PTR faces minor hassle at airport

PTR faces minor hassle at airport

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:91.10.2021

Tamil Nadu finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan faced a minor hassle at the domestic terminal of the city airport after a CISF personnel asked him about the two laptops in his cabin bag at the security check on Thursday. The minister was to board an early morning flight from Chennai to Tuticorin.

The CISF personnel who was manning the baggage scanners raised a question about the two laptops in the bag that was placed for screening. The security personnel usually insist that all gadgets are taken out and kept in separate trays for scanning.

However, his questions gave the impression that he was insisting that two gadgets should not be in the bag. This led to a flutter and senior officers intervened to resolve the issue.

An official of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that this was a case of miscommunication as the CISF personnel wanted the minister to place the laptops and a tablet on separate trays.

“There is no rule saying that more than one laptop cannot be carried in flight. The security personnel raised a question because the gadgets were not taken out. Officials who were nearby intervened and solved the issue. The minister boarded the flight on time," he added.

Job scam: CMDA likely to terminate 18 employees

Job scam: CMDA likely to terminate 18 employees

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has decided to terminate the services of at least 18 employees who were illegally recruited and issued appointment orders just a day before the model code of conduct for TN assembly polls kicked in on February 25. The candidates did not possess either the required educational qualification or the age criterion prescribed in the notification.

Sources told TOI that notices calling upon the employees to explain why their services should not be terminated were served to them on Monday. They have been given 15 days to reply to the notice.

A chief planner of the agency who played a key role in the recruitment drive and was in charge of the administration at that time, and another administrative officer who was part of the (recruitment) drive have been charge sheeted by the CMDA for irregularities. “The two officials overlooked prescribed qualifications in appointing the 18 candidates,” a senior CMDA official told TOI.

Sixty-thousand applications were received by the CMDA for 131 junior assistant, steno-typist grade III, typist, field man and messenger job vacancies. Of the selected employees, 18 who were absorbed for Grade IV and III level postings were found ineligible even to apply for the posts.

Despite 30-yr age cap, 39-year-old was hired

Yet, they were appointed by the previous AIADMK government just a day before the commencement of the poll code. Though the employment notification mentioned 30 years as upper age limit, one person aged 39 years was recruited. Another candidate, selected as junior assistant, did not possess a degree at the time of appointment though a degree was the mandatory educational qualification for the post. A written test was conducted for positions of junior assistant, steno-typist grade III and typist, followed by physical interviews for 275 candidates who were shortlisted from out of the 44,000 applicants. About 16,000 individuals applied for 53 vacant field man and messenger posts for which interviews alone were conducted.

Children punished for arriving late to school

Perambalur: Video of students being caned goes viral, inquiry on

Children punished for arriving late to school

Published: 02nd October 2021 05:28 AM |

Screengrab of video showing headmistress Vandarkuzhali hitting students in Perambalur

By P Thiruselvam

Express News Service

PERAMBALUR: The headmistress of a government higher secondary school in Kunnam taluk has drawn the ire of many following a recent video of her beating up students for arriving late to the institution going viral. The Chief Educational Officer (CEO) has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

On Thursday morning, over 20 students, including girls, of the school in S Adudurai village turned up late for classes reportedly due to delay by government buses. Seeing this, headmistress Vandarkuzhali lined up the students and beat them up with a cane. Unable to bear the pain, some girl students are seen frowning and sobbing in a video that recorded the incident.

Following a few students informing their parents of the incident after returning home in the evening, complaints were placed with the district CEO, R Arivazhagan. Subsequently, the CEO directed Veppur District Educational Officer Kulanthairajan to hold an enquiry into the matter and to submit a report. Vandarkuzhali, teachers, students and parents are being questioned.

Authorities are also probing the matter of students having purportedly shot the viral video when they are not allowed to bring phones to school. Most of our children travel to school by government buses. These buses are late to our village. In this situation, the students were late to school as the buses were late. How can the headmistress beat them? This is against government rules. The girls were also beaten up. The district administration should take stern action against the headmistress, irate parents of the affected students said.

Mentioning that the students would have arrived earlier had they been informed kindly, the parents added such incidents only make them lose confidence in government schools, where enrolment is already low.

CEO Arivazhagan said, “I cannot take action because she is the headmistress. I learned about this and have been investigating. It has been revealed there is already another charge against her. After the final hearing, I will submit a report on the two incidents to the Joint Director of School Education. They will take action.”

More students to get free rides, but smart-bus-pass route avoided again

More students to get free rides, but smart-bus-pass route avoided again

Over five years ago, the Transport Department proposed to introduce smart cards to monitor expenses incurred in offering subsidised travel.

Published: 02nd October 2021 07:03 AM 

By Express News Service


CHENNAI: Over five years ago, the Transport Department proposed to introduce smart cards to monitor expenses incurred in offering subsidised travel. But the plan remains a non-starter, even as transport corporations are reeling under a fund crunch.

The Transport Department had in 2015-16 proposed to introduce smart bus pass cards with a barcode or QR code to prevent the misuse of travel concessions given to school and college students in government buses. The government had intended to use digital scanners to read these cards.

