COIMBATORE l tuesday l october 03, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l LATE city EDITION Medicine nobel goes to 2 whose discoveries led to Covid vaccines Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for their discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against coronavirus Weissman and Karikó Vaccine development for pandemic hailed Karikó is the 13th woman in medicine win Hungarian-born American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman were cited for contributing ‘to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,’ according to the panel that awarded the prize in Stockholm. The mRNA vaccines can be used to develop other shots in the future | P9 ■ ■ Injecting lab-grown mRNA into the body triggered a reaction that destroyed it. Karikó and Weissman figured out a modification to the RNA that made it stealthy enough to slip past the immune defences Karikó, 68, is the 13th woman to win the prize in medicine. She was a senior VP at BioNTech, which partnered Pfizer to make COVID-19 vax $1 million is the cash award from a bequest left by Alfred Nobel CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 50% cap norm Minority tag of education institutions is perpetual: HC R SIVA K U M AR @ Chennai `10cr fund FOR GOVT STUDENTS TO PURSUE ENGG PG Stalin also honoured nine ISRO scientists from Tamil Nadu, including K Sivan, Mylswamy Annadurai, and P Veeramuthuvel, with `25 lakh prize each | P4 bapu’s day President Droupadi Murmu pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, at Rajghat in New Delhi, Monday | PTI Bihar BC head count at 63% state caste survey outcome made public; Yadav biggest caste @ 14.3% Tomorrow, at 3.30 pm, a presentation on the findings of the survey will be made before representatives of all 9 parties that gave consent for the survey — Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister Thebigpicture Total population: 13.07 cr Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs): 36% Other Backward Classes (OBCs) 27.13% 10 castes with highest population Caste Percentage(%) Yadav 14.27 Dushad 5.31 Population 1.86 crore Chamar 5.25 Koiris 4.2 69.43 lakh 68.69 lakh 55.06 lakh Brahmin 3.65 47.81 lakh Rajput 3.45 45.10 lakh Mushar 3.08 2.87 2.3 C hristian 0.0576% (75,238) 37.62 lakh Bania I slam 17.7% (2,31,49,925) 40.35 lakh Kurmi Religion-wise H indu 82% (10,71,92,958) 30.26 lakh Kayasth 0.60 7.857 lakh Inmates barred from using mosque inside Vellore jail RA J ALA K SH M I SA M PATH @ Vellore For the last three years, the mosque inside the Vellore Central Jail has remained out of bounds for the Muslim inmates of the jail, Though there are no known instances of misuse by the inmates, prison authorities have kept the mosque, a room that can accommodate around 30 people at a time, closed even on auspicious days like Ramzan, forcing them to offer prayers within the confines of their prison cells. The prison campus has a church, two Hindu temples, and the mosque. All places of worship on the campus were shut in 2021 as part of Covid control measures, but after the restrictions were removed, authorities reopened the church and temples but not the mosque. Sources said the prison currently has 20 to 30 Muslim convicts in ordinary block and 5 to 10 prisoners in highsecurity block. “I have been incarcerated in the prison for the past four years. The mosque has been off limits for the last three years. We are not even per mitted to offer Friday prayers inside the mosque,” a Muslim prison inmate said. continued on p5 total population 13.07 crore; OBCs constitute 27.13% of it, EBC 36% RA J ESH K U M AR THA K UR @ New Delhi Bihar’s backward castes on Monday got an authentic number for the first time — 63% — with the state’s caste ‘survey’ report being made public. In the process, Bihar became the first state to share the findings of its gamechanger caste census. It is expected set off caste assertion of a kind that has the potential to overshadow the Hindutva and nationalism cards the BJP is preparing to use during the next general elections in 2024. While the population of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) is 36%, that of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) is 27.13%, the census revealed. The state has a total population of 13.07 crore. A visibly elated Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sidestepped queries about whether the survey would prove to be Mandal 2.0, triggering demands for revised quotas for different castes in proportion to their population. “It would not be proper for me to go into such details right now. Let me share the findings with all parties tomorrow. After that, our focus will be on making policies targeted at castes that may be deemed to be in need of greater assistance. The survey will benefit all castes, without exception,” he said. Yadavs (14.27%) unsurprisingly constitute the biggest caste group amongst the OBCs. They form the primary vote- bank of ruling RJD, which alone with the support of the Muslim population comprising 17.70%, ruled the state for 15 years in a row through the MY (Muslim-Yadav) formula from 2005 and are back in power after Nitish’s somersault from the BJP and his JD(U) leading the grand anto-BJP alliance. RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav is Nitish’s deputy . RJD president Lalu Yadav said the survey will set the tone for ‘a nationwide caste census which will be undertaken when we form the next government at the Centre’. The Scheduled Castes comprise 19.65% (2,56,89,820) of the state’s population while the total head count of Scheduled Tribes is 1.68% (21,99,361). The population of upper castes under the unreserved category stands at 15.5%, which has already triggered calls for revisiting the 10% EWS (Economically Weaker Section) quota carved out by the Modi government at the Centre. The break-up of the four upper castes in the state is Bhumihar 3.66% (47,81,280), Rajput 3.45% (45,10,733), Brahmin 3.66% (47,81,280) and Kaystha 0.6% (7,85,771). The survey was approved by state cabinet on June 2 last year with a budgetary allocation of `500 crore. As many as 3 lakh officials were deployed for task. For its part, the Opposition BJP in Bihar termed the report an eyewash, as it did not capture the economic profile of the people. Holding that minority status accorded to an educational institution is perpetual and is not for a limited period, the Madras High Court has quashed an order issued by the state government cancelling the minority status of a Chennai college for exceeding 50% cap in admitting minority students. “Minority status is not a tenure status,” the first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu said. The bench noted that the government denied extension of religious (Muslim) minority status of the college on the ‘sole ground’ that the college had admitted more than 50% Muslim students