Good response from public to trekking in Yercaud hills

Good response from public to trekking in Yercaud hills

Trekkers at the Nagalur- Sanniyasimalai Peak in Yercaud.

M. Sabari  Salem 09.11.2024 

The trekking route between Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak in Yercaud that was announced by the Forest Department has got a good response from the public.

The Forest Department recently announced 40 trials in the State for trekking and categorised them into easy, moderate, and tough routes.

The department also fixed the package amount for the trekking and announced that willing people shall book and pay online for the trekking through the www.trektamilnadu.com website. Out of 40 trails, in Salem district there are three trails: Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak (easy category), and Kurumbapatti Zoo and Kondappanaickenpatti, in Gundur (moderate category). The booking for the Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak was started recently and it got a good response from the public.

The booking for the remaining two trails is yet to begin. Till Sunday, 21 people trekked in the Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak.

S. Parthiban and P. Manimegalai, a couple from Chennai, said, “We had booked for trekking in Nagalur-Sanniyasimalai Peak for our family during Deepavali holidays.

It was a wonderful experience for us and on Saturday, 11 members, including children, completed the trekking. We have planned to come for trekking regularly.

It was a different experience for the children.”

Forest Department officials said that a bag, cap, sesame balls, chips packet, and a 100-ml cool drink packet were provided to the trekkers.

There are two time slots for trekking: 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Five guides were appointed to guide the trekkers.

எளிய மனிதா்களும் இதயம் கவரலாம்

எளிய மனிதா்களும் இதயம் கவரலாம்

DINAMANI 9.11.2024 

சமீபத்தில் ஒரு இலக்கிய கூட்டத்தில் பங்கு கொள்ள நோ்ந்தது. பல ஆழமான கருத்துக்களை முன்வைத்த ஓா் எழுத்தாளா் இறுதியாகத் தன்னுடைய கருத்து ஒன்றையும் பதிவு செய்தாா்.

''வாசிப்பவா்கள் தான் உயா்வானவா்கள், மற்றவா்கள் எல்லாம் தாழ்வானவா்கள்'' என்னும் கருத்தை பிரதிபலிப்பது போல் நிறைவு செய்தாா். அந்த வாா்த்தைகள் அந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் கலந்து கொண்ட சகலரையும் அதிா்ச்சிக்குள்ளாக்கியது.

மனிதா்கள் பலவிதம். அவரவா் வாழும் சூழ்நிலைகள் எண்ணற்ற வேறுபாடுகளுக்கு உட்பட்டவை. ஒருவருக்கு சுலபமாக கிடைக்கும் ஒன்று, மற்றொருவருக்கு மிக கடினமான முயற்சிக்குப் பிறகே கிடைக்கிறது. இது அவரவரின் செயல்பாடுகளில் பிரதிபலிக்கும் இல்லையா?! வாசிப்பு ஒரு மனிதனை மேலான நிலைக்கு அழைத்துச் செல்லும். மறுப்பதற்கில்லை. ஆனால் வாசிக்காத எளிய மனிதா்களை இழிவுபடுத்துவது போல் அவா் பேசியது பலரைக் காயப்படுத்தியது.

எளிய மனிதா்கள் சாதாரணமானவா்கள் அல்ல. மிக வலிமையானவா்களாக கருதப்படுபவா்களுக்குக் கூட போகிற போக்கில் வாழ்க்கைப் பாடம் சொல்லிக் கொடுத்துவிட்டுச் செல்பவா்கள் அவா்கள். அவரவா்க்கு அவா் சுய பொறுப்பும் கௌரவமும் முக்கியம். பல நேரங்களில் மனிதா்களை சிலா் தப்புக் கணக்கு போட்டுவிடுகின்றனா்.

ஒரு பெரிய மகிழுந்து நிறுவனத்தில் ஒரு இளைஞன் வேலைக்கு சோ்ந்தான். சில காலம் கழித்து அவனே ஒரு மகிழுந்தை வடிவமைத்தான். அதை அவனுடைய மேலாளரிடம் காண்பித்து ஒப்புதலும் பெற்றான். அதைத் தொடா்ந்து முதல் மகிழுந்தும் உருவானது. அந்த வண்டியை வெளியே விற்பனைப் பிரிவுக்கு எடுத்துச் செல்ல முற்படும்போதுதான் தெரிந்தது, மகிழ்ந்தின் உயரம் ஆலை வாயிலின் உயரத்தைவிட ஒரு அங்குலம் அதிகம் என்று. இளைஞன் சோா்ந்து போனான். ஒவ்வொருவரும் ஒவ்வொரு யோசனை கூறினா். வாயிலின் மேற்பகுதியை உடைத்துவிட்டு வாகனத்தை வெளியே எடுத்துச் செல்லலாம் என்றனா் சிலா். இதே வாயில் வழியாக மகிழுந்தை வெளியே எடுத்துச் செல்லலாம், மேல் பகுதியில் கீறல்கள் விழுந்துவிட்டால், அவற்றின் மேல் வண்ணம் பூசி சரி செய்யலாம் என்றாா் ஒருவா்.

முதலாளிக்கு இந்த யோசனைகள் எதிலுமே மனம் ஒப்பவில்லை. புது வண்டியின் மீது கீறல்கள் விழுவதை அவரால் நினைத்துப் பாா்க்கவே முடியவில்லை.

அனைவருக்குமே மிகுந்த குழப்பம். இவ்வளவு அழகாக, புது வடிவமைப்புடன் உருவாக்கிய வண்டியை வெளியே கொண்டு வர முடியவில்லையே என்று பெருத்த ஏமாற்றமாக இருந்தது.

அனைத்தையும் கவனித்துக் கொண்டிருந்த வயதான காவலா் தயங்கியபடியே தன் முதலாளியிடம், ''ஐயா, வாயிலின் உயரத்தை விட ஒரு அங்குலம் தான் வண்டியின் உயரம் அதிகம். அதன் நான்கு சக்கரங்களில் உள்ள காற்றை வெளியேற்றிவிட்டால் வண்டியை சுலபமாக வெளியே எடுத்து விடலாம். பின்பு காற்றை நிரப்பிக் கொள்ளலாம்!'' என்றுச் சொன்னாா்.

