First unlock Sunday sees crowds back on the roads

First unlock Sunday sees crowds back on the roads

Personal distancing norms go for a toss and many people fail to wear face masks

07/09/2020

Back to business: People throng East Masi Street in Madurai on Sunday . R. Ashok

Madurai Bureau Madurai

It was like any other Sunday in the city after several weeks following lifting of the complete lockdown. There was heavy movement of people on roads and crowds thronged the markets.

M. Mohammed Najumudeen, a shopkeeper at Nelpettai, said a large number of customers visited the meat-and-fish market in Nelpettai on Sunday morning. “The crowd was almost like that of pre- COVID-19 time,” he said.

Personal distancing norms were flouted and many customers and shopkeepers failed to wear face masks, he said. “Police personnel fined all those who failed to wear face masks,” he added. Similarly, residents thronged the four Masi streets, Netaji Road and Town Hall Road with total disregard to social distancing norms.

“Relaxation of lockdown will help improve business of street vendors,” said G. Mohan, a vendor on Netaji Road.

Concurring with this viewpoint, Ashraf Yusuf, secretary of Tamil Nadu Textile Merchants Association, said that there was good footfall in textile shops on Sunday.

“Circles and squares which were earlier drawn in front of shops to maintain adequate distances are missing now,” said V.P. Manikandan, a resident of S.S. Colony.

Collector T. G. Vinay said that mask usage and personal distancing was essential to contain spread of pandemic.

“Flying squads have been deployed to ensure that everyone wears face masks. We are sensitising the public to come forward to get tested in case they display any symptom. Early identification will help to reduce the severity of the infection and help in containing the spread of COVID-19,” he added.

Tirunelveli

Residents came out for shopping and visited churches for mass.

Absence of police personnel led to people neglecting physical distancing norms. However, a policeman at the VVD intersection said there has been a tangible improvement as people voluntarily covered their faces with the masks

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.

High Courts Weekly Roundup

High Courts Weekly Roundup: Week Commencing From August 31, 2020 To September 6, 2020 Allahabad High Court 1) NSA Charges Against Dr. Kafeel Khan Dropped; Allahabad HC Directs Immediate Release [Nuzhat Perween v. State...

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