Sunday, January 30, 2022

KSRTC driver’s conviction shouldn’t affect career: HC

KSRTC driver’s conviction shouldn’t affect career: HC

Accused Told To Pay Penalty For Rash Driving

Vasantha.Kumar@timesgroup.com

30,01,2022

Bengaluru: Coming to the rescue of a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation driver, the high court said he need only pay the fine imposed by the trial court and the conviction shouldn’t affect his career or employment.

Disposing of a revision petition filed by H Devendrappa, Justice Sreenivas Harish Ku-mar said the sentence imposed is confined to the fines of Rs 1,000 for the offence under section 279 of IPC (rash driving on a public way) and Rs 500 under section 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) with default sentence as ruled by the trial court.

The judge said in the Rajbir Singh vs state of Haryana case (1985), the Supreme Court had said conviction of an accused should not affect his ser- vice. Also, in the GT Ravindra vs state of Karnataka case (2012), the high court had observed that conviction and sentence should not affect employment of the accused.

The case against Devendrappa was that on August 14, 2014, the KSRTC bus he was driving collided with a private bus at Charmadi Ghat. The accident was attributed to his rash driving.

Based on the evidence presented by passengers, eyewitnesses, and driver and cleaner of the private bus, a court in Belthangady convicted Devendrappa for offences under sections 279 and 337 on December 6, 2019. He was sentenced to two months’ simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs 1,000 and default sentence of 15 days’ imprisonment for offence under section 279, and two months’ simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs 500 and default sentence of 15 days for offence under section 337.

An appeal against this order was dismissed by the 4th additional district and sessions judge, Dakshina Kannada, on August 4, 2021.

Devendrappa then filed a revision petition in the high court, seeking a lenient view in the matter, considering that the sentences could affect his employment/career.

Canada relaxes testing needs for travellers

Canada relaxes testing needs for travellers

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

30.01.2022

New Delhi: Canada no longer requires passengers travelling on nonstops from India to get a Covid test done within 18 hours before departure. Starting Friday, it has also ended the need for third-country testing for those coming on one-stops from India. This means people travelling from, say India to Canada via the Gulf/Europe/US, will no longer need to be tested at the transit country before taking a connecting flight to their destination.

To be sure, Canada continues to require that all travellers, unless specifically exempted, have a valid negative pre-departure Covid-19 molecular test result taken within 72 hours before a scheduled flight to Canada.

Canada had on September 27, 2021, allowed resumption of direct flights from India, over five months after suspending the same during the second Covid wave here, with stricter testing norms. The nonstops were, and continue to be, from Delhi. And passengers needed to obtain a pre-departure negative Covid-19 molecular result fromatest done at Delhi Airport’s Genestrings Laboratory within 18 hours before their scheduled departure.

This stringent requirement goes now and the move could pave the way for direct flights between more Indian cities and Canada because as of now nonstops only to and from Delhi are allowed.

“Effective January 28, 2022, we’re removing the modified pre-departure Covid-19 test requirements for travellers on direct flights to Canada from India and Morocco, and the requirement for third country testing for travellers on indirect routes to Canada fromthesecountries,” Transport Canada tweeted on Friday. The Canadian government said it is from January 28, 2022, removing the modified predeparture test requirements for travellers coming to Canada on direct or indirect flights from India or Morocco.

49k GU students get degrees

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.01.2022

Ahmedabad: At the 70th convocation at Gujarat University (GU) held on Saturday in the online format, 49,528 students of the university were awarded degrees. A total of 200 medals and prizes were given on the occasion.

Chief m inister Bhupendra Patel, who attended the virtual event, said the degrees handed over today are not just certificates but testament to the a spirations of a bright India.

He urged the young graduates to contribute in building a better India as the country is ready to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav this year.

A revolutio n has taken place in the field of education in Gujarat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

In the last two decades, more than 95 universities in the state have provided world class education to the youth. In his address, the chief minister also said that Gujarat has prepared a roadmap to realize the Prime Minister’s goal of holisticeducational development in the new education policy.

Education minister Jitu Vaghani and ministers of state Kuber Dindor, Kirtisinh Vaghela and senior education department officials also joined the event online. Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat in his address described the new Education Policy-2020 as a reflection of taking India’s pride to a higher level.