எளிய காவலா் கூறிய வழியைப் பின்பற்றி அந்தப் புது மகிழுந்தை வெளியே எடுத்துச் சென்றாா்களாம். வாட்ஸ் அப்பில் படித்த செய்தி இது. இந்த செய்தி எவ்வளவு நுட்பமாக ஒரு தகவலை நமக்குள் கடத்துகிறது. படித்த பொறியாளா்களுக்கும் அனுபவம் வாய்ந்த முதலாளிக்கும் தோன்றாத யோசனை அங்கே பணிபுரியும் கடைநிலை ஊழியருக்கு வந்திருக்கிறது.

மகாராஷ்டிர மாநிலம் அலிபாகில் நடந்த சம்பவம் இது:

காளையின் தாக்குதலில் காயமடைந்த ஒரு கா்ப்பிணியின் வயிறு சற்றே கிழிந்துவிட்டது. கிழிந்த வயிற்றுப் பகுதியின் உள்ளிருந்து சிசு தன் கையை வெளியே நீட்டிக் கொண்டிருந்தது. இப்படி ஒரு நிலையில் கா்ப்பிணி மருத்துவமனைக்கு கொண்டு வரப்பட்டாா். தாயின் உயிரைக் காப்பாற்ற வேண்டுமா அல்லது தாயையும் குழந்தையையும் காப்பாற்றும் முயற்சியில் இருவரையும் ஆபத்துக்குள்ளாக்க வேண்டுமா என்ற முடிவை எடுக்க மருத்துவா் தடுமாறினாா்.

நடுத்தர வயது மதிக்கத்தக்க ஊழியா் ஒருவா் அமைதியாக மருத்துவருக்கு ஒரு யோசனையை முன் வைத்தாா். ஒரு ஊசியை சூடாக்கி குழந்தையின் கையில் வைத்தால் குழந்தையின் கை வயிற்றுக்குள் திரும்பி விட வாய்ப்பு இருக்கிறது என்று அவா் யோசனை கூறினாா். அதன்படியே மருத்துவா் சுபாஷ் முஞ்சி என்பவா் செயல்படுத்த, வெளியே நீட்டிக் கொண்டிருந்த அந்த குழந்தையின் கை சுருக்கென மீண்டும் தாயின் வயிற்றுக்குள் சென்று இருக்கிறது. இதைக் கண்ட மருத்துவருக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி தாங்க முடியவில்லை. உடனே அடுத்தடுத்த சிகிச்சைகள் அளித்து இரு உயிா்களையும் காப்பாற்றி இருக்கிறாா்.

பல வருட அனுபவம் கொண்ட, முறையாக மருத்துவம் படித்த மருத்துவா் செய்வதறியாது திகைத்தபோது ஒரு சாமானியா் தந்த யோசனை இரு உயிா்களையும் பிழைக்க வைத்தது.

ஒருவா் மெத்தப் படித்திருக்க வேண்டும் என்ற அவசியம் இல்லை. தக்க நேரத்தில் ஒரு பிரச்னையை அணுகி அவரால் தீா்வு காண முடிவதுதான் சிறப்பு.

தொன்மத்திலும் பலா் இப்படி தொண்டாற்றி இருக்கிறாா்கள். அகத்தியரைப் பற்றிய ஒரு தொன்மக் கதை இது:

ஒரு சமயம் காசிவா்மன் என்ற அரசனுக்கு கடும் தலைவலி ஏற்பட்டது. அவன் அகத்தியரை நாடி வந்து தன் தலைவலி தீர தனக்கு சிகிச்சை அளிக்கும்படி வேண்டி நின்றான். அவனை பரிசோதித்த அகத்தியா் அவனுடைய மூக்கின் வழியாக தவளைக் குஞ்சு ஒன்று சென்று மூளைக்குப் பக்கத்தில் வளா்ந்து வரும் ஆபத்தை மன்னனிடம் எடுத்துரைத்தாா். உடனே கபாலத்தை பிரித்து அறுவை சிகிச்சை செய்ய வேண்டும், அப்போதுதான் மன்னனின் தலைவலி தீரும் என்றாா்.

அகத்தியா் கொடுத்த நம்பிக்கையில் இந்த அறுவை சிகிச்சைக்கு மன்னன் ஒப்புக்கொண்டான். அகத்தியா் மன்னனை நினைவிழக்கச் செய்து கபாலத்தை பிளந்தாா். உள்ளே மூளைக்குப் பக்கத்தில் ஒரு தேரை உட்காா்ந்திருந்தது. ஆனால் அதை எப்படி அகற்றுவது என அகத்தியா் குழம்பிப் போனாா். தலைக்குள் கை படக் கூடாது, ஏதாவது குச்சியால் தட்டிவிடலாம் என்றால், அது மூளையைத் தட்டினால் மன்னனின் உயிருக்கே ஆபத்தாகிவிடும். அதனால் தேரையை எப்படி அகற்றுவது என வைத்திய மாமேதையான அகத்தியா் யோசித்தாா்.

அந்த நேரத்தில் அவருடைய சீடா் ஒரு பாத்திரத்தில் தண்ணீா் கொண்டு வந்து மன்னன் தலை அருகே வைத்து கைகளால் நீரைச் சலம்பினாா். தண்ணீரின் சலசலப்பு ஓசையைக் கேட்ட தேரை, மன்னனின் தலையிலிருந்து பாத்திரத்தில் இருந்த தண்ணீருக்குள் தாவிவிட்டது. இந்த நிகழ்வுக்கு பின்தான் அந்த சீடருக்கு தேரையா் என்ற பெயா் நிலைத்தது என்ற ஒரு கதையுண்டு.

மிகப் பெரிய கல்வியறிவு பெற்றிருந்தால் கூட பலரும் சூழ்நிலைகளுக்கு ஏற்றவாறு துரிதமாக செயல்பட துணிவதில்லை அல்லது முடிவதில்லை. மாறாக, எளிய மனிதா்களிடம் இது அதிகமாகவே இருக்கிறது என்பதை விளக்கும் மற்றொரு சம்பவம்.

