CoWin vax certificate foolproof, has all details, say govt officials

CoWin vax certificate foolproof, has all details, say govt officials

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:23.09.2021

The Covid vaccination certificate generated through CoWin is “foolproof ” and linked to the level of the vaccination centre with information validated on the system, top government officials said. Responding to reports that the UK has raised doubts over vaccination certificates, even as it reviewed its order not to recognise Covishieldvaccinated persons, officials said India's digital platform has proved itself. In a recent press conference, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said the Centre and states have "line data" on those vaccinated, down to names, telephone numbers and addresses.

While reports on the UK's alleged misgivings did the rounds, National Health Authority chief executive R S Sharma, who also heads the CoWin team, said he was unaware of any queries over data. “I am not aware of any concern being raised by any of their (UK) officials over Covid vaccine certificate generated by CoWin. It is an absolutely foolproof certificate with each and every information validated on the system,” Sharma told TOI.

The UK on Wednesday added Covishield to its list of approved Covid jabs for travel to the country. However, confusion persisted as despite recognising Covishield – which accounts for around 88% of the total immunisation in India -- it is not yet on the approved list of 17 countries.

The CoWin system captures the batch number of the vaccine administered to any particular individual, name of the vaccinator, date and time of vaccination along with recipients details. "Few countries have this kind of a robust system," said another senior government official.

In its revised guidelines, UK said formulations of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, including Covishield, would qualify as approved vaccines. It said a traveller must have had a complete course of the approved vaccine at least 14 days before arriving.

The development comes days after India raised strong objections to the non-recognition of Covishield, manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India, by the UK. India called it a “discriminatory policy” that impacted Indian citizens wishing to travel to the UK.

Beneficiaries wait to receive vaccine dose in Patna on Wednesday

Maha guv returns OBC ordinance, raises queries

Maha guv returns OBC ordinance, raises queries

Priyanka Kakodkar and Clara Lewis TNN

Mumbai:23.09.2021

In a new twist in the feud between Maharashtra governor B S Koshyari and the MVA government, the gover nor retur ned the state’s ordinance to provide for the OBC quota in rural local bodies after raising queries. “The governor asked for the Supreme Court to be informed before sending the ordinance to him,” said rural development minister Hasan Mushrif.

The state cabinet on Wednesday decided to re-submit an amended ordinance to governor Koshyari. It also decided to issue another ordinance on the same lines for urban local bodies to provide for OBC quota, apart from reservations for SCs and STs within the 50% quota limit for local bodies. The next hearing of the OBC reservation case in Supreme Court is on Thursday. The state is likely to mention the two ordinances in court.

MVA ministers hit out at at Koshyari for not signing the ordinance. “Ever since this governor came, he has been under influence of the BJP. He should act like the head of the state. If the ordinance had gone through, it would have helped in the upcoming zilla parishad bypolls,” said Mushrif, who belongs to the NCP. “If he does not sign the amended ordinance, it will send the message that BJP is not allowing OBC reservations,” Mushrif said.

OBC affairs minister Vijay Wadettiwar said Koshyari’s decision to return the ordinance was akin to sprinkling salt in the wound of OBCs. “The governor’s advisors seem to want to keep the OBC reservation issue hanging and blame the government,” said Wadettiwar, who belongs to the Congress. The Sena also attacked the governor. “How long does it take for the governor to get legal advice? The BJP should tell us why he has still not approved the 12 nominees the cabinet had approved for the legislative council. According to the law, the governor has to act on recommendations of the cabinet,” said Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

The BJP said the governor was merely acting on the view taken by the state’s law and judiciary department on the OBC ordinance. “The law and judiciary department had opined that SC permission should be taken before issuing the ordinance, so that it would not be rejected in court. The state should have got an opinion from the state advocate general to overrule this view. Without doing this, they sent the ordinance to the governor,” said BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

Full report on www.toi.in

Kamal calls NEET ‘killer exam’, Anbumani dubs it ‘student killer’

Kamal calls NEET ‘killer exam’, Anbumani dubs it ‘student killer’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.09.2021

MNM leader Kamal Haasan and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss have demanded that the Centre do away with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) “to protect social justice”.

While Kamal urged the Tamil Nadu government to wage a legal battle against what he dubbed was ‘uyir kolli’ (killer exam), Anbumani termed the entrance test as “maanavarkolli” (killer of students).

Their demand comes days after the Justice A K Rajan committee report on the impact of NEET was made public by the Tamil Nadu government. The committee made it loud and clear that NEET was an exam “that kills lives” (students). The report has also listed out the adverse impact and revealed that it favoured CBSE students and those who studied in English medium schools.

Kamal insisted that the purpose behind the NEET exam was commercial. “This has been verified as 90% of the medical students, who pass this exam, are trained in private coaching centres. This makes it difficult and puts a question on students who cannot afford to pay for such expensive coaching,” said Kamal Haasan in a statement on Wednesday.

“Since the beginning, I have been saying that commercialisation is behind NEET. The data (in the A K Rajan committee report) has confirmed it,” said the actor-turned-politician. He said NEET would destroy the state medical infrastructure, which is the best in the country.

Anbumani tweeted demanding the Centre do away with NEET. He pointed to Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole's letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray demanding scrapping of NEET and said, “It is proof that NEET is anti-social justice” and it is an "early sign that an anti-NEET wave is all set to begin across the nation".