646 students given certificates at Cept

Atotal of 646 students – 263 undergraduate, 380 postgraduate, 2 PhD and1 MPhil – got their degrees in the annual convocation of Cept University on Saturday. Dr Madhav Khosla, associate professor at Columbia University, was the chief guest at the event. It was the second consecutive virtual convocation for the university. The university awards for proficiency were conferred to 66 students. The convocation address pointed at the 50 years of Faculty of Planning in 2022 – playing a pioneer role in the field with over 2,700 students passing out in half a century.

TNN

In-service doctors want PG quota in current academic year

In-service doctors want PG quota in current academic year

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.01.2022

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court issued notice to the state government over a petition filed by in-service doctors seeking implementation of reservation for them in postgraduate (PG) courses from the 2021-22 academic year.

By a resolution passed on January10, the state authorities decided to implement 10% reservation in PG degree courses for doctors working at government health facilities from the next academic year, 2022-23. The in-service doctors, who are posted at PHCs and CHCs, have been demanding that the quota for higher medical studies be made effective from the current academic year.

A petition filed through advocates Rashesh Rindani and Shirish Gohil contended that the NEET-PG exams were conducted late due to the pandemic situation. If the quota system for in-service doctors is implemented from the next academic year, doctors who have successfully cleared NEET-PG exams this year will be at a loss without any fault of theirs.

The change came after the decision to reduce PG diploma seats and increase PG decree seats at the behest of the central authorities. The petitioner doctors submitted that other states have also carved out reservations for government doctors for PG courses as West Bengal has 40%, Madhya Pradesh has 30%, Tamil Nadu has 50% and Andhra Pradesh has 10% reservation. All these states decided to adopt the quota system from the academic year 2021-22. They urged the court to direct the Gujarat government to implement reservation the way these other states have done. Moreover, it has also been contended that this system is viewed as an incentive for doctors to take up government jobs and serve in rural areas.

DMK mouthpiece lashes out at guv for pro-NEET message

DMK mouthpiece lashes out at guv for pro-NEET message

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.01.2022

Chennai: The M K Stalin-led DMK on Saturday made a scathing attack on governor R N Ravi for his pro-NEET remarks in his RepublicDay message when the state is fighting to get exemption for Tamil Nadu students from NEET. The party mouthpieceMurasoli, in an article carried with a pen name, sought to remind Ravi, “This is not Nagaland, but Tamil Nadu,” in an apparent reference to Ravi’s earlier stint as governor of Nagaland, which had attracted opposition criticism.

In his customary message on the eve of the Republic Day, Ravi said improving the quality of education in government schools was the need of the time. Before the introduction of NEET, the share of students from government schools getting medical seats in government colleges was hardly 1%. “Thanks to the affirmative action of 7. 5% reservation for government school students, that number has improved significantly, however, there is an urgentneedto improvethe quality of education also in government schools,” Ravi said. He also said depriving students of

knowledge of other Indian languages was unfair to all.

The ruling DMK, which was upset with Ravi for delaying his decision on the Bill seeking exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET— passed intheassembly in September, has not taken lightly to Ravi’s remarks on NEET. It is incensed over the inference in Ravi’s message that the previous AIADMK government provided 7. 5% reservation to government school students in medical admission.

The article attacking Ravi read, “Intimidating tactics is perhaps needed for the police department (Ravi is a retired IPS officer); it will be helpful on many occasions, but he should realize that it will not help achieve anything in politics”. It charged the governor with transgressing his Constitutional role by supporting NEET when “the whole state, barring a few Sanghis” was opposing the common entrance test.

People in Tamil Nadu, unlike other states, are politically conscious even if they live in remote villages. It would do good for the governor to understand the state and its history before making unsavoury comments that bring disrepute to his position, the article said. Taking a leaf from a folklore, it added, “Kokkendru ninaithayo, Konganava” (Recalling the story of sage Konganavar, who killed a stork, the article asked Ravi whether he thinks it [read DMK gover nment] is a stork).

The governor should explain to the people whether it is fair to take refuge under legal cover andsiton the Bill,dashing thewishes of seven crorepeople and insulting them, it said.

The article also had a word of advice to Ravi about his role as the Union government’s representative. His duty was to inform the Centre about the sentiments of the people and not push the Union government’s agenda down their throats, it said.

ATTENTION MEDICAL ASPIRANTS

Docs perform op as patient sings

Docs perform op as patient sings

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.01.2022

Chennai: The Apollo Proton Cancer Centre performed a palliative mastectomy for a patient with metastatic breast cancer while the patient was singing.

