Admission to engg raises eyebrows

Admission to engg raises eyebrows

This meant that learning mathematics or physics in Class 12 is not mandatory to join engineering.

Published: 14th July 2021 05:11 AM 

By Subashini Vijayakumar

Express News Service

ERODE: While All India Council for Technical Education’s is yet to clarify whether mathematics and physics subjects are mandatory to get an admission in engineering courses, several private colleges in the State have started inducting students from non-science majors. This move, educationalists say, will affect the future of students.

The AICTE, in line with the New Education Policy, has provided an array of options for students from diffrent groups to pursue courses in engineering and technology with guidelines for the universities to offer suitable bridge courses.

This meant that learning mathematics or physics in Class 12 is not mandatory to join engineering. However, AICTE also clarified that it is an option given by the council which is not binding on the states or universities and entrance exams like JEE and CET. “In future when NEP shall be implemented, this option can be effected in its letter and spirit,” the council said.

Meanwhile, a few colleges affiliated with Anna University too have started admitting students from non-science groups, said sources.

'Act like real hero': Madras HC orders Vijay to pay entry tax for Rolls Royce

'Act like real hero': Madras HC orders Vijay to pay entry tax for Rolls Royce

Lamenting the non-payment of entry tax by Vijay, the judge said the actor should respect the sentiments of lakhs of his fans who watch his movies by paying for the tickets

Published: 13th July 2021 04:03 PM 

The court also imposed a cost of ₹1 lakh to be paid by him to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund 

By Harish Murali

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Observing that actors should behave like real heroes, the Madras High Court came down heavily on actor Vijay's plea seeking exemption of entry tax for his Rolls Royce Ghost car, imported from England in 2012. Dismissing the plea, the court also imposed a cost of ₹1 lakh to be paid by him to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.

Justice SM Subramaniam in his order said real heroes are those who remit their taxes promptly and directed the actor to pay the tax due as demanded by the department within two weeks, if it has not yet been paid.

“Those fans see such actors as real heroes. In a state like Tamil Nadu, where such actors have become rulers of the state, they are not expected to behave like a reel hero. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional,” the judge said in the July 8 order released on Tuesday.

“Filing a writ petition, avoiding payment of entry tax and keeping the writ petition pending for about nine years can never be appreciated and it is not made clear even now, whether the entry tax as applicable has been paid by the petitioner or not. The learned counsel for the petitioner also has not stated anything regarding this,” the court said.

The judge said it was essential for every citizen to remit taxes dutifully to the government and that such payment was a mandatory contribution and not a voluntary payment or donation. Taxes help the state construct schools, hospitals and housing projects for the poor and railways, ports and so on for all, he added.

Criticising the actor for not even stating his occupation in the plea filed, the judge said, "It is surprising to note that the petitioner has not even stated his profession or occupation in his affidavit. He has imported a prestigious costly car from England but unfortunately not paid entry tax as per the statutes. He has filed a writ petition to avoid payment of tax... ..The petitioner, who is a reputed cine actor, is expected to pay the tax promptly and punctually."

Pointing out the differences between actors on screen and off screen, the judge said, "These actors are portraying themselves as champions to bring social justice in the society. Their movies are against corrupt activities in the society. But they are evading tax and acting in a manner, which is not in consonance with the provisions of the statutes."

Lamenting the non-payment of entry tax by the petitioner, the judge said the actor should respect the sentiments of lakhs of his fans who watch his movies by paying for the tickets. “It is only out of such money that the petitioner has purchased the prestigious car for his personal use,” the court said.

"Reputed persons of this great nation should realize that the money reaching them is from the poor man’s blood and not from the sky," stressed the judge.

In a first, NEET-UG to be conducted in 13 languages including Punjabi and Malayam, exam centre opened in Kuwait

In a first, NEET-UG to be conducted in 13 languages including Punjabi and Malayam, exam centre opened in Kuwait

The languages which are now being offered are Hindi, Punjabi, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Urdu and English.

Published: 13th July 2021 10:33 PM |

By PTI

New Indian Express 

NEW DELHI: In a first, medical entrance exam NEET-UG will be conducted in 13 languages with Punjabi and Malayam being the new additions, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Tuesday.

He also said that a new exam centre for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) has been opened in Kuwait to facilitate the Indian student community in the Middle East.

"Registrations for the NEET(UG) 2021 has started on http://ntaneet.nic.in from 5:00 pm today. For the first time in the history of NEET(UG) exam and in order to facilitate the Indian student community in the middle east, an examination centre has been opened in Kuwait," he tweeted.

"The NEET(UG) 2021 will be for the first time conducted in 13 languages with new addition of Punjabi and Malayalam," Pradhan said.

The languages which are now being offered are Hindi, Punjabi, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Urdu and English, he said.

The Minister had on Monday announced that the NEET which was earlier scheduled on August 1 will now be conducted on September 12.

The number of cities where examination is conducted will be increased from 155 to 198.

The number of examination centres will also be increased from 3,862 used in the 2020.

Last year, it was conducted on September 13 amid strict precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam of whom 7,71,500 qualified.

‘NEET-UG to be held in 13 languages’

‘NEET-UG to be held in 13 languages’

New Delhi:14.07.2021

In a first, medical entrance exam NEET-UG will be conducted in 13 languages with Punjabi and Malayalam being the new additions, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday. He also said that a new exam centre for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) has been opened in Kuwait to facilitate the Indian student community in the Middle East.

“Registrations for the NEET (UG) 2021 has started on http://ntaneet.nic.in from 5:00 pm (on Tuesday). For the first time in the history of NEET(UG) exam and in order to facilitate the Indian student community in the middle east, an examination centre has been opened in Kuwait,” he tweeted. PTI

Kin of 2k UP govt employees who died of Covid during poll duty to get ₹30L

Kin of 2k UP govt employees who died of Covid during poll duty to get ₹30L

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:14.07.2021 

Families of at least 2,020 government employees who died of Covid-19 during panchayat poll duty will receive Rs 30lakh each in compensation after revised calculations by UP panchayati raj department.

