Give children returning to school warm welcome: CM

Give children returning to school warm welcome: CM

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:31.10.2021

Tamil Nadu Chief minister M K Stalin has urged teachers and schools to create a welcoming atmosphere for students who will be returning on Monday after a gap of almost one and a half years. Schools in Tamil Nadu will reopen for Classes 1 to 8 on November 1.

In a statement, Stalin urged teachers tospend The first two weeks should be spent in activities and games including storytelling, music, memory enhancing tasks in classrooms, he said.

As the children are returning to school after a huge crisis, the chief minister has urged MLAs, MPs, local body representatives, members of parent teacher associations, principals, teachers to welcome schoolchildren as "we have a responsibility to ensure that children return to schools without fear of a pandemic."

Diwali special buses to ply from Nov 1-3

Diwali special buses to ply from Nov 1-3

State-run, Pvt Buses To Start From 6 Places

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:31.10.2021

In view of Diwali, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) and private operators are set to operate extra buses from Chennai to various destinations. To ease congestion and confusion at the boarding points, the State has decided to operate services from six terminuses namely Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus (MMBT), Poonamallee bus stand, Tambaram Sanitorium bus stand, Tambaram railway station bus stand and KK Nagar bus depot. The special services will be from November 1 to 3 and November 5 to 8.

CMBT: Buses to Velankanni, Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Sengottai, Nagercoil, Thiruchendur, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Virudhunagar, Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Erode, Salem, Pollachi and Bangalore

Madhavaram: Buses to Andhra Pradesh and all the APSRTC buses via Red Hills, Gummidipoondi and Uthukottai.

Poonamallee: Buses to Kancheepuram, Arcot, Arani, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Thirupattur and Hosur.

Tambaram Sanitorium: Buses to Tindivanam, Thanjavur, Panruti, Kumbakonam and Vikravandi

Tambaram railway station: Buses from Chennai via Tindivanam to Tiruvannamalai, Gingee, Katumanarkoil, Polur, Vandavasi, Neyveli, Vadalur and beyond.

KK Nagar bus depot: Buses going through East Coast Road to Puducherry, Cuddalore and Chidambaram.

MTC is arranging special connecting buses for passengers to reach the special bus stations. Passengers are requested to follow all Covid norms and wear a mask throughout their journey. TNSTC, SETC and omni buses will take the following routes:-All reserved TNSTC, SETC buses from Koyambedu CMBT will take outer ring road to reach Urapakkam temporary bus station to board passengers who reserved from Tambaram and Perungalathur. As usual SETC buses will ply via Poonamallee high road, Vanagaram, Nazarathpet, outer ring road and reach Vandalur. These buses will not pass through Tambaram and Perungulathur.

Similarly, omni buses operating from Koyambedu bound for other districts should take Poonamallee high road, Vanagaram, Nazarathpet, outer ring road and reach Vandalur. These buses will not pass through Tambaram and Perungulathur. Omni buses towards ECR will be permitted via 100 feet road, Kathipara, Guindy, Sardar Patel road (OMR, ECR) subject to the approval of traffic police. Omni buses should avoid boarding points on 100 feet road, Poonamallee high road in front of CMRL, Alandur Metro, KK Nagar. Instead those passengers can be asked to board from Koyambedu or Urapakkam. All passengers are requested to take note of the above arrangements, plan their travel accordingly, the authorities said.

Passengers have been requested to follow all Covid norms and wear a mask throughout their journey

Indian Bank loses papers, fined ₹3lakh

Indian Bank loses papers, fined ₹3lakh

Chennai:31.10.2021

The Madras high court has imposed Rs 3 lakh cost on Indian Bank for losing title deeds of an immovable property mortgaged by a private company which is currently under liquidation.

Appalled over the bank’s refusal to fix accountability on its officials for the loss of title deeds, Justice R Subramanian said, “this is the most demeaning act that a bank can do.”

“After having lost the documents, which were in its custody, it is unwilling to act against their officers also. I find all is not well with the conduct of the bank in at least attempting to take corrective measures and stop recurrence of loss of documents in future,” the judge added.

The issue pertains to a plea moved by N Shanmugasundaram seeking to direct an appropriate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the bank becoming unable to trace the title deeds and other related documents of the property owned by Sree Visalakshi Mills Pvt Ltd, which is under liquidation.

Since the bank failed to provide a satisfactory answer as to how a title deed deposited with the bank could not be traced and no official of the bank was made liable for the loss, the court said: “It is only after the directions of this court that the bank came forward to make advertisements in newspapers and also lodge a police complaint regarding loss of the documents.”

The fact that no police complaint was lodged upon the loss of the documents itself would demonstrate that the bank was reluctant to fix the responsibility on any of its officers, the court added.

The judge then directed the bank to obtain a certificate of non-traceability from the police concerned and handover the same to the petitioner. tnn

The judge directed the bank to obtain a certificate of non-traceability from the police concerned and handover the same to the petitioner

Vaccination slows, 17.1 lakh get jabs in 7th mega camp

Vaccination slows, 17.1 lakh get jabs in 7th mega camp

Rain Plays Spoilsport In Many Parts Of The State

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:31.10.2021

Two lakh staff, thousands of volunteers, 50,000 vaccination camps, more than 8,000 vehicles in addition to public campaigns and door-to-door canvassing by nurses could bring less than 20 lakh people to the seventh mega vaccination camp on Saturday.

By 8.15pm, the immunization division attached to the directorate of preventive medicine announced 17.1 lakh people visited vaccination camps. Among these 10.8 lakh people have taken the first dose. The slowdown in vaccinations across the state has often been attributed to a combination of misinformation and mistrust, branded by public health workers in the state as vaccine hesitancy. On Saturday, officials said, rain in many parts of the state brought down attendance in camps.

