Radiation oncologists oppose multidisciplinary tumour boards An internal dispute at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) over the government’s decision to introduce multidisciplinary tumour (MDT) boards in place of the cancer site-specific clinic system is threatening to disturb the fragile peace in the institution, which has been witnessing a lot of internal and administrative issues of late. On Monday, the entire Department of Radiation oncology marched to the office of RCC Director Paul Sebastian in protest against the “sudden” decision of the administration to change the treatment plan and system, which they said had been the norm since the inception of the centre. The Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Head of Radiation Oncology Department and doctors holding the posts of chairmen of the Ethics Committee Institutional Review Board resigned their posts in protest against “ the haste” with which the decision to introduce the MDT system had been implemented. It was on Decemb...
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To promote and popularise cashless transactions in rural areas, the Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has come out with an innovative method of employing women in villages. In a release here, bank chairman S. Ravindran said that the bank would appoint women business correspondents called “Bank Sakhi” in select villages where this scheme would be implemented. To start with, the bank had hired 11 “Bank Sakhis” and had plans to appoint a minimum of 50 such women in different districts, he said. It would be possible to ensure greater participation in financial inclusion by engaging women in villages. A “Bank Sakhi” is someone who has been a member of a self-help group involved in conducting banking and book-keeping activities of the group. As a “Bank Sakhi”, she will provide a range of financial services on behalf of the bank to her community. She will be supported by the local self-help group which provides capacity enhancement, training and financial awareness in the community. She is...
With 25,000 people cheering the boys in a stadium that could accommodate just 15,000, the Indian junior hockey team was crowned the world champions, dominating and dismantling Belgium 2-1 in the final of the Junior World Cup here on Sunday. It was a clinical performance that had both Indian flair upfront and European stubbornness in defence as the host came close to the ‘perfect game’ the team management had hoped for. Belgium tried to defend like it always does but for once, the Indians, instead of trying to break their structure, simply slid past the defence and created gaps. This was Indian hockey’s first-ever world-level title in 15 years, the last being its maiden win in the same competition in 2001. It was also the first time that a host has won this title.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Disabilities Bill with the list of ‘disabilities’ expanded from seven to 21 and the quantum of reservation increased for people suffering from disabilities from three per cent to four per cent in government jobs. In higher education institutions, the quota has been increased from three per cent to five per cent. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, moved in the Upper House earlier this month by Social Justice Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, also gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters. It provides for imprisonment ranging from six months to two years, along with a fine ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakh, for discriminating against differently abled persons. “If the Bill becomes a law, it will benefit millions. It recognises that persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities like autism and Down’s Syndrome also have a right to education and employment....
The Centre’s decision to waive import duty on wheat has predictably attracted flak. Opposition parties have questioned the move, which comes days after the government’s assertion that demonetisation of high-value currency notes did not impact the sowing of the rabi crop, with a greater area being cultivated compared to the same time a year ago. Assembly polls are due soon in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, both large wheat-producing States, making this a plausible rallying point for the Opposition. Farmer unions have warned of dumping of wheat stock in India at a time when the minimum support price (Rs.1,625 a quintal) is higher than international prices. This, they argue, could lead to distress sales when the current crop is harvested over March-April. The government, on its part, has noted concerns about the warmer winter forecast, which could affect wheat output and trigger inflation. This February, when prices of food articles that make up 46 per cent of the consumer price index w...
Allows Delhi University’s photocopying centre to prepare course packs for now The Delhi High Court on Friday restored for trial the dispute whether photocopying study material was a violation of copyright while allowing Delhi University’s Rameshwari Photocopy Service to continue with preparing course packs for the time being. A bench of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Yogesh Khanna, while setting aside a part of the single judge order in September dismissing the petition of publishers that the shop was violating copyright, said the shop must file a record of the course packs every six months. The bench held that there were “triable issues” in the matter while the single judge had dismissed the petition of the publishers saying there was no copyright violation. “The suit is restored for trial on the issue of fact and for which parties would be permitted to lead expert witness testimony,” the bench said. According to the single judge, the issue whether preparation of the course packs by ...
Ninety years after his death, the secrets of the world’s greatest escape artist, Harry Houdini, have been unlocked in a recently opened Hungarian museum devoted to the Budapest-born illusionist. Set high in the capital’s lofty Castle district, the House of Houdini lifts the veil on the box of tricks used by the famous magician, who lived most of his life in the United States. Amid gleaming chandeliers and old Chesterfield seats, the red-painted rooms showcase handcuffs and padlocks used by Houdini in performances. Visitors can also see props from a recent television production on him such as a box from an illusion where a woman appears to be cut in half. There’s even a stage where budding magicians charm visitors with card tricks. “I had an urge to pay tribute to Houdini,” said museum owner and fellow escapologist David Merlini who has dedicated his life to collecting the items on display. “We are all Houdinis. Everyone has a secret desire sometimes to get out of a certain situation, ...