இருபதாம் நூற்றாண்டின் மிக முக்கியமான அறிவியலாளரான ஐன்ஸ்டீனுக்கு நோபல் பரிசு கிடைத்ததால் தொடா்ச்சியாக பாராட்டு விழா நடைபெற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்ததாம். ஐன்ஸ்டீன் மிகவும் சோா்வாக இருந்ததால் தன் காரை ஓட்டி வந்த ஓட்டுநரிடம் தன் தொப்பியையும் மேலங்கியையும் கொடுத்து மேடை மீது போய் அமரச் சொன்னாராம் ஐன்ஸ்டீன். ஓட்டுநா் தயங்கினாா். 'உனக்கும் எனக்கும் உருவ ஒற்றுமை இருக்கிறது, அதனால் யாருக்கும் தெரியாது. மேடைக்குச் சென்று நீ அமைதியாக உட்காா்ந்தால் போதும். என்னைப் பலா் பாராட்டிப் பேசி இறுதியில் பொன்னாடை போா்த்தி மரியாதை செலுத்துவாா்கள். நான் இங்கு அரங்கத்தின் ஒரு மூலையில் தூங்கி ஓய்வெடுக்கப் போகிறேன்' என்று தைரியம் சொல்லி அவரை மேடைக்கு அனுப்பி வைத்தாராம் ஐன்ஸ்டீன்.

பாராட்டு விழாவில் இறுதியாக வந்த ஒரு நபா், ஐன்ஸ்டீன் கண்டுபிடித்த சூத்திரத்தில் ஒரு சந்தேகம் இருக்கிறது, அதற்கான சரியான விளக்கம் வேண்டும் என்று அடம்பிடிக்காத குறையாக மேடையிலேயே நின்றாராம்!

மேடைக்கு கீழ் மூலையில் நாற்காலியில் அமா்ந்தவாறே தூங்கிக் கொண்டிருந்த ஐன்ஸ்டீன், அரங்கத்தில் எழுந்த சப்தத்தைக் கேட்டு விழித்துக் கொண்டாா். நிலைமையைக் கண்டு குழம்பினாா்.

மேடையில் இருந்த ஐன்ஸ்டீனின் ஓட்டுநா் ஒரு கணம் ஸ்தம்பித்தாலும் சுதாரித்துக் கொண்டு, ''இது என்ன பெரிய கேள்வி! இந்தக் கேள்விக்கு என்னுடைய ஓட்டுநரே பதில் சொல்வாா். மேலே வாங்க!''"என உண்மையான ஐன்ஸ்டீனை மேடைக்கு அழைக்க, ஐன்ஸ்டீனும் அமைதியாக வந்து அந்த சந்தேகத்தை நிவா்த்தி செய்தாராம். இது நகைச்சுவையோ, கட்டுக்கதையோ - ஆனால் இதில் அனைவருக்கும் பாடம் இருக்கிறது.

மெத்தப் படித்த மேதாவிகளே சமயத்தில் திணறும்போது, எளிய மனிதா்கள் அவா்களை கைப்பிடித்துக் கரை சோ்த்திருக்கிறாா்கள்.

ஒரு நல்ல குடும்பத் தலைவனாக, தலைவியாக, சமூகத்தில் தம் பொறுப்புணா்ந்து, குடும்பத்துக்காக உழைத்து, தமது கடமைகளிலிருந்து விலகாது நின்று, அறம் வழுவாது வாழும் எத்தனையோ எளிய மனிதா்களை தினசரி கடந்து செல்கிறோம்.

மிகப் பெரிய கூட்டுக் குடும்பத்தையே, எழுதப் த் தெரியாத சாமானியப் பெண்கள் திறம்பட வழி நடத்தியிருப்பதை நாம் கண்டிருக்கிறோம். வாசிப்பு இல்லாது போனாலும் அவா்கள் மனிதா்களைப் படித்திருக்கிறாா்கள். அத்துடன் அப்பழக்கத்தை கைக்கொள்ள ஆா்வப்படுபவா்களாக இருக்கிறாா்கள். எழுத்தாளுமைகளின் உயா்வாற்றலுக்காக அவா்களை நேசிப்பவா்களாகவும் இருக்கிறாா்கள். எனவே எவரையும் தாழ்வாக எண்ணுவதையும் பேசுவதையும் தவிா்ப்போம்.

கட்டுரையாளா்:

எழுத்தாளா்.

Citing exigency, Health Dept. issues orders posting 51 PGsto Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Nilgiris govt. medical colleges

Citing exigency, Health Dept. issues orders posting 51 PGsto Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Nilgiris govt. medical colleges

Serena Josephine M.

CHENNAI 09.11.2024 

On a single day, the Health Department issued orders deputing 58 medical officers — a majority of them being postgraduate medical students — from major government medical colleges to those in Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, The Nilgiris and Tiruvarur.

Official sources and senior doctors said that the deputation was aimed at addressing manpower shortage in these government medical colleges.

In one of the two orders issued on November 5, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research had, citing “exigency”, asked the deans of five medical colleges — Thanjavur Medical College; KAPV Medical College, Tiruchi; Coimbatore Medical College; Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem; and Madras Medical College — to relieve 51 PGs to undergo the District Residency Programme (DRP) at the specified institutions. Eighteen of the 51 PGs were from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; 15 from Paediatrics; and 18 from Anaesthesia. They were told to join the medical colleges in Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, The Nilgiris, and Tiruvallur on November 11. However, official sources said that the next batch for the three-month DRP postings mandated for PGs was scheduled to begin only in January 2025.

In the other deputation order, seven medical officers in the cadre of junior residents, senior residents and assistant professors in general medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and forensic medicine in the government medical colleges in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur were deputed to the Nagapattinam medical college for three months on “administrative grounds”.

A government doctor, on the condition of anonymity, said that most of the doctors in the Nagapattinam medical college were those posted during their bond period, and a number of them had since been relieved from service.

“There were a lot of vacancies even prior to this. The department is expecting 800 regular service PGs, and 1,200 Non-Service PGs for bond posting in February. So, they are trying to manage the situation with DRP postings and diversions,” he said.

Another doctor said that manpower from the Tiruvarur medical college was diverted to Nagapattinam when the Tiruvarur medical college was facing a severe shortage.

A senior doctor said that such temporary arrangements would not help. “No new posts were created for several years. The actual vacancy position is not shown in many institutions. A restructuring exercise taken up in 2019 led to a decrease in the number of posts,” he said.

Email policy warns State government employees against derogatory language

Email policy warns State government employees against derogatory language

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 09.11.2024 

The email policy for Tamil Nadu government employees, unveiled recently, warns against emails containing language derogatory to religion, caste and ethnicity, and those containing anti-national messages and obscene material. It also prohibits the sharing of passwords.

About 1.10 lakh people are using the official email services of the Tamil Nadu government.

