No-dowry bond a must in Calicut varsity

No-dowry bond a must in Calicut varsity

21/09/2021

Staff Reporter Kozhikode

More universities seem to be following Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s dictum to collect a ‘no-dowry’ bond before awarding degree certificates as the University of Calicut has now asked students and parents to sign such a declaration during the ongoing admissions to undergraduate courses.

As many as two lakh students seek admission to various undergraduate courses in Calicut University, which has a jurisdiction over six of the 14 districts in the State. The students are being asked to sign an undertaking that any breach of the rules relating to taking or abetting the taking of dowry shall render them liable for appropriate action, which include cancellation of admission, withdrawal of degree or refusal to grant degree.

Rajan panel wants deemed varsities under govt. purview

Rajan panel wants deemed varsities under govt. purview

But State is not inclined to implement the recommendation as experts opined that it may not have been legally correct

21/09/2021

Dennis S. JesudasanCHENNAI

The high-level committee, led by the retired High Court judge, A.K. Rajan, has recommended that all deemed universities be brought under the Tamil Nadu government’s purview. The committee, constituted to study the impact of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on medical admissions in the State, submitted its report two months ago.

“As far as the deemed universities are concerned, an Act has to be passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to bring all deemed universities of Tamil Nadu under the government’s purview, as under Act 3/2007, and the President’s assent has to be obtained,” according to the last of the seven recommendations made in the 165-page report. Act 3/2007 refers to the Tamil Nadu Admission in Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006, passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. It received the President’s assent in 2007.

However, sources in the government told The Hindu that the government was not inclined to accept the last recommendation. Incidentally, the committee's report was the basis for the government to table a Bill against the NEET in the Assembly last week. It went through.

“Some of the legal experts opined that it [the Act for bringing the deemed universities under the government’s purview] may not have been legally correct. The part that recommended an Act against the NEET and admission on the basis of the Class 12 marks was taken up, and the Bill was passed,” an official said.

Though the report recommended bringing “all deemed universities of Tamil Nadu” under the government’s purview, another official pointed out that since the committee was constituted to study the impact of the NEET on medical education, “it most probably could have meant only those deemed universities that offer medicine as a course of study”.

One of the opinions received by the committee contended that the NEET nullified the opportunities for students of the tribal and rural communities and the oppressed sections to pursue medical education. “Especially, it has helped the private and deemed universities prevent the students of the oppressed sections from pursuing medicine,” the report said, citing the feedback.

“After the NEET, students who got a mere pass were able to get admission at private medical colleges by paying a huge amount of money. Rich people can buy seat by paying ₹25 lakh per annum at deemed universities even if they get a low score, and the total cost of the entire course would be around ₹1.50 crore,” the report said, again citing the feedback.

When contacted, one of the members of the committee told The Hindu, “Education is in the Concurrent List, and the State government can enact laws to bring deemed universities under its purview.”

Passenger books an entire business class for pet

Passenger books an entire business class for pet

Maltese Bela travels by Mumbai-Chennai flight in style

21/09/2021

Rare privilege: Bela, the Maltese, that travelled in the Mumbai-Chennai flight. ANI

Staff ReporterCHENNAI

On the morning of September 15, the crew of Air India at Mumbai airport were in for a surprise as they had an adorable white furry passenger carried into the business class of the aircraft. A woman passenger had booked 12 seats, the entire business class in the Airbus 320 to ensure a comfortable flight for her Maltese Bela from Mumbai to Chennai.

One way fare for a single business class seat on the flight is about ₹20,000 and the passenger may have spent about ₹2.4 lakh to ensure a comfortable flight for her pet.

Air India sources said while was rare for a passenger to book the entire business class, it was not uncommon to see pets taking a flight in the economy class. “We have seen dogs and cats on numerous occasions in the economy class; once, we even had hamsters on a flight from Delhi to Chennai,” a source in Air India said. For those who wish to carry their pets, Air India says it can be done either in cargo or cabin but there has to be a health and rabies vaccination certificate. “Also, the weight of the pet should be less than 5 kg and the animal must be carried in a soft-ventilated bag or kennel,” the source said.

The flight AI671 left Mumbai at 9 a.m. and landed in Chennai at 10.55 a.m. with the fur ball getting all the attention as it walked out of the terminal.

Air Canada resumes direct flights to and from India

Air Canada resumes direct flights to and from India

New Delhi:21.09.2021

Direct connectivity has resumed between India and Canada after almost five months. Air Canada restarted Delhi-Toronto non-stop flights with a new protocol that WHO approved vaccinated passengers must undergo an RT-PCR or a rapid PCR test within 18 hours of boarding flights from Covid testing centre and lounge at Delhi Airport’s terminal 3, reports Saurabh Sinha.

“Air Canada requires either of these specific tests as no other test from any other clinic within India will be accepted,” Air Canada says on its site for “testing requirements for flights from India.”

“The following conditions to travel still remain: All travellers must be double vaccinated. Only the following vaccines are recognised by Canada : Johnson / Moderna / Pfizer/Covishield,” it has told travel partners in a communique accessed by TOI. TNN

‘Fleeing abroad after MBBS without serving deplorable’

‘Fleeing abroad after MBBS without serving deplorable’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:21.09.2021

The Gujarat high court on Monday deprecated the practice adopted by some medical students who move abroad after completion of studies in India and do not intend to serve in rural areas.

