Latest news with #MPSC
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
‘2 years seemed worthless in an instant': How a Pune drunk driver's reckless act destroyed a woman's MPSC preparation
Written by Shubham Kurale The evening of May 31 started like any other for Gulnaz Ahmed. After hours of intense preparation for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Group C exam, she stepped out for the routine tea break at Shree Nathsai Amrutulya stall in Pune's Sadashiv Peth. Little did she know that this ordinary moment would shatter two years of dreams in just a few seconds. As she was standing with her friend at around 5.45 pm, discussing current affairs after a day of rigorous preparation, a speeding car driven allegedly by an inebriated man without a driving license crashed into the tea stall, leaving 12 people, including four MPSC aspirants, injured. 'Even if it hurts, I will get back to my previous routine' For Ahmed, a 23-year-old from Nagpur, this wasn't just another accident but a traumatic fate to a carefully planned journey that began right after her graduation. Convincing her parents to let her move to Pune for MPSC preparation has been a battle in itself. 'My parents gave me a strict two-year deadline. I completed that period without attempting the exam once. The accident happened just one day before the Group C exam scheduled for June 1, which had already been postponed before. Two years of early morning study sessions, afternoon revision slots, and evening discussions about current affairs seemed worthless in an instant following the accident,' said Ahmed. The impact left Ahmed with a hip injury and muscle damage to her left leg. Initially taken to Yogesh Hospital in Sadashiv Peth, she had to be shifted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital when basic diagnostic equipment wasn't available at the first facility. 'The doctors wanted to admit me, but I couldn't afford the expenditure of over Rs 10,000 per day, as there is already a financial strain during the preparation of the competitive exam. The pain was unbearable, but I returned home the same night,' said Ahmed. The medical bills, damaged phone, and medicines have created a financial burden of over Rs 30,000 for her family — her father runs a small scrap shop, and her mother is a homemaker. Despite promises from several politicians, no financial help has been given yet. Perhaps the most distressing aspect of Ahmed's ordeal was her inability to immediately tell her parents about the accident. 'I couldn't reveal this to my parents, as they would worry and call me back to Nagpur. It took me five days to build the courage to tell them,' she said. Despite being advised to complete bed rest for a month, Ahmed refuses to give up. 'One cannot be disconnected from studies for so long in the cut-throat competitive examination world. Even if it hurts, I will get back to my previous routine,' she said. Her request to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission is simple yet profound. 'It may be difficult for the Commission to retake the exam, but we urge them to consider this as a special case and allow a re-exam for those who have missed due to this incident,' she added. Ahmed's accident has also brought to light the challenges faced by thousands of students who flock to Pune for competitive exam preparation. 'Though Pune is considered the hub of competitive exams, the standard of living has been abysmally low. The food quality is poor, accommodation is expensive, and now even the roads have become unsafe,' said Ahmed. The accident didn't just affect students. Sandeep Khopade, a pharmaceutical marketing professional, was also among those enjoying a tea break with colleagues after a hectic day's work when the drunk driver changed his life forever. 'It was our refreshment time, we were planning over the marketing strategy, cracking jokes, and exchanging ideas over a tea when this accident happened that left my right leg fractured,' said Khopade. While insurance might cover the expenses of over Rs 2.5 lakh, the real worry for Khopade is his career. As the sole breadwinner of his family, Khopade faces the prospect of a four-month bed rest period that could jeopardise his job. 'My employer may not allow four months' leave, and can also replace me. The fracture will not make me able to move swiftly as I did before, which is necessary in a marketing job. So this accident has affected not just me, but my entire family'. 'We demand that the driver should not get bail, as was seen in the Porsche car accident case last year. As this will set a wrong precedent and encourage people to break rules and play with others' lives,' added Khopade. Shubham Kurale is an intern with The Indian Express
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Victorian council moves to quell backlash after school flyer excludes Australian flag in favour of Pride
