Since Oct, DVAC arrested 33 govt staff for corruption

Since Oct, DVAC arrested 33 govt staff for corruption

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  17.12.2020

In the past two and half months, surprise raids across the state by Directorateof Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) officials has resulted in the arrest of 33 government staff for demanding and receiving bribe. According to an official release, 127 surprise checks were conducted state wide in government offices between October 1 and December 14, in which unaccounted money of ₹6.96 crore, 7.2kg gold, 9.8kg silver, 10.5 carats of diamonds and fixed deposits of ₹37 lakh were seized apart from documents.

Officials were arrested for receiving bribe amount as less as ₹1,000. In Chennai, a sanitary inspector with the city corporation, an estate officer with the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB), a junior assistant with the district revenue office were among those booked by the vigilance department.

Very recently, on Monday (Dec 14), DVAC officials raided the office and residence of Pandian, a superintendent in the state department of environment and seized property worth ₹1.37 crore. The officials found ₹88,500 in unaccounted money from thesuperintendent’soffice at Saidapet’s Panagal Maligai, where all senior environment department officials sit. Search at his residence in Saligramam yielded 3kg gold,10 carats of diamonds, fixed deposits of ₹37 lakh and 18 property documents.

A DVAC official said the superintendent is only a member of the clerical staff, but influential. “Top Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers were also wary of him.Hewouldthreaten totransfer other officials if they did not listen to him,” he said.

Other notable seizure by DVAC sleuths in the past two months was in Vellore, where searches for two continuous days at the office and residences of M Panneerselvam, a zonal officer with the state pollution control board, resulted in seizure of property worth ₹3.5 crore in cash, 450 sovereigns of gold and 6.5kg of silver.

Searches at a senior official in the registration department in Salem resulted in seizure of more than ₹1 crore worth properties.

A majority of raids were conducted at RTO (regional transport office) checkposts acrossthestate andin sub-registrar offices.

Unaccounted money of ₹6.96 crore, 7.2kg gold, 9.8kg silver, 10.5 carats of diamonds and fixed deposits of ₹37 lakh were seized in 127 raids

TN seeks nod to open two new dental colleges

TN seeks nod to open two new dental colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 17.12.2020

Tamil Nadu has sought permission from the Dental Council of India to start two dental colleges in Virudhunagar and Pudukottai for 2021-22 admissions. This is likely to increase the number of dental seats in the state by 200.

Until this year, the state had just one medical college – the Madras Dental College and Hospital in Chennai affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University with 100 BDS seats. “We will add 200 more seatstothe matrix if we get permission from the apex body,” saidhealthsecretary JRadhakrishnan.

Besides offering better and free oral health to people in rural areas, the proposed government colleges will help more studentstotakeup dentistry,he said. Every year, while all seats in government dental colleges are taken, many seats in self-financing dentalcolleges remain vacant. For instance in, 2017-2018, at least 265 seats in self-financing colleges were vacant and the following year it rose to  392.

In June this year, at the end of three rounds of counselling, more than 1,000 BDS vacant seats in self-financing dental colleges were vacant and the state selection committee extended phase-1 of the single window counselling for undergraduate dental admissions by three days. The committee said 417 of 1,070 government seats and 640 of 690 management seats were vacant. Some colleges have even agreed to convert some of their management quota seats into government quota to woo students.

Many students who cleared NEET decided to retake tests so they can get admissions in government medical or dental colleges. This is because the fee structure in self-financing dental colleges can go up to Rs 2.5 lakh compared to Rs 11,610 in Madras Dental College.

Government, however, thinks training more dentists and establishing facilities will help the government take tertiary dental care to people in the rural areas. “Several studies have shown tremendous improvement in public health with good oral hygiene practices.Diseasesin the mouthcan be an early indicator to several non-communicable diseases. New colleges will help us achieve this,” said director of medical education Dr R Narayanababu.

Several senior dentists say that this move will offer better career options to dentists. “Despite the shortage in the number of dentists, many don’t have adequate jobs. A small fraction of the population takes dental health seriously. Most people don’t make annual visits to dentists. Only strong infrastructure and government policy can change this,” said senior dentist Dr SM Balaji.

Pvt school student challenges quota for medical seats

 

SC allows AYUSH docs to prescribe govt-approved immunity boosters

SC allows AYUSH docs to prescribe govt-approved immunity boosters

New Delhi:  16.12.2020

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that qualified AYUSH doctors can prescribe government-approved tablets or mixtures as immunity boosters for Covid-19 patients as per the directions in the March 6 order of the Ministry.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, however, said these doctors cannot prescribe or advertise them as a cure for Covid-19.

