Problems galore in BU Syndicate election

Problems galore in BU Syndicate election

02/12/2021

Special CorrespondentCoimbatore

Election of four persons to the Bharathiar University Syndicate, it appears, is running into problems.

In October this year, the University issued a notification to elect four persons to the Syndicate – two from the teachers’ constituency and a like number from the principals’ constituency in the Senate. It had said that November 9 would be the last date for receipt of nomination and November 16 the date for withdrawal of nominations and the election will be held on December 8.

Earlier, the University had accepted applications for inclusion of names in the voters’ list for the two constituencies.

After the University published the list of candidates in the fray in the teachers’ constituency, it came to light that one of the contestants – D. Gnana Senthil Kumar, a faculty of a self-financed college in Tiruppur district, was not even a voter in the teachers’ constituency.

Clerical error

When this was raised with the University authorities, the reply was that Mr. Kumar was very much a voter in the teachers’ constituency and the failure to include his name in the voters’ list was a clerical error.

The second, according to sources, was a few persons had approached the University to include names of 22 persons who were either principals or principals in-charge in self-financed colleges but were not in the voters’ list.

After the move came to light, the Association of University Teachers objected to it saying inclusion of names after the finalisation of voters’ list, notification of election and finalisation of candidates was illegal.

The Association’s State president P. Thirunavukkarasu, in his note to Vice Chancellor P. Kaliraj, said as per election rules, inclusion of names at such a very late stage in election was arbitrary and illegal.

The final electoral rolls the University had published on November 8 was final.

Objection

Sources said one of the four contestants in the fray in the principals’ constituency objected to the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.

Vice-Chancellor Mr. Kaliraj said it was true that a move was made to update the rolls. But the University had decided against it because it had had given ample time for updating electoral rolls in both the constituencies.

As for the candidature of Mr. Kumar, Mr. Kaliraj said the application for inclusion of his name in voters’ list was submitted well before the deadline.

HC rejects student’s plea for govt seat

HC rejects student’s plea for govt seat

BDS Candidate Wanted To Swap Pvt Seat

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:03.12.2021

The high court rejected a petition filed by a student seeking permission to participate in the mop-up round of counselling to get a government seat. He is already enrolled in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course at Sri Jagadguru Murugarajendra Dental College and Hospital, Chitradurga, under private quota.

P Prajwal from Bengaluru contended that many students less meritorious than him were allowed to participate in the mop-up round.

However, a division bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe said the petitioner had participated in counselling, been allotted a seat and even paid admission fee. “He has no right to seek a government seat after having taken admission in the first round under private quota,” the bench observed. It said Prajwal had neither furnished details of the “less meritorious” candidates nor impleaded them in the writ petition.

Prajwal appeared for NEET 2020 and secured an all-India rank of 2,14,774. He participated in counselling and was allotted a private quota seat. He paid the fee and joined the college in Chitradurga. However, Prajwal claimed he learnt through an RTI plea that many candidates less meritorious than him were allotted government seats in the course during the mop-up round. He subsequently approached the court seeking a direction to consider his candidature for a government seat and adjust the excess fee paid.

‘Deadline over’

Counsel for the government and Karnataka Examinations Authority said the petitioner was allotted a seat in the first round of counselling under private quota and the last date for admission to the course was now over.

Centre, UGC told to decide college status

The high court directed the central government and University Grants Commission to pass within two months a reasoned order on the status of Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital (RRMCH), Bengaluru.

A division bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe said both have to comply with the procedural mandate contained in UGC Regulations, 2016, and decide on inclusion of the college under the ambit of Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, a deemed-to-be university, after taking into account the state government’s views.

The bench noted that in this case, the procedure was not followed as UGC did not take into account views of the government and approved and forwarded to the Centre an expert committee’s recommendation. Based on this, on February 14, 2019, the Centre issued a notification transferring RRMCH to the Chennai-based institution.

On November 3, 2020, a single-judge bench quashed the Centre’s order. The bench pointed out that UGC shouldn’t have made a recommendation without considering Karnataka’s objections.

A direction was also issued for restoring the medical college to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru. The plea of Moogambikai Charitable and Educational Trust, Bengaluru, was dismissed.

The trust managing RRMCH had challenged the state government’s May 16, 2019, order and the June 29, 2019, decision of RGUHS not to allow disaffiliation of the college. TNN

SA traveller, B’luru doctor are India’s first Omicron patients

SA traveller, B’luru doctor are India’s first Omicron patients

46-Yr-Old Indian Had No Recent Travel History

Sunitha Rao & Sushmi Dey TNN

Bengaluru/New Delhi: 03.12.2021

India’s first Omicron-infected Covid-19 patients have been detected in Karnataka.

One of them is a 66-yearold flyer from South Africa while the other is a 46-yearold anaesthetist from Bengaluru, the health ministry said on Thursday. Fear of the variant is high, given concerns over its transmissibility and ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity.

“We are tracing three types of contacts — primary, secondary and tertiary. We have already traced the remotest contacts of these two cases,” said Sujeet Kumar Singh, director of the National Centre for Disease Control.

The anaesthetist tested positive on November 22 and five of his contacts tested positive between November 22 and 25, Karnataka health officials said. Their samples have been sent for sequencing. Officials said an absence of travel history for the doctor suggests the presence of the new variant in the community.

The doctor and his contacts are in hospital isolation.

‘6 boosters safe after Covishield shots’

Six different Covid-19 boosters are safe and provoke strong immune response in people who have received a two-dose course of Covishield, the first randomised phase-2 trial of boosters published in The Lancet shows. Apart from the Covishield and Pfizer shots, Novavax, Janssen, Moderna, VLA2001 (Valneva) and CVnCov (Curevac) were studied. P 7

Let us not fear or panic, let us all be responsible: Govt

Thirteen of the doctor’s primary contacts and 205 secondary ones have been traced so far.

