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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Little progress on govt push for integrated MBBS-Ayurveda degree
Representative image (AI) A dual degree of MBBS and BAMS (bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery) through an integrated course at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research ( JIPMER ) was announced with much fanfare, but information obtained through Right to Information shows that it is far from becoming a reality. While the health ministry has been pushing the issue, statutory bodies regulating the different systems of medicines, which were supposed to meet regularly to design modules to 'promote medical pluralism', have met just two times. JIPMER had not responded to the health ministry's reminders on the issue till July 10. In response to RTI queries, the NMC in its response on June 25 stated: 'The third joint meeting of NMC, NCISM (National Commission for Indian System of Medicine) and NCH (National Commission for Homeopathy) was earlier proposed to be held on September 23, 2024. However, due to non-availability communicated by NCISM the same could not be held and the matter regarding convening the meeting in 2025 has not yet been decided. ' The union government had announced in May that the new integrated course combining MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) and BAMS would be started in JIPMER. File notings on the 'proposal regarding setting up of an institution for providing Integral Medical Education leading to dual degrees MBBS and BAMS' shows that the proposal came from the Auroville Foundation in January last year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn More - How Donating Sperm May Boost Your Income SpellRock Undo Gujarat cadre IAS officer Jayanti S Ravi, who was serving as principal secretary in Gujarat's Health and Family and Welfare Department was appointed as Secretary, Auroville Foundation in Tamil Nadu, on deputation in June 2021. In January 2024, she wrote to the union health ministry that the Foundation, which comes under the HRD ministry, 'had undertaken an effort to integrate both the systems of medicine (Ayurveda and Modern) to have a holistic approach to health care'. It was further stated that in collaboration with ayurvedic universities and JIPMER 'a draft curricula was prepared for the proposed integral medical education to grant dual degree of MBBS and BAMS' and that the curricula was 'being fine-tuned for detailed integrating methodology of the two streams of science'. However, in response to RTI queries on the issue, JIPMER stated that the requested information of records or communications were not available and hence could not be provided. File notings provided by the health ministry showed that despite reminders from the ministry on February 13, 2024, December 31, 2024 and May 10, 2025, till July 11, there was no response from JIPMER on the issue. Separate laws for setting up the three commissions to regulate modern medicine, ayurveda and homeopathy have one clause in common, which states that there will be joint sittings of the three commissions at least once a year 'to enhance the interface between homoeopathy, Indian system of medicine and modern system of medicine'. It further states: 'The joint sitting may, by an affirmative vote of all members present and voting, decide on approving specific educational and medical modules or programmes that could be introduced in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses across medical systems, and promote medical pluralism. ' 'Integration and joint curricula cannot be dictated by the government or pushed by any foundation. There are statutory bodies regulating the three systems of medicines. It is for the commissions to design curricula and approve an integrated course, if at all,' pointed out Dr KV Babu, an ophthalmologist and RTI activist who has been tracking the integration issue over the years.
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat HC directs state education board to clearly specify questions meant for visually impaired students in Class 10, 12 exams
The Gujarat High Court has directed the state Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) to ensure that henceforth, question papers for Class 10 and 12 Board examinations will clearly specify which questions are to be answered by visually impaired students and by regular students. Justice Nikhil S Kariel, in the order issued on the writ petition on July 7, observed, 'The marks of 10th standard examination, though very important to a student, would not be the criteria for any future admission (except for standard 11) or any future employment. After the 10th board results were released and the students, including the petitioner, had joined new academic courses, it would not be in the larger public interest to interfere in the present petition.' The petitioner Mohammed Afzal Shaikh, on behalf of his daughter Aasiyabanu Shaikh, who studies at a private school in Surat, said the girl had appeared for her Class 10 exams in March this year, in which she opted for Basic Mathematics. She cleared the exams with a B1 grade. In Basic Mathematics, she scored 59 out of 80 marks and an overall 77 out of 100 marks. The petition states that after getting the Basic Mathematics examination paper, Aasiyabanu was confused as questions also appeared in sections B and C, which contained sections for visually impaired students. Each question carried 2 to 4 marks. She complained about this to her father. Following this, Shaikh filed a writ petition with the Gujarat High Court challenging the actions, arbitrary and negligent conduct of the State Board for having ambiguous information in the question paper, causing significant confusion among students. Aasiyabanu, the plea said, inadvertently answered questions meant specifically for visually impaired (blind) students, relying solely on her general understanding. Several other students too were misled and answered questions intended for visually impaired students. Despite Aasiyabanu's father submitting a detailed representation and a subsequent application under the Right to Information Act (RTI), there was no positive response. In the petition, Shaikh had sought directions to the respondents to re-evaluate