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TNPSC Group I examination: 49% candidates absent

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  04.01.2021

The group I preliminary exam of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission was held on Sunday, with 49% of the candidates absent. Of the 2,56,954 who applied, 1,31,264 appeared and 1,25,690 were absent, mainly due to the travel restrictions triggered by Covid-19. Usually, around 30% candidates are absent for the preliminary exam.

Answering all questions and affixing the thumb impression on the OMR answer sheets, to prevent malpractices, were among the mandatory rules for students.

Candidates said more weightage was given to Tamil Nadu-related questions and the difficulty level was high.

“As per the new measures, candidates need to shade answer to all questions. If they don’t know the answer, they have to shade the answer not known option. The commission also allotted additional time to write each of the five options shaded by them for all questions,” said Sucharithan, who appeared for the exam.

Some said introduction of the additional option just a few days before the exam had led to a few mistakes, while others said more weightage was given to the history of social reform movements and leaders in the state. “The exam is conducted only for 66 vacancies. Many candidates have gone back to their native places and due to travel constraints, they have skipped the exam,” a woman said.

The TNPSC also introduced Thirukkural and development administration as new topics while revising the syllabus.

“Students found it difficult to answer the development administration questions. Question paper pattern is moving from factual questions to conceptbased questions which is good,” said Sathyashree Boominathan, managing director of King Makers IAS Academy.

On the huge absentees, he said, “Usually, the gap between the number of candidates applied and appeared is 30%. Covid-19 pandemic and long-delay have affected the preparation and confidence of candidates leading to more absentees.”

While the number of applicants fell from the usual 5 lakh to 2.5 lakh, some said the lack of an option to change exam centre could have led to some absentees. “Many might have skipped exam due to Covid-19. The long delay and the pandemic might have affected confidence,” said U Sivabalan, academic head, TNPSC exams, Shankar IAS Academy.

Fake marksheet gang was active for 22 yrs

Fake marksheet gang was active for 22 yrs

Mastermind A Retd Jal Nigam Employee: STF

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:  03.01.2021

The gang running a degree and marksheet racket unearthed by Special Task Force from Alambagh on Friday was active for the past 22 years and had given fake marksheets and degrees to hundreds of people for jobs and admissions, said officials on Saturday.

As many as 342 marksheets and 115 degrees of Lucknow University, eight marksheets of Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, 34 marksheets of MA and 50 blank marksheets of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, were seized along with eight blank marksheets of Government Polytechnic in Lucknow, and marksheets of various schools and institutes.

The officials said the gang charged price for marksheets as per the need of the seeker.

Dy SP, STF, Avnishwar Chandra Srivastava, who is conducting the probe, said the interrogation of the three arrested accused, identified as Sunil Kumar Sharma, Lallan Kumar and Vishwajeet Kumar, has revealed that the gang was active since 1998.

“Sunil Sharma, the gang’s mastermind is a retired government employee from Jal Nigam, Lallan worked as a private school teacher, and Vishwajeet was the printer,” said the officer.

“The trio used to charge money as per the requirement. If one needed marksheet for a job then they charged from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh depending upon the post, while for admissions they charged Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, depending upon the course,” he said. Marsksheets with masters in science were the most sought ones, the officer said.

“We are tracing some people who came in their contact and took fake marksheets,” the DySP said.

They used to target candidates studying in coaching institutes of tier-two cities and those approaching offices of job consultants.

They started the fraud in 1998 when there was huge demand for fake certificates, their business dipped when digitization started in 2014, he added.

Officials said the gang charged price for marksheets as per the need of the seeker

Parents meet edu min, seek reopening of schools

Parents meet edu min, seek reopening of schools

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:  03.01.2020

Members of the Telangana Parents Association met the state education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy on Saturday and appealed her to reopen schools and other educational institutions by Sankranthi i.e. mid-January.

The TPA members submitted a representation to the minister citing various issues faced by the parents during the lockdown and virtual learning.

The TPA members claimed that the education minister responded positively and said that the government will announce its plans reagrding the same, shortly.

Salary hike: ₹8,000 cr burden on exchequer

Salary hike: ₹8,000 cr burden on exchequer

Revision Done After Gap Of Over Two Yrs

Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  03.01.2021

Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to hike the salaries of over 9.36 lakh employeesislikely to put an additional burden of Rs 8,000 crore per annum on the state exchequer if the government agrees to give over 40% fitment to the employees.