According to a statement from the hospital, it was the first time worldwide, a patient was awake and singing during breast cancer surgery, despite the extensive lung metastases and overcoming her anxiety. Seethalakshmi, a classical singer and teacher, from Chennai diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

Now, get duplicate certificates sent home in a week

Now, get duplicate certificates sent home in a week

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.01.2022

Chennai: Gone are the days when one had to wait endlessly to get a duplicate of their marksheet. Now, you can apply for these certificates at an e-seva centre close to your home and get them delivered to your address within a week.

As many as 23 different certificates, including conduct certificate, duplicate transfer certificate, duplicate TET certificate, sportsquota certificate, certified copy of mark list, and persons-studied-in-Tamil-medium certificates, can be availed through e-seva centres, according to a government order issued by school education secretary Kakarla Usha.

"It will ensure students can get these certificates without wasting time. It is permitted to add more services in future under this scheme," she said in the order. Officials from the school education department said students will get a duplicate certificate within a week of submitting the application. "People have to apply for the certificates online.

After verification, duplicate certificates will be directly sent to their houses within a week," an official said. Moreover, one can take a print-out of the certificate copy of their marksheet and migration certificate immediately after applying.

Earlier, people had to wait for months to get duplicates of their certificates. Officials said the directorate of government examination has digitised all the marksheets till 2021.

"I would save travelling time and money for students and those who lost certificates. The government should also track how it’s being implemented," said P Patric Raymond, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation. The state has 2,457 e-seva centres offering various services to the public.

TASK MADE EASY

Saturday, January 29, 2022

544 students admitted to MBBS/BDS

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

29.01.2022

Chennai: A totalof 544 g overnment school students, nearly 70% of them female, were admitted to MBBS/BDS courses on Friday under the 7. 5% quota on Friday. By the end of the day only three dental seats inself-financing dental colleges remained unfilled.

Health secretary J Radhak-rishnan handed over the admit cards to the first 10 students. The selection committee had called 762 students for counselling out of which 739 students attended the counselling and 198 of them were waitlisted. Based on merit in NEET and rule of reservation, 318 MBBS seats in government colleges, six seats in ESIC college and 113 seats in self-financing colleges were filled. Thirteen students opted for BDS seats in government colleges and 94 of them opted for dental courses in selffinancing colleges. The state had reserved 544 undergraduate seats including 437 MBBSseatsfor government school students who had cleared NEET. Among the students who were allotted seats on Friday 39% of themhad passed the 2021 board examinations.

Online MBBS/BDS counselling for students will begin on January 30.

No seat for teacher, 61, who cracked NEET

29.01.2022

A61-year-old retired schoolteacher K Sivaprakasam from Dharmapuri cleared NEET-2021, applied for an MBBS seat under the government quota and was called for counselling. But his application was turned down on Friday because he hadn't completed his schooling under the 10+2 system. S election committee secretary Dr P Vasanthamani said he had cleared the pre-university course (PUC), a sy stem that was later abolished. With 249 marks in NEET, he stood 349th on the government quota list. “We included his name inthe rank list but sought opinion from higher officials and lawyers. Government quota is for students who have cleared 10+2. ,” an officer said.

Friday, January 28, 2022

‘Students instigated for violence on social media’

VIOLENCE IN PRAYAGRAJ

‘Students instigated for violence on social media’

Suspended

Kapil.Dixit@timesgroup.com

28.01.2022

Prayagraj: Investigations into the violent agitationb y students on Tuesday and attempt to stop a passenger train near Prayag railway station on Thursday revealed that it was a pre-planned move by t rouble-makers who instigated students through different social media groups for violent protests as in B ihar.Police on Thursday arrested

one Rajesh Sachan , a resident of Kanpur Dehat who had created a WhatsApp group and allegedlyinstigated students byposting inflammatory messages.

On Wednesday, police had arrested two more student leaders Mukesh Yadav and Pradeep Yadav, residents of Kushi Nagar and Pratapgarh respectively who ha d led protesters. Meanwhile, senior police officials interacted with students and urged them not to in volve themselves in violence or agitation, claiming some student leaders were instigating them for their vested interests. Offic ials said students should refrain from such activities as FIRs can be lodged against them and police actioncould spoil their future.

Deputy SP, Colonelganj, Ajeet Singh Chauhan told TOI that the violent agitation was preplanned, and Sachan has been arrested for instigating students through social media.

