Bank misplaces FD records of senior citizen, told to pay

Bank misplaces FD records of senior citizen, told to pay

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Vadodara: 17.11.2021

He had invested his hard-earned Rs 7,000 as two fixed deposits (FD) in Bank of Baroda in June 1998 for 20 years thinking that the money would help him during his retirement years. But in 2018 and 2019 when the two FDs were to mature Pravinchandra Shah, who lives in Makarpura, was shocked to know that the bank did not have any records of it.

Shah pursued the issue with the bank since 2018, but the money was never paid out to him.

However, the consumer court came to his rescue recently. The court ordered the bank to pay the matured amount of Rs 65,342 along with interest and compensation of Rs 2,000.

As Shah did not get any positive response from the bank, he had filed a complaint at the consumer forum in November 2019. He told the court that the bank did not have records of his FDs. When he approached senior officials of the bank, he was told that as the bank’s system had changed, his FDs’ account numbers had changed and he was assured of the payment. But Shah never got the money and instead learnt that the bank had deducted tax at source even as he had filled forms 15H and 15G and the rate of interest was reduced without informing him.

The bank was sent notice to appear before the forum and respond to Shah’s complaint, but the bank’s representatives never remained present. Since Shah had submitted all documentary evidence and they were not opposed by the bank, the court upheld the evidence. The court ordered the bank to pay the promised sum of Rs 65,342 to Shah within two months.

Admissions for dental and MBBS courses to begin today

Admissions for dental and MBBS courses to begin today

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:17.11.2021

The online registrations for medical, dental, homeopathic and ayurveda seats will begin from November 17. Presently, there are 30 medical colleges in the state with 5,550 MBBS seats, 12 dental colleges with 1,255 seats, 33 Ayurveda colleges with 2,242 seats and 36 colleges with a total capacity of 3,710 seats.

In all, there are 12,707 seats for which the Admission Committee for Professional Under Graduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC) will undertake the admission process this year.

Gujarat government is working on a plan to ensure that there is one medical college in every district of the state. For this, the department will have to set up about seven additional medical colleges in districts that do not have a single college, said sources.

The proposal is in lines with the Centre’s vision to have one college in every district of the country over the next five years.

The state government is also planning to set up eight new medical colleges in the state in the next two years. They will add 1,200 MBBS seats, representing about 21% of the total number of prevailing seats in Gujarat, said sources in the state’ health department.

The new medical colleges in Morbi, Godhra and Porbander are expected to start in the 2021-22 academic year. The inspection process by National Medical Commission (NMC) has been completed.

In the next academic year, the state health department aims to start new medical colleges in Rajpipala, Navsari, Jam Khambhaliya, Botad and Veraval.

India resumes vaccine exports after 8 months

India resumes vaccine exports after 8 months

Indrani.Bagchi@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:17.11.2021

Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Iran have been the first recipients of resumed vaccine exports from India almost eight months after they were halted due to rising cases of Covid.

The Centre had stopped vaccine exports as the brutal second wave hit India in April-May this year. Its only after India had administered close to a billion doses of vaccines did the government relax restrictions. Commercial contracts were also kept in abeyance as production was procured for domestic use. India resumed its exports to the Covax facility with the first lot of doses landing in African countries. Adar Poonawalla, chief of Serum Institute of India, was quoted by Axios news website as saying that by this week, he expected Covishield doses to land in African countries.

"I think by the tenth of November you're gonna see the first — if not a bit sooner — you're gonna see the first doses arrive in Africa," Poonawalla told Axios. Once shipments begin, Poonawalla said around 30 million doses per month could be supplied to COVAX.

Home stickers for fully vaccinated?

In a bid to add momentum to the door-to-door Covid vaccination campaign, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya suggested use of stickers for residences where both doses have been given, which would help vaccinators involved in the drive and encourage others to take their shots. TNN P 8

Vax supplies no longer a constraint now

India now has a long list of vaccines—Covavax, Corbevax, ZyCovD, Gennova’s mRNA vaccine—at various stages of regulatory approval. The first 50 million doses of SIIproduced Covavax will make its way to Indonesia this week though the vaccine is yet to be greenlighted by India’s DCGI, the WHO or the US FDA.

While the government is focusing on getting more Indians covered by the second jab, it’s clear that supplies are no longer a constraint. Vaccine manufacturers are chomping at the bit, because they need to go out to the world with their exports.

However, there remain fears about a third wave and a repeat of the shortages faced during the second wave as well as uncertainties about production volumes and timelines of manufacturers. Here, government sources say they were hobbled by the slow rollout of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech.

