Transport commissioner takes VRS

Transport commissioner takes VRS

Chennai:16.11.2021

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday posted S Natarajan as commissioner of Transport department in the place of Santhosh K Misra, who is on voluntary retirement.

Santhosh Misra was an officer of the 2000 batch. He becomes the third officer to have opted for voluntary retirement in less than two years, while the others being V Sahayam and Santhosh Babu. According to sources, Misra had quit the job citing personal reasons and sought to be relieved from service with effect from Monday.

He attained 50 years of age last month, and the government was the competent authority to accept voluntary retirement in the case of officers who completed 30 years of qualifying service or have attained 50 years. TNN

Applications sought for diploma in pharmacy

Applications sought for diploma in pharmacy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.11.2021

The directorate of Indian medicine and homeopathy has invited applications for admission to 2.5-year diploma in integrated pharmacy course and diploma in nursing therapy.

The course for 2021-2022 session for the candidates who have passed the higher secondary examination (in science stream) in first appearance. Application form and prospectus can be downloaded from the www.tnhealth.tn.gov.in between November 18 and December 10. Last date for returning filled in application form through post or courier or in person is 5.30pm on December 10.

Aadhaar necessary for Transtan waitlisting

Aadhaar necessary for Transtan waitlisting

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.11.2021

Organ failure patients registering for waitlist and relatives of brain dead patients (donors) registering for organ donation should submit Aadhaar details for verification with the state transplant authority (Transtan), a GO released on October 25 said.

While activists and transplant coordinators said it would be difficult to seek such information from relatives of braindead patients at a time when annual donations are falling, health minister Ma Subramanian told reporters it was done to encourage and honor donor relatives.

In April, Transtan member secretary Dr R Kanthimathi proposed to introduce an application form for authentication to stop malpractices such as use of fake Aadhaar cards. The ministry of electronics and information technology gave its nod in July.

Heavy rain alert for city, adjoining districts

MORE RAIN

Heavy rain alert for city, adjoining districts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 16.11.2021

The days are likely to be cloudy with light rain in some areas for the next two days. Heavy rain is likely to resume by Wednesday due to the impact of the low pressure intensifying and reaching the south Andhra coast.

A met department forecast for 48 hours said the sky condition will be generally cloudy. Thunderstorms with light to moderate rain are likely to occur in some areas.

A heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Chennai, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet districts in addition to Ranipet, Vellore, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai and delta districts of Tamilnadu and Puducherry and Karaikal for Wednesday.

However, a low pressure that may form over the Arabian sea in the next 24 hours may prevent further intensification of the low pressure that is currently over Andaman Sea, said an IMD report.

This may mean that the likelihood of the city receiving good rain on the weekend after it crosses the coast is low.

The low pressure in Andaman Sea is likely to move northwest and become well marked during the next 48 hours.

Thereafter it is likely to move further and reach near south Andhra Pradesh – north Tamil Nadu coasts on Thursday.

"Based on Tuesday’s analysis, the possibility of further intensification of the system appears to be low, mainly owing to the enhanced likelihood of formation of another low pressure area over east-central Arabian Sea off south Maharashtra coast during next 24 hours."

An east-west shear zone runs from southeast Arabian sea to southwest Bay of Bengal across South Karnataka, north Kerala and north Tamilnadu.

On Tuesday, Meenambakkam recorded 1mm rain since morning while the core city received some drizzle. The outer areas of the city like OMR received 2cm rain while Pallikaranai got 1cm on Monday night.

Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai areas received 12cm heavy rain of 12cm rain and Cuddalore recorded 7cm rain.

The low pressure in the Andaman Sea is likely to move northwest and become well marked during the next 48 hours, bringing rain to the city, IMD said in a report

Curious case of 3 one-ways on Venkatnarayana Road

Curious case of 3 one-ways on Venkatnarayana Road

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.11.2021

Thanks to unnecessary one-way routes on streets and arterial routes branching out of Venkatnarayana road, motorists are forced to take a detour through different lanes to access the main road. Adding to their woes are several encroachments on these oneway stretches leading to a bottleneck on the 1.3-kilometre long Venkatnaryana Road in T Nagar.

Motorists are unable to directly access the Usman Road junction from Venkatnarayana Road, where the one-way portion of Burkit road has taken over by illegal parking of share autos, cars and trucks. They are required to take a diversion via Dhandhapani Street resulting in traffic snarls on Venkatnarayana Road-Dhandapani Street junction.

The situation is no different on Venkatnarayana Road-Anna Salai route. Here motorists must take a diversion from Mooparappan Street to reach Anna Salai which again leads to a traffic jam at Link Road. On this stretch too a 100-metre portion of the Sivaganam Street has been converted into a one-way. However, the encroached space leads to people taking a longer distance and avoiding the oneway.

