவீத பணியாளர்களுடன், வீட்டுவசதி நிறுவனம், வங்கி சாரா நிதி நிறுவனங்கள், குறு நிதி நிறுவனங்கள், கட்டுமான் பணிகள் நிறுவனங்கள், 33 சதவீத பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* அனைத்து வகையான கட்டுமானப் பணிகள் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

சலுான் திறப்பு

அழகு நிலையங்கள், சலுான்கள், 'ஏசி' வசதி இல்லாமலும், ஒரு நேரத்தில், 50 சதவீத வாடிக்கையாளர்களை மட்டும் அனுமதித்து, காலை, 6:00 முதல், இரவு, 7:00 வரை செயல்படலாம்

* காலை, 6:00 முதல், இரவு, 9:00 வரை, விளையாட்டு பயிற்சி குழுமங்கள் இயங்கவும், பார்வையாளர்கள் இல்லாமல், திறந்தவெளியில் விளையாட்டுப் போட்டிகள் நடத்தவும் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* பள்ளி, கல்லுாரிகள் மற்றும் பல்கலைகள் மற்றும் பயிற்சி நிலையங்களில், மாணவர் சேர்க்கை தொடர்பான பணிகள் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* அரசு பூங்காக்கள், விளையாட்டு திடல்கள், காலை, 6:00 முதல் 9:00 மணி வரை, நடைப்பயிற்சிக்காக மட்டும் திறக்கப்படும்

* இனிப்பு மற்றும் காரவகை விற்பனை கடைகளில், காலை, 6:00 முதல் இரவு, 9:00 வரை, பார்சல் சேவை மட்டும் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* இ - சேவை மையங்கள் வழக்கம் போல இயங்கும்

* மின் வணிகம் வழியே, உணவு வினியோகம் செய்யும் நிறுவனங்கள், உணவகங்கள் மற்றும் பேக்கரிகளில், பார்சல் சேவை மட்டும், காலை, 6:00 முதல் இரவு, 9:00 வரை அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* இதர மின் வணிக சேவை நிறுவனங்கள், காலை, 6:00 முதல், இரவு, 9:00 மணி வரை இயங்கலாம்

* திரைப்பட தயாரிப்புக்கு பின்னர் உள்ள பணிகள் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* திறந்தவெளி படப்படிப்புகளில், 100 பேர், கொரோனா பரிசோதனை செய்த பின் பங்கேற்கலாம்

* திரையரங்குகளில் தாசில்தார் அனுமதி பெற்று, வாரத்தில் ஒரு நாள் மட்டும் பராமரிப்பு பணி மேற்கொள்ள அனுமதிக்கப்படும்.

இரண்டாவது பிரிவில் என்னென்ன அனுமதி?

இரண்டாவது பிரிவில், அரியலுார், கடலுார், தர்மபுரி, திண்டுக்கல், கள்ளக்குறிச்சி, கன்னியாகுமரி, கிருஷ்ணகிரி, மதுரை, பெரம்பலுார், புதுக்கோட்டை, ராமநாதபுரம், ராணிப்பேட்டை, சிவகங்கை, தேனி, தென்காசி, திருநெல்வேலி, திருப்பத்துார், திருவண்ணாமலை, துாத்துக்குடி, திருச்சி, விழுப்புரம், வேலுார், விருதுநகர் என, 23 மாவட்டங்கள் உள்ளன.

இவற்றில் ஏற்கனவே அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட கடைகள், இரவு, 7:00 வரை செயல்படலாம். புதிதாக அனுமதிக்கப்படும் கடைகள்:

* பாத்திர கடைகள், பேன்சி, அழகு சாதனைப் பொருட்கள், போட்டோ, வீடியோ, சலவை, தையல், அச்சகங்கள், ஜெராக்ஸ் கடைகள். மொபைல் மற்றும் அதை சார்ந்த பொருட்கள் விற்பனை; கணினி வன்பொருட்கள், மென்பொருட்கள், உதிரிபாகங்கள் விற்பனை கடைகள்

* சாலையோர உவணகங்களில் பார்சல் சேவை அனுமதி

* அனைத்து தனியார் நிறுவனங்கள், 50 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம். கட்டுமான நிறுவன அலுவலகங்கள், 50 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* மாவட்டத்திற்குள் மற்றும் மாவட்டங்களுக்கு இடையில், பஸ் போக்குவரத்து, 'ஏசி' வசதி இல்லாமல், 50 சதவீத இருக்கைகளில் மட்டும் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

தளர்வுகள் தாராளம்!