The 66-year-old South African national travelled from his country, labelled ‘at risk’, on November 20. Asked to self-isolate at a city hotel, he left on November 27 for Dubai before authorities got the results of his genome sequencing. The two Omicron patients showed only mild symptoms. Both were double-vaccinated.

The new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV2 — first reported by South Africa — is spreading rapidly in many countries and appears to be outcompeting other variants in transmissibility. “The new variant is possibly around 500% more competitively infectious,” said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry.

Omicron is “heavily mutated” with 45-52 amino acid changes across the whole genome and 26-32 changes in the spike protein — the part that attaches to human cells — Agarwal said, underlining that the variant is considered to be highly transmissible, and has improved binding affinity.

However, on the upside, all Omicron patients are found to have mild symptoms so far. The government said the situation is being closely examined and all issues including a ban on international flights is under discussion within the technical and scientific circles. “Let us not fear or panic, let us all be responsible. It is an unfolding situation and we are all learning,” said VK Paul, member health, NITI Aayog.

Officials emphasised that the tools to combat even the new variant remain the same. While full vaccination was underlined as a must to protect against severe disease, officials also stressed on the need to wear masks and adhere to other Covid-appropriate behaviour.

The Bengaluru municipal corporation has traced 264 persons in contact with the man from South Africa and none of them tested positive. In the anaesthetist’s case, a total of 218 contacts have been traced and five of them have tested positive, including three primary contacts and two secondary ones.

› COVID CASES DOUBLE IN A DAY IN SOUTH AFRICA, P 15

Now, book an Uber on WhatsApp

GLOBAL-FIRST INTEGRATION

Now, book an Uber on WhatsApp

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:03.12.2021

Uber has partnered with WhatsApp to allow people to book a ride via Uber’s WhatsApp chatbot. The service is first being launched in India, and Lucknow will be the first city to experience it.

Nandini Maheshwari, senior director of business development in Uber Asia Pacific, said, “We want to make it as easy as possible for all Indians to take an Uber trip, and to do that we need to meet them on platforms they are comfortable with. We are thrilled at this global-first integration for Uber, and look forward to rolling it out across India.”

Ther service is built on WhatsApp Business Platform. Abhijit Bose, head of WhatsApp India, said the WhatsApp Business Platform has been an important lever for businesses that want to build a direct connect with their consumers. “The Uber experience on WhatsApp is simple, familiar, and relatable for users and has the potential to accelerate adoption of Uber with a new category of riders in India,” he said. With this integration, riders will no longer need to download or use the Uber app. From user registration to booking a ride, and getting a trip receipt will be managed within the WhatsApp chat interface.

WhatsApp users can book an Uber ride through three simple ways: messaging to Uber’s business account number; scanning a QR code; or clicking a link directly to open an Uber WhatsApp chat. They will then be asked to provide pickup and drop off locations. Users will receive upfront fare information and the driver’s expected time of arrival.

The companies said that riders will get the same safety features and insurance protections as those who book trips via the Uber app directly. Drivers on Uber’s platform will see no change in their experience with rides booked via WhatsApp.

PG medicos strike to continue

PG medicos strike to continue

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:03.12.2021

Outpatient services at medical college hospitals in Tamil Nadu were largely unaffected on day two of the protests by resident doctors against delay in NEET postgraduate counselling.

Assistant professors, MBBS doctors (recruited on contract basis) and interns were deployed to take care of the outpatient department and wards in in hospitals of the city.

Given that there was no response from the Union government regarding NEET PG counselling dates, the protesting doctors in the state have announced that they will be boycotting elective surgeries at operation theatres in addition to outpatient and ward services on Friday.

“We ensured that emergency services are intact. Enough doctors will be available at TN Accident and Emergency Care Initiative (TAEI) wards, surgical Intensive Care Units (ICUs), toxicology wards, Intermediate Care Units (IMCUs) and Intermediate Respiratory Care Units (IRCUs),” said R Vignesh from Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA).

MBBS student alleges gang-rape in Alwar; 1 held, other on the run

MBBS student alleges gang-rape in Alwar; 1 held, other on the run

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Alwar:02.12.2021

The Alwar police on Wednesday arrested a 22-yearold youth after a 20-year-old MBBS student alleged that she was gang-raped on Tuesday evening.

Police have identified the main accused as one Ravi Choudhary, while the second accused, Ravindra Choudhary, is currently on the run. Police are also investigating the involvement of the girl’s batchmate in the case.

The Alwar police claimed that the entire incident took place when the girl’s batchmate invited her to the wedding of his sister in Alwar. The batchmate sent his friends Ravi and Ravindra in a car to bring her to the city for the function.

Instead of taking her to the wedding venue, Ravi allegedly took the girl to a hotel where he raped her while Ravindra stood guard outside the room.

The girl sought help and went to a nearby police station on Tuesday evening where she narrated her ordeal.

Probe against friend who sent invitation

Alwar: The girl sought help and went to a nearby police station on Tuesday evening where she narrated her ordeal. Police recorded her statements on Wednesday, following which they arrested prime accused Ravi Choudhary.

The case is being investigated by additional SP Rameshwar Choudhary.

A medical examination was held on Wednesday.

While Ravi Choudhary has been identified as the main accused in the case, investigation is also underway against the girl’s batchmate who invited her to the wedding.

Both Ravindra and the girl’s batchmate have been booked for aiding the crime. The preliminary investigation indicated that the girl and her batchmate, both hailing from the same city, were studying MBBS at a foreign university.

