‘Act against those who did not stand for national song’

‘Act against those who did not stand for national song’

New Delhi:30.07.2021

The assembly session on Thursday began with the national song being played and condolence messages read for the various departed former members. Witnessing that few bureaucrats in the officer’s gallery were not standing up during the two minute silence, speaker Ram Niwas Goel directed the chief secretary, Vijay Dev, to take cognisance of their behaviour. “It is unfortunate the officers in the gallery did not stand up and the chief secretary should take cognisance,” Goel said.

Later, a communication was sent by his secretary to the CS to take necessary action. TNN

Medical seats quota upsets open category students

Medical seats quota upsets open category students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:30.07.2021

The Centre’s announcement to set aside OBC and EWS quota in the all-India post-graduate medical seats has upset open category students in Maharashtra, who termed the decision as “politically fuelled”. Several students asked how the quota at the postgraduate level would be “legal” as all MBBS graduates would go on to earn a monthly stipend of Rs 60,000-75,000. Parents and activists said the government ought to think of alternatives, such as freeships or scholarships.

“Students from the general merit across India will suffer and those from the reserved category will benefit because of this decision,” said former head of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research Dr Praveen Shingare.

“In case of students from Maharashtra, they will suffer largely at the post-graduate level where many from the state take the post-graduate exam for admissions to colleges across India. The state ranks third or fourth in cornering the maximum all-India quota seats,” he said.

Doctor seeks internet connection, loses ₹74,000

Doctor seeks internet connection, loses ₹74,000

Bengaluru:30.07.2021

An ophthalmologist, who was trying to get internet connection, was cheated of Rs 74,420 by a person who claimed to be an employee of a service providing firm.

Dr Nagarathna Bailey from Hanumantanagar stated in her complaint that she was trying to get a connection for her son who is pursuing an engineering course. She had sent an online request to a service provider on April 29 this year and received a call from the customer care services of the firm the same day. The doctor was told that an executive would be sent to explain the tariff and other plan details.

The next day, a person identified as Bhanuchandra M met her at the workplace. While she enquired him about the six-month plan, he suggested she choose another plan where a router would be offered free of cost. She agreed and paid him Rs 74,420, including Rs 33,560 in cash.

But the man neither provided any internet connection nor returned her money. She found his mobile phone was switched off and the service provider did not respond to her complaint. Shankarapura police have registered a case of cheating. TNN

17-yr-old girl dies as mobile explodes while charging

17-yr-old girl dies as mobile explodes while charging

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Palanpur:30.07.2021

A 17-year-old girl from Chhetasan village of Becharaji taluka in Mehsana died on Wednesday due to severe injuries that she allegedly suffered when the mobile phone on which she was talking exploded. The deceased Shradhha Desai was talking over the phone while it was being charged.

The body was cremated by the family and post mortem was not done. “We came to know about the incident after reports appeared in media. When we reached the village the body was already cremated. The family is busy in completing the final rites. We will question the family members to find out exactly what happened,” said M J Barot, police sub inspector at Becharaji police station. Preliminary police investigation revealed that Desai, a class XII student was talking with her relative over the phone when the incident took place. Family members told police that the mobile battery could have exploded.

The deceased was on the upper floor of the house and the door of the room turned black due to the explosion. Dried grass stored in the room also caught fire. The damage is visible in a video shot following the incident. “The mobile battery was draining and she plugged it in for charging. At the same time she was over the phone which exploded. She fell unconscious before we could know exactly what happened,” said her father Shambhu.

Preliminary police investigation revealed that Shradhha Desai, a class XII student was talking with her relative over the phone when the incident took place

Covid cases rise in Kerala, Centre sends team

Covid cases rise in Kerala, Centre sends team

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:30.07.2021

In the wake of a sharp and persistent increase in daily new cases of Covid-19 in Kerala, the Centre has sent a high -evel team to the southern state to support in the effective public health interventions in order to contain the infection spread.

Kerala recorded on Thursday more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day. The state with an active case load of 1.54 lakh is contributing 37.1% of the total active cases, with a growth rate of 1.41 (percent/ nos??) in the last seven days. The state is also reporting a high positivity of 12.93%, while six of its districts have more than 10% weekly positivity.

Central sources said Kerala, in mid-May 2021 was reporting a high of more than 43,000 new cases a day and this began to decline there on to the first week of June. But from June third week to date, daily new cases are rising in a gradual and consistent manner with Kerala recently reporting more than 22,000 new cases in a day. This is more than 50% of the peak witnessed by Kerala in mid-May.

The health ministry is concerned that since June first week, Kerala is also reporting a high number of daily Covid deaths. In the first week, daily new Covid deaths were 227 and remain more than 150 deaths a day. Of the 4,00,000-odd active cases in India, 1.5 lakh are in Kerala alone. There is a 13% increase In average daily new cases in the last eight weeks. There is also concern over a dip in testing in the July 22-28 week.

The Centre has also warned the state of rising number of cases and advised stringent containment measures along with compliance to physical distancing and other Covid-appropriate norms, an official said.

The team sent to the state is headed by Dr S K Singh, director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), one of the country's top experts in monitoring public health.

“The team shall work closely with the state health departments, take stock of the on ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions to contain the large number of cases being reported,” the health ministry said.

The Centre is also concerned as the latest national sero-prevalence survey shows only 44% of Kerala’s population above the age of six years had so far been infected by Covid-19. This implies that majority of the population is susceptible to the infection and in the absence of effective containment measure, the spread can be wider.

Student rush: AI doubling flights to US from Aug 7

Student rush: AI doubling flights to US from Aug 7

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:30.07.2021

Air India is doubling its non-stop flights to the US from August 7 as a large number of Indians head to universities there this fall.

It had reduced the number of weekly flights from about 40 to under 10 when the catastrophic second wave of Covid-19 here saw the US imposing restrictions on travellers from India starting May 4.

Now the airline will operate at least 21 flights per week to the US, with the maximum increase in flights to New York (JFK and Newark or EWR), followed by those to Chicago and San Francisco, say people in the know. United, the only other airline with nonstops between the two countries, is not altering India flight frequencies for now.