A Victorian council has voted to strip its own bureaucrats of the ability to choose flags on printed materials after a school flyer showing only the Pride Progress, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags sparked outrage in the community. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council voted 9-1 on Tuesday night to reiterate that the Australian national flag should be displayed 'in the highest position of honour' in all circumstances. Councillor Bruce Ranken brought the urgent motion after a flyer urging residents to register for kindergarten 'understandably raised concerns amongst many members of the community'. An image of the flyer went viral after it was shared on social media on Monday. 'Now it appears the MPSC only acknowledges the gay, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as evidenced by eliminating the Australian flag (which represents us all), from official paperwork,' one local wrote. 'Does that mean the rest of us are exempt from rates?' Cr Ranken told Tuesday's meeting that the flyer 'does not sit within policy'. 'This needs to be addressed swiftly, quickly to be able to show the community we can act upon these items fairly quickly,' he said. 'As this steps [outside] of our policy currently I felt the need to be able to bring it into the chamber to be able to debate it and show the community this is not good enough, that we need to bring the policy in line and that it needs to be a councillor policy.' Cr Ranken's motion called on council to '[affirm] the Australian national flag as the primary and pre-eminent flag to be flown on all Mornington Peninsula Shire Council buildings, sites and events where flags are displayed' and requested the chief executive to 'review current flag protocols cross Council-managed properties and ensure that the Australian national flag is displayed in the highest position of honour in accordance with Commonwealth protocols and the Flags Act 1953'. The motion stated that 'flag policy is now a councillor policy' and 'with immediate effect the Australian national flag is to be the most prominent flag displayed whenever a flag is shown', and called for a revised council flag policy to be brought to a future council meeting' within 60 days. Council CEO Mark Stoermer backed the change, telling the meeting 'the issue is that the current policy addresses flags and flag poles quite clearly but it doesn't deal with printed media … I've looked at the policy and it isn't specific enough'. Cr Ranken said while he believed the flyer was 'likely an oversight [rather] than intentional, it highlights the need for clear guidelines and boundaries around how council as an institution chooses to represent itself and our community through the display of flags'. 'It is not about excluding other flags … our current flag policy rightly includes and respects other flags,' he said. 'These flags respect our community's diversity, identity and pride and they have a rightful place in our civic places. But the … Australian national flag must sit at the top. By making this a councillor policy council takes ownership and responsibility.' Cr Kate Roper said she was 'not sure' why any flags were put on the kindergarten flyer at all, 'but that was an unfortunate oversight'. Deputy Mayor Paul Pingiaro said the flag was 'not just about a symbol but what unites us and the story it represents'. 'I'm a descendant from two Anzacs,' he said. 'At the time they served under the Union Jack, but make no mistake, they fought for Australia. This sacrifice should never be forgotten.' Cr David Gill supported the motion but urged against 'nationalistic' pride. 'We go too far sometimes,' he said. 'We support Australia, we support the Australian flag [but] it's not unifying to go too far on these issues. We should recognise there are differences. My view is that the Australian flag is our flag and I support it as it is — I would support it more happily if it was not a Union Jack flag but that's a personal opinion.' Cr Max Patton, the only councillor to vote against, said he hadn't had enough time to review the existing flag policy and was 'concerned about unintended consequences'. Conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) shared new polling data on Thursday showing an overwhelming majority supported the Australian flag. 'More than 70 per cent of Australians back our flag and believe it unites us, and almost two-thirds reject the divisive push to hide our national flag and replace it with others such as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as national symbols,' IPA deputy executive director Daniel Wild said in a statement. The survey, conducted by market research firm Dynata, found 71 per cent of Australians believe the national flag unites us (13 per cent disagree), 77 per cent are proud of the flag (7 per cent disagree), 75 per cent believe we should keep the flag (10 per cent disagree), and 61 per cent believe we should have only one flag, versus 29 per cent who believe we should have three, including the Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander flags. 'Over 70 per cent of Australians are proud of our National Flag, believe it unites all Australians, and support retaining our current flag,' Mr Wild said. 'This support was shared among men and women, and across all age groups.' Mr Wild commended the Morning Peninsula Shire councillors who voted to support the flag. 'The Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors who voted to support our flag should be congratulated for taking this commonsense decision,' he said. 'Leaders throughout the country should look at this decision as an unmissable opportunity to promote social cohesion and national pride by respecting our flag.' Every age group supported retaining one national flag over three, although support was weakest among those aged 18 to 24. 'The Australian flag is our most inclusive flag as it represents our entire nation and every Australian, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or gender,' Mr Wild said. 'The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags have an important place in our society, but Australia has only one national flag. Australians have had a gutful of the elites and political class trying to divide us along racial grounds.' The IPA survey also found nearly three quarters of Australians believe the national anthem should be sung at school assemblies, with just 8 per cent disagreeing. 'At a time when social cohesion is disintegrating across the nation, mainstream Australians understand that our symbols are unifying, and should be cherished and celebrated at all times,' Mr Wild said. 'After all, there is far more that unites Australians than divides us.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NMC Lodipura Library Producing Doctors, Govt Officers
