Vikas Vaidya

By Vikas Vaidya “More than technology you need good morale. Before you implement Information Technology, we must clean up our system, if not, it will not be of any use,” pointed Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra and Chairman of Examination Reforms. Aggarwal was speaking during the inauguration of  seminar on Road map to examination reforms organised by Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. The RTMNU Acting Vice-Chancellor Anoop Kumar in its initiative to improve the examination process is planning  to implement the recommendations of  Rajesh Aggrawal committee. It was a long  awaited decision and Anoop Kumar  had given  impetus to it by introducing a special post of Director, Exam reforms. Anoop Kumar presided over the function. Dr Vedprakash Mishra, Chairman of Academic Council and Advisor to President of Medical Council of India (MCI), Dr Gauri Shankar Parasher, ex-Pro Vice Chancellor of RTMNU, Dr Baban Taywad...

With lot of talk is going on, on examination reforms, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University is well-equipped to implement the recommendations by Information Technology Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal Committee. In fact RTMNU has introduced many technology-based things in practice. Aggarwal is visiting university on May 17 to conduct workshop of university officials on exam reforms issue. Acting Vice-Chancellor Anoop Kumar has already given it a momentum by proposing a special post of Director (exam reforms). The local agency Promarc has kept RTMNU at higher level in that aspect much before. Unfortunately, university’s earlier bosses could not market it. RTMNU is ready to bring electronic transmission of question paper and that too in lesser cost. The examination department team is working hard to bring university at the top as far as use of technology is concerned. University with its local agency Promarc has already updated the examination, result process that too with minimum...

The meeting of Academic Council of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University on Tuesday could not reach to any final decision regarding jumping in engineering faculty. Meanwhile, it has been decided that the views expressed by the members in the meeting would be sent to Chancellor. The dispute about jumping (or allowing engineering students to appear for examination by relaxing criterion) is going on since last one year after Academic Council sent amendment in ordinance suggesting relief for engineering students. It was sent by the Chancellor to Government. Government had sent it back to Chancellor office by registering no objection. Chancellor rejected the same but sent the same to RTMNU Academic council. It may be recalled that the students have been demanding an increased “carry on”/jumping” or an increased ATKT facility in order to appear in the exams. These students had also unsucessfully approached the Court since they had backlog subjects and were admitted to the Highe...

Taking a cue from ‘3 Idiots’ in which Aamir Khan and his friends break open the lock of Dean’s Chamber to steal the question papers, some miscreants on Thursday stole the question-papers from Indira Gandhi Government Medical College (IGGMC). The unidentified students (it is strongly believed that they must be medical students as they were the only one interested in stealing the papers before exam), entered in library through terrace of newly constructed multi-utility building. The question-papers were kept in the strong room located on the ground floor. Giving a slip to security personnel, these unidentified miscreants used duplicate keys to enter the strong room (another similarity with how Amir Khan and his friends gain access to Dean Veeru Sahastrabuddhe’s chamber). Inside the strong room, there was second layer of security in form of a locked almirah. But, somehow, the thieves opened the lock of almirah, took out the packet of question papers of various subjects, cut the packe...

In a major respite to teachers of Nagpur district, Maharashtra Government has finally decided to distribute their salaries through Union Bank of India from next month. More than 20,000 teachers will heave a sigh of relief as they will get timely salary through natinalised bank. The RBI has recently cancelled the Banking licence of Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB) and this has left Government with very little choice but to shift salary accounts of teachers to Union Bank. The decision was taken two years ago, but kept in abeyance for obvious political reasons. School Education Secretary Ashwini Bhide was in Nagpur to review the functioning of the department before the commencement of next academic year. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting Bhide stated that decision was taken so that teachers’ should get their monthly salaries on time and in hassle-free manner. About accumulated salary amount still lying with NDCCB, Bhide made it clear that disc...

Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has decided to come down heavily upon cut practice by doctors. It is seriously thinking of taking punitive measures. Giving ‘cuts’ and accepting ‘cuts’ is a punishable offence and this practice has increased the cost of medical treatment and the burden is passed on to hapless patients and their relatives. Even the Medical Council of India (MCI) had issued strict guidelines to all medicos asking  them to desist from accepting costly gifts, foreign tours and avoid quid-pro-quo with pharmaceutical companies. This is the only way to strengthen healthy doctor-patient relationship. Aberration by a handful of practitioners had shaken the faith of common man and due to such black-sheep, a negative image about doctors had caught popular imagination. This unhealthy and unethical practice of taking ‘cuts’ is in gross violation of the Code of Ethics and Etiquettes 2002 floated by MCI. Dr Kishor Taori, Chairman, MMC pointed out that MMC had already b...

Zahabiya Khorakiwala speaking. Dr Prashant Jagtap (left) and Dr Mathew Samuel (right) Andreas Gruentzig, a German Cardiologist performed world’s first angioplasty on September 17, 1977. Dr Mathew Samuel performed India’s first angioplasty on January 24, 1986. The sweet co-incidence is that, Dr Mathew is the disciple of Dr Andreas Gruentzig. Now, Dr Mathew is known as father of Angioplasty. He never kept the technique restricted to him. He has been trying to transfer his knowledge to other doctors. Apart from being well-known as the Father of Angioplasty in India, Dr Mathew has got Dr. BC Roy National Award in Interventional Cardiology for the year 1996 from the President of India. He is Padma Shri. Dr MGR University has awarded him Doctor of Science. He has trained many cardiologists of India and all over South East Asia and Australia. Dr Mathew was in city to inaugurate Wockhardt Heart Hospital on Saturday. Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) has brought a new revolution in hear...