HC allows OCI student, if selected, to represent country in Olympiad

Special Correspondent 

 

Bengaluru, April 13, 2018 00:00 IST

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday permitted a 14-year-old student, who is an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, to participate in the national-level training-cum-selection camp to be held in Mumbai from April 23 for selecting candidates to represent the country in the 23rd International Astronomy Olympiad to be held in Sri Lanka in September.

Justice A.S. Bopanna passed the interim order, which will be subject to a final order, on the petition filed by Mohit Hulse through his father, Narayan Hulse, a resident of Bengaluru.
The court also allowed Mohit to represent India in the Olympiad to be held in Sri Lanka in the event of his selection.

However, it was made clear that the petitioner is not entitled to seek equity in the event the petition is ultimately dismissed at a later stage, and the expenses incurred by the authorities for his training or sponsoring shall also remain subject to the final decision of the court.

The petitioner had questioned the condition imposed for selection — that the participants must be a citizen of India having a valid Indian passport.

Contending that OCI cardholders have been treated on a par with the citizens under the OCI scheme framed under the Citizenship Act since 2009, he claimed that the conditions to possess Indian passport and citizenship is contrary to the OCI scheme of the Union government.

The petitioner is a United Kingdom passport holder by virtue of his birth as his parents, both Indian citizens, were staying in the U.K. due to their vocation, and later returned to India. Mohit has been studying in Bengaluru since first standard, it has been said in the petition.

Mohit is an eighth standard student of Sri Kumaran Public School, off Kanakapura Road, and he is among the 21 students, who were selected for the camp based on their performance in the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad-2018.

Fees for medical and dental seats likely to increase by 10% 

Tanu Kulkarni 
 
Bengaluru, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST


It will apply to government quota and institutional quota seats

Students aspiring for medical and dental seats in the State will have to brace themselves up as fees are likely to be increased by 10% for the 2018-2019 academic year. It will apply to government quota and institutional quota seats.

With this hike, an MBBS seat is likely to cost Rs. 77,000 for the government quota category in private medical colleges. A seat under the institutional quota in private medical colleges may cost Rs. 6.32 lakh.

The fees for postgraduate courses have been increased by 15%.

There has been a steep increase in the fee structure for medical and dental courses since the introduction of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. Despite this, Karnataka has one of the lowest fee structure for these courses when compared with other States.

M.R. Jayaram, chairman Karnataka Professional Colleges Foundation, said that they were demanding that the fees be increased by 15%. “The State government had already agreed to a 10% hike last year for the coming two years. We want an additional increase, but the State government is not agreeing to our demand,” he said.

Officials in the Medical Education Department said that the logistics of the counselling and modalities of the fee structure was likely to be discussed in the coming fortnight.

Likely fees if hike  
comes into effect

Govt. quota in private medical college: Rs. 77,000


Institutional quota dental seats: Rs. 6.32 lakh


Govt. quota seats in dental colleges: Rs. 49,000


Institutional quota dental seats: Rs. 4.29 lakh

‘Good Samaritan’ Collector 

Special Correspondent 
 
Thoothukudi, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST



Thoothukudi Collector N. Venkatesh with a student who suffered knee dislocation near Ettayapuram on Friday.

A timely help extended by District Collector N. Venkatesh to a 14-year-old school student, ensured medical assistance to the girl who had dislocated her left knee.

When S. Kalaiselvi, a 9th standard student from South Kumareddiyarpuram near Ettaiyapuram, was going to school on her bicycle along with her friends, she accidentally fell. Since the girl dislocated her left knee, she was in excruciating pain.

Mr. Venkatesh who was returning to Thoothukudi from Kovilpatti, saw her. On getting to know about the accident, he carried her to one of the vehicles accompanying him. After taking her to the Ettaiyapuram GH for first-aid, Mr. Venkatesh, alerted the orthopaedic surgeon of the GH at Kovilpatti to receive the patient for further treatment.

‘Personal documents enough for tatkal passports’ 

Staff Reporter 
 
ERODE, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST

Applicants of tatkal passports need not obtain Class 1 officer’s seal of verification as submitting their personnel documents with application is enough.

A press release from Collector S. Prabhakar has said that as per the new rule of the Ministry of External Affairs, the mandatory requirement of Class 1 officer’s recommendation on the application for a passport under the Tatkal scheme in annexure F is not necessary.