UP IN ARMS: (L-R) Kamal Haasan, Anbumani Ramadoss

Illegal parking along Pallavaram Radial Road puts motorists at risk

Illegal parking along Pallavaram Radial Road puts motorists at risk

Poor Lighting, Faulty Signals Add To Woes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.09.2021

Haphazardly parked water and sewage tankers are among the major causes of accidents on most city roads and the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road is no exception, with no fewer than 70 such vehicles halted on the stretch at any given time.

Compounding the problem is the poor illumination on the road along which are located several IT companies. The non-functioning of traffic pedestrian signals near the Kamakshi Hospital junction and at the one near Vel’s University is another issue, leading to chaos among pedestrians.

The 200-feet wide radial road has reduced the time taken to travel between Pallavaram and Thoraipakkam, but with vehicles parked on both sides there is very little space for motorists. The radial road was made into a six-lane stretch to ensure smooth flow of traffic, but despite this it has turned into a free unauthorised parking lot for many vehicles.

The scene is particularly bad near Kamakshi Hospital in Pallikaranai and Vel’s University, with traffic snarls the norm during peak hours as the road is heavily used by employees of IT firms. At Vel’s university, pedestrians are forced to risk their lives while crossing the road amid fast moving vehicles.

Drivers of trucks coming to unload construction material or supply water to apartment complexes park vehicles for long periods on the road sides, inconveniencing motorists. “Some of them are parked on the main roads. As many of these tankers are owned by politicians, the drivers don’t clear off soon,” said Moorthy, of Pallavaram.

With the entire left side of the 10km stretch turning an unauthorised parking lot, the lane meant for bikers is completely blocked. Large swathes of the stretch is also poorly lit, making commuting at night difficult. Many IT firm employees use the stretch after night shifts, making it handy for anti-social elements, say residents.

When contacted, a senior police officer said they would initiate action against truck drivers who park their vehicles illegally.

CHAOTIC: Vehicles parked illegally along Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road near Kovilambakkam

Madipakkam streets flooded after Tuesday’s rain

Madipakkam streets flooded after Tuesday’s rain

Komal Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:23.09.2021

Rain on Tuesday night left about six streets in Madipakkam’s Srinivasa Nagar waterlogged, forcing residents to wade through them on Wednesday. Potholes on the streets compounded the residents’ woes.

The problem for residents of more than 200 houses in the area began in May when Metrowater began laying water pipelines. Now, people on Brindhavan Street, Sivaprakasam Street, Srinivasa Road, Ramnagar North and two others, under corporation wards 168 and 169 and very close to Velachery, are struggling.

Srikumar Balakrishnan, a resident, said Metrowater should speed up the storm water drain work and repair the road as soon as possible. “Tuesday’s showers were not that heavy but we are facing a lot of problems. So, we are worried what the situation would be during the upcoming monsoon. At least the agencies involved should take up temporary interventions to avoid water stagnation,” he said.

Ashok Jain, another resident of the low-lying area, said, “We have officially been issued drainage and water connections, but we are yet to get them. All sewage flows on to the roads. Whenever it rains, water stagnates on the streets.

Several residents complained to officials of the corporation and Metrowater, but no action was taken till Wednesday night. Neither motors nor any other equipment were brought in to remove the stagnant water, residents said.

A Metrowater official work under a water supply scheme project was on in the area. “We will complete it by July 2022,” he said, adding that roads and drains can be laid only after that.

Some of these roads have storm water drains but are blocked in many locations. “We understand they are undertaking a project, but they should have planned it properly,” said Ashok Jain. “On Wednesday, we had to wade through water after getting dressed and given the Covid situation, if we fall sick, it’s added trouble.”

YEARLY RITUAL

3 dead, 5 hurt as auto overturns on GST Road

3 dead, 5 hurt as auto overturns on GST Road

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.09.2021

A pastor was among the three people who died on Tuesday night when the share autorickshaw they were travelling in hit a median on GST Road near Tambaram and overturned. Five other passengers were left injured and the auto driver is on the run.

The auto was on its way to Perungalathur bus stop from Tambaram with eight passengers around 10.30pm when the driver, who was speeding on GST Road, had to make a sharp turn to avoid colliding with an incoming private bus. However, he lost control of the vehicle and hit the median. This caused the auto to overturn. In the impact, Issac Raj, 51, a pastor from Cuddalore, Sundar Raj, 31, and Nagamuthu, 36, of Puducherry died on the spot after sustaining head injuries.

Police said passengers Ezhumalai, Anand Kumar, Rajinikanth two others were left injured and were taken to Chromepet government hospital. Anand Kumar and Rajinikanth were shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Police said Nagamuthu had come to Chennai to invite a relative to his wedding next month. He had planned to reach Puducherry on Tuesday and was on his way to Perungalathur to board the bus.

The Chromepet traffic investigation police have registered a case of causing death due to negligence and a search is on to nab the driver. Witnesses said he too sustained injuries, but managed to flee from the scene. Police are also checking CCTV camera footage from the spot.

About two weeks ago, five youngsters who were speeding on GST Road died after colliding with a parked truck . Many commuters complained that vehicles are not being checked for going over the speed limit on this stretch and this has led to many accidents. Motorists also said share autos routinely flout safety norms by overcrowding their vehicles.

DRIVER AT LARGE: Police said the share auto’s driver was speeding and had to take a sharp turn to avoid colliding with a private bus when the accident took place

UK accepts Covishield, but Indians to quarantine

UK accepts Covishield, but Indians to quarantine

Saurabh Sinha / TNN / Updated: Sep 23, 2021, 06:53 IST

The United Kingdom has included AstraZeneca Covishield in its list of accepted vaccines against Covid-19.

