Cut-off for BCom admissions goes up

HIGH DEMAND

Cut-off for BCom admissions goes up

More High Scores In Class XII

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.08.2021 

The more number of high scores in Class XII, thanks to the weightage system followed, is set to increase the cutoff marks for BCom admissions compared to last year, with top colleges in the city estimating the increase at 1%-5% in all categories.

On Tuesday, after arts and science colleges closed online applications for admissions for the 2021-22 academic year, the number had come down by around 10% in most institutions. But, colleges expect an increase in the cut-off for courses including B Com. BSc (psychology), BSc (visual communication)

and BCA are among the most preferred. Applications for science courses have been fewer this year.

B Com admissions are based on scores in four subjects other than language and English. The merit list is based on the marks scored out of 400.

“At DG Vaishnav College, the cut-off for OC category for BCom (aided) is expected to be around 395 marks (98.75%) from 392 last year.

“For shift-2, the cut-off has increased by 5% for all categories from 340 last year to 363 this year,” said principal S Santhosh Baboo.

At MCC, the cut-off for B Com was 97% last year. “It is 98% now,” said principal Paul Wilson. In the second shift, the cutoff for B Com (accounting and finance), the cut-off was 98%, 100% and 97% for the first three lists.

The college received applications in a 1:10 ratio for political science, economics and English literature and fewer applications for science. “The reason partly could be the increase in interest in engineering courses and decline in the number of applications from outside Tamil Nadu.”

At Guru Nanak college, the cut-off for BCom general was 91.5% last year. “We expect it to be around 96% marks this year,” said principal M G Raghunathan, adding that admission has not been given to those with less than 70%.

At Ethiraj College for Women, the cut-off for BCom is not expected to come down in the second and third lists. “The competition will be tough,” said principal S Kothai.

At Loyola College, the demand for BSc (visual communication) has also increased. “For 100 seats, we received 2,200 applications, about 22 applications per seat,” said Thomas Amirtham, principal.

The demand for BSc (psychology) is high at Women’s Christian College.

“The number of applications increased by three times for psychology courses compared to last year. The cut-off marks is 393 out of 400 marks (98.25%),” said Lilian Jasper, principal.

The cut-off for B Com for general cataegory students was 390 marks in the first list.

Negative RT-PCR must for students of govt med colleges

Negative RT-PCR must for students of govt med colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.08.2021

RT-PCR negative report will be mandatory for students joining government-run medical, dental and para medical colleges scheduled to reopen on August 16.

Students won't be permitted to attend classes or stay in hostels without a negative certificate, a circular from the Directorate of Medical Education Dr R Narayanababu sent to college administration said. Students who haven’t taken the test can get it done at the respective institutions, he said.

College administrators must sanitize classrooms, libraries, laboratories, hostel mess, hostel, college and hospital premises as per the standard protocol. Hand washing stations with liquid soap and sanitizer dispensers must be made available on campus, it said. Students with symptoms will have to be quarantined and treated as per standard protocol, he said.

Students won't be permitted to attend classes or stay in hostels without a negative certificate, a circular from the Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayanababu to college administration said

HC: How can govt apply state-specific OBC quota to AIQ?

HC: How can govt apply state-specific OBC quota to AIQ?

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.08.2021

How could Tamil Nadu’s reservation formula of 50% for OBCs be followed under All India Quota (AIQ) MBBS seats, wondered the Madras high court, adding that the very purpose of AIQ would be defeated if state-specific quota is applied.

“The demography of every state is different. Can an OBC in Rajasthan be considered an OBC in Tamil Nadu and will they get reservation under the Tamil Nadu reservation policy,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu asked on Tuesday.

State reservation can be applied only to the unfilled AIQ seats which are returned to the state pool, the court added. Since AIQ seats are meant for students from other states and those from Tamil Nadu, a separate reservation policy must be followed. Many states like Meghalaya do not have OBC reservation. Can such states insist that they will follow only state reservation in the seats they surrender, the bench wondered.

“If you want state reservation, then how does it become AIQ, it becomes your (state) seat,” the judges said.

Senior advocate P Wilson, representing the DMK, said: “We have a common list for the purpose of such AIQ seats issued by the central government and approved by the state. Once it is accepted by the state it becomes the government approved list.”

The issue pertains to a contempt plea moved by the DMK against the Centre for failing to provide 50% OBC reservation in AIQ seats surrendered by the state for admission to medical courses as directed by the HC from the current academic year.

Earlier, additional solicitor-general of SC K M Nataraj, representing the Centre, said, “All along SC and ST reservation has been provided in AIQ seats only on the basis of the Central Act. Now, if this is allowed, we have to adopt state reservation for OBCs alone which will lead to confusion.”

Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned the hearing to August 17.

State reservation can be applied only to the unfilled AIQ seats which are returned to the state pool, the court said

RGUHS announces conduct of MBBS Theory Exam September 2021

RGUHS announces conduct of MBBS Theory Exam September 2021: Karnataka: Through a recent notice, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has announced the conduct of MBBS Theory Examinations during September 2021.The Under Graduate Medical...

Iran says one person dying of Covid-19 every two minutes

Iran says one person dying of Covid-19 every two minutes

Dubai:  10.08.2021

One person is now dying from Covid-19 every two minutes in Iran, state TV said on Monday, as West Asia’s worst-hit nation reported a new record daily toll of 588 fatalities. With authorities complaining of poor social distancing, state media say hospitals in several cities have run out of beds for new patients. Some social media users have criticised the clerical establishment over slow vaccinations, with only about 4% of the 83 million population fully inoculated.

Total deaths have reached 94,603, the ministry said, while cases rose by 40,808 in the past 24 hours to 4,199,537 in a fifth wave blamed on the highly transmissible Delta variant. “Every two seconds one person gets infected in Iran and almost every two minutes one person dies from the coronavirus,” state TV said, adding that most of Iran’s 31 provinces have moved from the lower risk orange level to red alert.

That compares to a reported rate of about one death per three minutes a month ago. In January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned imports of US- and British-made vaccines, saying they were unreliable. Iran has blamed US sanctions for hampering purchases and deliveries of vaccines from other nations. Iran’s new President Raisi, who received his first dose of homegrown vaccine ‘COVIran Barakat’ in public on Sunday, has urged officials to speed up vaccinations. REUTERS

People in France must now show a health pass to order a coffee in a cafe or travel on intercity trains as President Macron’s plan came into full effect on Monday

US sees highest caseload since Feb

For the first time since February, the US is averaging more than 1,00,000 new Covid cases a day. Over the past week, the average number of cases doubled from two weeks ago, according to NYT database. In the same period, deaths have nearly doubled to 516 a day. The surge is tied to Delta variant and CDC director Rochelle Walensky has described the current stage as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”. NYT

Chinese officials punished for surge

China has punished a slew of officials for failing to curb a Covid-19 outbreak that’s spawned nearly 900 symptomatic infections in less than a month. Over 30 officials nationwide, ranging from mayors and local health directors to the heads of hospitals and airports, have been punished for negligence , state-run Global Times reported. BLOOMBERG

‘No authority can force RTI applicant to submit ID proof’

‘No authority can force RTI applicant to submit ID proof’

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:10.08.2021

In a landmark order, the state information commission (SIC) Haryana has made it clear that no authority in the state can force an RTI applicant to apply in a particular format or submit identity proof with the application.

“The RTI Act, 2005 is the central Act and Section 6 (2) of the same allows an applicant to conceal his identity and to seek information without giving any reason. An applicant making a request for information shall not be required to give any reason for requesting the information or any other personal details except those that may be necessary for contacting him,” the commission has held.

The commission held that the Haryana government nowhere made it mandatory till date that the provisions included in the rules notified in 2021 that to have information under RTI, one has to use the Form A performa and submit identity card and to give any other details as mentioned in the Form A.

The development is significant, as the Haryana government had recently issued an order asking the RTI applicants to submit an identity proof.

3 officials booked by DVAC suspended

3 officials booked by DVAC suspended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.08.2021

Three sub-registrars including a Chennaibased official who was booked by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) last week and an assistant in the registration department have been suspended for not obeying circulars issued by the inspector general of registration and carrying out activities affecting the public. An official press release said several circulars were issued to prevent fraudulent registrations. The inspector general of registration has placed Kodaikanal sub-registrar M Radhakrishnan, Othakadai, Madurai sub-registrar Sheik Abdullah, an assistant at the Othakadai office M Karthikeyan and Selaiyur sub-registrar A J George under suspension, the press release added. On Wednesday, the DVAC had registered a case against George after a recorded phone call exposed his demand for bribe.

Official sources in the registration department said that a sub-registrar in Madurai district had illegally facilitated the registration of 22 acres of land based on documents from Kerala. Another official in Dindigul district registered a fraudulent property, wherein a fake patta was used following which the original land owner approached the court concerned seeking relief. Moreover, one of the suspended officials was an accused in an FIR pertaining to a case relating to creating a fake Power of Attorney (PoA) to sell a plot at Madhavaram in Chennai worth ₹4 crore by forging the identity card of a person born in the city, who was residing in Australia in 2018.