“If the one-way portion on Burkit Road is being converted into a two-way, the travel time will reduce to just five minutes. I fail to understand why this route has been partially one-way for several years. If the road converts into a two-way, the illegal parking space for share autos will have to go,” said C Munusamy, an auto driver at T Nagar who takes 10-30 minutes to travel between Venkatnarayana Road and Usman Road.

When contacted, Mambalam traffic police said that action will be initiated against illegal parking on Burkit Road. “The reason for having one-ways was allowing twoway traffic in all four directions. Instead, these are resulting in a vehicle pile-up," a traffic cop said.

Sabarimala temple to be opened today for annual pilgrimage season

Sabarimala temple to be opened today for annual pilgrimage season

To ensure darshan for a maximum number of devotees, with a ceiling of 30,000 a day under the virtual queue system, 10 spot booking counters will start functioning in a couple of days.

Published: 15th November 2021 02:25 AM | Last Updated: 15th November 2021 02:25 AM |

The Lord Ayyappa temple here will be opened on Monday for the two-month annual pilgrimage season.

By Express News Service 15.11.2021

SABARIMALA: The Lord Ayyappa temple here will be opened on Monday for the two-month annual pilgrimage season. Melsanthi Jayaraj Potti will open the sreekovil at 5.30 pm in the presence of thantri Mahesh Mohanaru. Elaborate arrangements have been made by the authorities for devotees for darshan during the pilgrimage season within the limits of Covid protocol.

To ensure darshan for a maximum number of devotees, with a ceiling of 30,000 a day under the virtual queue system, 10 spot booking counters will start functioning in a couple of days. Devotees will have to produce either a vaccination certificate after having two doses or an RT-PCR certificate on arrival at Nilakkal along with virtual queue passes.

Devotees will be allowed for darshan from November 16 morning, the first day of the pilgrimage season, though the temple will be opened on November 15 afternoon. A total of 13.34 lakh devotees have booked under virtual queue for darshan till Sunday while about 2 lakh devotees cancelled the booking, Sabarimala devaswom executive officer Krishnakumara Warrier said. Regarding prasadam buffer stock, Krishnakumara Warrier said that the total stock of aravana prasadam was at 10 lakh containers and appam at 2 lakh packets as on Sunday.

He said steps have been taken to ensure the production of 2 lakh containers of aravana and 1 lakh packets of appam a day. The installation ceremony of the new melsanthi of Lord Ayyappa temple N Parameswaran Nampoothiri will be performed at 6pm on November 15. As part of the ceremony, the thantri will perform ‘kalasabhishekam’ on the new melsanthi.

After ‘kalasabhishekam,’ the thantri will pass on the ‘moolamantram’ of Lord Ayyappa to the melsanthi after leading him to the sreekovil. At Malikappuram Devi temple, the thantri will perform the installation ceremony of the new melsanthi Sambu Nampoothiri after the conclusion of the ceremony at Lord Ayyappa temple.

5 emergency med centres opened for pilgrims

T’Puram: Ahead of the Sabarimala pilgrim season, the health department has set up five emergency medical centres at Nilakkal, Pampa, Erumeli , Charalmedu (Ayyappan Road) and Sannidhanam. “People experiencing an increase in heart beat, breathlessness and chest pain shall take treatment at these centres. We have issued directives in different languages for the convenience of people from other states as well,” said Health Minister Veena George. The centres will start function on Monday. “Pilgrims facing fatigue have facilities to take rest at these centres.

They can also check blood pressure and get first aid. The medical centres are provided with sufficient medicines and have oxygen parlours that will function round the clock. They are equipped to deal with heart attack cases,” the minister said. Staff nurses deployed at the centre are trained to provide automatic external defilberator. The centre at Sannidhanam has an operation theatre for emergency cases. Ventilator facility is available at Pampa and Sannidhanam centres that are operated by specialist doctors from Medical Colleges.

Higher edu institutes tie up with hosps, nursing homes

Zeeshan.Jawed@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:15.11.2021

Colleges and universities across the city have tied up with medical facilities to treat emergency cases once campuses reopen on Tuesday.

Institutes that already have some medical facilities on the campus have ramped them up and tied up with the nearest hospitals or nursing homes so that emergency cases can be dealt with properly.

They have also made arrangements to thermal scan temperature of teachers and students, facilities to wash hands properly before entering the classes and disinfect the campus.

The government in an advisory last month listed several measures that authorities must undertake for the safety of students, teachers and other staff and arrangements they must make to maintain social distancing.

Jadavpur University which already has a health centre on the campus has tied up with a private hospital in the vicinity. An ambulance will be available to handle any emergency. “The health centre has a full-time medical superintendent and many specialists visit every week. We have set up an isolation room where anybody showing symptoms can be kept and attended. We have also tied up with a hospital in Jadavpur,” said an official of the university.

Scottish Church college has made arrangements to scan the temperature of everybody entering the campus and facilities have been made for washing hands. It has tied up with a private medical facility in north Kolkata. “We Safety of students and staff is our priority,” said principal Madhumanjari Mandal.