Total three arrests have been made so far in this connectionincluding two student leaders who led protesters and made an abortive bid to stop a train and block rail traffic near Pray ag st ation on Tuesday, the DSP added.

Police had cane-charged protesting students and forced them out of hostel and hotel rooms after breaking open the doors with rifle butts.

After videos of police action went viral on social media, six policem en, including one inspector, two sub inspectors and three constables, were suspended on Wednesday o n charges of dereliction of duty on allegations of high-handedness while handling protest over alleged anomalies in examination conducted by Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) for various nontechnical category posts.

DSP said several groups were created area-wise on social media to instigate students in colleges and aspirants pre paring for competitive exams.

Cops carried out patrolling on Thursday appealing students to talk with officials and not to indulge in violence.

SSP, P rayagraj, Ajay Kumar had visited Baghara and adjoining areas on Wedn esday and appealed to students to focus on their studies and not to involve themselves in activities disrupting l aw and order.

Issuing a clarification, Prayagraj police said they used mild force after students pelted stones from the hostel. Cops said theyh ad video-graphed the entire agitation near the station where students had assembled to stop a train. “We scanned the video footage and identified two student leaders who were leading the protesters and arrested them,” said a senior cop.

Undertrial escapes custody from KGMU

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

28.01.2022

Lucknow: An undertrial prisoner on Wednesday fled from police custody from KGMU where he was admitted for treatment for self-inflicted neck injuries. The accused, Satveer Singh, was booked for murder and loot by Vibhuti Khand police and named in a case in Gonda.

Lucknow police lodged a case against two constables who were guarding him for dereliction of duty.

“Satveer allegedly used a disposable blade to slash his neck on January 18 night at Lucknow district jail. He was admitted to jail hospital but the hospital authorities referred him to KGMU where he was brought on the same day and was treated on January 19. Doctors advised him to remain admitted there for some days. For security, two constables Ankur and Arvind were deployed in day duty shift (from 9am to 9pm) and constables Ravi Kumar and Yogesh Kumar in night shift (from 9pm to 9am),” said ACP Chowk, IP Singh.

“However, the jail officials received an SoS around 9am on January 26 that Satveer had escaped from the police custody when constables Ravi Kumar and Yogesh Kumar were taking charge of duty from their fellow constables in the day shift duty,” Singh said, adding that police are looking for Satveer.

Cured patient sends obscene contents to hospital docs

Cured patient sends obscene contents to hospital docs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

28.01.2022

Pune: A group of woman doctors and staffers at a private hospital on Bund Garden Road barely had any inkling aboutwhatwas in store for them when they made follow-up calls to a man from a city in Andhra Pradesh whom they had treated for some ailment in 2019.

The man sentvulgar texts and obscene photographs to their phone numbers, police said.

On Wednesday, the Koregaon Park policeregistered a case after a staffer (29) from the hospital lodged a complaint accusing the man of outraging her modesty.

The complaint contained details of texts and photos sent to three others, including woman doctors, police said. “One of our teams will soon go to the city (name withheld by police) in Andhra Pradesh to arrest the man,” said inspector Deepali Bhujbal of the Koregaon Park police.

When contacted, a senior doctor from the hospital told TOI, “This is the first time that we have come across such an incident. The man, who was our patient, abused and sent vulgar messages to our staff members whenever they called him for follow ups. ”

The police have registered a case under sections 354-A (showing pornography against the will of a woman; or making sexually coloured remarks) and 354-D (stalking) of the IPC, besides the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.

More Covaxin doses to be made available next week

More Covaxin doses to be made available next week

Piyush.Bhusari@timesgroup.com

28.01.2022

Pune: More Covaxin doses would be made available across the state from the next week because thousands in the 15-18 years’ category would become eligible for its second dose.

CoWIN data revealed that around 30 lakh teenagers had been vaccinated so far in the state. In the Pune district, around 2. 85 lakh teenagers have received their first shot.

State immunisation officer Sachin Desai told TOI, “In the past few days, the government has distributed over18 lakh doses of Covaxin across the state and more doses are likely to come from the Centre next week. There is absolutely no issue over the stock of Covaxin at present and for the second dose from the next week. ”

Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services, Pune circle, told TOI, “We distributed around 1. 2 lakh doses of Covaxin across Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and rural units in the past few days. ”

Sanjay Patil, the chairman of the Indian Medical Association’s Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter, said, “Amid Omicron variant, we should not forget Delta. It is still there and so are the other variants. Once immunised, it takes at least two weeks for the immunity to develop. Hence, it is very neces-sary to get vaccinated. ”

According to the CoWIN data, a total of 34,357 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the dis- trict till 7pm on Thursday. A total of 1. 65 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the district so far.