Jr docs threaten to boycott all services from Dec 4

Jr docs threaten to boycott all services from Dec 4

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:02.12.2021

Junior doctors at the state-run Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital (OGH) boycotted outpatient (OP) services on Wednesday over repeated delay in NEET counselling by the Centre. The OP boycott would continue for two more days and the Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA) has threatened to extend it to all services from December 4 if the Centre failed to act.

On Wednesday, the patients were only partially affected, but if junior doctors go ahead with their threat then things would become difficult for patients from December 4. “The impact of boycott on Wednesday was not felt sharply as patient footfall has been less for last two days. It might be due to the news of the new variant of Covid-19. Instead of 5 doctors manning a department, today 2-3 were present. It only caused a delay of 30-40 minutes,” said a source at Gandhi Hospital.

“While we only boycotted OP services today, if no measures are taken by government to speed up the process, we’ll escalate the protest after meeting with all other RDAs. Currently, other staff were able to handle most departments, but if we extend it to all services then it’ll be difficult to manage,” said TJUDA president Dr Sagar Dharmula.

Junior doctors protest at Gandhi Hospital

On holiday plans, domestic flyers wait and watch for now

On holiday plans, domestic flyers wait and watch for now

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:02.12.2021

Demand for domestic travel had peaked in the past two months during the festive season and the year was supposed to end with a bang, what with travellers making advance bookings for the year-end holiday. But the Maharashtra government directive that made RT-PCR reports mandatory for all inter-state arrivals has left many year-end travel plans in a limbo, say travel industry insiders.

“The major concern is about spending January 1 queueing up at Goa’s testing centres and hospitals to undergo an RT-PCR test. The next day is a Sunday, most testing places in Goa would be closed. Most passengers are booked to return to Mumbai on Sunday evening and Monday morning,” said a travel agent. He added that passengers booked on the domestic sector have adopted a wait-and-watch policy. “We’re expecting some air ticket cancellations in the coming weeks, but people might not entirely abandon their year-end plans. We expect inter-state road travel to pick up. The past two peaks have shown that RT-PCR reports aren’t checked diligently on roads,” he added.

Currently, the cheapest return ticket for year-end travel on non-stop flights between Mumbai and Goa — the most popular year-end route — starts at Rs 11,000. Prashant Pitti, co-foundrf EaseMyTrip, said they had witnessed more than 400% jump in advance air ticket bookings for Decmber. “About 65-75% of travellers have opted for the full-refund booking options since the second wave, and with the new variant, this number is expected to grow in the coming weeks,” he added.

The major concern is about spending January 1 queueing up at Goa’s testing centres and hospitals to undergo an RT-PCR test. The next day is a Sunday, most testing places in Goa would be closed

SC: Doctors can’t be always blamed for negligence in deaths

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:02.12.2021

The Supreme Court has said that a hospital cannot be held liable for negligence if operation of a patient is delayed because of nonavailability of operation theatres and ruled that doctors also cannot be always blamed if a patient did not favourably respond to treatment or a surgery failed.

Setting aside the order National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission which held Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre and its doctors liable for medical negligence for death of a patient, a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and V Ramasubramanian said that the fault cannot always be fastened on the doctors and hospital if a patient did not survive. It said that delay in conducting some medical test due to fault in machine can also not be said to be negligence on the part of the doctor or the hospital, saying “Any machine can become non-functional because of innumerable factors beyond the human control as the machines involve various mechanical, electrical and electronic components”

“No fault can be attached to the hospital if the operation theatres were occupied when the patient was taken for surgery. Operation theatres cannot be presumed to be available at all times. Therefore, non-availability of an emergency operation theatre during the period when surgeries were being performed on other patients is not a valid ground to hold the Hospital negligent in any manner,” the bench said...

Exam controller held for role in rigging TET

Exam controller held for role in rigging TET

‘Gave Contract To Firm That Had No Infra’

Pathikrit Chakraborty@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:02.12.2021

The exam regulatory authority (ERA) secretary, Sanjay Kumar Upadhyay, who was on Tuesday suspended for his role in the UPTET question paper leak, was arrested in Lucknow after a protracted interrogation that stretched well past midnight. The UP special task force (UPSTF) formally arrested him at 3am on Wednesday and sent him to prison by noon.

A 1995 batch Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer, Upadhyay’s complicity in the paper leak was exposed during questioning of the director of RSM Finserv Ltd, the Delhi-based firm contracted to print Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question papers. The director, Rai Anup Prasad, who was arrested in Noida late Tuesday, had told interrogators that Upadhyay was instrumental in handing over the contract to his company on October 26.

Confirming Upadhyay’s arrest, additional director general of police, law and order, Prashant Kumar told TOI that no accused would be spared and the gang’s network would be dismantled.

Senior superintendent of police, STF, Hemraj Meena said, “RSM Finserv Ltd based in Delhi’s Greater Kailash-II neither had infrastructure nor resources to print question papers on such a large scale. And the firm’s laxity led to a comprise in secrecy protocols enabling infiltration by the solver’s mafia. The government has instituted an inquiry against Upadhyay, who handed out work order without checking the Delhi fir m’s antecedents.”

On November 28, Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) was cancelled after a question paper was leaked on social media, triggering arrests of 37 accused till late Wednesday. At least 20lakh lakh students were scheduled to write the exam at 2,736 centres in two shifts.

Another TET conduit arrested in Aligarh

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:02.12.2021

Continuing its crackdown on those who rigged UPTET exams, UP special task force (UPSTF) on Wednesday arrested another accused, Gaurav Kumar, from Aligarh. Gaurav, who was picked from the city’s Malroz intersection, had bought question papers from the solver’s syndicate just hours before the exam and circulated them among TET aspirants for Rs 2 lakh each.

