Passport-seekers affecting TN’s sex ratio
Large No. Of Adults Seeking Jobs Abroad Registering Births Every Year Cited As Reason

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com 29.01.2019

Tamil Nadu’s alarmingly low sex ratio at birth of 840 in 2016 according to the civil registration system could be due to a large number of adults registering their birth in recent years in a bid to get passports made. According to National Health Mission officials in Tamil Nadu, if only the births in a particular year are considered, the state’s sex ratio at birth was a much healthier 932 in 2016.

Ever since it became mandatory to produce a birth certificate in order to get a passport made, a large number of adults seeking jobs abroad have been registering their births every year. Most of these are men. In 2016, for instance, registrations done more than a year after birth accounted for 1.42 lakh in Tamil Nadu. Of these, over a lakh were males and less than 41,000 were females.

This skew in registrations which gets counted in the total civil registration of births in a year, the officials explained, is what is depressing the sex ratio of births in the CRS. Including such registrations done after the first year in total birth registrations in a year and calling the ratio derived from it “sex ratio at birth” has led to the misleading statistic.

According to the state’s Health Management & Information System, the actual sex ratio at birth after dipping steadily from 923 in 2012-13 has been going up from 2016 onwards.

“The practice of Lok Adalats issuing direction for birth registration to be issued also led to a large number of men getting their births registered through this route. In 2015, this practice was stopped by the courts and it was decided that birth certificates will be issued only after an enquiry by the revenue department. Thus, the process has become more stringent and this is reflected in the sudden fall in registration of births after one year in 2017. From more than one lakh such registrations in a year it has fallen to just over 31,000,” explained a senior official of the National Health Mission in Tamil Nadu.

He added that his department was closely monitoring second trimester abortions to prevent sex selective abortions and cracking down on errant ultrasound clinics.

“By cracking down on the errant ones we are allowing the good ones to run without any hindrance. This is important for maternal health as timely ultrasound also helps bring down maternal mortality, which is also one of our important targets,” he explained. He added that Tamil Nadu’s sex ratio at birth is expected to touch 950 by 2021, close to the natural sex ratio of 952 girls for every 1,000 boys born.

TNSTC bus conductor cheers passengers, wins hearts online
Pratiksha.Ramkumar@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore:29.01.2019

A majority of those e who frequently travel to Madurai from Coimbatore on a government bus always look for Shivashanmugam to be their conductor.

The lucky ones take photos or selfies with him to upload on their Facebook and Instagram pages. Videos of Shivashanmugam welcoming passengers with a ‘vanakkam’ and giving a pep talk on keeping the bus clean and rattling out fares for different destinations have gone viral on social media.

He also asks passengers to inform him if any of them feels like throwing up. “I can give you a bag or tamarind candy,” he says. “I also request you to pay us in change as much as possible. Last but not the least, the TNSTC, the bus and I wish you a happy journey and pray that whatever you aim to do in Madurai or Coimbatore is pleasurable, successful and victorious,” he says in the video.

Shivashanmugam has never travelled in a plane if you think he has taken a cue from flight attendants. “Earlier, being on the town bus, I used to be stressed because of the pressure to issue tickets and tear them before a stop. I used to even get into arguments. To stop all this and make work a pleasure to myself and a ride happy for the passengers, I attended drivers and conductors training school in Pollachi, where they told me about a conductor in Mettupalayam who would recite Thirukkural verses before a journey,” he said. “I felt shy initially, but slowly formulated my dialogue. I was encouraged by the response.”

Shivashanmugam says many passengers strike up conversations with him. “School children like me because I always wait for them to get on safely. I also recognize a regular child in colour dress that it’s his/her birthday and give a sweet or a small gift,” he adds.

Shivashanmugam runs a small organization that helps fulfil educational needs of people.

‘Employees should realize their jobs are secure, income high’

Senthil Arumugham 29.01.2019  TOI

The ongoing protest is a result of vote bank politics of the two Dravidian parties over the past 50 years. They did not adopt a rational approach and ended up emptying the government’s coffers. Of the ₹2 lakh crore annual budget for seven crore people, Tamil Nadu spends almost 40% on government teachers and employees’ salaries and pension. So, government employees should realize that their jobs are secure and income three to five times higher than other sectors.