Additional chief secretary (panchayati raj) Manoj Kumar Singh told TOI 3,092 applications were received under revised protocols for determining death on duty from Covid-19 and 2,020 cases were recommended as eligible for compensation.

“There are an additional 10-20 cases which will be forwarded to the state advisory board on Covid. Once they confirm eligibility, their families too will receive compensation,” he said.

Under the earlier definition of death on duty, the government identified 74 government employees who died of Covid and non-Covid reasons. The rules stated exgratia would be given only if the employee died on duty or during travel to and from place of duty, which factored in a day or maximum two, depending on how far the employee travelled.

Among the 2,020 who died of Covid, around 50% are teachers.

India’s first Covid patient tests +ve again

India’s first Covid patient tests +ve again

Thrissur:14.07.2021

The Kerala girl who became India’s first Covid patient after contracting the virus while studying medicine in China’s Wuhan has tested positive again, this time at home.

The fourth-year MBBS student from Thrissur district is currently asymptomatic. She came to know about her reinfection only because of a mandatory RTPCR test before proceeding to New Delhi to collect some personal documents that she had earlier submitted to the government.

“My daughter is not under medication now as she has no manifest ailments. She has been quarantined on the first floor of our house,” said the girl’s father, who has tested negative. The medical student, who had first tested positive on returning from Wuhan in the last week of January 2020, hasn’t been vaccinated yet. TNN

‘Nothing unusual about girl testing +ve’

Her father said she chose not to get the jab because she wanted to go back to China and wasn’t sure whether any of the vaccines available in India would be accepted there. Her college mates from India haven’t opted for vaccination either, he said. Health officials said there was nothing unusual about the girl testing positive for the second time, barring her status as the first person from the country to catch the virus.

NEWS DIGEST

NEWS DIGEST

14.07.2021

The Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA) has said it has powers to fix the rate of interest for recovery under the Tamil Nadu Revenue Recovery Act. The Authority also issued a recovery warrant and directed the Kancheepuram district collector to recover arrears that need to be repaid to a homebuyer in a housing project at Pondur village in Sriperumbudur taluk of Kancheepuram district on the outskirts of the city.

‘Ensure poll duty personnel can cast votes’: Madras high court on Tuesday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that all personnel engaged for election duty, including drivers of rental vehicles, are provided with an opportunity to cast their vote in forthcoming elections. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order on a PIL alleging that such drivers of rented cars were denied the opportunity to poll their votes during the 2021 assembly election.

Man held for fatally kicking friend: A 25-year-old man was arrested after he 'playfully' kicked his friend who was sitting by a well. His friend fell into the well and drowned.

Have powers to fix interest rate for recovery:TNRERA

Tambaram police said three friends had got drunk and had gone for a bath in a well. While Purushothaman, wthe deceased, was sitting on its wall, his friend Karthik playfully kicked him. Purushothaman lost his balance and fell into the well and drowned. A case has been registered.

Labourer held for killing wife: A 46-year-old man was arrested for killing his wife at Selaiyur on Monday. Murugan, a labourer, was unhappy with the food his wife had cooked and picked up a fight with her, police said. In an inebriated condtion, he took a kitchen knife and stabbed her. A case has been registered.

Four new members in TNPSC: The state government on Tuesday appointed four new members to the TNPSC.Labour commissioner S Munianathan, Madras University economics professor K Jothi Sivagnanam, Dr K Arlumathi from Chennai, Father A Raj Mariasusai from Yercaud are the new members .

More buses for women to travel free: An additional 1,300 ordinary fare buses are being operated in which women can travel for free, transport minister R S Rajakannappan said in Tiruvallur district on Tuesday. The state owned transport corporations are operating a total of 15,627 buses, of which the Metropolitan Transport Corporation is plying about 2,650 buses, he said.

Corpn restarts vax drive for 2nd shot of Covaxin

Corpn restarts vax drive for 2nd shot of Covaxin

14.07.2021

The corporation is restarting on Wednesday the vaccination drive for those requiring the second dose of Covaxin. Those in need can book slots on the corporation’s dedicated portal: gccvaccine.in. For more information on the vaccination drives, log on to

 covid19.chennaicorporation.gov.in/covid/vaccine_centers. TNN

More offices mull reopening, focus on vax

More offices mull reopening, focus on vax

Sindhu.Hariharan@timesgroup.com

14.07.2021

IT companies are reopening workplaces, balancing safety with team productivity. Smaller units are taking the lead with some having reopened and others charting a comeback in August. The few firms that have reopened only allow vaccinated employees. Large companies may reopen in October.

SaaS company Kissflow’s founder-CEO Suresh Sambandam told TOI that employees can choose to return from August 1. Their presence will be mandatory from October 1 on a ‘remote plus’ model wherein teams can work for three weeks in office and one from home. The effectiveness of ideation is better when teams work together in the office, and the ‘Remote plus’ model will ensure reduced staff strength. Kissflow has not made vaccination mandatory but is helping staff get the shot.

“As a young company, culture and agility is important. So, we vaccinated all our staff on a priority basis,” said Arvind Parthiban, co-founder and CEO of startup SuperOps.ai. The entire 45-member team returned to its office at RMZ Millenia on Monday. All staff needs, such as food and refreshments, are met on premises to curb external contact.

Cognizant, the city’s largest tech employer, said its focus now is vaccinating employees and dependents. Sources said plans are on for a phased reopening starting October.

Prabhu Ramachandran, cofounder of real estate startup Facilio, who interacted with IT park operators, said the consensus is to reopen with a flexible working model and the share of staff vaccinated plays a key role in the decision.