Senior superintendent of police, STF, Hemraj Meena, said, during interrogation Gaurav claimed to have bought the question papers from two other conduits, Nirdosh Singh and Vishnu for Rs 5 lakh. “He passed it on to his friends, Dharmendra Malik, Ravi Pawar, Manish Malik and Ajay for distribution in Mathura for big kickbacks. Gaurav got hold of the leaked papers just before the exam and sold them for Rs 2lakh,” said Meena.

Gaurav confessed he met Nirdosh through his brother, Updesh, who was his batchmate in AMU during 2011-12. “Updesh had told him that any online and offline examination could be easily cracked with Nirdosh’s expertise,” Gaurav told police. STF sources said Gaurav’s other aides will be tracked down and arrested soon.

IIT-BHU student bags ₹2cr package from US company in placement

IIT-BHU student bags ₹2cr package from US company in placement

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Varanasi:02.12.2021

On the first day of campus placement, a student of IIT (BHU) was offered a maximum package of Rs 2.05 crores ($274,250) by a United States company. According to the IIT (BHU) spokesperson, the campus placement started on Tuesday midnight at the IIT (BHU). Till the end of the first phase, 55 companies had given 232 offer letters to students having an average package of Rs 32.89 lakh per annum and a minimum of Rs 12 lakh.

The total number of registered students is 1,243. “Last year by this time we had 91 companies offering 324 jobs. Earlier, 66 companies had offered pre-placement to a total of 241 students of B Tech IIIrd year and IDD IVth year during their internship,” he said.

The campus selection process is being done in Aryabhatta Hostel of the institute.

Train runs over man, he remains safe

Train runs over man, he remains safe

Harveer Dabas TNN

Bijnor:02.12.2021

Umesh Jain, 60, escaped unscathed after he was run over by a goods train. Jain had fallen on a railway track at Dhampur railway station in Bijnor. He was unable to muster enough strength to get up because of a prolonged illness.

He was later rescued by the government railway police.

“I was trying to cross when I lost balance and fell on the track. I couldn’t get up even when I saw the train approaching. I laid down on the tracks remembering god. The last thing I heard was a loud rattling sound,” Jain, who is a hawker, said.

Dhampur’s GRP chowki in-charge, Ranveer Singh, said, “The train driver sent a message to the control room and informed them about a body on the track. When we reached, Jain was lying straight with his face down. We overturned him and found him in a semi-conscious state with a rapid heartbeat.”

Singh said the goods train comprised 48 wagons. “We informed Jain’s family members and they rushed to the railway station and took him to a private hospital. They said his condition is normal,” he added.

Sources said the train ran over him for roughly 45 seconds.

LU students learn to spot ‘fake news’

‘VERIFY FACTS, PIXES’

LU students learn to spot ‘fake news’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:02.12.2021

Students of Lucknow University were on Wednesday taught various techniques to identify fake news. They were told by teachers to forward only authentic news and information on social media platforms.

The techniques were taught to students during a workshop on ‘fake news’ held as part of cyber awareness campaign in the zoology department.

Head of journalism and

mass communication department Prof Mukul Srivastava informed students how they can identify fake news and morphed photographs on social media. Apart from fact checking, people should also use their ‘common sense’ to identify fake news and verify facts before forwarding anything on social media, he said.

Head of the zoology department Prof Sudhir Kumar, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that the virtual world is as important as the real world.

After politics and history, the target of fake news and trolls are science subjects in which pseudosciences are projected as science and perception as history, he added.

Forms to be submitted at Collectorate

Forms to be submitted at Collectorate

Lucknow: 02.12.2021

According to the district administration, the official figure of coronavirus victims in Lucknow is 2,651. The state government has released funds for all these. An applicant needs to submit the form at room number 54 on the second floor at Collectorate along with Covid and death certificates. If there is no Covid certificate, the claims will be verified by an expert team. “If a family is denied a form at room number 54, they can visit my office. As many families don’t have Covid certificates, the directive says that a medical summary or note of symptomatic treatment will be acceptable for ex gratia sans Covid report. We will also allow submission of applications where there is no medical record. Such applications will be verified by an expert team,” said additional district magistrate (finance) Bipin Mishra. TNN

Suspected Covid treatment record enough to apply for death ex gratia

Suspected Covid treatment record enough to apply for death ex gratia

Arvind.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:02.12.2021

Families of patients who succumbed to suspected Covid-19 will be able to apply for ex gratia of Rs 50,000 even if there is no certificate confirming a Covid death. Medical records or doctor’s certificate detailing treatment of symptoms of Covid will be acceptable for claim, said an order from the state government on Wednesday.

Such applicants will have to submit whatever medical summary or doctor’s note they have indicating suspected coronavirus infection. However, the claim would be verified by a panel of experts. It would also only be applicable if a patient has succumbed within 30 days of treatment.

Further, responding to a query from TOI, additional district magistrate (finance) Bipin Mishra, the nodal officer for the Rs 50,000 ex gratia disbursal, said that even if there are no medical records at all, the application would be accepted.

In an investigation, TOI had found that there were many such patients who succumbed at home. In remote villages, victims died at clinics or private hospitals, often run by quacks. Such families had no document except for a death certificate to file for ex gratia claim.

The assurance from the administration has brought a ray of hope to scores of families which had followed the state government’s directives of home treatment in the absence of oxygen-supported beds in hospitals.

One such family is that of Sunita Singh’s. Her husband Sunit died in April and since then, life has been extremely difficult for Sunita and her three children. As Sunita is illiterate, her two daughters-—Saumya (18) and Shubhi

(15)—have become breadearners by taking tuition classes. The family till now could not receive any financial aid from the government because they had no medical summary or doctor’s note saying their father died of suspected coronavirus.

