Covid costs add to burden of students headed to UK

Covid costs add to burden of students headed to UK

Himanshi.Dhawan@timesgroup.com

24.09.2021

Delhi-based Aryan D’Rozario, who plans to fly to Oxford University next week, is stressed and confused. This has less to do with joining the new Masters program and more to do with the changes in the UK government advisory for Indians traveling to their country.

“I took Covishield because it was on the WHO’s approved list of vaccines and thought that this would help me when I travel. Instead, I will be treated as unvaccinated by the UK,” said D’Rozario, who is among the 65,000 Indians who have got a UK student visa this year, up 30% from last year.

On September 22, the UK added Indian-made Covishield to the list of recognised vaccines, but it doesn’t recognise the vaccine certificate issued by India. Despite being double vaccinated and undergoing an RT-PCR test before flying, Indians have to go through a 10-day quarantine and take two tests (on day 2 and day 8) before they can continue their trip. While it puts tourist and business travel plans awry, the rules have hit students badly as the quarantine and tests regimen is an additional burden to an already rather expensive course of study.

D’Rozario has been allowed by his university to isolate in his hostel room but has to pay extra for food and lodging for the 10 days. He estimates his expenses will be upwards of 350-400 pounds (about Rs 40,000). “I am just very angry. I find this very unfair that the vaccine administered in India is not being treated at par with that of Europe or the US,” he said.

Ruthvika Bhandari, who is hoping to fly out next week to Greenwich University, has been scrambling for temporary accommodation. The Hyderabad-based doctor was told by the apartment landlord that she could only move in after she finished her quarantine. “The landlord does not want to take a chance so I will have to spend an additional 1,000 pounds (Rs 10,000) for my stay and the three tests,” she said. She is already spending Rs 30 lakh for her course in public health.

Students also complain that testing for Covid has been outsourced to private agencies that are charging heavily. NISAU-UK, an Indian students’ body, said that changes in rules have been the top most worry for the students joining in the August-September session. NISAUUK’s chairperson Sanam Arora said, “Students feel they are being treated like cash cows. They have issues like arranging for dual accommodation and forking out up to 300 pounds (Rs 30,000) for tests. The UK is not a racist country but this policy has not been well thought out at all.” Indian students contribute heavily to the UK economy and the fact that they make the second largest student body — international students contribute 28.8 billion pounds to the country’s economy — seem to have played a part in the British government walking back from its earlier advisory. The advisory did not recognise Indians who had received two doses of Covishield as vaccinated at all. The move was criticised by the Indian government as “discriminatory.”

NOT A SMOOTH TAKE OFF?

On September 22, the UK added Covishield to the list of recognised vaccines, but it doesn’t recognise the vaccine certificate issued by India. Despite being double vaccinated and undergoing an RT-PCR test before flying, Indians have to go through a 10-day quarantine and take two tests before they can continue their trip

₹50k Covid ex gratia for suicides too: Govt to SC

₹50k Covid ex gratia for suicides too: Govt to SC

Cause Of Death Doesn’t Matter, Say Guidelines

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:24.09.2021

The Centre told the Supreme Court that all deaths, including suicides, within 30 days of persons testing Covid-positive, would be treated as ‘Covid death’ cases, entitling their families to Rs 50,000 ex gratia.

Appreciating the government’s decision to extend its helping hand to lakhs of families, the court said on Thursday that India overall has managed to do what no other country has done.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices MR Shah and AS Bopanna that the government broadened the definition of ‘Covid death’ to bring within its ambit deaths by suicide and also those who died after prolonged treatment for other ailments triggered by coronavirus infection. He also informed that a decision has been taken to disburse the ex gratia from State Disaster Relief Funds (SDRFs).

“Family members of people committing suicide within 30 days from being diagnosed as Covid-19 positive as per ministry of health and family welfare and Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines will also be entitled to avail financial help as granted under SDRF in accordance with the September 3 guidelines issued by National Disaster Management Authority,” the government said.