The primary demand put forth by Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees’ Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) now is scrapping of the new Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and revival of the old pension scheme. In the old scheme, pension component was completely state-funded, and 50% of the last drawn salary was paid as monthly pension. In the new scheme, introduced in 2003, 10% is funded by the state and 10% is employees’ contribution. The employees, who had joined after 2003, agreed to this condition but are now voicing their protests.

Till 15 years ago, the salary scale was low and the state was able to bear the expenses. But now, the pay scale has increased manifold and hence it is not financially feasible for the government to adopt the old pension policy. The government is already spending ₹25,000 crore annually towards this component and it can’t afford to spend more.

On one hand, they don’t want a new pension scheme as suggested by the Centre, but they demand their present monthly salaries should be on a par with the new pay scale for central government employees. While central government employee can be transferred anywhere in the country, state teachers are not willing to move to nearby districts and often bribe to ensure their choice of place of transfer.

Another demand presented by JACTTO-GEO is payment of 21 months of ‘arrears’. The protestors are misleading the public by using the phrase ‘pending arrears’ on their pamphlets and posters. The seventh pay commission due for implementation in 2016 was introduced in the state only in October 2017. But the government order (GO No. 303) issued in connection with this state that the change will come into force notionally from January 2016, but with monetary benefit from October 2017. The phrase ‘pending arrears’ can be used only if the government gave a commitment. So, JACTTO-GEO can criticize the policy and demand can arrears but can’t claim it as their right. Also, there is no mandate for the state government to implement pay commissions with immediate effect. For instance, in Tripura only the fourth pay commission is in existence.

The strike highlights the need for a prudent promotion policy. Rather than mechanically providing pay hikes based on experience, the government should monitor performances and give promotions based on it.

(Senthil Arumugham is general secretary of Satta Panchayat Iyakkam) (As told to Ram Sundaram)

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UNWARRANTED

Striking teachers leave students in lurch
65% Of Govt Schools Hit; Exam Prep Disrupted

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.01.2019

Students in government schools across the state have been left in the lurch as 1.7 lakh government school teachers continued their agitation for better pay for the seventh day on Monday. The functioning of 65% of government schools has been affected.

With their annual practical exams scheduled for next week, higher secondary students are wondering what to do. It’s not just them. Children in other classes too are worried about finishing their portions as they have already lost a significant number of working days due to extended Pongal holidays and the year-end vacation. Children in areas hit by cyclone Gaja are worse off as they had gone without classes for even longer.

Ezhil, a Class XI student at Villivakkam Government School, said the strike had taken a toll on preparations for the annual exam. “This is the most crucial part of the academic year as teachers rush to complete the syllabus and revise content taught in earlier terms. We will definitely be running short of time this year and I don’t think we will have time for revision tests,” he added.

To make matters worse, the government had changed the exam duration and question pattern for Class XII this year. The new question pattern contains fill-in-theblanks and logical reasoning questions. S Mani of state parents’ welfare association said there was no one to help students prepare for these questions. VC 

Rameswaramurgan, director, school education department, said temporary teachers would help overcome the shortage. But students protested in some parts of the state, including in the city suburbs, against this move, claiming that temporary teachers were not going to help them prepare for board exams.

Besides higher secondary grades, primary classes were the worst hit. Of the 1.5 lakh primary teachers, more than one lakh were absent till Monday. Government has filled 450 posts that fell vacant after teachers were suspended for participating in the protests. Teachers who don’t return to work on Tuesday, will lose their jobs, the government has warned. Cold comfort for the children.

Students across state hold protest against teachers’ strike

Villupuram/Vellore/Coimbatore:

Students across many parts of the state on Monday held protests against the ongoing stir by government school teachers. More than 200 Class X and XII students of Ulundurpet Government Girls Higher Secondary School staged a sit-in in front of the school, protesting appointment of temporary teachers. The Ulundurpet education officer and police went to the spot and managed to convince the students to withdraw the stir. In Vellore, parents of around 70 students from Ammur Panchayat Union Primary School made their kids sit in front of the school, demanding opening of the school. Walajapet tashildar rushed to the spot and opened the school. More than 30 students of Annaimalai Panchayat Union Elementary School along with their parents staged a road roko between Pollachi and Sethumadai Road. Eleven of 85 government elementary schools in Pollachi educational district remained closed since the start of the strike. TNN

Lakh applicants, posting to begin today, says government

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.01.2019

More than one lakh applicants thronged the chief education offices in the districts over the last two days even as the state government toughened its stand and geared up for appointments of temporary teachers from Tuesday. With members of JACTTO-GEO refusing to give up their protests, personnel and administrative reforms minister D Jayakumar said the government employees were intimidating the government and not the other way round.

