திரைவானில் மின்னும் ராமநாதபுரம் தந்த நட்சத்திரங்கள்

INAMALAR

சினிமா

திரைவானில் மின்னும் ராமநாதபுரம் தந்த நட்சத்திரங்கள்

Added : நவ 04, 2021 22:02

வானம் பார்த்த பூமியான ராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டத்தை 'தண்ணி இல்லா காடு' என்றுதான் பல திரைப்பட வசனங்களில் கேட்டிருக்கிறோம். ஆனால் அந்த ராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டத்தில் இருந்து அதே சினிமாவில் நட்சத்திர நாயகர்களாக வென்றவர்கள் ஏராளம்.

கமல்

கமல் பிறந்தது ராமநாதபுரம் அரண்மனையில் தான். இவரது சொந்தஊர் பரமக்குடி. தந்தை சீனிவாசன் வழக்கறிஞர். பின் இவர்களின் குடும்பம் சென்னைக்கு இடம் பெயர்ந்துள்ளது. அங்கு ஏ.வி.மெய்யப்ப செட்டியார் தயாரிப்பில் வெளியான களத்துார் கண்ணம்மா படத்தில் குழந்தை நட்சத்திரமாக நடிப்பை துவக்கி உலகநாயகனாக உயர்ந்து நிற்கிறார்.

சாருஹாசன்

கமலின் மூத்த அண்ணனான சாருஹாசன் தளபதி, வேதம் புதிது, தற்போது வெளியான தாதா 87என்ற படங்கள் வரை அசத்துகிறார்.வில்லனாகவும் கலக்கியவர்.

சந்திரஹாசன்

கமல் அண்ணன் சந்திரஹாசன். படங்களில் அதிகம் நடிக்கவில்லை. அதே நேரம் 'அப்பத்தாவ ஆட்டைய போட்டாங்க' படத்தில் முக்கிய கதாபாத்திரத்தில்நடித்துள்ளார்.அவர் மறைவுக்கு பின் வெளிவந்த படம் இது.

ராஜ்கிரண்

கீழக்கரை முஸ்லிம். ஆனால், அரண்மனைக்கிளி படத்தில் 'அம்மன் கோவில் கும்பம் இங்கே' பாடலில் கிராமத்து அம்மன் கோயில் சடங்குகளை முறையாக செய்வார். வினியோகஸ்தராக வாழ்க்கையை துவங்கி தயாரிப்பாளரானார். பின்ராமராஜன் ஹீரோவாக நடித்த ராசாவே உன்னை நம்பி என்ற படத்தில் 'சீதைக்கொரு ராவணன் தான்' என்ற பாடலில் முதலில் நடித்தார். என்ராசாவின் மனசிலே படத்தில் ஹீரோவாகி மக்கள் மனதில் இடம் பிடித்தார்.

விக்ரம்

சொந்த ஊர் பரமக்குடி. சிறுவயதிலே சென்னையில் குடியேறிவிட்டார். தந்துவிட்டேன் என்னை, மீரா, புதிய மன்னர்கள் படங்களில் நடித்து கதாநாயகன் ஆக போராடினார். சேது படத்தின் மூலம் புகழ்பெற்றார். தேசிய விருது, தென்னிந்திய சர்வதேச திரைப்பட விருது, 6 முறை பிலிம்பேர் விருதுகளை குவித்தவர்.

கே.எஸ்.அதியமான்

ராமநாதபுரம் அருகே சத்திரக்குடியை அடுத்த காமன்கோட்டை இவரது சொந்த ஊர். 'தொட்டாச்சிணுங்கி' படம் மூலம் இயக்குனரானார். ஹிந்திதிரையுலகிலும் வேகமாக கால் பதித்தார்.

எஸ்.ஏ.சந்திரசேகர்

இவர் பிறந்தது ராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டம் தங்கச்சிமடம். சட்டம் ஒரு இருட்டறை, சட்டம் ஒரு விளையாட்டு, நீதிக்கு தண்டனை, நான் சிகப்புமனிதன், நீதியின் மறுபக்கம், சுக்ரன் என பல படங்களை தந்தார்.

செந்தில்

முதுகுளத்துார் அருகே உள்ள இளஞ்செம்பூர் கிராமத்தில் பிறந்தவர். பொய்சாட்சி, துாறல் நின்னு போச்சு என நடிக்க பாக்கியராஜ் வாய்ப்பளித்தார். கரகாட்டக்காரன்படத்தில் இவர் காமெடி உச்சம் தொட்டது.

லதா

1953ல் ராமநாதபுரத்தில் சண்முக ராஜேஸ்வர சேதுபதிமற்றும் லீலாராணிக்கு பிறந்தவர். 1973ல் எம்.ஜி.ஆர்., நடித்த உலகம் சுற்றும் வாலிபன் படத்தில் கதாநாயகியாக நடித்தார். எம்.ஜி.ஆருடன் இவர் நடித்த உரிமைக்குரல் படம்சக்கை போடு போட்டது. இவரது சகோதரர் ராஜ்குமார் சேதுபதி சூலம், உச்சகட்டம் உள்ளிட்ட படங்கள் நடித்தவர். கமல் நடித்த பாபநாசம் படத்தின் இணை தயாரிப்பாளர்.

காஜா ஷெரீப்

கீழக்கரையில் பிறந்தவர். பாரதிராஜாவின் புதிய வார்ப்புகள் படத்தில்அறிமுகமாகி மகேந்திரனின் உதிரிபூக்கள், பாக்யராஜின் அந்த ஏழு நாட்கள்படங்களில் நடித்து புகழ் பெற்றவர். 1980களில் அனைத்து முன்னணிநடிகர்களுடன், இயக்குனர்களுடன் பணிபுரிந்தவர். அஜித்துடன் சிட்டிசன் படத்தில் நடித்தார்.