Operators asked to use alternative methods to bring down coliform content The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has found the functioning of the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Sabarimala Sannidhanam faulty. A detailed inspection of the STP by an expert team led by District Environmental Engineer of the PCB Alexander George has revealed that the ozonisation system is not working. The ozonisation system, which forms a key component of the fully biological sewage treatment plant, is used for disinfecting treated sewage. In the ozonisation process, atmospheric oxygen is converted into ozone by passing it through high- voltage electricity. This ozone is injected into water and the ozonised water is used to disinfect treated sewage, he says. The PCB found from the regular monitoring of the STP that the existing system is inefficient in controlling the coliform count, leaving the total coliform count in the treated effluent at 40,000 to 50,000 every 100 ml. To address the issue dur...
A Kudumbasree Mission release said here on Wednesday that the members would clean ponds and streams in various locales that had become stagnant over the years. The drive is being launched jointly by the mission officials, members of the neighbourhood groups of the mission, and local body members. Bio-farming Steps would be taken to ensure food safety by starting bio-farming in 20,000 local body wards. It has been proposed to identify 50 cents fallow land in each ward and group farming would be extended to 10,000 acres for making the State self-reliant in fruits, vegetables, and rice. The mission would also publish a farm calendar comprising projects to be implemented in each panchayat during the year ahead. Terrace farming would be popularised. Farming groups would supply seeds and manure to households. A cleaning drive would be launched on December 13 in association with the Suchitwa Mission.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved expanding the mandate of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Implementation Trust Fund (DMIC-PITF Trust), while redesignating it as National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT). NICDIT will be the apex body under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion for monitoring and implementing all Central efforts for development of industrial corridors. “There is an existing approval for expenditure of Rs. 18,500 crore, of which the unspent balance will be used by NICDIT. Another Rs. 1,584 crore has been given for four additional corridors and NICDIT’s administrative expenses up to March 2022,” an official release said.
The Reserve Bank of India has surprised markets by opting to keep benchmark interest rates unchanged and cutting the outlook for full-year growth in the wake of last month’s decision to withdraw legal tender status to high denomination currency notes. In the fifth bimonthly monetary policy statement, the RBI cited a “backdrop of heightened uncertainty.” It listed global factors including the imminent tightening of U.S. monetary policy and the rise in oil prices, and “disconcerting” domestic inflation trends that could potentially endanger its price stability goals. Expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will resume its normalisation of policy by raising interest rates on December 14 have combined with a homeward-bound flight of capital from emerging markets in the wake of Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election to buoy the dollar at the expense of other currencies. The rupee has not been spared, forcing the RBI to intermittently intervene to reduce volatility. Given that t...
Cassini makes first ring-grazing plunge NASA said its Cassini spacecraft made the first close dive past the outer edges of Saturn’s rings since starting its penultimate mission phase on November 30.
Dughia village is idyllic, but the lives of many of the women who spend their days among its mango orchards, duck ponds and brilliant green paddy fields are anything but. For them, the beauty of the village has been a backdrop to decades of suffering. They fight back tears to explain how they are lucky to eat once a day and cannot even afford blouses to wear under their tattered sarees. All are illiterate, and several have been parted from their children, who have died, gone to faraway cities or been taken in by other families when the cost of raising them at home proved too much. “I don’t want to think about my life. It’s a very hard story — even listening to it will make you cry,” says Lalita, who spent 16 years separated from her children, doing back-breaking manual labour to pay off £400 in loans. “My husband got sick, and when he died I was drowning in debt, so I went away to look for work.” Although she travelled barely 100 km, wages were so meagre she couldn’t afford to r...
The Finance Ministry has rejected the Railway Ministry’s demand for waiving or deferring the payment of dividend for 2016-17, senior railway official said. The Railways had demanded that the dividend for the divided budgeted for 2016-17 be waived or deferred owing to its poor financial condition in its mid-year review meeting held last month. “The Finance Ministry didn't agree to our demand of not paying dividend due to weak financial position this fiscal year," a senior Indian Railways' official said, on conditions of anonymity. After the Railway Budget merges with the Union Budget from next financial year, the Railways will not be required to pay dividend to the Finance Ministry for the capital invested in it. In 2016-17, the Railways were budgeted to pay Rs. 9,731 crore as dividend, whereas the subsidy claimed by the Railways towards loss-making routes was estimated at Rs. 4,301 crore. The net dividend payment to the Finance Ministry was estimated at Rs. 5,430 crore. T...