NEW DELHI: The United Kingdom has included AstraZeneca Covishield in its list of accepted vaccines against Covid-19.

However, as of now, that does not translate into relief for quarantine for fully vaccinated (with WHO-approved Covishield) travellers from India under the relaxed rules that come into force from October 4.

The UK has raised doubts over Indian Covid vaccination certification process. Due to this, even fully vaccinated (with Covishield) from India will continue to need to quarantine in the UK on arrival under relaxed rules for non red list, or rest of world, countries applicable from October 4.

India, which is no longer on UK’s red list, and UK are working to resolve this issue following an uproar among Indian travellers over being denied the relaxed norms. India has warned of taking similar action.

British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, said: “We’re clear Covishield is not a problem. The UK is open to travel and we’re already seeing a lot of people going from India to the UK, be it tourists, business people or students. Over 62,500 student visas have been issued in the year ending June 2021, which is an increase of almost 30% as compared to the previous year. We want to make the process of travelling as easy as possible.”

“We have been having detailed technical discussions regarding certification, with the builders of the CoWIN app and the NHS app, about both apps. They’re happening at a rapid pace, to ensure that both countries mutually recognise the vaccine certificates issued by each other,” Ellis said.

The UK government website, in an update on Wednesday, mentioned Covishield in the list of accepted vaccines. However, a spokesperson for the British High Commission in Delhi had said this Monday, “We are engaging with the government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.”

The UK government update says: “From 4 am, October 4, you will qualify as fully vaccinated if you are vaccinated: under an approved vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, USA or UK vaccine programme overseas; with a full course of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen From 4 am, October 4, you will qualify as fully vaccinated if you are vaccinated: under an approved vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, USA or UK vaccine programme overseas vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan; Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines. You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England.”

A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Delhi on Monday also said: “The UK is committed to opening up international travel again as soon as is practicable and this announcement is a further step to enable people to travel more freely again, in a safe and sustainable way, while protecting public health. We are engaging with the Government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.”

On September 17, the UK announced a new travel system which has just a red list and rest of the world. New rules apply to rest of the world arrivals in England from October 4. But for those from India, the conditions are the same when India was moved from the red to amber list.

On April 23, 2021, UK had put India on its red list during the devastating second wave here. This meant Indian citizens were not allowed to enter UK. And a handful of categories exempt from this restriction like British citizens/residents going from India needed to quarantine in a hotel on arrival in the UK for 10 days.

From August 8, India was moved from the red to the amber list. “This means: Visit visas for the UK from India are open (in addition to other visa long-term visas that have remained open); travellers arriving in England can complete a 10-day quarantine at home or in the place they are staying (not mandatorily quarantine in a managed hotel); Under the voluntary Test to Release scheme, they can choose to pay for a private Covid-19 test on day 5 of the quarantine. If the result is negative, they can end their quarantine,” the spokesperson had said this August.

Visa applications from Indian travellers for all categories continue to be processed and you do not need to be vaccinated to travel to the UK.

Regardless of your vaccination status, travellers from India must take a pre-departure test, and must take a Covid-19 test on or before Day 2 and on or after Day 8, and self-isolate for 10 days. Travellers can also choose to shorten their home quarantine to around 5 days under the test of release service.

Professional English course for UG students may be scrapped

Professional English course for UG students may be scrapped

Sambath.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore:23.09.2021

The Professional English course introduced last year for undergraduate first year students of non-autonomous arts and science colleges in the state is likely to be scrapped from the next academic year.

The course was introduced to familiarize students with vocabulary related to their subjects and taught by subject teachers concerned.

Initiated by former higher education secretary S Apoorva, it was introduced as an additional 1 hour per day add-on subject on par with core subjects. While it came into effect from the 2020-21 academic year, it drew flak as core subject teachers with no English literature background were asked to handle the subject. Further, it was also made mandatory for students to clear the paper to get their degrees.

However, the move received good support from private colleges as they claimed it helped core subject teachers to have better interaction with students.

But, Tamil, Mathematics and teachers of other subjects found it unfair to be asked to teach a professional English subject.

“It was also a learning experience for core subject teachers to teach English who were oriented through a few workshops on handling the subject,” a staff from a private arts and science college in Coimbatore said.

But there was poor response from students for the course. Professional English course was introduced with an objective of helping students of government arts colleges with rural background to become proficient in English speaking, reading and writing.

Students from rural areas pass their degrees but most of them don’t have language proficiency to express themselves and lose out when it comes to better jobs, a senior official from the higher education department, who was part of the project, said.

“Discussions on scrapping the Professional English course are on. It may not be part of the syllabus from next academic year. An official announcement is expected soon,” a senior official from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) said.

Last year, Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva took up the matter with the University Grants Commission (UGC), which had asked the state government to address the issue appropriately.

Siva told TOI that making the subject mandatory for students to clear it to get their degrees was a bit harsh when offline classes were not possible due to the pandemic. “If the higher education department feels the subject is essential and it would make students proficient in English, let them introduce it after the pandemic. But non-English literature teachers being forced to handle a professional English paper will not fetch the desired result,” he said.

Secretary of the Joint Action Council of College Teachers of Tamil Nadu M Krishnaraj said that the TANSCHE had assured the scrap the course.