It cost Rs 6,500 crore per annum to the government in 2015 when 43% fitment was extended to nearly five lakh employees, including pensioners. Now, the CM has announced salary hike for 9.36 lakh government, contract, outsourcing and all category of employees, including pensioners.

On the other hand, the governmentislikely tosaveRs2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore per annum by increasing the retirement age of employees asitwould nothave to pay gratuity and other retirementbenefits.

Though a lot would depend upon how much fitment the pay revision commission (PRC) wouldsuggest,the reportofwhichis likely to be submitted in a day or two, the employees are expecting the CM to be magnanimous this time too as the revision is being done after a gap of two-and-a-halfyears. The PRC had recommended 29% fitment in 2015 but the CM gave 43% to the employees as a reward for their role in the Telangana statehood agitation.

As per tradition, the CM holds a meeting with leaders of various employees’ unions wherein they put forward their demands including the percentage of fitment. Union leaders said they were expecting the CM to call them for a meeting in a dayor two. They would also be meeting the chief secretary-led committeein thefirstweekof January, as directedby thechief minister.

Before the pandemic, the joint action committee (JAC) of all categories of employees had demanded 63%fitmentin representations submitted to the PRC and also the CS. However, the employees are unlikely to insist for 63% fitment keeping in view of the financial position of thestate.

Telangana non-gazetted officers’ association president and JAC leader M Rajender told TOI that they understand the financialcondition of thestatebutwould definitely like to place before the government what they deserve keeping in viewof theincreasein prices of all essential commoditiesin thelasttwo-and-a-half-years.

MBBS Admissions: Delhi HC says Class 12 students with biology as additional subject now eligible for admission

MBBS Admissions: Delhi HC says Class 12 students with biology as additional subject now eligible for admission

The MCI regulates that students with biology as an additional subject in Class 12 are not eligible for the NEET exam, which is pivotal to MBBS admissions.

FP Staff August 21, 2018 12:22:48 IST

The Delhi High Court has said that medical aspirants who have completed their Class 12 examinations with biology as an additional subject and have qualified the NEET exams will be given admission to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) regulation states that those studying biology or biotechnology as an additional subject in Class XII were not eligible to participate in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). According to a report from The Indian Express, a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and AK Chawla held the MCI regulation as “discriminatory and arbitrary”.

“It is held that the petitioners… all of whom had appeared in NEET and qualified in the entrance examination, and were also successful during counselling but not granted final admission in the allotted seats, awaiting the decision in this proceeding, shall be granted final admission,” the bench was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

The court's decision came on a plea by students who have studied biology and biotechnology as additional subjects. The students challenged the MCI regulation, claiming that the Council has not considered the rules and procedures of different state boards before rejecting candidates from MBBS admissions.

The court accepted the claim, and said that “lack of any empirical study supporting the MCI’s conclusion — that those who qualify from regular scholastic study in the 10+2 exams with additional subjects of biology/biotechnology either at one go, or after a year, do so without laboratory experience — render Regulation 4 (2) (a) to that extent arbitrary…”

Senior counsel Vikas Singh and advocate T Singhdev have contested the decision, saying that the NEET system regulates the entry of candidates into the field of medical education, and allows for students only with the necessary proficiency to gain entry.

Updated Date: August 21, 2018 12:22:48 IST

HC directs Kaloji University to admit foreigner in MBBS course

HC directs Kaloji University to admit foreigner in MBBS course

Marri Ramu

HYDERABAD , JANUARY 02, 2021 21:39 IST

Varsity denied admission as student failed to give proof of ‘qualification’

Telangana High Court has directed Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences to give admission in M.B.B.S. course to an NRI who was denied medical seat stating that she had no proof of study of biological sciences in her qualifying examination.

A bench of Justices M.S. Ramachandra Rao and T. Amarnath Goud, pronouncing judgment, said the student P. Srikerti Reddy should be given medical seat forthwith without insisting for proof that she studied biological sciences in qualifying exam. The judgment also declared the university’s action of treating the student ineligible for admission as arbitrary and illegal.

The student, whose father is of Indian origin, completed 12th standard at Conrad high school under West Hartford Board Education, Connecticut in the US. She appeared for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) under graduate exam in foreign national category. Her all India rank was 4,82,207.

