ED raid on pvt med cols

ED raid on pvt med cols

RohitKhanna@timesofindia.com  04.12.2024

Kolkata : The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted raids on 19 premises across West Bengal, including seven medical colleges in the state, in connection with alleged quota corruption in MBBS admissions at private medical colleges. While absconding Trinamool Yuva leader Vinay Mishra is the director of a medical college, Malay Pit, a close aide of Anubrata Mandal, is director of another medical college.

Searches were also conducted at the Haldia residence of former CPM leader Laxman Seth. Two ED teams reached the Salt Lake BC block residence of a relative of an owner of a medical college. They searched the residence and took documents from the owner. Another team reached the medical college near Jadavpur in the evening. It all started after ED initiated a case based on an FIR at the Electronic Complex police station. Allegations suggest that fake documents were used for NRI quota admissions since 2021. Each of the seven medical colleges under scrutiny has 23 seats reserved for NRIs. These colleges charge between Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.7 crore annually as tuition fees from students admitted under the NRI quota. According to ED sources, cumulatively Rs 28 crore was mopped up by each of these medical colleges each year

HC refuses to vacate stay on PG med counselling results

HC refuses to vacate stay on PG med counselling results 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 04.12.2024

Bhopal : MP high court on Tuesday refused to vacate the stay on declaring results of counselling for admission into PG medical courses on an application moved by state govt. The court stayed declaration of results following a petition filed by some candidates challenging normalisation of marks carried out the second time of candidates registered with MP. They argued that the normalisation process had already been carried out by NEET and there was no reason to do it a second time.

An application was moved on behalf of the state to vacate the stay, which the Bench of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf rejected. In the last hearing, HC issued a notice to National Board of Examination in Medical Science as director, medical education, said that the merit list has been prepared by the board and counselling is being conducted in the state according to norms. Dr Abhishek Shukla and some other candidates in their petition argued that NEET had adopted normalisation while preparing the merit list but the state undertook the normalisation process for the second time with the candidates registered for admission in the state medical colleges. This has brought their position in the merit list lower despite their better ranking in the NEET merit list

KEA staffer shared data of students with seat-blocking scamsters: Cops 10 Suspects In 10 Days Of Police Custody

KEA staffer shared data of students with seat-blocking scamsters: Cops 10 Suspects In 10 Days Of Police Custody 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 04.12.2024

Bengaluru : A staff assistant working in Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which oversees admission to professional courses in the state, shared the details of 150 students eligible to land select engineering seats with three outsiders. They used the data and masterminded the seat-blocking scam during 2024-25 admissions, investigations have revealed. The outsiders and their associates entered options in the students’ names without their knowledge and the seats allotted to them fell vacant as the candidates did not report to the colleges. 

The unfilled seats were later transferred to respective colleges to be filled up under the management quota, multiple sources privy to the developments said. Police have arrested the KEA staffer, Avinash BS, 36, of KN Extension, Yeshwantpur; the three outsiders who ran the racket — Sriharsha TM, 42, of JP Nagar III Phase; Prakash SR, 4 and Puneet SL, 27, from Kadur, Chikkamagaluru — and the trio’s associates, Shashikumar SK, 34 and Purushottam R, 24, from Kadur and Ravishankar SC, 56, from Satanur in Kanakapura; Tilak RG, 60, from Seshadripuram and BTM Layout residents Noushad Abbas, 42 and Dilshad Alam, 33. 

The 10 accused were produced before a local court in the city Monday and were taken into 10 days of police custody. City police commissioner B Dayananda said KEA officials lodged a complaint, accusing miscreants of blocking seats and illegally handing them over to the managements of BMS Engineering College, Akash Institute of Engineering and Technology and New Horizon College of Engineering. “We began the investigation with the IP address used by the miscreants to steal the login names and passwords of 52 candidates,” he said. DCP (north) Saidulu Adavath told TOI that they have to question the management of three colleges. 

“Prima facie, it is proven that over 150 engineering seats have been blocked by the suspects. What happened after the seats were handed over to the college, we have to investigate,” he said. Rs 2 lakh per seat On how the racket operated, a senior police officer said that Sriharsha runs a job consultancy in Dollars Colony, Sanjaynagar. With Avinash’s help, he stole data of candidates who did not appear even after the third round of counselling. “Data was shared with Prakash, who illegally using login IDs and passwords, would enter their preferred colleges and block the govt quota seats in their name. In this way, the accused blocked 30 seats in BMS College, seven in Akash and 15 in New Horizon,” a senior police officer explained. 

Police further said, “Avinash claims that he was promised Rs 2 lakh per seat and Sriharsha claims a few persons from private colleges promised them around Rs 3 lakh per seat. They landed in custody just a day ago. We need to check their bank accounts.” Another senior cop said they will start questioning the college management officials, once they get detailed statements from the 10 suspects. According to sources, the accused set four mobile phones and two laptops they had used in the crime on fire. Police seized some burnt remnants of the devices. 

