‘EWS income criteria linked to Sinho panel’

QUOTA ISSUE

‘EWS income criteria linked to Sinho panel’

Subodh.Ghildiyal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.10.2021

Amid strong criticism by the Supreme Court over the manner in which income eligibility criteria for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservations was fixed, the government is linking the decision to peg it at Rs 8 lakh, just as for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), to the Sinho Commission report which had examined welfare measures for the general classes.

A senior official said the Sinho Commission report indicates the eligibility ceiling to qualify for EWS for any reservation measures be linked to the ‘creamy layer’ for the OBCs who avail 27% Mandal reservations.

The income bar for OBCs to qualify for the Mandal quotas is Rs 8 lakh, while the nonreserved classes (mostly forward castes) are dubbed EWS if their annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh. The parity between OBCs and EWS has raised the hackles of the Supreme Court, which has in a case questioned the government if it was not making “unequals, equals” and has asked it to submit the exercise done to arrive at Rs 8 lakh for the EWS.

A social justice ministry official said the ministry will file an affidavit in the apex court for the next hearing. The failure to file the affidavit on the issue at the hearing last week drew negative reaction from the bench seized of the case. “The affidavit is being processed by the law ministry,” the official said.

According to sources, the social justice ministry is relying on the Commission report to substantiate its decision to lay down the income criteria for the EWS, and is confident that its argument will find favour. Backing the decision, the ministry sources said the Sinho Commission held detailed discussions with states on the issue and came up with its recommendations. Thus, an official said, its views have been given the due weightage in arriving at the decision on the EWS qualifying criteria.

The 27% Mandal quotas in central jobs and educational institutions were instituted in 1993, while the Centre made a constitutional amendment to create 10% EWS quota in 2019. A legal challenge questioning the constitutionality of the EWS reservations is also pending before the Supreme Court.

HC notice to MCI, med edu director

HC notice to MCI, med edu director

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal/Jabalpur:25.10.2021

A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices to director, medical education and Medical Council of India (MCI) in response to a petition by a handicapped girl, who was denied admission in the MBBS course at Shahdol medical college on the ground of her physical disability.

The petitioner, Priyanshi Meena, said that one of her hands was rendered partially disabled due to a rare disease and later at the age of 14, her second hand also had to be severed after she suffered a major electric shock.

Priyanshi had appeared in the NEET for admission into a medical college and was also selected. She was assigned Shahdol medical college for admission into MBBS course.

But Priyanshi was denied admission on the ground that both her hands are crippled. She contended that according to MCI guidelines, admission in the MBBS course can only be denied if a candidate has more than 80% disability but she suffers from only 65% disability.

Besides, India is a signatory to the UK conclave following which the law dealing with rights of a disabled person was enacted in the year 2016.

Still, petitioner Priyanshi was denied admission in the MBBS course, which was also in clear violation to Articles 14 and 19 of the Indian Constitution.

Following preliminary arguments, the division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Ravi Vijay Kumar Malimath and Justice V K Shukla issued notices to the respondents, seeking a detailed response to the petition.

Advocate Aditya Sanghi appeared in the case on behalf of the petitioner.

IAS, state officers may run med colleges in MP

IAS, state officers may run med colleges in MP

Antriksh.Singh@timesgroup.com

Indore:25.10.2021

The state medical education department plans to appoint the officers of the Indian Administrative Services and those of the state services as administrators to run daily business of 13 medical colleges, sources said.

The senior officials of the state government, however, warded off any comments on it saying they had no information about such a proposal. Medical education minister Vishwash Sarang allayed any doubts saying that there had been a proposal to appoint administrative officers for 13 medical colleges to boost health services.

Sarang further said, “Any decision to appoint administrators in hospitals and medical colleges will be only taken only after weighing all aspects of the proposal.”

There is a post of administrator in each associated hospital, said Sarang. The Medical Teachers’ Association is against the move. General secretary of the association Dr Rakesh Malviya said that rather than improving the condition of medical colleges such appointments would spoil the system.

“There is no need to do that, because there are already many IAS and SAS officers including divisional commissioners and additional chief secretaries to oversee the health services,” Dr Malviya said.

“There is only one hospital- AIIMS Delhi in the country where a deputy director, who is an IAS officer, looks after administrative work, but that IAS officer works under the director of the hospital,” Dr Malviya said.