While disposing of a petition filed by an MBBS graduate, whose documents were withheld by the government for not submitting Rs 2 lakh bond in lieu of one-year rural service after internship, Justice Bhargav Karia said, “It was a pious duty on part of the student to render service to the government, to pay back the obligation he has undertaken by paying back to the society or to pay the money for not rendering his services in order to pursue his education abroad. By taking advantage of education facility available in the country and then fleeing abroad without rendering any service to this country is deprecated.” Justice Karia ordered the government to return the documents that the student had submitted at the time of his admission in the medical college run by GMERS at Himmatnagar in 2015. The documents were not returned because the student had not submitted bonds, which was the admission condition. However, the student insisted on the certificates regarding completion of his MBBS and internship.

The court said that it would not interfere on the government’s decision over bond. The court said that the state government is entitled to recover Rs 2 lakh towards the bond condition. Upon the government’s insistence on recovering Rs 2 lakh from the student, his father, who too was a petitioner, said, “Asking for money for provisional certificate amounts to extortion on part of the government.” The court cited a Supreme Court order and said that rendering services to the government after completion of MBBS is not unreasonable. The petitioner’s argument that the college was self-financed is not ground to escape the condition of rural service. It is also not believable that the student was not aware of the bond condition even after completion of five years of study.

‘Racist & biased’: Indians slam new UK travel curbs

‘Racist & biased’: Indians slam new UK travel curbs

Naomi Canton

London:21.09.2021

The UK government’s new international travel rules, which do not recognise people vaccinated in India as being “fully vaccinated”, have been blasted as “offensive”, “bizarre” and “racist”. The new rules mean people vaccinated in India will still have to home quarantine for 10 days in the UK when those vaccinated in scores of other countries will not.

Aware of the backlash on social media after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor pulled out of a Cambridge Union debate and his own book launch events in Britain to protest against the latest curbs, the UK announced it was willing to engage with the Indian government to resolve the matter. Tharoor tweeted: “It is offensive to ask fully vaccinated Indians to quarantine.” On September 17, the UK had announced new rules for international travel to replace the current system of red, amber and green.

US to allow jabbed travellers from Nov

The US in November will re-open air travellers from China, India, Britain and many other European nations who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the White House said on Monday, rolling back pandemic-related travel curbs imposed early last year. P 14

‘Fully vaccinated’ don’t require home quarantine

A British high commission spokesperson in New Delhi told TOI: “We are engaging with the government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.” On September 17, the UK had announced new rules for international travel to replace the current system of red, amber and green. The new rules divide countries into red and the rest of the world and come into effect at 4 am (UK time) on October 4. Whilst the red list rules will remain the same regardless of vaccination status, the rules for people arriving in the UK from the “rest of the world” – which includes India – will differ depending on whether the traveller is “fully vaccinated” or not.

Those deemed as “fully vaccinated” will no longer have to home quarantine for 10 days, no longer need to take a pre-departure test nor take a day 8 Covid-19 test. They just need to take a Covid-19 test on day 2 after they arrive.

CITY BUS DEPOTS IN TOTAL DISARRAY

CITY BUS DEPOTS IN TOTAL DISARRAY

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

21.09.2021

They are frequented by millions of people daily, but most government bus terminals in the city are in terrible shape, with hardly any passenger facilities.

The bay at the Ayanavaram terminus in central Chennai, used by at least 200 MTC buses daily, is almost entirely used as a parking lot by private vehicles, mainly belonging to people coming for driving licence tests and vehicle registrations at the adjacent Regional Transport Office building.

Some of these vehicles are parked at the entrance of the terminus, forcing drivers of buses to park on the roadside. The two rows of seats for waiting passengers are damaged. “Usually bus frequency is poor after the lunch hour and we stand in the sun and rain for 15-20 minutes,” said B Satish, a regular commuter.

T Sadagopan, a resident-activist from Avadi, said that almost all bus terminuses in the western suburbs lack urinals and toilets and those that are available are unclean. At Avadi, the urinal is located inside the branch manager’s office and kept under lock and key. Passengers, mostly senior citizens who are diabetic, are at the mercy of officials to use it, he said.

Another basic facility that is lacking is access to clean drinking water. The Amma Water Scheme, welcomed by all sections, has been given a silent burial and even MTC staff are forced to buy water from private shops in the vicinity, say workers’ unions.

The terminus at Broadway, where more than 650 buses on 70 different routes arrive and depart daily and which attracts more than 1 lakh footfalls daily, has been neglected for long. A Greater Chennai Corporation official said a detailed proposal was submitted to the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB) for a 900-crore project to transform the facility with demarcated space for bus bays, a multi-storey parking complex, commercial space and rail connectivity.

V Rama Rao of the Traffic and Transportation Forum commuters had been waiting for the past 20 years but the corporation has not moved to mitigate their woes.

A senior MTC official said transport minister R S Rajakannapan recently visited the Amma water bottling plant in Gummidipoondi and promised to expand production.

The Union urban affairs ministry, in its manual for city bus depots, mandates installation of Public Address Systems with alarms, but none of the terminals visited by TOI Ayanavaram, Broadway, Foreshore Estate, Velachery and Ambattur had them. “Signages and PA systems play an important role in regulating pedestrian movement. Commuting can be easier for passengers, particularly those from other districts or states who are unfamiliar with city bus routes, if relevant information of bus arrival/departure timings and directions are provided through PA systems in multiple languages,” said T Rengachari, a transportation activist.