No additional seats as NMC won’t inspect colleges due to Covid

No additional seats as NMC won’t inspect colleges due to Covid

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.09.2021

Increase of 100 additional seats sought for a government medical college in Coimbatore and nearly 300 additional seats sought by at least three self-financing colleges and deemed universities will not be added to the seat matrix this year as the National Medical Council’s medical assessment and rating board (MARB) has said it will not be able to send teams to inspect these colleges due to Covid-19.

The directorate of medical education had sought to increase seats in Coimbatore Medical College from 150 to 250 as part of the plan to increase strength in existing medical colleges. Others including SRM Medical College and Chennai Medical College Trichy had applied for an increase of at least 100 seats each. Approval for additional seats is granted after a detailed inspection by the NMCappointed committee.

The commission, which sent teams for inspection at the peak of the second wave to most colleges including to the 11 new institutions in TN until the second week of August, denied inspections later. In the last week of August, it wrote to medical colleges and state governments saying applications for increase of seats for 2021-22 will be carried to the next academic year.

The letter said applications for increase in seats can’t be processed due to constraints of sending assessors to physically inspect colleges. Sources said the members discussed the possibility of permitting all applicants to admit students for this year but decided not to do so without physical assessment of infrastructure and faculty.

Most medical colleges, which had created infrastructure and appointed additional faculty, were disappointed. One of them even moved the Madras high court seeking intervention. On September 8, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said records show NMC inspections were held until May 19 but cited “prevailing pandemic situation” in a letter dated August 27 to postpone inspection. The court, he said, “Is not convinced with the reason … since the situation has not worsened after 19.06.2021.” Posting the case for Wednesday, the court asked NMC to explain if there is any scope for conducting another inspection to decide on the college’s request.

HC asks if moving education to Concurrent List was legal

Tells Centre & State To Reply To PIL

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15.09.2021

A day after the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a bill to circumvent NEET for admissions to medical courses, the Madras high court wondered if the Emergency-era transfer of education as a subject from the State List to the Concurrent List amounted to tinkering with the basic structure of the Constitution.

The court also remarked that the 42nd constitutional amendment of 1976 had not taken education out of the state’s purview entirely, as it is still on the Concurrent List and not under the Union List. “Even though the matter was taken away from one list to another, there was no complete takeover of the subject as such,” said the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu on Tuesday.

The court made the observations while hearing a public interest writ petition filed by Aram Seyya Virumbu Trust, represented by DMK legislator Dr Ezhilan Naganathan, questioning the constitutionality of the 42nd amendment.

Ariyalur girl, 17, ends life over NEET

Kanimozhi, 17, of Jayankondam in Ariyalur district, who appeared for NEET on Sunday committed suicide on Tuesday, the second such death within two days in TN. Kanimozhi had told her parents that some questions were tough and that she was concerned about the outcome. P 7

HC: There has to be equitable distribution of edu resources

The PIL said, “By virtue of transferring the subject of education from List II to List III, the states’ executive/ legislative autonomy in matters of education has become subservient to Union’s executive/legislative powers.”

Admitting the petition, the first bench observed: “Vast number of places do not have medical institutions. Why should MBBS dreams of students in certain states, where there are no medical colleges, remain unfulfilled just because the state does not have a medical college?”

Batting for ‘equitable distribution’ of educational resources, the court said: “One can respect the sentiments of the petitioner but, at the same time, please remember we have vast parts of this country where they continue to be kind of underdeveloped without the resources that other places have … Therefore, there has to be a certain amount to equitable distribution of the educational resources or making it available to students from places where it may not be so readily available.” “Even now, unfortunately, we don’t consider people from northeast as mainstream Indians, which is a tragedy because of their looks we call them Nepalese or Chinese. But they are also as much Indian as you and I,” the court said.

“They come from places where such infrastructures are not available, so we must consider all of them,” the court added, and directed the Union government to respond to the plea in eight weeks.

The court then suo motu impleaded the Tamil Nadu government as a party-respondent and directed the state to report its views.

NEET solvers’ gang busted; woman, daughter arrested

NEET solvers’ gang busted; woman, daughter arrested

Rajeev.Dikshit@timesgroup.com

Varanasi:14.09.2021  TOI Lucknow

Varanasi police claimed to have busted a solvers’ gang during NEET exam with the arrest of a woman and her daughter, who’s a BDS-II student of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Sunday.

Police said involvement of a KGMU doctor in the gang has also come to light while a Patna-based person who is known by initials PK is its leader. NEET authorities have been alerted about the gang, which has a network in north-east region.