மூன்றாம் பிரிவில், சென்னை, திருவள்ளூர், காஞ்சிபுரம், செங்கல்பட்டு மாவட்டங்கள் இடம் பெற்றுள்ளன. இந்த நான்கு மாவட்டங்களிலும், அனைத்து தனியார் நிறுவனங்கள், 100 சதவீத பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* அனைத்து துணிக்கடைகள், நகை கடைகள், வணிக வளாகங்கள், 'ஏசி' வசதி இல்லாமல், 50 சதவீத வாடிக்கையாளர்களுடன், காலை, 9:00 முதல் இரவு, 7:00 வரை செயல்படலாம்.

* வணிக வளாகங்களில் உள்ள திரையரங்குகள் மற்றும் விளையாட்டு கூடங்களுக்கு அனுமதி இல்லை. இங்குள்ள உணவகங்களில், பார்சல் சேவை மட்டும் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

கோவில்கள் திறப்பு

* அனைத்து மத வழிபாட்டு தலங்களும், வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறைகளை பின்பற்றி திறக்க அனுமதிக்கப்படும். திருவிழாக்கள் மற்றும் கும்பாபிஷேகம் நடத்த அனுமதி இல்லை

* காலை, 6:00 முதல் இரவு, 9:00 வரை, விளையாட்டு பயிற்சி குழுமங்கள் இயங்கவும், பார்வையாளர்கள் இல்லாமல், திறந்தவெளி விளையாட்டு போட்டிகள் நடத்தவும் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

கூடுதல் அனுமதி!

பிரிவு இரண்டு மற்றும் மூன்றில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களில், தனியார் பாதுகாப்பு சேவை நிறுவனங்கள், அலுவலகம், வீடுகள் மற்றும் அடுக்குமாடி குடியிருப்புகளில், வீடு பராமரிப்பு உள்ளிட்ட சேவைகள், 'இ - பதிவு' இல்லாமல் செயல்பட அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* மின் பணியாளர், தச்சர் போன்ற சுய தொழில் செய்வோர், காலை, 6:00 முதல் இரவு, 7:00 வரை, 'இ - பதிவு' இல்லாமல், வீடுகளுக்கு சென்று சேவை செய்யலாம்

* அனைத்து அரசு அலுவலகங்கள், வங்கிகள், காப்பீட்டு நிறுவனங்கள், தொழிற்சாலைகள், 100 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படும்.

* தகவல் தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனங்கள், வீட்டுவசதி நிறுவனம், வங்கி சாரா நிதி நிறுவனங்கள், 50 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்.

* உடற்பயிற்சி கூடங்கள், யோகா பயிற்சி நிலையங்கள், 'ஏசி' வசதி இல்லாமல், 50 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்

* அருங்காட்சியகங்கள், தொல்லியல் துறையின் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட சின்னங்கள், அகழ் வைப்பகங்கள், காலை, 10:00 முதல், மாலை, 5:00 வரை செயல்படலாம்.

'பீச் வாக்கிங்'

* அனைத்து கடற்கரைகளிலும், காலை, 5:00 முதல், காலை, 9:00 மணி வரை, நடைப்பயிற்சி அனுமதிக்கப்படும்

* தீப்பெட்டி தொழிற்சாலைகள், 100 சதவீதப் பணியாளர்களுடன் செயல்படலாம்.

திருமணங்களுக்கான பயண அனுமதி உண்டு

* பிரிவு இரண்டு மற்றும் மூன்றில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களுக்கு இடையே, திருமணம் சார்ந்த போக்குவரத்துக்கு, 'இ - பதிவு' இல்லாமல் பயணிக்கலாம்

* பிரிவு ஒன்றில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களுக்கு இடையே; மற்ற பிரிவு மாவட்டங்களில் இருந்து, பிரிவு ஒன்றில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களுக்கு, திருமணம் சார்ந்த போக்குவரத்துக்கு, 'இ - பாஸ்' அவசியம்

இதற்கான, 'இ-பாஸ்', திருமணம் நடக்க உள்ள மாவட்டத்தின் கலெக்டரிடம் இருந்து, eregister.tnega.org என்ற இணையதளம் வழியே, மணமகன் அல்லது மணமகள் பெற்றோர் விண்ணப்பித்து பெற்றுக் கொள்ளலாம்.

