‘State should revoke contributory pension scheme’

‘State should revoke contributory pension scheme’

The Hindu Bureau

Madurai 26.08.2024 


The Contributory Pension Scheme Abolition Movement has demanded the State Government to fulfil its poll promise of revocation of contributory pension scheme and replacing it with the old pension scheme.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, its coordinator, M. Selvakumar, said Finance Minister Thengam Thennarasu on April 26, 2023 had said that the State would take a call on reintroduction of old pension scheme after looking into the report of Somanathan Committee constituted by the Centre on the New Pension Scheme.

The Centre has decided to introduce the unified pension scheme based on Somanathan Committee report, he said and added that it was now the State’s turn to fulfill its promise.

‘Faulty’ hiring: Kerala Governor Arif Khan seeks Calicut University V-C’s explanation

‘Faulty’ hiring: Kerala Governor Arif Khan seeks Calicut University V-C’s explanation

The Hindu Bureau

Kozhikode 26.08.2024 

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sought an explanation from P. Raveendran, Vice-Chancellor, University of Calicut, over a complaint seeking recovery of money from officials for the losses incurred to the institution due to “faulty recruitment” of faculty members between 2019 and 2022.

The complaint was filed by Joshin Joseph, one of the applicants, and a differently-abled person. The university had appointed 56 assistant professors, 16 associate professors, and 13 professors as per the job notification issued in 2019. However, it was later alleged that reservation norms were flouted. After another applicant legally challenged the recruitment process, the Kerala HC and the SC found merit in the allegation.

Health officials refuse to provide information on suspicious postmortem reports

Health officials refuse to provide information on suspicious postmortem reports

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI 26.08.2024

State health authorities have refused to disclose the identities of doctors who conducted postmortems in 57 medico-legal cases at the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, wherein the reports were found to be nearly identical.

A petitioner, seeking information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, on the action taken over suspected irregularities in the postmortem reports, claimed that his petition was being passed around between various medical authorities without a proper response.

‘Cut, copy, paste’

The issue pertains to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition that came up before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in 2020. Referring to a report of Scientific Officers, the court noted that between April 1 and 15, 2019, 178 postmortems were conducted at the hospital. Of these, 57 reports suggested that they were produced using a “cut, copy, paste” method.

The Bench, comprising Justices K. Kirubakaran and S.S. Sundar, remarked that the postmortem certificates contained only minor variations. Additionally, closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage revealed that no measurements were taken from any of the bodies. “It is clear that all these 57 postmortem certificates were generated using a cut, copy, paste method,” it had said.

In May 2024, Raj Kapil, a criminology professor from Kanniyakumari district, filed an application under the RTI Act to know whether the State government had formed an inquiry commission to investigate the irregularities or the fraudulent issuance of postmortem certificates in the 57 cases. He also sought to know the identities of the doctors or police surgeons responsible for the certificates, and the action taken against them.

The Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services responded by forwarding the petition to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, claiming that the information pertained to their office. However, the latter redirected the petition to the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, under Section 6(3) of the Act. The petition continued to be transferred between authorities.

Later, the Public Information Officer at the hospital forwarded the petition to Madurai Medical College. Last month, Madurai Medical College responded that the queries pertained to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Chennai. However, there was no indication that the petition had been referred to the appropriate authorities. In response to the question on the names and designations of those who issued the certificates, the Madurai Medical College cited Section 8(h) of the RTI Act, claiming that there was no provision to provide such details.

Dismayed at the response, Mr. Kapil said Section 8(h) typically applies in cases where disclosing an information could impede an investigation. “It is essential for citizens to know that action has been taken against the doctors involved. Moreover, identifying them will only aid in the investigation of criminal cases where the postmortem examinations were botched,” he said.