Pimpri Chinchwad areas lead district in precaution jab count

Pune: The PCMC areas are faring better compared to those in Pune civic limits and rural areas on the precaution dose front.

Over 14,000 elderly beneficiaries (out of 44,000 expected) have taken the third shot so far in the PCMC areas. In the Pune civic limits, merely 4,407 beneficiaries have received their third shot. In the rural areas, a total of 5,972 beneficiaries opted for it till now, stated the district health office data.

Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Rajesh Patil told TOI, “The number of elderly beneficiaries would have been better if we had known their facts and figures. The beneficiaries are scattered now as they can take their jabs in other parts of the district or the state. We are lacking the focused attempt. To streamline this, we are bringing housing societies on board with us.”

Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services, Pune circle, said the lack of intensity of the third wave resulted in less response to the drive in the past few days. Even the comorbid senior citizens were not turning up at the sites.

Railway exam violence: 6 tutors among 22 booked

Railway exam violence: 6 tutors among 22 booked

Faryal.Rumi@timesgroup.com

28.01.2022

Patna: An FIR was lodged on Wednesday against six teachers of different pri vate coaching centres in the city, including YouTuber‘Khan Sir’, and 16 othersinconnectionw ith violentprotests over the Railway Re cruitment Board’s no n-technical popular category (NTPC) examination. ‘Khan Sir’, as he is popular ly known, runs a coaching centre in P atna. Patrakar Nagar police station SHO Manoranjan Bharti said apart from Kh an Sir, five other teachers – SK Jha, Navin, Amarnath, Gagan Pratap and Gopal Verma – have been booked. “Four protesters – Kishan Kumar, Rajan Kumar, Rohit Kumar and Vikram Kumar – who were arrested from Rajendra Nagar terminal had accused the six teachers of in stigating the job aspirants,” he said. The accused have been booked under various sections of the IPC, including 147 (rioting), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from d ischarge of his duty).

The FIR wa s registered on the basis of the statement of some protesters who had been taken into custody during the violent protests at Rajendra N agar terminal here on Monday. The teachers have been booked for “inciting the mob” that indulged in vandalism , set trains on fire and caused extensive damage to railway property across the state since January 24. The protests erupted after the RRB and NTPC issued fresh notifications a few days ago with a provision of two examinations . Those who have passed the earlier examination and are waiting for the posting have been asked to clear the mains examination. The previous examination Will be treated as a preliminary e xamina tion.

In his YouTube channel, ‘Khan Sir’ had said, “You have put an add itional exam burden on those who have passed the earlier examination. Even if they are ready for mains examination, how could they prepare for it in less than one month’s time? Preparing for the mains examination is not possible in less than o ne month. ”

Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh said those named in the FIR would be gi ven an opportunity to defend themselves. “They can present their point of view to police. Action w ill be taken against the guilty,” he sai d. Meanwhile, sources in the railway ministry s aid since law and order is a state subject, the respective state police would carry out the investigation. They pointed out that protests erupted in parts of Bihar and UP which have high concentration of coaching institutes. They said the coaching institutes would be kee non more applicants qualifying after the first roundas that would directly help their business.

Fraud portal of online shopping busted

Fraud portal of online shopping busted

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Vadodara: Two persons, who used the mobile phone number of an unsuspecting citizen to carry out fraud worth lakhs of rupees, have been arrested by the cybercrime sleuths in the city. The accused duo is suspected to have conned many people in the past, the police said.

According to the cybercrime sleuths, Dhaval Patel, a resident of Atladara, had filed a complaint against unidentified persons some months ago. Patel told the police that his wife Nidhi started getting innumerable calls on her number from many people across the country. The callers demanded the products they had bought from a website blazeshop. live.

“Investigations revealed that the accused had posted Nidhi’s mobile number on the website. The website accepted payments but didn’t deliver the products. The buyers used to call on Nidhi’s number for inquiry,” the police said. Patel as well as his wife were unaware that her number was being misused.

The cybercrime sleuths then contacted the customers who had bought products from the website through online payment. It led them to a bank account where the money transferred by customers was deposited. “The bank account was in the name of Gaurav Brahmbhatt, a resident of Anand, and the registered mobile number linked to the bank account was in the name of Nikunj Dave, a resident of Valsad,” the police added.