St Xavier’s College has also augmented its health facilities and made arrangements for scanning of temperature and disinfecting the campus.

Seth Anandram Jaipuria College has tied up with RG Kar Hospital. “We have requested the authorities to conduct medical camps on the campus at least once a week, so a thorough check-up can be done,” said principal Asok Mukhopadhyay. At Maulana Azad College, teachers have been counselling the students about the dos and don’ts for the past one week during online classes. “We have also set up isolation facility and tied up with a medical facility,” said Subhasis Dutta, principal.

Colleges & varsities firm up plans for split, hybrid classes

Colleges & varsities firm up plans for split, hybrid classes

Poulami.Roy@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:15.11.2021

From classrooms to laboratories, higher education institutes are in their final stages of adopting the new hybrid teaching mode. Universities and colleges are set to reopen on Tuesday after a 20-month hiatus.

Authorities of different universities held a series of meetings in the last two weeks and formulated their own individual guidelines. The first decision was how many students and which classes are to be called back for offline classes, immediately. It was also decided that both online and offline modes of teaching will continue.

Various departments of technology campus of Calcutta University have planned to call final semester students for two days a week. Some of the departments have been planning to install upgraded set-up for running online-offline at the same time.

Departments with a large number of students like zoology have planned to call students to attend only elective subjects divided in small groups. “Only students of elective subjects will attend physical classes. Classes will be taken in small groups which are not more than five, but core subject classes will run in online mode” said Parthiba Basu, professor, zoology.

The commerce department has decided to divide classrooms depending on its strength. “Class strength will be divided into small numbers, so more teachers may be required for regular classes,” said a CU professor.

“Different campuses of CU have already been cleaned and sanitized. Tables, chairs of each classroom of different departments and buildings have been cleaned properly. We have identified two classrooms for making seating arrangements. Initially, our final year students will come and attend physical classes for two days a week,” said Sankhayan Choudhury, professor, computer science & engineering department.

Apart from the department of chemistry all other departments of Presidency University have decided not to start physical classes initially. Geography, geology and other lab-based subjects will call students for practical classes. Only the chemistry department will start offline classes for theory and practical both. UG and PG final year’s students and second-year students will be called for offline theory classes. Debnil Paul, MA final year student, said, “We want all the classes to start in offline mode and the hostel should open for at least final semester’s students who will attend offline classes.” University is not going to open three canteens and hostels immediately. Central library and other departmental libraries and reading rooms will open from Tuesday. Students are free to visit departmental faculties and can access the library from Tuesday.

Jadavpur University will not call UG first year students from Tuesday. Life science, biotech, geography, electronics department from Science faculty will call PG2 students while chemistry department is still in dilemma. Arts faculty has decided to call one year of UG and one year of PG students daily but first year students won’t be called now. Engineering faculty will call PG1, PG2 to physical classes. PhD and MPhil students will come as per requirement. Authorities has done repairing work, too. Departments of evening courses may complete classes earlier, so that students can reach their house before night restrictions set in.

HC says 4-yr-old not competent witness in Pocso case, frees man

HC says 4-yr-old not competent witness in Pocso case, frees man

‘Lower Court Gave Undue Importance To Girl’s Statement’

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:15.11.2021

Quashing a 2019 conviction under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso), the Bombay high court said the sessions court had given “undue importance to a stray statement’’ of a four-year-old without ascertaining first whether the child could be a competent witness.

Mumbai sessions court had convicted the accused to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in 2019. He was one of two accused in the case. The co-accused had been acquitted by the trial court.

The HC said, “A child is a competent witness provided he is capable of understanding the questions put to him and is able to give rational answers.’’ But in this case, the child was barely four years old and of a tender age, and “it was obligatory” on the judge to ascertain first whether the child can depose as a competent witness, which the trial judge had not done, the high court added.

The prosecution’s case was that the accused, who was hired to paint a room, had made the child sit on his lap. It was alleged that at 9.30pm, he then touched her private part and that the other man had slapped her.

The child, who did not have the cognitive skills to remember, recollect and narrate an alleged sexual abuse by a painter-workman, had later in her cross-examination by the defence lawyer also said she was deposing as told by her mother, observed Justice Anuja Prabhudessai while acquitting the man convicted in the 2017 case.

The prosecution’s case was based mainly on the child’s testimony. “Conviction can be based on the sole testimony of a child witness provided the witness is competent to depose to the facts and is a reliable witness,’’ said the HC.

The man had been convicted under section 10 of Pocso for aggravated sexual assault, where minimum punishment is five years’ RI. Both the accused had pleaded they were not guilty.

Observing that the trial court had “failed to evaluate competency’’ of the child as a witness, the HC scrutinised her evidence to ascertain whether her deposition can be relied on. The HC judgment noted that the child “was not trying to conceal the truth’’ and the tenor of her answers during trial indicate she lacked the intellectual capacity and maturity to understand the nature of questions and to give rational answers, hence she “cannot be considered to be a competent witness.” Besides, there is no confirmation of the identification of the accused in the case, the HC noted as the date of painting work was a day after the alleged crime, said the room owner.

