Iran plans 6-day lockdown

Iran plans 6-day lockdown

Tehran:15.08.2021 

Iran says it will impose a six-day-long “general lockdown'' in cities across the country after being hit by what it describes as its fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, state media reported Saturday.

The lockdown includes all bazars, markets and public offices, as well as movie theaters, gyms and restaurants in all Iranian cities. The lockdown will begin on Monday and will last through Saturday.

The national coronavirus taskforce, which issued the decision, also ordered a travel ban between all Iranian cities from Sunday to Friday. Also on Saturday, Iran reported 466 deaths and 29,700 new cases of coronavirus patients in a single day. That brought the total pandemic death toll to 97,208, and total confirmed cases to 4,389,085.

Last week, Iran hit a record in both its single-day death toll and confirmed new cases of COVID-19, with 42,541 new coronavirus cases and a daily death toll of 588. AP

Sydney lockdown extended statewide, fines hiked as Australia faces ‘worst’ Covid episode

Sydney lockdown extended statewide, fines hiked as Australia faces ‘worst’ Covid episode

SYDNEY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Australian police hiked fines for people breaking lockdown rules in Sydney and the rest of its home state on Saturday and strict stay-at-home orders were extended statewide amid a record jump in daily new COVID-19 infections.

State police will fine up to A$5,000 ($3,700) anyone breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Previously breaching quarantine orders had carried a A$1,000 fine.

"We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one. And it's also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in," she told a news conference.

Locally transmitted infections surged by a record 466 over the previous 24 hours, eclipsing the previous daily high of 390 set on Friday. Four deaths were recorded on Saturday, taking the state's total in the latest outbreak to 42.

It is becoming increasingly unlikely Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on Aug. 28 as planned. Authorities had been talking about easing some restrictions if enough people are vaccinated and case numbers fall.

"We will get through this, but September and October are going to be very difficult," Berejiklian said.

"This is literally a war, and we've known we've been in a war for some time, but never to this extent."

Hundreds more defence personnel will be deployed next week to Sydney to help enforce the lockdown, with authorities particularly concerned about the spread of the virus to several regional towns.

A new A$3,000 fine will apply to people entering rural areas without an official permit, while stay-at-home orders were introduced for seven days in regional areas not currently in lockdown.

Weddings and funerals will get a day "grace period" and will be allowed on Sunday, but schools across the state will close, officials said. The head of the Australian Retailers Association, Paul Zahra, said the state-wide lockdown would come as a shock to many regional towns and could cost the economy A$1.5 billion ($1.11 billion) per week.

The permit to enter rural areas will only be granted for certain reasons including authorised work, property inspections or urgent work repairs on a second home. AGENCIES

SLOW AND UNSTEADY: The Delta variant-spurred second wave has hit Australia hard and it is dealing with a delay in vaccine supply. As of August 8, Australia had just over 3 million vaccine doses available, with nearly 10 million people yet to receive even a first dose

Independence Day: When differences between Periyar, Annadurai came to fore

Independence Day: When differences between Periyar, Annadurai came to fore

Most people only remember August 15, 1947 as Independence Day. But it also marked an important shift in Tamil Nadu’s political history.

Published: 15th August 2021 05:11 AM 

File photo of CN Annadurai with Periyar | Express

By S Kumaresan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Most people only remember August 15, 1947 as Independence Day. But it also marked an important shift in Tamil Nadu’s political history. It was the first time differences between Dravida Kazhagam (DK) leader Periyar and his trusted lieutenant CN Annadurai were displayed publicly. Their differences culminated in the formation of the DMK, which now runs the State government.

Archives of various news reports say Periyar, the icon of the Dravidian movement, didn’t want to celebrate Independence Day in 1947 since he believed it would pave the way for permanent domination by the influential Brahmin-Baniya community. The British didn’t heed his demand to create a separate country in the south named ‘Dravida Nadu’, and he appealed to his followers to observe it as a day of mourning.

Annadurai, who was then the general secretary of the DK, openly aired his difference of opinion and appealed for the day to instead be celebrated as ‘Inba Naal, Iniya Naal’. In an article in his magazine Dravida Nadu, he said the aim of the Dravidian movement is to overthrow both the British and the dominance of Brahmins. Since Independence Day means attaining one of the two objectives, it must be celebrated.

He wrote that the Dravidian movement sought freedom from foreign rule, but the Congress was trying to overthrow the British and establish Brahmin rule, and hence, the Congress was to be opposed. He said opposition to the Congress wouldn’t mean support to the British, and reasoned that if the DK didn’t celebrate Independence Day, Congressmen would portray the DK as supporters of the British and hence against independence.

When a large section of DK cadre publicly celebrated the first Independence Day, it became clear that Anna held so much influence among them that they even went against party supremo Periyar’s dictum. The day also helped bring to the roads all Anna’s strong supporters within the DK, and served as a massive public display of his support base.

In the next few months, it appeared that the strain in Periyar and Anna’s relationship had ended, as Anna took part in an anti-Hindi-imposition conference of the DK in Erode in 1948. But Periyar’s decision to marry Maniyammai was the breaking point, and in 1949, Anna formed the DMK, and subsequently in 1956, the party entered electoral politics despite Periyar’s avowed stance against this.

It was widely believed that the large number of DK cadre celebrating the first Independence Day based on Anna’s call gave him the confidence to launch a new party. Suba Veerapandian, general secretary of the Dravida Iyakka Tamilar Peravai, said that both Periyar and Anna opposed the British rule, and while Periyar boycotted the Independence Day celebrations, it wasn’t just him, but even the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Jayaprakash Narayan.

