Diwali surprise: 4% hike in DA for govt employees

Diwali surprise: 4% hike in DA for govt employees 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 31.10.2024 

Chandigarh : Calling it a Diwali bonanza for the families of more than 6.50 employees and pensioners of the Punjab government, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced a hike of 4% in dearness allowance (DA). An official spokesperson said the chief minister had approved a 4% hike in dearness allowance to the employees and pensioners, with effect from Nov 1, thereby enhancing the DA to 42% from 38%. 

Mann made the announcement with a post on ‘X’ that read, “On the occasion of Diwali, a small gift to the govt employees…” He added that the decision would benefit more than 6.50 lakh employees, pensioners and their families. He said that the employees were a critical segment of the state administration and safeguarding their interests was the govt’s top priority. “No stone is being left unturned for this noble cause and every effort is being made to ensure the welfare of employees,” he said. Last year, on Dec 19, Mann had announced a 4% hike in dearness allowance for government employees, raising it from 34 per cent to 38 per cent with effect from Dec1, 2023.

Admission cancellation: HC junks MBBS student’s plea Her Caste Certificate Was Found To Be Invalid

Admission cancellation: HC junks MBBS student’s plea Her Caste Certificate Was Found To Be Invalid

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   31.10.2024

Ahmedabad : The Gujarat high court turned down a petition by a medical student whose MBBS admission was cancelled after the state govt held her caste certificate invalid. As the student was pursuing the second year of MBBS, she argued that if her admission was cancelled, one MBBS seat would be wasted. She urged the court to allow her to finish her medical studies, for it would not cause any prejudice to the administration. 

However, Justice Sangeeta Vishen rejected this argument and stated, “It is equally true that the petitioner secured the admission depriving the genuine claim of the reserved candidate.” This case involved an MBBS student, Mrunal Chaudhary, who got admission under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) quota in the Narendra Modi Medical College in Ahmedabad in 2022. It was a provisional admission, and its confirmation was subject to verification of the student’s caste certificate by a scrutiny committee. 

The committee found the student’s caste certificate as belonging to the ‘Teli community’ invalid, for she could not establish that her family was a permanent resident of Gujarat before April 1, 1978, a condition for caste certificate stipulated in a govt resolution in 1994. It is a cut-off date on which the SEBC quota was implemented by accepting the Bakshi Commission’s recommendations in Gujarat. The documents that the student provided showing her family’s existence in Gujarat prior to 1978 were found inadequate. The student also argued that she secured 507 marks in NEET-UG in 2022. In this college, the cut-off for the open category was 515, and therefore she secured admission in the reserved category on the strength of her caste certificate. If the scrutiny process had been quick, she could have got admission in the open category in any other medical college.

 The HC clarified that hers  was only a provisional admission subject to verification. After referring to the provisions of the rules and the Gujarat Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verifica tion of Caste Certificate) Act, 2018, the HC said, “The caste certificate was not in tune with the provisions of govt resolutions and hence, as per the provisions of sub-rule (9) of Rule 5 of the Rules of 2017, the provisional admission of the petitioner stood cancelled. Therefore, this court does not find any error committed by the respondent No.1 (state govt) in cancelling the caste certificate, so also the admission of the petitioner and hence, the petition does not deserve to be entertained and is hereby dismissed.” 

Panipuriwala’s son too lost MBBS seat, but bounced back Alpesh Rathod’s case was no different when his SEBC caste certificate was held invalid by the scrutiny committee, resulting in the cancellation of his MBBS admission in the reserved category in 2023. Rathod, whose father is a panipuri vendor in Meghraj town of Aravalli district, approached the HC, which said that Rathod had to suffer for no fault of his, but the HC upheld the state govt’s decision of cancelling his caste certificate and the medical admission. Rathod approached the Supreme Court, which stayed the state govt’s decision, and Rathod was allowed to pursue his MBBS. However, Rathod showed grit, took the NEET-UG exam once again, and bettered his earlier score of 613 out of 720 in 2022. He secured 644 marks this year, and has been admitted to the MBBS course in the open category. 

He withdrew his appeal from the SC and put an end to the litigation.

NEWS TO DAY 31.10.2024

 

பிறப்பு சான்றிதழ்களில் பெயா் சோக்காதவா்கள் விண்ணப்பிக்கலாம்

பிறப்பு சான்றிதழ்களில் பெயா் சோக்காதவா்கள் விண்ணப்பிக்கலாம்

DINAMANI 31.10.2024

சென்னை மாநகராட்சியில் 15 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேல் பிறப்பு சான்றிதழ்களில் பெயா் பதிவு செய்யாதவா்கள் டிச.31-ஆம் தேதிக்குள் விண்ணப்பித்து பெயருடன் கூடிய பிறப்புச் சான்றிதழை பெற்றுக்கொள்ளலாம்.

