Latest news with #Madkaikar
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP member files complaint against Vijai for casteist remarks
Margao: A senior BJP functionary lodged a police complaint on Wednesday against GFP President Vijai Sardesai, alleging that he made 'casteist' and 'derogatory' statements targeting the Speaker, Ramesh Tawadkar. Dhaku Madkaikar, a zilla panchayat member from St Lawrence constituency and member of the Gawda community, filed the complaint at Fatorda police station. BJP held a press conference at its party office in Margao to condemn Sardesai's remark. The complaint refers to a video posted on the official Facebook page of GFP on Tuesday in which Sardesai, objecting to Tawadkar's presence at the BJP's legislative party meeting to discuss floor management ahead of the assembly session, allegedly called the Speaker a 'puppet' of a political party. Madkaikar, in his complaint, stated that these statements were made with 'malicious intent to humiliate and demean the constitutional office of the Speaker and the social standing of the Gawda/ST community.' He claimed the remarks deliberately insulted 'a constitutional authority holding the highest position in the state legislature,' and also targeted the ST community, 'of which the Speaker is a prominent member. ' Madkaikar further alleged that Sardesai's remarks 'created enmity and resentment between communities.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No legal harm to PI if Madkaikar case tackled: Plea in HC
Panaji: The high court will continue to hear on Thursday the petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), challenging the order of a lower court to register an FIR in the case of ex-minister and BJP leader Pandurang Madkaikar's bribery remark. The ACB has informed the HC that the sessions court, designated as a special court under the Prevention of Corruption Act, lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the application seeking direction to a police officer to register an FIR. The application was filed by power department executive engineer Kashinath Shetye and others. Shetye said that the petitioner, a police inspector, cannot claim legal injury by mere direction to discharge his statutory duty. Madkaikar had said he paid Rs 15-20 lakh to get his work done. The ACB submitted to the HC that the special judge did not consider its reply, which stated that the allegations arose from a misunderstanding between Madkaikar and his associate. The confusion, the ACB said, was about whether the amount was required to be paid as gratification or to govt treasury.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC notice over Madkaikar's graft mix-up
Panaji: The high court has issued a notice to power department executive engineer Kashinath Shetye and others over a petition challenging a lower court's order to file an FIR after an ex-minister alleged corruption in govt. The challenge has been filed by the Ant-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The lower court had directed the ACB and the vigilance department to register an FIR based on the statements about corruption made by Pandurang Madkaikar, a former minister and BJP member. Madkaikar said he paid Rs 15-20 lakh to get his work done and claimed that ministers were busy only counting money. Shetye and others filed a complaint with the ACB and the vigilance department in March, seeking an investigation and legal action against corrupt individuals referred to by Madkaikar in his media interactions. The ACB submitted to the HC that the special judge did not consider its reply, which stated that the allegations of bribery by Madkaikar were due to a misunderstanding between Madkaikar and his associate. The confusion, the ACB said, was about whether the amount was required to be paid to the minister as gratification or to govt treasury as fees for land conversion. The ACB said that Madkaikar later gave a statement clarifying that what was asked to be paid was, in fact, processing fees for issuing a conversion sanad, to be credited to the public exchequer. Although this was brought on record by the prosecution, the special judge did not consider it, the ACB said. Moreover, the ACB argued that the order was without jurisdiction and challenged the powers of the special judge appointed under the Prevention of Corruption Act to assume the role of a magistrate. The ACB said the judge was not authorised to entertain an application seeking direction to a police officer to register an FIR and commence an investigation. The HC was told that when the ACB and the vigilance department recorded the statements of Madkaikar and his associate, both reiterated that the money was for conversion fees.