The Bombay high court judgment noted that the four-year-old girl ‘was not trying to conceal the truth’ and the tenor of her answers during trial indicated she lacked the intellectual capacity and maturity to understand the nature of questions and to give rational answers

AKTU convocation likely on Dec 15, over 50,000 to get degrees

AKTU convocation likely on Dec 15, over 50,000 to get degrees

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow: 15.11.2021

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) is likely to hold its 19 convocation ceremony on December 15. The university has sent a proposal to Raj Bhawan seeking permission for it. Educationist and mechanical engineer SG Dhande is likely to be the chief guest on the occasion.

The convocation ceremony will be held in the offline mode in which medals will be awarded to 64 meritorious students and over 50,000 degrees will be awarded to undergraduate and postgraduate students of various courses.

“We have sent a proposal for the conduct of the convocation on December 15 and have decided on our chief guest. We are waiting for the consent from both,” said AKTU spokesperson Asheesh Mishra.

“Prof SG Dhande is an eminent educationist who was the director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for 10 years. He is currently the Chairman of Board of Governors of National Institute of Technology, Delhi, and National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai,” said Mishra.

The convocation ceremony will be held in the offline mode in which medals will be awarded to 64 meritorious students and over 50,000 degrees to UG & PG students

Buffalo refuses to be milked, owner taps cops

Buffalo refuses to be milked, owner taps cops

Bhopal:15.11.2021

A farmer from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district went to a police station taking along his buffalo, complaining that the animal was refusing to be milked and he suspected it to be under the influence of witchcraft, an official said on Sunday.

“The villager, identified as Babulal Jatav (45), submitted a complaint at Nayagaon police station on Saturday, saying his buffalo was not allowing to be milked,” Deputy SP Arvind Shah said. “I had told the police station in-charge to assist the villager with some veterinary advice. The villager visited the police station again to thank the police on Sunday, saying the buffalo allowed to be milked on Sunday morning,” Shah said. PTI

Spitting or littering at Kamlapati station to attract ₹500 spot fine

INAUGURATION TODAY

Spitting or littering at Kamlapati station to attract ₹500 spot fine

SWACHH STATION: 160 CCTVs To Keep Eye On Platforms, Premises

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:15.11.2021

Think twice before spitting or littering on the campus of the newly constructed Rani Kamlapati railway station as it will charge an on-spot fine of Rs 500.

Abu Asif, project manager of Bansal Pathways said, “There will be a close watch on every passenger on the campus. A world-class station infrastructure is given to the passengers and they are expected to keep the campus ;Swachh’. If they do not, they have to face a fine of Rs 500.”

Asked how they will keep a watch on passengers’ movement, Asif said, “We have a web of 160 high-definition CCTVs on the campus. Not a single passenger can escape if they spread litter or spit on the campus.” He has made it clear that the fine will be levied as per the rules and regulations.

Different signages will be put across the premises so that the visitors follow the rules and regulations. “We have put the instructions everywhere but we expect from the passengers that will follow them.”

Even passengers have welcomed the decision. “Can you expect anyone spitting or littering at any airport? If we can keep the airports clean the same could be possible here also. Let the station be the best in the country in all terms,” said a passenger, Vishwas Verma.

Few passengers felt that there was a need to inform the people to keep the campus clean. “I think there is an urgent need to make the passengers aware that it is their responsibility to keep the campus clean. This is possible only when they realise it. Fine is one of the ways. However, I think awareness about such things should also be launched,” said Pratiksha Sahu.

Passengers also suggested that first-time offenders should be left with a warning. “I think it would be harsh to impose fine immediately. Cleanliness at the station is important. I think a few days should be given to the offenders so that they can learn the importance of a clean railway station.

Edu ministry finalising details of ’22 entrance test for central varsities

Edu ministry finalising details of ’22 entrance test for central varsities

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  15.11.2021

Shelved in 2021 due to the pandemic, the education ministry is finalising the details of the Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET) to be conducted from 2022 for 41 central universities. According to ministry sources, the details will be announced by December-end so that aspirants and institutions can start the preparations.

The exams, as envisaged in the NEP 2020 are likely to be conducted twice a year. The computer-based common entrance test for the central universities, which includes the likes of JNU, BHU and DU, would comprise of three hours of testing divided into two sections -- Common Aptitude Test (50 questions) and Domain Specific Test (30 questions each)— and will eliminate the individual exams that many of the universities conduct presently. According to sources, the ministry is finalising the proposal based on the report of the committee set up by the UGC and the admissions to the central universities for the 2022-23 will be based on the CUCET score.

“The ministry is ready to implement the CUCET from 2022 as planned under the NEP 2020. The details and the dates will be worked out soon. The ministry is planning to announce the details as early as possible so that the candidates and universities get time to prepare,” said the official.