About 5% of cybersecurity firm Bahwan CyberTek’s staff work from office at the moment and plans are afoot to increase the strength in a phased manner. Tech company Guvi is opening its Taramani office on a partial basis over the next two months.

HR tech company Neeyamo has been operating with 50% staff at its Perungudi centre since July

5. The company said it is assessing employee preferences to decide when to reopen fully.

Counselling fixed for engg seats before med

Counselling fixed for engg seats before med

AICTE Schedule May Leave Engg Seats Vacant

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.07.2021

A day after announcing the exam date for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2021, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) issued a revised academic calendar for 2021-22 for engineering colleges on Tuesday. As per the schedule released by AICTE’s member secretary professor Rajive Kumar, the first round engineering counselling for BE, BTech programmes must be completed before September 30.

The second round of engineering counselling needs to be completed before October 10. First-year students can be admitted till October 20 and the last date to start classes for firstyear students is October 25.

According to experts, with the NEET exam scheduled on September12, conducting medical counselling before engineering counselling is not possible this year too. It would leave several hundred engineering seats in top engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu vacant as students who are unsure of getting medical seats will join top engineering colleges and discontinue it after getting medical admissions. Last year as many as 276 students discontinued BE, BTech courses in Anna University’s four campuses including College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) and Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) to study medicine and other courses.

Internal choices in NEET paper for 2021

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has introduced internal choices in the NEET 2021 question paper after multiple eductaion boards have announced syllabus reduction for Class XII students. As per the change in the question paper pattern, physics, chemistry sections will have five additional questions and biology (botany and zoology) section will have 10 additional questions. NTA has also split each subject into two sections — section A and section B. Students have to answer all the 35 questions in section A and 10 out of 15 questions in section B. As per the new pattern students can answer 180 questions out of 200 questions in NEET exam. Each correct answer will carry 4 marks and for every wrong answer one mark will be deducted. P 10

‘Medical counselling before engg only way to stop wastage of seats’

Anna University former vice-chancellor M K Surappa said the only solution to prevent wastage of seats is to conduct medical counselling before engineering counselling.

“AICTE should consult with the National Testing Agency (NTA) and come out with proper scheduling to prevent engineering seats from falling vacant. Despite bringing it to the notice of AICTE, no remedial action has been taken this year,” he said.

Many private engineering colleges also have from 50 to 100 seats vacant if the medical counselling is conducted before engineering counselling.

“If engineering counselling is conducted first, students select the engineering seats for safety and leave their seats after getting medical admissions. Around 100 students discontinue their courses in top colleges every year,” said RM Kishore, vicechairman of RMK Engineering College.

Unlike Anna University, private engineering colleges can fill up these seats at a later stage.

However, principals said they cannot fill all vacant seats after admissions to engineering courses are over. “Scheduling is the main issue. The present schedule is forcing the students to make one choice even though they are not willing,” a principal from city college said.

Meanwhile, deemed universities facing a different challenge as the admissions to IITs, NITs are being conducted in several rounds and students are leaving these institutions after taking admissions to join centrally funded institutions.

“The ministry of education and AICTE either reduce the counselling to IITs and centrally funded institutions to four rounds or need to allow all AICTE approved institutions to admit 10% more than the sanctioned intake. It will reduce the damage caused by Jo-SAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) counselling delays and longer schedules. It is also a good idea to cancel JEE (Advanced) as it proves a non-existent differentia,” said S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice-chancellor of SASTRA.

Don’t be reel hero, be real hero: HC to Vijay

Don’t be reel hero, be real hero: HC to Vijay

Court Slaps ₹1L Fine On Actor For Contesting Entry Tax On Imported Lux Car

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.07.2021

The Madras high court has imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on actor Vijay for challenging levy of entry tax for his imported luxury car, Rolls Royce Ghost, saying such a reputed actor is “expected to pay tax promptly and punctually,” and actors who are seen by their fans as real heroes “can’t be just reel heroes.”

Dismissing the petition related to the import of the car from England in 2012, Justice S M Subramaniam said, “In a state like Tamil Nadu, where such actors have become rulers, they are not expected to behave like a ‘reel hero’. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional,” the judge said in his July 8 order released on Tuesday.

The court directed the actor to pay the fine to the chief minister’s Covid-19 public relief fund within two weeks.

The current market price of the car in India is approximately ₹6 crore. Entry tax in TN is 20% of the cost of the car. Noting that non-payment of entry tax by the petitioner could never be appreciated, the judge said the actor should respect the sentiment of lakhs and lakhs of his fans who watch his movies by paying for ticket. “It is only out of such money that the petitioner has purchased the ‘world’s prestigious’ car for his personal use,” the court said.

“These actors are portraying themselves as champions to bring social justice. Their movies are against corruption in society. But they are evading tax and acting in a manner which is not in consonance with the provisions of the statutes,” the judge said.

While the common man is motivated and encouraged to behave as a lawful citizen and pay tax and to thrive hard to achieve social justice in society, the rich, affluent and reputed people fail to pay tax, the judge said, adding that if such was the situation, it would be a long way to achieve constitutional goals.

CBI registers case against RPO officer for taking bribe

CBI registers case against RPO officer for taking bribe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.07.2021

The CBI registered a case against Madurai regional passport office senior superintendent V Veeraputhiran for issuing illegal passports to Sri Lankans and taking a bribe of ₹45,000 from an agent. The agent, S Ramesh, has also been booked by the CBI. The CBI said it had received reliable source information that during June-September 2019 , Veeraputhiran entered into a criminal conspiracy with Ramesh and some other travel agents to provide passports to Sri Lankans who were not eligible for Indian passport. Ramesh transferred a bribe of ₹45,000 in three tranches to the Indian Bank savings account of Veeraputhiran. The CBI registered a case of criminal conspiracy and corruption against the duo.

