71kg of plastic, metal found inside a cow’s belly in NCR

71kg of plastic, metal found inside a cow’s belly in NCR

Gurgaon:25.02.2021 

A surgery on a cow that was injured in an accident in Faridabad threw up a stark reminder of Indian cities’ continued struggles with plastic waste and littering. Veterinarians who operated on the animal for about four hours on Monday found 71kg of plastic waste and other non-biodegradable substances like needles, coins, pieces of glass, screws and pins in its belly.

The surgery was successful, but the cow is not out of danger yet. “The next 10 days are going to be very critical,” said Dr Atul Maurya, who was part of the three-member team that performed the surgery on the seven-year-old animal.

The cow was rescued from NIT-5 in Faridabad after it was hit by a car. It was taken to Devashray Animal Hospital, where veterinarians found the animal was kicking its own stomach, an indication that it was in pain. They also diagnosed a problem with the excretory system. After a few tests, the vets confirmed the presence of harmful substances inside the stomach.

Dr Maurya said it took nearly four hours to clean the four chambers of the animal’s stomach that mostly had polythene. TNN

7k fresh MBBS grads set to begin 1-year rural service in state

7k fresh MBBS grads set to begin 1-year rural service in state

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:  25.02.2021 

Nearly 7,000 MBBS graduates who have completed their internship in Karnataka over the past few months are set to be assigned for mandatory rural service for one year.

The service, which was mandatory for only government-quota candidates, is now being extended to private, management and NRI quota candidates for the first time this year.

If doctors want to take up higher studies, then they must submit a bond for Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, stating their willingness to serve later. Karnataka is the only state where private, management and NRI quota candidates are required to do the mandatory rural service.

On February 15, the director of medical education, Dr PG Girish, sent a letter to heads of all government and private medical colleges in Karnataka asking them not to release the original documents to those who have completed undergraduate, postgraduate degree/diploma, super-specialty courses in various disciplines. The letter quoted the Karnataka Compulsory Service Training by Candidates Completed Medical Courses Act, 2012.

No clarity: Director of medical edu

You are requested not to release original documents unless you receive NOC/instructions to release the documents collected at the time of admission, from this office. This may be scrupulously followed,” the letter, a copy of which is with TOI, read.

Though the compulsory one-year rural service bond is being taken by the government since 2012, enforcement had not taken place so far. Till now, MBBS graduates used to file an affidavit before KMC stating they would return and work for one year in government-specified hospital, and were given KMC registration to work as doctors.

From this year, fresh MBBS graduates are not being issued KMC registration certificate. “The matter is before the government. MBBS graduates will have to complete the one-year government training service before seeking the registration,” said Dr H Veerabhadrappa, president, KMC.

DME Dr PG Girish said there is no clarity whether the rural service is applicable to students who have studied under private-quota seats in private colleges and deemed-tobe varsities. “We’ve asked private and government medical colleges to send the list of graduating MBBS students. We will share data with the health department, which will issue appointment letters via counselling,” he said.

‘2.6L FASTag users charged incorrectly to be refunded’

‘2.6L FASTag users charged incorrectly to be refunded’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi  25.02.2021 

Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) said on Wednesday that it has facilitated refunds for 2.6 lakh FASTag users who were charged incorrectly by toll plazas last year. The company claimed it has set up a fast redressal mechanism, which identifies incorrect deductions and immediately raises claims to reverse the extra charges.

While FASTags ensure automatic payment of toll charges, sometimes issues with systems and processes present at the toll plazas result in deduction of more than the applicable charges. PPBL is one of the issuers of FASTags.

For the past few days, there have been complaints of commuters of not receiving the discount for return journey within 24 hours and they are ending up paying full toll amount both ways. The discount for return journey is allowed as per NHAI rules on public funded stretches where the toll is collected for NHAI. This rule doesn’t apply to most of the tolled stretches under private players because of specific contract conditions. NHAI officials said they are looking into the issue and will fix it soon.

Paytm Payments Bank claimed it has set up a fast redressal mechanism, which identifies incorrect deductions and immediately raises claims to reverse the extra charges

Refusal by wife to make tea no provocation for assault, rules Bombay HC

Refusal by wife to make tea no provocation for assault, rules Bombay HC

Mumbai:25.02.2021 

Upholding a 2016 conviction of a man for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in a Pandharpur case, the Bombay high court said his wife refusing to make tea for him, “by no stretch of imagination, can be said to have offered grave and sudden provocation for the appellant to assault her, much less, such a brutal assault.”

