Latest news with #DeepshikhaSharma
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
Breach in Pak, flooding in India: Crop damaged, BSF post inundated
Ferozepur: A breach occurred in the Satluj river embankment located across the border near Tendi Wala in Pakistan, raising fears of flooding in over a dozen villages of upstream Punjab. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Rising water level has already damaged hundreds of acres of standing crop on the Indian side and inundated a Border Security Force (BSF) post. Though BSF officials, with the help of villagers, are trying to stop the water from entering the post by putting sandbags along the boundary, the rise in water level has made the exercise futile. The embankment breach is expected to worsen the situation in many villages already hit by flooding along the river. Authorities have warned that water levels may rise further, severely impacting daily life in low-lying areas. Rescue operations are underway at multiple locations, with teams dispatched to affected areas. With water levels rising along the border with Pakistan, BSF has intensified boat patrols to stop intruders and smugglers from exploiting the situation. Flood-damaged sections of the border fencing have raised concerns about potential infiltration and smuggling. To bolster security, BSF has ramped up patrols and held special meetings with local police and border residents. The aim is to raise awareness and encourage vigilance against possible movements of drug smugglers or other miscreants seeking to take advantage of the floods. Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma also reached the site and directed officials to ensure the protection of lives and property. Immediate relief measures are being arranged to supply essential items to residents in need.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Accused of molesting 12 girls, Ferozepur teacher suspended
The teacher who has been accused of molesting and sexually harassing at least 12 girls at a government school in Guru Har Sahai of Ferozepur has been suspended, district education officer (secondary) Manila Arora said on Monday. Also a three-member inquiry committee, constituted by deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma, reached the school to initiate a probe. Apart from district education officer Manila Arora, the panel includes assistant commissioner (grievances) Harjot Kaur and district programme officer Ruchika Nanda. Meanwhile, the police recorded statements of eight out of the 12 complainants. The statements of more girls will be recorded on Tuesday. 'The team interacted at length with students and their parents to gather information. Notably, another male teacher, who has been accused of attempting to suppress the matter, was also questioned,' said an official wishing not to be named. The committee is expected to submit its findings to the deputy commissioner on Tuesday following which further action will be taken. Meanwhile, the police recorded statements of eight out of the 12 complainants. The statements of more girls will be recorded on Tuesday. 'As many as 12 girls have alleged molestation and another girl has come forward as a witness,' sources said. Parents of the victims have demanded strict action not only against the suspended teacher but also against other staff members, including women, who allegedly tried to silence the students through alleged intimidation. DC Deepshikha Sharma reiterated that all aspects of the case were being looked into. Appropriate action will follow after the committee's report is submitted, she said. Accused Raj Kumar Chugh, who was booked under Sections 74, 79 (outraging woman's modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, is in 14-day judicial custody and lodged in the Ferozepur Central Jail. The matter came to light when one of the students dropped a handwritten complaint in the school's suggestion box. Principal Karan Singh Dhaliwal had constituted an internal committee of female teachers to carry out a preliminary inquiry. The report was forwarded to district education officer Manila Arora, who escalated the matter to the directorate of public education (DPE), Chandigarh.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Project Janam Shakti': Drop in maternal deaths, home deliveries in Ferozepur
'Project Janam Shakti' — a comprehensive initiative in Punjab's border district Ferozepur to check maternal mortality and provide natal care to pregnant women — is bearing fruits. With the maternal mortality rate (MMR) at an all-time high at 440 (deaths per 1 lakh live births) in 2024-25, following 238 in 2023-24, Ferozepur faced a challenge even as Punjab's average MMR stood at 105, district Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said. This medical intervention was rolled out to reduce preventable maternal deaths by strengthening healthcare delivery systems. According to data, maternal deaths reduced to 0-1 in the past five months from 2-5 per month earlier, while home deliveries (women giving birth at home instead of hospital, without any natal care) dropped to 4 in 2024-25 from 308 (2023-24), and just 1 until June 2025. Speaking to The Indian Express, Sharma said: 'In 2024, the MMR in Ferozepur district was at an all-time high at 440. We were losing 3-5 mothers almost every month. With almost 75-80% vacancies in the medical side and demotivated accredited social health activists (ASHAs), the picture was very dismal. Since I took over in September 2024, we religiously sat with ASHA workers every week to sort out the issue. Now, we have maintained nearly zero maternal deaths for the past five months, and the MMR has reduced to 55.5 in 2025. The NITI Aayog's award money has helped us to rope in JHPIEGO for Phase-2 interventions.' The US-based organisation — JHPIEGO (Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics) — collaborates with national governments, local communities, and health experts 'to build systems that guarantee healthier futures for women and their families'. Founded in 1973, according to its official website, Dr Theodore M King — an early