“Flights to the US had to be curtailed after the US presidential proclamation restricting air traffic from India. Flights were combined and rescheduled, affecting travel itineraries for some. Frequency to US has now been enhanced from August and all-out efforts to accommodate passengers are on,” Air India said on social media.

Before May 4, the air bubble requirement for a majority of travellers between India and the US to fly direct saw AI operating almost as many flights to America as it did in pre-pandemic times. The May 4 restrictions meant there were very few eligible to fly from here to the US and the reduced demand led to AI slashing flights.

Centre sanctions new Karaikal-Peralam line part of ₹177cr project

Centre sanctions new Karaikal-Peralam line part of ₹177cr project

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.07.2021

The Union railway ministry has sanctioned a 23km-long line to provide direct connectivity from Karaikal to Peralam as a part of the Trichy-Thanjavur-Nagore-Karaikal gauge conversion project at ₹177.69 crore, said Union railwaysminister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Karaikal is Puducherry’s enclave 150km south of its headquarters while Peralam is in Tiruvarur district.

In a written response to queries raised by Puducherry Lok Sabha MP V Vaithilingam in Parliament on Wednesday, Vaishnaw said the ministry submitted land acquisition proposals for 3.2 hectares to the Tamil Nadu government in September 2019 for the project.

He added that the ministry requested the government to expedite land acquisition and work is underway on available land.

To a query on expected time of completion of the project, the minister maintained that it cannot be ascertained at this stage of the project.

“Completion of a railway project depends on various factors like expeditious land acquisition by the state government, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project site, number of working months in a year for a particular project etc. and all these factors affect the completion time of project. As such, confirm completion time of the project cannot be ascertained at this stage,” the Vaishnaw said.

The Union railway ministry submitted land acquisition proposals for 3.2 hectares to the TN government in September 2019 for the project

Eminent doctor honoured

Eminent doctor honoured

30.07.2021  Times of India 

30.07.2021

Dr T S Chandrasekar, founder chairman and chief interventional gastroenterologist, MedIndia Hospitals, was appointed as honorarydistinguished professor of The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University in recognition of his contribution to medical education. TNN

‘TN can reopen colleges for vaccinated kids’

‘TN can reopen colleges for vaccinated kids’

Online Classes Ineffective, Say Educationists

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.07.2021

Saying online classes were ineffective, educationists and academicians urged the state to consider reopening colleges for vaccinated students. They sought staggered reopening of colleges, vaccinating students and reopening schools for higher classes.

This follows higher education minister Ponmudi’s announcement on Wednesday that online classes for engineering, arts and science students, except for first year students, would commence on August 9.

Anna University former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said no learning takes place in online classes. “A majority of rural students cannot attend online classes as they have connectivity issues. Those who attend cannot fully understand the classes and use mobiles for other purposes. While the state government opened everything including Tasmac, hotels, markets and malls, why not colleges? Colleges should be allowed to conduct face-to-face classes from August while following all safety protocols,” he said.

Madras University former vice-chancellor S P Thyagarajan said a survey conducted across 30 countries found a 40% gap in learning in online mode. “The quality of material used also contributed to the deficit in learning. It is good to allow students 18 years and above to come to colleges. On campus vaccination camps should be allowed and classes can resume by following guidelines,” he said.

He added that students were facing psychological issues due to the pandemic and the institutions need to make them feel comfortable. "Parents also need counselling so they will not get in the way of children’s education,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association (TNGCTA) president T Veeramani said the decision should be based on scientific data. “There is a question of who will take responsibility if a Covid cluster emerge after reopening. If the government is ready to take that responsibility, they can reopen,” he said.

Dr P Kuganantham, former city health officer, said, vaccinated students should be allowed to attend classes. “Colleges can follow a shift system to maintain physical distance. The seropositivity rate is 84% for the city and 64% for the state. If we vaccinate more people by September, we can be hopeful for herd immunity for third wave,” he said.

6 months after N Chennai metro line opened, Theradi stn not ready

6 months after N Chennai metro line opened, Theradi stn not ready

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.07.2021

It has been nearly six months since seven of the eight metro stations commenced service in north Chennai, but Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is yet to ready Thiruvottiyur Theradi, a station that is expected to boost footfalls.

The elevated station links the bazaar area in Thiruvottiyur and an ancient temple frequented by people from many of the city and the suburbs.

The station was initially expected to be ready in June and later by August, but on Thursday, workers were still busy on the platform level as both the interior and the exterior of the station looked unfinished. The station is one of the eight stations on the 9km Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar line. The station connects the road directly to the platform level through a staircase and does not have a concourse or ticketing level.

“Most likely, the station will be ready by the end of this year,” a worker at the site said. “By the time we get to the finishing work and the exterior, monsoon might start. That may affect our work,” the worker added. At present, metro trains skip past the station.

Officials said the delay in acquiring land for the station, change in alignment of the elevated corridor and back-to-back pandemic induced lockdowns resulted in the failure to meet the deadline.

The elevated viaduct leading to the station is at its highest level on the 9km phase-1 extension corridor at 17m from the road level. The elevation was made to allow movement of the temple chariot during the annual festival of a Pallava period temple in the area.

In June and July, the average footfalls in the seven north Chennai stations were 9,177, which is 21% of the average daily ridership of 44,852 across all 39 stations. When Theradi station opens, commuters said it could significantly boost the patronage.

Metro work near Porur slows traffic to crawl in peak hours

Metro work near Porur slows traffic to crawl in peak hours

Barricades in Middle Of The Road Create Bottleneck

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.07.2021

Traffic on the Mount-Poonamallee Road has slowed to a crawl as work has begun on the Poonamallee-Porur elevated corridor of the Chennai Metro’s phase-2.

Barricades have come up in the middle of the road at various points causing a traffic jam during the morning and evening peak hours. At least 1.75 lakh vehicles use the Mount-Poonamallee road every day.

Even vehicles going to places such as Maduravoyal, Red Hills, and Ambattur take this stretch. And with the road width being reduced for Metro piling work, traffic flow is hit. The worst stretch is between Porur and Iyyappanthangal.

“The Porur flyover brought some respite to the traffic woes and people were travelling hassle free for a couple of months. The traffic jam is worse between Porur junction and Kattupakkam during peak hours. Immediate measures have to be implemented to streamline the traffic,” said K Baskar, Tiruvallur resident-activist.