TNSTC fined ₹3k for ignoring RTI queries

TNSTC fined ₹3k for ignoring RTI queries

Madurai:23.09.2021

The state information commission (SIC) has directed the Madurai division of the TNSTC to pay ₹3,000 to a commuter for failure to provide information to his repeated RTI pleas for more than two years. The commission also directed the TNSTC to provide the information in a week’s time.

G Jayaprakash, the commuter from Kovilpatti, Tuticorin, took a TNSTC bus from Madurai to Kovilpatti on December 22, 2018. He gave the conductor ₹500 for a ticket that cost ₹98, when he said the staff treated him very badly and humiliated him in front of many other passengers. The conductor also tried to make him get down in a dark place about 7km away from the city. There was no response to his complaints and RTI pleas to TNSTC. The TNSTC return the ₹402 balance as a cheque to Jayaprakash in August. TNN

Vaccine shortage in TN for third day in a row

Vaccine shortage in TN for third day in a row

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.09.2021

For the third day in a row, several vaccine centres across the state, including Chennai, were closed and special outreach camps were stalled, as the state did not have adequate vaccines. On Wednesday, the state vaccinated 66,214 people.

After vaccinating more than 16 lakh people during the mega camp on Sunday, the state did not hold any camp on Monday due to a shortage of vaccines. On Tuesday, it vaccinated 44,559 people. Between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, Tamil Nadu received about 4 lakh doses of Covishield and 1 lakh dose of Covaxin.

“Many centres did not have vaccines on Wednesday because they are still in transit,” said director of public health Dr TS Selva Vinayagam. The average vaccinations a day was around 2.9lakh a day in August and 2.1 lakh in July. “We are holding mega camps every week to increase coverage. The two mega camps have pushed our daily average to more than 5 lakh vaccines a day,” he said.

Until Tuesday, nearly 56% of the 6 crore adults have received one dose of the vaccine and 17% have received two doses. While more than 75% of people in Coimbatore and Kancheepuram have taken one dose , 73% of people in Nilgiris and 70% in Tiruppur have taken one dose. In Chennai, 67% of people have taken at least one dose. However, in several districts, less than half the populace has got first dose. “We plan to continue mega camps without compromising on daily vaccinations. For this we have asked the Centre to increase our dosage to 50 lakh a week,” he said.

The state is expecting at least 50,000 doses of Covaxin and 2 lakh doses of Covishield by 7.15 am. The centre has promised to send another batch of 5.45 lakh doses of the vaccine by noon, he said.

Covid-19 victims’ kin to get ₹50k ex gratia

Covid-19 victims’ kin to get ₹50k ex gratia

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:23.09.2021

Months after states took the lead in announcing financial assistance for the families of Covid victims, and after being prodded by the Supreme Court, the Centre on Wednesday informed the SC that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has fixed an ex gratia of ₹50,000 to be paid by the states from the State Disaster Response Fund.

On June 30, the SC had ruled that the Centre cannot shy away from its responsibility under the Disaster Management Act to fix a compensation amount payable to the kin of those who succumbed to Covid.

TN providing ₹5L ex gratia to Covid-orphaned children

Covid was declared a national disaster under the Act. While rejecting petitioners’ demand for ₹4 lakh ex gratia, it had asked the NDMA to determine the quantum within six weeks and said that the amounts to be paid from the national disaster response fund (NDRF) and SDRF would be over and above the ex gratia paid by states.

The six-week deadline got extended to months and after seeking time several times, the Centre on Wednesday informed that the NDMA has fixed ₹50,000 ex gratia. Claimants have to submit an application to receive the relief, it said, adding that those eligible would get the amount through the district disaster management authority (DDMA). With the country recording nearly 4.5 lakh Covid deaths, the financial burden of this will add up to ₹2,250 crore for states, though funds for the SDRF are largely released by the Centre.

The top 10 states reporting the most Covid deaths are Maharashtra (1.38 lakh), Karnataka (37,000), Tamil Nadu (35,000), Delhi (25,000), UP (23,000), Kerala (22,500), West Bengal (19,000), Punjab (16,000), Andhra Pradesh (14,000) and Chhattisgarh (13,500).

Those providing ex gratia are Andhra Pradesh (₹10 lakh to orphaned children, ₹5 lakh in case of death of one parent), Bihar (₹4 lakh), Haryana (₹2 lakh only to BPL families), Karnataka and Assam (₹1 lakh), Tamil Nadu (₹5 lakh to orphaned children and ₹3 lakh in case of death of single parent), Tripura (₹10 lakh in three instalments) and Nagaland (₹10 lakh only to the kin of working journalists).

NMC says no plan to allow MBBS course in Hindi, regional language

NMC says no plan to allow MBBS course in Hindi, regional language

The medical education regulator clarified that there is no plan to amend norms to allow medicine courses in languages other than English.

Published: 21st September 2021 07:45 AM 

By Sumi Sukanya Dutta

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid a major announcement by the Madhya Pradesh government to offer MBBS courses in Hindi and an intent declared by neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to do the same, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said that it will not recognise it under the rules.The medical education regulator clarified that there is no plan to amend norms to allow medicine courses in languages other than English.

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas on September 14, MP’s medical education minister Vishwas Sarang had said a committee was being formed to decide on how to introduce MBBS courses, apart from paramedical courses, in Hindi in the state. In UP, too, a proposal to introduce the medicine course in Hindi is actively being considered.

Talking to this newspaper, Aruna V Vanikar, president of the undergraduate medical education board at NMC, said no state government had so far approached the commission with such a proposal, neither was that feasible.“The rules do not approve teaching-learning MBBS in any other language other than English and there is no plan to change the existing norms,” she said. “If any state government goes ahead and introduces such a course, it will not be recognised by the NMC.”