Hence, applicants need not approach Collector, Superintendent of Police, District Revenue Officer or Revenue Divisional Officer for recommendation. The applicant can submit his personal documents for obtaining the same, the release added.

Law student placed under suspension 

Staff Reporter 
 
COIMBATORE, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST

The Government Law College here on Friday placed under suspension a student on the charge of instigating classmates to protest against the government.

College principal K.S. Gopalakrishnan said that a section of students had objected to R. Priya’s behaviour in the classroom, and against her social media messages. College sources said that around 30 students of first year L.L.B. lodged a complaint with the principal on Friday alleging that Ms. Priya tried to divide them on the basis of caste and religion, and passed derogatory remarks against them for not supporting her protest against the government. She had send insulting messages to them through social media, they alleged. They said she got atop a table and shouted slogans.

When Ammu, a teacher, was conducting a class, Ms. Priya allegedly banged the desk. Later, she got into a heated argument with the teacher.

Ms. Ammu too lodged a complaint with the Principal.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that he had constituted an inquiry committee comprising Durga and Kumutha, teachers. Based on their findings, the college would decide further action.

Ms. Priya did not respond to The Hindu’ s phone calls.

Singers get Rs. 51 lakh royalty 

Staff Reporter 
 
CHENNAI, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST

Playback artistes hail development

For the first time in India, the Indian Singers Rights Association distributed around Rs. 51 lakh as royalty to popular playback singers in Chennai on Friday.

ISRA’s CEO Sanjay Tandon, who presented a cheque to renowned singers K.J. Yesudas, P. Susheela, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chitra, Srinivas and many others, told The Hindu, “This Rs. 51 lakh royalty money will grow 10 fold if and when radio channels, television channels and mobile companies start paying us. Right now, only IPL teams, amusement parks and few other establishments have paid the royalty money.”

Mr. Tandon said the struggle for ensuring royalty payment began in 1990, culminating in the amendment to the Copyright Act in 2012 that updated the existing laws to international and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) norms, giving writers, composers and artistes’ ownership rights.

Mr. Tandon said the ISRA will seek legal recourse to seek royalties from radio stations, television and mobile networks.

Mr. Balasubrahmanyam hailed the development as a step in the right direction. “There are singers who have sung just one song.... But, even they are playback singers. It is great that even they will get royalties,” he added. Vani Jairam said that “this was a phenomenal and historic step forward.”

One of the most popular playback singers of the yesteryear, Ms. Susheela said, “We have struggled a lot to get this royalty. I am very happy.”

Will grow 10-fold if and when radio, TV channels and mobile companies start paying

Booking unreserved tickets just a click away 

Special Correspondent
Chennai, April 14, 2018 00:00 IST




No more waiting:The app has been launched to avoid long queues at unreserved booking counters.R. Ravindran

Southern Railway launches mobile app as part of mission to save at least 25 tonnes of paper

The Southern Railway on Friday embarked on a mission to save at least 25 tonnes of paper with the launch of an app that will enable passengers to book unreserved tickets across the zone. The paperless ticketing facility was earlier available only for the Chennai suburban sector.

The mobile app — utsonmobile — can be downloaded on any smart phone having access to Google Play Store and Apple Store. With unreserved passengers constituting 91% of the railway’s passenger business, Southern Railway is targeting at least two million passengers visiting unreserved ticket counters every day. There would be no additional charges for booking the unreserved tickets through the mobile app. Payment should be made through R-wallet, the railway’s exclusive e-payment wallet, though.

“Tickets can be booked within a 5-km radius of the station from which the passenger intends to travel,” a senior railway official said on Friday.

Geo-fencing facility

To avoid passengers booking platform tickets/unreserved tickets on seeing the ticket examiners, the app has been enabled with a geo-fencing technology that would prevent the user from booking the tickets from railway stations or on trains.

A minimum of 25 m distance from the railway station and a maximum of 5 km is the functional radius of the mobile app. Asked about the reason for the 5-km restriction, the official said a passenger booking an unreserved ticket has to use it within one hour. “This facility is to avoid long queues at unreserved booking counters. A passenger can purchase a ticket while on the move to the station to catch a train. He/she can upgrade to a higher class depending upon the availability by paying the extra fare as applicable,” the official added.

Passengers would require a one-time registration to activate the mobile app.

No proof of identity is required as the downloaded ticket is sufficient authority to travel