“Luckily many IT companies are still working from home and schools remain closed. The situation will not remain the same. The traffic congestion will turn worse when more vehicles start to flow in. Now I think the work will take at least five years to get completed,” says Palani, an employee of a private hospital in Iyyappanthangal.

“We will try to make it hassle-free for the public as much as possible. We are holding talks with the officials concerned. As of now there are no diversion plans as it is a wide road between Porur and Poonamallee. We will also get feedback from the public and bring in changes,” said a traffic police officer.

The Chennai Metro’s 118.9km phase 2 has three corridors and is expected to be completed by 2026. The three corridors are Poonamallee-Light House, Madhavaram-Sholinganallur, and Madhavaram-SIPCOT.

NEWS DIGEST

NEWS DIGEST

3 of 4-member gang with bomb, machetes, held

Three of a four-member gang that was moving around with a country-made bomb and machetes were nabbed during a vehicle check in Kancheepuram. One gang member managed to escaped. Police suspect them to have been targeting someone. The arrested are Kishore, 20, of Thirukachur, Alagesan, 26, of Anna Nagar, and Sivakumar, 19, of Kolathur. Police frisked them and recovered two machetes and one country-made bomb. Police have launched a hunt for the absconding suspect and are questioning the three.

2 robbed of gold chains:

Two women were robbed of their gold chains by two bikeborne men in different incidents at Maraimalai Nagar and Guduvancherry on Wednesday. At Guduvancherry, Susila, 58, was walking down the road at NGO Colony when a bike-borne duo snatched her 3.5sovereign gold chain and sped away. In the other incident, Amulya, 24, was walking home after buying groceries when two people on a bike snatched her five-sovereign gold chain and escaped. Police have registered two separate cases.

Govt teachers told to come to schools from Aug 2: The school education department has asked all the three lakh teachers working in government schools to report to work from August 2. A circular from the department said all teachers and headmasters from government primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools need to come to schools for admissions, preparing time-table, cleaning school campuses, to give assignments based on Kalvi TV lessons and to assess students. However, differently-abled, cancer survivors and those with kidney and heart ailments and teachers taking Covid-19 treatmentwill be exempted from coming to schools by respective CEO provided they submit relevant documents.

Murder of elderly solved:

Police have solved the murder of Anthony Mary, 60, with the arrest of a Alex, 42 who allegedly murdered her to steal her six-sovereign gold jewellery at Kasimedu.

Gods don’t ask us to encroach public land, build temples: HC

Gods don’t ask us to encroach public land, build temples: HC

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.07.2021 

Neither Jesus nor Lord Ayyappa nor Lord Ganesha comes and asks us to build temples, but it has become common among all religions to encroach upon public land and pedestrian spaces to construct temples, the Madras high court said on Thursday.

“Did they (gods) come knocking on our doors to build temples encroaching public land?” a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice T V Thamilselvi asked.

The court made the observations while hearing a plea moved by G Devarajan, a resident of Sembium, alleging that temples had been illegally constructed on pedestrian platforms and public roads in Otteri.

Admitting the plea, the bench directed Greater Chennai Corporation to inspect and ascertain the extent of encroachment made by such structures. The corporation has also been directed to file a report on action taken to remove the encroachment.

According to the petitioner, a 30-feet public road in Chellappa Street in Otteri has been encroached upon on both the sides by illegally constructing three temples – Shri Sithi Vinayagar Temple, Manimudi Maamari Aalayam, and Shri Ayyappan Sannithanam. Due to the encroachments, only 14 feet of the road is accessible to the public, he said.

The encroachment is hindering free flow of traffic on the busy road and emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks cannot pass through the road, he added.

Despite repeated representations, the corporation has failed to take any action to remove the illegalities. It appears that they have no intention to take any step for removal of any encroachment from the road or road margins, he said. The petitioner added that this is the situation despite the fact that the corporation has constituted a special task force to remove such encroachment and a monitoring committee has been established to monitor the same.

All-India med seats: 27% OBC, 10% EWS reservation gets nod

All-India med seats: 27% OBC, 10% EWS reservation gets nod

Overall Seats In Institutions To Go Up

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  30.07.2021 

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the health and education ministries to take steps to implement OBC and EWS quotas in medical and dental colleges, the Centre on Thursday announced the reservations expected to benefit nearly 5,550 students every year.

Medical and dental courses will now have a 27% reservation for other backward classes and 10% for economically weaker sections (which covers forwards) under the all-India quota for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the government said on Thursday. The reservation will be implemented from the current academic year of 2021-22.

It will benefit nearly 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in post-graduation and around 550 EWS students in MBBS and 1,000 in post-graduation. The decision can be seen in the context of “pro-OBC” initiatives such as the inclusion of a significant number of OBCs in the recent ministerial reshuffle and the moves to undo an unfavourable Supreme Court order on designating of state backward lists.

While the issue of reservation in the all-India quota was pending for a long time, Modi, at a meeting on Monday, directed the ministries concerned to facilitate an effective solution.

The introduction of the OBC reservation would significantly increase the overall seats as well. As was the case when OBC reservation was introduced in 2009, the number of non-reserved seats too were increased proportionately so as to ensure that the percentage of general seats remains the same. Therefore, higher education institutions which introduced the OBC reservation increased their total intake by around 50%. In a similar exercise, to introduce EWS reservation, the institutions had to increase their total intake by 20%.

The AIQ was introduced in 1986 under the Supreme Court’s directions to provide merit-based opportunities to students from any state aspiring to study in a good medical college in another state.

AIQ comprises 15% of available UG med seats

The all-India quota consists of 15% of the total available UG seats and 50% of the total available PG seats in government medical colleges. In 2007, the SC introduced 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes in the all-India quota scheme.

While the reservation was implemented in all central government institutions through the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, it was not extended to AIQ seats in state medical and dental colleges.

In order to provide benefits to students belonging to the EWS category in admission to higher educational institutions, a constitutional amendment was brought about in 2019, which enabled the provision of 10% reservation for “forwards”.

