Institutional quarantine for UK flyers eased

Institutional quarantine for UK flyers eased

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:31.01.2021.

The Delhi government has suspended the rule for seven days of mandatory institutional quarantine for flyers coming from the UK and testing negative for Covid. The decision has been taken in the wake of low positivity rate among such individuals.

All flyers testing negative for Covid will now be required to be in 14 days of home isolation. For UK returnees testing positive for Covid, treatment protocol according to their health condition is invoked. TNN

›5.7L get shots in 2 days, states to up vax drive, P15 ›SII to launch Novavax jabs by June: CEO, P 15

Bees halt hungry elephants eyeing crops

Bees halt hungry elephants eyeing crops

Mohua.Das @timesgroup.com

31.01.2021

After several failed attempts, Dhanesh Parashar, a 36-year-old cashew farmer from Dodamarg in Sindhudurg district, has finally found a new ally in his struggle to keep free-ranging elephants from feasting on his crop: honey bees. Yes, elephants — the largest animals on land — are afraid of bees. So afraid that the tiny insects are now helping farmers ward off elephants that are capable of wiping out a year’s harvest in one night.

A ‘beehive fencing’ initiative in affected villages spanning 200 hectares of the Tillari forest land — a conservation reserve in the Dodamarg-Sawantwadi range for elephants that had wandered into Sindhudurg from Karnataka almost two decades ago — is bringing relief to local farmers who have desperately tried to thwart them — beating drums, bursting fire crackers, tying chilli ropes — with little success.

Bee hives serve as a fence at a cashew plantation in Sawantwadi’s Dodamarg

Govt may take over medical ed admissions

Govt may take over medical ed admissions

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:31.01.2021

The high-stress medical admissions, which involve frantic travel, emotional drama and last-minute financial deals, may be eased from next year.

In what may promote transparency and weed out agents and deal-makers who auction medical seats, the ministry of health is contemplating taking over the entire admission process, from start to finish. With that, institutional seat-filling — which experts describe as a “seat-auctioning round” or the absolute last leg of the admission process requiring students to visit medical school campuses to pick unfilled seats — may be scrapped. Instead, all admissions may take place online.

The Medical Counselling Committee handles admission for deemed universities across the country and after it closes online rounds, vacant seats are filled by respective institutes at their individual level. That is when, experts say, parents and students are put through immense “financial distress” as NRI seats, the ones that are five times higher than the regular seats, largely remain unfilled.

“What happens is that when students visit colleges for the last round, they feel cornered as there are merely three days to close admissions and how much can they travel? Deemed universities make candidates wait till the last minute as they try to fetch the highest price for each seat. With the process going online, all this will be streamlined,” said a health ministry source. The ministry may have to move court to change the admission procedure.

“Medical education is beyond the reach of the middle class. How can one expect medical graduates who spend crores on their education to give back to society?” asked Dr Vivek Korade, founder of Forum Against Commercialisation of Education.

AGENTS OUT: All admissions may take place online in a bid to promote transparency

Divorce or death: Man finds new love

WIFE FACES TORMENT

Divorce or death: Man finds new love

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:

A 32-yearold Bapunagar woman lodged a complaint with the local police on Friday stating that her husband is in an extramarital affair and is threatening to kill himself unless she leaves him. The complainant, Merelin Amin, has said that her husband, Hardik Amin of Rakhial, mentally and physically tortured her. She said he wants to marry the woman with whom he has the extramarital relationship. Bapunagar police have lodged an offence.

According to the FIR, the complainant was married to the accused in November 2016. She has mentioned in the FIR that in 2018 she gave birth to a daughter. The FIR said that in recent times, the woman noticed a change in her husband. “The complainant has alleged that her husband began telling her she has become fat and he doesn’t like her any more,” said a police official. “He also began physically torturing her.”

The complainant has said her husband has told her father that he wants to marry the other woman. The complainant has mentioned in the FIR that as her husband’s torture intensified, she moved to her parents’ house.

Edu dept serves notice to man for spreading fake news

MASS PROMOTION

Edu dept serves notice to man for spreading fake news

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:31.01.2021

The director of primary education has served a notice to a person for his alleged role in spreading fake news on social media regarding mass promotion for school students in the ongoing academic year.

The state education department has given a week’s time for the person to reply, failing which the government might take strict action.

“If the respondent does not reply within seven days, we will conclude that he does not have anything to say in his defence. As a result, we will look into the option of taking legal action against him,” said an official in the know of the matter.

The person is question has in the past raised issues regarding fees taken by schools, said sources.

Recently, a message in the social media was spread with misinformation about giving mass promotion from Class 1 to Class 8 students, the department said.

