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Monday, April 15, 2024

Vistara-Air India 'merged entity...': 'Process complete' on THIS front - Vistara CEO

Vistara employees can expect clarity regarding their roles within the integrated entity of Air India by May and June, as CEO Vinod Kannan communicated to them on Saturday. The Tata group, having acquired Air India two years ago as part of their aviation business restructuring, is now merging Vistara into the national carrier.

Authored by:ET Now Digital

Updated Apr 14, 2024 | 06:17 PM IST

Kannan assured employees that the leadership teams are actively working on finalizing the organogram for the merged entity, with the process nearing completion for most verticals. He emphasized the aim to conclude this process by the end of the month, providing employees with a clearer picture of their future roles.

As per Economic Times report, however, the merger process has faced challenges, notably from pilots, particularly first officers, who are apprehensive about potential salary impacts from the new structure. This, combined with crew availability constraints, resulted in over 100 flight cancellations and a 10% reduction in flights for April, despite the airline operating around 350 flights daily.

Additionally, several senior management officials have resigned due to uncertainty surrounding their roles in the merged entity.

Acknowledging the concerns among staff, Kannan reassured them that every Vistara employee would find a relevant and suitable role in the merged organization. To address specific concerns, the airline plans to organize town hall meetings with pilots and cabin crews in the coming week, focusing on issues such as seniority and potential changes to contracts post-merger.

Despite the challenges, Kannan expressed confidence in the airline's operations, noting improvements in on-time performance from 50% on April 1 to 89% on April 9, following the stabilization of operations due to planned flight cancellations.

"We are already on the right track, and I am confident that this will be soon behind us. We have been operating a trusted and loved airline for the last decade, and I look forward to all your support to ensure that this remains the case till the merger," Kannan stated in his communication to employees.

IIM Kozhikode awards over 1100 students at 26th convocation

This was the first time that three students from IIM Kozhikode’s PhD for Working Executives PhD-Practise Track, were conferred Doctoral Degrees, after IIM initiated this unique PhD programme in 2019.

By: Education Desk

New Delhi | Updated: April 14, 2024 17:20 IST

For a second consecutive time, IIM Kozhikode shunned the traditional gowns, that are usually associated with IIM Convocations and chose to go ethnic. (Photo source: IIM Kozhikode)

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode conducted the 26th annual convocation, in which titles and degrees were conferred to a total of 1196 students. In the graduating batch, 33 per cent (401) were female candidates from eight different programmes.

Morning session of convocation witnessed students from IIM Kozhikode’s Doctoral Programme in Management for Working Executives (PhD – Practise Track), Executive Post Graduate Programme – Interactive Leaning Mode (Kozhikode Campus) and Executive Post Graduate Programme Kochi Campus being conferred with their degrees.

Graduating PGP with Guests Ms Geetika Mehta, Mr Amarendu Prakash, Chairman, Director, Members of board of Governors and faculty. (Photo source: IIM Kozhikode)

The traditional convocation session conducted in evening-half conferred degrees to the regular full-time students from the DPM (PhD), flagship PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-Finance and PGP-LSM.

How to Chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp: A step-by-step guide

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Apr 14, 2024, 01.55 AM IST

WhatsApp has recently introduced an exciting new feature that allows users to chat with Meta AI directly within the app. This feature is currently available in limited countries, including India, and supports only English.

It's a great way to engage in exciting conversations, ask questions, and receive helpful recommendations. We'll guide you through chatting with Meta AI on WhatsApp.

Getting started with Meta AI on WhatsApp

To begin chatting with Meta AI, you first need to ensure that the feature is available in your country. If it is, you can start a conversation by following these steps:

1. Open WhatsApp and navigate to the chat screen.

2. Click the "New Chat" button and select "Meta AI."

3. If prompted, read and accept the terms of service.

Chatting with Meta AI on WhatsApp

Once you've started a chat with Meta AI, you can interact with it by sending messages just like in a regular WhatsApp conversation. Meta AI can understand and respond to a wide range of topics and questions.

