MKU-SBI smart card enables students to mark attendance, withdraw money

TNN | Feb 21, 2020, 04.16 AM IST

Madurai: Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday launched a multi-purpose identity card which will enable students to get access to various department buildings, mark attendance and be used as a regular debit card.

“Ever since noticing that many rural families are still far from digitalisation, I wanted to introduce this card at our university which mainly caters to students in rural and remote areas. This card has been issued free of cost to the students. We would also be able to collect and document data of students and the university’s activities more easily,” said MKU vice-chancellor Dr M Krishnan. The university is currently in the process of achieving complete automation of its academic and administrative activities. It had recently introduced MKU-Mobile app / Web app as a platform for digital learning management system.

The MKU VC and the deputy managing director, SBI, J Swaminathan, launched the smart combo ID card and distributed it to students. About 1,500 PG students will first be making use of the cards. An MoU was signed for five years between the university and the bank to implement the project with SBI investing a total of Rs 20 lakh initially. “We are trying to promote electronic system of recording and reduce cash. We don’t see it as expenditure but rather an investment whenever we are working with educational institutions,” Swaminathan told the students. MKU is the fourth educational institution in the country to collaborate with SBI for issuing such combo cards.

Surat women clerks forced to stand naked for med test

Yagnesh.Mehta@timesgroup.com

Surat:21.02.2020

Barely a week after 68 students of a Bhuj girls’ college were lined up and forced to strip to prove they weren’t menstruating, female trainee clerks of the Surat municipal corporation were on Thursday allegedly made to stand naked at a state-run hospital for a long time while lady doctors subjected them to a gynaecological finger test and asked personal questions.

According to a complaint lodged by the SMC Employees Union with the municipal commissioner, around 100 employees got a rude shock when they reached the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research for their mandatory fitness test.

“Female employees were forced to stand naked together in groups of around 10 in a room where they did not have any privacy. The door was not properly closed and the only thing blocking the view from outside was a curtain,” said a senior SMC employee in whom one of the women confided.

Besides being subjected to the controversial finger test, even unmarried women were allegedly asked if they had ever been pregnant. Some of the women accused the lady doctors who conducted the gynaecological tests of also behaving rudely with them.

Male trainees had to undergo a general fitness assessment that included eye, ENT, heart and lung tests, besides an overall check-up. The fitness test is mandatory for confirmation of an employee’s service on completion of the three-year probation.

Ashwin Vachhani, head of the gynaecology department at the hospital, said, “We have to examine women physically since it is mandatory as per the guidelines. I don’t know if such tests are done on men, but in case of women we follow rules to find out if they have any specific illness.”

Full report on www.toi.in

Centre tells HC TN resolution to free Rajiv convict has no effect without guv order

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.02.2020

The central government on Thursday told the Madras high court that the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu government to release Rajiv Gandhi assassination life convict Nalini Sriharan has zero effect without the governor's order.

Additional solicitor general G Rajagopal made the submission when the habeas corpus plea filed by Nalini came up for hearing.

Behind the bars for more than 27 years, Nalini is the longest serving woman prisoner in the country.

In her plea, Nalini sought to declare her detention illegal since the governor failed to order her release based on the recommendation of the state cabinet dated September 9, 2018.

The central government submitted that it informed the Tamil Nadu governor that it is not inclined to release of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts.

When the petition came up on Thursday, Nalini’s counsel argued that the council of ministers had advised the Governor as early as September 2018 to release Nalini under Article 161 of the Constitution, by which the governor can issue clemency.

The additional solicitor general argued that the resolution passed by the council of ministers was sent to the governor and only the governor has the powers to pass it as an order, until when the resolution will hold ‘zero effect’ Recording the submissions, a division bench of Justice R Subbiah and Justice R Pongiappan reserved orders on the plea after hearing submissions from the state government and the centre.

Last week, the state government had clarified to the Madras high court that it had only recommended the release of all seven life convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination as it lacks power to order such release.

“The state cabinet has only made a recommendation to the governor.

The governor has to take a decision. He cannot be questioned by the state for not acting on its recommendation,” public prosecutor A Natarajan had said.

AICTE asks univs to hire faculty in 2 yrs
Move Follows 1:15 Faculty Student Order

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:21.02.2020

After fixing a 1:15 faculty-student ratio for deemed universities and autonomous colleges, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has given the institutions two years to recruit faculty members and create infrastructure.

While engineering colleges welcomed the move, faculty members say recruitments may not be made due to the relaxation in time.

“Institutions deemed to be universities, institutions having accreditation/autonomous status shall have a faculty-student ration of 1:15 in UG level in engineering and technology and maintain a better cadre ratio in order to achieve excellence in technical education,” the AICTE had said in its approval process handbook for 2020-21that was released on February 5.

On Wednesday, in a corrigendum, it said, “Considering the time required to complete the procedure for recruitment of faculty, receive block grants from state governments, all such institutions shall have to create the necessary faculty, infrastructure and other facilities within two years to fulfil the norms and an affidavit for the same shall have to be submitted to AICTE.”