Seventeen nurses of private hospital among four fresh COVID-19 clusters in Chennai

Seventeen nurses of private hospital among four fresh COVID-19 clusters in Chennai

As on Friday, the city had 2007 active cases and of the total 39,537 streets in the city, 1068 had active cases. Of these, 869 streets had less than three cases and 44 had five or more cases.

Published: 14th August 2021 06:08 PM |

A passenger who arrived from Kerala gets her samples collected for a Covid test, at the Central railway station in Chennai on Thursday | Martin Louis

By Nirupama Viswanathan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Chennai city corporation has in the last few days identified four COVID-19 clusters, each with at least 10 cases. One of the latest clusters identified comprises 17 nurses of a private hospital who were all residing at Royapuram. The corporation has initiated containment measures around the three buildings where the staff from various branches of the same private hospital are lodged.

"Since the staff were well acquainted with the protocol, they isolated roommates with symptoms and were also tested every 15 days. Despite their efforts, a group of 17 have tested positive," said a corporation official. The staff are suspected to have picked up the infection at work.

Another cluster identified more recently was an apartment complex in Yogambal Street in Kodambakkam zone.

ALSO READ: Aadi festival sparks Covid cluster of 24 in Chennai, 47-year-old unvaccinated woman dies

"A couple first tested positive earlier this month. One after the other, nine others in the same apartment who were all extended family members of this couple, tested positive," said another official. The apartment's security guard was also among those who tested positive. In addition, an elderly woman in the next building and the security guard there were also found to be COVID positive.

The couple who were the index cases in the cluster are suspected to have contracted the virus from a private hospital which they visited often for treatment.

Earlier, there were two clusters -- one due to a temple gathering at Varadhammal Garden Street in Pulianthope and another apartment complex cluster at Model School Road in Sholinganallur where 23 tested positive.

"Since we now have a well-oiled system to handle emerging clusters and prevent them from spreading, we are determined to prevent an outbreak. We are also at the same time creating awareness and mobilising people for vaccinations," said a corporation official.

As on Friday, the city had 2007 active cases and of the total 39,537 streets in the city, 1068 had active cases. Of these, 869 streets had less than three cases and 44 had five or more cases.

There are 24 streets in the city with over six COVID-19 cases in Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Alandur, Adyar and Sholinganallur.

Uproar in PU after officials defer next phase of Senate polls

Uproar in PU after officials defer next phase of Senate polls

Poviet Kaur

Chandigarh:15.08.2021

Protests were held in Panjab University by various student organisations, former senators and candidates of registered graduates constituency in front of the VC office on Saturday, demanding elections for registered graduates. The varsity had postponed the elections on Friday.

The registered graduates constituency is the biggest in Panjab University with 3,61,869 eligible voters. It was to go to polls next. D P S Randhawa, one of the contestants from registered graduates constituency said, “This decision has been taken deliberately as they were doing in the past. The administration never wants democracy to prevail on campus and now they have found a way of not conducting polls, but we are not going to back off. We will make sure we get the date for polling.”

According to a notice issued, 272 polling booths had to be set up in seven states and UTs, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Uttarakhand and Delhi failed to give permission for the elections, which were to be held on Friday, necessitating a postponement. As per the notice, even Haryana, which is supposed to have 29 booths, has lapsed on giving permission for at least seven booths, stating they are being used for Haryana Staff Selection Examinations at present. Punjab too, in a letter dated August 10, has reportedly communicated to the varsity that “the schools have opened only a few days ago and senate elections happen to be on a working day” while requesting the varsity to either choose alternative dates or reschedule the polls for a holiday.

“Therefore, due to circumstances stated above, which are beyond the control of the university, competent authority has ordered to postpone, for the time being, the election of registered graduate constituency,” the notice read. Mritunjay, the PUTA president said, “The administration must be knowing the issue from last15-20 days but they issued the notice last night, which clearly shows how irresponsible they are and how they want the democratic system to shut down in the university.”

Protest being held in PU against postponement of elections

If they don’t respond to us then we are left with the only choice that is taking them to the court. We want democracy which treats everyone equally but they put dictatorship rule and it will not work

ASHOK GOYAL

Former senator

Student sends threat mails to Mumbai University over results, let off with warning

Student sends threat mails to Mumbai University over results, let off with warning

A probe began after MU officials approached BKC police station informing about these mails that had been sent on July 9 and 10.

Published: 14th August 2021 08:26 PM |

By PTI

MUMBAI: A student was held and let off with a warning after he sent multiple e-mails threatening to blow up the Mumbai University campus in Kalina here if it did not declare the results of BA, B.COM and B.

Sc courses quickly, police said on Saturday.

A probe began after MU officials approached BKC police station informing about these mails that had been sent on July 9 and 10, an official said.

"We zeroed in on the IP address from which the mails were sent and nabbed the student behind it. Since the mails were part of a prank and nothing suspicious was found, and also looking at the affect it could have had on his academic career, we let him off with a warning," the official informed.

Air India to operate three flights a week from Kochi to London from August 22

Air India to operate three flights a week from Kochi to London from August 22

As the United Kingdom has included India in the Amber list, passengers have to undergo three Covid tests

Published: 14th August 2021 01:38 PM 

By Express News Service

KOCHI: Bringing cheers to the expat community, Air India has decided to operate three flights a week in the Kochi-London sector from August 22. Air India had on August 7 announced the launch of the London Heathrow-Kochi service from August 18. Considering the positive response from the expat community, the national carrier decided to increase the frequency of services to London.

