Latest news with #Saheli
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
45-yr-old mom, 21-yr-old daughter crack BA together, now aim for MA
Kolkata: It's never too late to chase your dreams, they say. Sangeeta Dey has proven it, completing her graduation at 45, that too with 75% marks. What's more, the Agarpara homemaker did it with her 21-year-old daughter Saheli, who scored 80%. Now, Sangeeta wants to do her MA in journalism and mass communication, along with her daughter. Sangeeta, who paused her studies in 1996 after Madhyamik, resumed them in 2019. Even in Higher Secondary, she studied with Saheli and even trumped her. While the mom scored 438, the daughter got 397. The duo then took admission at Maharaja Manindra Chandra College for BA. On Friday, Calcutta University published results for their sixth semester. Last three years, Sangeeta has woken up early every day, cooked for the entire family and then taught five neighbourhood children. Only then did she get ready for college. She also learns music and is associated with a drama group. On the side, Sangeeta takes up tailoring gigs. "It was my dream to have a graduation certificate. I'll only do PG if I get admission at CU. I need a job as well, so that I can support my husband," she said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata "She is an inspiration," said Biswajit Das, head of the department of journalism and mass communication at Sangeeta's college. Sangeeta told TOI, "Saheli is really sharp and works very hard... I am happy that she scored more than me." Sitting beside her mother, however, Saheli said: "One of my friends found out the results for us and when they said '80%', I was sure it was Maa's score. I knew she would have a better result than me. We have never had any competition, but I am blessed that we studied together for the exams. We have submitted our PG forms together. She is my first my friend... and even with her sitting in the classroom, I never felt awkward gossiping with friends my age. She bridges the gap so wonderfully." Three months after her Madhyamik in 1996, Sangeeta got married to Swapan Dey. Her elder daughter Sarmistha was born the next year and Sangeeta had to pause her studies. Saheli was born in 2004. As the younger daughter grew up, Sangeeta decided to resume her studies and appeared for Madhyamik from an open school since she had failed in one subject the first time. She then took admission at a local HS school. While Swapan didn't initially want Sangeeta to go back to a classroom wearing uniform, soon he became a support system for his wife and daughter. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
05-08-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Watching over womb: Haryana reverse tracks to save its unborn daughters
Every year, more than five lakh births are registered in Haryana and Sahelis are playing a significant role in spearheading the Haryana health department's reverse tracking initiative to check the slide in sex ratio at birth. Sahelis are anganwadi workers and ASHA (accredited social health activists) tasked with 'watching over the womb' to trace abortions being performed by mothers with one or more daughters. Every year, more than five lakh births are registered in Haryana and Sahelis are playing a significant role in spearheading the Haryana health department's reverse tracking initiative to check the slide in sex ratio at birth. Sahelis are anganwadi workers and ASHA (accredited social health activists) tasked with 'watching over the womb' to trace abortions being performed by mothers with one or more daughters. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image) Despite a measly monthly stipend of ₹6,100, Sahelis are successfully powering Haryana's drive to save its unborn daughters, particularly in the hinterland. Haryana has 20,653 ASHA, and 2,500 anganwadi workers for nearly 7,000 villages, colonies and urban areas. 'Pregnant women, who already have one or more daughters, have been assigned a Saheli whose primary task is to counsel and keep a watch over the expectant mother,' says director, health services, Dr Virender Yadav. The initiative comes after Haryana, the pioneering state of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign that became the flagship programme to save the girl child when Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched it as a nationwide movement from Panipat on January 22, 2015, suffered a setback in 2024 as the state's sex ratio at birth (SRB) slipped to 910 females births per 1,000 males. This was a dip of six points from 2023's 916. Prodded by the Centre, Haryana went for reverse tracking to arrest the slide. Through reverse tracking, the state health authorities are tracing abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy by when the gender of the foetus can be determined. Veena, a Saheli in Naraingarh town of Ambala district, says: 'It's our duty to prevent an illegal abortion. We stay in touch with the assigned pregnant woman regularly and track her movement through local sources.' Another Jind-based Saheli, Rajbala, says women who already have a girl child don't disclose their pregnancy easily. 'We work hard to win their confidence. I have reported six abortions in recent months. In each case, lack of heart beat was said to be the trigger.' 'In view of these painstaking efforts at the grassroots, I'm optimistic about Haryana bouncing back and registering an encouraging improvement in its annual sex ratio at birth by December,' says Dr GL Singal, an expert associated with the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme since its inception. Tracking abortions after 12 weeks According to medical experts, abortions after 12 weeks are medically uncommon unless there is a serious risk. Hence, they are red flags for possible sex-selective abortions. A July 21 letter addressed to district civil surgeon by the Kurukshetra deputy commissioner (DC) Neha Singh shed light on how women with two or more girl children are undergoing abortions repeatedly. The communication says that between January 1 and June 30, as many as 131 women with over 12 weeks pregnancy underwent abortions. Forty-eight of the 131 women already have a girl child and they underwent abortions at unregistered MTP centres. 