LPG consumers worried about subsidy withdrawal

LPG consumers worried about subsidy withdrawal

Govt.’s silence on issue adds to woes

07/09/2020

Beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme are given three free cylinders.

Deepa H. Ramakrishnan CHENNAI

With LPG subsidy falling under ₹30 per cylinder from June, many consumers are wondering if they are getting any money at all in their bank accounts. Rumours of the government stopping the subsidy are also adding fuel to the fire.

“At least five customers walk in seeking clarification on a daily basis, especially since they do not get text messages from banks as the amount is too small. They are used to the subsidy being over ₹200. During this time last year, it was over ₹100. This month it is ₹24 in the city. The amount varies according to the market. The government gives more subsidy to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana customers. In fact, it has given three free cylinders to them,” an LPG distributor in the city said.

Bharat Petroleum’s sale

Oil industry sources said the government was planning to do away with the LPG subsidy.

“The proposed sale of Bharat Petroleum Corporation is causing disturbance in the market. Consumers are apprehensive about how the new owner will treat them. They wonder if the subsidy will continue and if the same level of service will be maintained,” another distributor said.

Distributors said there should be some kind of announcement regarding this to reassure the consumers.

On the other hand, consumers are facing issues with the receipt of delivery authentication codes (DAC) that they have to provide to the delivery personnel.

“Many times they don’t get the code because their message inbox will be full or the mobile number might have changed. Around 15%- 20% of consumers walk in daily with issues relating to the DAC,” the manager at an agency said.

Oil industry officials said deliveries would be carried out even if the consumers did not get the DAC. It is a mode of contactless delivery, they said.

COVID-19 norms violated on lockdown-free Sunday

COVID-19 norms violated on lockdown-free Sunday

Many throng public places without wearing masks

07/09/2020

Warnings ignored: Many families spent time on Marina Beach on Sunday, though officially, it remains closed to visitors. R. Ragu

Vivek Narayanan CHENNAI

Basic COVID-19 safety protocols, like maintaining adequate physical distance and wearing masks properly, were compromised in many places across Tamil Nadu, particularly in Chennai, during the first lockdown-free Sunday following the unveiling of ‘Unlock 4.0’.

Crowds thronged public places, including open markets, playgrounds and Marina Beach (though officially, the beach is closed to visitors), with people moving about shoulder-to-shoulder in some areas.

Crowds everywhere

In Srirangam, devotees were seen standing in close proximity to each other. In Chennai, families, including children, thronged Marina Beach, and youngsters were spotted playing cricket and football on the Corporation playgrounds. The Marina Service Road was busy, with walkers, joggers and skaters using it.

“Most of them had masks but they wore it on the jaw. A few helpless police personnel were watching people walk past. It appeared as if the city [believed it] had become COVID-19-free,” said M. Jaishankar, an autorickshaw driver.

In the evening, many families spent time on the beach, again without wearing masks. “The police are unable to control [the situation] as the number of visitors is more,” said S. Ethiraj, a resident of Nochikuppam.

Youngsters had a field day, playing outside after a long time. Somasundaram Ground in T. Nagar, Chennai, was full of youngsters, many of whom were not wearing masks.

“Grounds have been opened for morning walks. Now, it is up to the public to follow safety measures and be cautious till the virus goes away. Though the government cannot be blamed, it could put in place a mechanism to monitor the crowd, especially after seeing such incidents,” said V.S. Jayaraman, a T. Nagar resident.

Out in the open

“We were happy to hear that the grounds have been opened. Many of those who had come to play wore masks. Most of them used kerchiefs to cover their nose and mouth. We were not standing close to each other,” said Raju, who was playing in Pallavaram.

People were playing football on the ground behind the Foreshore Estate Police Station. Many were not wearing masks, according to residents.

Maths teacher in Tamil Nadu buys 16 smartphones for her students to attend online classes

Maths teacher in Tamil Nadu buys 16 smartphones for her students to attend online classes

Taking their financial background into account, K Bairavi bought the smartphones and even recharged the sim cards for the students to avail lessons.

Published: 06th September 2020 08:14 PM 

Students show their new smartphones with maths teacher K Bairavi at Elambalur Government Higher Secondary School Perambalur district. (Photo | Express)

By P Thiruselvam

Express News Service

PERAMBALUR: In an effort to catch up with the ways of the ongoing pandemic, a government school teacher has spent a lakh from her savings to buy 16 smartphones and sim cards for her students. A teacher of Elambalur government higher secondary school, K Bairavi, told The New Indian Express that she wishes to conduct online lessons for her students just like private schools. 

Her students, who study in standard 10th, will be appearing for board exams next year. Taking their financial background into account, she bought the smartphones and even recharged the sim cards for the students to avail lessons.