“There were no oxygen beds available at the time. We all were infected and took medicines (Ivermectin and Paracetamol) as advised by state health authorities. However, my father’s condition kept deteriorating and he succumbed on April 17, at a non-Covid hospital. Doctors did not give any medical summary, fearing action for admitting a Covid patient,” said Saumya, a student of LU. They live in a rented accommodation in Para.

“We have also applied for claims under Mukhyamantri Bal Vikas Yojana (Samanya) for non-Covid orphan and widow pension but have not received anything till now. On compassionate grounds, our landlord and children’s school waived off rent and fee for a year,” said Sunita.

Daily wage labourer Sanjeevan Lal (45) succumbed to suspected Covid on May 3. He is survived by his wife and five children. His eldest daughter Pooja (17) and wife Rajkumari had taken him to a local clinic in Bada Kasmandi village.

“We weren’t aware that the clinic was run by a quack. My father had all symptoms of corona, but since we don’t have certificates, we couldn’t apply for ex gratia,” said Pooja, who dropped out of school to work as domestic help to support the family.

Omicron grounds Dec 15 plan to resume regular int’l flights

Omicron grounds Dec 15 plan to resume regular int’l flights

Flights Within Air Bubbles Will Continue: DGCA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:02.12.2021

Regular international flights to and from India are unlikely to resume from December 15, as originally scheduled, due to uncertainty over the impact of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on the course of the pandemic, the country's civil aviation regulator said on Wednesday.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will notify the new date “in due course”, depending on how the situation unfolds. International flights within air bubbles with 31 countries will continue till scheduled flights resume.

“In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” DGCA said.

UP launches 6-day focused Covid-19 testing campaign

Lucknow:

To zero in on possible carriers of Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Uttar Pradesh government launched a focused six-day testing drive on Wednesday.

The campaign aims at intensifying testing and conducting focused activities in vulnerable pockets, reports Shailvee Sharda.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said while prevention and adherence to Covid-19 protocol was the best defence against the virus, including the new strain Omicron, surveillance activities had been intensified and focused testing was being carried out in the state. P 6

Omicron may weaken demand for int’l flights again

India had only last week announced graded resumption of regular international flights from December 15, nearly 21 months after all air travel had been suspended on March 23 last year. Limited flights operating within air bubbles since international travel resumed worldwide have sent fares skyrocketing. It isn’t uncommon now for oneway fares to be higher than return fares for peak season. Omicron could weaken demand for international flights again. Resumption of regular scheduled flights might also get indefinitely delayed.

Quarantine fears see many int’l travellers cancel trips

Quarantine fears see many int’l travellers cancel trips

Mumbai: 02.12.2021

It was déjà vu for international travellers as well as the travel industry as Wednesday brought a spate of flight cancellations and rescheduling even as social media was inundated with queries from worried passengers about hotel quarantine, much like the past two pandemic summers.

Late on Tuesday night, the Maharashtra government had imposed new entry restrictions, among which was a mandatory week-long hotel quarantine for passengers arriving from or even transiting from “at-risk” countries. Prashant Pitti, co-founder, EaseMyTrip, said: “People were gradually opening up to the idea of international travel. In comparison with January-March 2021, we had witnessed a 50% jump in international travel bookings.”

A travel agent, requesting anonymity, said most cancellations and rescheduling came from students and passengers arriving and transiting from the UK and Europe. For those who have decided to go ahead with the India trip, booking hotels for quarantine is a problem. Social media queries poured in as confused passengers booked on international flights sought answers. TNN

அரசு பஸ்சில், கோழிக்கும் அரை டிக்கெட் வாங்கி பயணித்த விவசாயி

அரசு பஸ்சில், கோழிக்கும் அரை டிக்கெட் வாங்கி பயணித்த விவசாயி

Updated : டிச 01, 2021 04:24 | Added : நவ 30, 2021 22:04





கொப்பால்: விவசாயி ஒருவர் அரசு பஸ்சில்,கோழிக்கும் அரை டிக்கெட் வாங்கி பயணித்தார்.

கொப்பாலை சேர்ந்தவர் ராமப்பா, 45. விவசாயியான இவர், கடந்த 28ல் ஹைதராபாத்தில் இருந்து கொப்பால் கங்காவதிக்கு அரசு பஸ்சில் கோழியுடன் பயணித்தார்.அப்போது டிரைவர், 'கோழிக்கும் அரை டிக்கெட் வாங்க வேண்டும்' என, கூறியுள்ளார்.அதன்படி, 463 ரூபாய் கொடுத்து கோழிக்கும் தனியாக டிக்கெட் பெற்று பயணித்தார்.

ஒரு கோழியின் விலையை 300 ரூபாய் முதல் 400 ரூபாய் மட்டுமே இருக்கும். ஆனால் 463 ரூபாய் கொடுத்து பயணித்துள்ள இந்த கோழி, சமூக வலைதளங்களிலும் பரவி பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது.

இது குறித்து கண்டக்டர் அனிஷ் கூறுகையில், “ஹைதராபாத்தில் இருந்து கொப்பாலுக்கு வந்த ஒருவர், கோழியுடன் பஸ்சில் ஏறினார். கோழிக்கும் டிக்கெட் வாங்க வேண்டும் என கூறியதால் அவர் வாங்கி பயணித்தார். இது வழக்கமாக உள்ளது தான்,” என்றார்.