CBI said he issued illegal passports to Sri Lankans and took a bribe of ₹45,000 from an agent

HC dismisses PIL challenging validity of TN’s panel on NEET

HC dismisses PIL challenging validity of TN’s panel on NEET

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.07.2021

The Madras high court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation moved by the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP challenging the validity of a committee constituted by the state government to study the impact of NEET on students from socially and economically backward classes.

“The setting up of the commission can, by no stretch of imagination, be seen to be contrary to any Supreme Court order, whether in letter or spirit, or as a counter to any legislative action taken by the Union or process put in place,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said.

“For all we know, the commission may come up with some material that the state government may use to persuade the Union to search for an alternative or modify the process to make it more inclusive for students belonging to the socially backward and economically weaker sections to participate therein with a better chance of success,” the court added.

The setting up of the commission does not amount to subverting any process of admission, far less an act of defiance to any order passed by the Supreme Court or even the remotest challenge to the exclusive authority of the Union to enact a law and conduct a procedure in a field which is constitutionally designated to be undertaken only by the Union, the judges asserted.

Noting that a section of citizens may feel that it is a waste to appoint a commission; that the costs incurred in maintaining such commission may be better used to provide relief to those who suffered in course of the pandemic, the court said, “But these are choices that an elected government has to take.” Indeed, in the constitutional scheme, the elected government has the freedom to take. Courts cannot rush in and interdict notifications or steps taken pertaining to policy or for garnering public opinion or the like, the judges said.

The court added that the constitution of the commission does not call for any interference as long as the state does not do anything to upset the procedure for admission to medical institutions as established by law.

The issue pertains to a plea moved by BJP Tamil Nadu secretary K Nagarajan. He wanted the court to quash the order issued by the Tamil Nadu government on June10 constituting the committee headed by Justice A K Rajan.

HC order a significant step: Stalin

Chief Minister M K Stalin hailed the Madras high court order dismissing the plea against A K Rajan committee as a significant step in the struggle against Neet. Noting that the court has dealt a blow to BJP as well as AIADMK, Stalin said in a statement on Tuesday that the order has not only upheld the student’s rights, but also the state’s rights. “The judgement was a significant step in our battle against Neet,’’ he said. TNN

43-year-old woman dies after swallowing artificial tooth while drinking water

43-year-old woman dies after swallowing artificial tooth while drinking water

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.07.2021

A 43-year-old city resident died a day after swallowing her artificial tooth accidentally while drinking water, police said.

S Rajalakshmi of Valasaravakkam had replaced three front teeth with artificial ones nearly seven years ago at a private hospital in Porur. On July 4, she suffered from dizziness and felt nauseous soon after swallowed one of the three artificial teeth by mistake. She was taken to a private hospital.

After going through her test reports, doctors felt there was nothing alarming and discharged her. But she fainted the next day and died on the way to hospital, said a police officer from Royala Nagar station, who is investigating the case.

She is survived by her husband Suresh, 48, a private advertising firm employee, and their two sons. Police have sent the body for autopsy.

Police suspect Rajalakshmi’s artificial tooth could have become loose as it was fixed seven years ago and she could have avoided a hospital visit now due to Covid tests. A case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure has been registered.

Oral pathologists say the chance of death due to swallowing of dentures is rare unless it reaches the air pipe instead of the food pipe. Delicate tissues in the air pipe might get damaged and subsequent bleeding or asphyxiation may cause death at times, they said.

Dr SM Balaji, an oral surgeon from Balaji Dental & Craniofacial Hospital in Teynampet, said the type of denture had be assessed. “Usually, acrylic removable dentures are liable to cause more damage when swallowed as they have metal clasp. This aspect is very crucial and can be identified only on autopsy or radiological imaging or previous dental records or from patient's care providers.”

Any patient wearing dentures should regularly check with dentists. Any loose denture or tooth should be promptly attended to and the person concerned not wait for an occasion to change it. In case of such swallowing, early identification of swallowed dentures and immediate medical attention can help avoid catastrophic outcomes, he said.

Dentists caution that any loose denture or tooth should be promptly attended to and the person concerned should not wait for long to change it

STATE VACCINATES 3.35L ON TUESDAY

STATE VACCINATES 3.35L ON TUESDAY

7 districts report 100+ new Covid infections

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.07.2021

Fresh cases continued to decline with TN recording 2,505 new cases on Tuesday compared to 2,652 new cases on Monday. The state registered 48 deaths and 3,058 recoveries, leaving 31,218 people still under treatment for the viral infection. On Tuesday, seven districts reported cases in three digits and 24 reported fewer than 50 cases.

Coimbatore topped the table with 282 cases followed Erode (187) and Thanjavur (185). Chennai reported 160 cases while Salem had 162 cases, Trichy 98 and Madurai 30.

Ramanathapuram recorded just 13 cases, the lowest in the state. Cases went up in Tirunelveli from 16 on Monday to 25 on Tuesday.

“While cases are coming down, there is still no evidence on how the third wave could be. Countries like the UK are reporting a sudden spurt, but their hospitalisation and deaths are fewer compared to previous waves,” said health minister Ma Subramanian.

It is sad that TN does not receive adequate vaccines, he added.

“We require more than 11 crore doses to completely vaccinate adults, but we have received just 1.67 crore. On Tuesday, after we received 1 lakh doses of Covaxin and 1.5 lakh doses of Covishield, we had about 6.5 lakh doses. We will use them for a couple of days,” he said.

Subramanian said he will meet Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Thursday. At the end of the day, TN vaccinated 3.35 lakh people.

Of the 48 deaths in the state, Salem reported six followed by five each in Chennai, Tiruppur and Dindigul. At least 19 districts did not report any deaths.