Death certs given before rules formed can be rectified: Govt

On Wednesday, the Centre had told the SC that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has fixed Rs 50,000 as ex gratia for the kin of Covid victims, which is payable from the SDRF. On Thursday, it elaborated on the decision to broaden the categories of ‘Covid death’. Any person who dies within 30 days of testing positive, either at home or hospital, whatever be the cause of death, would be certified to have died of Covid, it said.

This would extend the ex gratia relief to kin of almost all of 4.5 lakh people who died of Covid even though many hospitals in the past year and a half attributed the deaths to various reasons other than Covid, ranging from heart to lung failure. It would mean the states cumulatively would have to pay Rs 2,250 crore from the SDRFs.

“To make the scope broader and more inclusive, deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing or from the date of being clinically determined as a Covid-19 case, will be treated as ‘deaths due to Covid-19’, even if the death takes place outside the hospital/in-patient facility,” the Centre said in its affidavit. “Also, a Covid-19 case, while admitted in the hospital/inpatient facility, and who continued to be admitted beyond 30 days, and died subsequently, shall be treated as a Covid-19 death.” The bench appreciated the Centre’s efforts to deal with the pandemic despite facing many constraints like huge population and financial limitations.

“Under the guidelines any certificate of death issued by hospitals/government authority prior to coming into force of the September 3 guidelines, can be reviewed and rectified and consequently freshly issued. Liberty would be granted to the next of kin of the deceased to raise a grievance before the concerned district level committee that the cause of death of his/her kin was Covid related as per the parameters prescribed in the September 3 guidelines, however, the death certificate issued do no recognises it as ‘death due to Covis-19’ and mentions some other incidental cause in the death certificate issued as the cause of death,” the government said.

It said on such an application, the district level committee would examine the contemporaneous medical records and if it came to a conclusion that the death could be termed as Covid death as per the guidelines, then a fresh Covid death certificate would be issued to entitle the kin to receive the ex gratia. The Centre said that states have been asked to set up district level committees within 30 days.

Reserving its order on the Centre’s proposal, Justice Shah at the end of the hearing said that he had read somewhere the AIIMS director’s statement that the third wave of pandemic is over now and asked the solicitor general whether it was true. As Mehta said that he was not aware about it, the bench said such statements should not be made particularly when many cases were still being detected on a daily basis. It said that people would think that the threat was over and they would not follow the protocol which could be problematic.

The SC bench appreciated the Centre’s efforts to deal with the pandemic despite facing many constraints

No decision yet on Classes I to VIII opening: Minister

No decision yet on Classes I to VIII opening: Minister

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

24.09.2021

In sign that the state government was not in a hurry to resume physical classes for primary and middle school students, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that no decision has been taken yet in this regard.

“Private schools have been requesting the government to allow resumption of physical classes for classes1 to  8. But there is Covid scare among parents. Hence, the resumption of classes is still at discussion stage,’’ he said during a meeting with private school representatives in Coimbatore organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore chapter.

He said that the demand by private schools for resumption of classes would be conveyed to the chief minister. “Resuming school for classes 1 to 8 would depend on Covid situation,’’ he said. Poyyamozhi said that as and when the Covid situation is reviewed by the state government with health experts, a decision on resuming the classes would also be taken.

The education minister also underlined that schools should not compel students of classes 9 to12, for whom physical sessions have resumed, to attend schools.

Private school representatives who participated in the meeting submitted a memorandum to the minister on issues faced by school managements, which impacted students, parents and academicians. Some of the issues were difficulties faced in online schooling, inability to provide physical education for children, regulatory approvals including building tax and RTO related approvals. He assured that many of these issues are already in deliberation with senior officials as well as the chief minister.

Poyyamozhi urged government and private schools to function in tandem towards providing an equitable education to all students.

Applications invited for UG, PG courses in optometry

Applications invited for UG, PG courses in optometry

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:24.09.2021

Dr. Agarwal’s Institute of Optometry has invited applications for Its UG and PG courses in Optometry. The last date for submitting applications for B Sc and M Sc optometry programmes conducted under Alagappa University(UG) is October 31, a release said. Students can visit https:// www.dragarwal.com/study/ or call9167398613 for more details.