The official said that Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has asked the officials to work on the recommendations of the UGC to roll out its implementation without any further delay.

Rly’s reservation system to stay down for six hours this week

Rly’s reservation system to stay down for six hours this week

Somit.Sen@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:15.11.2021

Long distance trains which were affected due to the pandemic will restore its regular train numbers in the next few days as normalcy seems to be returning gradually, said officials.

Railways’ passenger reservation system (PRS), however, will be shut for six hours during lean business hours of the night for the next 7 days, said Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar.

“This is to enable upgradation of system data and updating of new train numbers. Since huge amount of past (old train numbers) and current passenger booking data are to be updated in all Mail/ Express trains, this is being planned in a series of carefully calibrated steps and implemented during night hours,” added Sutar The timings of system shut down will be from 11.30pm to 5.30am in order to minimise impact on ticketing services. Both Western and Central Railway will revert back to the original train numbers of pre-Covid times. During Covid, they ran special trains.

‘Bizarre’ eligibility norms for posts put docs with disabilities in a bind

‘Bizarre’ eligibility norms for posts put docs with disabilities in a bind

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

15.11.2021

You are ineligible for the post of ENT, urology or dental surgeon if you cannot use both legs, but eligible if your disability affects both arms.

“Why are those with both legs affected barred from these surgical specialties while allowing those with both arms affected? Do they conduct surgery with their legs?” asked a doctor with disability about the bizarre identification of posts.

The strange identification of posts for doctors with disabilities came to light when the organisation Doctors With Disability: Agents of Change (DwDAoC) raised the issue of institutes of national importance including all the AIIMS advertising posts for recruitment without including the latest identified posts for persons with disabilities. Though a January notification of the social justice and empowerment ministry has identified hundreds  (593) of more posts for those with disability than the last notification in 2013, DwDAoC has challenged the very concept of identifying posts, especially in the medical field.

“The identification of posts for doctors with disabilities continues to categorise people according to body parts such as OA OL BL (one arm, one leg, both legs) rather than seeing their functional ability. Unlike post-graduation in other disciplines, in medicine, it combines active duty with studies. No matter what their disabilities, if they have a post graduate degree in a specialty, it means they are capable of carrying out the job for which they have specialised. However, many such specialists cannot get a job as posts in their specialty have not been identified as being open for persons with their specific disability,” explained Dr Sharad Philip, a DwDAoC member.

The January notification identifies posts in urology and ENT (ear, nose, throat), two surgical specialties, as open to OA, BA, OL (one arm, both arms and one leg) but not for someone with both legs affected (BL). There is a surgeon super specialising in urological surgery both of whose legs are affected who conducts surgeries using a standing wheelchair. However, he will be ineligible for any post as he is ‘BL’. Similarly, in the case of psychiatry, persons with visual disability are excluded.

PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE?

21 special trains get regular status

21 special trains get regular status

Indore: 15.11.2021

As many as 21 train services, including those originating from Indore and nearby railways stations and operated as special trains will now run as regular trains.

As per officials, the railways has decided that all regular trains which were operating as special services will now operate as regular trains from Monday onwards.

The list of trains includes - Indore-Nagpur Express, Malwa Express, Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Nagpur Express, Avantika Express, Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Yeshwantpur Express, Kamakhya Express, Chandigarh Express, Gandhi Nagar Shanti Express, Patna Express, Rajendra Nagar Express, Lingampalli Express, Indore-Veraval Mahamana Express, Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Bhopal Intercity Express, Amritsar Express, Udaipur Express, Kochuveli Express, Bikaner Express, Delhi Weekly Express, Shipra Express, Udhampur Weekly Express and Daund Express.

Senior officials with the Ratlam division of the Western Railway said that all these trains will run under the new time table. TNN

Student visas are a priority for US embassies and consulates

Q&A

15.11.2021 Times Education 

Student visas are a priority for US embassies and consulates

The US embassy has cleared 62,000 visas this summer, showing American universities’ demand among Indian students, says USIEF Educational Advisor Bhavna Jolly

Priyanka.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

As per National Student Clearinghouse Research Centre (NSCRC), there is a dip in number of international students in the US due to Covid. What are the strategies introduced by the US to bring back the lost students?

This past summer, the United States embassies and consulates globally prioritised student visas. International students were exempted from the US Presidential Proclamation that restricted entry of people who had been in India in the 14 days before going to the US. Thus, Indian students could apply for visas and travel to the US. We issued over 62,000 student visas this summer, showing that the US is a top choice for Indian students.

What are basic concerns of students? How will the US address them?

Students and families in India are concerned about physical health and safety. They seek information about the measures in place at university campuses for Covid-19 prevention and testing, as well as the support that students get in case they test positive for Covid-19. Universities have collated resources and established various systems to keep students safe. Also, new Covid-19 helplines are available at many universities to support students.