முதல் பிரிவில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களில் இருந்து, மற்ற பிரிவுகளில் உள்ள மாவட்டங்களுக்கு, திருமணத்திற்காக பயணிக்க, 'இ - பாஸ்' பெற வேண்டும்

* திருமண நிகழ்வுகளில், 50 பேர் மட்டும் அனுமதிக்கப்படுவர்

* நீலகிரி மாவட்டம், கொடைக்கானல், ஏற்காடு, ஏலகிரி, குற்றாலம் பகுதிகளுக்கு, அவசர காரணங்களுக்காக பயணிக்க, தொடர்புடைய மாவட்ட கலெக்டர்களிடம் இருந்து, 'இ - பாஸ்' பெற்று பயணிக்கலாம்இவ்வாறு, முதல்வர் அறிவித்துள்ளார்.

FAQs

26.06.2021

Firms in commercial complexes can work with 100% employees

Do I need an e-pass to travel from Bengaluru to Chennai, and are there any other restrictions for entering Chennai?

- Balakrishna

You must do an e-registration to enter Tamil Nadu.

I am a chartered accountant and my office is in a commercial complex. Can I open my office? - Gautam Chand Baghmar

The government has permitted all private offices to operate with 100% of staff in attendance and has allowed malls and shopping complexes to reopen. You can open the office.

We need to travel from Chennai to Nellore by road. Do we have to obtain an e-pass? – K B Anand

There is no need for an e-pass to enter Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu government has allowed inter-district travel between Chennai and neighbouring districts without e-registration for medical emergencies and for funerals.

Can we travel within Chennai by two-wheeler or car? Is eregistration required for that? - Unnikrishnan

The government has exempted people travelling by autorickshaws and cabs from e-registration. But there is no mention of two-wheelers and private cars. If you must travel, please carry documents that can prove the purpose of travel. The government discourages travel for nonessential purposes to prevent spread of infection.

I have been asked to collect Covid cash assistance and ration items from my old PDS shop located in Valasaravakkam. I live in Kovur. Can I travel within the city without an e-pass and show the token issued by the PDS outlet if stopped by law enforcers? – K Balasubramnian

The government has permitted travel by autorickshaws and cabs without e-registration.

I need to travel to Erode to meet my family. Can I travel through public transportation? How do I obtain an e-pass? Do I have to undergo a RTPCR test before travelling? – V Shiva Subramanian

E-registration is needed to travel to the Erode district. You can travel by public transport. You can apply for e-registration on https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass

I need to attend a wedding this weekend. I live in Mogappair and the event is in Vadapalani. Do I need an e-pass to get to the venue in my car? - Vaidyalingam

Yes. E-pass is needed to attend a wedding. Families organizing the wedding must apply e-pass for their guests, for up to 50 persons, from the zonal office of Chennai corporation.

FOR COVID-19 RELATED QUERIES AND EMERGENCIES

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

Colleges need to get NOC from AU to start new courses

Colleges need to get NOC from AU to start new courses

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.06.2021 

As per the All India Council for Technical Education's (AICTE) new norm, engineering colleges in the state need to get no objection certificate (NOC) from Anna University to start new courses from 2021-22. As per the earlier practice, colleges get approval from AICTE and apply to the university for affiliation to the new course.

According to the corrigendum issued by the council to its approval process handbook 2021-22, the NOC from affiliating body was made mandatory along with the overall 50% admissions norm in the previous academic year to apply for a new course.

Due to declining admissions in traditional engineering courses such as civil engineering, electrical and electronics engineering and mechanical engineering, the engineering colleges want to start new courses in emerging areas to attract more students.

"Many colleges have got approval to start new courses in emerging areas last year. However, the universities were not giving permission to start the new courses. So many colleges approached the council last year. So, the council made it mandatory to get the no objection certificate from the affiliating university before applying for a new course to avoid any issue in the future," an official from AICTE said.