Sources in Union education ministry, meanwhile, pointed out that the National Education Policy adopted by the Centre last year had a component of promoting technical education — including medicine, law and engineering courses — in mother tongue. A high-level committee under higher education secretary Amit Khare was set up last year to make suggestions and subsequently 14 engineering institutions, beginning this year, started offering the BTech course in 5 regional languages.

Experts, however, said offering medicine in mother tongue might be trickier and the experiment is unlikely to work. In 2016, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University in MP had announced engineering and medical education in Hindi. But it could never start the MBBS course in Hindi as it didn’t get the permission from the Medical Council of India, the medical education regulator then.

Rtd bank manager loses ₹5.8 L to cyber fraud

Rtd bank manager loses ₹5.8 L to cyber fraud

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:22.09.2021

Cyber fraudsters have duped a 79-yearold retired bank employee of ₹5.8 lakh by posing as customer service executives.

Two days ago, Shiva Rama Krishna Sastri of Saidabad, a retired SBI manager, had received an SMS on his phone stating that the electricity bill was not paid.

Shiva ignored the message as the bill had already been paid.

A few minuter after the SMS, unknown offenders, posing as customer care executives of Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (TSSPDCL) called the victim saying that the paid bill amount was not updated in the database. The fraudsters asked Shiva to install TSSPDCL app and also TeamViewer QuickSupport app to remotely access the phone, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Cyber Crime, KVM Prasad said.

“After the apps were installed, the accused made the victim enter his debit card details in TSSPDCL app to make a small payment. They noticed all the details of the card and within a span of few minutes, siphoned off ₹5.8 lakh from the victim’s bank account through multiple transactions as they can see OTPs delivered to the mobile phone,” the ACP said.

On Monday, the victim lodged a police complaint and a case was registered under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Two days ago, Shiva Rama Krishna Sastri of Saidabad, a retired SBI manager, had received an SMS on his phone stating that the electricity bill was not paid

Click To Submit PhD Thesis As DU Makes Process Online

Click To Submit PhD Thesis As DU Makes Process Online

Faculty To Give List Of Examiners Before Or On Submission Day

Shinjini.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:22.09.2021

To smoothen the PhD thesis submission and the evaluation process that follows, Delhi University aims to go fully online. The online portal, which is likely to be launched within the next two months, will contain details of each student enrolled for doctorate courses, including the six-month progress reports of each scholar.

DU has also amended an existing ordinance by which faculty members or supervisors will be required to submit the list of viva-voce examiners before or on the day of the thesis submission. According to senior university officials, this change will come into effect from next week.

Under current norms, the examiners’ list for the viva process can be submitted within a month of the thesis submission. In several instances, this has led to delays and increased pendency of the results, DU officials said. D S Rawat, DU’s dean of examination, told TOI, “While the viva examiners’ list is expected to be submitted within a month of students submitting their thesis, what often happens is that the lists are not sent to the examination branch. The process of getting the examiners’ list cleared is also a lengthy one. If the names are not sent in time, then it becomes difficult to follow up the long-pending cases and students are left in a lurch about when their vivas will be conducted.”

Rawat added, “The new PhD thesis submission form will have space for the examiners’ list and it means that the examination branch will be able to forward the thesis as soon as it is submitted because the examiners’ list will have to be submitted at the same time. Once the online portal is launched, the scholars will also be able to track the progressive stages of their course work.”

Officials also pointed out that the entire exercise would be made paperless, which would greatly reduce the cost incurred by students for printing copies of their thesis at the time of submission. Providing an estimate of the volume of printing that is involved, Garvit Rai of Daljeet Photocopy Service in North Campus revealed for TOI, “For each student, we usually print eight or nine copies of their thesis. Each copy has a minimum of 300 pages and sometimes even 500 pages.”

Once the online portal is implemented, progress reports and recommendations given by the advisory committees to students will also be available on the platform. “Everything will be automated and human intervention will come down,” claimed Rawat. “Once the final examiners’ list is approved by the vice-chancellor, the panel will receive emails, to which they have to respond within nine days, failing which new mails will be sent to the standby examiners.”

THE GREEN WAY: Thesis submission will also be paperless, greatly reducing the cost incurred by students for printing its copies

0 9  COPIES OF THESIS PRINTED FOR EACH STUDENT

Students in limbo over new UK jab rules

Students in limbo over new UK jab rules

Preeti.Biswas@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:22.09.2021

The new United Kingdom international travel rules, which do not recognise Indians who have got both shots of Covid-19 vaccine as ‘fully vaccinated’ has come as a big blow to the students.

On September 17, the UK had announced new rules for international travel to replace the current system of red, amber and green. As per the new rules, the UK government only considers fully vaccinated to be those who have been vaccinated under an approved vaccination programme in the UK, Europe or the US, or who were vaccinated in 17 other countries, including Australia, Israel, Japan and Singapore. Thus, even fully-vaccinated Indians have to undergo a 10-day quarantine and Covid-19 test predeparture and on day 2 and day 8 on arrival in the UK.

Terming it as a biased rule, many local students admit that they are in a limbo over the rule imposed by the UK government. “It is extremely demeaning to know that while vaccinated students from other countries are freely moving around and engaging in various induction programmes, Indian students have to undergo a 10-day quarantine period. There is no clarity if we would be asked to re-vaccinate ourselves or if we’d be allowed to visit various public places even after our quarantine period concludes,” said Anita V (name changed), a master’s student at University College, London.