The UK government has loosened their restrictive visa policies of the past several years, which has benefitted them. Is the US considering making more relaxed post-work visa policies for international students?

The US includes an opportunity for practical training options as part of the student visa process to ensure international students gain valuable work experience in their field of study during and after their degree programmes. Students can pursue internships during the degree programme called Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for up to one year. Students can gain work experience for up to one year after graduating through Optional Practical Training (OPT). STEM graduates can participate in OPT for up to three years.

International students contributed $44 billion to the US economy and India is the second-largest contributor to this. How is the US planning to hike this further?

Last year, the US mission launched a second EducationUSA student advising centre in Hyderabad at the Y-Axis Foundation. This brings the network of EducationUSA centres in India to eight, in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. These centres offer accurate, comprehensive and current information about opportunities to study at accredited post secondary institutions in the US. Our free mobile app, ‘EducationUSA India’ offers the most recent updates on studying in the US.

Any initiatives in the form of scholarships or discounts on tuition fees?

There are more than 4,500 accredited higher education institutions (HEIs) in the US and each has its own admissions policies. HEIs recognise the challenges the pandemic has posed for international students and many have updated their admissions policies. Many universities are offering application fee waivers and announced that they would keep tuition, housing, and fees flat. Some universities have extended their application deadlines to allow students more time to apply and accept admission offers. Whatever your requirement, EducationUSA will help you look for substantive information about scholarships and finances.

67-year-old sues KSRTC for failing to pick him up from bus stop, wins ₹1k Senior Citizen Pre-Booked Ticket; Designated Spot Changed On Day Of Travel

CONSUMER IS KING

67-year-old sues KSRTC for failing to pick him up from bus stop, wins ₹1k

Senior Citizen Pre-Booked Ticket; Designated Spot Changed On Day Of Travel

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:15.11.2021

A 67-year-old man, who was not picked up at a designated bus stop in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu by a Karnataka State Road transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus on which he had booked a ticket to travel to Bengaluru, took the utility to a consumer court and has now won a refund and compensation of Rs 1,000.

S Sangameswaran, a resident of Banashankari 3rd Stage, had booked return tickets online on KSRTC Airavat Club Class from Bengaluru to Tiruvannamalai. As planned, he left Bengaluru on October 12, 2019 and was scheduled to return to the city the next day. He reached the designated bus stop around noon. However, despite waiting for over an hour, there was no sign of the bus.

Sangameswaran had received an SMS from the state transporter mentioning his bus details, including the conductor’s contact number. When he called the number, he was told that the bus had left Tiruvannamalai as he failed to turn up at the new temporary stop and it was 30km away on its journey towards Bengaluru.

The dejected senior citizen had no choice but to take another KSRTC bus from Tiruvannamalai and reach Hosur by paying Rs 131. From there he took another bus to Bengaluru for Rs 69. Enraged by the fact that a senior passenger like him with a pre-booked sleeper ticket for the premium service wasn’t informed about the change in bus stop, Sangameswaran approached the Bangalore 2nd Urban Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Shantinagar with a compliant against the managing director and general manager (traffic), KSRTC.

The litigation commenced on October 30, 2019. Sangameswaran presented his case, while the KSRTC lawyer claimed the complainant wasn’t maintainable by law. The attorney also stated that the case should be dismissed by the forum as the place where the alleged incident happened was Tiruvannamalai and beyond its jurisdiction.

He further said the conductor of the bus had sent an SMS to the complainant about the local TN police temporally shifting the bus stop to an outer location to manage crowds during the full moon day and it was a mistake on the part of the complainant, who failed to be present at the spot. He also claimed that 23 other passengers had boarded the bus, but not the complainant.

The judges of the consumer forum, however, didn’t accept the state transporter’s version as it failed to provide proof to substantiate its claims. The utility also failed to produce the bus conductor before the forum.

In their verdict pronounced on October 26, 2021, the consumer court ordered the managing director and GM (traffic) of KSRTC to refund Rs 497 towards the complainant’s Airavat ticket and Rs 131 and Rs 69 for the alternative bus journey he was forced to take to return to Bengaluru. The court also ordered the officers to pay the senior citizen a compensation of Rs 1,000 for the trouble caused.

All payments to the Bengalurean must be made within 30 days of the order, the court ordered.

UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE

S Sangameswaran, a resident of Banashankari 3rd Stage, had booked return tickets online on KSRTC Airavat Club Class from Bengaluru to Tiruvannamalai. As planned, he left from Bengaluru on October 12, 2019 and was to return to the city the next day. He reached the designated bus stop around noon. But despite waiting for over an hour, there was no sign of the KSRTC bus

5 Gmail Add-ons to Boost Productivity

TECHTONIC

5 Gmail Add-ons to Boost Productivity

15.11.2021

Emails are an intrinsic part of our internet-dependent lives — for personal and official use — with Gmail being one of the most popular services around. Besides built-in spam filters and security features, you can install third-party ‘add-ons’ to extend the functionality of a Gmail inbox. They can be found at workspace.google.com/marketplace, only need to be installed once and appear in a sidebar whenever you sign in from a web browser. Ashutosh Desai recommends five such add-ons to improve productivity.