SRMIST offers MSc in atmospheric science

Chennai:

SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) is offering MSc in Atmospheric Science from 2021-22 academic year. The course will help students to have careers in climate change and weather forecasting. The programme offered by the department of physics in the school of applied sciences at the institute allows students to carry out projects in the national scientific laboratories and institutions for an entire semester. For more details students can visit university's website www.srmist.edu.in

TNN

As schools across India stay shut for 15 mths, parents say kids have changed

As schools across India stay shut for 15 mths, parents say kids have changed

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:26.06.2021

A child in Guwahati prods his father to drive him to the gates of his closed school — not to get in, but just so he can see the building and feel it. An eight-year-old in Bengaluru mutes her computer and switches off the camera to dance and play with her dolls during online classes. Like everybody else, a student in Patna is tired of ‘remote education’, and the endless cycle of worksheets on WhatsApp after over a year of virtual classes and a sequestered life.

School has been out for the past 15 months under the massive overhang of Covid and students of a tender age are facing burn out. Behavioural changes in kids underscore a pattern and reveal deep psycho-physiological symptoms as debilitating as those of Covid.

“Jailed” in their homes, they are showing signs — changed sleep cycles, anxiety, irritability, eating disorders and learning disabilities. Parents, counsellors, and psychologists are citing growing instances of loneliness, frustration, obesity and so on among the young generation.

What parents see

Santana Pathak, an assistant professor of communication at the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai said students are nastier in online conversations. “In school or in the outside world they would have faced resistance. But a false sense of security has set in from staying inside and attending classes online. They have a feeling they are always right and know everything,” she said.

Some parents said spending most of their time in the company of adults has changed how young children converse. “Their conversations are more mature and they are coming up with complicated words never taught in lessons,” said Abir Phukan, a Delhi-based advocate.

There’s also the additional time spent on electronic devices. T Uday Kumar, CEO of ExcelOn Academy in Chennai, said he would take his daughter in Class IV to play with her cousin, but it didn’t work out as planned. “Her cousin would continue playing games on a digital device and my daughter too ended up doing the same,” he said. Kumar found his daughter attending online classes often lying down, with the video and audio switched off. “When I entered once I saw she was busy dancing while class was underway,” he said.

However, for thousands, the phone is the only connection with closed schools. Pankaj Kumar, a parent in Patna said online classes weren’t being conducted in many government schools. “So there is no proper teaching. For the last year it has been just worksheets delivered to my WhatsApp,” he said.

Shahin Azmi Bora, content head of an entertainment channel, hopes her son’s classes will start soon as they are apprehensive about “the overall impact of this disruption.” She added that they “are equally scared of the third wave.”

What experts say

Dr Roma Kumar, a senior consultant psychologist at Delhi’s Gangaram Hospital, said children are getting frustrated due to which they don’t want to attend online classes any more. “In the second wave children also witnessed a lot of deaths around them. Some suddenly found themselves orphaned. This is making many children depressed,” she said. Dr Kumar said many young adolescents are more socially withdrawn and feel lonely. “Obesity is increasing, sleep pattern has been affected,” she said.

Deepa Chopra Sharma, a counsellor at Amity International school in Pushp Vihar, said many students also face anxiety. “Some of them have become more mature because of being in situations which nobody would think of, like losing a parent. And it has impacted them emotionally,” she said.

Much time is spent on online games. “Issues that are coming in are anxiety about exams or results, and behavioural problems. Sadness of being at home, not meeting friends, not being able to speak to somebody and connections with teachers are affected,” she said.

Hospitlised Pokhriyal to address concerns of students today

Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal will address the concerns of students through social media on Friday at 4pm about the board exams which were cancelled due to the pandemic. Pokhriyal, who is undergoing treatment at AIIMS for post-Covid complaints, said students have been sending him messages with their queries and apprehensions. “Dear students, I am constantly receiving a lot of your messages and information. Also, you have expressed concern about my health. For this, I would like to express my thanks to all of you and say that I am feeling healthy now. “Some of your apprehensions have also been expressed in your messages. But was unable to communicate with you due to ongoing treatment in the hospital. If you have any other query related to CBSE exams then you can send me on Twitter, Facebook, or also by mail,” he said in a series of tweets. TNN

Declare boards marks scheme in 10 days, SC directs states

ANDHRA RELENTS TOO

Declare boards marks scheme in 10 days, SC directs states

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.06.2021 

As all states except Andhra Pradesh agreed to cancel their Class 12 board examinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed them to formulate their scheme for internal assessment of students within 10 days and declare the results by the end of July. Andhra too, later in the day, scrapped board examinations for Class 10 and intermediate.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari approved the decision taken by states and questioned the Andhra government for insisting on conducting the examination, which could expose students to the virus. “We direct all the state boards to ensure that the schemes are formulated and notified not later than10 days and also declare results of internal assessment by July 31,” the bench said.