Many others are worried over the accommodation and Covid-19 test costs. “I have to spend almost ₹1.10 lakh towards accommodation for 10 days. Each test costs almost ₹14,000 and has to be taken twice during the 10-day period. All this is an additional cost,” said a master’s student of University of Westminster.

Experts are hopeful that the governments of both countries will discuss this soon. “It is disappointing that as of now, people vaccinated in India are being tagged under the ‘unvaccinated’ category. So, essentially it means a status quo for Indian students as even now, they have to quarantine at home in the UK or at the university campus for 10 days. But, the students can still travel without any restrictions, which is a welcome development,” said Piyush Kumar, regional director (South Asia), IDP Education, an overseas education consultancy.

BIASED FOREIGN POLICY?

HC: Horoscope mismatch no reason to back out of marriage

COURT DENIES RELIEF IN RAPE & CHEATING CASE

HC: Horoscope mismatch no reason to back out of marriage

Rosy.Sequeira@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:22.09.2021

The Bombay high court has refused relief for a Badlapur resident who took the pretext of incompatible horoscopes to resile from his promise to marry the woman he was in a relationship with.

“It is apparent that applicant under the guise of astrological incompatibility of horoscopes avoided the promise. Thus I am convinced that the material on record suggests it is a case of false promise to marry which apparently vitiates the complainant’s consent,” Justice Sandeep Shinde said on Monday. He rejected the plea for discharge by the man who was booked in January 2013 for rape and cheating. Earlier, the Dindoshi court too had rejected his plea.

In the FIR, the woman said that they got close in 2012 while working in a hotel. She said the man exploited her physically and mentally and when she conceived, he convinced her to abort and promised to marry her after two years. Later he avoided her.

On her December 28, 2012, complaint, the police suggested counselling. The man assured he would marry her. On January 6, 2013, she withdrew her complaint. On January 18, 2013, he told the counsellor he cannot marry her. The woman then renewed her complaint.

In the HC, the accused’s advocate Raja Thakare argued that it was a case of breach of promise and not false promise of marriage. He said since the horoscopes did not match and being a case of astrological incompatibility, relations could not be furthered.

But Justice Shinde said, “There is sufficient material to suggest that since inception, the applicant had no intention of upholding his promise to marry the complainant.”

It is apparent that applicant under the guise of astrological incompatibility of horoscopes avoided the promise

JUSTICE SANDEEP SHINDE

Bombay high court

No change in DoB at fag end of service: SC

No change in DoB at fag end of service: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:22.09.2021

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that a person cannot claim as a matter of right to get his or her date of birth changed if the application is made after inordinate delay and more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service or when the employee is about to retire on attaining the age of superannuation.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna said the plea for change in date of birth by an employee can be rejected in such cases even if there is “cogent evidence” as allowing such plea could result in a chain reaction and others below him, waiting for years for their promotion, would get affected.

Referring to various judgements delivered by the apex court on the issue of change in date of birth, the bench said, “The law on change of date of birth can be summarised as under: (i) application for change of date of birth can only be as per the relevant provisions/ regulations applicable; (ii) even if there is cogent evidence, the same cannot be claimed as a matter of right;

(iii) application can be rejected on the ground of delay and more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service and/or when the employee is about to retire on attaining the age of superannuation.”

The court set aside the order of the Karnataka HC which had allowed the plea of a government employee for change in date of birth which he had sought 24 years after joining the service. The employee had sought change of date of birth from January 04, 1960 to January 24,1961.

Kovalam, Eden beaches bag ‘Blue Flag’ tag

Kovalam, Eden beaches bag ‘Blue Flag’ tag

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:22.09.2021

Two more Indian beaches — Kovalam in Kerala and Eden in Puducherry — have got the international ‘Blue Flag’ certification, an eco-level tag given to well-managed and clean beaches as per globally recognised standards. India now has 10 such beaches.

The ‘Blue Flag’ tag is one of the world’s most recognised awards for clean, safe and environment-friendly beaches, and marinas. The other eight Indian beaches, which had got this tag last year, are Shivrajpur (Dwarka, Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden Beach (Puri, Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands). Announcing certification for two new beaches on twitter, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said it was another milestone in the country’s journey towards a clean and green India, led by PM Narendra Modi.

Parents plan to visit students in US as travel ban relaxed

Parents plan to visit students in US as travel ban relaxed

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:22.09.2021

November may be over a month away but for Avnika Sarkar whose daughter left for Cornell University, preparations for what must be bought and packed started as early as Tuesday.

With the United States relaxing the travel ban in November for air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, parents are planning their maiden trip to campuses where their wards have recently started classes. The frenzy to fly out to the USA is higher among parents of freshmen who have gone for their undergraduate education.

“My daughter completed her first year online from home. She flew out in February and is now in the second year. But as soon as the travel ban is lifted, we are leaving for the US to be with her,” said Sarkar.

The White House on Monday said it was easing the tough pandemic-related restrictions that started early last year.

While a precise start date for the new rules is not out, the White House stated that they would be eased from “early November”; many details of the new policy are still being decided.

“The US consulate must resume B1 and B2 visa applications so that parents who want to visit their children can do so. Many students would be graduating in December and parents will definitely not want to miss being a part of their convocation. The pandemic has been difficult and many parents were very uncomfortable sending their children out during this time but yet they did so. It is only fair that they now want to fly out and see how their children are doing,” said international education counsellor Karan Gupta.

