I came across this news with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 20, 2012. A gist of the article:
The Madras High Court came down strongly on a private school for refusing to return the original certificates of three teachers who had resigned and ordered police to initiate criminal action against the management. The management admitted the certificates were in its custody but said that at the time of entering service, it was agreed that any teacher leaving service in the middle of an academic year would have to pay back three months salary to get back original certificates and contended that as such no direction could be issued by the court for filing a case. The court disagreed and said the original certificates were properties that could not be transferred even by means of an agreement and held that the agreement was unlawful.
It is a common practice in many private institutions. I myself know of many instances where private institutions do this sort of thing and blackmail the employees and how agonising it was for the employees; the managements would make the employees cringe before them and beg. It is heartening to see an end to this blackmail and I would like to join the affected parties and thank the court for the verdict.
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
The energy of the mind is the essence of life - Aristotle
I came across a news item with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 17, 2012. The Supreme Court has pulled up the Centre and the MP Govt for showing lack of sensitivity and urgency in collecting data and responding to a public interest litigation. It gave the Govt and the Medical Council of India eight weeks time to file their reports. The news made a painful reading and exposed the callousness on the part of Govt and some doctors. I also made a search in the Net. The gist of what I gathered:
Unauthorised clinical trials of drugs on humans, unsuspecting poor patients willing to take any sort of treatment, is taking a toll of precious human lives. Most deaths go unnoticed and unreported. Even when the Govt acts, the culprits escape with minor fines. Some statistics provided by The Times of India under the caption, HUMAN GUINEA PIGS:
* Illegal clinical trils of drugs rampant in India.
* 1,514 deaths between 2008 and 2010 in clnical trials across the country.
* Madhya Pradesh govt let go doctors who conducted trias on women, children and mentally retarded by imposing a fine of Rs.500/-
* The Supreme Court expresses concern over the lethargic manner in which the Centre gathers data about clinical drug trials.
A general article on Clinical Trials from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which clearly indicates the regulations and precautions required:
Grateful thanks to The Times of India, IBN Live.com, Progressive Life Sciences.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A new item with the above caption in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 18, 2012 caught my eye. The gist of the news is:
Groundwater, a precious natural resource, is for all practical purposes private property in India Anyone can bore and extract water with few rules to restric over-exploitation.
This may soon change. Like oil, gas and minerals, groundwater may also become public property. As 'water' is a state subject under the Constitution, both Centre and States have to enact law to make this happen. Reckless over-exploitation may lead to serious environmental consequences.
If you want to know all about groundwater, the following links may be of help.
For more info on Groundwater from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
An Abstract of the Salient Features of GROUND WATER YEARBOOK OF TAMIL NADU STATE AND PONDICHERRY AND KARAIKAL REGIONS OF UNION TERRITORY OF PONDICHERRY (2005-2006):
GROUND WATER SCENARIO OF TAMIL NADU FROM CENTRAL GROUND WATER BOARD' SITE:
Grateful thanks to The Times of India, The Central Ground Water Board and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pravin with Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA in the background
Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyse you, they are supposed to help you discover who you are – Bernice J Reagon
I came across an article in the Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 16, 2012, captioned, "Govt used HIV funds for ACs, furniture? - Purchases worht Rs.5 lakh adorn ADG office; Internal Probe Currently Underway"
Sources in paramilitary forces said the funds were allocated to the MHA under a World Health Organisation program aimed to combat the HIV/AIDS menace among the personnel and officials of the border guarding/paramilitary forces like the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and the Assam Rifles. (For full article, please try The Times of India online edition).
Grateful thanks to The Times of India.
The RTE Act provides Quota in private schools for children belonging to disadvantaged groups and weaker sections. A case has come to light where a couple with annual income of Rs.30 lakhs tried to claim free education for their child in Rajaji Vidyashram of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan. Obviously, the school refused and the matter went to Chennai High Court. The court refused to accept the contention of the couple, saying that if that is accepted it will do violence to the object of the RTE Act.
Source: The Times of India, Chennai, July 16, 2012
To know about Dr Deepa Chopra, Indian-born, American physician and world-famous writer:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Chopra
Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra, Choprablog, YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Photo taken by Suri with his Canon Powershot A590 IS digital camera
Photo taken by one of his colleagues
Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries. Only in proportion as we are desirous of living do we really live - Jose Ortega y Gasset
To know more about Jose Ortega y Gassset, the Spanish Liberal Philosopher and Essayist:
I came across this shocking and painful news in the first page of The Hindu of July 18, 2012. Presumably to distingish the children admitted under the Right to Education Act, four children in Bangalore were forced to attend school in humiliation after a private institution allegedly cut off tufts of hair on top of their heads. This private institution is one of those who have been opposing the 25% Quota of RTE Act. These children had to undergo other humiliations also, which you can read by going thru the article. The link is:
Children of a Lesser Cut from The Hindu of July 18, 2012:
Grateful thanks to The Hindu.
Vinod again! Does he not look charming?
Growing old is mandatory, growing wise optional - Unknown