TNeGA to launch e-Office for paperless governance

TNeGA to launch e-Office for paperless governance

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:

17.11.2021

During the lockdown, private firms allowed their employees to work from home (WFH). But the state government was unable to do so. Now, the Tamil Nadu egovernance agency (TNeGA) has a solution for this if any need arises in the future.

TNeGA has designed a tool named 'e-Office', which will help employees to access their office files from homes.

Using their username and password employees can login to e-Office, scan hardcopies of office files, work on the uploaded documents, prepare notes, and transfer it to their colleagues for reference, said a senior TNeGA official.

"We will get to know from where and for how long a file has remained pending. Also, there is no way a file can go missing. Even if there was a fire accident etc, they can be retrieved," the official added.

The agency is planning to launch 'e-Office' at all departments and district collectorates and has created 50,000 email points for this purpose. In the first phase, the tool is to be made available for 3,500 employees at the state secretariat. Archives in offices over there will be digitised before the launch in January.

M Anbarasu, president of Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association, said that it was practically impossible to implement 100% paperless governance from a remote location. Some government welfare schemes involve physical inspections, and such field inputs can be recorded digitally. Only matters related to finance can be dealt with using such tools, he said.

MG Devasagayam, retired IAS official, said that they tried it way back in 2007 when the Madras high court directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to act on building violations. But there was literally no support from the staff. So, the initiative was dropped.

"Also, it is important to see what is digitised. Are projects and violations worth thousands of crores going to be digitised? Dealing with daily routine alone will provide us convenience but not transparency," he said.

Singapore to limit quarantine-free entry

Singapore to limit quarantine-free entry

The benefit may not be available for Vande Bharat passengers as of now, says statement by city-state

17/11/2021

Long wait: Passengers waiting to get tested for COVID-19 at the international airport in Chennai. B. Velankanni Raj VELANKANNI RAJ B

JAGRITI CHANDRA SUHASINI HAIDAR NEW DELHI

A day after including India on its Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) programme, Singaporean officials say quarantine-free entry may not be allowed for Indians taking Air India’s Vande Bharat flights, unless talks on a special bilateral arrangement result in an agreement.

In a detailed document on frequently asked questions on VTL, Singapore said only commercial scheduled passenger flights were eligible to be designated as VTL flights and since the Vande Bharat Mission flights were Government charter relief flights, they were not eligible. India has thus far not reopened regular international travel and has restricted flights to only those from 28 countries that have negotiated an “air travel bubble” system with the Government, that do not include Singapore.

“As Vande Bharat Mission flights are chartered repatriation flights, they are not eligible to be designated as VTL flights,” the statement released said, adding that negotiations with the Ministry of Civil Aviation was under way to work out a compromise that would allow a “partial” restoration of international flights for Singapore as a “temporary” measure.

In a statement on Tuesday, Singapore International Airlines on Tuesday asked passengers to be “patient” while talks were on.

Singaporean media had reported a surge in bookings for SIA flights after the announcement of the VTL programme, and at a press meet, Transport Minister S. Iswaran said Singapore aimed two flights a day each from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai by November 29. Travel agents in India said they were eager for the return of regular flights.

Govt. allows meals on all domestic flights

Govt. allows meals on all domestic flights

17/11/2021

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday allowed airlines to serve meals on board all domestic flights. The service was banned on flights shorter than two hours during the second wave of COVID-19.

“The airlines operating flights on domestic sectors may provide meal services on board, without restriction on duration of the flight,” an order said on Tuesday.

Moderate rush of pilgrims at Sabarimala on Day 1

Moderate rush of pilgrims at Sabarimala on Day 1

17/11/2021

Offering prayers: Devotees waiting for darshan at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on Tuesday. Leju Kamal

STAFF REPORTER PATHANAMTHITTA

Braving inclement weather conditions, devotees began trekking the Sabarimala hillock to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple on Tuesday.

In view of a regulation on the entry of devotees due to heavy rain, the day witnessed only a moderate rush of pilgrims. Only those who have booked slots in the virtual queue system are being permitted to the temple from the base camp at Pampa-Triveni.

Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan held a review of the arrangements in place at Pampa and the Sannidhanam along with Travancore Devaswom Board president K. Ananthagopan.

According to the Minister, over 13 lakh people have already booked slots for darshan through the virtual queue system and the pilgrim footfall is expected to improve as the weather conditions stabilise.

“As more devotees begin to arrive, the traditional Sabarimala path via Neelimala-Appachimedu may be opened to devotees. The departments concerned have been directed to set up two health centres along this route,” said the Minister.