On December 12, 2020, the university said she was ineligible for admission in MBBS course as she had no proof of studying biological sciences in the qualifying examination (for Indians it is Intermediate or CBSE plus two).

She moved the HC challenging the university’s decision. The petitioner’s counsel presented to the court that School Counsellor of Conard high school issued a certificate on December 11, 2020 stating that the student had appeared for Advanced Placement Biology course. Subjects of bio-chemistry, cellular biology, organism biology, population biology, Evolution, Genetics and Ecology were covered in deep in that course.

She also presented a certificate issued by Consulate General of India, New York, endorsing that her 12-year high school diploma in the US was recognised in India as equivalent to two-year Pre University Course (present Intermediate programme). Another certificate issued by Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education confirming the 12th class/senior secondary examination of West Hartford Board of Education, Connecticut, USA, was equivalent to Intermediate course.

As per the university’s notification for admissions, the student had uploaded the equivalent certificate issued by Intermediate Board. Additional Advocate General J. Ramchandra Rao contended that the student had not studied biological sciences, physics and chemistry in 11th and 12th standards as required. She studied biological sciences only in tenth standard, Mr. Rao argued. The certificate issued by Intermediate Board did not specifically say that she studied those subjects in 11th and 12th standards, he told the court.

The bench noted that the university did not cite this as reason making her ineligible for admission. It only stated that there was “no proof of study of biological sciences subject in qualifying examinations”. The validity of the equivalence certificate issued by the Intermediate Board was also not mentioned.

The university cannot improve and add new grounds to make her ineligible for admission, the bench said.

HC clears decks for MBBS admission to NRI

HC clears decks for MBBS admission to NRI

TNN | Jan 3, 2021, 04.04 AM IST

Hyderabad: Telangana high court has directed Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) to grant admission to MBBS course to an Indian-American girl student with roots in Warangal under NRI quota meant for foreign nationals in the ongoing counselling session. The girl, Srikeerthi Reddi Pingle, was born and brought up in the US.

The court said KNRUH cannot set new guidelines that were not put forward by the authorities of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) for giving admission to foreign nationals. The state government is thinking in terms of preferring an appeal against this order.

A division bench of justices MS Ramachandra Rao and T Amarnath Goud pronounced this order after hearing a petition filed by Srikeerthi, a native of Parkal in Warangal. Her father VR Reddi Pingle had settled down in the US long ago. Srikeerthi completed her class XII in Conard High School under West Hartford Board of Education, Connecticut. Aspiring to secure admission to the medicine course, she had appeared for NEET (hall ticket No. 4205004360) in the foreign nationals category. She secured an all-India rank of 4,82,207 (category rank No. 1,59,648).

However, Kaloji university (on December 12, 2020) rejected her candidature on the ground that she did not study biological sciences at the Intermediate level which, it said, was the pre-requisite for securing admission to MBBS course. “She may have studied biological sciences at the class X level, but that does not fit into our book of rules which say that an aspirant should have passed his or her Intermediate with biological sciences, physics and chemistry,” additional advocate general J Ramachandra Rao, who appeared for the university, said.

Petitioner’s counsel Vedula Srinivas, however, told the court that the school counsellor of Conard High School had issued a certificate on December 11, stating that she had taken the advanced placement biology course and studied topics like biochemistry, cellular biology, organismal biology, population biology, evolution, genetics and ecology in the10th grade itself.

“She had also submitted a letter signed by the supervisor of the West Hartford science department certifying her academic credentials to this effect,” the counsel pointed out. The Consulate General of India, New York, had also issued a letter on Dec 22 certifying that the 12th year high school diploma obtained by the petitioner in the US is equivalent to Intermediate study in India. “Even the TSBIE (on Dec 23) issued an equivalence certificate stating that what Srikeerthi studied at West Hartford Board is equal to Intermediate in Telangana,” Srinivas contended.

At this, the judges said the rules pertaining to foreign nationals clearly provide space for equivalence certificate. “Since Srikeerthi had got a certificate from the TSBIE itself, there is no reason why new objections should be raised. Though the candidate satisfied this criterion, the officials are now citing a new ground that she did not study biology at class XII level,” the bench said.

Declaring such argument as untenable, the judges directed the university to provide her admission under the NRI quota.