As a result, more than 1.7crore adults in the state haven’t taken even one dose of the vaccine and nearly 50 lakh are due for their second dose – some of them are due since May. “Most people who haven't been vaccinated are either reluctant, anxious or procrastinating,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.

Many people who took vaccines over the last one week told TOI that they were forced to roll up their sleeves because of unavoidable reasons. “I am not averse to vaccination. I just didn’t think it was required,” said a senior citizen S Rajeshwari, who took the vaccine at a primary health center in Chennai on Thursday. For months, she and her husband were not willing to take the vaccine, until her son insisted. “He works for a corporate company. His office has made it mandatory for members of the house to get vaccinated. If we don’t take it, he will not be able to go back to work,” she said.

People had different ways to reach the vaccination centers on Saturday, but most of them said they made the decision abruptly, after months of inaction. “I got sick of wearing the mask all day at college. I wear them even when I step out with friends for coffee. They keep reminding me to wear it properly as I am not vaccinated. I came here today because I am sick of it,” said a 19-year-old college student, Sakshi A.

Vellore-based senior virologist Dr T Jacob John said many people should be encouraged to take this path quickly. “Fresh cases are down; hospitals are empty and there are no longer stringent lockdowns. So, people are probably assuming we are safe,” he said. “Vaccines can stop the new surge. We must get all our vulnerable people covered,” he said.

11 districts report increase in cases

Chennai:31.10.2021

Eleven districts reported an increase in cases on Saturday when the fresh cases in the state dropped to 1,021 from 1,039 on Friday.

The state reported14 deaths and discharged 1,172 people from the registry. At the end of the day, there were 11,685 active cases and the cumulative toll tally reached 36,097. On Friday Chennai reported 126 new cases and Coimbatore recorded 118.

At least 25 districts reported fewer than 20 cases each on Saturday. With two new cases Ramanathapuram reported the least number of cases followed by three each in Tenkasi and Mayiladuthurai.

Of the 14 deaths reported on Saturday, there were three in Coimbatore and two each in Erode, Trichy and Nagapattinam. Chengalpattu, Salem, Kancheepuram, Thiruvarur and Ranipet reported one death each. Twenty nine districts reported zero deaths. TNN

Over 4L get 2 doses of vax in Puducherry

More than four lakh people have taken two doses of Covid-19 vaccine while more than seven lakh people have taken one dose of the vaccine so far in the Union territory of Puducherry. Healthcare authorities have so far administered 11.26 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine. They have tested 19.13 lakh swab samples of which 16.16 lakh samples returned negative.

The territory reported 39 fresh cases even as 48 patients recovered in the last 24 hours ending at 10am on Saturday bringing down the active cases to 437.

The territory did not report any Covid-19 death for the sixth consecutive day. The death toll remained at 1,857. Puducherry headquarters reported the maximum fatalities with 1,453 followed by Karikal (250), Yanam (107) and Mahe (47). TNN

33 OFFICES RAIDED

Diwali ‘gifts’: DVAC seizes over ₹18L cash, liquor worth ₹6.5L

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:31,10,2021

Directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) officials recovered ₹18.2 lakh unaccounted cash, liquor worth ₹6.5 lakh and 36 boxes of crackers as Diwali gifts during surprise raids at 33 government offices in the state on Friday evening.

The raids conducted simultaneously were held in 14 departments — TNEB, transport, registration, fire and rescue, commercial tax, police, land reforms, taluk supply office, Tasmac, rural development, drug control, industrial safety and health, municipality and DTCP.

DVAC officials are planning for a mega raid in other places on Monday and Tuesday to prevent the last round of Diwali gifts being given to government officials.

Earlier, DVAC director and director-general of police P Kandaswamy had conducted meetings with subordinate officers to gather details of the corrupt officials in all the departments.

They scrutinised the officials based on their rapport with businessmen and politicians. The officers monitored the officials call log details and finalised the list of 60 officials as per the priority and the raid was kickstarted.

In a similar raid conducted in 2020, anti-corruption officials had seized ₹4.30 crore and 519 sovereigns of gold jewellery in the guise of festival gifts from government officials .

'Medical Practitioners Must Be Protected From Onslaught Of Frivolous Complaints': Madras High Court Issues Guidelines For National Medical Council

'Medical Practitioners Must Be Protected From Onslaught Of Frivolous Complaints': Madras High Court Issues Guidelines For National Medical Council: The Madras High Court on Tuesday quashed an order dated May 4, 2021 of the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) suspending a gastroenterologist by observing that principles of natural justice were

Medicos wrap up Rhapsody with fashion show, DJ night

Medicos wrap up Rhapsody with fashion show, DJ night

Vivek Singh Chauhan TNN

Lucknow:28.10.2021

MBBS students of 2020 batch Simple Singh and Aryan Arora, along with their seniors from 2019 Sanya Dikshit and Siddhant Aggarwal, were conferred with Mr and Miss Rhapsody awards on the third and final day of the three-day annual cultural festival of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) on Wednesday.

The festival had to be cancelled for the past two years: in 2019 due to anti-CAA protests and in 2020 due to Covid.

This year, Rhapsody finally got its colour, and students joined with twice more enthusiasm.

The festival adorned with the colours of passion, fun, adventure, art, and skill culminated with a DJ Night, which students enjoyed immensely. The highlight of the final day was the selection of Mr and Miss Rhapsody and the fashion show ‘Allure’, in which around 300 students, along with 40 teachers, participated.

Medicos in diverse and trendy attire gave tough competition to fashion models. A ramp walk and question round followed in which participants gave spontaneous answers to judges to win the title.

Over three days, students exhibited singing, dancing, acting, and other talents. Along with this, competitions like poster making, skit, and medi-quiz were organized.