Commissioner of police A Satish Ganesh said, “Acting on a tip-off the cops of crime branch raided a NEET exam centre at St Francis Xavier School in Sona Talab area under the limits of Sarnath police station in afternoon session on Sunday while ensuring that candidates were not disturbed during the raid. The crime branch cops caught Juli Kumari, who was appearing in the exam in the name of Heena Biswas.”

Solvers’ gang is operated by its mastermind from Patna

The cops also nabbed Juli’s mother Babita Devi of Patna. However, the solvers’ gang member Vikas Kumar Mahto of Khagadia district, who was accompanying Babita and Juli, managed to escape.

A fake Aadhaar card, answer sheet of NEET exam-2021, admit card, photograph, two mobile phones and other documents were recovered from them. An FIR was lodged under section 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document)and 34 (criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention) of IPC against them. During interrogation, Juli divulged that Mahto, who had become friend of her brother Abhay Kushwaha during his stay in Patna for the preparations of competitive examination, had come with a proposal of paying Rs 5 lakhs if she agreed to appear in NEET exam in place of other girl to qualify it. Babita said that she fell in trap and convinced Juli, who had taken admission in BDS at BHU after qualifying NEET two years ago, to appear in the exam. Babita said that she had received Rs 50,000 in advance.

The CP said that the arrested woman and her daughter have divulged that the solvers’ gang is run by its mastermind known as PK from Patna. They also informed that PK rarely used phones and preferred to communicate through courier and travel by trains only. “After PK gets contracts from aspirants, his accomplices arrange the solvers,” said CP, mentioning that more details about the gang are being made.

No highrises, mobile towers near Taj Mahal

No highrises, mobile towers near Taj Mahal

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com

Agra:14.09.2021

Highrises and mobile towers can no longer be built in a 1.5-km radius behind the Taj Mahal to keep the skyline unobstructed. The Agra administration has incorporated the provision in the city’s master plan, which the government has to now approve.

“No construction higher than 25m can come up behind the Taj Mahal so the panoramic view of the monument is visible without an obstruction in the background,” Dr Rajendra Pensiya, vice chairperson of the Agra Development Authority, told TOI.

Four towers, about 50-60m high, were visible behind Taj

“The decision was taken in a recent board meeting after a survey in March last year by the ADA engineering team,” said Amit Gupta, divisional commissioner, Agra, who is the ADA chairperson.

The body had received several complaints about impeded views of the monument.

Four towers, about 50-60m high, were visible behind the Taj — three on the west side and one on the east. “One of these mobile towers was demolished. The height of two others was reduced to 25m. One high-tension electric pole remains on the east side. We are in the process of moving it, but it will take time,” Pensiya said. There is just one highrise, by which they mean a building taller than four floors, in the backdrop.

The administration is also considering the trees in the background as obstruction. “There are several old trees which are 50m high but cutting them is not possible because they fall under the Taj Trapezium Zone (a buffer area marked out to save the monument from pollution). To cut trees under the zone, we need permission from the Supreme Court,” said Pensiya.

In 2013, a four-day convention of Unesco experts on visual integrity was held in Agra. “The ASI is bound to ensure the visual integrity mandate of Unesco sites, including the Taj Mahal, followed by the 2013 convention,” Rajiv Saxena, vice president of the Tourism Guild Agra, said. Former Agra circle senior conservation assistant Munazzar Ali told TOI that ASI norms stipulate a ban on construction in a 100-m radius around monuments and a 15-m height cap for construction in a 300-m radius.

ASI superintending archaeologist (Agra circle) Vasant Swarnkar said it was a long-pending discussion about the view of the monument. “This is a welcome step."

Medical ethics, simulation find place in revamped nursing syllabus

Medical ethics, simulation find place in revamped nursing syllabus

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 18:08 IST

Experts welcome major overhaul of B.Sc. Nursing curriculum, aimed at standardisation

India’s B.Sc (nursing programme) has undergone its first major overhaul after 1947, making it a competency-based nursing curriculum. To be implemented from January 2022, the revised curriculum has been standardised, updated and aimed at bringing in uniformity in nursing education across India.

Medical ethics has been introduced for the first time.

The new system now adopts a credit-based, semester pattern with more emphasis on acquiring competency in each area of study. Also, forensic nursing and nursing informatics have been introduced in the syllabus.

Dr. Satendra Singh who teaches in a medical college and is a guest faculty at Florence Nightingale Nursing School at GTB Hospital, said the Indian Nursing Council (INC) has revised, and developed the syllabus under Section 16 of the Indian Nursing Council (INC) Act, to ensure uniform standard of nursing education in the country.