ஆர்.சி.சக்தி

ரஜினியை வைத்து தர்மயுத்தம், கமலைவைத்து மனிதரில் இத்தனை நிறங்களா, சிறை உள்ளிட்ட பல படங்களை இயக்கியவர். கமலின் நெருங்கிய நண்பர். பரமக்குடி அருகே புழுதிக்குளம் கிராமத்தைசேர்ந்தவர். உடல் நலக்குறைவால் சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் மறைந்தார்.

வேலா ராமமூர்த்தி

பெருநாழியை சேர்ந்தவர். எழுத்தாளர். அதன்பிறகே நடிகர். வரலாற்று நிகழ்வுகளை கண்முன் வடித்து இவர் எழுதிய புதினங்கள்,கட்டுரைகள் பெயர் பெற்றவை. ஆங்கிலேயர் காலத்தில் இருந்த குற்றப்பரம்பரைசட்டம் குறித்து விளக்கமான புத்தகத்தை எழுதியவர். மதயானைக்கூட்டம், புலிக்குத்திபாண்டி,கொம்பன், கிடாரி என தொடர்ந்து வில்லனாக, குணச்சித்திரநடிகராக நடித்து வருகிறார்.

நட்ராஜ்

சொந்த ஊர் பரமக்குடி. சதுரங்க வேட்டை படம் மூலம் புகழ் பெற்றவர். அதற்கு முன் மிளகா உள்ளிட்ட படங்களில் நடித்துள்ளார். இன்றும் ஹீரோவாக நடித்து வருகிறார். நடிப்பதற்கு முன் பல புகழ்பெற்ற ஹிந்தி படங்களில் ஒளிப்பதிவு செய்துள்ளார்.

ரித்தீஷ்

சொந்த ஊர் ராமநாதபுரம். சின்னி ஜெயந்த் இயக்கிய கானல் நீர் படத்தில் அறிமுகமானார். 2008 ல் நாயகன்படத்தில் நடித்தார். பின் பெண் சிங்கம், எல்.கே.ஜி., படங்களில் நாயகனாக நடித்தார்.2009ல் தி.மு.க.,வில் போட்டியிட்டு ராமநாதபுரம் தொகுதி எம்.பி.,யானார். இவரது மறைவுக்கு பின்குடும்பத்தினர் சென்னையில் வசிக்கின்றனர்.

ஹலோ கந்தசாமி

பெருநாழியை சேர்ந்த இவர் தற்போது அருப்புகோட்டை அருகே வசிக்கிறார்.சாட்டை, ரஜினி முருகன் உள்ளிட்ட படங்களில் கலக்கியவர். ரஜினி முருகன்படத்தில் இவரின் ஜோதிடர் காமெடியை மறக்க முடியாது. இவர்களைத் தவிர குறும்பட இயக்குனர் சக்திமோகன், வாலி படத்தில் நடித்தவரும், சின்னத்திரை நடிகையுமான தேவிப்பிரியா, ராமநாதபுரம் அருகே வாலாந்தரவையை சேர்ந்த விருமாண்டி பட வில்லன் சண்முக ராஜேஸ்வரன், மண்டபம் ஆர்.கே.சுரேஷ், சின்னத்திரை நடிகைகள் ரஞ்சனா, திவ்யா, தமிழ், ஹேமந்த்குமார், இளங்கோ, சண்டை பயிற்சியாளர் சகோதரர்கள் அன்பு, அறிவு,சுப்பிரமணி, பாடகி எல்.ஆர்.ஈஸ்வரி, இயக்குனர்கள் ராஜசேகர்,அண்ணாதுரை, விக்ரம் சுகுமாறன், அரு.அபிராம் என ராமநாதபுரம் மண்ணின் பெருமையை திரையுலகில் நிரூபித்து வருபவர்கள் பட்டியல் தொடர்ந்து நீள்கிறது

'நீட்' தேர்வு முடிவில் குளறுபடி; மாணவர்கள் குற்றச்சாட்டு

DINAMALAR

'நீட்' தேர்வு முடிவில் குளறுபடி; மாணவர்கள் குற்றச்சாட்டு

Added : நவ 05, 2021 05:26

புதுடில்லி : 'எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., - பி.டி.எஸ்., உள்ளிட்ட இளநிலை மருத்துவ படிப்புக்கான, 'நீட்' நுழைவுத் தேர்வு முடிவுகளில் தவறுகள் உள்ளன' என மாணவர்கள் பலர் புகார் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., - பி.டி.எஸ்., உள்ளிட்ட இளநிலை மருத்துவ படிப்புக்கான நீட் நுழைவுத் தேர்வை, என்.டி.ஏ., எனப்படும் தேசிய தேர்வு முகமை நடத்தி வருகிறது. நடப்பாண்டுக்கான நீட் நுழைவுத் தேர்வு, செப்., 12ல் நடந்தது. நாடு முழுதும் 16 லட்சம் மாணவ, மாணவியர் இந்த தேர்வை எழுதினர்.

இதற்கிடையே, நீட் தேர்வு முடிவுகள் கடந்த 1ம் தேதி வெளியாகின. மாணவர்களின் 'இ - மெயில்' முகவரிக்கு தேர்வு முடிவுகள் அனுப்பி வைக்கப்பட்டன. தேசிய தேர்வு முகமையின் இணையதளத்திலும் முடிவுகள் வெளியிடப்பட்டன. இந்நிலையில், நீட் தேர்வு முடிவுகளில் குளறுபடிகள் உள்ளதாக, மாணவர்கள் புகார் செய்துள்ளனர்.

தேர்வில் தாங்கள் எழுதிய பதில்களை, விடைகளுடன் ஒப்பிட்டு பார்த்த போது அதிக மதிப்பெண் வந்ததாகவும், ஆனால், தேர்வில் மிக குறைந்த மதிப்பெண் வந்துள்ளதாகவும், மாணவர்கள் பலர் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். தேர்வை நன்றாக எழுதிய பல ஆயிரம் மாணவர்கள் தோல்வி அடைந்து இருப்பதாகவும், சரியாக தேர்வு எழுதாதவர்கள், தேர்ச்சி பெற்று இருப்பதாகவும், மாணவர்கள் சிலர், 'டுவிட்டரில்' குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளனர்.