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Sickle Cell Mission identifies over two lakh patients through mass screening
Ganesh V. Dante could not understand why his seven-year-old son was frequently falling ill. A traditional doctor in his village in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, had been treating the child since birth, 'but his condition never really improved.' 'It was only through screening under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), launched in 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that my son was found to have sickle cell and has been getting treatment for it. He is doing much better now and has even started school,' Mr. Ganesh said. His son is among the more than 5.72 crore people who have been screened under NSCAEM so far, leading to the identification of 2.09 lakh persons with the disease and 16.3 lakh trait carriers, according to figures released recently by the Union Health Ministry. 'The goal of the mission now is to screen approximately seven crore people under the age of 40 across 17 States till 2025-26, aiming to enhance the diagnosis, treatment and care for those with sickle cell disease,' said Manisha Madkaikar, Director, Indian Council of Medical Research-Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies. She emphasised that sickle cell disease can be contained to a large extent by ensuring all pregnant women and newborns are screened and followed up for early diagnosis and timely care. 'This is the key to countering the growing numbers of patients with sickle cell,' she added. The nationwide screening, being carried out under the National Health Mission (NHM), places a particular emphasis on tribal populations and includes States such as Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. 'The National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission has given the guidelines. The first is universal screening — in areas with a very high prevalence of sickle cell disease, the entire population under the age of 40 is screened. Currently, the plan is to screen nearly seven crore individuals for sickle cell disease,' Dr. Madkaikar said. India carries a significant burden of sickle cell disease (SCD), particularly among tribal populations. More than 50% of cases are concentrated in States such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. 'Working with tribal populations is a challenge due to their faith in traditional systems of medicine, deep-rooted fear of the modern system, lack of accessibility, and the need for timely follow-up,' Dr. Madkaikar said. She noted that Maharashtra now ensures hydroxyurea — the key medicine for SCD — reaches patients through trained frontline health workers. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder characterised by abnormal haemoglobin, which causes red blood cells to become rigid and sickle-shaped, leading to a host of health complications. While particularly prevalent in tribal communities, the disease also affects non-tribal groups. Rasmi Palassery, Consultant, Paediatric Oncologist, Haematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician at Ramaiah Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru, pointed to several gaps in India's response to SCD. 'There is a need for a dynamic national registry to determine the actual load of sickle cell anaemia in our country, aggressive screening of pregnant women and newborns, and the provision of comprehensive care,' she said. 'This is vital as sickle cell anaemia is, in the end, a multi-system, chronic disorder.' 'This, coupled with the social stigma, makes families delay seeking help, as they want to hide the fact that this disease exists. India also needs specialised care centres, diagnostic laboratories, and trained staff to ensure early diagnosis and care,' she added.
Hans India
24-06-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Dire need to identify new drugs for patients with sickle cell disease: ICMR scientist
New Delhi: Identifying new drugs for patients with sickle cell disease is very important, said a senior scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Speaking to IANS, Dr. Manisha Madkaikar, Director of ICMR- Centre for Research Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies (CRHCM) in Nagpur, shared that among many drugs only hydroxyurea therapy has so far been effective. Hydroxyurea has also been included in the National Health Mission's essential drugs list. However, the drug remains ineffective in many patients, prompting the need to find new and better treatments. 'We have known sickle cell disease for now so many decades. But it is only hydroxyurea therapy that has stood the test of time. Hydroxyurea significantly helps in improving the quality of life and complications in sickle cell disease patients,' Madkaikar said. 'However, there are some patients who do not respond to hydroxyurea therapy. Another drawback with hydroxyurea therapy is the patients have to take treatment lifelong, so that is the reason why a better drug is something which is desired, a better mode of therapy is desired,' she told IANS. The ICMR scientist said this even as the government, last week, announced an award of Rs 10 crore to develop a drug for the treatment of sickle cell disease. The tribal affairs ministry, in collaboration with the AIIMS-Delhi, will undertake a competition for the development of the drug. The selected proposal will be funded up to Rs 10 crore, said Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey at an event to mark World Sickle Cell Day in the national capital. Uikey also announced the institution of the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Prize for the development of a drug to treat the disease. Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder mostly prevalent in districts with high tribal populations. About one in 86 births among STs have sickle cell disease which affects haemoglobin in red blood cells, resulting in morbidity and mortality. Madkaikar noted that there is a lot of research going on apart from bone marrow transplantation and gene therapy, which is available outside India but currently not available in India. 'We do not have any other drug which has shown promise like hydroxyurea therapy. So, there is a lot of scope or there is a lot of need for identifying such medicines which will transform the lives of patients with sickle cell disease,' the scientists said.
