No capacity restriction for domestic flights from October 18

No capacity restriction for domestic flights from October 18

Saurabh Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13,10.2021 

Airlines will be allowed to operate as many scheduled domestic flights as they did in pre-pandemic times from October 18. The aviation ministry on Tuesday decided to lift variable capacity deployment ceilings in place since May 25, 2020, when domestic operations resumed after a two-month suspension. While they restarted at onethird of the March 2020 level, domestic schedules are currently at 85% of that. The festive season will now see more flights well before Diwali.

Apart from following Covid protocol, the domestic side now has two restrictions in form of minimum and maximum fare caps that continue along with no serving or selling of meals on less than twohour journeys. Bleeding flight caterers, however, have requested this curb to be lifted too, urgently.

The travel industry is hoping that with the government allowing foreign tourists on charters from this Friday and on non-charters from next month, scheduled international flights are allowed to partially resume at least to and from places where Covid is in control.

The aviation ministry’s Tuesday order said: “After review of the current status of scheduled domestic operations (and) passenger demand for air travel... it has been decided to restore scheduled domestic air operations with effect from October 18, 2021, without any capacity restriction. The airlines/airport operators shall, however, ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of Covid are strictly adhered to and Covid-appropriate behaviour is strictly enforced by them during the travel.”

EASE IN RESTRICTIONS

No half-yearly quarterly exams for Class X, XI XII state board students

No half-yearly quarterly exams for Class X, XI XII state board students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  13.10.2021

School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Tuesday said that there will be no quarterly, half-yearly exam for state board students of Class X, XI and XII this year.

Speaking to reporters after attending the district level educational officers meeting, the minister said, "There is no time to conduct quarterly and half-yearly exams. However, the department is planning to conduct a mock exam in December to allay the fears of students about board exams and to train them."

He said the board exams will be conducted either in February end or March next year. Ahead of reopening of schools for Classes I to VIII, the district level educational officers meeting was held in Chennai. In the meeting, it was decided to follow standard operating procedures announced for conducting physical classes for Classes IX to XII for lower classes as well.

"The chief educational officers have now well experienced about dos and don'ts while reopening schools. We have asked the CEOs and DEOs to conduct surprise inspections after reopening for Classes I to VIII on November 1," the minister said.

When asked if there will be any relaxation in wearing masks for younger children, he said as per the existing SOPs issued by the health department all students have to wear masks inside classrooms. "But, we are not sure how long the young children can wear masks and schools may even have to conduct classes for just one hour for the first few days," Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said.

UGC defers PhD rule by 2 yrs

UGC defers PhD rule by 2 yrs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.10.2021

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday deferred the mandatory PhD qualification rule for appointment as assistant professors in universities by two years in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

PhD degree was to be mandatory for the direct recruitment as assistant professors from July 1, 2021. "The UGC, in view of Covid-19 pandemic, has decided to extend the date of applicability … to July1, 2023," Rajnish Jain, secretary, UGC said in a circular to all vice-chancellors of state universities. S Swaminathan, advisor to NET, SLET Association, said, "Though the extension was a good move, the UGC should make PhD with NET as mandatory qualification instead of PhD alone. While NET is common throughout the country, the quality of PhD varies."

Covaxin gets expert panel nod for emergency use among kids

Covaxin gets expert panel nod for emergency use among kids

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13.10.2021

The central drug regulator’s expert panel has recommended granting marketing authorisation with certain conditions to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for restricted emergency use (EUA) in children and adolescents in the age group of 2 to18 years.

However, the final approval of EUA from the drug regulator and inclusion of the vaccine in the national Covid immunisation programme for the paediatric population will take a few more days as data submitted by the company will be further evaluated, top government sources said on Tuesday.

“The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has only partly recommended EUA for Covaxin. The recommendations are given along with many conditions. The application is still under evaluation and will take a few more days before we arrive at a final conclusion,” a top regulatory official said.

Once the Drugs Controller General of India grants the final regulatory approval to Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the 2-18 age group, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) for Covid-19 will also evaluate the data before including it in the national programme.

Besides Covaxin, Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D has been granted EUA for children above 12.

No domestic flight cap from Oct 18

The Centre on Tuesday allowed airlines to operate at full pre-Covid flight capacity in the domestic sector from next Monday (October 18). Following strong recovery in air traffic, the aviation ministry on Tuesday decided to lift variable capacity deployment ceilings in place since May 25, 2020. The ongoing festive season will now see more flights well before Diwali. P 14

Vax availability for kids to improve with nod to Covaxin

Serum Institute of India is carrying out phase II and III trials for Covovax among children 7-11 of age. With Covaxin likely to receive EUA soon, availability of vaccines for children is likely to improve holding out hope that vaccination will move beyond the initial plan to cover children with comorbidities.

There are around 44 crore children in the country. While Zydus Cadila’s Zy-CoV-D has already been approved for emergency use in children above 12 years of age, a final approval to Covaxin will be significant because it will help increase supplies to cover the paediatric population. The government is yet to start inoculating children with anti-Covid jabs under the national programme.

The conditions prescribed by Subject Expert Committee includes continuation of clinical trials by Bharat Biotech. The firm has also been asked to submit updates prescribing information, package insert, summary of product characteristics as well as fact-sheet. It will also have to submit adverse event data and analysis every 15 days for first two months and monthly thereafter.

“The firm should submit risk management plan,” the SEC recommendations said.

Bharat Biotech said the data have been thoroughly reviewed by the drug regulator and SEC which have provided positive recommendations.