IRCTC air package

IRCTC air package

04/11/2021

Staff Reporter Coimbatore

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced an air tour package from Coimbatore to Hyderabad that begins on December 17 from the Coimbatore International Airport.

A release said that the tour package would cover major tourism spots of Hyderabad including Charminar, Golconda Fort, Salar Jung Museum and Lumbini Garden.

The package cost starts from ₹ 15,595 and would cover air fare, travel and accommodation expenses. Those interested shall contact IRCTC, Coimbatore, at 82879 31965 and 90031 40655 for bookings and for further details.

Gang hacks govt portals to issue fake birth, death certs

Gang hacks govt portals to issue fake birth, death certs

Chandigarh:04.11.2021

Haryana Police on Wednesday said it has arrested two people from Bihar who allegedly issued around 800 fake birth and death certificates by hacking into government websites of several states. The arrested have been identified as Santosh and Mantosh, residents of a village in Bihar's Samastipur. A team from the Cyber Crime police station, Karnal Range, arrested them from their village, Haryana Police said in a statement. Two laptops, two mobile phones and a CPU among other articles were recovered from their possession, police said.

“During interrogation, it was revealed that around 800 fake birth and death certificates have been issued by the accused by hacking into government websites in Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and many other states,” the statement read. The scam came to light after the principal medical officer at the Karnal Civil Hospital filed a complaint with the Haryana Police that login credentials of the hospital’s birth and death certificate registration unit had been compromised.

“Investigation also revealed that for the purpose of issuing fake certificates, the accused, along with their associates, had formed a WhatsApp group. As soon as a person came in contact with them for birth and death certificates, they would send an alert in the WhatsApp group and their accomplice in MP would hack the relevant website and post its link in the group,” the statement read.

The two arrested accused would then login to the website and issue a fake certificate in the client's name and forward the same to the client via WhatsApp, albeit with a fake signature. They charged a hefty sum, which clients would transfer into their bank accounts digitally. PTI

Covaxin gets WHO’s emergency use nod

Covaxin gets WHO’s emergency use nod

04/11/2021

According to information released by the WHO, Covaxin was found to have 78% efficacy against COVID-19 of any severity, 14 or more days after the second dose, and is extremely suitable for low- and middle-income countries due to its easy storage requirements.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, welcoming the announcement, said, “This is a proud moment for the entire country.”

The WHO in its tweets on Wednesday said that the Technical Advisory Group, convened by the WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that the Covaxin vaccine meets the WHO’s standards for protection against COVID-19; that the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs risks; and that the vaccine can be used.

It added that Covaxin vaccine was also reviewed by the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE).

Dr. Krishna Ella, chairman and MD, Bharat Biotech, said, “Validation by the WHO is a very significant step towards ensuring global access to India’s widely administered, safe and efficacious Covaxin.”

Stalin gives incentive to medical workers

Stalin gives incentive to medical workers

₹196.91 cr. allotted to 1,05,168 workers

04/11/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday launched the distribution of a special cash incentive to government and contract medical workers who helped control the spread of COVID-19 during April, May and June this year.

According to an order that the government issued in October, a total of ₹196.91 crore will be granted to 24,908 medical officers, 26,615 nurses, 6,791 health inspectors, 8,658 village health nurses, 6,083 laboratory technicians and 32,113 others.

Of the 1,05,168 workers, 34,396 are from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine; 13,371 from the Medical and Rural Health Services; 49,908 are from the Directorate of Medical Education; 270 from the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy; 962 from the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (ESIC Project); and 6,261 from the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Program.

Vaccination review

Mr. Stalin took part in a videoconference of all Chief Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to review the COVID-19 vaccination being undertaken across the country. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, Officer on Special Duty in the Health Department P. Senthil Kumar, Tiruvallur Collector Alby John Varghese and Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam also took part.

One-time incentive for govt. workers acquiring higher qualification

One-time incentive for govt. workers acquiring higher qualification

Incentive to be granted on a maximum of two occasions during service

04/11/2021

Dennis S. JesudasanCHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders for granting incentive in the form of one-time lump sum amount ranging between ₹10,000 and ₹25,000 to State Government employees, who have acquired higher qualifications after coming into service on or after March 10, 2020.

According to a G.O. issued by Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, for a Ph.D, the one-time lump sum amount would be ₹25,000. For a postgraduate degree or its equivalent and a diploma or its equivalent, the lump sum would be ₹20,000 and ₹10,000 respectively.

As per the operational guidelines issued in this regard the higher qualifications acquired by the government employee should help him / her in boosting the work efficiency.

“The incentive would not be allowed if a government employee had acquired the higher qualification on the direction of the government or had obtained it during the study leave.”

The incentive would be granted on a maximum of two occasions during the service of a government employee and there should be at least two years between the occasions, it said.

‘Not sufficient’

However, a section of the government employees is not happy with the announcement.

“The one-time lump sum would not be sufficient even to cover the expenses incurred for acquiring the higher qualification,” contended P. Frederic Engels, who is a teacher in a State Government school. The old increment system which prevailed prior to March 20, 2020 should be resumed, he said.

Manifesto pledge

The AIADMK government had in March last year discontinued the increment system for higher qualifications obtained by government employees. Though the DMK election manifesto said it would resume the old system, the government has now decided to give a one-time lump sum, he pointed out.

“Going by this G.O., an MBBS graduate, who is a medical officer in a primary health centre in a rural area would get a one-time lump sum of only ₹20,000, if he / she completes MS. This sum would not even compensate the fees he / she would have spent on higher education. This decision would only demotivate government employees from pursuing higher education," Mr. Engels argued

Sri Chaitanya students get 3 ranks in top 10

Sri Chaitanya students get 3 ranks in top 10

03/11/2021

Special Correspondent HYDERABAD

Three students of Sri Chaitanya educational institutions secured three ranks in top ten in the NEET results.

All of them — K. Shashank, G. Rushil and Suyash Arora — shared the fifth rank. They scored 715 out of a total of 720 marks. The students of the institutions also got twenty-one ranks below hundred and ninety-one ranks below thousand in open category, a release said.