WHAT IS SEAT BLOCKING? 

During counselling, students can enter their preferred college choices. Once the allotment results are announced, students can accept the allotted seat, leave it, or wait for an upgrade in the next round. When students keep the seat until the final round and yet don’t report to college, the seat goes to management, which can offer it to anyone of their choice at a much higher fee. If the student surrenders the seat, it goes back into the pool and a deserving student can pick it up. In this case, a KEA official and his associates stole the credentials of students to keep the seats blocked until the last round.

HOW THE SCAM CAME TO LIGHT Seven repeater students approached KEA, claiming that they were unable to participate in the counselling this year. KEA pointed out that it’s because they selected seats last year but failed to report to colleges. The students denied it. They vowed that they didn’t participate in counselling last year. This raised suspicion. KEA checked the status of seats opted by them and found out that someone else had used their

Public sector banks now safe, stable & healthy: Sitharaman

Public sector banks now safe, stable & healthy: Sitharaman 

Lok Sabha Passes Crucial Amendments To Banking Laws 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 04.12.2024

New Delhi : Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said public sector banks are now safe, stable, healthy, and showing “exceptional” performance, as the Lok Sabha passed crucial amendments to banking laws, which among other things provides for up to four nominees in all bank accounts. The move is meant to ensure that successors of an account-holder or someone with a fixed deposit are not locked out as is often the case. Depositors can opt for either simultaneous nomination, where nominees are assigned specific percentage shares, or successive nomination, where nominees inherit in a predefined order. In addition, the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, also seeks to redefine “substantial interest” for directorships, which could increase to ₹2 crore instead of the current limit of ₹5 lakh.

Among the 19 amendments is the plan to transfer unclaimed dividends, shares, and bond interests to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) for easier reclaim by rightful owners. “The proposed amendments will strengthen governance in the banking sector and enhance customer conve nience with respect to nomination and protection of investors,” Sitharaman said while moving the bill. Responding to the debate on the bill, she said the number of branches of scheduled commercial bank has increased to 1.6 lakh, at the end of S ept, compared to under 1.2 lakh in March 2014, with 3,792 branches added since Sept 2023. The bill also invited crit icism from opposition members. Samajwadi Party’s Rajeev Rai brought up the plight of borrowers facing credit issues due to poor communication from banks, while DMK’s Rani Srikumar questioned the  transparency of banking fees. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram spoke against the bill for not living up to the govt’s promise of “majestic reforms”. 

Patra’s remarks on Indira Gandhi trigger war of words in Lok Sabha 

New Delhi : BJP MP Sambit Patra’s remarks on former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the discussion on Banking Law (Amendment) Bill 2024 triggered a war of words between the treasury bench and opposition in the Lok Sabha, prompting the Speaker to urge the members to not digress from the topic. Participating in the debate on the Bill, Patra, recalling the Nagarwala scandal, said, “On May 24, 1971, Indira Gandhi called SBI’s Parliament Street branch manager and asked to release ₹60 lakhs immediately. A committee was set up that didn’t give any clearance to her. This is an iconic ‘phone banking example’.” DMK leader A Raja stood to raise his objection to the mention of the incident, saying it is a violation of Rule 94.

Notice to bank after employee held for ₹3cr fixed deposit theft

Notice to bank after employee held for ₹3cr fixed deposit theft

Is There No Accountability Of Any Bank When Money Siphoned Off: HC

Rosy.Sequeira@timesofindia.com 04.12.2024

Mumbai : Bombay high court on Tuesday issued a notice to HDFC Bank and banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after it was informed that police had arrested an employee of the bank who allegedly siphoned off ₹3 crore from a customer’s fixed deposits. “Ultimately, people trust a particular bank ... A relationship manager takes a person for a ride. What faith now will people... a person have in the banking system?” asked Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan. 

The petition by Meenakshi Kapuria, 53, stated that her relationship manager, Payal Kothari, 27, broke her ₹3 crore worth of FDs and transferred the amount to fictitious accounts and from there into her own accounts. She received no SMS or email alerts. On Mon day, her advocate Rizwan Siddiquee said Kothari gained Kapuria’s trust and took blank signed cheques from her, assuring the money would be transferred to mutual funds, gold bonds, new fund offers, among others, earning her more than FDs. He said Versova police are putting pressure on Kapuria to settle the matter with Kothari. Prosecutor Kranti Hiwrale said police froze Kothari’s bank accounts, which had ₹30,000 in all.