As per the current schedule, Air India will launch the service to London Heathrow airport on August 18. Flight number AI 150/149 will arrive in Kochi at 03.45 am on Wednesday and depart at 05.50 am for Heathrow. Two more services will be launched from August 22 raising the total weekly operations to three.

The new schedule will stimulate the aviation as well as tourism sectors, said Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) managing director S Suhas. "This is the highest number of flight services that have been scheduled in this sector in the history of CIAL. It will provide a shot in the arm for the efforts taken by the state government and CIAL to establish frequent connectivity to Europe,” he said.

As per the new schedule, Air India will operate services to London on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The flight will take 10 hours to reach the destination. CIAL has waived parking and landing fees for airlines operating in the European sector as part of its persistent effort to improve global connectivity.

As the United Kingdom has included India in the Amber list, passengers have to undergo three Covid tests. The first should be taken three days prior to departure and the second on the day of arrival or before Day 2. The third test should be taken on or after Day 8. Home quarantine for 10 days is mandatory on arrival in the UK. For UK nationals who are fully vaccinated, neither quarantine nor the Day 8 test is required. People who have been fully vaccinated in the United States or European countries will not need to quarantine.

Kumbh Covid test fraud: Report points to officials’ role

Kumbh Covid test fraud: Report points to officials’ role

MS Nawaz TNN

Haridwar:15.08.2021

Delayed by a month and a half, the report of the three-member committee to investigate how close to one lakh fake Covid test results popped up during the Maha Kumbh in Haridwar was finally submitted to the Haridwar district magistrate on Saturday. The 2,400-page report, sources said, speaks of the “role” played by the Kumbh Mela health department and district health officials who were responsible for supervising Covid tests conducted during the congregation.

A district administration source told TOI, “The role of Mela health department and district health department has surfaced in the scam. It was a well-planned conspiracy which could have been stopped had the departments done what they should have.” TOI had earlier reported that the Special Investigation Team probing the scam was looking into the role Haridwar chief medical officer Dr SK Jha may have played. It was under his watch that the “fake” tests were conducted by the agencies.

MP med varsity VC steps down on eve of HC hearing

MP med varsity VC steps down on eve of HC hearing

Siddharth Pandey

Jabalpur: 15.08.2021

Amid allegations of irregularities and delay in examinations at the Madhya Pradesh Medical Sciences University, its vice-chancellor, Dr T N Dubey, resigned on Saturday.

On Monday, the MP high court is due to hear several petitions related to irregularities at the university.

Dubey told TOI that he resigned due to personal reasons since he “wasn’t able to give time to his patients despite being a doctor”.

Dubey was appointed vice-chancellor in January 2020. Controversy has dogged the university ever since. An IT firm, against whom an FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by Agra Medical University, was appointed to conduct examinations and prepare marksheets of students.

The firm was accused of irregularities in exam results, allegedly passing failed students and even those who hadn’t attended the examinations, leading to its suspension. It has moved HC against the suspension.

The VC also faced allegations of being irregular at the university and spending most of the week in Bhopal. There was criticism over delays in examinations.

After his resignation, Dubey told TOI, “I am a neurosurgeon and was not able to give time to my patients due to these responsibilities. Being a doctor, my first priority are my patients. It is for these personal reasons that I resigned. Besides, I had to travel between Bhopal and Jabalpur on a regular basis.”

Engg grads can get second degree in another branch in 2 years: AICTE

Engg grads can get second degree in another branch in 2 years: AICTE

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15.08.2021

Engineering graduates of one stream brooding over lack of jobs and cursing themselves for not choosing some other specialization may be a thing of the past as the All India Council for Technical has now decided to allow engineering graduates to complete a second engineering degree in a different discipline in two or three years under lateral entry system.

The council has asked all technical universities and institutions to make necessary changes to its statutes to implement the decision. “AICTE is receiving requests from students regarding admission in B Tech as an additional degree through lateral entry, ” the AICTE said in its circular sent to vice-chancellor of technical universities and directors/principals of AICTE approved institutions. “It is informed that the proposal was placed before the AICTE executive committee (EC) on its 144th meeting held on July 13 and the EC opined that technical universities can facilitate such students to take admissions to BTech/BE by allowing them to get admissions at appropriate level of BTech programme in another discipline or branch of engineering,” the circular said.

“Executive committee approved the exemption from pursuing courses already done in the first discipline of B Tech programme and students can be appropriately guided to complete their requirements of the second discipline. As there is a practical component involved, students will be required to take admission in an institution or college as a regular student and the concerned university will ensure this and make necessary provision in their statutes accordingly.

The EC further approved the duration for completing additional degree to be two years to three years without compromising credit requirements in core discipline and attainment of learning outcomes of the new programme. In view of the above, you may take necessary changes in your statute and take appropriate decisions in this regard,” said Dileep N Malkhede, advisor-I, Policy and Academic Planning Bureau , AICTE.

Anna University vicechancellor R Velraj welcomed the move and said it would help the students who cannot get jobs after their degree. “They can study the branches in which they are interested in the second attempt. We will discuss it in our academic bodies and implement it,” he said.