Namakkal students make it big in NEET

Namakkal students make it big in NEET

03/11/2021

M. Pravin

S.A. Geethanjali

Staff Reporter NAMAKKAL

Two students from Namakkal have topped the NEET rank list in the State with a score of 710 out of 720.

S.A. Geethanjali and M. Pravin, both had enrolled at the Green Park coaching centre in Namakkal, and ranked 23rd and 30th respectively at the All-India level.

Another student T. Archithaa scored 705 out of 720 and bagged the second rank in the State. Ms. Geethanjali said she had not expected a State rank. Rigorous preparation led to the success, she said.

Attributing his success to regular coaching and effective time management, Mr. Pravin said he wanted to become a cardiologist.

He said that his focus on objective type questions from Class IX helped him secure the rank. Mr. Pravin hails from Sandaipettai Pudur in Namakkal. His father, M. Madheswaran, rents out construction material and his mother, M. Jaya, is a homemaker.

No T.N. candidate in top 20 NEET ranks

No T.N. candidate in top 20 NEET ranks

Six candidates score over 700 to take top slots in the State

03/11/2021

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

This year, no candidate from the State was placed in the top 20 ranks in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test’s (NEET) merit list. The first candidate from Tamil Nadu is ranked 23 in the country.

S.A. Geethanjali, who scored 710 marks, shares the spot with M. Pravin, S.K. Prasenjithan and R. Arvind, all of whom have scored the same marks, but have been ranked further down.

T. Archithaa and M.B. Hayagrivas, both with a score of 705, will probably qualify for the second rank in the State merit list.

Medical education officials said they would wait for clarification from the State government on the reservation policy, before issuing a notification regarding admissions.

The minimum qualifying mark to be eligible for admission this year for the unreserved (general category) is 138, as against 147 the last year. For other communities, it is 108. Last year, it was 113. In 2020, the qualifying marks for the category was reduced to 134, during the mop-up round counselling for deemed universities, by the Director General of Health Services. It is possible that a similar scenario will pan out this year as well. This means that qualifying marks could drop by a few points.

With a total of 9,100 seats, including 1,560 in deemed universities, the State is comfortably poised to accommodate more students.

This could, to some extent, also reduce cut-off marks for candidates aspiring for medical admissions.

“Since we have 11 new colleges and students from other parts of the country will not opt for them, it is safe to assume that our students will take all 1,450 seats in the new colleges,” said R. Prasad Manne, who has been coaching students from under-privileged backgrounds.

Only when the Education Department releases the details of students who have qualified from government schools, will a clearer picture of their performance and eligibility emerge.

Wishes a happy Deepavali 2021 to all my Readers

 

100% NEET score for Panvel girl as she turns eighteen

100% NEET score for Panvel girl as she turns eighteen

Yogita Rao & Ardhra Nair TNN

Mumbai/Pune: 02.11.2021

This was possibly the best ever birthday gift that Karthika Nair would have imagined. Nair, a Panvel resident, who scored 720/720 in NEET-UG and shared the top position in the country, turned 18 on Sunday. Though she was targetting the perfect score, she was not expecting to actually get it. A student of DAV Public School in Panvel, Nair will be considered as the third-ranker for the counselling round. Including the national topper, Maharashtra has two rankers — Hriday Mohite and Vaishnavi Sarda — in the top 20. NEET-UG results were announced on Monday. On Thursday, the Supreme Court gave a goahead to the National Testing Agency to release the results. Of 15.4 lakh students who appeared for the test, 8.7 lakh qualified nationally.

Speaking to TOI, Nair said that she would want to join AIIMS, Delhi, which is the best in the country. “I have always found physics very tough and had to put in extra efforts. I relied entirely on NCERT books for my preparation,” said Nair, whose father works for a private logistics firm and mother is a computer science lecturer at a Navi Mumbai college. While her interest lies in oncology, she would explore other fields too, she said.

She found this year’s NEET paper tougher than the previous years, but managed to crack it well. Previous years’ question papers and mock tests helped her in practising for the exam.

“Studying online in the pandemic was no tough task. There are students who may find it difficult to understand lectures online, but the teachers were helpful and we were saving time in commuting to school and coaching class,” said Nair.

Hriday Mohite, from Pune’s DAV Public School, ranked fifth with a few others but in counselling ranks 14th in the country and second in the state.

The football enthusiast is the son of anaesthesiologist Dr Vishal Mohite and IT professional Trupti Mohite. “When the answer key was released, we had a feeling that he would get top marks. He has always been good at studies and has worked hard for this,” said Dr Mohite. Hriday wanted to become a doctor since his school days.

Aus among 16 countries to OK Covaxin for entry

Aus among 16 countries to OK Covaxin for entry

02.11.2021

Australia will recognise Covaxin, apart from Covishield, allowing those fully jabbed entry into the country, reports Saurabh Sinha. While WHO’s emergency use listing is awaited, some of the 16 countries that have recognised Covaxin include Estonia, Greece, Iran, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Oman, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe

13.7L files cleared out, 8L sq ft space freed

GOVT OFFICES

13.7L files cleared out, 8L sq ft space freed

New Delhi:  02.11.2021

In a massive weeding exercise, over 13.73 lakh files were cleared out and almost 8 lakh square feet of space freed in central government offices over the past month, as part of a special campaign for disposal of pendency from the government of India.

Minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh, who on Monday reviewed the outcome of the special campaign launched on October 2, said that the government earned Rs 40 crore through disposal of scrap during this period. At the review meeting with top officials of department of administrative reforms and public grievances (DARPG) on outcome of the campaign here on Monday, Singh noted with satisfaction that more than 13.73 lakh files were weeded out of 15.23 lakh files identified for the purpose. Similarly, against the target of 3.28 lakh public grievances, 2.91 lakh were redressed within 30 days.