T colleges ignore NAAC tag, put education quality under lens

T colleges ignore NAAC tag, put education quality under lens

No Accreditation For About 90% T Colleges

State To Study Reasons, Guide Institutes

Preeti.Biswas@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:28.10.2021

With only 11% of higher educational institutions in Telangana being accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the council has now asked the state higher education department officials to take up an internal survey to know the reasons for not initiating or accelerating the accreditation process.

The NAAC had conducted a state-wise analysis of accredited higher education institutions in Telangana and released a report on October 26 in Bengaluru.

The report indicates that of the 1,976 colleges in Telangana, only 141 have a valid accreditation. Of these, 35 are government colleges, 19 are grant-in-aid colleges and 87 are private or self-financed colleges. Nationally, 21% colleges are NAAC accredited.

The NAAC accreditation assesses institutions on teaching, learning and evaluation, research and innovations, infrastructure and learning resources, student support and progression, governance and management, helping students to gauge quality of education in an institute. Based on the performance in each aspect, institutions are awarded grades A+, A, B++, B+, B, C and D.

While other states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala fare much better, Telangana is yet to make a mark.

Officials from the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) said there was no resistance among college managements to undergo NAAC assessment.

“Lower percentage of accredited colleges in Telangana is due to various shortcomings, especially in rural areas. Based on NAAC findings, we would try to understand the limitations of colleges and universities and accordingly work with them. We have also decided to financially help institutions in preparing NAAC documentations,” said R Limbadri, TSCHE chairman.

The NAAC officials said as the accreditation process was voluntary earlier, many did not come forward in the last many years.

“Now that the NAAC accreditation has been made mandatory to seek funds under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan scheme and other central schemes, many colleges are in the fray. Massive handholding is required to encourage institutions for accreditation,” said NAAC director SC Sharma.

As per NAAC figures, more than 200 colleges from Telangana are now at various stages to secure NAAC accreditation.

Students move out of T for better courses

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:

Poor quality of professional courses in Telangana has led to a gradual migration of students to neighbouring states, with several seats left vacant in courses such as engineering, management, BEd and law among others As per the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) report, more than 1.34 lakh engineering seats, 8,299 B Pharmacy seats and 33,632 management seats had no takers between academic year 2015-16 and 2018-19.

Experts admit that admissions in Telangana dropped as the exodus to deemed-to-be-universities and private universities in neighbouring states increased in the past few years.

“The deemed-to-be-universities are more innovative in curriculum. There is a huge pool of courses to choose and exposure is also higher. Therefore, they are in high demand compared to local institutions,” said DN Reddy, former vice-chancellor of JNTUH.

Vacancies and no research major challenges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:

Vacant teaching positions, poor upkeep of institutions and no research in Telangana’s institutes have been identified as major challenges by NAAC.

“In almost all universities, a large number of faculty positions are lying vacant. The process of filling of vacancies for teaching and non-teaching staff has not been taken up. Consequently, the faculty student ratio as well as cadre ratio is low and there is dearth of permanent faculty,” read the report.

It said that even in colleges, there are very few permanent staff members and there needs to be a drastic improvement in faculty cadre ratio. Experts said that lack of faculty members has a cascading effect on the quality of education at large.

“When there are not enough faculty members, quality of teaching takes a backseat. Existing staff gets overburdened with many other responsibilities due to which neither are they able to take up enough research work nor are they able to guide enough PhD scholars,” said DN Reddy, former vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad.

In addition to this, poor industry linkages and feedback mechanism, academic audits etc are among the other challenges that have been identified hindering the quality of education in higher institutions in the state.

Travel cos cautious on booking tickets to US

Travel cos cautious on booking tickets to US

Sudipta.Sengupta@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:28.10.2021

Lack of clarity over Covaxin’s validity among USA-bound travellers, has put city tour agents on guard. Worried about the fate of these passengers — and the repercussions for their business — most of them are steering clear of accepting requests for ticket bookings from people vaccinated with two shots of Covaxin. This, despite their desks being flooded with enquires from prospective flyers.

“We are getting a lot of calls from people who have taken Covaxin and want to travel to the US. At least 50% of our enquires comprise such travellers,” said Abdul Majid Faheem, Travel Agents Federation of India (Telangana and AP chapters).

Flyers hoping issue will be solved soon

“But we are not being able to entertain their requests because we are told they will not be allowed entry. If they get into trouble, it will adversely impact us as well. It’ll also become chaotic if we have to cancel them last minute,” added Faheem.

The confusion has been created by the World Health Organisation delaying its emergency use license (EUL) to Covaxin. WHO’s technical advisory group met recently and decided to ask for more data from Bharat Biotech before issuing the license.

TOI spoke to a number of airlines and travel agents across the country who said there was no clarity on whether a Covaxin-vaccinated person can travel to the US if he/she has a negative RTPCR test result.

“We hope this issue is resolved soon as there is a tremendous demand for the US at the moment and we do not want to lose out on business,” Faheem said.

Agrees Rajeev Kale, president and country head (holidays, MICE, visa) at Thomas Cook (India). According to him, reopening of the US borders and acceptance of doubly vaccinated Indians has created high demand from Hyderabad and Telangana.

“We are receiving not just queries, but also booking requests from customers who already have valid visas,” he said adding, “While we continue to receive interest from customers vaccinated with Covaxin shots too, we await approval from the US authorities before we are able to go ahead with such bookings.”

The uncertainty has left travellers in a dilemma. “I was hoping to spend Christmas with my extended family in New Jersey. I really hope the authorities clear this Covaxin issue before Christmas,” said Manikonda resident, Arjun Rao, who took his second Covaxin dose in June.