LATERAL ENTRY SCHEME

Engineering courses will come in more exciting combos, say experts

Engineering courses will come in more exciting combos, say experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: 15.08.2021

From clubbing tech-rich courses with traditional engineering streams to combining engineering with medicine, accounting and more, experts say students have great opportunities ahead of them.

Domain experts discussed the vast possibilities during a webinar held on Friday to support engineering aspirants from class 12, who are in the last leg of Karnataka CET preparations.

With the exam nearing (on August 28 and 29) Presidency University in association with The Times of India and Vijay Karnataka organised webinars and a CET Prepmaster mock test on Saturday.

Supriyo Guharoy, director, Presidency University, said: “Computer science will be a key driver in the digital age. However, even traditional courses are seeing new domains. It is an exciting time for an engineering graduate.”

Prof S Sadagopan, ex-director, IIIT Bangalore, agreed with Guharoy and added that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have begun playing a crucial role and will impact not just every engineering branch, but every other human endeavour. “Be it hospitality, medicine, journalism, or management, every field will be impacted by AI and ML,” he said.

“The reimagining of engineering for 21st century in India will go beyond engineering; it will be engineering with law, financial accounting, medicine and much more,” he added.

Guharoy said there is a healthy race between universities and colleges to provide professional and industry exposure to students and curriculums are being tailored to suit industry expectations. “Students, meanwhile, must get into the groove and change their grade-focused mindset. They must relearn, enhance their experiential learning, adopt critical thinking, self-learning and think out of the box,” he said.

Young medicos keep hearts in rural Gujarat beating

Young medicos keep hearts in rural Gujarat beating

Start Drive To Equip PHCs With Digital ECG Units

Prashant.Rupera@timesgroup.com

Vadodara/Anand:  15.08.2021

A 42-yearold patient who was attending a screening camp at Bamangaam Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Anklav taluka in Anand district had no idea that he was suffering from chest pain and breathlessness due to a life-threatening heart attack. The patient was immediately rushed for cardiac treatment at GMERS Medical College and Hospital at Gotri in Vadodara.

Patients like him are getting much needed help through a project — CardioGram — that aims at improving cardiovascular healthcare delivery at rural PHCs across the country.

A group of young interns and junior doctors have started the pilot project in Anand which will be showcased as a model district before it is scaled up to state and national level where each PHC is equipped with digital electrocardiogram (ECG) machines.

After installing the first digital ECG machine at Bamangaam PHC in Anklav taluka, the group is set to equip three other PHCs in Anand and two in New Delhi with digital ECG machines next month.

“Our target is to install 250 digital ECG machines in five states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Assam within the next six months,” said Dr Priyansh Shah, founder and president of World Youth Heart Federation (WYHF) — a youth led non-profit social enterprise that has launched the project.

“After establishing the model district of Anand, we will expand to over 24,000 rural PHCs of the country. Gujarat itself has1,500 rural PHCs which will be the next milestone,” he said.

Like Priyansh, Dr Adnan Vohra and Dr Nidhi Shah — all intern doctors at state-run SSG Hospital in Vadodara are volunteering for the project with a team comprising Dr Pankti Shah, Dr Harshraj Vaghela, Dr Priyal Thakkar, Dr Keshav Shah, Dr Smit Shah, Dr Devarsh Shah and Dr Dhrumil Patil.

Nationally, the group has 600 volunteers of interns and junior doctors in 58 cities. Initially, the group is using its own funds but plans to scale up the initiative with a hyper-local model involving local businessmen and community leaders.

WYHF has already trained healthcare workers at three PHCs and one community health centre in Anklav. “It was during the screening camp at Bamangaam during which we found that six patients out of 71 needed treatment at higher centres. Three of the six patients were asymptomatic. It was only because of the digital ECGs that the problem was identified,” Shah added.

Deployment of ECG machines at PHC will help in diagnosing many more such cases and in turn save thousands of lives, he said. Companies manufacturing digital ECG machines have their own mobile applications through which sending digital ECGs to cardiologists becomes easy.

The only man whose photo hangs inside the Lok Sabha

PEOPLE WHO SHAPED PARLIAMENT

The only man whose photo hangs inside the Lok Sabha

Chakshu Roy

15.08.2021

In August of 1925, there was excitement in Simla. Members of the legislative assembly were in town to participate in the session of the national legislature. The session’s highlight was the election for the presiding officer of the assembly. The Government of India Act of 1919 had set up the 141-member assembly and appointed its first presiding officer (the President which is the equivalent of the modernday Speaker) for a four-year term. For the first time, there was going to be an election for the position of President.

The candidate opposing the government nominee was Vithalbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, the elder brother of Vallabhbhai Patel. He was a lawyer who had frustrated the government with his interventions in provincial and national legislatures. In a closely contested election, Vithalbhai won with a margin of two votes a month before his 52nd birthday. Over the next five years, he would lay the foundation on which legislatures in India would function and flourish after independence.

When he assumed office, President Patel continued wearing his usual dress of khadi and dhoti. His biographer recounts that he went ahead with the parliamentary tradition of wearing a wig and a robe but made of khadi. His robe was fashioned out of a black khadi silk saree presented by Sarojini Naidu. The first task before Vithalbhai was to secure respect for the office of the presiding officer.

The prevailing tradition was that when the Viceroy came to deliver his annual address to the legislature, the presiding officer vacated the chair and sat with the assembly members. The implication being that even in the legislature, the Viceroy was supreme. Vithalbhai put an end to this practice, and at the following annual address, he conducted the Viceroy to a dais and kept his chair.