SCHEDULE MEETINGS You can set up meetings with friends, colleagues or clients from Gmail with a smart scheduling service like CalendarHero (calendarhero.com). It also integrates with Google Calendar, so you don’t end up double booking your day.

It uses AI to ‘learn’ your scheduling patterns. Here, you can create fixed time frames for video calls, voice calls, coffee meetups, etc, for a more organised day. Each meeting type has a web link so anybody can ‘self book’ appointments with you. CalendarHero lets you set a daily limit to meetings; it can also integrate with Zoom and Cisco Webex; meetings can be scheduled via Slack, MS Teams, FB Messenger, and more. You can even chat with a virtual assistant to know your schedule.

MAIL MERGE GMass (www.gmass.co),lets you send several personalised emails with just one template. When you compose a new email, click the ‘GMass’ button next to ‘Send’. Choose a template to view the syntax it uses for the recipient’s first and last name. Now use the same format when composing the email. GMass will replace it with the recipient’s first or last name, depending on what you selected in the configurations box.

This add-on also includes a scheduling feature that sends reminders after a specified interval. A free GMass account lets you send up to 50 messages per day.

SEND INVOICES If you are the proprietor of a small business or a freelancer then a free invoice generator like Bookipi (www.bookipi.com) will be a useful addition to your workflow. To use this add-on, you first need to register with Bookipi and design your invoice to include a logo, payment instructions, etc before sending them from Gmail.

When you reply to a client’s email or compose a message, you will be able generate an invoice without leaving the tab.

These invoices can be saved into categories like estimates, incidentals, arrears, etc; can include tax, discount, shipping, and a placeholder for signatures as well. Alternatively, you can also consider the Zoho Invoice add-on to email bills to customers.

ORGANISE EMAIL You can turn your inbox into Kanban-style boards to help you get more work done with Sortd (www.sortd.com), a task-oriented service that lets you assign emails to ‘buckets’ like To-Do, Planning, In Progress, Done, etc. It is ideal for project managers and event planners who need to separate important emails from all the noise.

The add-on lets you assign the email to specific boards while its Chrome extension — which also needs to be installed — toggles between the regular Gmail view and Kanban boards. When you switch to the latter, you will only see the emails you assigned to the various boards. You will see the inbox as a panel, but you can hide this as well so that you can focus on the work at hand and not get distracted by new email notifications.

TRACK EMAILS If your work has you sending several emails through the day to your customers, clients and vendors then it is necessary to know if your messages are actually being read or ignored. With the Mailtrack (mailtrack.io) add-on and its browser extension, you will receive alerts — as popups and as emails, depending on what you choose — whenever your emails are read.

You can also set your account to receive daily reports with analytics related to your read/unread emails, alerts for old emails and messages that have been opened several times over a short period of time.

Mailtrack will also notify you when an email you have received uses tracking features. Moreover, you can install this add-on on an Android handset and send tracked emails while being on the move.

Heavy rains lash Kerala, red alert issued for 3 dists

Heavy rains lash Kerala, red alert issued for 3 dists

15.11.2021

Pathanamthitta/Idukki:

With heavy rains lashing various parts of the state since Saturday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday declared a red alert in central Kerala districts of Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur for the day.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, asked everyone to be extra vigilant in view of the risk of landslides and other hazards due to the unseasonal rainfall. Authorities and the public need to be extra vigilant in the event of heavy rains in Kerala as part of the westerly winds, he said. He said that people living in landslide and flood-prone areas will have to relocate to safer places or nearby relief camps as there is a possibility of widespread rains in the coming hours.

The cleanliness of the camps, availability of food and a screening system for diseases should be ensured, he said.

Later, in a press release, the Chief Minister said that in a meeting of district collectors and officials it has been decided to limit the number of pilgrims to Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in the next three to four days due to the heavy rains. The ritualistic bathing in the river Pampa will not be allowed as its levels were dangerously high, spot booking will be stopped for the time and changing dates of those who booked through virtual queue system will also be considered to control the flow of pilgrims, the release said. PTI

Sim cards, digital wallets, bank accounts on sale for fraudsters’ use

Sim cards, digital wallets, bank accounts on sale for fraudsters’ use

Racket Thriving In Remote Areas Of North Gujarat

Ashish.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:15.11.2021

If you are not using your sim card or your bank account has been dormant, be warned as cyber crooks may have started using your phone number of bank account for illegal activities such as cheating or digital fraud.

City crime branch recently nabbed a 22-year-old man named Vijaysinh Jhala of Aniyol village of Talod taluka of Sabarkantha for allegedly selling simcards illegally.

During his questioning, it was revealed that bank accounts, digital wallets, OTT app access credentials were also being sold illegally.