HC dismisses PIL against TN panel on NEET

HC dismisses PIL against TN panel on NEET

14.07.2021

The Madras high court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL field by the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP challenging the validity of a committee constituted by the state to study the impact of NEET on students from socially and economically backward classes, saying that it was not contrary to SC orders. Chief minister M K Stalin hailed it as a significant step in the struggle against NEET and said the court has dealt a blow to the BJP and the AIADMK. He said the order upheld students’ and the state’s rights

TN ups pensioners’ contributory share to family fund scheme

TN ups pensioners’ contributory share to family fund scheme

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.07.2021 

The state finance department has increased pensioners' contribution to the Family Security Fund Scheme and has sanctioned ₹25 crore to clear pending settlements.

According to the scheme guidelines, pensioners make a monthly contribution till the date of death and in return, family members get ₹50,000 on the death of the pensioner.

When the scheme was launched in 1996, each pensioner contributed ₹20 and ₹25,000 was paid on their death. The contribution and settlement amount was increased at regular time intervals to run the scheme.

But in August 2020, the state government stopped paying the settlements to family members of deceased pensioners, citing fund crunch as the reason.

The Director of Pension, the state agency implementing the scheme, said that on an average they received around 15,500 claims every year and they required ₹77.50 crore to settle these claims. But the annual receipt from pensioners is around ₹43 crore. This indicates that annual deficit of accural to the fund is about ₹35 crore.

As of May 2021, there are about 13,746 pending claims for settlement and the director requested the government to sanction ₹57 crore to settle these claims.

Considering the fact that it is an optional and self-supporting scheme, the state finance department on July 7 issued orders increasing the pensioners' monthly contribution from ₹80 to ₹150.

In addition to this, the state has sanctioned ₹25 crore to settle these backlog claims. This amount has been sanctioned as an advance from the government account to the sheme recoverable over 5 years period without interest.

Welcoming this, SA Vetrirajan, a retired commercial taxes officer, said that the previous government left the scheme in the lurch. "Though it is a small amout, it becomes handy for the bereaved family members to settle hospital bills or to take care of the cremation expenses," he said.

Ramasamy from Tamil Nadu Pensioners' Association said that present state government employees also pay the same contribution (₹150 per month) but they get ₹3 lakh as settlement. "The government should at least provide half of this amount for pensioners," he said.

The association has decided to take this request to the government after their state executive committee meeting in Trichy next month. There are seven lakh pensioners in the state and roughly 96,000 among them reside in Chennai.

NEET-UG on Sept 12, regn opens today

NEET-UG on Sept 12, regn opens today

13.07.2021 

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) will be conducted on September 12, online registration for which will commence at 5pm on Tuesday, Union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday. The exam was scheduled for August 1 but was postponed due to rising Covid cases. “...To ensure social distancing norms, the number of cities where examinations will be conducted has been increased to 198,” he tweeted. More than 16 lakh candidates are likely to take the test. P10

வரும் 21-ம் தேதி பக்ரீத் பண்டிகை

வரும் 21-ம் தேதி பக்ரீத் பண்டிகை

சென்னை

தமிழகத்தில் வரும் 21-ம் தேதிபக்ரீத் பண்டிகை கொண்டாடப்படும் என்று அரசு தலைமை காஜி அறிவித்துள்ளார்.

பக்ரீத் எனப்படும் ஈகைத் திருநாள் முஸ்லிம்களால் கொண்டாடப்படும் மிக முக்கியமான பண்டிகையாகும். இறைத் தூதரான நபியின் தியாகத்தை நினைவுகூரும் வகையில், 12-வது மாதமான துல்ஹஜில் இது ண்டாடப்படுகிறது.

அரசு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு அவகாசம் அளிக்க அறிவுரை

அரசு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு அவகாசம் அளிக்க அறிவுரை

Added : ஜூலை 11, 2021 00:29

மதுரை-'அரசுத் துறை அதிகாரிகளிடம் மனு அளித்து, அவர்களுக்கு கால அவகாசம் அளிக்காமல் உடனடியாக நீதிமன்றத்தில் மனு செய்தால், அபராதத்துடன், மனு தள்ளுபடி செய்யப்படும்' என, உயர் நீதிமன்ற மதுரைக் கிளை எச்சரித்துள்ளது.

தஞ்சாவூர் மாவட்டம், பூதலுார் மாரனேரியைச் சேர்ந்த பிரபுதாஸ் தாக்கல் செய்த மனுவில், 'மாரனேரியில் குறிப்பிட்ட சர்வே எண்ணில் உள்ள விவசாய நிலத்திற்கு, என் பெயரில் பட்டா வழங்கக் கோரி பூதலுார் தாசில்தாருக்கு ஜூன் 7ல் விண்ணப்பித்தேன். நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும்' எனக் குறிப்பிட்டார்.நீதிபதி என்.ஆனந்த் வெங்கடேஷ் உத்தரவு:அரசுத் துறைகளில் மனு அளித்த ஒரு வாரத்தில், அதன் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிடக் கோரி இந்நீதிமன்றத்தில் பல வழக்குகள் தாக்கலாகின்றன.

இது மிக துரதிர்ஷ்டவசமானது. மனுவை பரிசீலிக்குமாறு பல்வேறு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு வழிகாட்டுதல்களை நீதிமன்றம் தினமும் பிறப்பிக்கிறது. இதனால் நீதிமன்றத்தின் மதிப்புமிக்க நேரம் வீணாகிறது.இதனால் 10 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் தாக்கலான வழக்குகளை விசாரணைக்கு எடுக்க முடியவில்லை. அவற்றுக்கு தீர்வு காண முடியாமல் நிலுவையில் உள்ளதை கவனத்தில் கொள்ளும்போது வேதனையாக உள்ளது.அரசுத் துறை அதிகாரிகளிடம் மனு அளித்து, அவர்களுக்கு கால அவகாசம் அளிக்காமல் உடனடியாக நீதிமன்றத்தில் எவ்வித ஆவணமும் இன்றி, வரும் காலங்களில் மனு செய்தால் அபராதத்துடன் இந்நீதிமன்றம் தள்ளுபடி செய்யும். இவ்வழக்கு தகுதியானது அல்ல. போதிய ஆவணங்கள் தாக்கல் செய்யவில்லை. மனு தள்ளுபடி செய்யப்படுகிறது.இவ்வாறு நீதிபதி உத்தரவிட்டார்.