The bank account had Rs 5. 35 lakh in deposits. The cops tracked down the duo’s location and arrested them. Investigating officials said that the duo must have siphoned a big amount by defrauding dozens of persons by using the fake shopping website. “We are trying to ascertain if they have committed similar frauds in the past apart from recovering the money they siphoned from unsuspecting customers,” the police said.

MBBS BDS CHOICE FILLING TILL JAN 31

FLIGHT INFO

COURT NEWS

Back to digital mode With shooting Covid cases and the fast spread of the Omicron variant, many schools are switching back to online classes to keep everyone safe

Back to digital mode

With shooting Covid cases and the fast spread of the Omicron variant, many schools are switching back to online classes to keep everyone safe

Respedit.Chennai@timesgroup.com

28.01.2022

Much hope had been pinned on this new year with students looking forward to returning to their campuses soon. The third wave has hit a high in the country and is pushing up cases to an unprecedented level. The variant cannot be taken for granted just because it is mild at the moment, and the rate of hospitalisation is still not alarming. Safety restrictions at this stage are inevitable, and educational campuses have yet again been one of the first to be shut down for students’ safety.

“We were excited about going back to the classroom. Unlike other institutions, some classes in our school were being held in online mode so we were really looking forward to meeting each other. However, things did not happen as per our plan. We received a message from our principal during early January stating that physical classes shall be suspended until further notice,” says a school student.

DIGITAL HUB

While none knows for sure as to when children can go back to classrooms, experts feel that virtual learning needs to be made more effective. According to them, virtual classrooms must be made more interactive so that students do not lose interest. Keeping in mind that many students may face internet issues, some schools are developing avirtual platform which can be accessed even if the bandwidth is low. A digital library is being loaded with class lectures. Students can download and access it when they have proper connection. Two years since the pandemic struck, schools and teachers have become much more flexible in their approach. LABORATORY CLASSES

While theoretical classes can be taught online, the issue is with lab sessions.Compared to last two years, teachers are now making videos and sharing it virtually with a feel of the lab. They are getting themselves filmed while demonstrating and sharing it along with related lecture classes. The videos help students understand what happens inside a lab when the experiment is conducted. These demonstration videos are especially for those students who may have internet issues to watch them real time. HYBRID LEARNING

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. While government and private offices can function with min-imum workforce, schools, colleges and universities have been closed down to keep students safe. It is time to be positive. We need to understand that online classes mean students can continue with their regular learning without getting exposed to the infection. If experts and industry buzz is to be believed, we are heading towards fluid hybrid learning system.

Hybrid learning solutions will continue to play an essential role given the new normal in education. Edtech solution providers have brought forth a slew of products such as view board interactive displays, collaborative projectors, touch monitors, and writing devices. MAKING IT WORK

E-learning will continue to be the foundation of this new system. Therefore, it is important to understand that students need to be comfortable to deliver their best in this ever-evolving system. The key to this lies in paying attention. On their part, teachers have been developing newer tools that can help students sustain their atten-tion. Keeping a few minutes aside for a Q&A session is one of them. Showing junior classes slides wherever possible helps them to grasp a concept better. Online learning is no substitute for offline learning but for the moment we need to make the best of what is available.

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Result delay hits govt hosps, many forced to go to pvt labs

Result delay hits govt hosps, many forced to go to pvt labs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.01.2022

Hyderabad: Amid an increase in Covid-19 cases, a delay of three to four days in getting RT-PCR test results at government hospitals and urban primary healthcare centres is forcing people to get tested at private labs.

Serpentine queues are being seen at all Basti Dawakhanas, UPHCs, area and district hospitals.

“On a daily basis, there are more than 900 to 1,000 people visiting government ho-spitals. Most of them are showing Covid-19 symptoms and have to undergo tests, increasing the load. Many of our staff members are also down with the infection. However, we are trying to deal with as many cases as we can,” said K Shankar, superintendent of Fever Hospital. Testing at private diagnostic centres costs anywhere between ₹500 to ₹1,500. Due to delayed results, self-testing rapid antigen kits are being preferred by many people.

There is also huge rush for home testing services as several patients are feeling weak.

