College gets deemed-to-be varsity status

College gets deemed-to-be varsity status 

10.07.2025

Bengaluru : Kristu Jayanti College, an autonomous college under Bengaluru North University, was officially conferred deemed-to-be university status by education ministry under Section 3 of University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956 (general category). 

“With this status, Kristu Jayanti deemed-to-be university is empowered to broaden its academic horizons, foster interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary learning, contribute to global knowledge creation with enhanced autonomy and accomplish the vision of NEP 2020,” said principal Fr Augustine George CMI. “As a university, our focus will be on research, skill development and engagement of students. We will aim to get figured in the QS rankings,” he further added. The college has 15,000 students and over 700 faculty in 70 courses. TNN

NEWS TODAY 9.7.2025

 

Minister urges medical graduates to participate in govt. service

Minister urges medical graduates to participate in govt. service

THE HINDU BUREAU DHARMAPURI  09.07.2025

Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma.Subramanian handed over degrees to 88 students graduating out of Dharmapuri Government Medical College on Monday.

Calling upon medical graduates to see the moment of passing out as just a beginning, he urged them to participate in government service.

At the convocation, Mr. Subramanian narrated about his visit to the remote hill hamlet of Maatupattikottai in Halahalli panchayat in Dharmapuri earlier that morning, where he assessed the reach of the State Government’s flagship schemes. The Minister said he had arranged for cochlear implant consultation for a 23-year-old hearing and speech impaired woman at the Stanely Medical College Hospital, and designated a doctor in-charge of taking the woman and her family to Chennai.

The Minister sharing nuggets of his visit to the hamlet of barely 50 families said, “the residents said no politician had ever visited that village. A nurse makes monthly visits under the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme for the physiotherapy of a woman, who was fighting stroke.”

That was how the scheme touched lives, Mr. Subramanian said.

Mr. Subramanian also lauded Dharmapuri Government Medical College Hospital that has carried out 26 organ harvesting procedures, a unique feat for a non-metro government medical college hospital, on a par with those in Madurai and Coimbatore.

Similarly, the hospital also carried out 80 cochlear implants for children, a remarkable feat, the Minister added.

Don’t let TNSTC buses cross four toll plazas in south Tamil Nadu, says High Court

Don’t let TNSTC buses cross four toll plazas in south Tamil Nadu, says High Court

The petitioners said most government buses were not equipped with FASTag, in violation of the rules framed by the Centre.

MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S. 09.07.2025

CHENNAI The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered that Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses should not be allowed to pass through the toll plazas maintained by four concessionaires on the national highways leading to the southern districts of the State from July 10, owing to ₹276 crore in toll fee arrears.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh said he had no choice but to take the extreme step of preventing public transportation through the toll plazas since the State transport department had not taken steps to settle the arrears with the four National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) concessionaires.

Conscious of passing a shocking order that could lead to law and order issues, the judge directed the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force (DGP/HoPF) to ensure the deployment of adequate police personnel at Kappalur, Etturavattam, Salaipudhur and Nanguneri toll plazas to prevent any untoward incident.

The judge directed the High Court Registry to mark a copy of his interim order to the DGP as well as the Inspector General of Police (south zone) for compliance in letter and in spirit, and decided to take stock of the situation on July 15.

The concessionaires

Madurai-Kanniyakumari Tollway Private Limited, Kanniyakumari-Etturavattam Tollway Private Limited, Salaipudur-Madurai Tollway Private Limited, and Nanguneri-Kanniyakumari Tollway Private Limited had approached the court last year by filing individual writ petitions.

Senior counsel Sathish Parasaran, representing the writ petitioners, contended that his clients had been suffering huge losses due to the failure of Tamil Nadu government buses to pay toll charges despite using the national highways for transporting their passengers.

Law and order

He said most government buses were not equipped with FASTag, in violation of the rules framed by the Centre. Mr. Parasaran said the toll plaza staff would not dare to stop the buses over non-payment of toll, due to the fear that it may lead to law and order issues.

It was brought to the notice of the court that the State transport corporations had settled only about ₹48.5 crore in dues, and that ₹276 crore (including the principal amount of ₹116 crore, apart from penalty and interest) was yet to be paid to the four NHAI concessionaires.

After recording the submissions, Justice Venkatesh said the amount may end up increasing to ₹300 crore to ₹400 crore if the transport corporations continue to prolong the issue instead of settling the dues with the concessionaires.

He said the government officials may not understand the seriousness of the issue or act swiftly unless the extreme step of stopping the buses at the toll plazas was resorted to. He said the corporations had brought such a precarious situation upon themselves, adversely affecting the common people.