Delay in Covaxin supply caused average daily vaccinations to dip

Delay in Covaxin supply caused average daily vaccinations to dip

Issue At BB Facility Sorted; Govt Expecting 45L Doses In July

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:12.07.2021 

There is a dip in average daily vaccination against Covid-19 which fell to 37.23 lakh doses in the week of July 05-10 from over 61.14 lakh doses in the week starting June 21 and nearly 42 lakh doses in the following week (June 28-July 04), Co-Win data shows.

While the decline in vaccination has raised concerns, the government is expecting to maintain a daily average of 40-45 lakh doses in July with an estimated supply of at least 12 crore doses this month, an official source said. According to the source, the slow down in vaccination is primarily because of some disruptions at Bharat Biotech’s Bengaluru plant which resulted in delay in supply of some batches of Covaxin that were expected in the beginning of this month.

“It is a new facility with large scale fermentation plant. The trial batches were disrupted during standardisation process and therefore, the supply of Covaxin was less than expected. That has been sorted out now,” the official said.

Co-Win data shows the decline is mainly driven by less number of people initiating first dose and a lower uptake in rural areas. Between June 25-30, the number of daily doses administered in rural areas were in the range of 9.9 lakh- 40.43 lakh. However, it dropped to 8 lakh-38.08 lakh doses between July 1-9.

In urban areas, the daily doses varied from 8.25 lakh-31.80 lakh doses during June 25-30, whereas during July 1-9, around 7.6 lakh -27.85 lakh doses were given.

“The combination of progressive reopening and declining vaccination numbers is dangerous. We are not really protected against the current delta variant until we fully vaccinate 60-70% of the population by December. For that we need to administer 90 lakh to 1 crore doses per day. And that needs vaccine stocks which we seem to be running short on. If we can’t vaccinate enough, I’m afraid we need to be obsessed about Covid-appropriate behavior and rethink relaxing restrictions,” says Dr Arvinder Soin, chairman, Medanta Liver Transplant Institute.

However, the average daily vaccination still remained above the pre-June 21 level and officials said with improved supplies and campaigns, pace of vaccination is likely to pick up again in the following weeks.

“The supplies are dynamic. We are constantly working with companies to ensure manufacturing capacities are increased. More vaccine supplies are also expected by August which will help the programme,” the official said.

More than 37.22 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered across the country till July 11.

PES student gets ₹1.5cr/yr offer in UK

PES student gets ₹1.5cr/yr offer in UK

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:12.07.2021 

A computer science engineering student from PES University here has bagged an offer of Rs 1.5 crore per year to work in the London office of Confluent.

Sarang Ravindra  from Jayanagar has been interning with the company over the past six months, before he attended interviews and got his placement confirmed.

“I want to believe that it is only my intent to learn and curiosity that the company saw in me. It will overshadow all the other talents. With virtual internships, networking and visibility might come down. But your hard work will show and help you get noticed,” the student said. Sarang said he spoke to his manager and got interviews organised and cleared them.

While the joining date is in July-end, travel will depend on the pandemic scenario, Sarang added.

“I took science in PU and we had computer science in the junior college. That’s when my interest started building. My elder brother is also a computer science engineer. I started coding with him and enjoyed it,” said Sarang.

A tabla player, Sarang completed his schooling from Kumaran’s School and pre-university education from RV PU College.

PES stated that 1,283 sixth-semester students across its campuses had virtual internships during the pandemic year, with them receiving monthly stipends ranging from Rs 15,000 – Rs 87,000. The highest stipend offered was around Rs 1.3 lakh per month.

‘Placements on track’

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had no negative impact on placements. The internship offers are good and conversion rates to preplacement offers are over 90%. Companies want to catch the students young and train them before anyone else can offer them jobs. The numbers are very encouraging. The final placements for the next academic year will start by August and not July because of the pandemic,” said Shridhar KS, registrar, PESU.

One-way airfare to Canada costs students 10% of total course fee

One-way airfare to Canada costs students 10% of total course fee

Non-Acceptance Of RT-PCR From India Forces Detour

Parth.Shastri@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:12.07.2021 

Parents of Hansal Khatri, from Ghatlodia were in for a shock when they started checking availability of flights to Canada. “I have admission in a PG diploma course for business management at a university in Canada for Fall semester (starting September). I need to be there by the last week of August,” he said. His entire course fees is Rs 20 lakh while current one-way airfare by carriers such as Air India is Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 2 lakh – accounting to 10% of total course fees.

“The tickets were costing between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 in January this year. While it was still costly, we justified it due to Covid conditions. But air fares rising three times is too much when majority of passengers during this time are only foreign-bound students,” said Amit Khatri, his father. “As he has already secured admission, we have no option but to shell out the money, but it is not fair," the father felt.

It’s not just students – even regular passengers are bearing the brunt. Naranpura resident Subhash Ghonchala said a one-way ticket for his daughter-inlaw from Ahmedabad to Toronto, Canada on July 5 cost Rs 1.77 lakh which was three times the normal price of Rs 70,000.