While the user is held responsible for any data/e-mail that is transmitted using the Tamil Nadu government e-mail service, “all emails/data sent through the email server are the sole responsibility of the user owning the account”. The policy is also against emails that are personal in nature (such as personal functions).

It also advocates the use of ‘reply all’ and ‘distribution lists’ with caution to reduce the risk of sending emails to the wrong people. Backup of important emails/data is to be undertaken by the user at regular intervals, it says.

The policy specifies certain scenarios as “inappropriate use of services”. They include the distribution of emails anonymously, use of other officers’ user IDs or a false identity, and exchange of information in violation of laws, including copyright laws.

“Wilful transmission of an email containing a computer virus, misrepresentation of the identity of the sender of an email and the use or attempt to use the accounts of others without their permission” have also been specified as inappropriate use of services. Such actions might result in deactivation of the account. “The email solution shall be basic in nature, based on open-source tools in combination with necessary proprietary components to ensure security of the platform from cyber threats. GoTN e-Mail service will be provided over secure channels only,” it said. The G.O. with the new email policy was issued in September.

The email services are to be hosted by ELCOT, without compromising on the required features and security. The email solution is offered free of cost to government officials, and the expenditure would be borne by TNeGA. The minimum space for the mailbox of senior officials, including secretaries and heads of departments, is 2 GB, and for tappal assistants, it is 10 GB.

Snakebite envenoming declared a notifiable disease in Tamil Nadu

Snakebite envenoming declared a notifiable disease in Tamil Nadu

medicine

Snakebite envenoming poses a risk to vulnerable populations, including agricultural workers, children, and those living in tropical and sub-tropical areas. representational image

The life-threatening medical condition, caused by venomous snakebites, is a major public health concern in rural and snake-endemic regions

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 09.11.2024

In a significant move to tackle the public health challenge of snakebites, the Tamil Nadu government has declared snakebite envenoming a notifiable disease under the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939.

A G.O. was issued in this regard by the Health and Family Welfare Department on November 4, following which a notification was published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on November 6.

Snakebite envenoming, a life-threatening medical condition caused by venomous snakebites, is a major health concern in rural and snake-endemic regions. Often preventable, it poses a risk to vulnerable populations, including agricultural workers, children, and those living in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised snakebite as a global public health issue and launched a strategy to reduce snakebite-induced deaths and disabilities.

The declaration follows the publication of the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare earlier this year.

The plan aims to halve snakebite deaths by 2030 through a ‘One Health’ approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health interventions.

By making snakebite a notifiable disease, the Tamil Nadu government aims to improve the collection of vital data, strengthen clinical infrastructure, and ensure the efficient distribution of anti-snake venom. The move is expected to lead to better prevention strategies, reduce mortality rates, and enhance treatment facilities across the State.

Under the new directive, both government and private hospitals are required to report cases of snakebite and related fatalities to the government. The mandatory reporting system will be integrated with the State’s Integrated Health Information Platform under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

There has been a significant under-reporting of snakebite cases and deaths in existing data, and the new system is designed to bridge this gap, a press release from the government said.

Doctor loses ₹76.5 lakh in online trading scam

Doctor loses ₹76.5 lakh in online trading scam

He was enticed by promises of high returns on investments.

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI 09.11.2024 

In yet another case of online fraud, a government doctor fell victim to scammers, losing ₹76.5 lakh after being enticed by promises of high returns on investments.

The victim, an Associate Professor at a Government Medical College, had transferred the money to what appeared to be an online trading platform for purchasing stocks from well-known companies. He realised that he had been deceived only when he attempted to withdraw funds.

According to police sources, Dr. Ramesh (name changed onrequest) came across an advertisement, offering training and guidance in online trading, on YouTube. It led him to join a WhatsApp community group, where several members presented themselves as investors.

Online trading classes

In the first few days, the group focused on online trading basics, with members frequently posting screenshots of their investments and profits. The group’s administrator, known as Diwakar Singh, recommended stocks for both intra-day and long-term investments.

Once the suspects sensed that Dr. Ramesh had gained confidence in the community, they instructed him to open an account on a specific website, promising a 30% profit from investments in Indian and U.S. stocks.

Following a link provided by the suspects, Dr. Ramesh registered an account and began transferring money from his bank accounts to the website. The scammers claimed his funds would be invested in high-return stocks, even providing a list of companies and IPOs for credibility. Nearly all of the funds were transferred during the first three weeks of October this year.

On October 22, when Dr. Ramesh attempted to withdraw ₹50 lakh from his account, the transaction was declined. Upon inquiry, he was told that a ₹50-lakh fee was required by the “Qualified Institutional Buyers Association” to process withdrawals. “That’s when I sensed something was wrong. I realised that I could not access my funds, and that I had been systematically lured into an online trading scam,” Dr. Ramesh toldThe Hindu.

After he reported the incident, a case was registered under the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Tamil Nadu police are now working to locate suspects in North India, where the funds were reportedly transferred and withdrawn. A senior police officer handling cybercrimes in the State said Dr. Ramesh’s case was yet another example of unsuspecting individuals losing money to scammers.

“Once the money is transferred, it is siphoned off in less than two hours. In a recent case, ₹1.18 crore transferred to one such fraud account was withdrawn in about 250 transactions across India. The accused were operating from Southeast Asian countries,” the officer said.

Lawyer’s delay tactics in rape case is professional misconduct, says HC

Lawyer’s delay tactics in rape case is professional misconduct, says HC 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  BHOPAL 08.11.2024

Bhopal/Jabalpur : The MP high court ruled that a lawyer “abusing the process of the court is professional misconduct,” as it upheld a sessions court order to deny a defence lawyer in a rape case the chance to cross-examine the complainant after he failed to do so on three hearings on one pretext or another. The petitioner, Tulsi Ram Lodhi from Raisen district, said one of his relatives lodged an FIR accusing him of rape. Based on her report, a charge sheet was presented against him in the sessions court, where the trial in the case is in progress. Lodhi said he was 80 per cent disabled and uses crutches to walk. The high court observed that the complainant appeared in the trial court for deposition and crossexamination in Feb 2024. After her deposition, counsel for the accused sought time to crossexamine the complainant. In the same month, she appeared in the court again for crossexamination, but counsel for the accused again sought time to cross-examine her. 