Girls worst hit in access to eduduring pandemic: Parl panel

Girls worst hit in access to eduduring pandemic: Parl panel

Ambika.Pandit@timesgroup.com

27.01.2022

New Delhi: As the surging third wave puts the focus back on the pandemic’s impact on children’s education, the findings of a parliamentary committee highlights how the Covid crisis has disproportionately affected girls, especially their education.

The committee on women empowerment, in its report presented during the winter session of Parliament in December, called for urgent measures to prevent girls from poor families, impacted by closure of schools and lack of digital access, from dropping out of school.

On a specific question about the effect of the pandemic on enrolment and retention of girls in schools, especially from among the sociallyand economically-backward groups in schools, the education ministry submitted before the panel that “school closure in India affected 320 million children enrolled from pre-primary to tertiary levels of education. It has been estimated that of these, about 158 million are female students”.

The submissions and recommendations are part of the report on ‘Empowerment of Women Through Education with Special Reference to Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao Scheme’. The committee has observed that in the post pandemic scenario, the probability of more adolescent girls dropping out of school permanently to help with household tasks and childcare due to economic hardships of their families is very high.

The panel has recommended incentivising participation that can help more girls continue their schooling with measures like targeted scholarships, conditional cash transfers, provision of bicycles, access to smart phones and hostel facilities.

The panel observed that as per the ‘unified district infor mation system for fducation (UDISE )’ data for 2018-19, the gross enrolment ratio of girls decreased from 96. 72 in elementary classes to 76. 93 in secondary classes and to 50. 84 in higher secondary classes. It also pointed out that the dropout ratio of girls during 2019-20 was 15. 1. Times View:

This is another worrying example of the socially disastrous fall-outs of the pandemic. Authorities must take suitable steps to ensure that girls aren’t forced to drop out. In the long term, it would gravely hurt the nation’s interests.

Why medical PG aspirants are fretting at entrance tests

Why medical PG aspirants are fretting at entrance tests

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.01.2022

New Delhi: The MBBS students who were to appear for the medical masters’ entrance exam this year in March have been thrown into an undesired circumstance.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, the apex body to hold the NEET PGentrance exam,announced it will be held on March 12. The eligibility criteria require candidates who have completed a year of internship or are likely to finish it before May 31.

This has raised concern among students aspiring to sit for the exam as many of them couldn’t complete the internship due to compulsory Covid duties from April last year.

The resident doctor's association of the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has written to the NBE requesting to revise the eligibility criteria for students undergoing internships. The RDA also mentioned that many of the students had delayed joining of internship due to personal health as well as issues like loss of family members during the wave.

“Due to these reasons, it is impossible that many candidates will complete the internship by May 31, thus making them ineligible to sit for the NEET PG 2022 and eventually leading to wastage of entire year. Thus as per the existing criteria, thousands of students across the nation will be deprived of the opportunity without any fault on their part,” read the letter.

Tirupati to become Sri Balaji, Vijayawada gets NTR’s name

Devotees Abroad Happy, Appreciate AP Govt’s Decision

Samdani.MN@timesgroup.com

27.01.2022

Amaravati: The temple town of Tirupati is becoming a new district and will be named after the presiding deity Lord Sri Balaji.

Devotees of Lord Sri Venkateswara overseas are happy about the proposal an d appreciated the state government’s decision,onsocialm edia. However, devotees in AP, particularly in Tirupati, seemed to have been not convinced with the proposal as the name Sri Balaji is p opular onlyin north India.

“It will be better to keep the name simply as Tirupati or name it after Sri Venkateswara or Sri Srinivas instead of Sri Balaji,” said Srikanth Reddy, a resident of Tirupati.

The r elease of draft n otification proposing names for a few otherdistricts has m ostly gone down well with the locals. In a significant political move, the YSRCP g overnment decided to name Vi j ayawada district after the founding president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and former chief m inisterNT Rama Rao. The TDP, which was in power for almost 14 years afte r the death of NTR, did n ot a ttempt to name a district after the legendary actor and party founder.

Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy promised to name a district after NTR during the last election campaign.

“This is the difference between Jagan and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. While Jagan is a man of deeds, Naidu had always tried to deceive people,” alleged civil supplies minister Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani).

However, the birth place of NTR, Nimmakuru in Krishna district, is now part of Pamarru assembly consti- tuency and went to the newly proposed Krishna district by retaining M achilipatnam as district headquarters.

Sources said that the state government has decided to name Vijayawada district after NTR in order to protect the historical significance of Krishna distr ict named after the river Krishna and also port town of Machilipatnam.