தலைமை செயலகத்தில் வாடகை திடீர் உயர்வு

தலைமை செயலகத்தில் வாடகை திடீர் உயர்வு

Added : நவ 30, 2021 21:47

சென்னை:தலைமை செயலகத்தில், ராணுவத்தின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் உள்ள கட்டங்களில் இயங்கும் கடைகளுக்கு, வாடகை மூன்று மடங்காக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தலைமை செயலகம் வளாகத்தில், பெரும்பாலான கட்டடங்கள், ராணுவத்தின் கட்டுப் பாட்டில் உள்ளன. இவற்றில், ஓட்டல்கள், டீக்கடைகள், வங்கிகள் போன்றவை இயங்கி வருகின்றன. இவற்றுக்கு, சதுர அடிக்கு, 25 முதல் 30 ரூபாய் வரை வாடகை நிர்ணயிக்கப் பட்டிருந்தது.

தற்போது, ஒரு சதுர அடிக்கான வாடகை, 60 முதல் 66 ரூபாய் வரை நிர்ணயம் செய்யப் பட்டு உள்ளது. இதன் காரணமாக, மாதம், 6,000 வாடகை கொடுத்தவர்கள், 18 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் வாடகை செலுத்த வேண்டிய நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. மாதம், 25 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் வாடகை செலுத்தியவர், 1 லட்சம் ரூபாய் செலுத்த வேண்டிய நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது.

தலைமை செயலகம் பழைய கட்டடமும், ராணுவத்திற்கு சொந்தமானது. அதில், அரசு அலுவலகங்கள் இயங்குவதால், வாடகை உயர்த்தப்படவில்லை என்று அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

ராஜஸ்தானுக்கு விமான சுற்றுலா ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., ஏற்பாடு

ராஜஸ்தானுக்கு விமான சுற்றுலா ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., ஏற்பாடு

Added : நவ 30, 2021 21:30

சென்னை:ராஜஸ்தானுக்கு ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., விமான சுற்றுலாவை ஏற்பாடு செய்துள்ளது.

இந்திய ரயில்வே உணவு சுற்றுலா கழகமான ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., பாரம்பரிய கோவில்கள், சுற்றுலா தலங்களுக்கு சிறப்பு சுற்றுலா ரயில்கள் இயக்குவதுடன், விமான சுற்றுலாவுக்கும் ஏற்பாடு செய்து வருகிறது.வரும் 12ம் தேதி ராஜஸ்தான் மாநிலத்துக்கு, ஏழு நாட்கள் சுற்றுலாவை ஏற்பாடு செய்துள்ளது.

இப்பயணத்தில் ஜெய்ப்பூர், அஜ்மீர், புஷ்கர், ஜோத்பூர், ஜெய்சல்மார் மற்றும் பிகானீர் சென்று வரலாம். ஒருவருக்கு 32 ஆயிரத்து 500 ரூபாய் கட்டணம்.மேலும் தகவலுக்கு, சென்னை அலுவலகம் - 90031 40682; மதுரை அலுவலகம் - 82879 31977; திருச்சி அலுவலகம் - 82879 31974 ஆகிய எண்களில் தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம்.

ஷீரடிக்கு ரயில்

மதுரையில் இருந்து ஷீரடிக்கு, வரும் 24ம் தேதி யாத்திரை ரயில் இயக்கப்படுகிறது. இந்த ரயில் திண்டுக்கல், திருச்சி, விழுப்புரம், சென்னை எழும்பூர் வழியாக ஷீரடிக்கு செல்லும்.இப்பயணத்தில், ஷீரடி சாய்பாபா, பண்டரிபுரம் பாண்டுரங்கன், சிங்கனாப்பூர் சுயம்பு சனீஸ்வரர் மற்றும் ஆந்திர மாநிலம் மந்த்ராலயம் சென்று வரலாம்.

ஏழு நாட்கள் சுற்றுலாவுக்கு ஒருவருக்கு, 7,060 ரூபாய் கட்டணம்.ஷீரடியில், 65 வயதுக்கு மேல் உள்ளவர்கள், இரண்டு தவணைகள் கொரோனா தடுப்பூசி போட்டிருந்தால் மட்டுமே தரிசனத்துக்கு அனுமதிக்கப்படுவர். மேலும் தகவலுக்கு, சென்னை அலுவலகத்தை, 90031 40680 எண்ணில் தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம்.இணையதளத்தில் www.irctctourism.com முகவரியிலும் தெரிந்து கொள்ளலாம்.

வங்கிகளில் கேட்பாரற்று கிடக்கும் ரூ.29,697 கோடி

வங்கிகளில் கேட்பாரற்று கிடக்கும் ரூ.29,697 கோடி

Updated : நவ 30, 2021 23:58 | Added : நவ 30, 2021 20:57 

புதுடில்லி:வங்கிகளில் நீண்ட காலம் பரிவர்த்தனை நடக்காத கணக்குகளில் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின், 29 ஆயிரத்து 697 கோடி ரூபாய் கோரப்படாமல் உள்ளதாக மத்திய நிதியமைச்சர் நிர்மலா சீதாராமன் தெரிவித்து உள்ளார்.