As the bench was not satisfied with the response of Andhra government’s advocate Mahfooz A Nazki, it directed him to provide all the details on Friday on how the exam for six subjects would be conducted while following Covid norms.

The bench made it clear to the state that it would pass order to scrap the proposed exam if it was not satisfied with its response. It also said the state will be held responsible in case of any fatality of students if it decided to conduct the exam. It said going by the compensation amount paid by some state governments, the Andhra government may also have to pay compensation of Rs 1 crore in case of death of any student. On Thursday evening, education minister A Suresh said the state had decided to cancel the exams as it was difficult to adhere to the SC-set July 31 deadline for completing the process.

Chennai residents can now book vaccination slots through website, WhatsApp or phone call

Chennai residents can now book vaccination slots through website, WhatsApp or phone call

Alternatively, residents may also call up 044-4612 2300 or WhatsApp 9499933644 to book a time slot.

Published: 24th June 2021 06:53 PM 

A health worker adminsters vaccine to people at the free vaccination camp conducted at Don Bosco School, Egmore, in Chennai on Saturday.

 (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: City residents may now register a slot at Chennai Corporation's vaccination centres through the website https://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/covid-details/.

Through the website, the residents may choose a centre according to their zones and choose a time slot.

Alternatively, residents may also call up 044-4612 2300 or WhatsApp 9499933644 to book a time slot.

According to a city corporation statement on Thursday, only one-third of the doses allotted to a particular centre will be available for booking through the website or the above phone numbers. The remaining will be reserved for those who go to the centres in person.

The site was launched at Ripon buildings on Thursday by Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru along with the Secretary for Municipal Administration and Water Supply department, Shiv Das Meena and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi.

மதுரை 'எய்ம்ஸ்' அருகே ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன்

மதுரை 'எய்ம்ஸ்' அருகே ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன்

Added : ஜூன் 25, 2021 02:06

மதுரை:மதுரை தோப்பூரில், 'எய்ம்ஸ்' மருத்துவமனை அமையும் இடம் அருகே திருப்பரங்குன்றத்தில் இருந்து, 4.5 கி.மீ., துாரத்தில் ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன் அமைப்பது குறித்து, தெற்கு ரயில்வே பரிசீலித்து வருகிறது.

தென்மாவட்ட மக்களின் நீண்ட நாள் கோரிக்கையை ஏற்று, மதுரை தோப்பூரில் எய்ம்ஸ் அமைக்க, 2019 ஜன., 27ல் பிரதமர் மோடி அடிக்கல் நாட்டினார். 224 ஏக்கரில் 750 படுக்கைகளுடன் உள் நோயாளிகள், வெளிநோயாளிகள் பிரிவு, 100 எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., மற்றும் 60 செவிலியர் இடங்களுடன், மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரியுடன் கூடிய எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை இங்கு அமையவுள்ளது.

திருச்சி முதல் கன்னியாகுமரி வரையிலான மத்திய மற்றும் தென் மாவட்டத்தினர் இங்கு சிகிச்சை பெறலாம். செங்கோட்டை, கன்னியாகுமரி, திருநெல்வேலி, துாத்துக்குடி, திருச்சி, ராமேஸ்வரம், கோவை உள்ளிட்ட ரயில் வழித்தடங்களில், பயணியர் சிகிச்சை பெற வரலாம்.

எதிர்கால தேவையை கருத்தில் கொண்டு, எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அருகே ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன் அமைப்பது அவசியமாகிறது. கன்னியாகுமரி மாவட்டம், குளச்சல் தொகுதி எம்.எல்.ஏ., பிரின்ஸ், இது குறித்து தெற்கு ரயில்வேக்கு கடிதம் அனுப்பிஇருந்தார்.

இதற்கு பதிலளித்து, தெற்கு ரயில்வே போக்குவரத்து பிரிவு மூத்த மேலாளர் பரத்குமார் அனுப்பிய கடிதம்:எய்ம்ஸ் அருகே ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன் அமைக்கும் கோரிக்கை பரிசீலிக்கப் படுகிறது. திருமங்கலம், திருப்பரங்குன்றம் ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன்களுக்கு மத்தியில் எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமையவுள்ளது.