On the fateful day, “on being refused tea”, the man assaulted his wife with a hammer. In 2016, a trial court in Pandharpur sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment for having knowledge that his act could cause her death. He appealed from jail. Justice Revati Mohite Dere found no merit in his appeal against conviction. She said instead, “It would not be out of place to observe that a wife is not a chattel or an object. Marriage ideally is a partnership based on equality. More often than not, it is far from that. Cases such as these are not uncommon. Such cases reflect the imbalance of gender— skewed patriarchy, the socio-cultural milieu one has grown up in, which often seeps into a marital relationship.”

The HC said, “This medieval notion of the wife being the property of the husband to do as he wishes, unfortunately, still persists in the majority mindset. Nothing but notions of patriarchy.” TNN

Biology mandatory to pursue MBBS course says SC

Biology mandatory to pursue MBBS course says SC: Delhi: Setting aside a high court's order, the Supreme Court has recently ruled that it is essential that before pursuing an MBBS degree, an aspirant has prior knowledge, both theoretical and...

No private practice: Medical College to hire private detectives to catch delinquent doctors

No private practice: Medical College to hire private detectives to catch delinquent doctors: Bihar: Taking cognizance of the fact that some of the doctors of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) are allegedly claiming non-practising allowance despite continuing private...

T order to reopen classes 6-8 from today has worried parents fuming

T order to reopen classes 6-8 from today has worried parents fuming

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:24.02.2021 

Under pressure from school managements, the Telangana government on Tuesday ordered reopening of physical classes for students of classes 6 to 8 from today, but the Hyderabad parents association questioned the hurried move.

Education minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy said that the decision was taken following instructions from chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. A GO was issued on Tuesday by special chief secretary Chitra Ramchandran on reopening of schools.

“Physical classes for class 6 to 8 students can be reopened from February 24 as far as possible and not later than March 1,” said Reddy, adding that schools will have to strictly follow Covid-19 guidelines on the premises. The present digital classes shall continue and schools have been advised to follow a blended form of online/offline mode. “Consent of parents is also mandatory for children coming to school,” the minister said.

Unwise to open schools in hurry: Parents

Chief secretary Somesh Kumar, in a teleconference with all the district collectors, DEOs and district welfare officers of BC, Minority, Tribal Welfare and SC development departments said that the move would bring back about 17.24 lakh students from classes 6 to 8 back to schools.

“All precautions should be taken for the safety of students and teachers. Special measures should be taken for schools opening for the first time,” said Kumar, adding that the District Level Education Monitoring Committee (DLEMC) chaired by the district collector should meet and take up the opening of classes.

While school managements and teachers welcomed the move, Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA) alleged the decision was taken under pressure from the school managements without even consulting parents only to give schools a free hand to collect fees. “What’s the hurry? What made the state make this decision in a day? Even a couple of days back the education minister said that the state is not going to start schools for younger kids as there are hardly one and a half months left for the academic year to end. Now, all of a sudden, they want parents to send their kids to schools from tomorrow,” said K Venkata Sainath, joint secretary, HSPA.

He said that it is surprising to see the state reacting to the threats of school management. “State did not bother to initiate action against 11 schools who were found guilty. They did not come to the rescue of parents when schools were openly violating GO No 46 on fee regulation. But now they are siding with school managements and giving them licence to loot parents.

Parents also pointed to rising cases in other states and said it was not wise to reopen schools for younger children in a hurried manner. Following Covid-19 guidelines, especially social distancing, would not be possible in many private schools due to space constraints as many are just vertical buildings, they said. Both Telangana Recognized Schools Managements Association (TRSMA) and Independent Schools Managements Association (ISMA said all schools will reopen for class 6 to class 8 soon.

“While few schools are planning to reopen tomorrow, others might need some more time to get schools, hostels and buses ready,” said Y Shekar Rao, president, TRSMA adding that all schools will reopen by March 1. K Praveen Raju, vicechairman, Suchitra Group and president, ISMA said as the academic year is winding up in the third week of May, most of their members have decided to open schools for offline exams. “We will open physical classes for younger kids in a full-fledged manner from the next academic year only,” he added. On February 11, citing financial constraints, private budget schools in state said they would be starting physical classes for students of class 6 to class 8 from February 25 irrespective of whether or not state gives its permission to start classes for upper primary students.

What’s the hurry?

What made the state make this decision in a day? Now, all of a sudden, they want parents to send their kids to schools from tomorrow

— K Venkata Sainath

JOINT SECRETARY, HSPA