He also ensured that assembly members had an adequate opportunity to hold the government to account. In his five-year tenure, he allowed discussion of 20-plus adjournment motions. He would also brook no disrespect of the legislature. When the Commander in Chief was absent from the House during a debate on his speech, Vithalbhai observed that it was highly discourteous to the House, prompting the commander to explain his absence to Vithalbhai.

In the President’s chair, Vithalbhai was unbiased and upheld parliamentary conventions. His ruling on the government’s repressive Public Safety bill (which gave the government power to detain suspects without trial) is one such example. When the first bill came up in the assembly, there was an equality of votes. President Patel had the casting vote, and he exercised it to defeat the bill. He followed the parliamentary tradition that the presiding officer vote to favour the status quo.

Smarting from the defeat, the government again brought the bill to the assembly. This time a member objected that the government had filed cases against 31 individuals and discussing cases pending before the court was not permissible under the rules. Vithalbhai ruled that discussion on the bill would violate the sub judice rule, and he could not allow such a violation. The venue for these discussions was the current Lok Sabha chamber.

Bhagat Singh expressed public resentment about this bill by throwing two bombs from the visitor’s gallery into the assembly chamber. After this incident, without consulting President Patel, the government made security arrangements in the assembly complex. Vithalbhai believed that whatever happened in the precincts of the assembly should be done with the approval of the presiding officer.

The deadlock and subsequent conversations on this issue between President Patel and the Viceroy led to the Watch and Ward service, which transformed into the Parliament Security Service. Vithalbhai was also instrumental in setting up the independent parliamentary secretariat. He believed that an independent and impartial administration responsible to the presiding officer was a requirement for the functioning of the legislature.

When Vithalbhai became the president of the central assembly, he declared, “From this moment I cease to be a party man. I belong to no party. I belong to all parties.” His is the only portrait that adorns the Lok Sabha chamber facing the chair of the Speaker. His presence should constantly remind our parliamentarians about their responsibility to the constitution and people.

Roy is head of outreach PRS Legislative Research

From this moment on, I belong to no party. I belong to all parties

— VITHALBHAI PATEL

After being elected first president of the central legislative assembly

Most docs with disabilities denied seats in AIIMS

Most docs with disabilities denied seats in AIIMS

Handful Who’ve Got Admission Were Mostly Given Non-clinical Subjects Which Have Few Takers

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

15.08.2021

Year after year, the bulk of MBBS doctors with disabilities who clear the post graduate entrance exam for seven All India Institutes of Medical Sciences including the one in Delhi are denied admission. Barely 0.4% of seats over the last three years have been given to them despite the disability rights law of 2016 stipulating a 5% reservation.

Even the handful who have got admission were mostly given non-clinical subjects which have few takers. Out of over 4,000 PG seats in the various AIIMS from 2018 onwards, 200 should have gone to those with disabilities if the 5% quota was implemented. Instead, 17 have been given to them.

From 2021 onwards, the combined entrance exam, Institutes of National Importance Common Entrance Test (INICET) is also for admission to PGI Chandigarh, Jipmer Pondicherry and Nimhans Bangalore.

The seat matrix for January 2021 INCET shows that 27 seats were reserved for persons with disabilities out of a total of 684 PG seats in all seven AIIMS combined, barely 4%. Though 38 doctors with disabilities are shown in the list of candidates who qualified, not a single one was allotted a seat. In the July 2021 INICET, out of 536 PG seats in all the AIIMS, 26 have been reserved for doctors with disabilities but in the mock round of allotment, not a single seat has been allotted. The results of the next round will be out on August 16 and the remaining rounds will be completed within 30 days after that.

“As per current data, a total of 35 persons with benchmark disabilities (PWBD) candidates have qualified for seat allocation. Seventeen out of 31 opted for AIIMS as first preference and 15 opted for AIIMS as second preference. In the mock round, the choices filled by the candidates were not available at AIIMS and hence no seat was allocated at AIIMS. This may change in the subsequent rounds,” said Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, Delhi. However, a candidate with disability said that usually, there wasn’t much change from the mock allotment.

Dr Guleria added that allotment depended on the order of merit of the candidates and preferences filled by them and that they were allocated the highest available seat from among their preferences according to order of merit.

“Unlike seats reserved for OBC, SC and ST, which are shown branch or specialty wise in the seat matrix issued, for doctors with disabilities, they just give the total number of seats without a break up of which specialties these seats are available in. So, candidates with disabilities are forced to choose blindly not knowing what specialties are open to them. This is the reason for such a huge number of candidates being rejected on the basis of FCNA or filled choice not available,” said a doctor with disability.

Full report on www.toi.in

Out of over 4,000 PG seats in the various AIIMS from 2018 onwards, 200 should have gone to those with disabilities if the 5% quota was implemented. Instead, 17 have been given to them

Chargesheet against Siva Sankar Baba 350 pages long

Chargesheet against Siva Sankar Baba 350 pages long

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.08.2021

The CB-CID on Friday filed a 350-page chargesheet in the Chengalpet court against Siva Sankar Baba, the founder of Kelambakkam-based Sushil Hari International school arrested in June for sexually assaulting several students. Three other teachers of the institution were arrested in the same case.

Police have included evidence of at least 30 students in the chargesheet that was filed on the 59th day, when the remand period for Siva Sankar Baba ended. A copy of the chargesheet is set to be issued to Siva Sankar Baba when he is produced before the magistrate on Monday. The trial is expected to begin soon.