The judges directed zonal DCP Dikshit Gedam to remain present. On Tuesday, Hiwrale said Kothari was arrested “this morning”. “Why does an arrest have to be made only when a complainant comes to the court? And you’re (police) asking parties to settle the matter?” asked Justice Mohite-Dere. Gedam said one more person could be arrested immediately. He said the investigation is transferred from PI Amol Dhole to senior PI Gajanan Pawar. Asked about action against Dhole, Gedam said a departmental enquiry will be initiated against him for  dereliction of duty. 

The judges questioned why Kapuria didn’t receive alerts. Gedam said Kothari changed her mobile number and email address in the bank’s records, “and that is why when the transaction was happening, the victim was not getting any kind of alerts”. The judges said, “This is extremely serious.” They enquired if the police did an investigation with the bank. Justice Mohite-Dere asked, “Is there no accountability of any bank when money is siphoned off under their nose?” Considering the manner in which the petitioner was cheated,” the judges directed HDFC Bank’s senior manager of Lokhandwala branch or regional manager in charge of Mumbai to be impleaded as well as RBI. Posting the next matter on Dec 13, the judges said they also want to also know the amount in Kapuria’s account before and after the Oct 30 FIR was lodged.

Supreme Court chides govt for denying pension to wife of soldier who died on LoC

Supreme Court chides govt for denying pension to wife of soldier who died on LoC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 04.12.2024

New Delhi : A soldier, who was part of ‘Operation Rakshak’ and deployed near LoC in Jammu and Kashmir lost his life in extreme climactic conditions, while discharging his duty in the wee hours of a chilly January morning in 2013 but his widow was denied Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) despite getting order in her favour from armed forces tribunal in 2019 as the Centre moved Supreme Court and the litigation went on for five more years. 

Rejecting the plea of the Centre and defence ministry and ordering them to grant her LFP, apex court on Tuesday took strong exception of the govt for not taking a sympathetic view and dragging the widow in court for protracted legal proceedings to deny her rightful and imposed a cost of ₹50,000 to be given to her. LPF is given in case of death of an armed forces personnel under certain circumstances and eligible family is entitled to pension equal to reckonable emoluments last drawn.

 The govt denied LFP on the ground that it was a case of ‘physical casualty’ and not ‘battle casualty’ where LPF is granted to the family. After examining all the records and rules, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said the govt had wrongly denied her the pension as death happened as a result of war-like situations and it comes within the ambit of ‘Battle Casualties’. “Thus, the death can be attributed to illness caused by extreme climatic conditions. Hence, as per clause 1 (g) of Appendix ‘A’ of the Army Order 1 of 2003, the case will fall in ‘Battle Casualties’. The reason is that the deceased was operating near LoC in extreme cli matic conditions. He was part of Operation Rakshak and was on duty near LC. The casualty caused by illness due to climatic conditions is covered by clause 1 (g). In this case, the respondent’s husband was a victim of illness caused by extreme climatic conditions. Therefore, the case of the deceased will fall in the category of ‘Battle Casualties’, the bench said.. “In our view, the respondent ought not to have been dragged to this Court, and the decisionmaking authority of the appellants ought to have been sympathetic to the widow of a deceased soldier who died in harness.

Therefore, we propose to impose costs quantified as ₹50,000/-, which will be payable to the respondent,”. the bench said.

 87-year-old widow wins 58-year battle for pension dues Chandigarh:

Anguri Devi’s husband Nater Pal Singh of Rajput Regiment died in a landmine explosion on the western front during the 1965 war with Pakistan. Her battle for a long-overdue recognition of her husband’s sacrifice began soon after — and continued for 58 years, reports Ajay Sura. Though initially granted a special family pension, she was excluded from subsequent policy benefits, including the liberalised allowance introduced in 1972 and a 2001 amendment enhancing financial support for families of operational casualties. Restrictive cut-off dates and administrative lapses compounded her struggle. After nearly six decades of perseverance, the 87- year-old war widow finally received her rightful pension benefits — thanks to a landmark decision by the Punjab and Haryana high court. HC judgment, made available Monday, marks a bittersweet victory for Anguri Devi and serves as a powerful reminder of systemic delays in implementing policies meant to honour India’s war heroes and their families.

TN forms panel to revise block grant to 10 state univs

TN forms panel to revise block grant to 10 state univs

Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 04.12.2024

Chennai : In a first step to revive financially struggling state universities, the state higher education department formed a seven-member committee to revise block grant to 10 state universities, including the University of Madras and Madurai Kamaraj University. Block grant is the funding from the state govt to all state universities to cover the salary of the sanctioned posts by the govt. Many state universities are struggling to pay salaries and pensions to their staff and retired staff members due to insufficient funds. 

The committee, headed by secretary (expenditure), will include the commissioner of technical education, commissioner of collegiate education, additional secretary (finance), deputy secretary (universities) of the higher education department, director-general of audit or his representative, and member-secretary of Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education as members. The committee was given three months to determine the revision of block grants from 2025-26. “They will consider staff strength (teaching, non-teaching) sanctioned by govt, income and expenditure trend analysis, net deficit, scale of pay recommended by state pay commission and University Grants Commission and norms on faculty-students ratio,” a govt order issued by higher education secretary K Gopal said. 