These activities are flourishing in rural areas of north Gujarat— mainly Sabarkantha, Aravalli and Banaskantha districts — where gangs steal data from telecom companies or banks using the dark web and use it for illegal activities, said a police officer.

Jhala was nabbed on October 9 after police learned that he was about to deliver a couple of sim cards to certain person. When the cops caught him and investigated further, they found that the gang for which Jhala worked as a delivery man had around 20,000 simcards.

“Such gangs work in layers so they can evade the cops. The kingpin will operate various Telegrams groups using which he offers to sell sim cards, bank accounts or digital wallets. If a person shows interest, another set of people will check his credentials and if the person passes their background checks, they will send someone to deliver the simcards,” said a police officer.

In the case of digital wallets and bank account, the end user or the customer who buys them illegally will be given the user ID or passwords by gang members in such a way that the end user will not even know their name or identity.

Not just the end user or customer, the people working in the second or third layer will also not know who the kingpin is, said a police officer.

Class III girl donates money from her savings to buy food for flood-hit people

Class III girl donates money from her savings to buy food for flood-hit people

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.11.2021

Seven-year-old Janani had a dream of buying a cycle with the money she had saved. Since her home in Pattalam was flooded during the rain, she decided to use her savings to buy milk packets and bread for people in her locality. She had managed to save ₹5000, and has now emptied the sum for the people in the slum.

Janani, a Class III student, of a Corporation School, lives with her grandmother at Pattalam, while her parents, R R Nagarajan and Shivarajani, live in Andhra Pradesh.

For the past four years, she used to save whatever little pocket money she got in order to buy a bicycle. Unlike other children of her age, she never bought anything for herself, and used to collect ₹5 every day. When the downpour battered the city, on seeing the tragedy of people around her and those who were suffering due to inundation, the little girl was moved and decided to buy provisions from her savings of ₹5000 for the flood-affected people.

She distributed biscuits, milk packets and bread to people at Pulianthope, Thattankulam, Sivarajpuram, Pattalam and other affected areas in North Chennai, travelling on a boat.

“I wanted to buy a bicycle for my birthday in January. I had been saving money since four years. But I decided to donate my savings to people whom I saw suffering in front of my eyes. I am happy to help these people. I can buy a cycle later,” Janani said.

“I want to help the poor and the needy, especially children. I could see them smiling after receiving the bread packets,” she said.

Janani's father introduced the concept of savings to her. She is fond of Mother Teresa. She had always helped other children in her school, her father said, The heartwarming gesture of the little girl was appreciated by many of her nieghbours.

HER BIT: Janani donates milk

When the downpour battered the city, on seeing the tragedy of people around her and those who were suffering due to inundation, the little girl was moved

The perfect bedtime for heart health

The perfect bedtime for heart health

15.11.2021

Going to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study led by an international team of researchers.

The study was published in European Heart Journal - Digital Health, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

“The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning, while we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health,” said study author Dr David Plans of the University of Exeter, UK.

While numerous analyses have investigated the link between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease, the relationship between sleep timing and heart disease is underexplored. This study examined the association between objectively measured, rather than self-reported, sleep onset in a large sample of adults.

The study included 88,026 individuals in the UK Biobank recruited between 2006 and 2010. The average age was 61 years (range 43 to 79 years) and 58% were women. Data on sleep onset and waking up time were collected over seven days using a wrist-worn accelerometer. Participants completed demographic, lifestyle, health, and physical assessments and questionnaires.

They were then followed up for a new diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, which was defined as a heart attack, heart failure, chronic ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and transient ischaemic attack.

During an average follow-up of 5.7 years, 3,172 participants (3.6%) developed cardiovascular disease. Incidence was highest in those with sleep times at midnight or later and lowest in those with sleep onset from 10:00 to 10:59 pm.

The researchers analysed the association between sleep onset and cardiovascular events after adjusting for age, sex, sleep duration, sleep irregularity (defined as varied times of going to sleep and waking up), self-reported chronotype (early bird or night owl), smoking status, body mass index, diabetes, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and socioeconomic status.

Compared to sleep onset from 10:00 to 10:59 pm, there was a 25% higher risk of cardiovascular disease with sleep onset at midnight or later, a 12% greater risk for 11:00 to 11:59 pm, and a 24% raised risk for falling asleep before 10:00 pm.

In a further analysis by sex, the association with increased cardiovascular risk was stronger in women, with only sleep onset before 10:00 pm remaining significant for men.

Dr Plans said, “Our study indicates that the optimum time to go to sleep is at a specific point in the body’s 24-hour cycle and deviations may be detrimental to health. The riskiest time was after midnight, potentially because it may reduce the likelihood of seeing morning light, which resets the body clock.”

“If our findings are confirmed in other studies, sleep timing and basic sleep hygiene could be a low-cost public health target for lowering the risk of heart disease,” he concluded. ANI

TAKE IT TO HEART: Both early and late bedtimes can disrupt body clock