agirsab Dinni, writer, speaking at parallel venueat the 82nd Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelanin Raichur on Sunday. Terming triple talaq, restrictions on going to masjids, bigamy and other Islamic practices as shackles, Dastagirsab Dinni, a progressive writer, stressed the need for raising voices against Islamic fundamentalistic forces, for women’s liberation. He was speaking on Muslim sensitivities in literataure at a session on multiple dimensions of literature at the 82nd Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in Raichur on Sunday. The writer went on to point out prevalent anti-women practices which were indeed not preached by Prophet Mohammed. “Prophet Mohammed did not oppose women offering prayers at masjids, but our fundamentalists are doing it. Muslim women are increasingly opposing the practice of triple talaq and bigamy practices. Some are even fighting against these anti-women practices in courts. Literature should voice their woes,” he said. Pointing at the standard ...
The Cabinet Sub-committee constituted to decide whether to approach the Supreme Court on the recent decision of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (KWDT-II) that bifurcation did not alter the allocation of Krishna River water to Maharashtra and Karnataka had detailed deliberations with A K Ganguli, senior counsel representing A.P. in the Supreme Court, here on Sunday. Mr. Ganguli and his legal team explained the nuances of the case to sub-committee members Devineni Umamaheswara Rao (Water Resources), Ravella Kishore Babu (Social Welfare) and Paritala Sunitha (Civil Supplies). Talking to the media after the meeting, Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said the sub-committee had taken the opinion of the legal experts and the next step would be taken after discussing the matter with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the Cabinet. Mr. Ganguli explained that the Tribunal had made it very clear that the fresh allocation to all four States was against the provisions of the Reorganisation Act. He told the sub-c...
Poor flow in River Cauvery has led to severe shortage of korai grass which, in turn, has badly hit the korai mat industry in Salem district. About 1,000 korai mat production centres are functioning in Kanjanayakkanpatti, Sikkanapatti, Tarapuram and Semmandapatti employing more than 15,000 workers. Till a few decades ago, the mats were hand-woven due to which only a very few mats were produced in a day. Later, the manufacturing process changed and power loom units have been set up for the production of korai mats They can produce about 300 mats every day. Demand The korai mats produced in Salem district have good demand in states including West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Korai grass is raised in abundance in the villages situated on the banks of River Cauvery in Tiruchi, Karur and Namakkal districts. Due to the failure of monsoon, there is very poor flow of water in River Cauvery for the past two months, which has affected the korai grass cultivation in Tiruchi...
The Collectors of 31 districts in Telangana will now have to take up ‘Know your district’ and `Plan your district’ programmes aimed at comprehensive development of districts by gathering information about their present status and drawing up plans. The decision on the twin programmes was taken by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at a meeting to review development in the districts after their reorganisation from October 10. A release later said the `Know your district’ programme would include a whole gamut of information about number of families in each district and their socio-economic condition. Information about road network, railway lines, irrigation projects, banking system and agriculture in the districts would also be gathered. The Collectors were also supposed to be equipped with information about enrolment and dropout rate in schools, afforestation programmes, power supply and availability of human resource. They should furnish the information to senior officials. Armed with...
If any project claims more than 50 trees, a public consultation is necessary In a move that activists and environmentalists see as a subversion of laws framed to protect the city’s trees, the BBMP has started the process of felling 89 trees, without public consultation, for extension of the metro line between Byappanahalli and Whitefield. However, in the 15-km Purple Line extension, BBMP has split the project into three tenders of public auctions. While 30 trees are slated to be felled for ITPL and Satya Sai Hospital station, another 40 trees will make way for the Visvesvaraya Industrial Area and Kundalahalli stations. Nineteen trees are to be cut for the Doddannekundi station. In contrast, last year, there were three public consultations for Phase II extension from Mysuru Road station to Kengeri (123 trees) and from Yelachenahalli to Anjanapura (190 trees), but all failed. A 12-member tree committee was formed to look into the matter. With a decision yet to be taken, BBMP Forest Cell...
As part of the fever surveillance programme, Health Department officials identified three dengue positive cases at the Tiruvallur Government Hospital on Thursday, said J. Prabhakaran, Deputy Director of Health, Tiruvallur. “We are tracking fever cases every day and of 42 cases screened first, three tested positive for dengue. One is a 14-year-old, and the other two are adults,” he said. Dr. Prabhakaran said of the 48 samples tested on Friday, none tested positive. “This is part of our surveillance system. The positive cases are from Palaiyanur, Pularambakkam and Sholavaram,” he said. Preventive steps Block-level domestic breeding checkers had been deployed to check for mosquito larvae and their breeding grounds and to initiate anti-larval measures. “If additional cases are found in those areas, health camps will be started,” he said.