Varsity to pay salary arrears of 116 staff members in affiliated colleges

Varsity to pay salary arrears of 116 staff members in affiliated colleges

Vice-Chancellor lauds the varsity’s improvement in NIRF rankings, says it was because of better quality of doctoral projects and cooperation among affiliated colleges; Senate members express concern over delay in issue of mark sheets

The Hindu Bureau

TIRUCHI

Bharathidasan University (BDU) will process salary payments of 116 staff working in 10 affiliated arts and science colleges whose salaries are pending from November 2023 to June 2024. The decision was announced in reply to a question at the annual Senate meeting of university on Saturday.

Addressing the Senate, Vice-Chancellor M. Selvam said the university’s improved performance on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) list could be attributed to tight quality control and cooperation among the affiliated colleges.

“We have approved over 300 applications for doctoral studies this academic year, and I believe the better quality of our doctoral projects are an important factor in our higher NIRF ranks,” said Mr. Selvam.

The meeting got off to a rocky start in the morning when K. Suriyan, professor, and head, Department of Sociology, sat on the floor to protest at being denied permission to speak about matters related to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Cell in the university. He urged the Senate to facilitate the progress of dalit students in higher education.

Criticism over the delay in implementing past resolutions dominated the opening half of the meeting, with participating academics highlighting problems related to Ph. D studies.

Protest for time

V. Pari, assistant professor, Department of Tamil, Raja Serfoji Government College, Thanjavur, contended that the Senate had not clarified its stand on the condition of research article publication not being mandatory in journals approved by University Grants Commission - Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics .

“Arbitrary use of UGC-CARE list recommendations and high penalty fees for those who apply for extensions are holding up degrees for a large number of scholars,” said Mr. Pari.

Participants expressed concern over the non-issuance of mark sheets of three semesters in the current academic year.

Senate members replied that the release of B. Com. mark sheets had been completed recently, and B. Sc. scores would follow in the coming weeks.

Parents, students protest medical fee hike

 Parents, students protest medical fee hike 

Ahmedabad : A day after the fees for around 1,200 private medical, dental and paramedical colleges as well as 15 ayurvedic colleges in Gujarat were raised, parents and students protested at the fee regulatory committee (FRC) office on Saturday. The FRC announced new fees for medical colleges for 2024-25 and paramedical and dental colleges for the next three years, with increases ranging from 2% to 25%, averaging 12%. The new fee structures do not apply to the 13 medical colleges run by Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS). 

Ayurvedic colleges have seen fees hiked by up to 80%. Protesters argued that the steep increase would push middle-class students to pursue medical education abroad as many can no longer afford local fees. A similar hike in GMERS medical colleges had already sparked protests, leading to a partial rollback. The new increases in private colleges are adding to the financial burden on families, said protestors. Demonstrators gathered at the FRC office, and left a memorandum outside as the office was closed. The memorandum demanded a rollback, stating the fee hike is unjustifiable.

Govt approves UPS, assures 50% of basic pay as pension

 Govt approves UPS, assures 50% of basic pay as pension 

Govt Contribution Up To 18.5% From 14%; DA Added

 TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

New Delhi : Bringing significant benefits to 23 lakh central govt employees, the Narendra Modi govt on Saturday announced an overhaul of the 20-year-old National Pension System, including a higher contribution by govt for a guaranteed payout of 50% of the average basic pay drawn during the last 12 months of service. With the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), the govt sought to bring the benefits on a par with the old pension scheme (OPS) and blunt the opposition’s bid to revert to the earlier regime in the states governed by them, and mop up electoral dividends in the ensuing assembly polls. The decision also opens the doors for states to offer UPS, a contributory scheme, which will take the count to 90 lakh employees. 

The scheme — which employees will get a one-time option to switch to — introduces inflation adjustment through dearness relief. Those opting for UPS will be assured of 50% payout if they complete 25 years of service, information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced. The proportion will be lower for those who put in fewer years in any govt job. Elaborating on the “five pillars” of UPS, which will be implemented from April next year, Vaishnaw said a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 will be offered to those who work for 10 years, with family pension to the spouse pegged at 60% of the deceased govt employee’s pension