“The revised syllabus, which is the first major overhaul after 1947, has the word “dignity’ in at least six places which is a welcome addition and the introduction of ethics is also an enhanced addition,” said Dr. Singh.

Disability ignored

He added that unfortunately the revised curriculum does not include disability rights as well as disability competencies.

“It still includes the pejorative expressions ‘handicapped’, ‘mentally challenged’ and physically challenged. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act mandates inclusion of disability rights in the higher education. Curriculum also excludes gender expression and identity components which Transgender Persons Act mandates be included,” he said.

Member of the INC and Professor (Dr.) Roy K. George said the changes will add quality and standardisation to the programme.

He said that based on the new curriculum, simulation based training is given specific importance in practical (10% of the practical are in the simulation lab).

Only Science students

“So students will go to the clinical area after the compulsory training in the simulation laboratories. Also the gazette does not permit the admission for non-science background students for B.Sc. Nursing program and minimum qualifying marks for entrance test shall be 50%. In the university theory paper pattern (For 75 marks), multiple choice questions have been added,” said Dr. George.

He added that internal assessment guidelines will now see continuous assessment based on attendance, written assignments, seminars, microteaching, individual presentation and group project, work and reports.

“The new system has also brought in mandatory modules for each specialisation and the student has to pass in all mandatory modules placed within courses and the pass mark for each module is 50%,” he said.

As per the new norms, colleges of nursing should mandatorily have 100 bedded parent or own hospitals. The trustee/ member/ director of the trust or society or company would not allow the hospital to be treated parent/ affiliated hospital to any other nursing institution and will be for a minimum 30 years. The beds of parent hospital shall be in one Unitary Hospital i.e. in the same building/same campus.

The revised rules also state that no institution or university will modify the syllabi prescribed by the Council for a course or program. However they can add units or subjects if required.

“It is mandatory that an institution shall have its own building within two years of its establishment,” the revised rule states.

Maharashtra to set up more medical colleges like TN

Maharashtra to set up more medical colleges like TN

On Tuesday, the team will visit visit Government Omandurar Hospital, a peripheral hospital and a primary health centre.

Published: 14th September 2021 05:31 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Maharashtra will follow the footsteps of Tamil Nadu and establish more medical colleges, said Health Minister Rajesh Ankushrao Tope, who along with a team is on a two-day visit to Chennai.Tope along with Mary Neelima Kerketta, Principal Secretary Public Health Department, Vijayakumar Lahane, Joint Secretary Health, Maharashtra and other officials held a discussion with Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and other senior officials at the DMS campus on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, Rajesh said that he was delighted to find out from the officials that every year 10,000 doctors pass out in Tamil Nadu, adding he was impressed by the fact that almost every district has a medical college and people have access to tertiary care. “So we will follow Tamil Nadu and open more medical colleges. In the last one year Maharashtra government gas sanctioned four to five medical colleges and more will be sanctioned soon,” Rajesh said.

Tope added that Tamil Nadu was always keen on investing more in healthcare. It spends six per cent of its budget on healthcare, whereas in Maharashtra it is only three per cent. The team also visited the National Health Mission office and Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC).

Lauding the TNMSC, Rajesh said it adopts streamlined methods for procurement of drugs and equipment and for its storage.On Tuesday, the team will visit visit Government Omandurar Hospital, a peripheral hospital and a primary health centre.

NEET ban: Board exam scores to be normalised

NEET ban: Board exam scores to be normalised

An appropriate authority would prepare the rank lists for admission of students to government seats and allot students through centralised counselling.

Published: 14th September 2021 05:35 AM 

Security personnel checking the documents of a medical aspirant outside a NEET Examination centre in Coimbatore. (Photo| U Rakesh Kumar, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Bill regarding NEET passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday says medical admissions will be conducted based on the Class 12 board exams, and a normalisation method will be followed for medical admissions. This is to ensure a fair and equitable system for students who pass from different higher secondary board exams.

Under the method, the highest marks obtained by students of various boards in each subject will be equated. The relative marks obtained by other students will be determined accordingly. For instance, if the highest mark secured by a student of the State Board in Physics is 100 and the highest mark secured by the student of another board in the same subject is 96, both the highest marks will be considered to be equal to 100. With this base, the marks of other students will be computed.

According to the Bill, after normalisation, the qualified students of different Boards will be merged into a common merit list. An appropriate authority would prepare the rank lists for admission of students to government seats and allot students through centralised counselling.

The Bill pointed out that before 2017, TN had among the most medical and dental educational institutions and the standard of professionals graduating from them was high. Merely because admission is based on a qualifying examination in this State, it would in no way lower the standard of education since the higher secondary syllabus is of a scientific standard.