When she appeared in court on the third occasion, the accused informed the court that he changed his lawyer. His lawyer again sought more time to cross-examine the woman on the pretext that he was not prepared to do it then. Following this, the trial court decided to proceed with the trial without cross-examination of the complainant. The bench of Justice GS Ahluwalia said the petitioner knew about the hearing date and should have ensured that the lawyer was changed well in advance so that he had a chance to prepare himself to carry out the complainant’s cross-examination.

Students’Aadhaar validation adaunting task for educators

Students’Aadhaar validation adaunting task for educators

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 08.11.2024

Bengaluru : The department of school education and literacy is undertaking a massive exercise to get students’Aadhaar numbers validated in Student Achievement Tracking System. However, institutions are not pleased as students’ names in Aadhaar cards and school records don’t match in several instances. “It is a Herculean task. The names of students and their parents in SATS and Aadhaar do not match. SATS data is sourced from birth certificates. Thus, Aadhaar does not get validated. We have to keep requesting parents to make changes in Aadhaar. There is so much pressure from the education department to get this done quickly, but it is not easy,” said a school representative. 

A govt school teacher said: “Finally, we teachers have to spend a lot of time doing all this. We now have at least four numbers generated for a student — SATS ID, Aadhaar number, UDISE ID and APAAR. Such bureaucratic work takes away valuable time from teachers.” Sashi Kumar D, secretary, Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka, said:

“The problem is with how parents fill in the names of students. In the birth certificate, it would be spelt one way. But they would change the way it is spelt while applying for Aadhaar. Aadhaar and school records won’t match. Parents have to be more serious in the way they create records.” It was in Feb 2023 that the department started collecting Aadhaar numbers of students. After Aadhaar was linked to SATS, several instances of duplication were uncovered

When Instagram friendship turned a nightmare for married woman

When Instagram friendship turned a nightmare for married woman

Chaithanya.Swamy@timesofindia.com 08.11.2024

Bengaluru : A 37-year-old married woman’s friendship with an Instagram acquaintance landed her in deep trouble as the latter extorted gold ornaments and cash from her using her nude photographs, which he also sent to her relatives and friends. He even contacted her husband, resulting in her being sent out of the marital home. Police took swift action and arrested the accused. 

According to the police complaint lodged by Radhika (name changed), she got married in 2012 and has an 11-yearold daughter. Her husband is in the real estate business. The couple developed differences over the past four years but they continued to live together. In early 2021, she befriended Abhishek M Naik, 24, a private firm employee, on Instagram. Naik had two accounts — ‘Abhi_373’ and ‘Abhishek_Naik_373’. After a few days of friendship on social media, the duo exchanged phone numbers and started texting regularly. Radhika shared with Naik her marital issues. He took advantage of her situation and counselled her. She felt comfortable with him, and the duo started making WhatsApp video calls, speaking for hours. 

Radhika considered Naik a trustworthy partner and started posing nude on the video calls. She also sent him nude photos and videos of herself. He also recorded her audio calls and saved the audio messages sent by her. Over time, the duo developed differences and Radhika started avoiding Naik. He then began blackmailing her for ransom by threatening to leak her nudes. She gave him gold ornaments and cash on multiple occasions. As he demanded more money and gold, Radhika informed him she didn’t have any more valuables to part with. He threatened to send her nudes to her family members and friends. Naik got in touch with her husband over phone and informed him about the affair. Her husband threw Radhika out of the house in May, and she and her daughter began living with her sister. 

She blocked Naik’s number and changed her mobile number thereafter. But he continued to be in  touch with her husband and managed to collect her and her family members and friends’ numbers. He again started harassing her and recently, collected the address of her sister’s house from her husband and came in search of her on Oct 5. She learnt he was showing her nudes to people in the area and asking for the address. He even showed the nudes to her sister’s office staff. They alerted her sister, after which Radhika lodged a complaint. 

A senior police officer said Radhika met Abhishek on multiple occasions and they were in a relationship. When she avoided him, he became possessive and wanted her back in his life. “We caught him red-handed when he was near her sister’s house and arrested him.” A case has been registered under Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 354C (voyeurism) & 384 (extortio

Mgmt quota MBBS: Top SC students to get ₹50L incentive

Mgmt quota MBBS: Top SC students to get ₹50L incentive 

TIMES OF INDIA  BENGALURU 08.11.2024

Bengaluru : The social welfare dept has announced an incentive of Rs 50 lakh for meritorious Scheduled Caste (SC) students from families with annual income up to Rs 8 lakh, who are forced to seek admission under management quota in private medical colleges for having missed out on govt quota seats. This new provision has come into force from the current academic year itself, reports Sruthy Susan Ullas. 

In Karnataka, MBBS seats under management quota in private colleges bear an annual fee ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. According to a circular issued by the department on Oct 24, SC students who had more than 95% marks in their II PUC, but were unable to secure a govt quota seat through NEET and had to get admitted to private colleges under management quota, would henceforth be eligible for Rs 25 lakh towards payment of their college fees.

Just 1 student has applied for ₹25L incentive Additionally, those who avail of this benefit will be eligible for another Rs 25 lakh as a further incentive if they clear their first year of MBBS with 60% marks. This amount will also come in handy for students to pay off their loans, in case they have already completed their admission formalities. However, though the social welfare department expects around 25 students to avail of this  scheme every year, in the 2024-25 academic year, only one student has applied for it until now. “It came to our notice that there are meritorious SC students who miss out on a good NEET score as it is a very coaching-oriented exam. This initiative aims to incentivise those students,” said an official from the social welfare department. “We need more doctors from the SC community. We have made strict norms like 95% PU marks and 60% MBBS score to avoid this provision from being misused,” the official reasoned. A total of 1.2 lakh SC students wrote the II PU exam in the last academic year in all streams

No male tailor should take women’s measurements, proposes UP panel

No male tailor should take women’s measurements, proposes UP panel 

Also Suggests No Male Should Train Women At Gyms Or At Yoga Sessions 

Sachin Sharma TNN 08.11.2024 

Shamli : Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission has proposed a slew of radical measures to ensure safety of women in the state. Among them: male tailors must no longer take women’s measurements and no men should train women at gyms or during yoga sessions. In the proposed safety guidelines aimed at “improving security for women in public and commercial spaces”, the commission has also recommended that female security personnel be present on school buses, and female staff in women’s clothing stores. 