Out of 11,057 references from MPs, 8,282 were resolved. Moreover, 685 out of 834 identified rules and processes were simplified during the said period. Singh said the special campaign on disposal of pendency in government was conducted on the directions of the PM and the progress will be presented to him this week. He informed that during this campaign, files of temporary nature were identified and weeded out.

Bankers question arrest of ex-SBI chairman Chaudhuri

Bankers question arrest of ex-SBI chairman Chaudhuri

Feel It’ll Raise Fears Of Sanctioning Loans, Initiating Recovery

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai/New Delhi:  02.11.2021

Bankers have come out in support of Pratip C Chaudhuri, the former SBI chairman, and have questioned the way he was arrested in a case involving Alchemist Asset Reconstruction Company and an aggrieved borrower.

“Prima facie, it appears that the norms have been ignored. This is not the way it is done, without giving an opportunity to a person to be heard... It does not appear to be a case of corruption,” former SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar told TOI. He said that the case involved a dispute between an ARC and the property owner and one person seems to have been singled out. “It is not about an individual. Today it is him, tomorrow it may be someone else,” Kumar added.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, who succeeded Chaudhuri and was the first woman to head the country’s largest bank, too backed her former boss.

Ironically, the arrest came a day after the finance ministry’s norms on uniform staff accountability framework for non-performing assets (NPA) accounts of over Rs 50 crore, meant to protect bankers from bona fide business decisions that prove wrong later. Bankers have been wary of action by law enforcement agencies, prompting several of them to go slow in sanctioning loans, a concern that had prompted even PM Narendra Modi to step in and comfort them.

“Absolutely pathetic, is the system being gamed again by defaulters despite all efforts by Modi govt, time for overhaul of judicial processes to improve transparency and introduce accountability,” tweeted former SBI deputy MD Sunil Srivastava. Reacting to Kumar’s comments to a news platform, Mohandas Pai took to social media to seek government intervention.

Several bank executives said that Chaudhuri’s arrest will once again raise fears, not just in sanctioning loans but even in the recovery process, where lenders and borrowers often opt for settling the dues and waive the penal interest. SBI sources alleged that the borrower has sought to frustrate the bank’s attempts to recover the dues for a long time. Executives also pointed out that given the size of the transaction, it is unlikely that it would have been Chaudhuri’s decision. “Also, even in smaller loans, it is never one person who decides on the recovery action” an SBI executive said.

“If a defaulter can send a former bank chairman to jail on an allegation, how can bankers be expected to do this? The government has repeatedly assured us that authorities cannot pick up a banker without reason. The case has been filed just before the courts are closed for Diwali — this appears to be premeditated,” said a senior banker.

Biometric entry for central staff to resume from November 8

Biometric entry for central staff to resume from November 8

New Delhi:02.11.2021

With Covid cases on the decline, the Union government on Monday ordered resumption of biometric attendance for all its employees from November 8.

Biometric attendance, which involves pressing one’s fingers on a scanner, was discontinued across central government offices since last year, as a precautionary measure against Covid. Attendance was instead being maintained through physical registers.

An order issued by the department of personnel and training said the matter had been reviewed and “it has been decided to resume biometric attendance for all levels of employees”, with effect from next Monday. It added that the heads of departments would be responsible for ensuring sanitisers next to biometric machines. Also, physical distance of six feet must be maintained by all employees while marking attendance and if need be, additional biometric attendance machines may be installed to avoid overcrowding.

Asking all employees to wear masks at all times, including while waiting to mark their attendance, DoPT said designated personnel should be deployed near biometric stations to clean/wipe the touchpad/ scanner areas of biometric scanners frequently. TNN

NEET results: Leena is only student from state in top 25

NEET results: Leena is only student from state in top 25

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jaipur:02.11.2021

Leena Khandelwal  was the only student from the state to secure a place in the top 25 in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), the results of which were announced on Monday. With AIR 23, she is all set to join an elite medical institution.

Alwar resident Leena will be the first doctor in her family. She secured 710 out of 720 marks in the exam. She said she believed in her capabilities and prepared for NEET from NCERT syllabus. “Preparations done with similar type of study materials, notes, modules and NCERT syllabus is enough. I believe that if we prepare with the one type of study materials constantly, then we can score better. If you use different study materials or books, you tend to get confused,” said Leena.

The last two years have been challenging for everyone because of the pandemic. Coming to online classes after offline classes caused some problems in the beginning for Leena but she soon adjusted to the system. Leena was a classroom student from Allen Career Institute for the last two years.

Uttar Pradesh resident Aman Tripathi, who secured AIR 4, was studying in Kota for the last three years.

A classroom student of Allen Career Institute Kota, Aman said hard work has no substitute and consistency is the key. “Constant support is all that an aspirant needs for exam preparation. I believe in consistency and made a proper study plan before starting my preparation. I kept myself away from distractions — social media, relatives, friends. It’s self-study that helped me get a grip on the subjects,” said Aman.

BRINGING HOME LAURELS

T boy gets perfect score in NEET, shares No. 1 rank with two others

T boy gets perfect score in NEET, shares No. 1 rank with two others

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  02.11.2021

Mrinal Kutteri

from Telangana, Delhi’s Tanmay Gupta and Maharashtra girl Karthika G Nair scored a perfect 720 to be declared joint toppers of this year’s National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test for admission to undergraduate medical courses, according to the results announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday night.

In all, two Telugu states bagged four places in the top 20 list. Apart from Kutteri, Chandam Vishnu Vivek and Gorripati Rushil, both from Andhra Pradesh, and Khandavally Shashank from Telangana secured an all- India rank of 5.

In 2020, as many as eight students from the two states — three from Telangana and five from AP — figured in the top 20 list.

Mrinal Kutteri

Confusion for hours as NTA mailed results

I want to do MBBS from AIIMS, Delhi and become a surgeon one day,” Kutteri, told TOI soon after the results were announced. The elated topper said the fact that no one pressurised him to study or follow a particular timetable actually helped him to prepare for the test at his convenience and secure the first rank.