Aasiyabanu's Basic Mathematics answer sheet, taking into account the confusion caused due to the defective question paper and appropriately revise the results. The petitioner's lawyer Dr Rafik Lokhandwala, in his representations to the court, said the issue occurred in part-B of the question paper. The same issue had occurred in the Class 12 question paper, he said. Public Prosecutor Aditya Pathak argued that the petitioner is presently studying in Class 11 in the Commerce stream and it is not the case that the petitioner, due to lack of marks, could not get appropriate admission to some other stream. Taking the arguments into consideration, the court observed, 'The petitioner had not suffered any real substantial prejudice on account of the error which may have been committed by the respondent Board. While the petitioner may have a case against the respondent Board, public interest and equity demand that there should not be any interference in the present petition.' 'The list of instructions contained in the question paper does not specify whether the questions preceding or following the instructions are for visually impaired students. Thus, a reasonable doubt would be caused in anyone's mind, more particularly a student appearing in the 10th standard examination, as to whether the instructions would be relatable to the preceding questions or later questions,' it added. Issuing a direction to the Board, the court said it has to 'ensure that for examinations held in future, both for standard 10th and 12th, the list of instructions preceding the actual questions shall specifically state that the questions are only to be attended by the visually impaired students. Furthermore, the general instructions in the body of the question paper shall also specifically mention the question numbers which are for the students having visual impairment.' Speaking to The Indian Express, B N Rajgor, Joint Director, GSHSEB, said, 'Generally, we set a common Board examination paper for visually impaired and general students. This time, the instructions were in the middle, and the questions appeared after the instructions for visually impaired students. Now, we will give more clarity in our Board examination papers.' Aasiyabanu's father, Afzal Shaikh, said, 'Now the mistake of the Board will be rectified in future board exams of Class 10 and 12, after the court's order. My act will benefit lakhs of students appearing in future Board exams.'
NDTV
a day ago
- Health
- NDTV
NEET PG 2024 Delay Came at Rs 11 Crore Price Tag, RTI Response Finds
New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) paid over Rs. 13.29 crore to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd. for conducting the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) Postgraduate (PG) 2023 examination and spent over Rs. 24 crore on the 2024 examination, an Right To Information (RTI) response to a query filed by Dr Aman Kaushik has revealed. Dated May 28, 2025, the RTI response provides a breakdown of NBEMS' spending over the two years. For NEET PG 2023, Rs 13.29 crore was allocated to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). In contrast, the 2024 examination, which eventually took place on August 11, involved higher expenses-Rs 12.34 crore was spent on the computer-based test (CBT), and Rs 89.58 lakh went towards CCTV surveillance arrangements. According to the RTI response, additionally Rs. 11.02 crore was spent on the deferred NEET PG 2024 exam, which got postponed a night before the scheduled date as a precautionary measure, at the backdrop of paper leak controversies linked to the NEET and University Grants Commission (UGC)- National Eligibility Test (NET) exams from the previous year. The postponement came at the direction of the Union Health Ministry and led to a full reorganization of the exam, eventually held on August 11, 2024. The rescheduled exam in August incurred an additional cost of Rs. 13.24 crore. Altogether, the total expenditure for the 2024 exam surpassed Rs. 24 crore, nearly doubling the amount spent the previous year. Dr Aman Kaushik, who filed the RTI, said the financial burden was accompanied by emotional stress for students. "The government must take proactive steps to ensure such disruptions do not happen again," he said. The last-minute cancellation caused considerable confusion among candidates, many of whom were left scrambling to adjust to the abrupt change in schedule.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Centre hiding data on unfilled posts meant for SC/STs, OBCs: RTI activist
BENGALURU: Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak, has claimed that the the Union government is deliberately attempting to conceal critical data on unfilled reserved posts for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Against the backdrop of a national debate on caste-based equity, Nayak points to systemic failures in transparency and inclusivity within the country's bureaucracy. Nayak posed RTI queries based on a December 2024 Parliamentary committee report on the welfare of SC/STs, which criticised the government for persistent backlog in vacancies and the near-total absence of SC/ST representation in decision-making roles across public sector undertakings (PSUs), ministries and banks. The report rejected claims of a "lack of suitable candidates" as baseless, attributing the issue to systemic exclusion and urging immediate corrective measures. Seeking data on backlog vacancies and the appointment of liaison officers to enforce reservation policies, Nayak had filed RTI requests with various departments. But central public information officers (CPIOs) gave him irrelevant recruitment statistics from earlier years and failed to address his specific queries, he said. "This is either a deliberate attempt to obscure politically sensitive data or evidence of a dysfunctional tracking system," Nayak said.
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Despite RTI order, DoPT withholds details over backlog vacancies under SC, ST categories
The queries were raised by RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak, who sought information about liaison officers appointed by the union government to implement the quota policy for SCs and STs and the number of backlog vacancies among Dalits and tribals.