திருப்பரங்குன்றத்தில் இருந்து எய்ம்ஸ் அமையுமிடம் 4.5 கி.மீ., துாரத்தில் உள்ளது. தற்போது கூடுதல் கிராசிங் ஸ்டேஷன் வழங்க தேவையில்லை. இருப்பினும் ரயில்கள் நிறுத்தத்திற்கான முன்மொழிவு, தேவைகளின் அடிப்படையில் பரிசீலிக்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு அதில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Transport dept extends validity of ‘travel as you please’ passes

Transport dept extends validity of ‘travel as you please’ passes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.06.2021

Tamil Nadu transport department has extended the validity of ₹1,000 ‘travel as you please’ (TAYP) passes, which expired duringthe total lockdown.

Accordingly, passes which were valid for travelling in MetropolitanTransport Corporation (MTC) buses between May 16 and June 15 will be valid till July 15. These passes will be sold till Saturday (June 26) at 29 bus depots in the city, where they are usually sold only till June 22. Close to 1.4 lakh use these TAYP passes every month, according to an official release.

Besides this, MTC sells monthly seasonal tickets to 40,000 regular bususers a month. Validity of these tickets too has been extended till July15, said transport minister R S Rajakannappan. After 43 days, MTC resumed bus services in Chennai on Monday and is operating close to 2,000 buses every day.

No time curbs for women to travel on suburban trains

No time curbs for women to travel on suburban trains

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:25.05.2021

Southern Railway has allowed more categories of people including women to travel by suburban trains and has increased the number of services from 478 to 630 on weekdays from Friday.

Women will be allowed without time restrictions. They will be issued return tickets while men who work in non-essential sectors will be allowed only during nonpeak hours (early morning to 7am and 9.30am to 4.30pm and 7pm onwards) with single journey tickets.

Passengers with a reserved ticket in a mail/express trains will also be allowed to travel in suburban trains to reach railway stations to board trains.

People who reach the city by mail/express trains will also be allowed to board suburban trains.

Those who work in state government or Union government departments, public sector units, high courts and courts and staff of the private sector will be allowed to travel with a permission letter and identity cards.

There will be no change in the number of trains on Sundays, said a press release.

There will be 123 services on Moore Market Complex - Avadi/Tiruvallur/Arakkonam/Tiruttani route, 126 services on Tiruttani/Arakkonam/Tiruvallur/Avadi - Moore Market Complex route.

There will be 42 services on Moore Market Complex - Gummidipoondi /Sullurupeta route, 42 services on Sullurupeta / Gummidipoondi - Moore Market Complex route, 116 services on Chennai Beach – Tambaram/Chengalpet/Tirumalpur route, 116 services on Tirumalpur/Chengalpet/Tambaram - Chennai Beach route, 33 services on Chennai Beach - Velachery route, 32 services on Velachery - Chennai Beach route.

Two loot 19 ATMs with unique trick - The Times Of India

Two loot 19 ATMs with unique trick - The Times Of India

Target Only One Type Of Machines; Search On

Selvaraj.A@timesgroup.com

Chennai:

Police are on the lookout for two men who stole at least ₹48 lakh from 19 ATMs of the SBI across the state, seven of them within the city. SBI has suspended ATM withdrawals across the country and officials are trying to work out how the men managed to steal the money only from a particular kind of Japanese-made cash deposit machines.

In the past three days, the Chennai police have received seven complaints of cash missing from SBI ATMs. Camera footage from the ATM kiosk at Vadapalani showed two suspects, one of them wearing a helmet, withdrawing cash three times, a total of ₹69,000, on June 19. The incident came to light on Tuesday after the SBI bank officials confirmed ₹69,000 was unaccounted for. Similar incidents were reported at six SBI ATM kiosks in Velachery, Taramani, Virugambakkam and Ramapuram. All the incidents took place between June 17 and 19. A similar pattern of robberies has also been reported in other states within the last week.

Following this, SBI’s Chennai regional general manager Radha Krishnan met city police commissioner Shankar Jiwal and submitted a complaint. Radha Krishnan told reporters: “As a precautionary measure, we have suspended all SBI withdrawals across India. The theft took place only through one type of cash deposit machine.”