These suggestions were discussed in an Oct 28 meeting in Lucknow, where the commission members explored various measures to address women’s safety. Maneesha Ahlawat, a member of the commission, told TOIon Thurs-day: “The discussions are preliminary. Feasibility of these proposals is yet to be decided. Once approved, these proposals will be submitted to the govt to draft a policy for groundlevel implementation.” Meanwhile, Shamli district probation officer Hamid Hussain has already issued instructions for establishments to start adoptin these guidelines. Hussain said the key directives include mandatory female trainers or teachers in women’s gyms, drama and yoga centres, and the installation of CCTV systems with DVR capabilities. “School buses are now required to have a female security guard or teacher present,” Hussain said. “Boutique centres must employ female tailors for taking measurements of women, with active CCTV monitoring. Additionally, coaching centres are required to have CCTV surveillance and proper restroom facilities. Stores selling women-specific clothing and accessories must also employ female staff to assist customers.” Local social worker Veena Agrawal from Shamli district welcomed the initiative.

“We welcome this effort by the Women’s Commission. These measures aim to strengthen safety and ensure a supportive environment for women in various public and commercial spaces across the state,” she told TOI.

Can’t curb media’s right to freedom of speech: HC

Can’t curb media’s right to freedom of speech: HC 

TIMES OF INDIA  AHAMEDABAD 08.11.2024

Kochi : In a landmark judgment, the Kerala high court has held that the media’s right to freedom of speech and expression cannot be restricted except by a law enacted by a competent legislative body, and even then only on the grounds explicitly listed in Article 19(2) of the Constitution, which permits the govt to impose reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression. A larger bench of the high court, comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar, Kauser Edappagath, C P MohammedNias, C S Sudha, and V M Syam Kumar, delivered this ruling whileaddressing petitions on the scope and limitations of media freedoms in reporting criminal investigations or cases pending before various courts.

The bench also held that the media’s right to speech and expression is integral to fundamental rights. The bench highlighted that media’s freedom of speech and expression while reporting on criminal investigations or pending cases must respect the principle of separation of powers under the Constitution. This principle, along with the rule of law, dictatesthat a final and authoritative declaration of guilt or innocence is reserved for judicial authorities. Therefore, any definitive media statements about a party’s guilt or innocence before a judicial determination do not fall within the protections provided by the right to speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution. In instances where individuals claim that media actions have infringed, or are likely to infringe, on their right to dignity or reputation, they may seek relief in a constitutional court.

Amreli farmer gives honourable burial to his beloved hatchback

Amreli farmer gives honourable burial to his beloved hatchback 

FIVE-HOUR SAMADHI FUNCTION CULMINATES WITH DINNER FOR 2,000

Dilip Jiruka 08.11.2024 

Rajkot : All of us have seen police dogs receiving respectable burials as a tribute to their valour in combating terrorists or sniffing out explosives and drugs. In Amreli, however, a farmer's family gave an honourable burial (samadhi) to his beloved car that reached its age. Yes, you heard it right! And it wasn’t a silent sendoff to the hatchback, which the car owner, Sanjay Polra, asserts brought the family immense prosperity and elevated their social standing ever since they drove it out of the showroom in 2006. 

The grand event held in Padarshinga village of Lathi taluka on Thursday was marked by ritualistic prayers to the family deity, after which the car, decked with flowers, was taken out in a procession to the ‘samadhi’ spot on his farm. The function, organised in the presence of saints and local spiritual preachers, culminated with a delectable spread of puris, chapatis, subji, and laddos for all 1,500 villagers and invitees. After hitting upon the ‘samadhi’ idea some days ago, Polra sent out a specially designed four-page invitation to some 2,000 people. 

The invitation read: “This car has been like a family member since 2006, and it brought us good fortunes. We gained prosperity, and our reputation in society was elevated. We want this car in our memory forever, and that's why we have planned a samadhi (burial) of this car.” "I purchased this car in 2006. Ever since I bought it, the vehicle brought my family good luck and elevated our social prestige. I wanted to do something different, so I decided on a respectable adieu in the form of samadhi for the car,” Polra said. The Polra family will offer floral tributes to the memorial on Nov 7 every year. “We will plant trees around the memorial,” said Polra. Vipul Sojitra, a villager, said, "I was amused when he invited me to the samadhi function of a car. The family wanted to do something out of the box for their beloved car.”

Gujarat family gives ‘lucky’ car a sendoff samadhi

Gujarat family gives ‘lucky’ car a sendoff samadhi 

Dilip Jiruka TNN 08.11.2024

Amreli : As epitaphs go, “Born a car, loved like a favourite child” would be an apt one for a memorial to GJ05 CD7924. 

Sanjay Polra and his family, residents of Padarshinga in Lathi taluka of Gujarat’s Amreli, gave their beloved lucky charm a ceremonial send-off to car heaven on Thursday in the presence of the entire village and other invitees. The rituals, complete with a priest reciting Sanskrit shlokas in front of the family deity, were the culmination of a procession with the flower-bedecked hatchback from Polra’s home till the “samadhi” site at his farm. A JCB backhoe was requisitioned to cover the car’s final resting place with earth once it had been lowered there.

 “This car has been like a family member since we drove it out of a showroom in 2006. It brought us for tune. We gained prosperity, and our stature in society went up several notches. We want this car stored in our memories forever,” Polra wrote in the fourpage invitation sent out to 2,000-odd guests. The invitees were served a spread of puri, chapati, subji, and laddoos. Polra said he intended to plant trees around the memorial to his silver hatchback. “I wanted to do something different, so I settled on this send-off. 

We will assemble here on Nov 7 each year to reminisce about all the journeys we took in our favourite car.” Vipul Sojitra, a villager who was witness to the ceremony, said he initially found it amusing that someone would organise a samadhi for a car. “Sanjaybhai is a childhood friend. His family wanted to do something out of the box for their beloved car, and that’s why they held this event,” he said.

Can’t change eligibility criteria after advertising vacancy: SC

Can’t change eligibility criteria after advertising vacancy: SC 

Figuring In Select List No Guarantee For Employment: 5-J Bench

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesofindia.com 08.11.2024

New Delhi : Giving a legal cloak to the age-old norm ‘rules of the game can’t be changed midway’, Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the eligibility criteria for govt jobs cannot be altered after advertising vacancies, and also said that transparency and nondiscrimination are inflexible features of public recruitment. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hrishikesh Roy, P S Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra said, “Eligibility criteria for being placed in the ‘select list’, notified at the commencement of the recruitment process, cannot be changed midway through the recruitment process unless the extant rules so per mit, or the advertisement, which is not contrary to the extant rules, so permit.”

