Fee relaxation for college students
Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College has waved 80 per cent of laboratory fees and some other fees entirely after hearing about financially distress that many students are suffering amid the Covid pandemic. Those who have already paid the feed will get refunds, a college official said. Following the 80 per cent waiver on laboratory fees, a student of chemistry honours in the second, fourth and sixth semesters will now have to pay J240 as laboratory fee not the usual Rs 1,200. A student of physics or geography honours in the second, fourth and sixth semesters will have to pay J210 as laboratory fee, instead of Rs 1,050.
Helping prospective teachers
The primary education board will upload on its website model answer to all questions in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test, which was held in January to recruit teachers for primary schools. According to a board official, a candidate can raise objection if s/he thinks a model answer is not right. “The introduction of the system is to make the evaluation more transparent. Around 2.5 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam in January. We will upload the answers on our website before publishing the result before Durga Puja. We will later announce the time period when candidates can challenge the results,’’ said a board official. The counselling of 2014 TET candidates, which had been stuck for all these years in a legal tussle, would be taken up from next Tuesday.
Taking no chances with Covid measures
The Bengal government extended the existing restrictions till July 15 in the wake of Covid pandemic but green-signalled all modes of road transports at 50 per cent passenger capacity. It also relaxed working hours of shops and other business establishments till 8 pm from July 1. Local train and Metro rail services, however, will remain suspended. ‘’The idea is that we should know whether we can go forward towards restoring near-normality by allowing some more relaxations. We can move forward only when we are sure that the relaxations will not lead to another spike in infections,’’ said an official.
Vaccine scam: No licence, no medicine
Wholesale medicine suppliers in Kolkata’s Bagree Market and Mehta Building decided not to supply medicines unless the procurer produces a valid license against the purchase order. Nearly 350 traders, who supply medicines across eastern India, met virtually and resolved that irrespective of whether the customer was well-known or acquainted for years, no medicine would be handed over without a drug licence. The decision was taken after it came to light after a fake vaccination camp was unearthed by an impostor who procured antibiotics from Bagree Market which he passed off as Covid vaccine.
pranab mondal
Our correspondent in West Bengal pranabm@newindianexpress.com