வாரிசுதாரர்கள்ராஜ்சபாவில் நேற்று மத்திய நிதியமைச்சர் நிர்மலா சீதாராமன் பேசியதாவது:கடந்த 2020 டிச.,31 நிலவரப்படி வங்கிகளில் 10 ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக பரிவர்த்தனை நடக்காத, 9 கோடி வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் கணக்குகளில் 29 ஆயிரத்து 697 கோடி ரூபாய் கோரப்படாமல் உள்ளது. மேலும், 64 வங்கி சாரா நிதி நிறுவனங்களில் ஏழு ஆண்டு 'டிபாசிட்' காலம் முடிவடைந்தும், 71 லட்சம் ரூபாய் திரும்பப் பெறப்படாமல் உள்ளது. ஓராண்டுக்கு மேலாக பரிவர்த்தனை நடக்காத கணக்குகளை ஆராய்ந்து, வாடிக்கையாளர்களிடம் அதற்கான காரணங்களை கேட்கும்படி அனைத்து வங்கிகளுக்கும் ரிசர்வ் வங்கி உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

மேலும், சிறப்பு முகாம்கள் வாயிலாக இரண்டு ஆண்டுகள் செயல்படாமல் உள்ள கணக்குகளில் உள்ள வாரிசுதாரர்களை தொடர்பு கொண்டு பணம் கோரப்படாமல் உள்ளது பற்றி தெரிவிக்கும்படியும் வங்கிகள் அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டுஉள்ளன. வங்கிகள் அவற்றின் வலைதளத்தில் கோரப்படாத டிபாசிட் தொகை, 10 ஆண்டுகளாக பரிவர்த்தனை செய்யப்படாத வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் பெயர், முகவரி விபரங்களை வெளியிடும்படியும் உத்தரவிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

விழிப்புணர்வு

மேலும், 10 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேல் கோரப்படாத தொகை டிபாசிட்தாரர் கல்வி மற்றும் விழிப்புணர்வு நிதியத்தில் சேர்க்கப்படும். அதன் பின், டிபாசிட்தாரர் அல்லது வாரிசுகள் கோரினால் அந்த நிதியத்தில் இருந்து வட்டியுடன் டிபாசிட் தொகை திரும்பப் பெறப்பட்டு வழங்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு அவர் பேசினார்.

How AI has given a boost to the chip design ecosystem

How AI has given a boost to the chip design ecosystem

Many companies and startups are building chips for specific AI use cases

Sujit.John@timesgroup.com

01.12.2021

Speech recognition had an error rate of 16% around the time Apple’s Siri was launched early last decade. Which means it wouldn’t understand many of the words/sentences we spoke to her, and so it provided no answers, or wrong answers. But as we spoke to her more, she learnt from it. Today, speech recognition systems have significantly lower error rates, they can even understand accents. But it has taken years to get there.

If you need to build great AI systems quickly, you need to throw a lot of data and compute power into it. More and more use cases are emerging where the AI system needs to instantaneously understand what’s going on to be able to respond to it. Braking by autonomous cars is a classic one.

Chips with AI acceleration, and chips that are designed for AI are coming in to deal with this. Semiconductor companies, startups, and even those like Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook, for whom AI is central to what they do, are all developing such chips. A lot of this work is happening in India, one of the world’s foremost chip design hubs.

Srikanth Velamakanni, cofounder & CEO of analytics company Fractal Analytics, says such chips are essential to deal with the massive volumes of data that many systems now generate. “One flight of an aircraft generates more data than Google generates in a day. Because it’s got so many sensors and such high velocity data coming through,” he says. It’s similar in factories and industrial equipment. “You have to comb through all this data in real-time to see what may be failing. Human beings are not capable of that. It also needs hybrid computing, a combination of edge and server. We are looking at Intel’s new processors with AI acceleration to see how much of a performance boost we can create in these kinds of applications,” he says.

Fractal is also looking at these chips for a solution they call Customer Genomics, which mines massive customer data, like in banks, and recommends the next best action for the customer.

Ruchir Dixit, India country manager at semiconductor tools maker Siemens EDA, says such analytics is possible to do in software, but it won’t be fast enough. Many have used GPUs, because they are designed for heavy-duty graphics processing, but even those fall short for emerging requirements. “A machine learning algorithm implemented on hardware is always orders of magnitude faster. When I launch a software programme on my laptop, it has to find time from the CPU, even as the CPU deals with other computations it may be involved in, like an on-going video call. But if you put it in hardware, it doesn’t care what else you are doing, it will do it immediately because that’s what it is designed to do,” he says.

Different AI functions may require their own different chips. Understanding images in a car, with its limited power and limited ability to absorb heat, may require a different AI chip from that in a factory, which has AC power coming in and where how much heat the hardware dissipates may not be a concern.

Alok Jain, VP of R&D at semiconductor tools company Cadence Design Systems, says there are very specific chips for speech recognition, for face recognition. “It all depends on the level of complexity, the level of cores that are required on the size of data available to you. It depends on how dependent the variables it is dealing with are – if they are dependent, the communication between the cores becomes important,” he says.

Given the variety of chips needed, even startups, he says, have found a great opportunity to serve various niches. SambaNova, Groq, Cerebras in the US are among them. In India, there are those like AlphaICs and QpiAI.

IBM recently announced the Telum processor, its first processor to contain on-chip acceleration for AI inferencing and targeted at the financial services industry. Google is known to be building a large team in India for its chip design.

Prakash Mallya, MD of Intel India, says the choice of whether to use a chip designed for a specific AI application, or a general purpose chip with AI acceleration will depend partly on software capabilities within the organisation. The former, he says, requires more software capabilities to program and to build the IT stack.

Never dilute standards for recognition at workplace

Never dilute standards for recognition at workplace

By Prabir Jha

01.12.2021

At Diwali, we all received numerous messages. Many were the usual forwarded types, some were mass messages on egroups, some clear visual re-pastes, and still fewer were typed or customised for you, mentioning your name.

How did your response vary? Did some mean more to you than the others. Not that getting a cut-paste greeting had an indifferent intent, but it just did not connect. Worse, we were both recipients and transmitters, and responders. And we did also respond differently.

