Karnataka govt formulates SOPs prior to starting colleges on November 17
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday said it has formulated Standard Operating Procedures to be in place when degree, engineering, and diploma colleges in the state reopen from November 17 after a nearly eight-month gap.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, who holds the higher education portfolio, said in a statement that the SOPs as per UGC guidelines have separate advisories for first, second and final year students, as per which classes would be held.
Final year students wishing to physically attend classes would have to furnish a consent letter from their parents in the prescribed format, he said.
During the classes, social distancing would have to be maintained as per the guidelines of the health department.
Narayan said teaching, practical and project classes should be conducted on a shift system, if necessary.
However, if students wished to attend online classes, contact classes should be conducted every day to help them clarify any doubts and resolve their problems.
Colleges will have to prepare the time table in such a manner as to allow social distancing, he said.
The teaching faculty should prepare the study material required for a month duration, based on each period or session, and compulsorily send it to students via Telegram, WhatsApp, or email.
"These study materials should be in the form of video lectures, PowerPoint Presentations, E-Notes, E-Books, Audio Books, Practice Questions, etc. It is also mandatory to upload the same study materials on the college website," he said.
Further, all students, excluding those in their final year or pursuing post-graduation, who attend online or contact classes, can stay in hostels located on-campus or off-campus.
Apart from these, the SOPs also have general guidelines on cleaning buildings, entrance, furniture, teaching materials by sanitizers, COVID-19 tests of teaching faculty, students, and non=teaching staff, Dr. Narayan said.
The schools and colleges in Karnataka have remained shut since the lockdown in March,
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