But hours of confusion preceded the celebrations on Monday as NTA, which conducted the test, emailed the results to every candidate even before there was an official confirmation on the release of the results. This started from around 6 pm when many could not access their results on the official NEET website. “It would have been better if the results were made available on the website first. I was very tense as I couldn’t access my results, but all my friends got theirs,” said Rushil, a student from Sri Chaitanya, Vijayawada. He is one of 12 students from the country to secure all-India 5th rank. Rushil said he could access his results only around 9 pm.

The institutes too said that students were anxious as they couldn’t access their results on the website. “It took us more than two hours to figure out that the topper was from our institute. The servers were down,” said K Seshagiri Raju, deputy director, Aakash Educational Services Limited (Telangana).

Meanwhile, four students from Telangana-- Kasa Lahari, Emani Srinija, Dasika Sri Niharika, and Pasupunoori Sharanya — secured a spot in the list of top 20 female toppers in the country. Another Telugu student, Adireddi Srinivas, made it to top 10 male (person with disabilities) candidates list while several others from the two states figured in the toppers list in categories such as EWS, SC, ST, and OBC-NCL.

‘No pressure helped me prepare well’

— Nirupa Vatyam

Hyderabad:

City boy Mrinal Kutteri is on cloud nine as he managed to secure the top rank and is certain of getting a seat in his dream institute—AIIMS, New Delhi. Kutteri said that right from his childhood, he dreamt of becoming a doctor and is very happy with his NEET result. He said that his parents never forced him to study or get into a particular field. “Even when it comes to my studies, they never told me when or how to study. I lost count of how many times I prepared my timetable. No one tried to impose anything and I think that is what helped me in excelling,” he added.

›Related report: P8

HC quashes 10.5% vanniyar quota, calls it ‘discriminatory’

HC quashes 10.5% vanniyar quota, calls it ‘discriminatory’

Repeals It Citing Seven Grounds

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.11.2021

Holding that castebased reservation is impermissible, the Madras high court has quashed 10.5% quota law for vanniyars, introduced by the AIADMK government minutes before the Election Commission announced the April 2021 assembly election.

“Treating vanniyar community as a separate class from the other MBCs amounts to discrimination among same category of castes,” ruled a division bench of Justice M Duraiswamy and Justice K Murali Shankar on Monday.

The court decided to quash the reservation as unconstitutional on seven grounds, which included the competency of the state to provide reservation based on caste, whether reservation can be provided without quantifiable data on population, socio-educational status and representation of the backward classes in services.

Classification in name of caste is treating equals unequally: Court

Holding that the very basis of classification in the name of caste is a clear case treating equals unequally, resulting in reverse discrimination within the MBC, the judges said: “We conclude that there is no data, much less quantifiable data, available with the state before the introduction of the law, to show the three different degrees of backwardness to make three sub-categories, as mandated by Indra Sawhney case, nor there is a data to show the inadequate representation of a group.”

Ticking off the micro-classification of MBCs into MBC (vanniars), MBC (DNC) and other MBCs as being wholly arbitrary, the judges said there is absolutely no acceptable reason for the division. There is no material or data to differentiate MBC(V) from other MBC as a separate class.

Treating one caste — vanniakula kshatriya, including ‘vanniyar’, ‘vanniya’, ‘vannia gounder’, ‘gounder’ or ‘kander’, ‘padayachi’, ‘palli’ and ‘agnikula kshatriya’ — as separate class while treating the similar castes differently is discrimination, the judges held, adding that the impugned law categorised 6 subcastes and 115 other castes into two sets and tried to give higher proportion of reservation to one caste and deprive the others.

More importantly, referring to the union government’s constitutional 102nd amendment denuding states of the power to include castes in reserved lists, the judges said: “The Constitution (102nd Amendment) Act, 2018, came into existence on11.08.2018 and the Constitution (105th Amendment) Act, 2021, was enacted on 19.08.2021 and whereas the impugned Act 8 of 2021 came to be enacted on 26.02.2021 and therefore, we hold that as on the date of enactment of the impugned Act, the State Legislature has no power to enact such legislation and accordingly, the State Legislature has no competency to pass the impugned Act. The state legislature has no competency to enact Tamil Nadu Special Reservation of seats in educational Institutions including Private Educational Institutions and appointments or posts in the services under the State within the Reservation for the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities Act, 2021”.

Also, as per Article 31-B of the Constitution, until the Act placed in Ninth Schedule is amended or repealed by the competent legislature, the said Act shall continue to be in force, the court said. Therefore, without amending the 1993 Act, bringing a special legislation to provide internal reservation to vanniyar community is against the Constitutional provisions, the judges said.

When counsel arguing in favour of the state law sought to highlight the fact that quashing it would put a question mark on the prospects of candidates who had already been admitted under the10.5% quota, the court said: “It has been made clear through an interim order that admissions and appointments made providing the reservation will be subject to the outcome of the pleas. Suspending the order will only complicate the issue.”

The judges further recorded that ‘so far as the reservations for Muslims and arunthathiyars are concerned, the population figures are enumerated in every census and based on that, the backwardness and inadequate representation has been studied and a valid commission report has been submitted.

Is the state government empowered to do internal reservation. The Constitution has given enough explanation. The legislation providing for internal reservation is cancelled

– MADRAS HIGH COURT

Madras HC quashes 10.5% Vanniyar quota

Madras HC quashes 10.5% Vanniyar quota

Madurai:02.11 2021

The Madras high court on Monday quashed the 10.5% reservation provided to Vanniyars, a Most Backward Community (MBC) in Tamil Nadu, in government jobs and admission to educational institutions, saying it was unconstitutional.

The Tamil Nadu assembly had in February passed the then ruling AIADMK-piloted bill providing internal reservation of 10.5 % for Vanniyars, with the incumbent DMK government issuing an order in July for its implementation. It had split the aggregate 20% reservation for MBCs and denotified communities into three separate categories by regrouping castes and provided 10% plus sub-quota for Vanniyars, formally known as Vanniakula Kshatriyas. PTI

Premium non-payment can get claim rejected: SC

Premium non-payment can get claim rejected: SC

New Delhi: 02.11 2021

An insurance claim can be rejected if the policy has lapsed on account of non-payment of premium, said the Supreme Court. It also stressed that the terms of an insurance policy have to be strictly interpreted.