This is the issue with much of the recognition efforts in organisations. They either become de rigueur, a ritual that just stayed a checkbox. The Diwali moments got me to cull some learnings from experience for most firms and their leaders…

Clarity over intent: Corporations often get their intent muddled. What do you want to recognise? Outcome? Behaviour? Then, who do you want to recognise? Individuals or cross-functional teams? When do you want to recognise? Now or later? Who should recognise? Someone really big or someone closer to the awardee? The simple answer would be a medley. But think well on these questions. All of these will make or break your recognition culture.

Think of effect, not ease: Very often, firms adopt cookie-cutter thinking while designing their recognition programmes. What is easy to do? What can be scaled up? What can get system-generated? And they kill the spirit of recognition. If you do recognise, do it well. How will this be experienced by the recipient? Work backwards from there.

Harmonise but differentiate: Much of recognition can be a timely thank you, but an authentic one. Different levels of impact or behaviour must be expected across the hierarchy. Don’t dilute your recognition standards. Differentiate. You may have a broad framework that enables recognition at various levels of business. This helps interconnect but always differentiate, otherwise it will become another misplaced example of tokenism.

Heart over mind: While one makes a thoughtful judgment on what to recognise, the recognition philosophy is essentially a heart exercise. It must make the person feel appreciated, recognised and wanted. It must trigger a sense of pride and inspiration, after seeing the recognition to that person. It must make lunch table conversations positive, not toxic. So, think well about your recognition . Don’t distribute recognition like alms. You thought you bought peace? You just trivialised your recognition. Recognition does not breed complacency.

Period: I have had this conversation with many CEOs. Many are hesitant in appreciating, as they believe recipients will become lazy. And those upset will drag their feet. To me, both are untenable arguments. As I told one CEO once, “If you are waiting for them to reach Mount Everest before you appreciate, they won’t go beyond the first base camp.” Every recognition does not have to be an Oscar. But every positive word allows you to raise the bar.

The writer is the founder & CEO of Prabir Jha People Advisory

5,000 apply for ex gratia, many more sans Covid death docus

5,000 apply for ex gratia, many more sans Covid death docus

Amrita.Didyala@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:01.12.2021

Around 5,000 people have so far applied for Covid compensation in Telangana, as per health authorities. With many more returning from Meeseva centres each day, hoping to get proper certificates so they can apply for the compensation.

The compensation for family members of Covid victims was announced by the Centre a month ago. The Telangana government released guidelines for payment of the ex gratia recently.

So far, 6.75 lakh people in Telangana have been infected by Covid-19, of which 3,992 succumebd to the virus, as per official figures. However, these figures have taken into account only deaths of patients who did not have any other ailment and deaths recorded in hospitals. Authorities say, deaths in patients having other complications were not labelled as Covid deaths, making it tough for their kin to seek compensation.

Elaborating on other situations where the kin would not have required certificates, an official from the health department, said, “several patients who died on the way to hospitals, in ambulances, during the first and second wave might have gone unrecorded. Many died in remote villages with or without treatment. Some underwent Covid tests, but there were no death certificates. Others do not have reports of supportive tests like CT Scan, RTPCR etc.”

“Besides this, in case of hospitalised patients, some families did not even take the bodies home during the first wave due to the associated stigma. The government itself conducted the cremation. Such family members have no evidence that the patient died due to Covid-19,” added the official.

Despite the fact that the state has formed a district-level ‘Covid-19 death ascertaining’ committee (CDAC) a fortnight ago, many are unable to get the necessary documents. “There are many people turning up saying that the patient had tested positive, but had died at home while undergoing treatment or had suddenly deteriorated and died. As a result, the families do not have the required reports. Their death certificates do not mention Covid as cause of death and they are now unable to apply for compensation,” said a meeseva employee from Ameenpur area.

Jr docs to boycott outpatient services

Jr docs to boycott outpatient services

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:01.12.2021

The Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) will boycott outpatient services and hold protests from December 1 to December 3 over repeated delays in NEET counselling.

The doctors have maintained the delay has not only caused loss of pay for 1.6 lakh doctors across the country, but has also put and additional burden on the remaining batches. Moreover, in view of a possible third wave keeping an entire batch of the healthcare system could have devastating impact.

“T-JUDA stands in accordance with consensus decision of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and other states resident doctors associations (RDAs) to hold protest and boycott OPD services from December 1 to December 3 regarding expedition of NEET PG-21 counselling process, provided the Supreme Court hearing happens by the stipulated date of 03-12-2021, beyond which we will have to escalate the protest by boycotting all elective services throughout the state,” the TJUDA said in an official statement. The association said repercussions of this will have to be borne by the government.

“Our primary demand is to take necessary measures for expediting NEET-PG counselling as well as admission process and to fast-track the court proceedings on an urgent basis by Union Government and Supreme court of India,” said Dr D Sagar, president TJUDA. “With the possibility of an imminent upcoming Covid wave, it is essential that the counselling process is started at the earliest to prevent collapse of the healthcare system...”

Kerala girl found dead in US with bullet wounds

Kerala girl found dead in US with bullet wounds

01.12.2021

A 19-year-old girl from Kerala was found dead with bullet injuries at her apartment in Montgomery, the capital of US state of Alabama, on Monday. Mariyam Soosan Mathew, a native of Niranam near Thiruvalla, was found dead in her room, as per information received by her relatives in India. According to the metropolitan of the Ahmedabad diocese Geevarghese Mar Yulios, who spoke to Mariyam’s father, a bullet fired from the apartment on the next floor had pierced through the ceiling and hit Mariyam. He added that celebrations were being held in the apartment above as part of the Thanksgiving weekend. Mariyam’s father, Boban Mathew, was a council member of the Ahmedabad diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church while the family was in Muscat. They had relocated to Montgomery only few months ago after Mariyam’s mother, who is a nurse, got a job there. The family is trying to take the mortal remains to Kerala for the funeral. TNN