Mahatma Gandhi University to grant 60 days maternity leave to students
Kottayam: In a first in Kerala, the Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) has decided to grant maternity leave of 60 days to degree and post graduate students of 18 years and above so that they can continue their studies without any interruptions.
The decision was taken on Friday in a Syndicate meeting chaired by Pro Vice Chancellor C T Aravinda Kumar, a release issued by the university said.
It said that Syndicate approved recommendations of a committee constituted by it to conduct a study on the issue.
According to the university, the maternity leave can be taken before or after delivery, but will be granted only for the first or second pregnancy and only once during duration of a course.
The period of leave will include public and ordinary holidays and no other leave can be clubbed with it, the release said.
A leave of 14 days will be granted in cases of abortion, tubectomy etc, it said.
To ensure that studies of the students are not affected due to pregnancy, those taking maternity leave during a semester will be allowed to register for exams of that semester, but can write it as a supplementary along with regular students in the next semester.
However, they will not lose a semester as after their maternity leave is over they can continue their studies in the current semester with their own batch, the release said.
In the event that students on maternity leave have practical, lab and viva examinations, the head of the institution or department should make necessary arrangements for this, the Syndicate decided.
For availing maternity leave, a medical certificate of a registered doctor has to be provided along with the application three days before commencement of the leave, the release said.
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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline
Washington (AP): The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb 28 have terminated.” The official said the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president's military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorisation or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.
Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favour of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn't given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."
Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials to simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.
That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defence focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”
“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration's “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire.
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.
Other presidents have argued that the military action they've taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump's war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.