“We are also hoping for positive news for customers who are doubly jabbed with Covaxin to be allowed to travel soon,” said Daniel D’Souza, president and country head, SOTC Travel.

Ayodhya pilgrimage part of govt scheme

Ayodhya pilgrimage part of govt scheme

Pilgrim Programme To Resume In A Month

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:28.10.2021

The Delhi cabinet headed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday approved the proposal to add Ayodhya as one more pilgrimage destination under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana that was started in mid-November 2019. The Delhi government-funded pilgrimage to various religious destinations was on hold due to the pandemic, but it will be started within a month.

Ayodhya is the latest addition to the list of Jagannath Puri, Ujjain, Shirdi, Amritsar, Vaishno Devi, Dwarkadhish, Tirupati, Rameswaram, Haridwar, Mathura and Bodh Gaya. Kejriwal said he wanted to help the elderly fulfil their fervent yearning to complete pilgrimage to these religious places.

Over 35,000 people have availed of the scheme till now. The CM said all officials were working constantly to make necessary arrangements for the purpose. “It gives me immense pleasure to inform the people of Delhi that we have approved a monumental proposal in today’s cabinet meeting by adding Ayodhya as another destination under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna. The elderly who have the desire to visit Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya will have their trip facilitated by Delhi government for free,” added Kejriwal.

The entire expense of leaving from home until returning, including travelling by airconditioned trains, stay in AC hotels, meals and local travel, would be borne by Delhi government. “The elderly can take someone as an attendant to help them in their journey. The attendant’s expenses will be covered too,” said the CM.

“For the last couple of years, we had halted the scheme due to Covid-19 for everyone’s safety. But now that the situation has improved considerably, we will resume it. All officials are tirelessly making efforts to ensure that within a month or so trains to the listed shrines are resumed. Soon, you will be able to begin registration. I hope that everyone who avails of the scheme and goes on the tirth yatra has a fulfilling and comfortable trip,” Kejriwal said.

Eligible people can apply online at https://edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in to benefit from this scheme. They can also apply by visiting the offices of the divisional commissioner, area MLA or the Tirth Yatra Committee. Candidates are selected by a draw of lots.

Delhi govt-funded pilgrimage to various religious destinations was on hold due to the pandemic

3 5 THOUSAND PEOPLE AVAILED OF SCHEME TILL NOW

Online frauds continue unabated: 60-year-old duped of ₹99k for refund of ₹640 in app wallet

Online frauds continue unabated: 60-year-old duped of ₹99k for refund of ₹640 in app wallet

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:28.10.2021

A 60-year-old man searching for a customer care number for an online payment on the internet, however, fell in the trap of online fraudsters. The accused allegedly siphoned Rs 99,000 from his bank account on the pretext of refunding just Rs 640 that were deducted from his online wallet. The accused sent the victim a link asking him to download a remote access over his smartphone, hacked his mobile phone and siphoned money from his bank account. The victim reported the matter to the cyber-crime branch where a zero FIR was registered and the case was transferred to Habibganj police.

Investigation officer SI Vivek Sharma said that complainant Sanjay Gadkari, a resident of Sarita Complex in Shivaji Nagar, wanted to get refund of Rs 640 in his online payment wallet. He received a call from an unidentified man who asked him to download an app on his phone and asked him for the OTP. As soon as Sanjay told him the OTP, Rs 98,897 were deducted from his bank account. Subsequently, he reported the matter to police.

In another online fraud case registered at Misrod police station on Tuesday, complainant Vanshika Jaiswal, 21, a resident of Jatkhedi, who wanted to sell her bicycle online, received a call from the accused who sent Re 1 online to her after taking her account details and then siphoned Rs 20,049 from her bank account.

Medical edu principal secy asked to appear before court

Medical edu principal secy asked to appear before court

Bengaluru:28.10.2021

The high court has directed the principal secretary of the medical education department to appear before it regarding the delay in operationalising the Institute of Gastroenterology and Organ Transplant on Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute premises.

The division bench called the delay “deliberate” and gave the direction while hearing a contempt petition by MN Umesh, a Bengaluru advocate. During the hearing, the court was told that although the institute was made functional on July 5, 2021, it cannot be made operational unless a sanitisation exercise is done that requires at least two months.

“We fail to appreciate as to why the institute was not sanitised till date and why they are waiting for the court to allow them time to sanitise the institute. The conduct of the authorities concerned is highly deprecated,” the bench said. TNN

3% DA hike for state govt staff, pensioners

3% DA hike for state govt staff, pensioners

28.10.2021

The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced it has increased the dearness allowance of its employees and pensioners from 21.5% to 24.5% with effect from July 1 this year. TNN

Court notice over medico’s papers

Court notice over medico’s papers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:28.10.2021

A division bench of the Gujarat high court on Wednesday issued notice to the state government over an appeal filed by an MBBS student and his father seeking directions to GMERS, Himmatnagar to supply documents including the internship certificate.

Petitioners – Rajesh Patel and his son Neil – have filed the appeal after they were not satisfied with the single-judge bench’s order, by which the HC had ordered the college management to return the original documents including mark sheets, which were retained by the college on the ground that Neil had not paid Rs 2 lakh bond or served in rural areas.

On the other hand, the petitioners have been claiming that the student had never submitted the bond and he was not bound to discharge any obligation to this effect.

While ordering the college management to return all original documents to the student, the single-judge bench also paved way for the college to recover the bond amount of Rs 2 lakh from the student, who is eager to get the internship certificate so that he could pursue further studies in the US.

As the issue involves payment of bond amount to which the petitioners show resistance, the bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Mauna Bhatt made it clear, “You are a doctor who has studied in a government medical college through a quota seat.