The order of the apex court was passed on an appeal filed against the August 21decision of the Kerala HC holding that AYUSH doctors shall not prescribe tablets or mixtures as cures for Covid-19, but only as immunity boosters. The Kerala HC order had asked the state government to use alternative medicine only as an immunity booster. AGENCIES

Educators tell pupils of professional courses to begin rigorous self-study

Educators tell pupils of professional courses to begin rigorous self-study

Ardhra.Nair@timesgroup.com

Pune:  16.12.2020

First-year students of engineering and other professional courses must start studying from Day 1 if they want to finish the syllabus well before the term-end examinations, teachers said.

Neither has the directorate of technical education nor Savitribai Phule Pune University announced any syllabus cut for professional colleges.

A S Marathe, dean of academics at Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, said every engineering student must have a a daily study plan, this year.

“With hardly any physical classes and less time, piling up everything for the preparatory leave would be a bad decision. Students must have a timetable, dedicate at least 6-9 hours a week for his studies and they must keep a log of it. Engineering is different from std XII and they must be prepared to cope with the diversity and depth of the syllabus,” he said.

Sukrut Deo of Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College said a new law student should focus on self-study this year. “We never recommend that law students use readymade notes. We suggest books and to make their own notes. This year, they should also study at home for at least three hours a day, beyond online lectures. The previous year’s question papers can be studied, but the latest updates and changes should also be checked. Law students must take guidance from their teachers for quick notes on case laws and judgments. They must use official websites like SCC Online, Manupatra, Lexis-Nexis, CLA Online for cases from the high courts and Supreme Court.”

Schools Prepare For ‘Distanced’ Edu

Schools Prepare For ‘Distanced’ Edu

Forget Any Reunion Huddles; Assembly & Sports Not In Covid-Safe Schedule

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal: 16.12.2020

With no assembly, no sports activities and no hostel facility, regular classes of 10 and 12 will be reopened from Friday. A day after the state government announced regular school for classes 9 to 12, the school education department issued the standard operating procedure on Wednesday with clear instruction that schools will ensure that the students will not gather anywhere on campus.

For the re-opening of class 9 and 11, the department stated that school principals will decide as per the available space and enrolment of the students.

The department has directed the schools that the time table should be prepared in a way that the gathering of students must be avoided and SOP could be implemented properly. Students' presence will not be mandatory in the class, the department has categorically stated.

One-time permission granted by the parents to their wards to attend school will be applicable for the entire academic session.

Schools have been instructed to continue online classes. Students who do not want to attend campus academics and are willing to attend online classes should be allowed to do so by the schools. For government schools, full attendance of teaching faculty will be mandatory.

Prayer assembly, group activities, sports activities and swimming pools will not be allowed to open in the schools. Schools have been instructed that it is their duty to ensure that students will not gather.

Schools providing transport facility will have to ensure proper physical distance of the students and other staff in the vehicles. Vehicles will be sanitized periodically with 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite. Besides, other SOPs issued by the central and state government in the past will be required to be followed by the schools inside the campus. Residential schools will be opened as day schools. There will be no hostel facility.

Colleges to start from Jan 10, attendance not compulsory

Colleges to start from Jan 10, attendance not compulsory

Ashutosh.Shukla@timesgroup.com

Bhopal: 16.12.2020

Principal secretary, higher education, Anupam Rajan, has said that though theory classes in state colleges will begin from January 10, attendance in both the practical and theory classes will not be compulsory. SOPs on how to conduct classes in colleges would be issued in the next couple of days. SOPs decided by other states, where colleges are open, are also being studied and guidelines with clear dos and don’ts will be issued in a couple of days, Rajan said.

Talking to TOI, Rajan said that the decision to start classes was taken in the department’s review meeting on Monday and work on the SOP has begun. Chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who presided over the meeting, asked to start practical classes in colleges from January 10. Rajan said it was also decided at the meeting to allow colleges to hold theory classes from January 10, though attendance in classes will not be compulsory and online classes will also continue.

When asked whether attendance in practical classes will be compulsory, he said, “If someone feels, he doesn’t need to go to practical classes, he can miss the class. As of now, the students don’t have the facility to conduct practicals as colleges are closed. In the new year, they will have the facility but if someone feels that missing chemistry practical classes won’t make any difference to him, he can omit the practical classes as well,” Rajan said.

He further said that 50% students of the class capacity will be allowed to sit in the class at a time, therefore classes will be held in two batches in all the subjects. The same rule will apply for practical classes as well.

Stir called off

The school and college forum has cancelled the proposed protest on December 16 after the government’s announcement about the reopening of schools and colleges. Chairman, Association of Technical and Professional Institutes KC Jain, said, “We are assured by the state government. In such a situation, there was no meaning of organising protest.”