ஆர்டிஐ கேள்விக்கு இந்தியில் பதிலளித்ததை எதிர்த்து தொடரப்பட்ட வழக்கு; தனக்கும் இந்தி தெரியாது எனக்கூறிய நீதிபதி: மத்திய அரசு பதிலளிக்க உத்தரவுசென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம்

ஆர்டிஐ கேள்விக்கு இந்தியில் பதிலளித்ததை எதிர்த்து தொடரப்பட்ட வழக்கு; தனக்கும் இந்தி தெரியாது எனக்கூறிய நீதிபதி: மத்திய அரசு பதிலளிக்க உத்தரவுசென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம்

The Hindu Tamil 

தகவல் அறியும் உரிமைச் சட்டத்தில் கேட்ட கேள்விக்கு இந்தியில் பதிலளித்ததை எதிர்த்து தொடரப்பட்ட வழக்கில், தனக்கும் இந்தி தெரியாது என தெரிவித்த நீதிபதி, இது குறித்து மத்திய அரசு பதிலளிக்குமாறு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.

சென்னையைச் சேர்ந்த வழக்கறிஞர் எம்.ஞானசேகரன் என்பவர், சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் தொடர்ந்துள்ள வழக்கில், தகவல் அறியும் உரிமைச் சட்டத்தின் கீழ், புதுவையில் நியமன எம்எல்ஏக்கள் தொடர்பான தகவல்களை மத்திய அரசின் உள்துறை அமைச்சகத்திடம் கேட்டதாக குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

ஆனால், மத்திய உள்துறை அமைச்சகம், தான் அனுப்பிய கேள்வி மனுவை திருப்பி அனுப்பியதுடன், இந்தியில் பதிலளித்ததாகவும் தெரிவித்திருந்தார். தனக்கு அந்த மொழி தெரியாது என்றும், தனக்கு தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கில மொழிகள் மட்டுமே தெரியும் என்றும், எனவே, இந்தியில் வழங்கிய உத்தரவை ரத்து செய்ய வேண்டும் என்றும் அவர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டுள்ளார்.

தனக்கு தெரிந்த மொழியில் மட்டுமே பதில் அளிக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும் என்று, சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் அவர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்தார்.

இந்த வழக்கு சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்ற நீதிபதி வைத்தியநாதன் முன்பு இன்று (ஜூலை 28) விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. அப்போது, வழக்கு ஆவணங்களை பார்த்த நீதிபதி வைத்தியநாதன், தனக்கும் இந்தி தெரியாது என்று தெரிவித்தார்.

இது குறித்து, மத்திய அரசு வருகிற 16-ம் தேதிக்குள் பதில் அளிக்குமாறு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.

14 from VIT chosen for Google programme

14 from VIT chosen for Google programme

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.7.2021

As many as 14 students from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) have been selected for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2021, a global programme to bring more student developers into open source software development.

For this year, 1,286 students from 69 countries including India have started their 10-week online programming projects, with 199 opensource organizations.

All student participants will be paired with a mentor to begin planning their projects and milestones. This will help students to familiarize themselves with the language needed to complete their projects.

“Despite the pandemic and remote working environment, it’s always a motivating factor to see 14 of our students getting selected,” said G Viswanathan, chancellor of VIT.

Address travails of Canada-bound students’

Address travails of Canada-bound students’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: 28.7.2021

With no direct flights and stringent Covid-19 norms imposed by the Canadian government on Indian travellers, the cost of travelling there has gone up almost three-fold for students.

The issue was discussed during a national-level meeting of travel agents held on Tuesday.

Canada has banned all direct flights from India till August 21. During that period, passengers who travel to Canada from India via an indirect route will need to obtain a pre-departure negative Covid-19 test result from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada.

Given these developments, a travel agents’ body, Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI), Gujarat, made a representation to the external affairs ministry.

“We demand that the Canadian government accept and validate Indian RT-PCR reports and allow Indian students, permanent residents, and work-permit and visitor visa holders to enter directly without any transit hassles,” states the representation.

Manish Sharma, chairman, TAFI-Gujarat chapter, said: “Students have to bear an additional cost of at least Rs 2-2.5 lakh to get to Canada because they have to transit through another country.” Sharma went on to say: “Moreover, those travelling via different countries must also comply with all the restrictions and regulations of these countries, which frequently keep changing.” An estimated 15,000 students are set to travel to Canada this year, according to TAFI-Gujarat.

Three-fold rise in travel cost, changing Covid norms and other issues taken up by travel agents at national-level meeting

OBC, EWS reservation in all-India quota reviewed by PM

OBC, EWS reservation in all-India quota reviewed by PM

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 28.7.2021

In a significant move with political bearings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the issue of OBC and EWS reservation in all-India quota (AIQ) of medical education and directed the ministries concerned to resolve the issue on priority.

According to government sources, the demand for the quota was discussed in the meeting attended by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia and relevant secretaries as well as other senior officials.

The strong push from the Prime Minister needs to be seen in the context of recent developments like the reshuffle of the Union council of ministers where the government and BJP highlighted the enhanced representation of OBCs. It also comes at a time when the Centre has moved to undo the Supreme Court's ruling that state lists of OBCs will be drawn up by the central government. The clear pro-OBC push, seen in the light of forthcoming elections in states like UP where Mandal politics has dominated till recently, and in the context of the next national elections, reveals the political priorities of BJP.

Covishield generates 93% protection, says AFMC study

Covishield generates 93% protection, says AFMC study

New Delhi: 28.7.2021

Covishield generated 93% protection against Covid, whereas mortality due to the infection came down by 98% during the second wave which was driven by Delta variant, officials said citing a vaccine effectiveness study conducted by Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC).

The study was conducted on 15 lakh doctors and frontline workers in AFMC who were administered with Covishield. “Protection to the extent of 93% was seen (in people who were administered Covishield) and this was during the second wave which was driven by the Delta variant... also 98% mortality reduction was seen,” Niti Aayog member, health, Dr V K Paul said underlining the role of vaccination to protect against death as well as infection.He, however, also highlighted the need to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour as no vaccine alone can guarantee protection against the infection. “No vaccine guarantees that infection will not happen but serious disease gets prevented and nearly eliminated,” he said. TNN

Settle OBC, EWS quota issue in med edu: PM to ministries

PRIORITY AREA

Settle OBC, EWS quota issue in med edu: PM to ministries

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 28.7.2021

In a significant move with political bearings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the issue of OBC and EWS reservation in all-India quota (AIQ) of medical education and directed the ministries concerned to resolve the issue on priority.