The apex court observation came while setting aside an order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) that ordered additional compensation in a road accident case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi said it is a well-settled legal position that in a contract of insurance there is a requirement of Uberrima fides, ie good faith on the part of the insured.

“It is clear that the terms of insurance policy have to be strictly construed, and it is not permissible to rewrite the contract while interpreting the terms of the policy,” the bench said.

The SC was hearing an appeal filed by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) against the judgement of the NCDRC that had set aside the order passed by the state commission.

In the case, the woman’s husband had taken a life insurance policy under the Jeevan Suraksha Yojana from LIC under which a sum of Rs. 3.7 lakh was assured by the company. Besides this amount, in case of death by accident an additional sum of Rs. 3.7 lakh was also assured. The insurance premium of the said policy was to be paid six-monthly. However, there was a default in payment. On March 6, 2012, the husband of the complainant met with an accident and succumbed to injuries on March 21, 2012.

“In the instant case, the policy had lapsed on October 14, 2011, and was not in force on the date of accident, ie on March 6, 2012. It was sought to be revived on March 9, 2012, after the accident in question, and that too without disclosing the fact of the accident which had taken place on March 6, 2012,” the SC said. PTI

SERIOUS LAPSE

11% hike in DA for Punjab staff, pensioners from July 1

11% hike in DA for Punjab staff, pensioners from July 1

Move To Cost State Extra ₹440cr Per Month

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh: 02.11 2021

Acceding to the demand of the state government employees and pensioners, the Punjab cabinet on Monday decided to enhance the dearness allowance (DA) by 11% , taking it to 28% from 17%. The hike will be implemented retrospectively from July 1, 2021.

After the cabinet meeting, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi said the employees were the backbone of the state administration and reiterated his government’s “firm commitment to accord the highest priority to their welfare”. He said with this decision, the state government would have to bear an additional monthly burden of Rs 440 crore on account of enhanced DA.

Channi said the state government had resolved most of employees’ issues to their satisfaction and resultantly they have called off their strike and resumed the work with immediate effect. He also announced that the employees’ who were recruited after January 1, 2016, would also be given the benefit of a minimum 15% increase in the revised pay at par with other employees. However, the pay of a junior employee would not be fixed higher than that of his senior while fixing the revised pay.

Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi addresses a press conference on Monday

Bill for new varsities soon

Decks have been cleared for the establishment of Lamrin Tech Skills University Punjab at Railmajra, Balachaur, SBS Nagar, and Plaksha University Punjab at IT City, SAS Nagar with Punjab cabinet’s approval for conversion of ordinances into bills. According to a spokesperson of the chief minister’s office, the cabinet also gave approval to place these bills in the forthcoming session of Punjab legislative assembly for conversion into Acts.

‘State agreed to 15% pay hike’

Sukhchain Singh Khaira, convener of the Punjab Sanjha Mulajam Manch, said the state government has agreed to also increase the 15% salary of those employees who have joined the service after January 2016. Earlier, they were not being given this benefit. “Now the state government has given new option and the employees can opt for the benefit of the 6th Pay Commission either from the date of joining the service or from the date of promotion,” Khaira said.

‘Black Diwali’ for NHM contract staff

After five day of hunger strike for the regularisation of their services, Punjab’s National Health Mission (NHM) contractual employees will now observe a "black Diwali" outside chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s residence. On the fifth day of their protest on Monday at Kharar’s civil hospital, the association of 12,000 contractual employees also demanded equal pay for equal work. Association president Dr Inderjeet Singh Rana submitted a memorandum of demands to the senior medical officer.

Biometric attendance to resume from Nov 8

Biometric attendance to resume from Nov 8

New Delhi:02.11.2021

With Covid-19 cases on the decline, the central government on Monday ordered resumption of biometric attendance for all levels of its employees from November 8 onwards.

Biometric attendance, which involves pressing one’s finger on the scanner of a biometric machine, was discontinued across all central government offices since last year, as a precautionary measure against spread of Covid-19. Attendance was instead being maintained through physical registers. TNN

NEET results: Two K’taka boys bag all-India 5th rank

NEET results: Two K’taka boys bag all-India 5th rank

Farheen.Hussain@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:02.11.2021

Two students from Karnataka — Jashan Chhabra and Meghan HK — have bagged the fifth all-India rank at the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2021, scoring 715 out of 720 marks.

The National Testing Agency on Monday evening shared scorecards with students via email and the result is now available onneet.nta.nic.in. Jashan is from Mangaluru and Meghan from Pramati Hill View Academy, Mysuru. Meghan had created history by topping all streams in the CET — engineering, Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, agriculture, veterinary science and pharmacy.

“I had expected a rank in the top 10 and knew that I will score 715 after checking the answer keys,” he told TOI. Meghan said his parents — who are educators —set him on the right path of preparation. “They made sure no obstacle could bother me. The pandemic was challenging and it was difficult to maintain discipline initially. But my teachers encouraged me to speak to them a lot, asked me to make a schedule and work in that direction,” he said.

When Meghan had topped the CET exams, he had shared with TOI that though he was happy with the results and was aspiring to become a doctor and awaiting the NEET results. “One college that I had dreamed of joining is AIIMS, New Delhi. For now, I hope to pursue oncology but I have heard that students change their course during their internship phase,” he said.

In addition to helping people, he also likes to comfort them and make them feel comfortable. Meghan studied for 10 hours a day but did not compromise on his hobbies. “I advise other aspirants to plan their day, week and month. The journey towards the exam is a marathon and must be built step-by-step. There will be many frustrating moments but talk to people you are close to and compete with yourself,” he said.

Jashan, who completed his XIIth from Mount Carmel Central School in Mangaluru, said he studied for the love of the subjects which made his preparations a breeze. “There were hiccups due to the pandemic. But my love for the subjects and support from my mother made it easy,” Jashan said. “I joined Aakash Institute where I prepared for the exams during Class XI and XII. The focused preparation helped me crack it,” he said.