This court has consistently taken the view that MBBS doctor, who got admitted to the said courses are bound by duty to serve in rural areas.” The court refused to grant any interim relief and posted further hearing beyond Diwali vacation, but permitted the petitioners to approach the court during the vacation if they feel it is necessary.

27 PG dental seats empty

27 PG dental seats empty

Ahmedabad:28.10.2021

The Admission Committee for Professional Post-Graduate Medical Education Courses conducted the mop-up round for 188 seats lying vacant for post-graduate dental courses, and filled all but 27.

“On Wednesday there were 27 empty seats with the others were taken in the mopup round,” said sources close to the development.

The admission committee this year carried out two rounds of admission. Now, it has decided to give the task of filling these seats to the institutes, sources added. TNN

Govt schoolboy from Trichy gets seat in IIT Hyderabad

Govt schoolboy from Trichy gets seat in IIT Hyderabad

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy:28.10.2021

P Arun Kumar, a government school student from a hamlet near Manapparai in Trichy who had cleared JEE (advanced), has secured a seat in Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H). Son of labourers, he was allotted BTech Chemical Engineering at the online counselling held on Wednesday.

“I am extremely happy to have been allotted chemical engineering. Getting into IIT was my dream and it has come true. NIT Trichy students guided me during the counselling,”

Arun Kumar told TOI. He secured the IIT-H seat under OBCNCL category in which he secured a rank of 2,503. Sounding confident that he can manage campus life without facing any language barriers, Arun Kumar, a student of Sevalpatty government higher secondary school, said he was keen to enrol in IIT-Madras. “If there are unallotted seats in IITMadras and If I get a chance, I will opt for the institute irrespective of the course available,” he said.

Amid odds, the boy underwent coaching from 2019 under IGNITTE, the teaching club of NIT-Trichy that helps economically backward and government school students. While the club has helped rural students get into NITs, this is the first time a government school student coached by it secured IIT admission. After TOI reported his achievement on October 23, many reached out to him including the district administration and management of SASTRA University, Thanjavur.

Air fares to Singapore, Malaysia remain pricey

Air fares to Singapore, Malaysia remain pricey

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.10.2021

Air fares from Chennai to Singapore and Malaysia are several-fold higher than pre-Covid rates at a time when the travel sector is inching back to normalcy.

The two countries relaxed norms recently so that people who have permanent residency permits, workers and others can start travelling.

One-way fare on direct flights is ₹25,000 to ₹27,000 to Singapore while it is ₹26,000 to Kuala Lumpur for travel in November. The fare is higher for travelling via Colombo or Dubai but many are not travelling via transit hubs because of ever-changing restrictions.

The fare is high because the government is yet to permit more flights on the route and continues to run 'air bubble' flights operated by Air India Express or Air India.

Airport sources said that foreign carriers, which used to have one or two flights per day from Chennai in the pre-Covid-19 days, are unlikely to resume flights till end of December unless the government fully allows scheduled services.

Fewer flights and high fares have troubled those who are flying on business, jobs and on permanent residency visas and those who have a second home.

Travel and tour operators are hoping that Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will soon permit leisure travellers. Singapore has allowed transit passengers but people are not able to use it because there is only one flight from Chennai.

S Baskar from Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said fares would reduce only if commercial flights resume operations.

Some travel agents expect southeast Asian countries to allow leisure travellers by next month.

Basheer Ahmed of Chennai Metro Travels said, “There are only limited seats but people who are citizens, those with permits and those who need to return have begun buying tickets. There used to be around five to six flights per day to Singapore and three flights to Kuala Lumpur in the pre-Covid-19 days. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand were the most popular leisure destinations. There is hope that leisure travellers will be allowed by mid-November.”

SC ticks off panel probing Jaya’s death27/10/2021 “How will Dr. Reddy get the documents of a U.S. hospital? What they did was out of a Robert Ludlum novel,” Mr. Sundaram said. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for Tamil Nadu, which wants the Commission to finish its work and submit its report, retorted sarcastically that John Grisham would be a better choice of author. “Grisham is more straight-forward. Ludlum is better, considering the intricacies involved,” Mr. Sundaram shot back.Mr. Sundaram clarified that he was not seeking to arrest the inquiry into the circumstances leading to the former Chief Minister’s death. “Please do not stop the inquiry, but do appoint someone else with very strict guidelines. They should have a competent medical board to assist them… I am not here to thwart the inquiry,” he submitted on record.The proceedings before the CoI were stayed by the Supreme Court in April 2019 on a plea by Apollo Hospitals that the inquiry panel’s functioning was “replete with bias”. “Parties who had criticised her while she was living now express sadness after her death,” Mr. Sundaram said. He said the CoI was supposed to be a fact-finding body and not a “fault-finding body”.Justice Nazeer then asked a legal question about the hospital approaching the court at this stage. The judge said the CoI reports are usually placed before the Legislative Assembly. “Bias is a ground for me to come to court at any time of the inquiry. If my reputation is affected, anytime. There are three grounds on which I can come. They are bias, natural justice and jurisdiction... Can I have a reasonable feeling of non-bias here?” Mr. Sundaram replied.Apollo Hospitals had submitted that the Commission, instead of conducting an impartial probe, had filed a pleading alleging “criminal intent” on the part of the hospital and its doctors. Justice Nazeer asked whether the process of the CoI was adversarial or not. “Can the Commission participate as a litigant?” he asked. Mr. Sundaram replied that the process was not supposed to be adversarial.Mr. Sundaram had previously argued that the Commission was filing applications “on its own behalf before itself” alleging negligence on the part of the hospital in the treatment of Jayalalithaa. “The CoI has to only extract the facts... This Commission goes about saying how this or the other treatment could have prolonged the CM’s life — now is this a medical fact-finding body? The CoI may be proficient in law but how does the CoI give expert views on medical terms which can be hardly pronounced... I have no faith in the Commission and everything it has done has to be called off,” he said.