It’s not just students – even regular passengers are bearing the brunt

Covid has pushed up travel costs

More than money, my daughter-in-law and her baby had to go to Toronato via Belgrade in Serbia where there was a stay of 2 nights and one day to get RTPCR test done. So, she went from Ahmedabad to Toronto via Mumbai-Frankfurt-Belgrade-Frankfurt- Toronto,” said Subhash Ghonchala .

Sanket Patel (name changed), 21, said he had deferred his travel to Canada due to the second wave in May. “My visa expires in December. While I’ll still wait a month to get the economic deal, what if third wave starts or Canada changes its rules? There’s a strong buzz there would be relaxation in some categories announced in the last week of July, but it’s always a gamble,” he said. “Getting the visa was a great feeling, but it’s now turning into desperation.” Travel and visa consultant Sabina Advani said Covid-19 specific sanctions imposed by countries have pushed up travel duration and cost of travellers.

“Countries like Canada do not accept Indian RT-PCR reports mandating travel via third countries for RT-PCR reports. For the US, currently there is a 14-day quarantine in a third country hotel. We are hopeful of Maldives and Dubai opening post July 15 which would be preferred by Indian travellers due to easy availability of Indian food,” says Travel and visa consultant Sabina Advani .

Due to these rules, travellers are going via Mexico, Belgrade and Armenia currently where 14-day quarantine stay with meals pushes the ticket price to upwards of Rs 1.75 lakh on confirmed flights.

Sameer Yadav, a citybased student visa and immigration consultant, said that there are a few sites offering cheaper tickets. “But often the travellers are not going for it – the chances of flight cancellation are high. Currently there are no direct flights to Canada, and most are taking detours. While the cancellation amount comes back, it cannot help the students who have to reach Canada in a time-bound manner,” he said.

Protest to safeguard students’ future is not unlawful: HC

Protest to safeguard students’ future is not unlawful: HC

K Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:12.07.2021 

A protest with an intention to safeguard the future of students cannot be construed as unlawful assembly, the Madras high court has said while quashing the final report filed against people who staged a protest seeking action against 30 bogus nursing and paramedical colleges in 2016.

The prosecution case was that the four petitioners along with others belonging to Abdul Kalam Latchiya India Party carried out a protest without prior permission against the bogus institutions and blocked the road disrupting traffic in Dindigul on April 14, 2016. Based on a complaint from the sub inspector of police, Dindigul Town North police registered a case against the protesters under sections 188, 143 and 145 of IPC. The police also filed the final report which was taken cognizance of by the Dindigul judicial magistrate II court. The four petitioners had filed the petition seeking to quash this report.

Justice G Ilangovan observed that for taking cognizance of offence under Section 143 of IPC, the ingredients under Section 141 of IPC must be brought on record. It appears that the petitioners and others staged a protest to initiate necessary action against bogus nursing and para medical colleges which spoiled the life of students. The court observed that there is no material on record or collected during the investigation to show that the agitation ended in violence. Hence, the ingredients of offence under Section 141 of IPC are not applicable to the present occurrence.

The judge said that in Section 145 of IPC, the words “unlawful assembly” are mentioned. The petitioners and others held the agitation with an intention to safeguard the future of students and hence it should not be considered as unlawful assembly.

“Registration of case and filing of final report may not be considered to be proper since the right of agitation has been recognized and that too conducting the agitation without any violence cannot be considered to be per se illegal,” observed the judge. Though only four people had approached the court, the judge quashed the final report in its entirety.

Online courses: UGC calls for applications

Online courses: UGC calls for applications

12.07.2021 

The University Grants Commission invited applications from higher educational institutions (HEIs) entitled to offer online programmes without prior approval of the commission. The portal to submit online applications will be opened from July 15. Institutions can visit the UGC’s website www.usc.ac.in/deb for further details and updates. The commission amended the University Grants Commission (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 making NAAC accreditation valid for next three academic years. TNN

No Covid-19 deaths in Chennai after 139 days

No Covid-19 deaths in Chennai after 139 days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2021 

Not a single person in Chennai succumbed to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. After 139 days, the district witnessed zero covid deaths on Sunday. Another 19 districts in Tamil Nadu also recorded no Covid deaths today.

The number of fresh infections has continued to decline, with 2,775 cases on Sunday.

With 47 deaths, TN's cumulative death toll increased to 33,418 -- third highest in the country next to Maharashtra (1,25,878) and Karnataka (35,835). Tamil Nadu's present case fatality ratio, however, continues to hover around 1.3%.

One lakh get jabs

The state vaccinated 1,02,904 people on Sunday. Health Minister Ma Subramanian said TN totally needed11.5 crore vaccine doses but only 1.6 crore doses were supplied by the Union government till date. All the five lakh doses, which the state received on Saturday, were dispatched to all districts the same evening. Another 3 lakh doses were expected late on Sunday so that vaccination could continue on Monday, he said.

Chennai and its neighbouring districts received 82,500 doses and rest were distributed to other districts. In southern districts, long queues were spotted outside most vaccine camps as the drive resumed after a twoday gap. Almost 40% of fresh cases were reported from the western region. Coimbatore topped the chart with 298 new cases, followed by Erode (198) and Salem (175) in the region. Thanjavur stood second in this chart with 210 new cases.

Infection numbers were dropping at a brisk phase in Chennai (171 new cases) and its neighbouring districts. Similar trends were observed at other major cities in the state such as Trichy (108), Madurai (35).

In 29 of the 38 districts in the state, the discharge rate outpaced the new infection count. Even in the remaining nine districts, the gap was significant only in Thanjavur (201 new cases and 116 discharges).

Pondy schools, colleges to reopen on July 16

Puducherry:

Schools in the Union territory will reopen for students of Classes from IX to XII from July16 after the Union territory witnessed a drop in the rate of incidence of Covid-19 infection. All colleges in the territory will also reopen on July16. Chief minister N Rangasamy made an announcement in this regard on Sunday.