Sinchana Lakshmi with 658 marks topped the list of girl (PwD) candidates. While Harshitha Gangadharappa Negalu bagged fourth place, Shaiksha Nayaka BP stood eighth in the list of ST toppers. Other students from the state in the top 100 are Varun Aditya and KV Pranav from Sri Chaitanya Techno School Marathahalli and JP Nagar, respectively.

Australia recognises Covaxin, opens door for Indians’ entry

Australia recognises Covaxin, opens door for Indians’ entry

Saurabh Sinha & Swati Bharadwaj TNN

New Delhi/Hyderabad:  02.11 2021

Australia will recognise Covaxin, apart from Covishield, allowing those vaccinated with them entry into the continent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked his Australian counterpart and “dear friend” Scott Morrison for “recognition of India's Covaxin.” “It is an important step forward in the post-Covid partnership between India and Australia,” he said.

While WHO emergency use listing for Bharat Biotech’s vaccine is awaited, 16 countries have so far recognised Covaxin for travel purposes. These include Australia, Estonia, Greece, Iran, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Australia’s high commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell on Monday tweeted that the country’s drug regulator has “determined that Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech) vaccine would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status. Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca), means many Indian citizens, as well as other countries, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia.” 

The Australian health ministry website says the “recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin.” Those who have received two doses of Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart are regarded as fully vaccinated from seven days after the second dose. This includes homologous (two doses of the same vaccine) and heterologous (two doses of two different TGAapproved or recognised vaccines) schedules.

“In recent weeks, the TGA has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit Covid-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to Covid-19,” the website says.

“Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBPCorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of China and India as well as other countries in our region where these vaccines have been widely deployed will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia. This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia.”

Indonesia 1st to approve SII’s Novavax

New Delhi:

Biotechnology firm Novavax Inc and its partner Serum Institute of India on Monday said they have received the first emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, in Indonesia. The vaccine will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) in India and marketed by it in Indonesia under the brand name Covovax, Novavax Inc said in a statement. "The National Agency of Drug and Food Control of the Republic of Indonesia, or Badan Peng was Obat dan Makanan (Badan POM), has granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Novavax' recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine with Matrix-M adjuvant," it added. Initial shipments into Indonesia are expected to begin imminently, the statement said. PTI

Three share top NEET rank with perfect score, 56% candidates qualify

Three share top NEET rank with perfect score, 56% candidates qualify

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

02.11.2021

Three candidates — Delhi’s Tanmay Gupta, Mrinal Kutteri from Telangana and Maharashtra girl Karthika G Nair — scored a perfect 720 to be declared joint toppers of this year’s National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, according to results announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday night.

In all, 8,70,074 (56.34%) of the 15,44,275 candidates who appeared for the test qualified. In continuation of the trend in the past, the number of female candidates who qualified is 1.19 lakh higher than male candidates.

NTA has not used age as tiebreaker for announcing the ranking for candidates scoring identical marks in all three subjects— biology, chemistry and physics. Thus there are three No 1 All-India rank holders while there are 12 candidates who were placed at rank 5 as they scored 715 and have identical marks in all the three subjects as well. However, after the three No 1 rank holders, the next candidate was ranked 4th. Two candidates each have been ranked 17th and 19th.

Thus, the top 20 candidates share five All-India rankings (1, 4, 5, 17 and 19). Of them, three each are from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, two each from Delhi, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and one each from Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana.

NEET-UG 2021 was conducted on September 12 and it recorded one of the highest attendance in five years, as 95.63% of 16.14 lakh aspirants took the test. Last time, the medical entrance recorded 94% attendance in 2017 when 11.38 lakh were registered, while in 2018 it recorded an alltime high of 97%.

Two cases of impersonation have been detected so far and three Covid-positive candidates were allowed to take the exam in isolation in Kerala.

The range of qualifying marks this year dropped as compared to last year. While the range of qualifying marks for General and EWS category had been set at 720-138 as against 720-147 in 2020, the cut-off for OBC, SC and ST came down to 137-108 from 146-113 in 2020. Similarly, the qualifying marks range for General/ EWS PwD candidates is 137-122 as against 146-129 in 2020. This year’s qualifying marks range for disabled among OBC, SC and ST candidates is 121-108.

NTA, which conducted the test, has also emailed the results to every candidate.

The results got delayed this year due to a stay by the Bombay High Court, which was overruled by the Supreme Court on October 28.

Two from state shine in NEET-UG exams

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:  02.11 2021

Two candidates from the state have made it to the Top 100 All India Rankings (AIR) in the latest NEET (UG) 2021 results that were declared by National Testing Agency (NTA) late Monday evening.

Both the candidates, Shlok Soni and Prasham Shah, have scored 705 out of 720 marks in the exams that were held on September 12. While Shlok Soni has secured AIR-60, Shah has bagged AIR-100.

“I want to get admission in AIIMS-Delhi but it seems a little difficult looking at my rank. My aim was to secure a place in Top 50 AIR. I joined coaching classes for NEET exam preparation from Class 8. My father is an orthopaedic surgeon at a hospital in Ankleshwar. As the exams got delayed due to Covid-19, I started feeling tense,” said Shah. He said the bright side of the lockdown was that he got to spend almost a year with his family members.

Shah, with AIR-100, resides in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati area. His father is an ENT surgeon.

“The exam paper was tougher this time as compared to last year. There were some tricky questions that were tough to crack. I have got the marks that I expected. It’s not important how many hours you study, it’s important how well you study,” said Shah. He did not completely give up on mobile phones and gadgets but used them in a limited manner while preparing for the exams.

About 70,000 candidates from Gujarat had registered for the NEET exams this year. Candidates who cleared NEET are eligible for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS and other undergraduate medical and dental courses.

NEET (UG) – 2021 was conducted in 13 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

The NEET (UG) – 2021 will consist of one question paper containing 180 multiple choice questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany and Zoology).