during academic years 2016-17, 2018-19, and 2019-20. “While calculating the number of minority students, those minority candidates admitted on merit beyond the 50% must be excluded because they are admitted on their own merit and not in the privilege as members of a minority community the bench said. ,” The order was passed on petitions filed by Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women challenging a single judge’s order and the Tamil Nadu government’s November 20, 2021, GO rejecting extension of the institute’s minority status. Saying that ‘social reservation’ need not be maintained by institutions that are administered and managed by minorities, the court said the state government would be within its right to impose a cap of 50% for admission of minority P5 students. Engineer among 3 IS suspects held in Delhi U J WAL J ALALI @ New Delhi THE Delhi Police Special Cell arrested three suspected ISIS terrorists, including one who is on the most wanted list of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) and carrying a reward of `3 lakh on his head. The suspected terrorist, identified as Shahnawaz Alam alias Abdullah alias Md Ibrahim alias Prince (31), an engineer by profession, was hiding in Delhi after fleeing from Pune, the police said on Monday The other two were identified as Moham. mad Rizwan Ashraf (28) and Md Seven-day Arshad Warsi (29). police remand Special Commissioner of PoAll three were produced lice (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal before a special UAPA said the arrested persons were court in Delhi, which taking instructions from their sent them to a seven- handlers in Pakistan and were day police remand planning to carry out terror activities in India. “They were in advance stage of preparations and had procured arms, ammunition, and explosives for this purpose and had also set up a base in Delhi,” he added. Dhaliwal said Delhi Police received credible inputs that Pakistan’s spy agency ISI was using terrorists to carry out attacks in India. “One such module was identified with footprints in UP Uttarakhand, Jharkhand & Mahar, ashtra. Two ISIS operatives namely Imran Khan and Yunus Saaki were arrested in Pune by Maharashtra police. However, Shahnawaz Alam managed to escape from the police custody he added. ,” stalker horror India touch 60 Minor kills girl by slitting throat with knife in TN Priti (L) and Parul Chaudhary After another good day in office on Monday, the nation is inching closer to its biggest ever haul of 70 at the Asian Games. Here are some of the highlights Athletes sizzle again Parul Chaudhary and Priti secured silver and bronze medals in the women’s 3000m steeplechase while Ancy Sojan grabbed a long jump silver. The 4x400m mixed relay team’s bronze was upgraded to silver after Sri Lanka was disqualified for lane infringement Speed skaters dazzled with two surprise bronze medals in men’s and women’s 3000m team relay events Paddlers Sutirtha-Ayhika win bronze Sutirtha Mukherjee and Auhika Mukherjee’s giant-slaying run ended as they lost the closely-fought women’s doubles semifinal 3-4 to North Korea on Monday. They finished with bronze | More on p11 p o s iti v e t r e n d Women take the lead in organ donation drive giving life after death K a v i ta B a j e l i - D at t @ New Delhi WOMEN have taken the lead in donating their organs under the recently launched Ayushman Bhav campaign, under which over 61,000 Indians have pledged to donate their organs and tissues after death. Since President Droupadi Murmu launched the campaign on September 13, as many as 35,000 women have so far taken the pledge to donate their organs and tissues. In shar p contrast, only around 26,000 men have come forward. Maharashtra, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh have emerged as the top three states with the highest participation Under the scheme, a person after his/her death can give new life to up to nine others by donating vital organs such as kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, pancreas, and intestine, besides improving the life of many more by donating tissues like cornea, skin, bone, heart valve in the campaign, s h o w gover nment data. People from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have also responded positively to the call. According to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, people in the age group of 30-45 years are coming forward in large numbers to donate their organs, followed by 18-30 years, and then 45-60 years. There are not many takers in the age group of 60 years and above. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday urged more people to come forward for the noble cause. India faces the lowest organ donation rate worldwide, with a mere 0.1% of the population donating their organs after death in stark contrast to 7080% in Western countries, say experts. With over 2 lakh Indians needing organ transplants annually, a unified national policy can address the critical issue effectively they point out. , “If we properly harvest even 5-10% of all brain deaths for organ donation, it could render the need for living donors obsolete,” said Dr L K Jha, director, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi. Underscoring the need for collective efforts to increase organ donations, Dr Prashant Jain of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre said: “India must promote and streamline the process of cadaveric donations actively .” EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Tirunelveli Enraged over being rejected, a 17-year-old stalker is suspected to have killed an 18-year-old girl by slitting her throat with a knife inside the godown of a fancy store, where the girl was employed, near Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli on Monday afternoon. Police sources said the suspect has been secured based on CCTV footages from the spot. He will be produced before the district juvenile justice board, police sources said. While the girl was from a Scheduled Caste community, the minor belongs to a Backward Caste, police said. Six months ago, the boy was working in a gilt jewellery shop located near the girl’s workplace. According to sources, both became friends, and the boy claimed he fell in love with her. A few months later, the girl stopped talking to him, but the minor continued to harass her. He also tried to contact her over phone even after quitting his job, police said. A few days ago, he contacted the victim’s elder sister over phone and complained about the girl. On Monday afternoon, the victim went to the godown to fetch some materials. The boy, who was waiting near the temple, followed her and allegedly slit the girl’s throat inside the godown before fleeing. A few of her colleagues who came to the godown, found her lying in a pool of blood. The Tirunelveli town police have sent the body to GH for a postmortem.