மாநகராட்சி ஆணையா் ஜெ.குமரகுருபரன் வெளியிட்ட செய்திக் குறிப்பு:

குழந்தை பிறந்த 21 நாள்களுக்குள் பிறப்பை பதிவு செய்ய வேண்டும். பிறப்பு சான்றிதழில் குழந்தையின் பெயா் பதிவு செய்தால் மட்டும்தான் அது முழுமையான சான்றிதழாக கருதப்படும். ஒரு குழந்தையின் பிறப்பு பெயரின்றி பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தால், 12 மாதத்துக்குள் பெயா் பதிவு செய்யலாம். அதன் பின் 15 ஆண்டுகளுக்குள் பதிவு செய்வோா் ரூ.200 கட்டணம் செலுத்த வேண்டும். இந்நிலையில் 15 ஆண்டுகள் முடிவுற்றும் பிறப்பு சான்றிதழில் பெயா் பதிவு செய்ய டிச.31-ஆம் தேதி வரை காலஅவகாசம் வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதற்கு விண்ணப்பிப்போா், பிறப்பு சான்றிதழ் நகல், பள்ளிச் சான்றிதழ், ஆதாா் அட்டை நகல், வாக்காளா் அடையாள அட்டை, ரேஷன் காா்டு உள்ளிட்ட ஆவணங்களுடன் மாநகராட்சி பிறப்பு இறப்பு பதிவு அலுவலகம் மற்றும் மண்டல அலுவலகங்களில் விண்ணப்பித்துப் பெயருடன் கூடிய பிறப்புச் சான்றிதழைப் பெறலாம். இனி வரும் காலங்களில் இதுபோன்ற காலஅவகாச நீட்டிப்பு வழங்க இயலாது. இந்த வாய்ப்பைப் பயன்படுத்தி 2009 வரை பதிவு செய்யப்பட்ட குழந்தைகளின் பிறப்புச் சான்றிதழ்களில் பெயா் சோ்த்து சான்றிதழ் பெற்றுக் கொள்ளலாம் எனத் தெரிவித்துள்ளாா்.

Family sends ₹6L to wrong US bank a/c, unable to retrieve it Amount Was For Term Tuition Fee

Family sends ₹6L to wrong US bank a/c, unable to retrieve it Amount Was For Term Tuition Fee 

Sushil.Rao@timesofindia.com 31.10.2024 

Hyderabad : A family in Miryalaguda lost ₹6 lakh tuition fees when they mistakenly sent it to a wrong US bank account over 2 months ago. Despite efforts, they’ve been unable to recover the funds from the bank. Dongari Pavan, hailing from Miryalaguda in Nalgonda told TOI that his younger brother, Dongari Chakravarthi, was pursuing a Master’s degree in Advanced Data Analytics from the University of North Texas College in Denton, Texas, US. 

He joined the college last year. As he needed to pay the term fee for this year, the family sent $7,100 (₹5,97,095) to meet the requirement. The money was sent on Aug 27 through an State Bank of India (SBI) wire transfer from the Miryalaguda branch to a bank in the US to pay for the tuition. But due to an error in the account number, the funds went to someone else’s account instead of Chakravarthi’s account. “My parents are farmers. It was with great difficulty that we managed to secure a loan for the money needed to pay my brother’s fees,” Pavan said.

Chakravarthi reportedly approached the bank where his account was held to obtain details of the person whose account received the money by mistake. The bank refused to disclose any details about the account holder on grounds of privacy. Meanwhile, the university has been asking him to clear his fee dues. Bank authorities in India too have not been able to help them recover the lost money. Pavan said he approached authorities at the Miryalaguda branch of SBI to help trace the account holder to whose account the money was credited, but the staff reportedly informed him that those details needed to be obtained from the beneficiary bank in the US.

“Despite numerous attempts to get a resolution from the bank, we have not received any favourable response. The situation is stressful 

for us,” Pavan said. Pavan had immediately brought the matter to the notice of SBI Miryalaguda on Aug 30 and also got an acknowledgement from it. “It has been 64 days since the problem arose. I have been appealing to the authorities of both the banks but we have not been able to get our money back,” he added. In response to an ‘X’ post by Pavan about his problem, SBI, on Oct 5, advised him not to post banking or personal information publicly for security reasons.

High uncontrolled diabetes seen in patients hit by fever Burning Of Eyes Another Unusual Symptom: Docs

High uncontrolled diabetes seen in patients hit by fever Burning Of Eyes Another Unusual Symptom: Docs 

Amrita.Didyala@timesofindia.com 31.10.2024 

Hyderabad : An increased range of fevers, burning sensation in the body, burning of eyes, nose and high uncontrolled diabetes in non-diabetics are some of the symptoms being seen in many patients reporting with fever and influenza-like illnesses currently. This is being observed in patients testing negative for all known viruses as well as those testing positive for dengue or chikungunya, say health experts. In fact, doctors suggest that viral infections might be triggering diabetes, similar to what was seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are seeing prolonged general weakness and increased levels of blood sugars in most patients. Blood sugar levels are reaching as high as 200-300 in non-diabetic patients. During these fevers, there is a spike in random blood sugar levels. It could be due to the tremendous stress caused to the body by viral infections. It is rampant,” said Dr Prabhu Kumar Challagali, member of Indian Medical Association. He said burning of eyes is another unusual symptom being seen among patients. For diabetics and prediabetics, the situation is worse, with many prediabetics experiencing continued high levels of blood sugars after viral infections. Heart failure also seen among patients Flagging another cause for concern, Dr Ashish Chauhan, consultant physician at Apollo Hospitals, said heart failure and heart attacks following a viral infection are also being seen in many patients. 