Against the backdrop of the Madras high court on Monday declining to pass orders on the ongoing strike, the school education department has set a fresh deadline for teachers to resume work. “The primary and middle section teachers will have to approach the district educational officers by 9am on Tuesday, while the rest can contact chief educational officers. They can reach out by phone, SMS or WhatsApp expressing interest to resume work, failing which, the posts will be treated vacant and temporary staff will be appointed immediately,” said a senior education department official.

The plan is that temporary staff, whose contact numbers have been obtained by the department, will be intimated immediately. At least 1.7 lakh teachers, constituting 50% of the workforce boycotted work until Monday morning, but the overwhelming response from the retired teachers/qualified teachers (TET pass for secondary grade/BEd and minimum qualification for PG) in the neighbourhood for temporary posting prompted the government to begin recruitment. “We cannot keep the schools shut, risking the future of students. As temporary staff will be on a monthly pay, we can run the schools without any hassle for a month also,” another official said. The teachers will be allowed to work in the same school if they meet the Tuesday deadline.

Jayakumar said the state government had clarified its position clearly to the teachers, given the financial constraints in running the administration. The state spends ₹88,370 crore towards salaries, pension and administrative expenses annually. “We are forced to act (against the staff)… There is no need for us to intimidate anyone. Are we terrorists? A democratically-elected government has to maintain equality of all sections. The state is transparent in admitting the fiscal status,” he said, urging the protesting teachers to resume work for the welfare of students.

Govt teachers aren’t labourers to agitate on roads, says HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.01.2019

Pulling up the protesting government teachers who are on indefinite strike along with other government employees, the Madras high court on Monday said being in a noble profession they must not barge onto roads to stage agitations like labourers.

Justice N Kirubakaran also wondered whether the teachers would accept if the court prohibited teaching for their children who are predominantly in private schools as long as they continued their strike. The judge then asked the JACTTO-GEO (Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisation–Government Employees Organisation) to inform the court by Tuesday noon whether its members were willing to resume work in the interest of students.

Justice Kirubakaran made the observations while hearing a plea moved by a government teacher from Tiruvannamalai challenging his suspension from service.

“Consider giving up the agitation, at least till the exams are over,” the judge said, adding the court is refraining from passing any directions in connection with the protest since two other division benches of the court were already seized of the matter.

Noting that the protesting teachers should compare their salaries with that of their counterparts working for private institutions, the court pointed out that even for the posts of sanitary workers and office assistants in the high court several degree and postgraduate degree holders are applying. The salaries for the posts are just around ₹6,500 and ₹18,000 respectively, he added.

The court observed that it is also not wise on part of the government for not attending to the longstanding problems of the teachers. The state must consider their demand and start dialogue with them, the court observed.


The HC wondered whether the teachers would accept if the HC prohibits teaching to their children who are predominantly in private schools

Probe indicts several staff for HIV+ blood transfusion

New Rules Planned For Blood Banks

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai  29.01.2019

The state government has decided to take strict action against the healthcare professionals responsible for the mix-up that led to a pregnant woman being given HIV-infected blood in a Sivaganga hospital and to formulate rules that will clearly fix responsibility for every step of the blood collection, storage and transfusion process.

The six-member inquiry committee headed by the additional director of medical services, Dr S Madhavi, indicted the district blood bank professionals, staff and voluntary testing centre counsellor in Sivakasi, and the Chennai-based monitoring officers working with the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society.

A senior health official said, “We have an existing guideline which tells blood bank professionals what they should do. The new one will fix responsibilities on who should conduct camps, who should draw blood and who should maintain cold chain.”

“We have suspended two lab technicians, Valarmathi and Ganesh Babu, along with lab counsellor Ramesh. We also found that the seniors they reported to, including senior blood bank officials and district monitoring officials, were negligent. We will be initiating action against all of them,” said a senior official.

The counsellor was aware of the HIV status of the donor in 2016 but did not persistently call the donor or escalate the case to higher officials when unable to get in touch with the donor. District monitoring officials, who should have sought regular status reports from the counsellor, did not follow up on the case.

Lab technicians say they tested the blood before labelling it as safe, the committee said and added that the kits used by the government were provided by National AIDS Control Organisation and did not fail quality tests.

“In this case, we have reason to believe that the tests were never done and the blood bank managers too failed to monitor blood safety,” the official said.