“Though govt is not obliged to fund for salary or pension of the university suggesting a framework for sustenance of the universities,” the order added. The committee constituted by the State Planning Commission to evaluate the financial position of state universities recommended revising the block grant once in five years for all state universities. The block grant was previously revised in 2015-16. “The state universities are burdened by pension liabilities. The corpus fund of the University of Madras is not even able to cover 50% of pension liabilities. Other universities like Madurai Kamaraj University are also facing the same problem,” said P Duraisamy, former vice-chancellor of Madras University. “This move may help to resolve the financial crisis to some extent. 

However, they have to form a committee to resolve financial issues of state universities and suggest alternative ways for generating revenue,” he added. The order also asked all registrars of state universities to submit the details for fixing the block grant. State govt is not giving block grant to Anna University and Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University citing surplus revenue. Professors from Anna University said the university’s revenue declined following the decision to give all pass to students who had arrears. “The university used to generate ₹400 crore by conducting arrear exams. Without compensating for the revenue loss, the state govt declared all pass during 2020. We will also meet the fate of other universities if state govt does not give block grants,” said a professor of the university .

Crackdown on fake embassy certs in NRI quota med admissions

Crackdown on fake embassy certs in NRI quota med admissions

 PushpaNarayan@timesofindia.com 04.12.2024

Chennai : Touts have been actively working to forge embassy and consulate certificates for undergraduate and postgraduate students applying under the NRI quota, Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian said here on Monday. The health department has filed a complaint with Chennai city police commissioner A Arun seeking an investigation and action against the candidates who submitted fraudulent certificates. Up to 15% of the seats in self-financing medical colleges and private medical universities are set aside for the NRI quota. These seats are reserved for students with NRI/ OCI/PIO status. To apply under this category, students must provide documents that show their parents or relatives (one of the eight categories, such as sibling, grandparent, uncle or aunt) are living abroad. 

A week ago, the medical selection committee discovered that eight MBBS aspirants had forged embassy certificates. Among these, four candidates were allotted seats in self-financing colleges. Additionally, 47 doctors submitted fake embassy certificates with their applications for various postgraduate courses under the NRI quota. “The candidacies of all these doctors were cancelled. Legal action will be initiated against them,” he said. At least half a dozen embassies/consulates of countries, including those of the US, Dubai, Singapore, Australia and Kuwait, replied to confirm the “ingenuity” of the certificates submitted by these candidates. “Producing a fake certificate is a punishable offence. An investigation is under way by the police to find out who prepared and issued the certificate,” he said.

Officials in the selection committee confirmed that they received fake certificates from doctors in 2023. “At least 20 doctors were made ineligible in 2023. We did not allow them to take part in counselling but did not file a police complaint,” said a senior official. Parents and counsellors said touts and agencies were calling candidates offering fake certifications for “a fee” up to ₹1 lakh. “My brother refused to encourage touts. But they told us  how many candidates have been successfully allotted seats in self-financing medical colleges and deemed universities. Everything happens over phone calls,” said R Murali, whose nephew is awaiting a postgraduate seat.

Student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam said the state could have stopped the practice if they had initiated action against students earlier. Legal experts suggest filing cases with the medical council for doctors who forged the certificates. “It is an ethical violation, and doctors can be debarred from practice,” said former TN State Medical Council president Dr K Senthil. 

HC stay on NRI quota forgery case stalls MBBS seat cancellation

Chennai : One of the four MBBS candidates, whose admission was cancelled for forging an NRI certificate from the embassies/consulate, got a stay from the Madras High Court, said health minister Ma Subramanian. While admission to three seats in two self-financing colleges was done during the stray round, the state is working to get the stay vacated, he said. An official in the selection committee said if the seat is vacated, they have to seek permission from the National Medical Commission and the courts to admit a candidate to this vacant seat, as the deadline for admission to the undergraduate medical council is over

Courts need not interfere in transfers of govt staff: HC

Courts need not interfere in transfers of govt staff: HC 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 04.12.2024

Chennai : The power of transfer vests with the competent authorities of the govt department concerned and courts need not interfere when it is exercised in the public interest, the Madras high court has said. “Importantly, courts cannot run or interfere with public administration in a routine manner,” a division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice M Jothiraman said. A writ against a transfer can be entertained only if such a transfer order is issued by an incompetent authority having no jurisdiction or if allegations of mala fides are raised, the court said. 