“There are some parents whose visas have expired and they will be looking at making fresh applications. The consulate should start accepting fresh applications as well,” added Gupta.

Many students would graduate in December and parents wouldn’t want to miss attending their convocation, said said Karan Gupta, an education counsellor

‘Don’t use word Dalit to identify anyone’

‘Don’t use word Dalit to identify anyone’

Punjab SC Commission Issues Guidelines

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh:22.09.2021

Taking note of the word ‘Dalit’ being used for newly appointed chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in social media pages, print and electronic media, chairperson of the Punjab state scheduled castes commission Tejinder Kaur on Tuesday issued instructions to not use nomenclature ‘Dalit’ to mark identity of any person belonging to the scheduled castes .

The chairperson said the nomenclature ‘Dalit’ does not find mention in the Constitution of the country or any statute and moreover, the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment has already directed all chief secretaries of the state governments and Union territory administrations on this issue. She said the Madhya Pradesh high court bench in Gwalior had passed an order on January 15, 2018, in a public interst litigation ‘Dr Mohan Lal Mahor Vs Union of India & Ors’ and had directed that “the central government/ state government and its functionaries would refrain from using the nomenclature ‘Dalit’ for the members belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes as the same does not find mention in the Constitution of India or any statute”.

The chairperson said that the Union ministry had directed all the state governments and Union territory administrations to use the word “scheduled caste” instead of “Dalit” for the persons belonging to scheduled castes. The commission in a letter addressed to chief secretary Vini Mahajan on September 13 recommended renaming of villages, towns and other places named after castes and not use derogatory names such as Chamarheri etc.

The commission chairperson said that the nomenclature ‘Dalit’ does not find mention in the Constitution of the country

4 attempt suicide over jobs on compassionate grounds

4 attempt suicide over jobs on compassionate grounds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Patiala:22.09.2021

Seeking jobs from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on compassionate grounds, three protesters from the families of late employees on Tuesday poured petrol over themselves, while another consumed poison in four attempted suicides here.

Protesters Gagandeep Singh of Bathinda, Nishan Singh of Tarn Taran, and Veerpal Singh of Muktsar doused themselves with petrol, Mritak Aashrit Sangharsh Committee (PSPCL) union leader Charanjit Singh said: "Fellow protesters overpowered them before they could burn themselves. Enraged protesters tried to storm the PSPCL office and get to its seventh floor to join the 11 protesting there for the past five days."

When police didn’t let them in, one of the protesters, Dharminder Singh of Tarn Taran, consumed poison and was moved to Government Rajindra hospital in Patiala. About two years ago, six protesters, including an old woman, had climbed a water tank in Patiala after waiting two decades for job. The union’s Tuesday meeting with the PSPCL management was futile, and they will now meet the chairman and managing director on Wednesday in Chandigarh.

Charanjit said: "Our parents and loved ones died serving the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) that was, later, dissolved and transformed into PSPCL and PSTCL in 2010. These employees died between 2000 and 2010, when the government had stopped giving jobs on compassionate grounds. In 2010, when the board was dissolved, the government restored the job benefit to the kin of late employees but left us out. The department has a record of 6,141 job seekers but the actual figure is only 1,000, since the others have moved abroad, died, or found other jobs."

The death of an earning member and lack of timely compensation, accompanied by the pandemic-induced lockdown, have left many families in a desperate financial situation. Many linemen have been electrocuted because of somebody's negligence or lack of safety gear and equipment.

Many of their dependents were in school or college at the time of these accidents and they had to abandon their education for want of money..

No change in DoB at fag end of service: SC

No change in DoB at fag end of service: SC

New Delhi:22.09.2021

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that a person cannot claim as a matter of right to get his or her date of birth changed if the application is made after inordinate delay and more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service or when the employee is about to retire on attaining age of superannuation.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna said the plea for change in date of birth by an employee can be rejected in such cases even if there is “cogent evidence” as allowing such plea could result in a chain reaction and others below him, waiting for years for their promotion, would get affected. TNN

Students to be given degree after they plant sapling, says higher edu minister

TOI INTERVIEW

Students to be given degree after they plant sapling, says higher edu minister

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:22.09.2021

In an initiative for environmental cause, the higher education department has decided to give degree and marksheet to students after they plant a sapling. Higher education minister Mohan Yadav told TOI during an exclusive talk.

Higher education department has taken several new initiatives. What are they?

Students will be given a degree and marksheet after they plant a sapling. This will inculcate a habit of respecting and conserving the environment. Institutes should compulsorily get their entry on the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal. Its monitoring will be ensured at the directorate level. With this, changes can be brought in the GER of the state. Universities have been asked to adopt a village.

Colleges have been opened. What instructions have been given to colleges to follow Covid guidelines?

We have instructed the colleges to follow Covid guidelines in toto. We have started college with 50% attendance strength. As the students are of above 18 years of age they have been asked to submit certificate of at least first dose of vaccination.

Is it true that the state govt is planning to change the name of vice-chancellors?

It is completely true. Vice-chancellors will be known as Kul Guru. We will put it in the cabinet soon. We have got informal approval also. Kul Guru is a term which has been in use for the past several years in our tradition. We just want our students to continue that tradition. I think this will also help in generating higher respect for prestigious positions like VC.

Controversy erupted over adding topics like Ramcharitmanas or engineering of Ram Setu in academics?