innovator and champion for women's health — 'was the moving force behind the founding of JHPIEGO, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University'. Explaining how the situation was improved, Sharma said: 'Maternal death review (MDR) meetings had not been held for two years in the district. Each maternal death was analysed with frontline workers and doctors to understand the cause, and identify preventable lapses. Further, a dedicated WhatsApp group was created to track high-risk pregnancies and monitor them closely by linking staff nurses, medical officers, doctors, and enabling real-time coordination in time of need to refer them to bigger facilities. To improve early detection of complications, special camps under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) were also organised across blocks.' The road ahead Ferozepur — among one of the two selected districts under the Centre government's Aspirational District Programme (ADP) — received an award money of Rs 5 crore, of which Rs 1 crore will be utilised for Project Janam Shakti, in coordination with JHPIEGO, Sharma said. Over the next 18 months, JHPIEGO will work with authorities to develop a sustainable model for maternal mortality reduction in the district. 'The quality of Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) is a concern. At 59%, the 'unspecified reasons' is the major cause of maternal deaths, followed by obstetric haemorrhage (15.3%), and hypertensive disorders (8.5%). It indicates poor case documentation. Then there is limited or minimal community awareness — over 60% of deaths were linked to delays in seeking care. To address these challenges, JHPIEGO will work with the district administration to strengthen service delivery, build capacity around evidence-based practices, and support in improving data quality with special focus on MDSR strengthening and digitisation, to enable the availability of quality data for timely decision-making,' Sharma said. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Govt teacher ‘molests' school girls: Ferozepur admn forms probe panel
A day after a government school teacher in Ferozepur's Guru Har Sahai sub-division was arrested for molesting and sexually harassing at least 13 girl students, the district administration on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The accused, Raj Kumar Chugh, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Ferozepur court on Saturday. (HT) The panel, headed by the Ferozepur assistant commissioner (General), and including the district programme officer and district education officer, has been directed to submit its report within 72 hours, said deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma. The accused, Raj Kumar Chugh, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court. Guru Har Sahai DSP Satnam Singh confirmed that the statements of the victims will be recorded on Monday, and the role of one male and six female staff members, who allegedly tried to suppress the matter, as claimed by victims in their complaint, was also under scrutiny. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said Chugh was facing charges under Sections 74, 79 (outraging woman's modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The matter came to light when one of the students dropped a handwritten complaint in the school's suggestion box. Promptly acting on it, principal Karan Singh Dhaliwal constituted an internal committee of female teachers to carry out a preliminary inquiry. The report was forwarded to district education officer (DEO) Manila Arora, who escalated the matter to the directorate of public education (DPE), Chandigarh. SSP Sidhu reiterated that all angles of the case were being probed thoroughly.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Mass evacuations in Ferozepur, Fazilka border villages
Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, most women and children were evacuated on Friday from the villages in the Hussainiwala area in Ferozepur and several border villages in the Fazilka district. The men have stayed behind to tend to their farms and livestock. Evacuations were reported from several villages in Fazilka, including Dona Nanka, Teja Ruhela, Churiwala, Mohar Jamsher, Chisti, Mohar Sona, Hasta Kalan, and Asafwala. In Ferozepur, Tendiwala, Kaluwala, Khundar Gatti, Hajara Singh Wala, and Ghatti Rajjo Kee villages, located within 5 km of the Indo-Pak border, also saw significant movement of residents. 'More than 70% of women and children from border villages within shelling range of Pakistan have been evacuated to safer areas in Ferozepur and Fazilka. In some households, even the men have begun relocating after sunset and returning home after sunrise as a precautionary measure,' said a security official on the condition of anonymity. As part of emergency preparedness measures, Ranbir Singh Bhullar, MLA of Ferozepur (Urban) said that two boats have been provided to residents of Khundar Gatti village—situated across the Sutlej River, near the border to facilitate quick evacuation in case of any emergency. Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma stated that the evacuation process has been entirely voluntary. 'There is no official directive, she said and assured the public that the situation in the district is under control and emphasised that there is no reason for panic. The DC urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with the administration. She stressed the importance of adhering strictly to blackout guidelines during sensitive hours. 'All residents, institutions, hotels, banquet halls, liquor stores, restaurants, and shops must turn off lights and use blackout curtains during emergencies. Non-compliance will attract strict legal action, including penalties. To curb misinformation and maintain public order, the district administration warned that individuals or groups spreading fake news or rumours will face serious consequences under Section 66D of the IT Act and other applicable laws,' the DC said. The Fazilka administration has directed all shops and business establishments to close by 7 pm on Friday.
