The Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to exempt aspirants for its undergraduate medical courses from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is no magic wand that will dramatically alter the status quo. There seems to be no tangible basis for the hope and optimism behind its intent to deliver its rural and urban poor from what it perceives to be an inequitable admission system that favours the rich and the elite. It hopes to receive Presidential assent , even though similar Bills passed by the erstwhile AIADMK regime had been denied the favour in 2017. Such assent is required as the proposed State law is in conflict with the parliamentary legislation regulating medical admissions. The key element the DMK has brought to the table now to fulfil its electoral promise of abolishing NEET is a report by the Justice (retd.) A.K. Rajan Committee on the adverse impact of NEET on students and health-care delivery in the State. The committee’s view that NEET would adversely …
‘See You on the Field’: Kamal Haasan to Rally for MNM in All 9 Districts for TN Local Body Polls
Tamil superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan announced on Thursday that he will campaign for his political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, across all the nine districts for the upcoming Tamil Nadu local body polls. Taking to Twitter, Haasan eluded confidence of victory and said that the MNM party is “standing with the people in the local body elections”. “I will be campaigning in all nine districts. See you on the field. The victory is ours,” Haasan wrote in Tamil. உள்ளாட்சித் தேர்தலில் மக்கள் நீதி மய்யம் தனித்துப் போட்டியிடுகிறது.9 மாவட்டங்களிலும் பரப்புரைப் பயணம் மேற்கொள்ளவிருக்கிறேன். களத்தில் சந்திப்போம். வெற்றி நமதே.— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) September 16, 2021 Haasan’s MNM will field 1,521 candidates in the ensuing rural local body polls to the nine districts of Tamil Nadu. The polls are scheduled to be on October 6 and October 9. Party Vice president and senior leader, A.G. Mourya in a statement on Tuesday said Kamal Haasan would campaign in the elections. He …
Speaker fulfils promise to sponsor palmyra seeds
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu has fulfilled his promise of sponsoring 1 lakh palmyra seeds to the Department of Agriculture every year as the State government has proposed to plant palmyra saplings across Tamil Nadu under its ‘Palmyra Protection Programme’. After sourcing the palmyra seeds, Mr. Appavu sent them in two lorries to Chennai on Thursday. While presenting the Budget for Agriculture in the Assembly on August 14, Minister for Agriculture M.R.K. Panneerselvam unveiled his department’s initiatives for protecting palmyra, the State tree, and propagating it in a big way across Tamil Nadu as the tree is facing extinction due to rapid felling. As per his proposal, the Department of Agriculture would give 76 lakh palmyra seeds and 1 lakh palmyra saplings at a subsidised cost to 30 districts every year to be planted at vantage areas. Even as the debate was going on, Mr. Appavu, an ardent lover of ‘pathaneer’ (made from the juice of the palm fruit), promised Mr. …
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‘Karnataka’s spending on health, education lesser than others’
The rate of expenditure on education and health to aggregate expenditure of the State during 2019-20 was below its neighbouring States and also below general category States/national average, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India report. While Karnataka’s actual rate of expenditure to aggregate expenditure on education and health during 2019-20 was 4.28% against the general category States’ expenditure of 5.21%, the expenditure of Kerala was 6.59%, Tamil Nadu 5.13%, Andhra Pradesh 4.86%, Telangana 5.14%, Maharashtra 4.34%, and Madhya Pradesh 4.7%. Quality of expenditure “The higher the ratio of these components (health and education) to total expenditure, the quality of expenditure is considered to be better,” the report said. Despite the State resorting to huge market borrowings of ₹48,499 crore in 2019-20, the increase in capital expenditure on various developmental works over the previous year (2018-19) was just 1% and the share of capital …
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The fight for dignity in the feminist struggle
It is heartening to note that journalist Priya Ramani, against whom a defamation charge was filed by former journalist and Bharatiya Janata Party leader M.J. Akbar, has been acquitted by a Delhi court and her right to dignity has been upheld. Dignity is a simple word, but it bears the imprint of resistance and struggle. Years ago, in the late 1990s, while discussing amendments to the existing legislation on sexual assault, feminists wondered if they ought not to come up with a different definition for the act, and one that does not focus on the woman as a victim, but on what is at stake for her as she struggles to seek justice. We came up with the idea that rape is a crime against ‘bodily integrity’, a term that can perhaps encompass other struggles against what the American philosopher Cornel West refers to as ‘ontological wounding’. Small wonder then that dignity is claimed by a range of persons who endure such hurt on a daily basis: Dalits, the queer community and transpersons, …