“This represents one of the first approvals worldwide for Covid-19 vaccines for the 2-18 age group…We now await further regulatory approvals from the CDSCO prior to product launch and market availability of Covaxin for Children,” the company said.

Full report on www.toi.in

Honour killing: Man gets death sentence

Honour killing: Man gets death sentence

Sat Singh TNN

Rohtak:13.10.2021

Pronouncing verdict in an honour killing case of 2016, the Sonipat district court on Tuesday awarded capital punishment to a man for murdering three persons. The convict’s accomplice and the main accused in the case of killing of his sister’s husband and parent-in-laws is absconding .

Police had told the court that Sushila, who belonged to an upper caste family in Jhajjar district, had married a man from a scheduled caste against her family’s wishes. On November 19, 2016, her brother Satender alias Monu, with one other man, had barged into her sister’s house at night in Kharkhoda of Sonipat and killed three of the family members. The deceased included Sushila’s husband Pardeep, mother-in-law Sunita and father-in-law Suresh. First two were killed on the spot while Suresh had died during treatment. Sushila and her brother-in-law had sustained injuries.

Sushila and Pardeep had married in 2013, after meeting and falling in love during their college days in Rohtak.

Additional sessions judge R P Goyal on Tuesday convicted main accused Satender alias Monu and his friend Harish of the crime under Section 302 (murder) of IPC. The court awarded capital punishment to Harish, while for Satender evaded police after being out of jail on bail, punishment order was reserved till his arrest.

Docs moved to health dept unpaid since June

Docs moved to health dept unpaid since June

1k Pb Dispensary Paramedics Also Await Pay

Vinod.Kumar3@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:13.10.2021

MBBS doctors and paramedic staff engaged in Covid-19 duties, who were transferred from the department of rural development and panchayats to the health department, have been waiting for salaries for almost four months now. That too, despite repeated directions from the director health services for the immediate release of their remuneration.

The Punjab government had shifted 618 out of 1,183 dispensaries run by the rural department to the health department along with staff and infrastructure in June this year. In this process, 129 rural medical officers and about 1,000 paramedic staff were transferred.

Taking note of the delay, director health services in a letter to civil surgeons on September 15 had issued directions for the immediate release of salaries and civil surgeons were even warned that if the staff move court, they will be held responsible for the same.

Sources said lack of clarity regarding pay structure has led to delay in the release of salaries. Civil surgeons of different districts have sought clarity from the director health services on salary to be paid to them, whether they are to be paid as per last drawn salary or new salary has to be fixed.

Terming it as an alibi to harass them, a doctor said that out of 129, three doctors – two in Patiala and one in Mansa – have started receiving their monthly remuneration from the health department. The doctor added, “If there was an issue of lack of clarity, how come three doctors posted at two districts are getting their pay?”

“We are facing lot of financial problems and most of us have used our savings to meet day-to-expenses and payment of bills and EMI’s,” rued another doctor.

Punjab deputy chief minister O P Soni, who is also health minister, of the state, said that he will look into the matter and assured that their salaries will be released at the earliest.

ANOTHER UNHAPPY LOT

DOCTORS PROTEST

The medical officers with the rural department have been pressing for implementation of dynamic assured carrier progression scheme. The services of rural medical officers were regularised in May 2011 with entry level pay scale of Rs 15,600-39,100 plus grade pay of Rs 5,400, which is equal to the entry level pay of medical officers of the health department. Even after rendering regular service for over 10 years, they are still waiting for their first grade pay revision from Rs 5,400 to Rs 6,600. Punjab rural development and panchayats minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa in May this year had formed a three-member committee to look into the matter, but nothing has happened to date. Association of Rural Medical Officers president Dr Jagjeet Bajwa said the government has been depriving rural doctors of their legitimate right of DACP despite being at the forefront during tough Covid times. “The scheme will cost the government only Rs 9 crore a year,” said Dr Bajwa, who urged chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to consider their long pending demand.

A pathbreaking governance reform is becoming defunct, and all political parties are to blame

RTI’s Slow Death

A pathbreaking governance reform is becoming defunct, and all political parties are to blame

13.10.2021

Quality of a democracy depends on a lot more than the right to exercise franchise. The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution has placed the people’s right to information squarely within the ambit of fundamental rights, or Article 19(1)(a). It’s in this backdrop that the enactment of Right to Information in 2005 was hailed as a milestone in strengthening democracy by giving citizens a tool to enforce accountability, particularly of public expenditure. Over its journey of 16 years, however, RTI’s potential has been diluted by insincerity in its implementation.

The latest iteration of citizens’ group Satark Nagrik Sangathan’s annual publication on the state of RTI implementation presents a bleak picture. RTI is overseen by information commissions, both of GoI’s and states’. Cutting across party lines, RTI’s potential is being diluted by delays in appointing both chief information commissioners and information commissioners to relevant bodies. Consequently, there’s a build-up of outstanding cases, which hugely extends the timeline to dispose of them. If this situation persists, it will all but kill RTI even while it remains on the statute books. In fact, SC in a February 2019 judgment warned against this possibility.

Of the 29 commissions studied in the report, three were found to be completely defunct. An example of two states indicates how RTI is being rendered toothless. UP’s commission did not have a head for a full year, while Rajasthan did not appoint one for two years. In Odisha, the disposal of a case, based on the current trend, will take almost seven years. In all, there was a backlog of 2.55 lakh cases on June 30, an increase of almost 11,000 since the year’s start. Maharashtra had the largest number of outstanding cases at 74,240. Indian democracy deserves better. A tool that empowers citizens cannot be allowed to be undermined.