தந்தை பிரிந்து சென்றுவிட்டதால் தாய் பெயரை முதல் எழுத்தாக பயன்படுத்த மகளுக்கு அனுமதி: 30 நாளில் முடிவெடுக்க உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவு

தந்தை பிரிந்து சென்றுவிட்டதால் தாய் பெயரை முதல் எழுத்தாக பயன்படுத்த மகளுக்கு அனுமதி: 30 நாளில் முடிவெடுக்க உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவு

மதுரை  27.10.2021

தந்தை பிரிந்த நிலையில் தாயாரின் பெயரை மகளுக்கு முதல் எழுத்தாகப் பயன்படுத்த அனுமதி கோரிய மனு மீது 30 நாளில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

கரூர் மாவட்டம் கடவூரைச் சேர்ந்த போதும்பொண்ணு உயர் நீதிமன்றக் கிளையில் தாக்கல் செய்த மனு:

எனது மகள் காவ்யா, கடவூர் அரசு உயர்நிலைப் பள்ளியில் 9-ம் வகுப்புப் படிக்கிறார். கணவர் 14 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் என்னை விட்டுப் பிரிந்து சென்று விட்டார். நானும், மகளும் எனது தந்தையின் பராமரிப்பில் இருக்கிறோம். மகளை பள்ளியில் சேர்த்தபோது எனதுபெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தை (இன்ஷியலாக) அவளது பெயருக்கு முன்னால் பதிவு செய்தேன். ஆதார் அட்டையிலும் எனது பெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தையே மகளின் பெயருக்கு முன் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளேன்.

இருப்பினும் எனது பெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தை ஏற்க பள்ளி நிர்வாகம் மறுத்துவிட்டது. 10-ம் வகுப்புப் பொதுத்தேர்வின்போது பிரச்சினை வரும் என்றும், அதனால் தந்தை பெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தைக் குறிப்பிடுமாறு பள்ளி நிர்வாகம் அறிவுறுத்தியது. எனவே, எனது பெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தையை மகளின் பெயருக்கு முன் பயன்படுத்த அனுமதிக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும் என மனுவில் கூறப்பட்டிருந்தது.

இந்த மனு நீதிபதி செந்தில்குமார் ராமமூர்த்தி முன் விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. பின்னர் நீதிபதி, மனுதாரரின் மனுவை 30 நாளில் பரிசீலித்து பள்ளிக்கல்வி இயக்குநர், கரூர் மாவட்ட ஆட்சியர், தேர்வுத்துறை இயக்குநர் ஆகியோர் உரிய உத்தரவு பிறப்பிக்க வேண்டும் என உத்தரவிட்டார்.

உயர் கல்விக்காக வெளிநாடுகளுக்கு செல்பவர்கள் கவனத்துக்கு...

உயர் கல்விக்காக வெளிநாடுகளுக்கு செல்பவர்கள் கவனத்துக்கு...

சென்னை  27.10.2021

அகில இந்திய தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்வி குழுமம் (ஏஐசிடிஇ) வெளியிட்ட அறிவிப்பு:

வெளிநாடுகளுக்கு சென்று உயர்கல்வி பயில்பவர்கள் இளநிலை, முதுநிலை தொழில்நுட்பப் படிப்புகளில் அங்கீகாரமற்ற அல்லது இணையில்லாத பாடங்களை தேர்வு செய்து வருவதாக தகவல்கள் கிடைத்துள்ளன. இவ்வாறு அதிகம் செலவு செய்து வெளிநாடுகளில் படிக்கும் படிப்புகளுக்கு உரிய அங்கீகாரம் இல்லாததால் நம்நாட்டின் வேலைவாய்ப்புகளை அந்த மாணவர்கள் பெறுவதில் சிக்கல்கள் நிலவுகின்றன. மேலும், அதிக செலவு செய்து மாணவர்கள் கல்வி பயில்வதும் வீணாகிவிடுகிறது.

இதை கருத்தில்கொண்டு உயர்கல்வி பயில்வதற்கு வெளிநாடு செல்லும் மாணவர்கள் அதிக கவனத்துடன் படிப்புகளை தேர்வு செய்ய வேண்டும்.

வெளிநாடுகளில் கற்பிக்கப்படும் படிப்புகளுக்கு நம்நாட்டில் உள்ள வேலைவாய்ப்புகள் மற்றும் பட்ட மேற்படிப்பு படிக்க இயலுமா என்பதை சரிபார்த்த பின்னர் சேரவேண்டும். அதேபோல, பாகிஸ்தான் சென்று உயர்கல்வி படிக்க விரும்பும் மாணவர்கள் ஏஐசிடிஇ-யிடம் அதற்கான தடையில்லா சான்று கட்டாயம் பெற வேண்டும்.

இவ்வாறு அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிரான புகார்கள் 6 மாதங்களுக்குள் முடிக்க உத்தரவு

மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிரான புகார்கள் 6 மாதங்களுக்குள் முடிக்க உத்தரவு

Added : அக் 27, 2021 00:23

சென்னை:மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிரான புகார்களை, ஆறு மாதங்களுக்குள் விசாரித்து முடிவை அறிவிக்கும்படி, சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

சென்னையில் உள்ள தனியார் மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்றவர் சில நாட்களில் இறந்தார். அவரது உடல் நிலை குறித்து, மருத்துவமனை கண்காணிப்பாளர் சரியான பதில் அனுப்புவதை, சிகிச்சை அளித்த டாக்டர் பாசுமணி உறுதி செய்யவில்லை என்பதால், மருத்துவ பதிவேட்டில் இருந்து, அவரது பெயரை ஆறு மாதங்களுக்கு நீக்கி மருத்துவ கவுன்சில் உத்தரவிட்டது.இதை எதிர்த்து, சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் டாக்டர் பாசுமணி மனு தாக்கல் செய்தார்.