After receiving several calls from parents, students and teachers for verification of the social media message, the department began inquiry about the origin of the message.

“It was found after proper investigation that the messages were sent from a mobile number which belonged to the person alleged to be behind this. It seemed a deliberate attempt to create fake news and spread misinformation,” sources said.

Schools and colleges partially reopened in January after being shut down for over nine months due to Covid-19 outbreak and consequent lockdown.

The state government had given mass promotion to schoolchildren last year in the wake of the pandemic. The state education minister and other senior department officials have time and again reiterated that no such move is planned for the current academic year.

‘Don’t identify rape survivor indirectly either’

‘Don’t identify rape survivor indirectly either’

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:31.01.2021

Bombay high court’s Aurangabad bench has issued additional guidelines to restrain print and electronic media as well as people using social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and the internet fr om publishing information that could “directly or indirectly” disclose a rape survivor’s identity.

HC has directed that in cases of rape registered under the Indian Penal Code and offences under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso), the media and those using the social media should “not publish” the names of the parents or relatives of the survivor or accused’s relation with him or her; the accused as well as the survivor’s residential, occupational or work address and the village at which they reside in. It has restrained publication of details of the occupation of the parents or other relations of the survivor, or any other relative in such a manner that the survivor can be identified.

A bench of Justices T V Nalawade and M G Sewlikar, listed the guidelines while disposing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the mother of a rape survivor. The bench said if the individual is a student, the name of the school or college or any other educational institution or private coaching class or classes which he or she has joined for pursuing her hobbies such as music, drawing, dance, stitching, cooking etc” and the family background should not be mentioned in articles or posts.

HC said it was passing these additional guidelines as despite Supreme Court’s December 11, 2018, directions in a petition by Nipun Saxena against even “remotely” identifying rape survivors as well as penal provisions under IPC Section 228 (A), the rules are flouted. It noted a “news item” of a 2011 kidnap and rape case in local publications before it “clearly indicates that the identity of the victim is established... though the name of the accused and the name of the victim is not mentioned”.

HC also passed directions to trial courts and police officers. It said, “It is noticed that while framing of charges, recording the evidence, recording the statement of the accused under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the name of the victim is disclosed.” It directed special trial courts under provisions of Pocso Act, 2012, therefore, to conceal the name of the survivor, by referring to them with some abbreviations or letters such as “X” while framing charges, recording statements or evidence.

The Bombay high court directed special trial courts under provisions of Pocso Act, 2012, therefore, to conceal the name of the survivor, by referring to them with some abbreviations or letters such as “X” while framing charges, recording statements or evidence

‘Probe against staff must be over within timeline’

HC OBSERVATION

‘Probe against staff must be over within timeline’

Vasantha.Kumar@@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:31.01.2021

In the matter of holding inquiry proceedings against a delinquent employee, the state government and its instrumentalities have to adhere to the timeline stipulated in the official memoranda in letter and in spirit and not place the same in cold storage, the high court has said.

The court made the observation while coming to the rescue of a retired official of Mysore Urban Development Authority. Not only did the HC quashthe de novo (fresh) probe initiated against BS Rangaswamy in June 2018 — six years after his superannuation — but also directed MUDA to pay Rs 25,000 as costs to him.

Apart from ordering release of all pending terminal benefits in 15 days with 6% interest, the court held that Rangaswamy is entitled to promotion if the same is withheld on account of pendency of proceedings. “This court notices with pain in umpteen number of cases where disciplinary proceedings are initiated by issuance of chargesheet and are not concluded within a reasonable time, and the employee is kept on the tenterhooks and denied service and terminal benefits that would become available to him,” Justice M Nagaprasanna said.

The judge also pointed out that in the official memoranda issued on May 31, 1997, a cap of 21 months was fixed and the same modified by another memoranda issued on June 28, 2001, by which the time limit was reduced to 9 months.

Relief for ex-MUDA staffer

Ramaswamy, now 65, had joined MUDA in 1996. When he was working as a first-division assistant, a probe was initiated in December 2003 vis-a-vis certain omissions and commissions and he was kept under suspension along with others. Two years later, the suspension was revoked.

In April 2005, a chargesheet was issued and an officer appointed to conduct departmental inquiry. However, the probe commenced only in July 2009 and after nine years, the officer closed the proceedings, holding Rangaswamy not guilty as MUDA had not produced documents or witnesses. MUDA had suspended him in January 2021 before the report was submitted on March 3, 2018, MUDA, on June 27, 2018 issued an order initiating fresh probe against Ramaswamy. He challenged it in the high court.