"We went to various villages to approach parents and convince them to admit their children. Here I saw several students living under poverty without any basic facilities at their homes. I was very sad after seeing this," K Bairavi said.

"Due to lockdown, I have been teaching my students through WhatsApp for the last few weeks. But some of them do not own a smartphone and no money to recharge. This is why I decided to buy smartphones and distributed them to my students. The idea was given by my daughter. I have set up a blackboard at my house to record online classes for my students."

Bairavi, who distributed phones to 16 students including the new joinees, has assured them that she will continue to recharge their smartphones till the school reopens. 

One of Bairavi's students, Priyadharshini, said, "When my teacher came to our house during a door-to-door campaign, my parents asked her about online classes. After telling my parents about the classes, we were invited to the school. Bairavi madam surprised us by giving us a smartphone. I am very happy as nobody in my family has one. I will use it for my studies."

Schools in Tamil Nadu have remained closed for over five months. In this situation, the state government declared all students as 'pass' in the annual exams. Subsequently, enrollment in government schools began two weeks ago.

Teachers at Elambalur government higher secondary school in Perambalur district have been doing a door-to-door and distributing leaflets describing the features of government schemes available for the students. Also, they are raising awareness among parents about the special features of their school.

They are conducting lessons through 'Kalvi Tholaikatchi', a government-run TV channel.

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Will foreign varsities in India transform education system

Will foreign varsities in India transform education system

While this will fulfil the dreams of students aspiring to study abroad, it may also pose a challenge for the local institutions, writes Kalpesh Banker

07.09.2020

Times of India Education times 

In a progressive move to uplift the education system of India, the government has recently announced the implementation of National Education Policy 2020. The entry of foreign universities and institutions in India, is one of the most debated announcements among the leading educationists and students. However, it has several implications that need to be assessed. As per the estimates, more than 7.5 lakh students went to international universities in 2019, which was an overwhelming rise as only 66,000 students went abroad to study, a decade ago. The NEP 2020 hopes to fulfil the dreams of students aspiring to study in a foreign institution while saving crores of Indian currency on travel and accommodation with students staying in their home country. As per the announcement, selected universities – the top 100 international universities will be facilitated to set up their campuses and operate in India.

Special dispensation

To establish the institutions, a legislative framework to provide special dispensation for regulation, governance, and other norms will be formed. For further standardisation, the credits acquired by the students studying in foreign universities in India will be counted as a degree within the country. Moreover, to make it more accessible for students, the policy also highlights the provision of financial aid to students. It will create a National Fund to facilitate low-income group students with scholarship programmes and other resources.

New possibilities

This path-breaking provision is going to unlock several possibilities for students. However, it is not easy to implement it. There will be an increase in the education cost which will create inequalities and competition at different levels. It might widen the digital divide. Further, this will also challenge the local institutions and take fair advantage of the market. Moreover, India already has one of the largest networks of institutions with close to 990 universities and 50,000 colleges. Currently, the ecosystem is fragmented as a large portion of the universities offer a single programme and have fewer than 1000 students. This indicates that the gross enrolment ratio in India is significantly lower than in other countries . The other aspect to consider is the global scenario. The major instance is Qatar which is the second richest country in the world and has a maximum number of satellite campuses of the US universities ranked among the top 100. The foreign institutions are funded by its local government, which attracts numerous students coming from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. With such support from the local authorities, it has successfully established several international campuses.

On the other hand, China has been inviting foreign universities for over 20 years. However, only 32 US universities have opened campuses there, out of which only one university is ranked among the top 100 international universities.

Specialised education

Considering the Indian scenario, the government is promoting FDI and opening External Commercial Borrowing routes to strengthen the education sector financially. This might attract qualified professors, better infrastructure and a globally competitive curriculum. However, given the economic and social realities, selecting foreign universities from the list of top 100 is a limited figure. It is quite unlikely that the Indian government or private stakeholders would be able to attract a fair number of international varsities.

(The author is managing partner of Edushine)

Students skip JEE Main 2020 due to safety concerns

Students skip JEE Main 2020 due to safety concerns

While many candidates plan to take JEE Main 2021, others are weighing alternative options

c-Sheetal.Banchariya@timesgroup.com  07.09.2020

Around 9 lakh students had registered for JEE Main 2020. Of the 4,58,521 candidates, who had to appear for the exam in the first three days, around 3,43,958 appeared. As many as 1,12,247 candidates were registered to appear in the BArch/BPlanning exam on September 1, but the turnout was only 61,366 (54.67%) across India. In Lucknow, 44% of students could not appear for the exam on day1and around 45% took the exam in Ludhiana. Several aspirants have chosen not to appear for the coveted entrance exam due to the safety concerns amid coronavirus outbreak.