Commissioner Jiwal said, “The robbery took place using a small technical glitch in the machines. All the 7 cases have been recorded on CCTV cameras. The footage is being examined. We will check with other banks if they have had similar thefts.”

A special team has been formed led by additional commissioner N Kannan to catch the ATM robbers. Police sources said preliminary inquiries revealed that the duo had created a savings account in SBI using fake documents and had at least ₹20,000 cash in it. Police suspect they used some kind of device to block the sensors of the machines. They would withdraw cash from the machine and wait till the machine started to pull it back in. They would then quickly remove the cash but the machine would show it had been deposited back in, is what the cops suspect they did with the help of their device. SBI officials have got in touch with the machine’s manufacturers in Japan to resolve the issue.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: The suspects at a Vadapalani ATM kiosk

City’s RTI activists urge TN to start portal for e-filing of applications

City’s RTI activists urge TN to start portal for e-filing of applications 

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

Right to Information (RTI) Act activists in the city are keenly awaiting the newly elected DMK-led Tamil Nadu government to effect changes in the way the Act is implemented in the state.

For starters, activists want the state government to implement filing of RTIs through an online portal for all government departments.

The previous AIADMK-led government had implemented online filing of RTIs on a trial basis only for the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) department. However, with a glut in applications, the portal has been forced to clarify that only applications pertaining to the department would be accepted.

In neighbouring Puducherry, RTI applications to more than 50 departments can be filed online through the Central government’s portal rtionline.gov.in.

Pavan Gandhi, an RTI activist and advocate, said that the software of the central government is available and it is not impossible to replicate it at the state level. “But the question is whether the government wants to be transparent. Online filing of RTI applications makes it easier for the applicant while physical filing is cumbersome. Reduced paperwork in the wake of Covid-19 is also good,” he said.

Veteran RTI activist V Gopalakrishnan said that state finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, who heads the P&AR department, is an internationally noted figure and hence should bring in similar transparency measures. “We have been discussing this online filing of RTIs since 2014. When we have brought in the best economists in the world to advise our state government, why shouldn’t our technology also be advanced,” Gopalakrishnan said.

Activists also pointed out that buying a court fee stamp for ₹10, which is a pre-requisite for physical RTI applications, is cumbersome as availability is limited. “Also, many vendors charge ₹2-3 extra for the court fee stamp,” Gopalakrishnan said.

The previous AIADMK-led government had implemented online filing of RTIs on a trial basis for the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) department

TN seeks Centre’s nod to start UG medical courses in 11 new colleges

TN seeks Centre’s nod to start UG medical courses in 11 new colleges

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.06.2021 

The state is awaiting approval from the National Medical Commission to start undergraduate medical programmes in the 11 newly constructed medical colleges from 2021, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said on Tuesday. If the state gets the nod, it will add 1,650 seats to the undergraduate seat matrix, pushing the seat tally to 5,200 across government medical colleges.

The government has already appointed faculty and staff and work on construction of buildings has been expedited. “As per the NMC guidelines, we have made the campus ready for first year admissions. We are waiting for the committee to visit these campuses for inspection,” he said. The committee is likely to come for inspection next month. “If they find any discrepancies, we will rectify them before the second inspection,” he said after a meeting with members of Tamil Nadu Medical Council. The meeting was chaired by health minister Ma Subramanian.

As part of the national mission to increase the number of medical colleges across the country, the Centre had granted permission to Tamil Nadu for commencement of 11 new medical colleges in districts in Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Dindigul, The Nilgiris, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Kallakurichi, Tiruvallur, Tiruppur, Namakkal and Krishnagiri. The state, he said, was confident of getting their nod for all colleges.

The anatomy, physiology and biochemistry labs, library, hostels ₹ required for first year students ₹ have been completed. Tamil Nadu has allotted ₹2,470.93 crore during the interim budget in 2021 for these colleges. With this, most districts in the state will have at least one government medical college.

Besides increasing the number of seats, these colleges will help expand tertiary care to districts. The new medical colleges will help the health department provide quality medical training at affordable cost and offer speciality and super speciality care to people living in the area free of cost. “We are ensuring that the functioning 700-750 bed hospitals attached to these colleges have all the facilities to offer quality care,” he said.