According to government sources, the demand for the quota was discussed in the meeting attended by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, health minister Mansukh Mandavia and relevant secretaries as well as other officials.

The strong push from the Prime Minister needs to be seen in the context of recent developments like the reshuffle of the Union council of ministers where the government and BJP highlighted the enhanced representation of OBCs. It also comes at a time when the Centre has moved to undo the Supreme Court’s ruling that state lists of OBCs will be drawn up by the central government.

The clear pro-OBC push, seen in the light of forthcoming elections in states like UP where Mandal politics has dominated till recently, and in the context of the next national elections, reveals the political priorities of BJ P. Looking to consolidate the OBC support it has received, BJP would like to seriously undermine its castebased rivals. The EWS reference is a balancing act, something a pan-national party would consider, to avoid alienating the forwards.

OBC reservation in AIQ of medical education has been a long standing demand of medical aspirants.

The AIQ seats in medicine were created on the directions of the Supreme Court in 1984. All states were required to surrender 15% undergraduate and 50% postgraduate medical and dental seats in state-run colleges to a “central pool” with the rest going to a “state pool”.

So far for admission, SC and ST have reservations in this quota, but there is no reservation for OBCs.

Varsity’s cash awards for students with Oly glory

Varsity’s cash awards for students with Oly glory

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jalandhar: 28.7.2021

As 11 students of Lovely Professional University (LPU), Phagwara, are part of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics, the varsity has announced cash awards for its students who would win a medal at the mega quadrennial inter-continental sports event.

The university will give Rs 50 lakh to the gold medal winner, Rs 25 lakh to silver medallist and Rs10 lakh each to the bronze medal winners.

LPU chancellor Ashok Mittal said their students were participating in wrestling, hockey, athletics and paralympics and they made 10% of the Indian contingent. “Sports is a huge focus for us and we support and motivate our athletes in all ways possible. We established our high class sports complex at LPU and have created a team of highly qualified national and international trainers and coaches. It is heartening that those efforts are already producing results,’’ he added.

Govt concerned over spike in 22 dists, mostly in Kerala, NE

Govt concerned over spike in 22 dists, mostly in Kerala, NE

Rise In Number Of Dists With 10%+ Positivity

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 28.7.2021

Even as the average daily new Covid cases are declining consistently, the Centre expressed concern over 22 districts showing a rising trend in daily new cases in last four weeks along with an increase in number of districts reporting positivity rate of above 10%.

In the week ending July 26, around 54 districts reported Covid positivity rate at above 10%, up from 46 districts in the previous week (July 14-20). Health officials warned that though the majority of these districts are currently concentrated in Kerala and north-east indicating localised transmission, strict containment measures are required as many countries including Malaysia and Thailand are witnessing a sharp uptick in cases.

“If we look from a global perspective, the pandemic is far from over. There is a noticeable increase in the number of cases across the world, which remains the area of concern. We have to work on containing the spread of the virus with strictness,” Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry said.

The 22 districts where daily cases are showing an increasing trend include seven from Kerala, five from Manipur, three in Meghalaya and two from Maharashtra. As per the data, there are still 62 districts in the country where over 100 cases are reported every day, which are found in a localised set of areas of these districts.

‘Primary students are forgetting even basics’

‘Primary students are forgetting even basics’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad: 28.7.2021

Primary school students are said to be forgetting even basics — reading and writing, as they are away from schools for the last oneand-a-half years.

Teachers said that many students are unable to communicate, read and write even basic sentences.

“The IQ levels of children have dropped drastically. There is memory loss as well. Some, in fact, completely forgot about school and education as they are unable to follow online classes being taught on mobile or computers. While younger students are busy playing, the elder ones have turned to child labour,” said Shabbir Ali, president, Telangana Private Teachers Forum.

He added that physical classes should be resumed by following all protocols.

Teachers said that if the same situation continues for another year or two, a generation of students will be affected as they don’t have access to quality education and are not learning anything. They said that instead of promoting students year after year without having minimum subject knowledge, the government should announce a year as zero year, if needed.

“This year, many students are not even learning anything assuming that they will be passed without exams. This cannot continue. It’s important that students understand the importance of learning and study, even if it’s for the fear of exams,” said Lakshmi S, a private teacher.

SC raps CBI for delays: Can’t keep everyone in jail till you finish trial

SC raps CBI for delays: Can’t keep everyone in jail till you finish trial

New Delhi: 28.7.2021

The SC on Tuesday frowned at the long pendency of trial in cases investigated by CBI and said the central agency has not been able to complete prosecution evidence despite lapse of years in many cases, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra.

The court said the CBI’s track record in expeditious completion of prosecution evidence is not so good. “There is a value to personal liberty. We cannot keep everyone behind bars for all the time that the CBI would take to complete a trial,” it said.

Granting bail to an accused in the 2011 abductionmurder of Rajasthan nurse Bhanwari Devi, the bench said, “The accused is in jail for the last eight and a half years. What will happen if he gets discharged at the end of the trial? Will the prosecution be able to compensate him?”

2nd yr MBBS student abuses jr, suspended

KANPUR

2nd yr MBBS student abuses jr, suspended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kanpur: 28.7.2021

An MBBS first year student (Para II) of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical (GSVM) College has accused an MBBS 2nd year student, of using abusive language on Sunday night and lodged a complaint on the Anti-Ragging help line of the University Grant Commission (UGC).

Following the complaint, the GSVM’s anti-ragging panel swung into action and suspended the senior student from class and hostel till the completion of the investigation. The incident occurred on late Sunday night. The junior student had stated in his complaint that he got stressed after being abused by the senior and remained disturbed till late night hours after reaching his hostel room.

Sensing trouble, he lodged a complaint through his mobile at the Anti-Ragging Helpline at 12.30 the same night. The UGC helpline, registered his complaint, and immediately informed the Director, General Medical Education, DM, SSP and college administration about the matter. Principal GSVM Prof. Sanjay Kala told reporters that the anti-ragging committee has been asked to conduct an inquiry and submit a report soon. “We are strictly against any form of ragging in the college and shall not tolerate such incidents,” said Kala further.