Saint, legendary musician and p oet Annamayya’s name has been proposed for Rajampet district. Tallapaka Annamacharya (Annamayya) wa s born in Kadapa district and scripted and composed hundreds of keerthanas praising Lord Sri Ve nkateswara and Lord Vishnu. Rajampet district lost both the name and the district headqu arter status. Rayachoti townis g oing to be the district headquarters for Annamayya district covering Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency.

Araku Lok Sabha constituency will be named a fter revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri S itaramaraju.

Full report on www. toi. in

Covishield, Covaxin dose price may be capped at ₹425 after market nod

Covishield, Covaxin dose price may be capped at ₹425 after market nod

27.01.2022

New Delhi: The price of Covishield and Covaxin, the Covid vaccines which are expected to soon get regular market approval from India’s drug regulator, is likely to be capped at ₹275 per dose plus an additional service charge of ₹150, official sources said.

According to them, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has been directed to start working towards capping the price to make the vaccines affordable.

As of now, Covaxin is priced at ₹ 1,200 per dose while Covishield costs ₹ 780 in private facilities. The prices include ₹150 service charge. Both the vaccines are only authorised for emergency use in the country.

An Subject Expert Committee on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation on January 19 recommended granting regular market approval to Covid vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in the adult population subject to certain conditions.

“The NPPA has been asked to work towards capping the price of the vaccines. The price is likely to be capped at ₹275 per dose along with an additional service charge of ₹150,” an official source said.

PTI

Madurai AIIMS a non-starter even after 3 yrs

Madurai AIIMS a non-starter even after 3 yrs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.01.2022

Madurai: Thursday marks three years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in Madurai with much fanfare, but no construction has taken place at the site yet. Though it was stipulated to be completed in 45 months, work is expected to start only next year.

When the announcement for the premier medical institution was made about seven years ago, it was seen as a flagship scheme that would bring in votes for BJP and its allies in the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for 2019. It was the then finance minister Arun Jaitley who announced the project in February 2015 bringing much joy to the people of Tamil Nadu. However, delays had bogged down the project ever since.

It was announced in August 2020 that construction would start after the agreement was signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in December that year. But the agreement dragged on till March 2021. Then arose the controversy of the then AIADMK government not handing over the land required for the construction to the Union government.

A case in this regard was filed in the Madurai bench of Madras high court and the state government informed that it had handed over the land on November 3.

However, nine months after signing the agreement with JICA, the project continues to be on paper. The shocker came after the administrative meeting of Madurai AIIMS in June when it was announced that construction would begin only in 2023 and be completed in 2026, four years beyond its initially scheduled completion in September 2022.

New system for train detection on key routes

New system for train detection on key routes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.01.2022

Chennai: The railways is installing a new train detection system on all the main routes — Central-Gudur, Central-Jolarpet and Egmore-Tambaram — and will be able to run services even if tracks are flooded and signals malfunction.

The multi-section digital axle counter (MSDAC) that uses electromagnetic sensors to count wheels and detect trains, their direction and speed on a track has already been installed on some sections that are prone to flooding and will be extended to the entire Chennai division in two years.

The state-of the-art system has been installed on Guduvancheri-Chengalpet third line, Egmore-Kodambakkam, Avadi-Pattabiram stretches and at stations like Chennai Egmore, Chennai Central, Omalur, Salem Town, Erode, Virapandy Road, Tirupur, Ernakulam Town, Kayamkulam, Quilon, Irumpanam in 2021-22, said Southern Railway additional general manager B G Mallya during the Republic Day celebrations on Wednesday.

Sources said sections like Egmore-Kodambakkam and Avadi-Pattabiram are prone to water logging and the new system would come in handy when signals don’t work. Work to install sensors and allied equipment on Avadi-Ambattur section is on and will be completed soon. All main routes from the city have been divided into small sections where installation will be taken up.

Chief public relations officer B Guganesan said the new system is more reliable for detecting trains not affected by the condition of tracks like water logging and traction currents. “It also helps in easy integration and implementation of a centralized traffic control and train protection system (KAVACH). The new system is being provided as a replacement to the existing systems which have completed their service life,” he added.

Other safety measures being carried out include complete track renewal of 182km along with deep screening of 788 track km till December 2021, installing 19 hot axle box detectors and online monitoring of rolling stock to detect defective wheels, bearings of coaches and locomotives.