Abhirup Chakraborty from Asansol, West Bengal, cleared class XII from CISCE board this year. He aspires to become an AI professional, but he had to give a miss at his chance of joining an engineering institute this year.

“As we have seen in KCET conducted last month and in the JEE Main exam, the SOPs are not completely followed. Thus, the chances of getting infected are very high. If I contract the virus, I would risk my entire family. I live with my grandparents, so it is a choice between family and career,” says Abhirup, who is planning to appear for JEE 2021. As he is interested in coding, he has learnt various programming languages in the past. He plans to soon pursue online courses in machine learning. The plans are different for 18-yearold Bhopal boy, Aniruddha Sharma. He is not appearing for the exam because “despite following SOPs, authorities will not be able to detect cases of COVID-19”.

Instead of waiting for a year, Aniruddha is planning to appear for three other exams – IISER Entrance Test, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Admission Test and Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) Entrance Exam – as fewer candidates apply for these exams compared to JEE Main.

“With very few students, there will be comparatively lesser risk of being infected by the virus. If nothing works out, I will join the Manipal Institute of Technology in Jaipur, where I secured a seat after taking the entrance test in online proctored mode while sitting at my home,” he says

Rajini can’t be reluctant any longer. Mind it!

STORYBOARD

Rajini can’t be reluctant any longer. Mind it!

ARUN RAM

07.09.2020

Mid-March, Rajinikanth gave a clarion call for an uprising against the political parties in Tamil Nadu to usher in a new regime and a fresh political order. “Closer to the assembly election,” said the master of ‘punch dialogues’ a few days later, “there will come a tsunami.” What came instead was the novel coronavirus. Rajini hasn’t spoken much since then.

In the past couple of days, television channels have been trying to create a buzz that he would finally take the political plunge in November, but having borne the repeated onslaughts of anti-climaxes, even Rajini fans appear not to be holding their breath. If Rajini is waiting for the virus to go away, he may well not get to launch his political party before the 2021 assembly elections. And that may be the last climax in Style Mannan’s story of great expectations.

This is not the first time this column has analysed Rajini, the reluctant politician. I have a feeling this will not be the last. Rajini’s latest call for a tsunami creates but a feeble déjà vu of the wave he created with his “Godwon’t-be-able-to-save-Tamil Nadu” statement against J Jayalalithaa in 1996. He then missed the tide – and the boat. Poked and prodded by a clutch of well-wishers and vested interests, Rajini reluctantly made some silent plans, but didn’t have the courage to spell them out as long as DMK leader M Karunanidhi and AIADMK prima donna J Jayalalithaa were alive. A curious combination of reverence and revulsion kept him in limbo.

During the run-up to the 2004 elections, he compounded his followers’ confusion, saying he would vote for the BJP, but wouldn’t ask his fans to vote for any particular party. It was an avoidable statement, one which not only exposed his indecisive self, but also his tendency to yield to pressure from the right wing which has been constantly wooing him. Once the last two main actors vacated the Tamil Nadu political stage, Rajini, again prodded by players in the saffron shadow, dusted his script. On new year’s eve of 2017, Rajini assembled his fans in Chennai to revive their hopes. “Naan arasiyalukku varuvadhu urudhi,” he said to rapturous applause, “idhu kaalaththin kattayam.” Those words found their way to a million hearts and some Tshirts. And then, the Superstar went into hibernation again.

Politicians and patriarchs have kept Rajini in prolonged political ambiguity. Now, a pathogen is doing that to him. Pushing 70, he wouldn’t be at his peak to rally his supporters after the new powers take over Fort St George in May 2021. I am not writing Rajini off as a prospective politician. Probably he is the only one today in Tamil Nadu with the calibre to make a sudden entry and trigger a political disruption. But that has to happen latest by this year-end. Prolonging a suspense beyond a point, as scriptwriters would tell you, is dangerous. Superstars draw adrenalin from cheering fans and when they deliver a flop, they can live with weeping fans, but not with yawning ones.

His dilemma is understandable: he wants to present himself as a credible alternative, but is unsure of his potential to take on seasoned politicians who gleefully play the mudslinging game. He need not — and should not — get his hands dirty, but he should be willing to take a few dirt balls before he can attempt to show a cleaner way to conduct political battles. Time is running out. If he is still unclear of the consequences or unable to face them, it’s better he bows out before the real show begins.

arun.ram@timesgroup.com

Talking ill of the party headed by the Prime Minister is talking ill of the PM himself — H Raja, BJP NATIONAL SECRETARY (REACTING TO AIADMK MINISTERS’ REMARK AGAINST THE BJP)

POKER FACE Same with the chief minister