To recall, earlier also GSVM authorities had expelled six junior doctors from the hostel for thrashing the students doing internship in an alleged case of ragging. The incident took place in 2019 December.

Autorickshaw drivers lose business

Autorickshaw drivers lose business

28/07/2021

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

While the free bus services have brought joy to women, transpersons and the differently abled, autorickshaw drivers say they have lost business.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin rolled out free bus services for women, transpersons and the differently abled in 7,300 ordinary fare buses across the State. This includes 1,700 buses in the city. The service has been welcomed and from July 12 till date, more than 3.5 crore women, 20,000 transpersons and over 2 lakh differently abled persons have utilised it.

M. Sekhar, State general secretary, Tamil Nadu Share Vehicles General Trade Union, said the scheme was a good one. “Due to COVID-19, many people are working from home, there are no colleges or schools either. So our business has taken a hit already. Many share autorickshaw drivers have also lost customers due to the free bus scheme. The government can help us by providing permission to have a pre-paid system for share autorickshaws outside railway stations, bus termini and Metro stations,” he said.

Autorickshaw drivers also complain that they have lost business.

“We are facing losses due to app based taxis and Metro Rail. Now, the free bus service has aggravated our losses. The government should roll out some scheme for us too to help us tide over financial losses,” said M. Prabhu, an autorickshaw driver.

Baby whose thumb was cut off by nurse will get best treatment, HC told

Baby whose thumb was cut off by nurse will get best treatment, HC told

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court was informed on Monday that the girl,

Published: 28th July 2021 05:01 AM

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court was informed on Monday that the girl, whose left-hand thumb was cut off accidentally by a staff nurse at Government Raja Mirasudhar Hospital in Thanjavur, would be monitored every six months and the best possible treatment would be provided to her. Justice N Anand Venkatesh noted a medical report that said the baby would need a lengthening of the thumb, through a reconstructive surgery.

With regard to the interim compensation of Rs 75,000 ordered by the court in the last hearing, the government advocate informed that it would be paid to the baby’s parents within a week. The baby’s father Ganesan had earlier approached the court seeking the same

Reopen schools, say academics, doctors, lawyers and parents

Reopen schools, say academics, doctors, lawyers and parents

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:29.07.2021

Over 50 academicians, including professors from IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and Delhi University, doctors, lawyers and parents from Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka, have written an open letter to CMs of their respective states, presenting a case to reopen schools.

The petitioners have said there may never be a “zero-case scenario” as Covid-19 is here to stay. They said in addition to learning loss, children are facing mental distress, facing reduced development of social skills and losing confidence. Schools have largely remained closed for 16 months, even as scientific evidence is in favour of reopening schools with safety protocols, they added.

Times View: From all accounts, the pandemic isn’t going to disappear in the near future. Senior academics and other experts have raised significant points about reopening of schools which need to be carefully looked into by authorities.

Madras univ awards doctorate posthumously to Lt General

Madras univ awards doctorate posthumously to Lt General

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.07.2021 

University of Madras on Wednesday awarded PhD posthumously to Lt General Subroto Mitra, who did research work on terrorism, security challenges to India and its neighbouring countries. University vice-chancellor S Gowri gave the doctorate degree to Lt General Mitra’s wife Pushpita Mitra, who thanked the institute for the gesture.

On the occassion, Gowri highlighted Mitra’s important research as a field officer. “Subroto Mitra has analysed crossborder terrorism and ways to prevent it in the future in his thesis work. The university takes pride in awarding this degree,” Gowri said.

“Terrorism manifests in different ways. The thesis brought out emerging forms and issues of terrorism including cyber terrorism and Mitra recommended ways on how nations could counter these issues,” said Utham Kumar Jamadhagni, head, department of defence and strategic studies. “A researcher may not have had the exposure Mitra had first-hand when he served in Jammu and Kashmir, northeast India. That is why it is very, significant.”

Mitra registered for PhD with the university in 2013 while serving as General Officer Commanding Andhra Pradesh, TN, Karnataka and Kerala. He passed away in 2015 but had submitted his thesis.

Lawyers can’t argue for days, says apex court

Lawyers can’t argue for days, says apex court

Limits Time For Counsel

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:

The decades long exasperating wait for commoners in labyrinthine queues for justice forced the Supreme Court on Wednesday to take the first step towards allocating strict time schedule, as practiced by the Supreme Courts of the US and the UK, with a warning that violation of time limits would result in automatic indefinite adjournment of hearing.

A bench of Justices Sanjay K Kaul and R S Reddy allotted 30 minutes each to senior advocates A M Singhvi and Arvind Datar appearing for petitioner Yatin Oza, one hour to Gujarat HC counsel Nikhil Goel and 15 mins to a intervenor represented by senior advocate C S Sundaram. Oza has challenged a Gujarat HC decision to strip him of senior advocate designation finding him repeatedly making vituperative comments against judges and the judiciary, The case has been pending for nearly a year before the SC and has reached a stalemate with the Gujarat HC remaining adamant and refusing to reconsider—even with the SC's prodding—its decision to strip Oza of the senior advocate designation. The HC conveyed to the SC that in its June 20 Full Court meeting it has reiterated its decision, refusing to show leniency to Oza.

Preparing the case for final hearing, the bench said it would not permit the counsel for parties to go on arguing for days. "How do we justify the pendency of decades old cases by common citizens and then devoting hours and hours together to hear arguments from senior advocates in current cases? Even in the UK or the US Supreme Courts, we do not think there is any system which permits lawyers to argue for hours together."

Justice Kaul said, "In the US Supreme Court, the counsel are permitted only to cite judgments and not read it. But, here the advocates cite 20 judgements for each proposition and try to make good their argument by reading all 20 judgments." The bench told the counsel that they must choose the best of the judgments suiting their propositions and cite one judgment per proposition.

டாக்டர் கொலை வழக்கு: ஆக., 2ல் தீர்ப்பு

டாக்டர் கொலை வழக்கு: ஆக., 2ல் தீர்ப்பு

Added : ஜூலை 29, 2021 01:44

சென்னை:'டாக்டர் சுப்பையா கொலை வழக்கில், ஆக., 2ல் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கப்படும்' என, சென்னை முதலாவது கூடுதல் அமர்வு நீதிமன்றம் அறிவித்துள்ளது.