1. Ask questions: Meta AI has a vast knowledge base and can answer various questions.

2. Receive recommendations: Meta AI can offer personalized recommendations based on your interests and preferences. For example, you can ask for suggestions on books to read, movies to watch, or restaurants to try in your area.

3. Discuss interests: Meta AI is designed to engage in meaningful conversations about various subjects. You can talk about your hobbies, current events, or any other topics that interest you.

To send a message to Meta AI, simply type your message in the chat box and hit send. Meta AI will generate a response using artificial intelligence based on your prompts.

Chatting with Meta AI in group chats

In addition to one-on-one conversations, you can also use Meta AI in your WhatsApp group chats. This allows you to ask questions or get advice that other members can see of the group. To use Meta AI in a group chat, follow these steps:

1. Open the desired group chat in WhatsApp.

2. Type "@" in the message field and select "Meta AI" from the list of suggestions.

3. Type your prompt or question and send the message.

4. Meta AI will provide a response that will be visible to all group members.

It's important to note that Meta AI can only read and respond to messages that mention "@Meta AI". It cannot access or reply to any other messages in the group chat.

Generating AI images with Meta AI on WhatsApp

Another exciting feature of Meta AI on WhatsApp is the ability to generate images using artificial intelligence. To create an AI image:

1. Open the chat where you want to generate the image.

2. Type "@" in the message field and select "/imagine".

3. Enter a text prompt describing the image you want to create.

4. Send the message, and Meta AI will generate an image based on your prompt.

You can also update previously generated images by replying to the image message with a new text prompt.

WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption isn't applicable to conversations with Meta AI . However, you have the option to delete individual chats with AIs or request the deletion of information you previously shared with Meta AI.

Chatting with Meta AI on WhatsApp is a fun and innovative way to engage in interesting conversations, seek advice, and generate images.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Doctor shares 5 points on ‘plight of medical students’ at AIIMS Madurai, says ‘institution is not a big thing anymore’

By Arfa Javaid

Apr 12, 2024 08:41 AM IST

The doctor said that the condition of the students at AIIMS Madurai is the result of “opening so many medical colleges without any basic facilities”.

A doctor took to X to shed light on the challenges faced by medical students at AIIMS Madurai. In his poignant account, Dr Dhruv Chauhan expressed that the reputation of AIIMS doesn’t match the current reality of the institution. He further added that condition of the students is the result of “opening so many medical colleges without any basic facilities”.Dr Dhruv Chauhan expressed that the reputation that AIIMS built over the years doesn’t match the current reality of the institution. The image shows an empty ward (centre) and library with no books except for the first year students (right) at AIIMS Madurai. (X/@DrDhruvchauhan)

“‘AIIMS, the institution name, sounds like a big thing, no? But not anymore!” wrote Chauhan on X.

He also claimed that the medical students went to their director with a request to shift them.

Chauhan further shared the alleged conditions of the students at AIIMS Madurai. According to the post, the wards lack patients for clinical examination, students are not permitted to visit the OPD and OT, five students are forced to share a single room, and there is a crunch of books in the library.

When the students complained to the administration, they were asked why they joined AIIMS Madurai in the first place.

Take a look at the post shared by the doctor below:

“Empty wards in a top institution like AIIMS Madurai. What kind of doctors do you expect will come without patient interaction?” he wrote while sharing a video of an empty ward.

He also shared a video showing the condition of the library in the institution with the caption, “AIIMS Madurai Library, even local street libraries have more books than this. Here, they don’t have anything for 2nd and 3rd year MBBS students!”

The posts, since being shared on April 11, have garnered numerous views and still counting. Many even took to the comments section of the posts to share their thoughts.

“I joined AIIMS Delhi for my residency, and I confess it does give a boost in my interview and bio, including my X (formerly Twitter) bio. I actually did a walk the talk interview after securing the residency for a news portal. Then, after joining, I realised it was just another medical college with a name tag. Now I realise your success as a doctor depends on ‘street smartness’ rather than where you have passed out from,” expressed an individual.

Another added, “This is terrible! Sad state of affairs!”