A principal from autonomous engineering college near Chennai said at least one year would be needed to recruit more faculty members. “We need to recruit 30% more members to achieve 1:15 ratio. It is not possible within a such short span. AICTE now has made a right move by issuing a corrigendum,” he said. A few colleges said the new move would also increase expenditure by 30% per year.

But, faculty members said the AICTE had diluted its order by giving more time. K M Karthik, founder of All India Private Colleges Employees Union (AIPCEU), said, “Once again AICTE has yielded to the pressure from engineering colleges and deemed universities.” The council did not care about the faculty members when it brought down the faculty-student ratio from 1:15 to 1:20 and now it is heeding to pleas of managements of engineering colleges, he added.

Former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy said colleges needed time to recruit faculty but that two years was too long. “AICTE should have given a year. Unlike affiliated colleges, deemed universities and autonomous colleges need to focus on conducting exams and research. They can only do it by having a 1:15 ratio,” he said.

Faculty members said AICTE had diluted its order by giving time

Ex-VC of MKU elected to Madras University VC search panel

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.02.2020

P Maruthamuthu, former vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, was elected senate nominee to the Madras University’s vice-chancellor search panel on Thursday.

With his nomination, now the search panel has two former VCs. The governor-chancellor has to appoint his nominee to complete the search panel for selecting the new vice-chancellor.

Last week, the Madras University syndicate had nominated P Ramasamy, former vice chancellor of Alagappa University, to the search panel.

During the special senate meeting convened to elect a nominee to the search panel, the two associations in Madras University — professors forum of Madras University and Madras University teachers association (MUTA) — nominated Maruthamuthu and M Anandakrishnan, former vice-chancellor of Anna University, to the search panel. Following the two proposals, the senate conducted voting to choose its nominee. “Out of the 87 votes polled on Thursday, Maruthamuthu got 65 votes and Anandkrishnan got 21. One vote was not valid,” a senate member said.The three-year tenure of vice-chancellor P Duraisamy is coming to an end in May.

In 2016, following the disappearance and non-cooperation of R Surendira Prasad, former member of the Madras University VC search panel, the state government had brought an amendment fixing minimum qualification for search panel members and time limit to shortlist VC candidates.

SCAM IN TNUSRB HIRING PROCESS

High court stays recruitment for 8,888 firemen posts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.02.2020

The Madras high court on Thursday ordered an interim stay in the recruitment of more than 8,000 posts in Tamil Nadu fire and rescue services in response to a petition that sought a CBI probe into alleged malpractices in the recruitment by Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB).

Expressing displeasure, Justice N Anand Venkatesh, before whom the petition came up, observed that people will lose confidence in the state if there is fraud in every public service examination.

As many as 15 people had moved the court seeking probe by the central agency even as ripples created by the TNPSC recruitment scam are yet to settle down in the state.

“About 1,019 candidates have been selected from Vellore district and another 763 were chosen from exam centres in Villupuram. All of these candidates were declared to have secured more than 72 marks in the exam. Most of those selected from Vellore are from Sigaram Tuition Centre,” according to the petition.

A notification was issued by TNUSRB in 2019 for filling 8,888 vacant posts of grade-II constables, firemen and jail wardens. Written exams were conducted on August 25 last year and physical examination and endurance tests were held in November 2019.

According to the petitioners, the board published a provisional selection list on February 4 in which their names did not feature, though they had cleared the written exam and physical test. The petitioners contended that most of the candidates selected had secured 69 marks and the highest seems to be 88 marks by a candidate for the post of fireman. Expressing shock that cut-off marks were not published for any category, the petitioners sought the court’s intervention in the matter.

Besides irregularities in the selection process, 20% reservation for people who studied in Tamil medium has

not been provided in the recruitment, the petitioners said.

The petitioners had wanted the court to call for the records of the provisional list and quash the same besides ordering a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

As an interim relief, the 15 petitioners had requested the court to direct the board to produce their OMR answer sheets.

On Thursday, when the petition came up for hearing, Justice N Anand Venkatesh ordered that the entire selection shall be kept in abeyance for a period of one week considering the allegations made. Directing the recruiting body to respond on the matter, the court adjourned the petition to March 5.

Platform ticket price at Central to be ₹15

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:21.02.2020

The cost of a platform ticket at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Chennai Central is set to be increased from ₹10 to ₹15 for period of 3 months, starting from April 1. An official release said this was done keeping in view the peak summer traffic expected to begin from April 1 and with the objective of decongesting platforms and facilitating movement of originating and terminating passengers.

In March 2015, the Railway Board had increased the price of a platform ticket from ₹5 to ₹10 and empowered the various divisions to increase the price beyond ₹10 in order to regulate rush during any specific requirement. The latest price increase is done in accordance with power delegated by the board.

Southern Railway said platform tickets are available for passengers at booking office at Moore Market Complex, at the end of platform 1 (on Walltax Road side) and at an exclusive platform ticket counter near gate 5 at Central.

The increase will be effective till June 30.