Writing the judgment, Justice Misra said, “Even if such change is permissible under the extant rules or the advertisement, the change would have to meet the requirement of Article 14 of the Constitution and satisfy the test of non-arbitrariness.” The bench said the recruiting authorities must devise appropriate procedures for keeping the process of selection “transparent, non-discriminatory/ nonarbitrary” with focus on achieving the object of selecting the right candidate for the public employment. Referring to open-ended advertisements for recruitment, SC said it may give some discretion to the recruiting authority to adopt steps relevant to the process of recruitment and nature of employment, but none of such steps could be arbitrary or violative of the right to nondiscrimination guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. 

However, it also said that even if a person finds his name in the list of selected candidates on completion of the recruitment process, he/ she does not get “an indefeasible right to  appointment”. However, the five-judge bench put in a caveat: “The State or its instrumentality cannot arbitrarily deny appointment to a selected candidate.” But it clarified that “the State or its instrumentality for bona fide reasons may choose not to fill up the vacancies.” It said if vacancies exist, a candidate in the zone of consideration of the select list cannot be arbitrarily denied appointment.

Medical recruitment board exam to be held on Jan 27

Medical recruitment board exam to be held on Jan 27 

PLANS TO RECRUIT 2,553 DOCTORS 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  08.11.2024 

Chennai : The Medical Recruitment Board will conduct an exam on Jan 27, 2025 for recruiting 2,553 doctors, Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian said on Thursday. The online examination, to be conducted by an external agency, would help the health department fill vacancies that would arise until 2026, the minister told reporters in Chennai. 

In March, the MRB invited applications to fill 2,553 doctors’ posts in Tamil Nadu Medical Service. The process was interrupted by elections. July 15 was the revised last date. The MRB received nearly 24,000 applications till then. “The board is verifying documents submitted by the candidates. Officials have spoken to agencies that can conduct exams. We wanted the exam in one phase because there is a risk of paper leaks if exams are conducted in more than one phase. We have decided that all candidates will take the online test together on Jan 27,” he said. 

Earlier this week, at least two govt doctors’ associations pointed out that nearly 30% of the sanctioned posts of doctors in govt hospitals were vacant. They said the department was delaying fresh recruitments by not conducting the MRB exams. The minister said associations were exaggerating the vacancy situation in hospitals and political leaders like Seeman were not updated with information about vacancy positions. “The state has made more than 18,000 appointments for the health department, including more than 5,000 by the MRB,” he said. “The delays are not new. The previous MRB recruitment process for 1,021 posts was delayed for several months as candidates, including those who worked in GHs during Covid, moved courts seeking incentives. The notification was issued in Oct 2022, but the recruitments were completed only in Feb 2024,” he said

How a station master’s OK sent train & his life on wrong track

How a station master’s OK sent train & his life on wrong track

Partha.Behera@timesofindia.com 07.11.2024 TIMES OF INDIA CHENNAI 

Raipur : A train chugged off where it wasn’t supposed to, railways suffered a ₹3-crore loss, a station master was suspended, and a divorce battle dragged on for 12 years from Visakhapatnam to Supreme Court and Chhattisgarh’s Durg — all because of an ‘OK’. The station master had said ‘OK’ to his wife during a fight over a phone call, which was mistaken for the green light to send a train into Maoist territory, triggering this strangerthanfiction chain of events. 

The station master hails from Visakhapatnam and his now divorced wife is from Durg. They married on Oct 12, 2011, but within a few days, it was evident that it wasn’t going to be a blissful ever-after. From court evidence, it’s learned that the bride was unhappy with the wedding due to her past relationship with another man, and her confession that she wasn’t over it. This led to friction at home. The station master appealed to her parents, who gave assurances, but the woman never stopped communicating with her lover. She would call him even with her husband sleeping right next to her, leaving him feeling insulted. 

The marriage was hanging by a thread when, one night, she called the station master when he was on duty and they again quarrelled. Since he was at work, he ended the call by saying, “We’ll talk at home, OK?” He didn’t realise that his work microphone was on. His colleague on the other end only heard the ‘OK’ and mistook it as green signal to dispatch a freight train down a restricted route in a Maoist affected area. 

Dowry, cruelty charge turns out to be false 

Thankfully, there was no accident, yet it was a violation of night-time restrictions, and caused railways a loss of ₹3 crore. The station master was suspended. The punishment worsened his marital woes and the officer, now at the end of his tether, filed for divorce in Visakhapatnam family court. His wife filed a complaint under IPC section 498A (cruelty and harassment) against him, his 70-year-old father, his elder brother, who is a govt employee, sister-inlaw and maternal cousins. Saying she feared for her life, the woman moved Supreme Court and managed to get the case transferred to Durg. When the Durg family court rejected his divorce petition, the railway man appealed to Chhattisgarh high court, his counsel, Vipin Kumar Tiwari, said. 

In a recent judgment, a division bench of Justice Raja ni Dubey and Justice Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal deemed the wife’s actions as ‘cruelty’, reversed the family court judgment and granted the man divorce. HC found that the wife had falsely accused her husband of having an affair with his sister-in-law. The dowry and cruelty complaint also turned out to be false. The division bench granted the husband divorce while noting that the wife’s arguing with him on the phone, which led to the ‘OK’ incident, the filing of false reports, and making baseless accusations constituted mental cruelty towards him.

End of runway for Jet: SC orders liquidation, nixes revival plan

End of runway for Jet: SC orders liquidation, nixes revival plan 

Allows Lenders’ Consortium To Forfeit JKC’s ₹350cr 

Dhananjay.Mahapatra @timesofindia.com 07.11.2024 

New Delhi : Hopes of Jet Airways getting fresh wings crashed on Thursday as the Supreme Court ordered its liquidation, with the successful bidder — Jalan Kalrock Consortium — failing to deposit even the first tranche of ₹350 crore of the ₹ 4,783 crore resolution plan for years, thereby burdening SBI-led lenders with huge financial liabilities. Noting the gross violations of the plan by JKC, comprising UAE-based NRI Murari Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, who holds shares in Jet Airways through his Cayman Islands-based investment holding company Kalrock Capital Partners, the SC exercised its rarely-exercised omnibus powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to order liquidation of the unviable airline.