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Letters to the Editor — September 17, 2021
No NEET Bill There is much speculation on whether the President of India would give his assent to the Bill introduced by Tamil Nadu opposing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and also about its constitutional validity in light of Section 10D of the Indian Medical Council Act prescribing NEET as a uniform examination for admission to medicine. The President cannot refuse to give his assent to the Bill. Under Article 201, at best he could refer the Bill back to the Legislature and if the Legislature rejects the suggestion, the President has no option but to give his assent though the word ‘consideration’ is used. This would also be in conformity with the democratic principles of the Legislature fulfilling the people’s mandate. The next point is about how far the State not wanting NEET, and its pitch for State Board examinations marks as a means of entry into the college, is correct and valid. Entry 66 speaks of determination of standards in institutions for …
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Shooting dancers in a natural environment: All about photographer Sam Kumar’s book
Nature and dance: Both subjects fascinated photographer Sam Kumar. When he was working as an IT consultant in Singapore, Sam found a way to incorporate these twin interests. Called the Environmental Dance project, Sam’s goal was to shoot dancers in a natural environment. His first subject was ballet dancer Marianne from Holland, and the venue was Fort Canning Park, a historic site in Singapore. That was way back in 2010. More recently, in 2019, Sam shot with Odissi dancer Anandini Dasi, who hails from Argentina. His 10-year passion project, which has now been published as a book, features 18 international dancers in its 126 pages. “The dancers were initially reluctant to be photographed in costume in open spaces, far away from their comfort zone of the stage and photo studios. But once I explained my project, they were eager to participate,” says the Chennai-based photographer. Sam’s project features eminent Indian dancers like Rahul Achariya, Nanditha Prabhu, Kalpana …
Accident on flyover: Victims had parked bike in lay-by of Electronics City flyover
After a spot visit on Wednesday, senior police officials have recommended that the parapet of the Electronics City flyover be raised by at least two feet. They also recommended putting up reflectors for a 6-km stretch and also accident zone signboards. These recommendations were made in the wake of the deaths of a man and a woman who were thrown off the flyover on Tuesday night when a car knocked down their two-wheeler. The deceased were identified as Preetham Kumar, 30, and his friend Krithika Raman, 28, who hail from Tamil Nadu. They had borrowed a friend’s motorcycle to go on a ride, said a police officer. Around 9.20 p.m., they parked it in the lay-by on the flyover near Singasandra and were standing next to it, when they were hit by the car. The duo were tossed in the air and fell down onto the road around 30 feet below the flyover. According to the police, the car was going at such a high speed that it was left dangling on the edge of the flyover after the impact. The …
Adopt resolution asking Centre to reduce fuel tax: Siddaramaiah
Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday demanded that the State Legislative Assembly adopt a resolution urging the Centre to reduce taxes on petroleum products. Participating in a debate in the Assembly on the hardship faced by people due to price rise, Mr. Siddaramaiah also urged the State government to reduce its own levies and cess on petroleum products on the lines of neighbouring Tamil Nadu. “I do not want to specify the amount of cess and levies to be reduced. But ensure that the quantum of reduction is not lesser than what Tamil Nadu has done [₹3 a litre of petrol],” Mr. Siddaramaiah told Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. He maintained that the real price of petrol was just around ₹38 a litre, while the Central and State taxes as well as levies had made it costly. “If you agree, I will move a resolution in the House urging the Centre to reduce its taxes on petroleum products. Let us send the resolution to the Centre,” he told the Chief Minister. Expressing …
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