கடந்த 2013ம் ஆண்டு செப்., 14ல், சென்னை ஆர்.ஏ.,புரத்தில், நரம்பியல் டாக்டர் சுப்பையா, கூலிப் படையினரால் தாக்கப்பட்டார். தலை, கழுத்து, கை, என, 20க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வெட்டு காயங்களுடன், மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கபட்ட அவர், 23ம் தேதி சிகிச்சை பலனின்றி இறந்தார்.

இந்த வழக்கில், பொன்னுசாமி, மேரி புஷ்பம், பாசில், போரிஸ், வில்லியம், ஏசுராஜன், ஜேம்ஸ் சதீஷ்குமார், முருகன், செல்வப்பிரகாஷ், அய்யப்பன் ஆகிய, 10 பேர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டனர். குற்றம் சாட்டப்பட்ட 10 பேரில், இருவர் வழக்கறிஞர்கள்; இருவர் ஆசிரியர்கள்; ஒருவர் அரசு மருத்துவர்; ஒருவர் இன்ஜனியர். வழக்கு நடந்த காலத்தில் அய்யப்பன், 'அப்ரூவர்' ஆக மாறிவிட்டார்.சென்னை முதலாவது கூடுதல் அமர்வு நீதிமன்றத்தில், 2015 முதல் இந்த வழக்கு விசாரணை நடந்து வருகிறது.

கொரோனா காலத்திலும், இந்த ஒரு வழக்கு மட்டும், நேரடி விசாரணையில் நடந்தது.அரசு தரப்பில் குற்றவியல் வழக்கறிஞர் விஜயராஜ் வாதாடினார். அரசு தரப்பில், 57 சாட்சிகள் விசாரிக்கப்பட்டு, 173 ஆவணங்கள், 42 சான்று பொருட்கள், நீதிமன்றத்தில் தாக்கல் செய்யப் பட்டன.அனைத்து தரப்பு வாதங்களும் முடிந்த நிலையில், ஆக., 2ம் தேதி, வழக்கின் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கப்படும் என, சென்னை முதலாவது கூடுதல் அமர்வு நீதிமன்ற நீதிபதி அல்லி அறிவித்துள்ளார்.

பிரிந்த தம்பதியை 21 ஆண்டுக்குப் பின் சேர்த்து வைத்தது சுப்ரீம்கோர்ட்

பிரிந்த தம்பதியை 21 ஆண்டுக்குப் பின் சேர்த்து வைத்தது சுப்ரீம்கோர்ட்

Updated : ஜூலை 29, 2021 06:05 | Added : ஜூலை 29, 2021 06:04 |

புதுடில்லி : குடும்ப பிரச்னையால் பிரிந்த தம்பதியை 21 ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பின் உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் சேர்த்து வைத்தது.

ஆந்திர மாநிலம் குண்டூர் மாவட்டத்தில் 1998ல் திருமணம் நடந்த தம்பதிக்கு இடையே பிரச்னை ஏறபட்டது. மகன் பிறந்த நிலையில் 2000ம் ஆண்டில் இருவரும் பிரிந்தனர். வரதட்சணை கேட்டு தன்னை கணவனும் மாமியாரும் துன்புறுத்துவதாக கூறி 2001ல் போலீசில் பெண் புகார் செய்தார்.

இந்த வழக்கை விசாரித்த மாவட்ட நீதிமன்றம் கணவனுக்கு ஒரு ஆண்டு சிறையும் அபராதமும் விதித்தது. தனக்கு விதிக்கப்பட்ட தண்டனையை எதிர்த்து கணவன் உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் மேல் முறையீடு செய்தார். வழக்கை விசாரித்த உயர் நீதிமன்றம் கணவனுக்கு விதிக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு ஆண்டு சிறை தண்டனையை ரத்து செய்தது.

இதற்கிடையே விவாகரத்து கோரி மாவட்ட குடும்ப நல நீதிமன்றத்தில் கணவன் வழக்கு தொடர்ந்தார். கணவனுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட சிறை தண்டனை ரத்து செய்யப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்து உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் மனைவியும் மனு தாக்கல் செய்தார். இந்த மனு மீதான விசாரணை தலைமை நீதிபதி என்.வி. ரமணா தலைமையிலான அமர்வு முன் 'வீடியோ கான்பரன்சிங்' வழியாக நடந்தது.அப்போது மனு தாக்கல் செய்த பெண் நீதிபதிகள் முன் ஆஜரானார்.

அவரிடம் நீதிபதிகள் கூறியதாவது: உங்கள் கணவரை சிறையில் அடைப்பதால் உங்களுக்கு என்ன லாபம். சிறையில் அடைக்கப்பட்டால் கணவரின் வேலை பறிபோய்விடும். அதன்பின் அவரால் உங்களுக்கு ஜீவனாம்ச தொகை கூட வழங்க முடியாது. இதற்குப் பதில் கணவரை மன்னித்து சேர்ந்து வாழுங்கள். உங்கள் குழந்தையையும் நன்றாக வளர்க்க முடியும்.இவ்வாறு நீதிபதிகள் கூறினர்.

இதை கேட்ட பெண் மனம் மாறி கணவருக்கு சிறை தண்டனை வழங்க கோரி தாக்கல் செய்த மனுவை திரும்ப பெறுவதாக கூறினார். விசாரணையின் போது ஆஜரான கணவனும் மனைவியை விவாகரத்து செய்ய தொடர்ந்த வழக்கை திரும்ப பெற சம்மதம் தெரிவித்தார். இதையடுத்து 21 ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பின் இருவரும் மீண்டும் இணைந்தனர்.

சேவை செய்யாமல் கட்டணம்: 'கிளினிக்' நடத்தும் டாக்டர்கள் புகார்!

சேவை செய்யாமல் கட்டணம்: 'கிளினிக்' நடத்தும் டாக்டர்கள் புகார்!