The Mamallapuram allwomen police, based on three complaints, booked Siva Sankar Baba on June12 and the case was transferred to the CB-CID on June 13. Police arrested Baba from a lodge at Chittaranjan Park in Delhi on June16. Even as he was in judicial remand, two more Pocso cases were slapped against him in July and the first week of August. While his bail pleas were repeatedly rejected, he approached the Madras high court seeking intervention.

Paddy seed sharing fest in Tiruvarur

Paddy seed sharing fest in Tiruvarur

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

15.08.2021

A day-long seed sharing festival was organised by “save our rice campaign” at Tiruvarur on Saturday as part of the annual traditional paddy festival. Farmers were provided with free seeds of native paddy breeds. The festival was not held due to the pandemic last year. Presiding over the event, professor P Duraisingam, chairman of Create (Consumer, Research, Education, Action, Training and Empowerment) – save our rice campaign, said paddy festivals played an important role in retrieving indigenous varieties. “Mappillai Samba and Karuppu Kouni traditional paddy breeds have high medicinal value and are resistant to pests and diseases too. This has encouraged many to cultivate the varieties though the yield is a little less compared to other breeds,” Duraisingam added.

BY INVITATION

Why the govt shouldn’t decide what you pay for an air ticket

PRANAY KOTASTHANE

15.08.2021

Have you tried booking domestic flights recently? If yes, you would have noticed a strange and unpleasant phenomenon. Not only are the ticket prices high across the board, but all airlines seem to be charging the same high price.

You would have shrugged this occurrence off by blaming the government for raising taxes on fuel, and shelled out the ticket money anyway. Well, you are halfright. Indeed a government policy underlies the high ticket prices but it’s not the one you think. Turns out, a few restrictions that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had imposed since May last year, are still in place. These restrictions are playing havoc with the consumers, airlines, and airports. Here’s how.

Airline ticket prices in normal circumstances are determined by demand and supply considerations. The price broadly reflects the scarcity of the seat you occupy. That’s why you would have encountered significantly higher prices closer to the travel date when fewer seats are available. This pricing situation changed in the wake of the first wave of Covid when the Union government started intervening in both the pricing and capacity of airlines. Specifically, the government put three restrictions in place.

One, it puts a cap on the total capacity that airlines can deploy. Note, this didn’t mean a restriction on the number of passengers in a flight but a restriction in terms of the total number of flights that an airline can operate. Initially, in May 2020, airlines were allowed to operate only up to 33% of their total pre-pandemic flights. This restriction stands at 72.5% as of today. The stated intent of this capacity restriction was to discourage discretionary travel.

Two, the Ministry of Civil Aviation imposed a maximum and minimum ceiling on the ticket price depending on sector and travel time. This was apparently done to protect consumer interest so that airlines don’t overcharge to compensate for capacity restrictions.

This is where it gets even more interesting. The ministry has also imposed a floor on the ticket price meaning that tickets can’t be sold below a particular price, even if the airlines wished to do so! The stated intent of this restriction is to protect financially weaker and smaller airlines.

Now let’s try to anticipate the unintended consequences of this bizarre policy. What began as a Covid-19 emergency measure to discourage travel has taken the shape of a hydra-headed policy aiming to solve many problems at the same time.

An unintended consequence of government intervention that public policy analysts watch out for is rent-seeking. Rent-seekers often distort government policies to serve their interests. And that’s what seems to be the real reason behind these three-fold restrictions. The capacity restrictions and price floors appear to be a clientelist policy to clip the wings of the larger players in the market and give breathing space to the financially weaker airlines.

Next, public policy analysis differentiates probusiness policies from pro-market ones. The former means aiding specific companies while the latter means ensuring fair competition. Intervening in the pricing structure and operational capacity of a sector is clearly a pro-business, anti-market policy. We should be worried for three reasons.

First, the direct cost is being borne by the consumer — ticket prices of most airlines have conveniently settled to just below the price ceiling regardless of how early you book your tickets. Moreover, these restrictions are sure to further damage the fiscal position of Air India, which already incurs nearly Rs 20 crore loss per day. In the end, it’s all of us who will end up shouldering this burden in the form of higher taxes. Second, these restrictions have established a precedent for the government to intervene in the interests of “financially weaker” players, even at the expense of the consumer. Today, the government wants to protect weaker airlines; tomorrow it might extend its “protection” to weaker players in other sectors.

Three, these restrictions are preventing an already beleaguered sector from bouncing back. Not just airlines but airports are also facing higher losses due to lower footfalls. Airport Council International, a global trade body, calculated a $129 billion loss in 2020 and an estimated $108 billion loss in 2021. There are job losses across the globe in this sector. In an already dire situation, government restrictions are further depressing the recovery of the air travel sector in India.

Going ahead, the government’s primary responsibility should only be to ensure that airlines and airports don’t cause further spread of the virus. Given the wider availability of testing and vaccination, this goal can be achieved by mandating Covid-19 detection test results and fully vaccinated certificates for air travel. Price bands and capacity caps do not serve this purpose. These restrictions should be rolled back right away.

Kotasthane is deputy director at the Takshashila Institution. Views are personal.