Nagpur: The Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee e-Library in Lodhipura, under the Gandhibagh zone of Nagpur Municipal Corporation, has become an important centre for students preparing for competitive exams. Through this e-library, many students are getting the opportunity to prepare for medical exams like MBBS, MD, and MS and become doctors. In the past two years, around 70 students succeeded in medical entrances and secured admission, said incharge Ritesh Meshram. He added that an NMC employee's daughter also cleared the UPSC Civil Services Exam by taking advantage of this library during her preparation. "Many have secured govt jobs. Now, this library is known as the 'Library of Doctors.' Students from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Railway Hospital pursuing MD and MS prefer this library for study," he said. The reading room in this library can accommodate 30 students, while the computer lab has facilities for 60 students (15 common computers, 20 for boys, 20 for girls, and 5 for differently-abled students). More than 50 students are on the waiting list each month, he said. A fee of Rs1000 per month (cash or online) is charged to students for the facilities provided. This fee includes access to the study area, internet, Wi-Fi, books, and various magazines. Started in May 2022, students preparing for UPSC, MPSC, CA, MBA, banking, and other competitive exams, as well as CET, study here daily. Only students enrolled in different courses or desirous of pursuing competitive exams are given admission to the library. Successful students are also felicitated by the library staff. This library offers numerous facilities for students, making it popular in a short time. It has a quiet and air-conditioned environment, elevator access, generator power backup, computer rooms with internet and Wi-Fi access, special study areas and computers for differently-abled students, a cafeteria, a lecture hall, and ample parking space. To prevent book theft, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system has been installed in the library, ensuring that no book can be taken out without staff permission. Soon, a solar energy system will be installed in the library, which will help save electricity.
NDTV
01-06-2025
- NDTV
Video: 12 Students Injured After Drunk Driver Rams Tea Stall In Pune
Pune: A group of civil service aspirants was enjoying their evening tea when a car rammed the tea stall, injuring 12 students. The driver was allegedly drunk and lost control of the car, and hit people standing on the roadside stall. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, and the driver, co-passenger and the vehicle owner have been arrested. The incident occurred on Saturday evening, near Bhave High School in Sadashiv Peth at around 5:30 pm, when a group of students preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) was on a tea break. The accident, recorded on camera, shows a white Hyundai Aura driving straight into a group of students standing by a tea stall, pushing them to the ground. In the CCTV footage, we can see at least five students standing by the road. As the car crashes into them, they are moved out of the frame, but people can be heard wailing. Within seconds, the traffic halts and scores of people rush to rescue the students, probably stuck under the car. A group of men are seeing pulling the vehicle. Meanwhile, another man moves around the nearby stall to make space to carry out the injured. A man walks through the crowd, carrying an injured woman in his arms. The crowd swells. Together, they pull the driver and co-passenger out of the car and thrash them. 12 students suffered injuries. Of them, four sustained severe injuries, including bone fractures and were admitted to Sancheti Hospital. The other students are being treated at Yogesh Hospital. Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver, Jairam Shivaji Mule, 27, was drunk, said Nikhil Pingle, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pune. "Driver Jairam Mule, co-passenger Rahul Gosavi and car owner Digambar Yadav have been arrested. We are investigating and will take strict action against the accused," said Mr Pingle.
India Today
31-05-2025
- India Today
13 injured after drunk man rams car into group of civil service aspirants in Pune
A 27-year-old man, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, rammed his car into a group of civil service aspirants in Pune, injuring 13 of them, police said. Of the 13 injured, three are reported to be in critical Mule drove his car into a group of Maharashtra Public Services Commission (MPSC) aspirants near a tea stall in Sadashiv Peth late on Friday incident occurred shortly after Mule's birthday celebrations. A medical examination confirmed he had consumed alcohol at the time of the crash. Police sources said Mule was driving recklessly and did not possess a valid driving licence. He lost control of the car and hit the present at the scene said some people were dragged by the car, resulting in severe of the injured were taken to Sancheti Hospital, while one student was admitted to Mangeshkar Hospital. The accident left some of the students with fractured legs. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingle confirmed that Mule had been detained.'We are taking this matter very seriously. Appropriate legal action will be initiated under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and relevant sections of the IPC,' Pingle InTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra#Pune