Updated : ஜூலை 29, 2021 06:30 | Added : ஜூலை 29, 2021 06:27 

சென்னை : சுற்றுச்சூழல் துறை சார்பில், எவ்வித சேவையும் செய்யாமல், கட்டணம் செலுத்தி அனுமதி பெறும்படி, சிறிய மருத்துவ கிளினிக்குகளை வலியுறுத்துவதாக குற்றச்சாட்டுஎழுந்துள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில், மருத்துவர்கள் சிறிய அறையில், 'கிளினிக்' வைத்து, சிகிச்சை அளித்து வருகின்றனர். மருந்து மட்டும் எழுதி கொடுத்து, அதற்கு கட்டணம் வசூலித்து கொள்கின்றனர்; ஊசி போடுவதில்லை. அ.தி.மு.க., ஆட்சியில், கிளினிக் வைத்திருப்போர் குறித்த விபரம் தெரிய வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக, அவர்கள் அனைவரும், மருத்துவ ஊரக பணிகள் சேவை கழகத்தில் பதிவு செய்து, சான்றிதழ் பெற வேண்டும் என்று உத்தரவிடப்பட்டது.

பதிவு கட்டணம் 5,000 ரூபாய். சான்றிதழ், ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளுக்கு செல்லும். அதை ஏற்று மருத்துவர்கள் முறைப்படி பதிவு செய்தனர். அதன் தொடர்ச்சியாக, 'பதிவு செய்தவர்கள் அனைவரும், மருத்துவக் கழிவுகளை முறையாக சுத்திகரிக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுத்துள்ளதாக, சுற்றுச்சூழல் துறையிடம், தடையில்லா சான்றிதழ் பெற வேண்டும்' என அறிவித்தனர். மருத்துவர்கள், சுற்றுச்சூழல் துறையை அணுகியபோது, அவர்கள் மருத்துவக் கழிவுகளை அழிக்கும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள தனியார் நிறுவனத்திடம், ஒப்பந்தம் போடும்படி அறிவுறுத்தினர்.

அதற்கு, 10 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் கட்டணம். இது தவிர கூடுதலாக, 4,000 ரூபாய் பெற்று, மருத்துவக் கழிவுகளை சேமிக்க, மூன்று குப்பை தொட்டிகளை வழங்கினர். வேறு வழியின்றி மருத்துவர்கள், 2019 டிசம்பரில், 10 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் செலுத்தினர். ஆனால், அந்த நிறுவனம், கடந்த ஆண்டு முழுதும் கழிவுகளை எடுத்து செல்ல வரவில்லை. மாதந்தோறும் வர வேண்டும் என்ற விதியை பின்பற்றவில்லை.

எவ்வித சேவையும் செய்யாமல், இந்த ஆண்டு ஒப்பந்தத்தை புதுப்பிக்கும்படி அந்த நிறுவனம், 'நோட்டீஸ்' அனுப்பி உள்ளது. 'ஒப்பந்தத்தை புதுப்பிக்காவிட்டால், நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்' என்றும் எச்சரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது, மருத்துவர்களை அதிர்ச்சி அடைய வைத்துள்ளது.

இது குறித்து மருத்துவர்கள் கூறியதாவது: சென்னையில் மட்டும், 3,000 கிளினிக்குகள் உள்ளன. தலா, 10 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் என்றால், 3 கோடி ரூபாய் வசூலாகிறது. இப்பணம் யாருக்கு செல்கிறது என்பது தெரியவில்லை. பெரும்பாலான டாக்டர்கள், ஊசி பயன்படுத்துவதே இல்லை. ஆனால், அவர்களும் சான்றிதழ் பெற வேண்டும் என்கின்றனர். எனவே, புதிய அரசு இதற்கு உரிய விதிமுறைகளை வகுக்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

Online classes for UG to begin from August 18: Anna University

Online classes for UG to begin from August 18: Anna University

Anna University, on Wednesday, announced that online classes for under-graduate engineering students from the second year to final year, will begin from August 18.

Published: 29th July 2021 05:27 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Anna University, on Wednesday, announced that online classes for under-graduate engineering students from the second year to final year, will begin from August 18.

A decision was taken after getting permission from the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE). A senior official said that online classes for second, third, and final year students, who are pursuing engineering courses in Anna university, its constituent and affiliated colleges, will resume from August 18.

“The classes will start from August 18 and continue till November 30,” said a senior official of the Higher Education Department. Adding to it, the university has also planned to conduct semester examination from December 2.

The practical exams will start from December 2, while the written examination will begin from December 13. The university also has plans to begin classes for next semester from January 19, next year. At present, the University has four campuses, 13 constituent colleges, three regional campuses in Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Coimbatore, and more than 500 government, government-aided, and self-financing colleges affiliated to it.

Stalin launches free Covid vaccination drive in private hospitals

Stalin launches free Covid vaccination drive in private hospitals

Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a free Covid-19 vaccine drive in private hospitals under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at the Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday.

Published: 29th July 2021 05:34 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a free Covid-19 vaccine drive in private hospitals under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at the Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday. The free vaccine drive through CSR funds will be jointly conducted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and private hospitals. After the launch, Dr S Chandrakumar, Chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu State Council, handed over a cheque for Rs 2.20 crore under CSR funds to the Chief Minister. KT Srinivasa Raja, Managing Director, Adyar Ananda Bhavan, also handed over a `7 lakh cheque to the CM.

According to a press release, the State, till date, has vaccinated 2.15 crore people in private and government institutions. Speaking to the reporters recently, Health Minister Ma Subramanian had said that the State had received `5 crore CSR funds so far. The details of how many vaccines will be provided under CSR funds in a particular hospital will be announced to the public by the hospitals.

This will be monitored by the local administration and the Health Department officials. Many private companies that want to get their employees vaccinated can use the 25 per cent vaccine allotment quota by the Central Government to the private hospitals.

The Union government allotted 75 per cent vaccines quota to the State government and 25 percent to the private hospitals; but, still many private hospitals don’t utilise their allocation fully. So, the State government decided to make use of it and decided to purchase those vaccines through CSR funds and vaccinate the people to achieve more vaccination coverage in Tamil Nadu. The health department held a meeting with the private companies and private hospitals and launched the programme after discussing the plan with them.

Meanwhile, the State received 7,97,080 vaccines on Wednesday, among them were: Covaxin - 2,15,810 doses and Covishield - 5,81,270. Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Bedi Singh, Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital, and other higher officials were also present at the event.