மனுவை விசாரித்த நீதிபதி ஆர்.மகாதேவன் பிறப்பித்த உத்தரவு:மருத்துவ கண்காணிப்பாளர் அளித்த தகவலை மனுதாரருக்கு வழங்கவில்லை. சாட்சியை குறுக்கு விசாரணை செய்ய, மனுதாரருக்கு சந்தர்ப்பம் அளிக்கவில்லை. கண்காணிப்பாளர் அளித்த பதில் மனுதாரருக்கு தெரியாது; இயற்கை நீதி மீறப்பட்டுள்ளது. மருத்துவ கவுன்சில் அளித்த தண்டனை நியாயமற்றது; அது, ரத்து செய்யப்படுகிறது.

மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிரான புகார்களை திறமையாக கையாள, சில வழிமுறைகள் பரிந்துரைக்கப்படுகிறது. இதனால், மருத்துவ போர்டுக்கு எதிராக தேவையற்ற குற்றச் சாட்டுக்கள் தவிர்க்கப்படும்.மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிரான புகார் வந்தால், அவரிடம் விளக்கம் கேட்டு நோட்டீஸ் அனுப்ப வேண்டும். விளக்கம் பெற்ற பின் அதை பரிசீலித்து, நிபுணர்கள் குழு விசாரணை நடத்த வேண்டும்.

குழுவில் மூன்று உறுப்பினர்கள் இடம் பெற வேண்டும். குழு வின் விசாரணைக்கு பின் விரிவான அறிக்கையை, மாநில மருத்துவ கவுன்சிலுக்கு பரிந்துரைக்க வேண்டும். அறிக்கையில் முடிவை தெரிவிக்க வேண்டும்.தவறு செய்ததாக முடிவுக்கு வந்தால், தண்டனை பற்றி முடிவெடுத்து, அதுகுறித்து தவறு செய்த மருத்துவரிடம் தெரிவிக்க வேண்டும்.

அவரிடம் குறிப்புகள் பெற்று தண்டனை விதித்து உத்தரவு பிறப்பிக்க வேண்டும். மருத்துவர்களுக்கு எதிராக புகார் வந்தால், ஒட்டு மொத்தமாக ஆறு மாதங்களுக்குள் அதை முடிக்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு நீதிபதி உத்தரவிட்டார்.

After Covid deaths, new med colleges mean nothing: BSP

After Covid deaths, new med colleges mean nothing: BSP

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:27.10.2021

A day after PM Narendra Modi inaugurated nine medical colleges in UP, BSP general secretary and MP Satish Chandra Mishra called it an election ploy and said those who had lost their loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lack of health facilities would never forget the government’s apathy.

“During the tenure of Behenji (Mayawati), human life was prioritised and important development works were done in healthcare. This included setting up of seven medical colleges, two homeopathic colleges and two paramedical colleges. Mobile medical vans were also started,” Mishra said on Tuesday. The SP and then BJP governments halted the speed of development, he alleged.

“We got to witness the result of this during the Covid-19 pandemic when people were forced to run around for medicines and other health facilities. Now when elections are nearing, these people have started inaugurating projects. However, families which lost their loved ones due to the government’s mismanagement and its insensitivity will never forget it,” he said.

Kejriwal announces free pilgrimage trip to Ayodhya

Kejriwal announces free pilgrimage trip to Ayodhya

Arshad Afzaal Khan TNN

Ayodhya:27.10.2021

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya on Tuesday and offered prayers to Ram Lalla besides visiting the Hanumangarhi temple.

After offering prayers at Ram Mandir, Kejriwal said, “I prayed to Lord Ram that all my countrymen should be happy, the corona pandemic ends and our country witnesses the best developments. I was fortunate to get the chance to bow before Ram Lalla and I wish everyone gets one.”

“In Delhi, we are running the Chief Minister’s Teerth Yatra Yojana, under which we provide free pilgrimage to the people of Delhi to Vaishno Devi, Rameshwaram, Dwarka Puri, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura and Vrindavan. Tomorrow morning, we will hold a special cabinet meeting in Delhi, and will include Ayodhya in the list of our free pilgrimage tour programme,” Kejriwal said.

Now the people of Delhi will be able to visit Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya, as well. Under this scheme, Delhiites travel by AC trains and stay in AC hotels and all the expenses are borne by the government, he added.

On being asked whether he donated for Ram temple construction, Kejriwal said, “I have also donated for Ram Mandir, but donations must always be kept secret.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal offers prayers at Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday

Travel between Delhi and Ayodhya at ‘bullet speed’ to be a reality soon

FUTURE READY

Travel between Delhi and Ayodhya at ‘bullet speed’ to be a reality soon

Project Along 865-Km Route Taking Shape

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:27.10.2021

Brace for bullet speed travel between Delhi and Varanasi via Ayodhya in the coming years. The train travel time, which takes around 11-12 hours at present will get reduced to 3 hours once the Delhi–Varanasi High-Speed Rail (DVHSR) project gets ready. The work has already started.

The 865-km proposed High Speed Rail, commonly known as the Bullet Train, will connect Delhi with Varanasi through 12 stations including Lucknow, Ayodhya, Mathura, Etawah, Kannauj and Prayagraj.

As per the project’s feasibility report, people will be able to travel between Delhi and Lucknow in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

While the environment impact assessment, social impact surveys and utility identification along the proposed route are likely to start soon, the instructions are to avoid any forest or wildlife sanctuaries in the route.

