மொத்த ரயிலையும் முன்பதிவு செய்யும் வசதி: துவங்கியது முன்னோடி திட்டம்

ரயிலின் அனைத்து பெட்டிகளையோ, குறிப்பிட்ட ஒரு பெட்டியையோ முழுமையாக முன்பதிவு செய்யும் வசதியை, ரயில்வே துறை அறிமுகம் செய்துள்ளது.

விழாக்கள், வழிபாடு செல்லுதல், சுற்றுலா உள்ளிட்ட முக்கிய தருணங்களுக்கு, பலர் குழுக்களாக செல்வது வழக்கம். இவர்கள் அனைவரும், ஒரே ரயிலில் பயணம் செய்யவும் விரும்புகின்றனர். அவர்களின் வசதிக்காக, எண்ணிக்கையின் அடிப்படையில், அனைத்து பெட்டிகளிலும், குறிப்பிட்ட ஒரு பெட்டியில் உள்ள அனைத்து இடங்களையும் முன்பதிவு செய்யும் வசதியை, ரயில்வே துறை அறிமுகம் செய்துள்ளது. முதல் கட்ட முன்னோடி திட்டமாக, மேற்கு ரயில்வே மண்டலத்தில் அறிமுகமாகி உள்ளது. பயண தேதிக்கு முன், 30 நாட்களில் துவங்கி, ஆறு மாதத்திற்கு முன் வரை, முன்பதிவு செய்ய முடியும். விரைவில், தெற்கு ரயில்வேயிலும் இந்த திட்டத்தை எதிர்பார்க்கலாம் என, ரயில்வே அதிகாரிகள் கூறினர்.

OCI Travel Advisory – Re-issue of OCI Card and Frequently-Asked-Questions on OCI Card

OCI Travel Advisory – Re-issue of OCI Card and Frequently-Asked-Questions on OCI Card

The Embassy of India in Washington, DC, has issued an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) travel advisory and some frequently-asked question to clarify confusion among OCI card holders. Here is what Indian Embassy is saying:

• For an applicant who is 20 years of age or younger, OCI documents must be re-issued each time a new passport is issued.

• For an applicant who is 50 years of age or older, OCI documents must be re-issued once after the issuance of a new passport. If the OCI card is issued for the first time after the age of 50 years, then there is no need for re-issuance of OCI.

• For an applicant who is 21 to 49 years of age, there is no need to re-issue OCI documents each time a new passport is issued. However, if the applicant desires, he/she can request that the OCI documents be re-issued so that the OCI documents reflect the correct passport number.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on OCI Card:

QUESTION: What are the Benefits for an OCI card holder?

ANSWER: An OCI card holder gets the following benefits:
i. A multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa for visiting India.
ii. Exemption from registration with local police authority for any length of stay in India.
iii. Parity with Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in respect of economic, financial and educational fields, except in relation to acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.
iv. OCI can be used as identity proof for application of PAN Card and driving licence as well as for opening a bank account if the OCI card holder is residing in India.

Q: What benefits an OCI Card holder is not entitled to?
A: The OCI Card holder is not entitled:
i. to vote,
ii. to be a member of a Legislative Assembly or of a Legislative Council or of the Parliament of India,
iii. to hold Indian constitutional posts such as that of the President, Vice President, Judge of the Supreme Court or High Court etc.
iv. He/she cannot normally hold employment in the Government.

Q: Under what conditions should one apply for New OCI Card and Sticker?

A: (i) In case of issuance of new passport.
(a) For an applicant who is 20 years of age or younger, OCI documents must be re-issued each time a new passport is issued.
(b) For an applicant who is 50 years of age or older, OCI documents must be re-issued once after the issuance of a new passport. If the OCI card is issued for the first time after the age of 50 years, then there is no need for re-issuance of OCI.
(c) For an applicant who is 21 to 49 years of age, there is no need to re-issue OCI documents each time a new passport is issued. However, if the applicant desires, he/she can request that the OCI documents be re-issued so that the OCI documents reflect the correct passport number.
(ii) In case there is a change in personal particulars.
(iii) In case of loss/damage of passport and/or OCI booklet.
(iv) For correcting personal particulars entered wrongly while submitting online applications e.g name, father’s name, date of birth etc.,
(v) In case of change of address/occupation.

In case of emergency, the applicant can continue to carry the old passport wherein OCI 'U' visa sticker is pasted along with the new passport and the OCI booklet for visiting India.

It is important for the OCI card holder to carry the OCI booklet along with the passport having U visa sticker. Both these documents should always be in the possession of the OCI card holder while travelling to India.

Q: Can foreign nationals, who are not otherwise eligible for OCI, get OCI if they are married to persons who are eligible for OCI?
A: The spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder registered under section 7A and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application.

Q: Are Minor children eligible for OCI Card?
A: Minor children whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India are eligible for OCI Card.