“Routine administrative transfer would not provide cause for an employee to institute a petition before the courts. Post or place can never be the choice of an employee,” the judges said. Transfer guidelines are concessions and cannot be construed as a right. Such guidelines are meant to regulate transfers and postings but would not fall under the purview of service conditions. Thus, it is unenforceable before the court of law, the bench added. The court made the obser vations while rejecting a plea moved by Achutha Gomathi, a member of the Indian Army engineering team, seeking direction to the Army to consider her request to be posted in a place near Chennai. “No doubt every family may have one or other difficulty in one way or another. However, such personal grievances of the employees may be considered by the competent authority and certainly not by the courts,” the court said.

Tearful adieu to medical students killed in road accident

Tearful adieu to medical students killed in road accident

Health Minister Veena George and others paying tributes to five first-year MBBS students when their bodies were kept on the Alappuzha Government Medical College campus on Tuesday. SURESH ALLEPPEY

Sam Paul A.ALAPPUZHA  04.12.2024 

A sombre atmosphere enveloped the Alappuzha Government Medical College campus on Tuesday as the bodies of five first-year MBBS students, who lost their lives in a road accident, were brought to the central library building.

The building corridor, bustling with activity until Monday, was filled with grieving family members, friends, teachers, and members of the public who gathered to mourn the loss and pay their last respects.

Devanandan from Kottakkal in Malappuram, Sreedeep Valsan from Shekharipuram in Palakkad, Ayush Shaji from Kavalam in Alappuzha, Muhammed Ibrahim P.P. from Andrott island in Lakshadweep, and Muhammed Abdul Jabbar from Muttom in Kannur were killed when the car they were travelling in veered onto the other lane and collided with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus coming from opposite direction at Kalarcode in Alappuzha around 9.30 p.m. on Monday.

Six injured

Six other students—Anand Manu, Krishadev, Alvin, Muhsin, Gouri Shankar and Shane—who were in the car sustained injuries, with the first three remaining in critical condition. The students were heading for Alappuzha in a rented car to watch a movie.

Following the post-mortem examinations, the bodies were brought to the library building before noon. Family members and friends, many in shock and disbelief, were overcome with emotion, finding it difficult to control their tears.

“We have only been together for about two months, but we became like family. I cannot believe this has happened,” said a distraught first-year student.

Ibrahim, one of the victims, had recently secured admission to the medical college by cracking the NEET-UG exam on his first attempt.

“We are all shocked. He was supposed to become the backbone of his family, but fate had other plans,” said a family friend. The bodies were later transported to the victims’ native places. Ibrahim’s body was buried at a mosque graveyard in Ernakulam.

The crash site was less than 10 km from the medical college campus.

The Motor Vehicles department attributed the accident to reckless driving by the student behind the wheel of the car. “Gouri Shankar who drove the car (who was also injured in the accident) obtained his driving licence less than six months ago. He was inexperienced. The car lacked an anti-lock braking system. When he applied the brakes, the vehicle skidded on the wet road and rammed the bus,” said A.K. Dilu, Regional Transport Officer, Alappuzha.

Mr. Dilu said the seven-seater car was carrying 11 people.

“The students had taken the car from an unauthorised rent-a-car facility. We have identified the owner of the facility and summoned him for questioning,” Mr. Dilu said, adding that steps would be initiated to suspend the driving licence of Gouri Shankar.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Health Minister Veena George, Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad and others paid their last respects.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram, said the deaths of the medical students had deeply saddened Kerala. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan expressed his condolences.

Case against driver

Meanwhile, the police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming the KSRTC driver as an accused.

However, officials clarified that the FIR was registered based on preliminary information and it could be changed based on CCTV footage and witness statements.

Plea by AYUSH colleges for 5 x fees from mgmt quota students junked

Plea by AYUSH colleges for 5 x fees from mgmt quota students junked 

FRA Dubs Association’s Demand As Unjust, Improper & Contrary To Law

Yogita.Rao@timesofindia.com 03.12.2024 

Mumbai : The state’s Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) rejected a demand made by the association of managements of AYUSH colleges to charge five times the regular fees from students admitted under the management quota, regardless of whether the student is an NRI or a non-NRI. The association’s demand was endorsed by the Maharashtra govt in a letter written to the authority in Sep, where it mentioned that it had no objection to allowing the institutes to charge higher fees. 

The FRA, however, mentioned that the claims made by the association, that they are unable to run the colleges from the income generated by the fees approved by the authority, are “unjust, improper and contrary to law”. In a detailed order, concluding that the association’s demand does not deserve any consideration, the FRA mentioned that the fees of each institute are based upon its income and expenditure, and the evidence produced in support of the provisions. “No institute can be permitted to indulge in the act of profiteering by allowing to charge exorbitant and excessive fees,” it stated. The proposal from the association came soon after the FRA decided to cap the caution money for AYUSH courses at Rs 25,000. The authority also mentioned that they came across several complaints from students about colleges allegedly demanding higher fees than the ones prescribed and approved by the FRA.