PM CARES isn’t GoI fund, PMO tells HC

PM CARES isn’t GoI fund, PMO tells HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:24.09.2021

The PM CARES Fund is not a government of India fund and the amount collected by it does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India, the Centre has informed the Delhi HC. An affidavit filed by an undersecretary at the PMO attached to the PM Cares Trust on an honorary basis says the trust functions with transparency and its funds are audited by a chartered accountant drawn from the panel prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The affidavit was filed in response to a plea seeking direction to declare the PM CARES Fund a “State”’ under the Constitution to ensure transparency in its functioning.

‘Trust functions on principles of transparency’

“To ensure transparency, the audited report is put on the official website of the trust along with the details of utilisation of funds received by the trust,” says the affidavit filed by Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, undersecretary at the PMO.

Irrespective of whether the trust is a “State” or other authority within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution, or whether it is a “public authority” within the meaning of provisions of the Right to Information Act (RTI), it is not permissible to disclose third-party information, the affidavit states.

It added that all donations received by the trust are received via online payments, cheques or demand drafts, and the amount received is audited. The audited report and the expenditure of the trust fund is displayed on the website, it said.

“The trust functions on the principles of transparency and public good in larger public interest, like any other charitable trust and, therefore, cannot have any objection in uploading all its resolutions on its website to ensure transparency,” it said.

The court was hearing a PIL that claimed the PM CARES Fund is a “State”’ as it was formed by the Prime Minister on March 27, 2020 to extend assistance to the citizens of India in the wake of a public health emergency — the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the plea had sought a direction for periodic auditing of the PM CARES website and the disclosure of details of donations received by it.

Youth stabs college girl, 20, to death near Tambaram station

Youth stabs college girl, 20, to death near Tambaram station

Chennai:24.09.2021

A 20-year-old student of the Madras Christian College was stabbed to death by a youth as she walked away from him towards the nearby Tambaram railway station around 1.45pm on Thursday.

Witnesses said Shwetha and Ramachandran, 25, were arguing on the crowded road to the station opposite the college when he whipped out a knife, held it to his throat and threatened to kill himself. She turned and was walking away when he suddenly stabbed her in the neck and six times in the stomach before shocked passersby could react.

As one of Shwetha’s friends cried out, Ramachandran turned the knife on himself, but onlookers prevented him from killing himself and handed him over to police. TNN

UNENDING TRAGEDY: Ramachandra (kneeling) near Shwetha’s dead body at Tambaram

Cops: Couple had fallen out 2 months ago

Police said the two had got together three years ago after twice meeting accidentally on a train to Nagapattinam. They had fallen out a couple of months ago as Ramachandran got angry with Shwetha saying her phone was busy whenever he called. Since the Covid lockdowns, they had been keeping in touch mostly over the phone.

Police said the couple had decided to meet on Thursday to sort things out. While Ramachandran was keen on a patch-up, Shwetha preferred to break up with him as she was upset that he was suspicious about her.

Shwetha, of Chromepet, was doing her second year diploma in medical laboratory technology (DMLT) course at MCC’s School of Continuing Education.

Ramachandran, an engineering graduate and native of Thirukkuvalai in Nagapattinam, had been working at a car manufacturing unit in Chengalpet. He had rented a house at Maraimalai Nagar.

According to eyewitnesses at the spot, the two were seen talking and walking near the railway quarters in Tambaram around 1.45pm. That’s when Ramachandran attacked her.

Shwetha, who was bleeding profusely was taken to Chromepet Government Hospital, where she was declared brought dead by the doctors. Ramachandran is undergoing treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. The Selaiyur police have registered a murder case and began further inquiry.

IP University PG Medicos demand more time to submit thesis, allege non-compliance of NMC advisory

IP University PG Medicos demand more time to submit thesis, allege non-compliance of NMC advisory: New Delhi: The postgraduate students pursuing their MD/MS or DM/MCh degrees from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are facing troubles as the University has asked them to submit their...