Kerala univ stalemate over suspension of registrar persists

Kerala univ stalemate over suspension of registrar persists 

BHARAT MATA ROW   09.07.2025

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Thiruvananthapuram: The administrative crisis in Kerala University continued on Tuesday, with governor and chancellor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar slowpedalling on the report of the vice-chancellor in-charge, Ciza Thomas, regarding the syndicate’s decision to revoke the suspension of registrar K S Anil Kumar. Vice-chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal had suspended Kumar for cancelling permission for a programme attended by the governor at Senate Hall over the display of a portrait of Bharat Mata holding a saffron flag. 

While the university syndicate revoked the suspension late Sunday, claiming that the VC acted beyond his authority, Thomas, appointed as vice-chancellor incharge in the absence of Kunnummal, said in a report to the chancellor on Monday that the syndicate’s move was invalid. 

Sources in Raj Bhavan said Arlekar had not taken a decision on the next course of action based on Thomas’ report. He is expected to act once Kunnummal is back from a week-long trip to Russia. The VC is set to join duty on Wednesday. Meanwhile, amidst a violent protest by SFI against the vice-chancellor and the chancellor on Tuesday, Thomas refused to consider a file regarding the application of equivalence of a degree certificate of a student seeking higher education in the university, as it was put up by the academic section through Kumar. It was later put up by the joint registrar concerned on her instruction, following which Thomas gave her consent.

Her directive appointing university planning director Mini Kappan as the new registrar in-charge has also not been implemented, with the pro-Left union members in the university refusing to issue the order

Train halts for 2 hrs for elephant to give birth

Train halts for 2 hrs for elephant to give birth 

N K

Agarwal@timesofindia.com  09.07.2025

Ramgarh : A goods train carrying coal was stopped for over two hours so that a pregnant elephant, who was in labour on the track, could give birth to a calf undisturbed. The incident took place on a forest stretch between Barkakana and Hazaribag railway stations in Jharkhand. Since the particular track is primarily used for goods transportation, no passenger train was affected. It was two weeks ago, around 3 o’clock in the morning, that forest officials contacted the railway officials to halt the goods trains for a few hours. The loco pilot was immediately alerted to ensure that both the jumbo and calf were safe. Divisional forest officer, Ramgarh, Nitish Kumar, said: “At 3 am, a forest guard informed me that a pregnant elephant is lying on the tracks in labour pain. He warned that it might get run over, and requested me to stop all train movement along the route. I immediately contacted the railway control room in Barkakana and requested them to stop all trains.” Video clips of the incident, clicked by a forest guard and some locals, went viral on Tuesday. Both the elephant and its calf are safe and healthy.

NATURE’S HALT: Both elephant and its calf are safe and healthy

8th Pay Commission: Central govt employees’ salary to rise 3 times from 2027?

8th Pay Commission: Central govt employees’ salary to rise 3 times from 2027? 

What we know so far 07.07.2025

Although the official terms of reference, chairman, and commission members have not yet been announced, early projections have already generated significant anticipation within government service circles. 

Written by PF Desk July 6, 2025 19:54 IST 

The 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), approved earlier this year by the Union Cabinet, is expected to be implemented around 2027, bringing a major revision in the salary structure of central government employees across India. The 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), approved earlier this year by the Union Cabinet, is expected to be implemented around 2027, bringing a major revision in the salary structure of central government employees across India. Although the official terms of reference, chairman, and commission members have not yet been announced, early projections have already generated significant anticipation within government service circles.

What Is the 8th Pay Commission? The Pay Commission is a periodic exercise conducted by the Government of India to revise the salary structure of central government employees. It not only influences the basic pay and allowances of government workers but also impacts pensions and retirement benefits. The 8th Pay Commission will replace the 7th CPC, which was implemented in 2016.

At the core of the CPC’s recommendations is the Pay Matrix, a system that determines salaries based on levels and years of service. The fitment factor, which multiplies existing pay to arrive at the new basic salary, is expected to be increased from 2.57 (under the 7th CPC) to 2.86 under the 8th CPC.

For example, employees at Pay Level 1, currently earning a basic pay of ₹18,000, may see it jump to ₹51,480, while Level 2 employees could see their pay increase from ₹19,900 to ₹56,914. Those at Level 3 may receive ₹62,062, up from ₹21,700. At Level 6, basic pay may increase from ₹35,400 to over ₹1 lakh, while Level 10 officers, including entry-level IAS and IPS officers, might see their pay rise from ₹56,100 to ₹1.6 lakh.

The Commission will cover a broad spectrum of central government roles—from Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS), clerks, constables, and engineers, to senior officers and assistant commissioners. These hikes, if implemented, promise to dramatically enhance the financial stability and morale of government employees.

 While these numbers remain speculative until formal recommendations are made, the expected hike is seen as a step to reward public servants and align compensation with growing economic demands.