In their complaints, the students, who were allotted seats by the state’s CET cell, alleged that colleges demanded five times the regular fees at the time of admission. Some students even complained of colleges denying admissions for the same. “There appears to be some oblique  motive in raising such demand by some of the institutes to cover up their act of collecting fees more than the ones approved by the authority,” mentioned the FRA. 

Citing a 2018 order, the FRA mentioned that the association running AYUSH colleges cannot demand a different fee structure in comparison to institutions running other health science courses. The FRA said that the association did not produce any material to reconsider its earlier decision even in 2018, and therefore the request made by them cannot be entertained now. Additionally, it also pointed out that the process of approval of fee structures for 2024-25 commenced in Oct 2023 and the fees were already decided. Currently, the FRA allows colleges to charge three times the fees from students admitted under the management quota and five times from students who are admitted under NRI quota.

MBBS student found dead

MBBS student found dead 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 03.12.2024

Coimbatore : A 22-year-old second year MBBS student, who used to spend weekends with her parents, was reportedly found dead on Sunday morning when her father went to wake her up at their house in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore city. T Keerthana, studying and residing at a private medical college in Coimbatore, came to her parents’ house on Saturday night after visiting a relative at a private hospital where she had an egg puff and tea from the hospital’s canteen. Later she had parotta from a hotel near her house around 9.30 pm, her 62-yearold father, N Thiyagarajan, told police. 

Then she went to bed around 11 pm in her room, while her parents slept next to her, as per the complaint. On Sunday, Thiyagarajan woke up around 7 am and his wife an hour later. When Keerthana did not get up till 9.30 am, Thiyagarajan went to wake her up. He found her unconscious and rushed her to a private hospital in Thudiyalur. She was then referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. We are waiting for the postmortem report to know the exact cause of death, police said.

Direct flights from Prayagraj to many cities PRAYAGRAJ, 2025MAHA KUMBH

Direct flights from Prayagraj to many cities PRAYAGRAJ, 2025MAHA KUMBH

 Rajeev.Mani@timesofindia.com  03.12.2024

 Prayagraj : In view of Maha Kumbh, direct flights will start soon from Prayagraj to Jabalpur, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, and Dehradun. Flight services for these cities will be operated by the aviation company Alliance Air. Alliance Air has sent its proposal to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). After getting approval from the DGCA, direct flights for these cities will start. 

Prayagraj Airport administration has already given permission to operate these flights. After this, the final proposal was sent to the DGCA through a letter. Permission is also expected from the DGCA soon. It is being said that some of these aircraft will fly from the respective cities and leave for Prayagraj and then for Delhi. Among these, the Prayagraj

Kolkata flight will be available three days a week, and for the rest of the cities, the flight will be available only one day a week. At present, there are direct flights from Prayagraj to Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

Docs advise elderly to drink lots of water, cut salt intake ‘Skip Morning And Late Eve Walks Also’

Docs advise elderly to drink lots of water, cut salt intake ‘Skip Morning And Late Eve Walks Also’ 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 03.12.2024 

Lucknow : Retired teacher Anil Verma, 68, having a history of heart ailments, was rushed to the hospital last week after experiencing severe chest pain and difficulty breathing. Doctors told his family that the plummeting temperatures caused his blood pressure to spike. A similar incident involved 62-year-old homemaker Sunita Sharma from Hazratganj. She experienced a sudden rise in blood pressure to 180/120 mmHg after stepping out of bed to use the washroom at midnight. The drastic temperature change triggered the spike, forcing her family to rush her to Command Hospital for emergency care. 

Doctors at the hospital explained that sudden exposure to cold temperatures can cause blood vessels to constrict, leading to dangerously high blood pressure. Both cases highlight the increased risk elderly individuals face during winter. “In cold weather, blood vessels constrict, leading to higher blood pressure, which can increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes, especially in senior citizens,” said Dr Pravesh Vishwakarma, faculty at KGMU’s cardiology department. 

He also advised people to get vaccinated for influenza virus infection. He added that while sodium is essential for bodily functions, excess sodium in the body can worsen high blood pressure and cause complications such as kidney disease, osteoporosis and an enlarged heart. “In winters, reduced sweating and lower water intake can lead to higher sodium concentration in the body, increasing BP risks. People should drink 2.5-4 lt of water daily and limit salt intake,” he advised. 

HoD of cardiology at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Bhuvan Tiwari urged elderly individuals to take precautions. “Avoid early morning or late evening outings to  prevent bronchospasm, which can lead to breathing difficulties and even cut off oxygen supply to vital organs,” he warned. Doctors emphasised staying warm, hydrated and monitoring symptoms as essential steps to mitigate health risks during the winter months.

