&w=3840&q=100)
Air India saw minor increase in pilots reporting sick after crash: Govt
In response to a Lok Sabha member's query on whether Air India has been experiencing mass sick reporting by its flight crew members, following the crash, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday said there has been a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots, and as many as 51 commanders reported sick on June 16.
"Air India reported a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots across all fleets in the aftermath of the AI-171 accident. On 16.06.2025, a total of 112 pilots reported sick, comprising of 51 Commanders (P1) and 61 First Officers (P2)," the minister said in a written reply.
The airline's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating the flight AI 171, en route to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. In the fatal accident, 260 people died, including 241 passengers who were onboard the plane, and 19 people on the ground. One passenger survived the crash.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) medical circular, issued in February 2023, had advised airlines to have a separate, standalone and customised training capsule for the flight crew/ATCOs (Air Traffic Controllers) to recognise and manage the adverse effects of mental health conditions.
"Additionally, on mental health monitoring, the organisations (scheduled and non-scheduled operators, FTOs and AAI) were also advised to have a Peer Support Programme (PSP) in place for their employees. The organisations are required to enable, facilitate and ensure access to this proactive and non-punitive programme that will assist and support flight crew/ATCOs in recognising, coping with and overcoming any problem," Mohol said.
FTOs and AAI refer to Flying Training Organisations and the Airports Authority of India, respectively.
In another written reply, Mohol said that at present, there is no specific policy with the civil aviation ministry related to compensation for damages suffered by civilians on the ground due to a plane crash.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Indian Express
Are AI tools making you forgetful and dull? Here's how to prevent a brain burnout
Dr Prabash Prabhakaran The other day, a 26-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru came to see me because she was worried about something I'm hearing more and more, 'I feel mentally lazy,' she said. She didn't have a memory problem. No headaches either. There were no neurological warning signs. However, something had changed. Once shrewd and confident, she now relied on AI apps and tools for everything, from brainstorming meeting ideas to client emails and code snippets. She became aware over the months that she was losing her ability to remember things. She would repeatedly ask AI the same questions, lose track of technical concepts and forget project details. What was causing her the most distress? She declared, 'I've lost my curiosity. Besides, why think when I can get it done by someone else?' Her situation exemplified cognitive disuse, which is the process by which the brain dulls like a muscle left unworked. The mental cost of continuously outsourcing our ability to think, remember and make decisions is known as cognitive debt. It's like skipping out on exercise; if you don't go to the gym long enough, your muscles will weaken. Similarly, when we stop pushing our brains, they become less resilient. This change takes time to manifest. It's not about getting lost on the way home or forgetting your birthday. It begins subtly: You become distracted without reminders or prompts, lose your train of thought in the middle of a sentence or find it difficult to remember something you used to know by heart. I still recall a specific patient saying, 'I no longer trust my brain.' What causes this dullness? Our brains are made to think deeply, remember things and solve problems. The neural pathways supporting these abilities are strengthened each time they are stretched. The great thing about neuroplasticity is that it gets stronger the more you use it. However, those circuits aren't triggered when AI takes over the mental labour. This can eventually impair mental acuity, concentration and independent thought, particularly in young adults whose brains are still developing. Therefore, the true question is not whether AI causes forgetfulness but rather whether we are utilising it in ways that contradict or replace our own thought processes. The silent burnout Physical exhaustion is not the same as cognitive fatigue. It's a silent feeling of dreariness, like fog. A few indicators are requiring reminders to complete basic tasks, ignoring what you just read, mentally 'flat' even after taking a break or losing interest in critical thinking or problem-solving. Classrooms, workplaces and homes are all experiencing what Riya did. Our active thinking starts to wane as we consume passively. How then does one strengthen one's mind? AI shouldn't replace thought, just as calculators didn't replace math. Instead of being a crutch, it ought to be a tool. The following are a few easy yet effective methods to improve your cognitive fitness: 1. Intentional recall: Before searching, take a moment to try and recall. 2. Active participation: Don't replace your ideas with AI; use it to test them. 3. Mental exercises: Include deep reading, crossword puzzles and logic games. 4. Tech sabbaticals: Unplug frequently to allow your thoughts to roam. Not only do we lose speed when we allow a machine to think for us, we also lose sharpness. Let's remember to think independently in a world full of intelligent tools and instant prompts. The human brain, which was designed to be used, continues to be our most potent processor. (The author is senior consultant and Director of Neurology, SIMS Hospital, Chennai)
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
The day after the skies fell
For Dr Nisha Prajapati, the sound of an airplane flying overhead every few minutes used to be a 'privilege'. That pure response became impossible after June 12, when Air India Flight 171 crashed into her universe: the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (BJMC). Now, every time the sound of an aircraft taking off fills the OPD, the trauma is relived. Scared glances are momentarily exchanged. 'But the moment passes, and we break out into laughter, with lame jokes about our fears. That's our coping mechanism,' says Dr Prajapati.