Sources said the proposal came up on the heels of the Central Government’s decision to appoint engineers from private sectors to meet the need for technical experts in different departments. Besides the IAS and SAS cadres, the IPS officers are also keen on getting posted to various departments, sources further said.

Medical education minister Vishwash Sarang allayed any doubts saying that there had been a proposal to appoint administrative officers for 13 medical colleges to boost health service

HC stays official’s transfer for daughter’s exam

HC stays official’s transfer for daughter’s exam

Bhopal:  25.10.2021

Madhya Pradesh high court has stayed the transfer of a food safety officer on the ground that her daughter has to appear in her Class X board exam. The court allowed her to join her new posting after the session ended.

The petitioner, Sandhya Marco, was transferred from Balaghat to Dindori, over 200km apart, on August 23, 2021. She moved HC, pleading that her transfer be stayed as her daughter’s studies would be affected ahead of her board exams. She said she had applied to the higher authorities of her department for a stay on her transfer, but no decision had been taken yet. She also pointed out that no one has been posted in her place at Balaghat, and pleaded to be allowed to continue in the post till her daughter’s exams. Justice Vishal Mishra granted her prayer and asked Marco to give an undertaking that she would join her new posting after the end of this academic session. TNN

HC: Divorced parents equally responsible for child’s edu expenses

HC: Divorced parents equally responsible for child’s edu expenses

Vaibhav.Ganjapure@timesgroup.com

Nagpur:25.10.2021

Both parents should be equally responsible for taking care of their children’s education expenses, ruled the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court after an 18-year-old approached it, as he was finding it difficult to pay fees at IIT Dhanbad, where he secured admission in the mechanical branch.

Dismissing the father’s contention that he is unable to raise the maintenance amount, as he has to look after his old mother, divorced sister and her daughter, the bench also held that “children must be the first priority of a parent in the matter of maintenance”.

“Before the petitioner’s birth in 2001, his parents had separated and he has been residing with mother. Both of his parents are serving as teachers, each earning a salary of over ₹48,000. It is, therefore, apparent that both are equally responsible to share maintenance as well as education expenses of their son,” a division bench comprising Justice Atul Chandurkar and Justice GN Sanap said.

“Even if it is assumed that there are some other persons dependent on the father, the child must be his first priority in the matter of maintenance. If he fails to share the maintenance and expenses, then the mother would be required to bear the unnecessary burden,” the bench added, while asking the father to enhance the monthly maintenance to ₹7,500 from ₹5,000, with effect from October 27, 2015, the date on which the student had filed the petition.

The youngster, a meritorious student scoring 93% in Class X examination, had moved the HC after he was finding it difficult to pay the fees at IIT Dhanbad. Till now, his expenses were shouldered by his mother, while his father used to pay him ₹5,000 a month. The petitioner had prayed for enhancing the maintenance to ₹15,000, so he could pay the college fees.

“Considering the fact that both parents are in service and having their own maintenance and responsibilities, the reasonable amount of maintenance is required to be quantified. As far as the education expenses are concerned, both parents shall share it equally. Both must devise a mechanism to obtain the statement of the education expenses and share the same,” the bench said.

Full report on www.toi.in

1st yr engineering classes from today

1st yr engineering classes from today

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:24.10.2021

More than 400 engineering colleges in the state will begin classes for more than 95,000 students, who have joined through engineering counselling, from Monday.

Anna University's College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras Institute of Technology and Alagappa College of Technology have released the time slots for enrolling the students from Monday. These campuses will conduct campus tours, counselling and games during the induction programme this year.

As per the academic schedule, the induction programme will be conducted in physical mode at the university while the theory classes will be conducted in online mode. The semester for university departments will begin with an induction programme on November 1 and end on March 1.

Most of the colleges have planned physical induction programmes for the students.

DME to issue applications from today

DME to issue applications from today

25/10/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) will start issuing applications for 21 allied sciences undergraduate programmes from 10 a.m. on Monday.

They include nursing, pharmacy, speech and learning programme, ophthalmology, physiotherapy, critical care technology, clinical nutrition, accident and emergency technology, cardiac technology and respiratory therapy among others, a release said.

Candidates may download the applications from www.tnhealth.tn.gov,in and tnmedicalselection.org.

The last date to download the applications is November 8 and the last date to submit the filled application forms is November 10.