Q: Is an applicant who had held nationality of Pakistan or Bangladesh, eligible for OCI?
A: No, If the applicant has ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he / she will not be eligible for OCI.

Q: Can a person renounce OCI?
A: Yes. He/she has to declare their intention of renunciation in Form XXII to the Indian Mission/Post where OCI registration was granted. After receipt of the declaration, the Indian Mission/Post shall issue an acknowledgement in Form XXII A. A separate application form is available for this purpose.

document source: http://www.indianewengland.com/

AU turns to retired teachers to ride over staff criss

Battling acute shortage of teaching staff, the Allahabad University has now turned towards its retired teachers. The varsity has decided to re-employ superannuated teachers below 70 years. However, these teachers would not be allocated any administrative work. Their services would continue till the appointment of a regular teacher against the post.

The decision was taken on UGC's instruction issued way back in 2010, wherein the apex funding body had decided to re-employ retired teachers for three years which could be further extended to two more years. However, the varsity kept on sitting the instruction till acting vice-chancellor Prof N R Farooqi asked various departments to forward the names of retired teachers for teaching as per requirement.

The varsity said that the decision was taken on the recommendation of an expert panel constituted, as per the UGC norms, on the issue that was cleared by Executive Council on January 27. However, the re-appointment comes with clear cut instructions that adequate work be allocated to these teachers to justify their appointment. Around 11 retired teachers have already been re-employed.

The re-appointed teachers would get a consolidated amount equivalent to the last pay drawn, sans pension. This amount would remain the same throughout the tenure of re-employment. These teachers would be entitled for casual/special/duty leave at par with regular teacher.

However, a re-employed superannuated teacher would not be eligible for administrative or financial responsibilities at the University or elsewhere.

Although many more teachers have retired in the past, but only a few have been given the benefit. While some of the retired teachers refused to accept the offer, various departments too did not forward their wish list to V-C's office in this regard.

LPG tankers on strike, seek higher transportation rates

CHENNAI/NAMAKKAL: Raising concerns among the general public, 3,200 LPG tanker owners went on strike across the state on Saturday demanding higher transportation rates from the public sector oil companies. Cooking gas supply in the city and the outskirts is not expected to be affected immediately as there is reserve supply for the next three to four days, said oil company officials. There would be problems if the strike continues for more than three days.

The tanker owners, represented by Southern Region Bulk LPG Transport Operators Association, are demanding 3.06 per tonne per km against the 2.94 per tonne per km offered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPC).

The talks between the transporters association and the oil companies on Friday failed and officials from the food and civil supplies department are set to intervene on Monday in an attempt to end the stalemate. Three rounds of talks between the two parties have failed in the last two months. A senior IOC official said, "We will hopefully find a solution soon."

After the previous contracts expired on October 31, 2014, new tenders were floated with a price band on the transportation charges. With 2.75 per tonne per km set as the lower limit, the oil companies offered a maximum of 2.94 per tonne per km, 12 paise less than what transporters are demanding.

Association secretary N R Karthik said, "The cost of operating the tankers has gone up since the last contract was signed in 2011." The oil companies had promised to revise the transportation charges but they are now refusing to hike the price, he said. "When we had asked them for a price revision they requested us to wait for three months."

"Three months have passed but they refuse to hear our plea still," he said.

The 3,200 tankers distribute cooking gas from oil refineries to around 50 bottling plants across Tamil Nadu, Puduchery, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

With talks between government representatives and the oil companies set to be held in Chennai on Monday, the strike could continue on Sunday, a tanker owner said.

MDS ADMISSION 2015

FATE OF BLACKLISTED VARSITY STUDENTS HANGS IN BALANCE

AICTE Refuses Nod for Two Tamil Nadu Colleges

COIMBATORE: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has withdrawn its approval for a private engineering college in Krishnagiri, after it was found that the institution has some deficiencies and forged some of the documents.

According to highly placed sources in the AICTE, the approval granted for the Archana Institute of Technology in Thimmapuram, Krishnagiri was withdrawn by the council, after it was found that the private institution has forged some of the documents pertaining to its land and the approval for the building. Apart from this, the institution also has failed to meet the norms laid down for infrastructure and faculty.

The AICTE has now written to Anna University and the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) informing them about the action. Sources in Anna University and Directorate of Technical Education while confirming the action said that they would take appropriate follow-up action. This includes steps to cancel the affiliation granted to the college and transferring students of the college to another institution.

The private college management was not available for comment.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) has constituted a committee to work out the modalities for shifting students who are studying in another private college in Ariyalur to neighbouring engineering institutions, as the AICTE has declined approval to it.

DOTE and Anna University sources said, a committee was formed to shift the students who are currently studying at KKC College of Engineering and Technology in Jayankondam, Ariyalur, to neighbouring engineering colleges.