UGC grants Balaji Vidyapeeth in Pondy new status

UGC grants Balaji Vidyapeeth in Pondy new status

Puducherry:  15.08.2021

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has granted ‘12 B’ status of the UGC Act, 1956, to Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, a deemed university in the Union territory of Puducherry. The status is mandatory for any institution to receive funds from the Centre and major funding agencies. “Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth will be now able to receive central grants in pursuit of excellence in research in fundamental and translational health sciences," university vice-chancellor S C Parija. TNN

Air traffic up, so are fares on most routes from city

Air traffic up, so are fares on most routes from city

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.08.2021

The number of domestic flights must be increasing as life is returning to normal, but the fares remain high on most of the routes from Chennai.

The one way fare remains high for travel in the coming week including for the weekend for a week's advance booking.

Air fare on domestic routes have increased for travel on next Thursday as it's an extended weekend as Friday is a holiday. This is the first time air fares are up for an extended weekend from the city. Chennai-Mumbai one-way tickets sell at ₹5,800 to ₹6,000 while a ticket to Delhi sells at more than ₹7,000. One way fare is ₹5,000 to Kolkata. Air fares are more than ₹6,000 for small towns like Goa, Ranchi, Jaipur, Mysuru, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Airlines used to charge this range of fares for one or two day's advance booking.

The number of flights have increased at Chennai airport. So have the passengers. The airport now handles 80 departures and 80 arrivals per day with more than 10,000 people departing everyday.

An airport official said that the flights are more because people have started to travel for business and leisure. "The government's move to allow people to travel inter-state with vaccination certificates will lead to a boom. None of the flights are going empty as it used to be before. The loads have increased in recent days."

Nevertheless, the passengers are not able to enjoy the benefits as the airlines keep their starting fares high.

Basheer Ahmed of Chennai Metro Travels said that airlines continue to keep the fare high. "This is affecting people flying abroad via Mumbai or Delhi as the domestic leg is expensive," he added. It looks like the air fares are set to remain high for weeks as airlines have suffered losses during the pandemic.

Mohan Chandramouli a former Air India official said, "The number of flights must be increasing but the numbers are far lower than what it used to be in the pre-Covid days. The airlines have been incurring expenses for maintenance of aircraft, periodic changing of parts, fees for leasing, cost of staff and others even if planes are not being operated. The air fare is kept high to get the maximum revenue."

Payment Of Gratuity Act - No Retrospective Effect For 2010 Amendment Enhancing Gratuity Upper Limit As Rs 10 Lakhs : Supreme Court

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ARCHITECTURE COURSE IS ABOUT TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY

MISSION ADMISSION

ARCHITECTURE COURSE IS ABOUT TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY

The Course Would Demand Creativity, Logic & Observations Among Other Skills While Giving Diverse Opportunities, Say Experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:  14.08.2021

Architecture is about understanding and enjoying how we want to live and studying an architecture course would open up diverse opportunities for those who are passionate about it, said experts at the webinar held as part of Mission Admission by The Times of India on Friday. The session, which shed light on architecture course and the profession, was powered by Saveetha College of Architecture and Design, Chennai.

Dean of Saveetha College of Architecture and Design Durganand Balsavar said architecture is an interdisciplinary course that demands a lot of creativity, scientific logic and observations among many other skills. He said that the course, which is a combination of art and science, is diverse enough to give opportunities.

“Architecture is more about opening the mind to ideas and thoughts than about blueprints and buildings. Architecture course is a hands-on experience where students will have to work with clay or brick and digital techniques too. It is a combination of futuristic technologies as well as techniques that were prevalent since the time of Mohenjo-daro,” he said.

Noted architect Eugene Pandala said if someone wants to excel in the subject having aptitude is not enough but attitude also matters. “If you enjoy doing creative works, it will be an ideal option. It gives you an opportunity to make your dreams come true. An architecture student should be able to put his dreams into paper and visualize it,” he said.

Kasthurba AK, who heads the department of architecture & planning at NIT-C, said that ‘unlike other engineering professions, an architecture student will be well-equipped with all necessary skill sets they would need. They can take-off right away after completing the course’.

NEET Aspirant seeks age relaxation: Delhi HC directs to challenge Regulations on Graduate Medical Education

NEET Aspirant seeks age relaxation: Delhi HC directs to challenge Regulations on Graduate Medical Education: New Delhi: While listening to a plea by a minor NEET candidate, the Delhi High Court has directed the petitioner student to withdraw his plea and challenge the Regulation 4.1 of the Regulations...

Covid test trouble: Air India Express takes Dubai fliers from Tiruchy to Sharjah

Covid test trouble: Air India Express takes Dubai fliers from Tiruchy to Sharjah

Passengers wait seven hours as airline refuses to accept results of Tiruchy airport’s Covid Rapid PCR tests, claiming they do not meet Dubai’s requirements

Published: 13th August 2021 05:41 AM |

Covid norms go for a toss as people wait at an RT-PCR laboratory at Chennai International Airport on Thursday. (Photo | Martin Louis/EPS)

By Jose K Joseph

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: The Air India Express’ (AIE) decision to divert its Dubai-bound flight carrying 134 passengers to Sharjah on Thursday, saying that the Dubai airport authorities were not ready to accept the Rapid PCR tests taken at the Tiruchy airport, led to tense moments and arguments at the airport.

The Dubai flight, which was scheduled to take off at 9.25 am from the Tiruchy airport, had to wait for seven hours, before the airlines finally decided to take the passengers to Sharjah instead of Dubai.

With several European and West Asian countries now insisting on a Rapid-PCR test result taken just hours before departure, the Tiruchy airport recently started the facility to help passengers.