The territory did not report a Covid-19 death in a day after a span of more than three months. There were145 fresh Covid-19 cases even as 213 patients recovered bringing down the total number of active cases to1,505 on Sunday. Puducherry has maximum active cases with 1,156 followed by (214), Mahe (101) and Yanam (34). So far 5.85 lakh doses of the vaccine (including the second dose) have been administered. TNN

More countries open to travellers sans vax

More countries open to travellers sans vax

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2021 

In what could be a sign of revival of international travel, nine countries have opened their borders for people to travel to without vaccination.

Turkey, Egypt, Maldives, South Africa, Ukraine, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and Russia are allowing passengers who have not got vaccinated against Covid-19. But visitors will have to carry a RT-PCR test report along. Except in Turkey, quarantine is necessary in the other countries only if tested positive. Maldives will be open for travel from July 15.

This move by the nine countries is a blessing for travellers looking for a short vacation. It also leaves people who work in the Middle East and the US with more options for transit and the mandatory 14-day quarantine before heading to the destination, since the locations have banned direct travel from India.

Travel and tour operators said travellers who have been looking for options to spend more than14 days outside India, so that they can enter Dubai or transit via Dubai to other countries such as the US, can now fly to Maldives, Egypt or Russia. People have been entering Dubai, which is open for tourists, via other countries.

Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said, “Many people who work in the US and the Middle East are stuck here because they are not allowed to fly directly from India. People have been travelling to Saudi Arabia and the US after staying for a few days in another country. Now, they can travel to Dubai too. More countries opening up is also helping people who want to try and have a vacation. Those who are returning to India from the US also now have more transit options.”

J Sethuraman of Travel XS said this definitely is a way out for people because they have been stuck for more than a year unable to travel. “When Maldives opened last year, Indians were the biggest clients for the country. It will be similar this year too,” he said. “The countries allowing people without quarantine will help boost travel and is a plus,” Sethuraman said, but added that vaccination is key for international travel in the long run.

கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்கய்யா... ‛வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷன் ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள்: ஓ.டி.பி.,யை சொல்லிடாதீங்க

கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்கய்யா... ‛வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷன் ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள்: ஓ.டி.பி.,யை சொல்லிடாதீங்க

Updated : ஜூலை 11, 2021 10:39 | Added : ஜூலை 11, 2021 10:34

மதுரை: 'அடிச்சு கூட கேட்பாங்க சொல்லிடாதீங்க' என வடிவேலு காமெடியில் வருவது போல் 'ஓ.டி.பி.,யை - ஒன் டைம் பாஸ்வேர்டு' சொல்லிடாதீங்க... 'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷசன் ஸ்கேம்' என்ற திருடர்கள் கிளம்பிட்டாங்கய்யா... கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்க'... என சைபர் வல்லுனர்கள் எச்சரிக்கின்றனர்.

வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலியை 'கூகுள் பிளே ஸ்டோரில்' பதிவிறக்கி நம் அலைபேசி எண் பதிவு செய்து பயன்படுத்துகிறோம். நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணை தங்கள் போனில் உள்ள வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலில் பதிவு செய்து நம் தகவல்களை திருடுபவர்கள் தான் 'ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள். இவர்கள் நம் எண்ணை அவர்கள் வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் பதிவிடும் போது நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணுக்கு 4 இலக்க ஓ.டி.பி., எண்கள் வரும். உடனே நமக்கு போன் செய்து 'தவறாக உங்கள் எண்ணுக்கு ஓ.டி.பி.,வந்து விட்டது தயவு செய்து கூறுங்கள்' என மூளைச் சலவை செய்கிறார்கள்.

நாமும் ஏதோ ஒரு அவசரத்தில் யார், என்ன என்று கேட்காமல் ஓ.டி.பி.,யை கூறி விட்டால் அவ்வளவு தான் நம் 'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் சாட்' முழுதும் திருடர்கள் அலைபேசியில் ஓப்பனாகும். இந்த நேரத்தில் நம் அலைபேசியின் வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலி 'லாக் அவுட்' ஆகிவிடும். ஆனால் அதை கவனித்து மீண்டும் நாம் 'லாக் இன்' ஆகும் இடைப்பட்ட நேரத்தில் நம் தகவல்கள் திருடப்பட்டிருக்கும். வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் நண்பர்கள், குடும்பத்தினருக்கு நாம் அனுப்பிய ஏ.டி.எம்., பாஸ்வேர்ட், ஆதார் எண் உள்ளிட்ட பல ரகசியங்கள் திருடர்கள் கையில் சிக்கினால் நம் கதை கந்தல் தான்.

இதில் இருந்து தப்பிக்க நம்பகமான நபர்கள் தவிர வேறு யார் போன் செய்து ஓ.டி.பி.,யை கேட்டாலும் சொல்லவே கூடாது. பிரவுசிங் சென்டர் உள்ளிட்ட இடங்களில் ஏதாவது ஆவணங்கள் பெற செல்லும் போது நம் அலைபேசிக்கு வரும் ஓ.டி.பி.,யை அங்குள்ளவர் ஆவணத்திற்காக தான் பயன்படுத்துகிறாரா என்றும் கவனிக்க வேண்டும்.

'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செட்டிங்ஸ்' மாற்றுங்கள்

தகவல் திருட்டை தடுக்க சில 'செட்டிங்'குகளை மாற்ற வேண்டும். வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செட்டிங், பிரிவில் அக்கவுண்ட் தேர்வு செய்து 'டூ ஸ்டெப் வெரிபிகேஷன்' கிளிக், எனேபில் செய்து 6 இலக்க பின் நம்பர் கொடுக்கவும். இதை செய்தால் திருடர்கள் ஓ.டி.பி., வைத்து நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணுள்ள வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் நுழையும் போது பின் நம்பர் கேட்கும்.