I do not understand the logic of creating any controversy on these topics. First of all, this is not mandatory for students to study. It is optional and available for any student of any stream to study. Besides, even if it is added I do not think there is any harm for students to study such a great legacy of Indian culture.

There is a dearth of teachers in colleges. What steps has the department taken in this regard?

We have decided to recruit more teachers through PSC. We are working on it and the vacancies will be issued soon in the near future. We will be able to fill the majority of the posts in the colleges in the near future.

Change Of Date Of Birth In Service Records Cannot Be Claimed As Of Right; Can Be Rejected For Delay & Latches : Supreme Court

Change Of Date Of Birth In Service Records Cannot Be Claimed As Of Right; Can Be Rejected For Delay & Latches : Supreme Court

Ashok KM

21 Sep 2021 7:14 PM

The Supreme Court observed that change of date of birth in the service record cannot be claimed as of right, even if there is cogent evidence.

Such applications, the court said, can only be processed as per the relevant provisions/regulations applicable. They can be rejected on the ground of delay and latches also more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service and/or when the employee is about to retire on attaining the age of superannuation, the bench of Justices MR Shah and AS Bopanna observed.

In this case, an employee of the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited requested for change of date of birth. Thereafter, he filed a suit for declaration that his date of birth is 24.01.1961. The said suit was dismissed by the Trial Court. The High Court allowed appeal and decreed the suit.

In appeal before the Apex Court, the Corporation contended that no such alteration to the date of birth to the advantage of a State servant be made unless the employee has made an application for the purpose within three years from the date on which his age and date of birth is accepted and recorded in the service register or book or any other record of service or within one year from the date of commencement of the Karnataka State Servants (Determination of Age) Act, 1974 whichever is later. In this case, the corporation submitted, the employee made the application for the first time vide notice dated 23.06.2007 i.e. after the lapse of 24 years since he joined the service and nearly after the lapse of 16 years from the date of adoption of enactment (Act, 1974).

Referring to earlier judgments in this regard, the court observed:

(i) application for change of date of birth can only be as per the relevant provisions/regulations applicable;

(ii) even if there is cogent evidence, the same cannot be claimed as a matter of right;

(iii) application can be rejected on the ground of delay and latches also more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service and/or when the employee is about to retire on attaining the age of superannuation. (Para 10)

Thus, in this case, the court observed that the employee was not entitled to the decree of declaration. The court noted that the High Court judgment was implemented in this case and the employee had retired. So it clarified that this judgment will not affect him.

Citation: LL 2021 SC 485

Case name: Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited Vs. T.P. Natarajan

Case no.| Date: CA 5720 OF 2021 | 21 September 2021

Coram: Justices MR Shah and AS Bopanna

Maradu native wins Onam bumper lottery

Maradu native wins Onam bumper lottery

Sivadas Verma TNN

Tripunithura:21.09.2021

After a daylong suspense and rumours over the winner of the Onam bumper Kerala lottery worth Rs 12 crore, the real winner was found at Maradu in Kochi on Monday evening. Jayapalan P R, who resides at Pooppanaparambil House, Maradu, was the winner.

Jayapalan, who is fondly called Kannan, stays near Kottaaram Bhagavathy temple and is an auto-driver at the Ambedkar Junction auto stand at Maradu.

Jayapalan, a self-made man, hails from a poor family. He has been looking after his family, which includes his 95-year-old mother Lakshmi Bhai, wife Mani and two sons, Vyshakh, who is an electrician and Vishnu, a homeo doctor. His wife Mani is working as a sweeper in Chottanikkara homeo hospital.

“I bought the prize-winning ticket from Meenakshi lotteries near Statue Junction on September 10 as I felt that it was a fancy number,” Jayapalan said.

He said that he sat silent even as rumours spread about the ‘winner’ as he had the real ticket with him. Perhaps because of his grounded experiences as a hard-working auto driver, Jayapalan was found so cool and peaceful even after this great fortune and said the lottery has come as a great blessing to him.

“I have vehicle and housing loans to be repaid and I will utilize the rest of the amount productively after discussing with my family,” he said.

Speculations were rife since Sunday afternoon, when the draw was done, about the winner of the Onam bumper. Initially, the rumour was that the ticket was jointly taken by three youths from Panackal. Then on Monday TV channels started to air a story that Saithalavi from Panamaram in Wayanad has claimed the ownership of the ticket from Dubai as his friend had bought the ticket for him from Kozhikode. All these rumours were put to rest by evening as Jayapalan revealed that he was the real winner.

Emirates told to pay ₹55k to flyer for missing bag

Emirates told to pay ₹55k to flyer for missing bag

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:21.09.2021

A district consumer forum directed Emirates airlines to pay ₹55,000 to a flyer from city for a missing bag at her destination Copenhagen.

The flyer, Sagarika M, had taken Emirates flight from Hyderabad-Dubai-Copenhagen on May 18, 2018. In her complaint, she said that one of her bags containing clothes and valuables went missing when she arrived in Copenhagen. She said that she stayed in Copenhagen until May 29 on which date she returned to Hyderabad, but the bag was never found.The complainant filed a complaint with the consumer body after the airlines refused to compensate her.

The airlines submitted that the complainant’s bag was handed over to it as check-in luggage on the flight. But they claimed the bag might have been taken by some other passenger or the complainant herself and was now claiming compensation on false pretences. “The contention of the opposite parties that the bag might have been taken by other passengers or by the complainant does not sustain. The bag is missing and it was not traced and handed over to the complainant,” the bench said.