However, passengers waiting for the Dubai flight were in for a shock on Thursday when AIE informed them that the Dubai airport was not ready to accept the test reports taken at the Tiruchy airport.

The take-off got delayed for several hours owing to the confusion and passengers were stressed when the airline was still not able to come up with a solution.

Some of the passengers were seen getting into heated arguments with the airline staff.

According to sources, the Tiruchy airport has only one machine, like what had been specified by the Dubai authorities, and most of test results were coming from other machines.

So, the AIE was hesitant to accept the results, fearing they might be rejected on reaching the destination.

“Dubai airport has specifically mentioned a particular machine for the Rapid PCR test at airports in India. The lab at Tiruchy airport has only one such machine. Therefore, the airline was forced to divert the flight to Sharjah. The airline took up the matter with Dubai and we got the approval for all the machines that Tiruchy is currently using,” said the Air India Express chief of corporate communications.

Meanwhile, Tiruchy Airport director S Dharmaraj dismissed the allegation that the airport did not have the facilities specified for passengers heading to Dubai.

“We are already providing the facility as per the requirement. In fact, IndiGo operated a Dubai flight with the same facility from Tiruchy on Thursday evening. IndiGo’s Dubai flight with 160 passengers took off at 5:34 pm,” he said.

TN govt bites the bullet: Petrol price reduced by Rs 3/litre, exchequer expected to lose Rs 1,160 crore a year

TN govt bites the bullet: Petrol price reduced by Rs 3/litre, exchequer expected to lose Rs 1,160 crore a year

TN becomes the first State to slash tax on petrol and make it Rs 3 cheaper at a cost of Rs 1,160 crore; reveals Rs 1K aid meant for women of poor families

Published: 14th August 2021 05:00 AM 

By T Muruganandham

Express News Service

CHENNAI: When the DMK government fulfilled its promise of reducing the effective rate of tax on petrol by Rs 3 per litre, Tamil Nadu became the first State to do so in 2021. As the State exchequer faces a fall in revenues, the move will result in a loss of revenue of Rs 1,160 crore a year.

“The tax reduction is being done on the instruction of Chief Minister MK Stalin,” said Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Friday while presenting the first Budget of a DMK government under Stalin.

Clearly, Thiaga Rajan has attempted a balancing act, amid the rising fiscal troubles on one side and DMK’s poll promises on the other. Despite the anticipation created by the White paper on the State’s finances, there were no tax or price hikes.

On the poll promise of Rs 1,000 financial honorarium for women of each household, it was revealed for the first time that the scheme is only for the poor, and hence a mechanism will be introduced to identify eligible ration card holders.

Rajan said the DMK government will again submit a Budget six months from now. He promised that the new Budget would deal with reform measures that will go a long way in stabilising the financial position of the State, adding that he was forced to stay away due to the pandemic. So, the March 2022 Budget might have more to look out for.

The finance minister delivered many messages. One of them is the nerve to stand for principles of federalism. Rarely do State finance ministers announce a council to frame a model to tell the Union government what federal fiscal model it should follow. Rajan did that, and citing a CAG report, openly accused the Union government of failing to spend the cess collected for the purpose it was meant for.

Tamil pride is another cornerstone of the Dravidian movement, and that too was not missed. There was a special attention given to archaeological excavations and other allocations towards Tamil language development.

An assuring undercurrent in the finance minister’s speech was the push towards greater transparency in governance. Many of the promises reflected the idea of using technology towards transparency and to quantify the results of governance. A dedicated e-portal for all procurements by the State government was one such.

Net public debt this year to finish at Rs 98,392 crore?

The revised Budget, with its higher estimated shortfall in revenue receipts, now expects the net public debt this year to end at Rs 98,392.4 crore. As mentioned already, this increase in debt is being driven primarily by the higher shortfall now estimated in revenue receipts — both in terms of tax and non-tax revenues and in the state’s share of the Central taxes.

While the new revenue estimate for FY22 (Rs 2.024 lakh crore) is higher than the revised estimates for FY21 (by around 12%), it is not as high as the 21% increase estimated in the interim Budget. In terms of total estimated expenditure, the interim and revised budgets do not differ by much. Revenue expenditure is now estimated at Rs 2.61 lakh crore against the interim budget’s Rs 2.60 lakh crore, and capital expenditure is expected to be lower, at Rs 42,181 crore against Rs 43,170 crore.

More interesting, however, are the changes made to individual heads vis-a-vis the interim Budget. For instance, on the revenue side, the decision to reduce petrol cess by Rs 3 per litre will result in a loss of revenue worth Rs 1,163 crore.

But, while politically significant, this is a small change in the larger scheme of things. State GST collections are budgeted to be lower than the interim Budget by Rs 3,095 crore; stamps and registration fee collections lower by Rs 1,626 crore; state excise lower by Rs 844 crore; sales tax by 3,272 crore; and interest payment receipts by Rs 1,009 crore.

What to expect

■ Land bank of 45,000 acres to be created in five years, with focus on industrially backward districts

■ Policy for ‘Life Sciences - Research and Development and Manufacturing’ to be released

■ Govt to appoint high-level committee of educationists & experts to formulate State Education Policy

■ 17,980 MW of power-generation capacity to be added through own generating stations in 10 years

■ Chennai City Partnership Programme to be launched with help from World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

■ TN Climate Change Mission to be launched with an outlay of Rs 500 crore

■ Smart metering for all public utilities. E-procurement to be adopted across all procuring entities