Meanwhile, Subramanian said the doctors have placed their demands for better pay and compensation. “We know doctors have toiled through the pandemic...Their demand for pay government doctors’ pay hike was made in 2009. I will discuss the issue with the CM,” he said.

Doctor asked by patient to issue medical certificate for car insurance

Doctor asked by patient to issue medical certificate for car insurance

Meanwhile, a senior officer working with a vehicle insurance company confirmed that they would definitely ask for such certificates if the situation called for it.

Published: 23rd June 2021 06:29 AM |

By Krishnachand K

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While doctors are used to being hounded by patients seeking medical certificates for a number of reasons from getting approval for a sick leave to filing a law suit, renowned oncologist Dr Boben Thomas was rather stunned by a request raised by one of his regular patients. The doctor was asked to issue a medical certificate for the patient’s car, in what he says is the first such incident he has experienced.

According to Dr Boben, the patient had rung him up with a request for a medical certificate that confirms the date of his consultation, because he needed to submit the certificate to a leading insurance company. The patient subsequently explained to the puzzled doctor that he got into an accident while returning home after the consultation, and when he approached the insurance company for damages, he was asked why the vehicle was on road when a statewide lockdown was in force. The medical certificate was to prove that the accident happened while he was travelling for a medical reason.

Dr Boben, who practises in Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram, told TNIE that this was the first time someone approached him for a medical certificate for the purpose of collecting vehicle insurance. “As the certificate was a logical requirement, it was issued stating that the patient had arrived in the vehicle,” he said. He also shared his experience on Facebook.

Meanwhile, a senior officer working with a vehicle insurance company confirmed that they would definitely ask for such certificates if the situation called for it. “We have the authority to ask the owner why the vehicle was taken out during the lockdown period. If it is a genuine case of medical emergency, we will ask for a medical certificate to prove if he used the car for that purpose. Some companies may ask for Out Patient (OP) tickets too. We could give a claim only if the person was out and about for an emergency requirement,” the officer said.

பிலிப்பைன்சில் தடுப்பூசி போடாதவர்களுக்கு சிறை

பிலிப்பைன்சில் தடுப்பூசி போடாதவர்களுக்கு சிறை

Updated : ஜூன் 23, 2021 07:24 

மணிலா : 'பிலிப்பைன்சில் கோவிட் தடுப்பூசியைப் போட மறுப்போருக்குச் சிறைத் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்படும்' என, அந்நாட்டு அதிபர் ரொட்ரிகோ டுட்டார்ட்டே எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் தலைநகர் மணிலாவின் தடுப்பூசி நிலையங்கள் சிலவற்றில், தடுப்பூசி போட்டுக்கொள்ளக் குறைவானவர்களே சென்றுள்ளனர். இதையடுத்து அந்நாட்டு அதிபர் ரொட்ரிகோ டுட்டார்ட்டே தெரிவித்துள்ளதாவது:

நாட்டின் மொத்த மக்கள் தொகையான 110 மில்லியனில் இந்த ஆண்டுக்குள் 70 மில்லியன் பேருக்குத் தடுப்பூசி போடுவது அரசாங்கத்தின் இலக்கு. இதுவரை அங்கு 2.1 மில்லியன் பேருக்கு இரு டோஸ் தடுப்பூசி போடப்பட்டுள்ளது. நாடு மருத்துவ நெருக்கடியில் இருக்கிறது. தடுப்பூசியைப் போட மறுப்போருக்குச் சிறைத் தண்டனை விதிக்கப்படும். இவ்வாறு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.

டுட்டார்ட்டே தண்டனைகளுக்கு புகழ் பெற்றவர். போதை கடத்தல் கும்பல்களை ஈவு இரக்கமின்றி சுட்டுக்கொலை செய்ததால் அச்சமூட்டும் மனிதராக இவர் பார்க்கப்படுகிறார். எனவே இவரின் எச்சரிக்கைக்கு பலன் இருக்கும் என கருதப்படுகிறது.

Woman IPS Officer's Sexual Harassment Complaint: Madras High Court Extends CB-CID Probe By 6 Weeks

Woman IPS Officer's Sexual Harassment Complaint: Madras High Court Extends CB-CID Probe By 6 Weeks: The Madras High Court on Friday extended by six weeks, the time granted to CB-CID for completing the probe into alleged sexual harassment of a woman IPS officer by a senior police official (now...