NRI quota allocated unfairly to most sought branches: HC

NRI quota allocated unfairly to most sought branches: HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 03.12.2024

Jabalpur : The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices and sought replies while hearing a petition alleging that the 15% of seats in the state's private medical colleges, reserved for NRIs, are only being allocated in eight popular courses and not evenly distributed, which is against the rights of meritorious non-NRI students.

The division bench of the high court, comprising Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, issued notices to the respondents, seeking their response. The public interest petition, filed by Dr Ojas Yadav from Bhopal, stated that NEET prepared a merit list for NRIs. Private medical colleges in the state allocate 15% of seats under the NRI quota. Although there are 22 branches in medical colleges, the state govt allocated NRI quota seats to only eight branches, which are in high demand. Advocate Alok Bagrecha, representing the petitioner, argued that the excessive allocation of NRI quota seats in selected branches would affect the rights of meritorious students, as the number of available seats decreased. There are a total of 545 seats in the eight branches, with 152 allocated under the NRI quota. 

NRI quota seats should have been distributed across all branches. The process adopted by the state govt is completely illegal, the counsel said. The seat matrix of private colleges, which outlines the seats allocated to each category, was prepared in violation of the Medical Education Admission Rules-2018, the petitioner claimed before the court. Instead of the stipulated 15% for the NRI quota, 40 to 50% have been reserved in various branches. And, choice filling is being conducted without providing time for claims and objections as per admission rules. After the hearing, the bench issued notices to the respondents, seeking a response within a week

198 colleges mum on stipends get NMC show-cause

198 colleges mum on stipends get NMC show-cause

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesofindia.com  03.12.2024

New Delhi : National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued show-cause notices to 198 medical colleges — 115 govt and 83 private — across the country over non-submission of details of stipend paid to undergraduate interns, postgraduate residents and senior residents. All medical colleges were directed to submit to NMC the stipend paid for the financial year 2023-24 following a Supreme Court directive.

However, officials said, the 198 colleges that have been issued showcause notices failed to comply leading to the action. An online survey conducted by NMC last year revealed 27% of PG students are not paid any stipend by private/self-financed medical colleges. There are 54% PG students who receive less than the amount paid to their counterparts in govt-run medical colleges. More importantly, the survey conducted among 7,901 PG students from 213 self-financed/private medical colleges spread across 19 states revealed 16% PG students had to return the stipend money to college management. After this, NMC, the apex body for regulating medical education and pro fession, directed all self-financed and private medical colleges to pay stipend equal to the amount being paid to PG students of state or centre-run medical institutions in the state/UT where they are located, as per Regulation 13 of Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulation (PGMER), 2000.

“All the self-financed/ private medical colleges are warned that NMC will take strict action for noncompliance of the provisions of the Regulations of PGMER, 2000 if any complaint is received in future,” NMC said. All medical graduates pursuing PG courses are entitled to a stipend. AIIMS Delhi, for example, pays PG students close to Rs 95,000 per month as stipend. MBBS interns are paid close to Rs 26,000 per month.

We grant bail & next day you become minister: SC

We grant bail & next day you become minister: SC

SC To Senthil Balaji: Would Witnesses Not Be Pressured?

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 3.12.2024

New Delhi : Continuation of DMK leader V Senthil Balaji as a minister in the Tamil Nadu govt seems to have become untenable with Supreme Court on Monday questioning his appointment immediately after getting bail from the apex court in a money laundering case linked to a cashfor-jobs scam. The court asked if witnesses would not feel under pressure after an accused is restored to public office when the trial is pending. In what can have implications for similarly placed politicians, SC, which has recently modulated rigorous bail provisions of special laws such as PMLA and UAPA by ruling that the principle ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’ is applicable also in these offences, indicated that it would send a wrong signal if a high-profile accused was reinducted to public office immediately after bail.

It said justice should not only be done but should also be seen to be done. A bench of Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih, which had granted bail to Balaji on Sept 26, decided to examine a plea seeking recall of the order on the ground that witnesses may not feel free to depose against a cabinet minister. The court said it would not re-examine its verdict but would examine the limited aspect of apprehension that witnesses may feel in the case.

Reinstatement post bail: SC to study impact on witnesses In what can have implications for similarly-placed politicians, the SC, which has recently modulated rigorous bail provisions of special laws like PMLA and UAPA by ruling that the principle ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’ is applicable also in these offences, indicated that it would send a wrong signal if a high-profile accused was re-inducted to public office immediately after bail. It said justice should not only be done but should also be seen to be done. A bench of Justices A S Oka and A G Masih, which had granted bail to Balaji on Sept 26, decided to examine a plea seeking recall of the order on the ground that witnesses may not feel free to depose against a cabinet minister. The court said it would not re-examine its verdict but would examine the limited aspect of apprehension that witnesses may feel in the case. In contrast to the convention of politicians quitting their official positions after being arrested and chargesheeted — something that was followed across the political spectrum for decades — some high-profile politicians have held on to their positions despite having been incarcerated. The SC, which did not object to the departure from convention so far, now seems to be firming up a position against it.