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
How artificial intelligence is making dentistry smarter
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to find its utility in dental clinics across India in practical, task-specific ways. AI works quietly in the background, helping dentists focus on what matters most: accurate diagnosis and meaningful conversations with SUBTLE DIAGNOSTIC CLUESRadiographs and scans are commonly utilised by dentists to make decisions, particularly in cases where symptoms are imprecise or inconsistent. Although human expertise is still crucial, it has limitations, particularly when handling early disease symptoms or fatigue from extended spoke with Dr Sanjeet Shanker, a prosthodontist and founder and CEO of to get more insights. In order to find patterns that point to issues like early periapical lesions, slight bone loss, or developing cavities, AI-assisted imaging tools scan thousands of radiographs. The clinician's judgment is not claimed to be in control of these tools. Rather, they serve as an extra pair of eyes, pointing out areas that need more a routine examination, a tiny dark patch on a molar root might not be noticeable. But when highlighted by an AI system, it becomes a point of discussion, leading to follow-up scans, confirmed diagnoses, and timely PATIENTS UNDERSTAND THEIR DIAGNOSISAI tools also change how patients interact with their care. One of the recurring challenges in dentistry is bridging the gap between clinical language and patient understanding. Telling a patient about a possible lesion can be difficult when they cannot see or feel anything when AI highlights a concern on an image, and that image is shown during the consultation, it shifts the dynamic. Patients are now being shown. This level of transparency encourages them to ask questions, understand the issue better, and proceed with greater that have adopted AI diagnostic tools report better treatment plan acceptance and more word-of-mouth referrals. For instance, data from dental practices using AI has indicated positive outcomes. Treatment plan acceptance rose by 31%, patient referrals grew by 24%, and satisfaction levels reached new highs, according to EpikDoc performance ROUTINE WORKAI is also easing the strain of routine documentation. Voice-enabled tools now assist with dental charting, recognising clinical terms, and converting speech to structured notes. For dentists, this means less time spent at the screen and more time with the orthodontic settings, AI systems can simulate tooth movement, helping plan treatment phases more effectively. This helps clinicians explain the journey ahead in clearer terms and allows patients to visualise their progress, especially valuable for long-term cases involving braces or of these tools replaces the need for clinical oversight. What they do is take over the repetitive parts, scanning images, organising notes, suggesting next steps, so the dentist can stay focused on decision-making and patient SIGNALS IN ORAL RISKSadvertisementAI's potential is being explored in areas like oral cancer detection, where early signs may appear in imaging or histopathology slides. India continues to face a high burden of tobacco-related lesions, and faster identification of risk markers could play a role in addressing delays in these applications are still in research or pilot stages, they point to a future where AI could assist in high-stakes areas without overwhelming the existing system. For now, its role remains grounded: support, not AND LEARNING OVER TIMEWhat makes AI different from conventional software is that it learns. As more scans are added, and more outcomes are fed back into the system, the tool becomes sharper. This means that clinics using AI today are contributing to a system that improves over adoption still varies. Larger clinics in metro areas are more likely to integrate AI, thanks to better infrastructure and patient volume. Smaller practices are watching with interest, and as costs come down and systems become more modular, wider adoption is CLARITY IN TREATMENT CONVERSATIONSDental care often involves choices, whether to observe, intervene, restore, or refer. These choices become easier when patients are presented with clear, visual evidence backed by makes this possible. It does not make the final call, but it helps structure the conversation. When a patient sees what the dentist sees, the conversation becomes simpler, the questions become more focused, and the decisions become GOOD DENTISTRY EASIER TO DELIVERTechnology in dentistry works best when it does not demand attention. The goal is to assist, to make diagnosis more accurate, explanations clearer, and workflow more manageable.- Ends