Monitoring of free bus passes was necessitated after the number of beneficiaries exceeded 32 lakh in 2015, when the State government extended the free-travel facility to students of community colleges, government-aided private ITIs, music colleges, and Chennai Corporation ITIs. Besides, students of private arts and science colleges, polytechnic and engineering colleges are eligible for a 50 per cent fee concession in government buses. Till 2013, free travel was only allowed for students of schools and government colleges, polytechnic institutes and ITIs.

The expenses incurred by transport corporations through free travel stood at Rs 440-450 crore per year till 2013-14, and rose to Rs 730 crore in the next few years. For 2021-22, the government earmarked Rs 1,300 crore for seven transport corporations.


During the previous regime, the then transport minister MR Vijayabhaskar repeatedly said smart cards for students would be rolled out between 2018 and 2019. But the proposal remained on paper, allegedly due to issues in finalising contractors.

With schools set to reopen for Classes 1 to 8, the Transport Department’s engineering arm — Institute of Road Transport (IRT) — recently invited bids for issuing bus pass cards to 25.21 lakh students. “These cards will be regular plastic cards without additional security features. We have started working to issue regular bus passes,” said an IRT official.

A senior MTC official said, “Only when schools reopen will we know the actual number of beneficiaries, and only then will bus passes be issued. As of now, there is no plan to issue smart cards.”

Cost of free rides continues to rise

Free travel cost transport corporations Rs 440-450 crore per year till 2013-14, and the expenses rose to Rs 730 crore in the next few years. This year, the government has earmarked Rs 1,300 crore

MP Med varsity lodges FIR against its official

CAMPUS CONTROVERSY

MP Med varsity lodges FIR against its official

...For Not Returning 911 Answersheets

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jabalpur:02.10.2021

In a new controversy at MP Medical Sciences University the varsity had lodged a complaint with police that more than 900 answersheets that were sent to deputy registrar for signature are not being returned by her. The deputy registrar has also threatened to move the state women commission.

In-charge vice-chancellor of Madhya Pradesh Medical Sciences University, Dr Prabhat Budholiya said, “Answer sheets were sent to the deputy registrar Dr Puja Sharma for her signature, but she had not returned 911 copies. A notice was issued to her for returning the answersheets, in which it was said that if she fails to return the answersheets by September 16, then an FIR will be lodged against her. In her reply to the notice, she said she doesn’t have any answersheets. We have made a formal complaint with Garha police station in this regard on September 28.”

Garha police station incharge, Rakesh Tiwari said, “A written complaint has been made by university management. It is being investigated. Police have issued a notice to the university and asked it to provide some documents. Apart from it notice has been issued to both the parties for registering their statements.”

Deputy registrar, Dr Puja Sharma said, “The university management had issued notice asking me for returning the answersheets of paramedical students. The management was provided the receipt and receiving letter related to submission of these answersheets that were already submitted. The management is now asking me to return the answersheets of nursing students, which were not given to me.”

“I was a member of the committee that was constituted for probing into the scams related to illegal appointments and I am being harassed for that. As per norms, there should have been an departmental enquiry, but a complaint was made against me to the police,” she said.

Tit for tat: India to impose 10-day quarantine for Brits

Tit for tat: India to impose 10-day quarantine for Brits

In Addition, 3 RT-PCR Tests Required

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:02.10.2021

In what marks a definite dip in India-UK ties, the government has decided to impose “reciprocal” quarantine conditions on British nationals after the UK refused to reconsider treating fully vaccinated Indians as unvaccinated, due to issues about the Indian certification process.

Government sources said the ministry of health and family welfare will issue new regulations that will be applicable to all UK nationals arriving in India, regardless of their vaccination status. This comes in the wake of UK’s intransigence despite discussions on technical issues and the British high commissioner to India claiming that there were no issues or doubts over either country’s vaccine certification process.

The Indian decision will include pre-departure Covid-19 RT-PCR test within 72 hours before travel, Covid-19 RT-PCR test on arrival at airport, Covid-19 RT-PCR test on Day 8 after arrival and mandatory quarantine at home or in the destination address for 10 days after arrival in India.

UK nationals already have to undergo screening when they arrive in India. The existing rules were put in place since the UK’s own surge in December. These include seven days in home quarantine and an RT-PCR test on arrival.

The new regulations will mirror the UK’s own, which increased quarantine to 10 days and two RT-PCR tests, one at arrival and one on Day 8. The difference is the added test in India. The new regulations are a step-up. The turbulence comes after the new UK rules generated a sharp backlash in India.

Address the aged as ‘elderly’ instead of ‘older persons’: Naidu

Address the aged as ‘elderly’ instead of ‘older persons’: Naidu

New Delhi:02.10.2021

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged people to address the aged as “elderly” instead of “older persons” and said society needs to be sensitised towards the challenges faced by them.

“In principle, I do not like to address them as ‘older persons’ but prefer to call them as elderly. I would urge everyone to address aged people as elderly and not as older persons. This is also in line with our culture and traditions,” he told a gathering at the ‘Vayo Naman’ programme in the honour of senior citizens on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons.

The various strata of the society need to be sensitised towards the challenges faced by the elderly as the problems relating to old age are not experienced nor fully comprehended by others and media and NGOs should take up sensitization drives to educate people in this regard, he said. PTI