The court’s remarks in Balaji’s case follow its earlier order where it gave the chief of Trinamool Congress’s youth wing bail on the condition that he would not hold any official position. The court had granted Balaji bail holding that rigorous bail provisions in laws like PMLA, UAPA and NDPS Act could not become a “tool” to keep an undertrial accused in jail for an unreasonably long time. After spending 15 months in custody, Balaji came out on bail and was re-inducted as minister three days later. “The present application is based on apprehension. The apprehension is based on the fact that immediately after we enlarged the second respondent on bail by the judgment and order dated Sept 26, the second respondent has been appointed as a cabinet minister of the state. The apprehension is that considering the seriousness of the allegations against the second respondent in the predicate offences, witnesses may not be in the frame of mind to depose against the second respondent who is now holding the position of a cabinet minister. This is the only aspect on which, prima facie, we are inclined to consider the application. 

We make it clear that as there is no reason to interfere with the view taken on merits in the order dated Sept 26, the adjudication of this application shall remain confined to the aforesaid aspect only,” the bench said in its order. Advocate Pranav Sachdeva, appearing for the petitioner who claimed to be a victim of the cashfor-jobs scam, said Balaji wielded tremendous influence in the state govt and free and fair trial may not be possible if he continued to remain a minister. Sensing the mood and prima facie opinion of the bench, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Balaji, urged the court to refrain from issuing notice in the case and assured that he would take instruction and brief the court on the next date of hearing

NEWS TODAY 02.12.2024

 

NMC warns students eyeing pvt medical colleges abroad

NMC warns students eyeing pvt medical colleges abroad

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesofindia.com 02.12.2024

New Delhi : National Medical Commission (NMC) has warned aspiring students against choosing to study in private medical colleges abroad that do not adhere to regulations laid down by it. In 2021, NMC published Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiates (FMGL) Regulations. It states that no foreign medical graduate shall be granted registration to practice in India unless she or he has undergone a course leading to foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of 54 months and an internship for a minimum duration of 12 months in the same foreign medical institution.

The NMC regulation also stated that the entire course, training and internship or clerkship, shall be done outside India in the same foreign medical institution throughout the course of study and no part of medical training and internship shall be done in India or in any country other than the country from where the primary medical qualification is obtained. As Indian students continued to seek admission in noncomplying colleges abroad, NMC has issued another warning. “Any variation in duration, medium of instructions, syllabus, clinical training or internship may lead to disqualification in grant of registration in India,” the NMC said.

Maha Kumbh ’25 takes leap in scale More Utilities, Ghats, Shuttle On The Cards

Maha Kumbh ’25 takes leap in scale More Utilities, Ghats, Shuttle On The Cards

Shailvee.Sharda@timesofindia.com 02.12.2024

Lucknow : Mahakumbh 2025 is going to be bigger and even better than the Kumbh of 2019, suggests comparative data from various departments of UP govt. The area over which the Mela ground has come up is a sprawling 4,000 hectares, an increase of 20% compared to 2019. This area would be segregated into 25 sectors. Similarly, the size of the tent city this time is twice it was in 2019 and would have 1.6 lakh tents. Given the larger area, the number of pucca ghats has been increased from four to is nine. Likewise, number of pontoon bridges this time is 30 against 22 in 2019.

Besides, 400 kms of temporary roads are being built, an increase of 35%. The entire area would be illuminated with a network of streetlights, increased in number from 40,000 to 67,000. To ensure uninterrupted supply of power, Uttar Pra desh Power Corporation Limited has set up two power substations and 66 new transformers. For adequate and uninterrupted water supply to pilgrims on the mela premises, UP Jal Nigam has built 1,249 kms of pipelines to feed over 200 water ATMs and 85 water booths, an increase from the earlier 1,049 kms pipleline and 10 water ATM booths.

To attend to hygiene and sewage needs, 1.5 lakh toilets are being built in the mela ground this time and 10,000 safai workers would be engaged to keep the toilets clean. Govt has gone the extra mile to create a green Kumbh by planting over 3 lakh saplings ahead of the event. In 2019, much of the greenery was created using potted plants. The area for street art and wall murals has also been increased from 17 lakh square feet to 18 lakh square feet this time. Officials said over 550 shuttle buses and 7,000 roadways buses would be plied for the convenience of pilgrims and number of bus stations has increased from five last time to seven. Advisor to CM Yogi Adityanath and former IAS officer, Awanish Awasthi, said: “The resolve of state govt is to ensure pilgrim experience, safety and convenience and the resolve is being implemented in letter and spirit.”Labourers constructing replicas of 12 Jyotirlinga temples on the banks of the Yamuna for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj