ACB searches on SRO, tahsildar, town planning offices

ACB searches on SRO, tahsildar, town planning offices

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.30 AM IST

Vijayawada: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted state-wide searches on tahsildar, sub-registrar and town planning offices and noticed several irregularities on Wednesday. According to officials, the ACB recovered unaccounted money in all the offices they raided and found that employees were not maintaining personal cash register properly.

In Srikakulam, officials raided Santhakaviti tahsildar office and found 30 pattadar pass books that were not distributed for the last three months. Other irregularities include 15 pending Spandana petitions, 242 Meeseva petitions and staff having Rs 22,810 unauthorised cash.

In Krishna district, officials raided Ibrahimpatnam tahsildar office and found unaccounted money of Rs 2.28 lakh from 10 employees. They found 12,687 applications received in Meeseva, out of which, 9,900 applications were approved and 885 of them were rejected without assigning reason.

Around 1,669 applications are within SLA (service level agreement) and 40 of them set to lapse in 24 hours. “On verification of the attendance register for the year 2020, it was found that the names of only 11 staff were entered. Some members had signed and some did not sign up to August 2020 and the register for the month of September not yet opened,” ACB official said.

Officials also raided the sub-registrar office in Jaggaiahpet in Krishna district and found Rs 11,180 cash from M Lakshmana Rao, a private person. The officials stated that Rao is engaged by the sub-registrar to collect bribes. Similar offences were noticed at sub-registrar offices in Kadapa and Chittoor. The officials also raided the town planning office at Gudur municipality in Nellore district and found eight petitions regarding layout regularisation scheme and 140 petitions regarding public grievances were pending. They also found lapses in collecting tax dues of advertisement hoardings till date.

Spouses cite Covid-19 hardship to bypass maintenance payments

Spouses cite Covid-19 hardship to bypass maintenance payments

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.37 AM IST

Vijayawada: Women dependent on maintenance from their husbands are among the worst-hit by Covid-19, a study by a city-based NGO has shown. The number of divorced women seeking redressal through grievance portals has increased after their former spouses stopped paying maintenance citing financial constraints due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 and Section 23(1) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, women can claim maintenance from their spouse.

Allegations of spouses defaulting on maintenance payments have grown recently. “The domestic violence (DV) court in March 2019 ruled in my favour and directed my husband to pay me a monthly maintenance of Rs 6,800. He paid it for two to three months and then stopped. I used to work in an Auto Nagar industry as a daily labourer and earn some money but the lockdown changed that and I lost my job. Maintenance is the only source of income for me and my children,” said K Sandhya Rani (name changed), a resident of Prasadampadu.

In its study, Vasavya Mahila Mandali (VMM), the NGO that conducted research on 151 women who are supposed to receive maintenance, showed that none of 151 women have been receiving regular payments. The court had ruled in favour of all the women. Polisetty Subhashini, legal counsellor at VMM said, “Not even five per cent of women are getting paid maintenance regularly. Husbands are utilising legal privileges to avoid payment of maintenance. The situation of these women has become pathetic after the lockdown and most of them are not in a position to feed their families.”

Advocates agree that legal loopholes have worsened matters for women. “A woman can only complain in a court when she does not receive mainentanance for 12 months at a stretch. The husband can pay the dues in court or simply accept a one-month-long imprisonment to waive off dues. Many husbands are doing this. We have started a fight against this and are circulating petitions. We will soon move the Supreme Court, challenging Acts that worsen the plight of women,” said senior advocate Neeru Mishra.

Tamil Nadu has 52,000 active cases; Sivaganga worst fatality rate

Tamil Nadu has 52,000 active cases; Sivaganga worst fatality rate

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.31 AM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu added 5,990 cases on Wednesday taking the case tally to 4,39,959. The state reported 98 deaths that took the cumulative death toll to 7,516. There were 52,380 people still under treatment on Wednesday.

The recovery rate was more than 86%, after 5,891 people were discharged in the past 24 hours. While an average of 11% of the people was still under treatment across the state, there were 33.6% of active cases in Erode, 31.5% in Salem and 30.8% in Tirupur. Coimbatore had around 25% of its patients still under treatment, compared to 9% in Chennai and 5% in Madurai. Perambalur (107) , Dharmapuri (168), and Sivaganga (249) had the lowest number of people under treatment.

The state tested more than 73,883 people and 75,829 samples between Tuesday and Wednesday. The average positivity rate is 9.2% in the state and around 15% in Chennai. While Ranipet has around 15.4% positivity rate, Chengalpet and Cuddalore have 13% each. The fatality rate was 1.7% in the state. Sivaganga (2.6%) had the highest fatality rate followed by Madurai (2.5%), Ramanathapuram (2.2%) and Chennai (2%).

Chennai, the worst affected district, recorded 1,025 new cases and 19 deaths. Neighbouring Chengalpet (390), Kancheepuram (133) and Tiruvallur (285) together clocked 808 cases and 18 deaths. The Chennai region had 1,833 fresh cases and 37 deaths, pushing active cases in the region to 18,558, including 12,537 in Chennai. The seven other northern districts together reported 1,247 cases and 16 deaths.

After the northern districts, the eight districts in the West together reported 1,375 cases and 16 deaths. Coimbatore reported 579 cases and Salem recorded 403 cases, followed by Erode (106), Tirupur (87) and Namakkal (83). The number of active cases in the zone was 11,543, including 4,269 in Coimbatore and 3,724 in Salem.

Though the southern districts had fewer cases than the west, it reported 21 deaths. The ten districts together reported 858 cases, while the central zone recorded 664 cases and eight deaths. There were 7,805 people under treatment in the south and 5,558 in the central districts. Of the 98 people whose deaths were reported on Wednesday, five had no comorbid conditions.

Navi Mumbai: Woman loses Rs 1.4 lakh to e-SIM fraud

Navi Mumbai: Woman loses Rs 1.4 lakh to e-SIM fraud

TNN | Sep 1, 2020, 10.53 AM IST

NAVI MUMBAI: A 47-year-old interior decorator from Kharghar has been cheated of Rs 1.46 lakh by an e-fraudster, who contacted her over mobile posing as representative of a mobile service provider.

The caller said that the company was activating an e-SIM card for customers and sent her a message from the cellular network company’s central helpline and told her to share the OTP for e-SIM verification.

After she shared the OTP, her SIM card was blocked for a day when the fraudster carried out three fraudulent transactions of a total of Rs 1.38 lakh on her credit card and one transaction of Rs 8,000 from her savings bank account.

Covid-19: Puducherry to recruit doctors, nurses and others on contract basis

Covid-19: Puducherry to recruit doctors, nurses and others on contract basis

Sep 2, 2020, 02.53 PM IST

PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry government has proposed to recruit 153 general duty medical officers, 125 nursing officers, 92 auxiliary nurses and midwives and 24 sanitary workers (health) on a short-term contract for 90 days to strengthen the healthcare machinery in the fight against Covid-19.

The candidates who are native/resident of the territory can attend a walk-in-interview at the directorate of health and family welfare services in Puducherry, Karaikal collectorate, regional administrators' offices in Mahe and Yanam. Interviews will be held from September 3 to 5 (between 10am and 5pm).

Candidates must bring all original certificates and one set of self-attested photocopies of their qualifications and details of experience along with two photographs and signed curriculum vitae.

Candidates with MBBS, who have registered with the Medical council of India and are aged below 45 years, can attend the interview for the post of general duty medical officer. The selected candidates will be paid a remuneration of Rs 40,000 per month.

The candidates with BSc nursing/diploma in nursing registered with the Indian Nursing Council and aged below 40 years can attend the interview for the post of nursing officer. The selected candidates will be paid a remuneration of Rs 15,000 per month.

The candidates with diploma in auxiliary nursing and midwifery who have registered with the council and are less than 40 years of age can attend the interview. The selected candidates will be paid a remuneration of Rs 12,000 per month.

The candidates who have cleared SSLC and are aged below 40 years can attend the interview for the post of sanitary worker (health). The selected candidates will be paid a remuneration of Rs 10,000 per month.

SRMIST extends free education to students in Perambalur

SRMIST extends free education to students in Perambalur

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.46 AM IST

Trichy: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur, will offer free education to 300 students in Perambalur parliamentary constituency for a second year in a row. Students from the Perambalur Lok Sabha segment, who wish to pursue engineering, arts and science, horticulture, management, and health sciences can apply for the same.

It was announced by SRMIST’s founder chancellor and Perambalur Lok Sabha MP T R Paarivendhar last year and is being followed this year too. Keeping his promise of giving free seats in higher educational institutions to students from his constituency, the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) leader launched a free higher education scheme last year.

Applicants from economically weaker sections will be selected based on their performance in their respective board examinations. These 300 students, 50 each from the six assembly constituencies in the LS constituency would be given free education at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, hostel facilities will not be provided this time.Paarivendhar asked students to utilize this opportunity to pursue higher studies. He assured that deserving students would get suitable placements.Those eligible in his constituency need to submit the applications online on or before September 10. For further details, applicants can contact the office of director (admissions), SRM Nagar, Potheri, Chengalpet district - 603203.Applications can be filled on www.ijkparty.org and www.srmist.edu.in. Applicants can contact helplines: 044-27417011/7006, 044-27455510/ 47437500.

Lockdown relaxations in Tamil Nadu: Inter-district bus and passenger train services to resume

Lockdown relaxations in Tamil Nadu: Inter-district bus and passenger train services to resume

Sep 2, 2020, 02.23 PM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday announced that inter-district public and private bus transport and passenger train services within the state will be permitted from September 7.

The state government resumed bus transport within districts on Tuesday. In an official statement, the chief minister said there were requests from the public to recommence the operations for inter-district travel for work and business-related activities.

“Permission is granted to resume inter-district public and private bus transport following the standard operating procedure,” Palaniswami said.

There were media reports about ordeals faced by the commuters to travel to other districts as the state transport corporations stop the services quiet away from the district boundaries, compelling the commuters to take a walk to enter the neighbouring district to get another bus.

The chief minister also said passenger trains would also be allowed in the state adhering to the standard operating procedure.

Palaniswami said despite the government extended relaxations, the public would have to follow the safety precautions, including wearing masks, washing hands with soap and maintaining social distancing norms, to prevent the virus spread.

“I urge the public to extend full cooperation to the government’s efforts,” he said.