Citing the example of an elderly patient currently admitted to the ICU, Dr Chauhan said: “When we ran a troponin test (used to detect heart damage), we found his levels to be 50,000 compared to the normal of 25. Heart attacks are being precipitated by the viral infections as well and the disease is not giving us enough time. So if a patient feels unwell, it is advisable to consult a doctor immediately. Unlike previous days when we asked patients to wait for 3-4 days before consultation, we now advise visiting a doctor within 24-48 hours.”

This is how your parents can enrol for Ayushman scheme

This is how your parents can enrol for Ayushman scheme 

TOI Explains 

Registration Can Be Done Via Website Or App And Also At Empanelled Hospitals

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesofindia.com 31.10.2024

Those aged 70 years and above can now benefit from the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) regardless of income, a major shift in the govt policy. Earlier, only poor and vulnerable families and a few specific categories of workers, like ASHA staff, were eligible for the scheme that offers health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary-care hospitalisation. 

How can 70+ people join the scheme? 

Anyone aged 70 years or above can apply for the Ayushman Bharat Senior Citizen Scheme on the website, www.beneficiary.nha. gov.in, or by using the Ayushman App (available for Android on the Google Play Store). Beneficiaries simply need to verify their identity and eligibility through Aadhaar e-KYC. Aadhaar serves as the primary document for confirming both the beneficiary’s age and state of residence and is the only document required to complete the registration process. 

Can family members register elderly people who are unable to access apps or websites? Yes. Family members can register the eligible beneficiary through beneficiary login option on the mobile app and website. All they must do is to enter their mobile number and put in the OTP that’s generated to initiate the enrolment process. One can also visit the nearest empanelled hospital and get themselves enrolled. 

Does AB PM-JAY address issues that have been experienced with CGHS, like difficulty in finding a bed? 

AB PM-JAY is a completely cashless scheme, and govt sources said payments are made to hospitals against the treatment provided to eligible beneficiaries. Empanelled hospitals are mandated to offer cashless treatment to beneficiaries. One can lodge grievances on the AB PM-JAY website or through the national call centre ‘14555’, mail, letter, fax etc. Any complaint regarding denial of treatment by an empaneled hospital is to be seen as an SOS grievance and a ‘turn around time’ of 6 hours has been set for resolving it. 

Do beneficiaries aged over 70 who belong to families already covered under AB PM-JAY need to enrol again? 

Such beneficiaries will have to re-initiate their Aadhaar based e-KYC via the website or mobile app to be registered as a beneficiary under the senior citizen scheme. 

How to check the list of hospitals that are included in the scheme? Is it correct that most big corporate  hospitals are yet to join? 

The list of empanelled hospitals for Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme is available on the website www.dashboard.pmjay.gov.in. As of Sept 30, approximately 30,000 hospitals across the country are empanelled to provide benefits under the scheme, which is run overall by the National Health Authority. The list includes 190 leading corporate hospitals like Centre For Sight (Delhi), Medanta-The Medicity (Gurugram), Metro Hospital and Heart Institute (Noida), Fortis Escorts Hospital (Jaipur), Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital & Heart Institute (Ghaziabad), etc. Public health and hospitals being a state subject under the Indian Constitution, state health agencies (SHAs) are mandated to empanel hospitals under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. 

How to seek treatment under the scheme? What if the cost exceeds Rs 5 lakh?

Beneficiaries can visit any empanelled hospital, present either their Ayushman card or their PMJAY ID to receive treatment. Before visiting, the beneficiary should confirm that the hospital is empanelled to treat the specific condition for which they require assistance. Nearly all treatments covered by the scheme cost below Rs 2 lakh and, so, the Rs 5 lakh cover is sufficient to meet beneficiaries’ healthcare needs, govt sources said. Further, under the umbrella scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), financial assistance up to Rs 15 lakh is provided to patients from poor families — who are eligible for PM-JAY — for availing those treatments that are not covered under PM-JAY. Hence, AB PM-JAY along with other central govt schemes can take care of hospitalisation needs of eligible beneficiaries. 

Delhi and West Bengal haven’t joined AB PM-JAY. Can elderly people in these two states join the scheme on their own? 

No. With these states not implementing the scheme, elderly citizens cannot join or receive the benefits of AB PM-JAY.