Besides connecting the national capital with several religious cities of Uttar Pradesh, the project is also expected to boost the real estate sector on the proposed rail route.

The project will also benefit devotees who want to travel by train to Ayodhya, about 690km from Delhi, and currently takes more than 10 hours by train or road.

The train will have a maximum speed of 350 kmph and an operation speed of 300 kmph. With a passenger capacity of 750, this train will be equipped with urgent earthquake detection and an alarm system for automatic braking.

Multi-modal station integration

As per the Prime Minister’s GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP), the project will be integrated with the national multi-modal transport connectivity all along the route.

In Delhi, for instance, interventions by means of foot overbridges (FOBs) with Metro stations, railway stations and the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), besides station parking facilities are proposed. Similar integrations at Noida are also proposed.

At the underconstruction Jewar International Airport in Noida, the Jewar HSR station will be set up close to the airport and its integration by means of dedicated passenger walkway connection and underground roads to Metro and airport terminal buildings is proposed.

At Lucknow, the HSR station is planned on the existing VIP road, about 0.5 km away from Singarnagar Metro station with which an foot overbridges connection is proposed. The Lucknow railway station will be about 5 km away and the distance to the Lucknow Airport will be about 4.5 km.

The Lucknow-Ayodhya spur line (extension) alignment is proposed parallel to the existing railway line. The Ayodhya high-speed rail station will be about 2.5 km from the Ayodhya Airport and 10.5 km from the existing Ayodhya Railway Station.

A proposed new road below the viaduct connecting to Prayagraj-Faizabad road will be explored.

In Mathura, construction of new roads to connect Mathura and Vrindavan roads, dedicated bus facility and parking are proposed. In Agra, the extension of Agra Metro till the HSR station with parking and a dedicated bus facility will lead to a perfect integration.

In Etawah, a new Etawah HSR station is planned along the Yamuna Expressway.

The HSR station at Prayagraj will be 1 km from the existing Phaphamau railway station. Widening of roads and FOB connection between the HSR and railway station, widening of the bridge and increased regional commuter train services for integration with the existing Prayagraj railway station will also be explored.

In addition, a water-based transport mode between the HSR station and Triveni Sangam could also be explored.

In Varanasi, the proposed Banaras HSR station will be close to the existing Banaras (Manduadih) railway station.

A foot overbridge connection between the two stations, parking plazas, redevelopment of Banaras railway station, a station square, a dedicated bus facility for destinations in Varanasi and integration of the high speed rail station with the proposed Metro and Ropeway Corridors may also be explored.

KGMU student pops sleeping pills, stable

KGMU student pops sleeping pills, stable

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:27.10.2021

A final-year bachelor of dental sciences student of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) had to be hospitalised after she allegedly consumed several sleeping pills late on Monday night.

The student was rushed to the Trauma Centre by some hostelmates. Her condition is said to be stable now.

KGMU authorities remained tight-lipped over the sequence of events that led to the step by the girl.

In an official statement, university spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singh said, “The student consumed sleeping pills owing to some personal issue and she is out of danger now.”

“Her psychological evaluation is being done and parents have been informed. If required, she will be given leave for a few days to go home and relax,” he added.

HC orders probe into NEET ‘fraud’

HC orders probe into NEET ‘fraud’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:27.10.2021

The high court on Tuesday directed for a probe on alleged malpractice on the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet of a candidate who appeared for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Justice N Nagaresh ordered National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers NEET, to conduct a probe after considering a plea by Rithu Sibi of Varandarappilly in Thrissur.

It was alleged by the petitioner that the OMR sheet published along with the results two days after the NEET held on September 12 was different than the one submitted by her.

During the test, the petitioner had recorded her fingerprint and her personal details, including the name of parent, on the OMR sheet. However, the OMR sheet published in her name has the name of her parent in somebody else’s handwriting and the fingerprint doesn’t match hers, the petitioner has alleged. It is also pointed out that the roll number entered in numerals and the one in the OMR format are different.

Colleges, varsities ready vax status list of students, teachers and staff

Colleges, varsities ready vax status list of students, teachers and staff

Zeeshan Jawed@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:27.10.2021

Colleges and universities have already started making a list of how many students, faculty and other staff members have been fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or have not taken a single jab yet.

Though the government has not made vaccination mandatory for students to attend on-campus activities till now, the college and university authorities are preparing for a scenario, where only vaccinated people will be allowed to enter the institutions for classes or other works. The database of students, teachers and other staff will help the authorities identify those, who are due for the second dose or have not been vaccinated at all.

At St Xavier’s College, almost 80% students have received both the doses while the rest have received at least the first dose and will be eligible for the second dose in the coming weeks. “All our teaching and non-teaching staff have been fully vaccinated too,” said Father Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College.

At J D Birla Institute, 92% students are fully vaccinated while the rest are waiting for the second jab. “There will only be a handful of students who have not even received a single jab. Similarly, out of 123 staff on both our campuses, 113 have been fully vaccinated while nine are due for their second dose,” said Deepali Singhee, principal of the college.

The heads of various departments at Maulana Azad College have started collecting information on the status of vaccination of students. “Nearly 40% students have taken both the doses. Another 55% students have taken their first dose and will be due for their second dose soon. Similarly, both our teaching and non-teaching employees have received both the doses of the vaccine,” said Subhasis Dutta, principal.

At Lady Brabourne College, all the teaching and non-teaching staff have received both the doses. “About 60% of our students have received both the doses while 80% of the rest have received single dose,” said Siuli Sarkar, principal of Lady Brabourne College.

At St Xavier’s University over 95% students have received both doses. “Our entire teaching and non-teaching staff have received both the doses,” said Fr J Felix Raj, vice chancellor of the varsity.