“This isn’t the story of just AIIMS Madurai, but every new medical college in India. Faculty crunch (Even reputed colleges have a crunch). Lack of Infrastructure. Lack of Equipment. Non-functional IPDs. This is what happens when quantity is prioritized over quality,” wrote a third.

Monday, April 8, 2024

IRCTC fined ₹20k for cancelling tickets an hour before departure

Apr 7, 2024, 04.47 AM IST

Hyderabad: A district consumer forum has directed the India Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to pay 20,000 as compensation for cancelling confirmed tickets at the eleventh hour during festival season rush.

In her complaint to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission–II, Hyderabad, Khursheed Begum said she had booked four tickets through an app for the Howrah Special Train to travel from Secunderabad to Vizianagaram on Jan 13, 2021. She had paid 6,470 for 2AC and also received confirmation via email.

But on the day of the journey, Khursheed said she received an automated call informing her of cancellation of her booked tickets while she was waiting at the platform to board the train and merely an hour before travel. She said that no reason had been given for the cancellation. The complainant also pointed out that she received no response from the customer care centre despite calling it multiple times to find out the reason for the cancellation.

She said that as her travel plan was during Sankranti, all buses had been booked and with great difficulty her family managed to get a ticket for an ordinary bus, incurring additional expense of 4,589, to reach Vizianagaram.

A complaint was filed by her with the consumer forum on the grounds that cancelling tickets an hour before departure without assigning a valid reason amounted to deficiency of service and unfair trade practice. Despite serving notice, IRCTC did not appear before the forum and was considered ex parte.

During the trial, the commission confirmed that the tickets were cancelled when the consumer was waiting on the platform at the Secunderabad railway station.

“As no valid reasons have been assigned by the opposite party for either abrupt cancellation of confirmed tickets an hour before departure of train or deducting 470 while refunding the fare, we are under the considered view that it is just and reasonable to order considerable compensation to be payable to the complainant for inconvenience and hardship caused to her and her family apart from the refund of deducted amount,” the bench said.

Irrespective of who is contesting in polls in Tamil Nadu, biryani always wins

As enquiries trickle in, biryani masters in North Chennai take us through how they prepare for the election season.

April 07, 2024 01:12 am | Updated 11:50 am IST

M. Abbu Bhai’s kitchen at Tondiarpet has three pitch-black cauldrons of oil roaring to life as the firewood picks up heat. Onions, chillies, and whole spices sputter while the meat waits patiently for its turn. It is a relatively small order today — biryani, chicken 65, kathrikai, and a sweet made of bread for a birthday party. Irrespective of who is contesting in polls in Tamil Nadu, biryani always wins

As enquiries trickle in, biryani masters in North Chennai take us through how they prepare for the election season. April 07, 2024 01:12 am | Updated 11:50 am IST SANJANA GANESH Peak season: In a week, many biryani kitchens will function non-stop leading up to the April 19 Lok Sabha election.

The aroma entices even cats in the area as they promptly poke their head through the gates of his kitchen. This is the sign and a promise of a decadent, sumptuous meal. In a week, the kitchen, like many others in the city, will function non-stop leading up to the Lok Sabha election scheduled for April 19. Thousands of kilos of chicken and mutton biryani will be prepared from here, on orders from political parties.

After all, the biryani is a meal of celebration after every election — a signal of respite for cadre who would have finished their pre-poll duties; to voters who would have picked their candidate; and polling officials who would have tried to sneak in a few bites amid their stressful day. Enquiries have already begun trickling in from the DMK, the AIADMK, the NTK, the Congress and the DMDK. “However, things will get finalised only a week before the election,” says Abbu Bhai, a third-generation biryani master.

According to him, till about 15 years ago, biryani in Chennai was synonymous with Royapuram and the occasional plush hotel in Central and South Chennai. It was also not associated with elections until the early 2000s, adds documentary filmmaker and commentator, Kombai S. Anwar. “The biryani is a ubiquitous favourite for people across class backgrounds and was employed as an easy bait to get voters to the polling booth. More importantly, it is easy to pack. It is probably why it became the meal of the election,” he says