 Court must ensure such debts stop running at some point of time’ In a 169-page judgment which provided guidelines for future Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) proceedings and streamlining the processes before company law tribunals NCLT and  NCLAT, the bench accepted arguments of additional solicitor general N Venkataraman and SBI counsel Sanjay Kapur to allow SBI-led lenders consortium to forfeit the ₹250 crore deposited by JKC as well as its ₹150 crore performance bank guarantee. Writing the judgment for the bench, Justice Pardiwala said, “The amount of ₹200 crore already infused by the SRA (successful resolution applicant in JKC) stands forfeited. The lenders/creditors are further permitted to encash the performance bank guarantee of ₹150 crore furnished by the SRA. We order accordingly.” The bench said, “In the peculiar and alarming circumstances as discussed in this judgment and also keeping in mind the fact that almost five years have elapsed since the Resolution Plan was duly approved by the NCLAT and there being no progress worth the name, we are left with no other option but to invoke our jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution and direct that Jet Airways be taken in liquidation. 

The NCLT, Mumbai shall now take appropriate steps for appointment of liquidator and all other nec essary formalities for commencement of liquidation of Jet Airways.” Faulting NCLAT for allowing JKC to adjust performance bank guarantee of ₹150 crore to meet the shortfall in the deposit of first tranche of ₹350 crore which was to be made good by May 22, 2022, the bench said for five years, the resolution plan has remained in limbo during which period several dues including airport dues to be paid by Jet Airways have increased due to the fault of JKC. “The court must ensure that such debts stop running at some point of time,” it said. The bench said although IBC was enacted to ensure survival of bankrupt entities, the same must not come at the cost of efficiency. Full report on www.toi.in

Amazon Clinic: Now you can get a doctor on Amazon India as well

Amazon Clinic: Now you can get a doctor on Amazon India as well

Amazon Clinic is the latest addition to the brand's portfolio in India. It provides doctor consultations for 50 different disciplines.

By: Nishit Raghuwanshi

Published: Nov 06, 2024, 02:27 PM IST

Amazon Clinic

Amazon has recently launched a new tool named Amazon Clinic in India that allows users to book doctor consultations. As of now, the service supports around 50 different medical conditions and has a starting price of Rs 299. The feature is available for both the iOS and Android applications.

However, users cannot get the tool on the web version of Amazon India. One thing to note here is that all the users are supposed to have a basic profile on the platform with age, gender, phone number, and name, in order to be eligible to book a consultation.

Amazon Clinic details

The tool will allow the users to either consult a doctor online or even book an appointment for a clinical visit. Users will be able to get in touch with the doctors on the application instantly or even pre-schedule their meeting. All the consultations on the platform will have a duration range of 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

As of now, Amazon Clinic has included doctors from different specialties like nutrition, counseling, gynecology, dermatology, and pediatrics. As claimed by Amazon, all the experts listed on the platform will have at least three years of clinical experience in tele-consultation. The users can take benefit of Amazon Clinic in zero emergency situations and diagnosis follow-ups.

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The starting price of the Consultation fee on the platform is Rs 299 and goes up to Rs 799. Virtual consultation on Amazon Clinic can be executed in any form like audio, video, or even chat support with unlimited seven days of free follow-up. That’s not it, the users can directly purchase their medicines from the Amazon pharmacy store by sharing the prescription.

Amazon launches ‘Clinic’ medical consultation service in India

Amazon launches ‘Clinic’ medical consultation service in India

Amazon Clinic service is currently limited to Android and iOS users and cannot be accessed from a desktop.

By: Tech Desk

Bengaluru | Updated: November 7, 2024 08:10 IST

 Amazon Clinic enables users to schedule a medical consultation. (Express Photo)

Amazon has launched a new service called Clinic in India which offers online doctor consultations for over 50 different medical conditions. Similar to Practo, with a starting price of Rs 299, users can now book a consultation with a medical specialist on Amazon Clinic through its app.

Amazon Clinic service is currently limited to Android and iOS users and cannot be accessed from a desktop. Before booking a consultation, users need to have a profile with basic details like name, age, gender, and phone number.

Depending on the medical condition, one can either consult a doctor online or book an appointment for a clinical visit in the service, which is being rolled out countrywide. However, those who opt for clinic visits might have fewer options.

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Users can connect with a doctor instantly, depending on their availability, or pre-schedule a meeting. Each consultation session will last between 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

Amazon Clinic has listed doctors who specialise in dermatology, gynaecology, paediatrics, nutrition, and counselling. Amazon said all the medical experts listed on Clinic will have at least three years of experience in tele-consultation, and all the medical records from these consultations are anonymised and protected.

Amazon suggested that people can use the Clinic service in a non-emergency situation or for follow-up after a diagnosis.

Depending on the doctor and their specialisation, the consultation fee can range between Rs 299 and Rs 799. A virtual consultation includes video, audio, and chat support with unlimited seven days of free follow-up. Amazon also has a pharmacy store where users can buy prescribed medications directly on the app.

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Govt sets timeline for nod to set up self-financing colleges

Govt sets timeline for nod to set up self-financing colleges

Poulami.Roy@timesofindia.com 07.11.2024

Kolkata : The state higher education department streamlined the process of obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC) for setting up self-financed colleges in Bengal. Each step in the whole process, which will now be overseen by an integrated law cell acting as the nodal branch, has to be completed within a stipulated time frame. This process will be completed in less than two years. If everything goes well, the NOC can be issued within two months from the date of receipt of compliance. “It was necessary as we noticed in some cases the process took 3-5 years to complete,” said an official of the department. 

A memorandum issued by the department stated that it was necessary to frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) for streamlining the process. The policy to set up self-financing degree colle ges was framed in 2015. According to the policy, an applicant needs to submit an application containing the proposal and eight copies of a detailed project report, along with the application fee, to establish a self-financing degree college. After receiving an application, the integrated law cell is required to initiate the file within one month. The law cell must propose the formation of an enquiry committee to examine the detailed project report, visit the location of the proposed college, the background of the applicant, among other aspects. If the proposal is found non-viable, it must be communicated within 15 days. 

The enquiry panel must submit its report within one month from the date of its constitution. If the committee is not able to submit its report within the stipulated time ,it must seek prior permission to extend the deadline. The committee will submit the report to the law cell , and the entire process has to be completed within two months