'In a majority of cases, the reason for abortion was given as foot slipped, bleeding at home, and after that D and C (dilation and curettage). This is a very serious matter,' the DC's letter read. During the district task force meeting on July 16, it emerged that women with two or more girls are undergoing abortions repeatedly. 'This is a horrific trend. Killing a girl child in the womb is one of the worst crimes. It's worse than the rarest of the rare crimes that warrant capital punishment. Let a daughter in reality carries forward the legacy of the clan,' says Dr Manju Gupta, a registered private practitioner based in Gharaunda. According to Manmohan Taneja, who superannuated as state drug controller on July 31, more than 9,000 MTP kits were seized and 50 FIRs were registered, including 18 against online sellers of the MTP kits, between February and June. 'I hope the crackdown on the kits will now yield the desired results,' he said. Reverse tracking, the new weapon The reverse tracking of abortion cases is a first of its kind drive Haryana has launched to generate evidence and expose illegal terminations masked behind medical pretexts. Officials say when Haryana launched the 'watching the womb' drive in February, more than 88,000 pregnant women were registered between January and April on the reproductive child health (RCH) portal. 'The RCH is a unique identity and mandatory for antenatal care (ANC) during pregnancy. Due to the extraordinary situation, we decided to use RCH data to monitor vulnerable pregnant women,' an official said. At one point, there were 33,229 pregnant women with one or more girl children, while by July-end the number of such women shrank to 20,723. At present, 20,721 Sahelis are attached with these women. Dr Yadav says it was after the Sahelis were assigned that the reverse tracking of abortions was implemented. According to the data, 1,249 abortions were performed when pregnancy was below 12 weeks and 1,153 abortions were done after 12 weeks of pregnancy in the past few months. A majority of the women cited bleeding, slipping, falling down stairs, or spontaneous bleeding as reasons for abortions. 'We are investing our resources on women in 10 to 20 weeks of pregnancy, who already have a daughter, as they are vulnerable to family pressures,' he says. In July, reverse tracking in 786 out of identified 824 cases of abortion above 12 weeks was completed with Faridabad reporting the highest number of 96 abortions followed by Ambala with 77, Karnal with 69, Sonepat with 65, and Rohtak with 49 cases. While 23 FIRs for illegal abortions have been registered, more are in the pipeline. Show-cause notices have also gone out to 38 private clinics and hospitals suspected of flouting abortion laws and a police probe is underway in 41 cases. Notices have been issued to nearly 200 frontline health workers, including seven medical officers, five senior medical officers, over 100 Sahelis, and 34 ASHA workers for dereliction of duty. Notices are being issued for failing to ensure antenatal care (ANC) registration within the mandatory 10 weeks of pregnancy. In Karnal, more than 200 such notices have been issued.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Govt launches ‘Saheli': ASHAs to help check illegal abortions in Haryana
Gurgaon: 'Saheli' is changing the lives of women like never before. Fifty thousand Sahelis — 20,000 ASHAs and 30,000 ANMs — are making daily calls and visits to pregnant women across the state for real-time monitoring and swift reporting of miscarriages. With a view to preventing unsafe and illegal abortions, a new initiative — Saheli programme — was launched by the health department on Wednesday, with ASHAs (accredited social health activists) directed to alert medical officers immediately on any miscarriage. Gurgaon has already implemented the new initiative. Seventeen villages that have less than 700 sex ratio at birth (SRB) for the last three consecutive years are being monitored more strictly. These villages are located in Bhora Kalan, Pataudi, Farukhnagar and Ghangola areas. Chief medical officer (Gurgaon) Dr Alka Singh said, "To tighten regulation, all registered medical practitioners (RMPs) must now source MTP kits exclusively from Life Line Medicare, Sushant Lok, while the supplier is mandated to submit monthly sales data for cross-verification." "Under the Saheli initiative, 3,120 ASHAs are now making daily calls to pregnant women for real-time monitoring and prompt miscarriage reporting in Gurgaon," the CMO said. Haryana's SRB fell from 916 in 2023 to 910 last year. Haryana has for decades struggled with a skewed sex ratio, often attributed to practices like female foeticide and a strong preference for a boy child. \ At 834, Haryana's SRB was the lowest among all Indian states when data was studied in the 2011 Census. The state improved its count to 923 by 2019 but started seeing a downward trend thereafter. Meanwhile, this constant care is not appreciated by all. "I understand they want to help, but it feels like I am under a microscope. Every day, a call, a visit — like I am being watched more than cared for. I am pregnant, not a suspect," Urmila Singla, a resident of Pataudi, said. Between Jan and May 2025, the district registered seven FIRs under the MTP Act and two under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, reflecting increased vigilance and enforcement. Senior medical officers (SMOs) have been tasked with conducting fortnightly meetings with frontline health workers and monitoring birth and death registrations. Any unusual trends must be reported with explanations. Interestingly, in Gurgaon, 712 MTPs were recorded among women with more than one girl child, but none were flagged as suspicious, prompting the department to initiate reverse tracking in suspected cases involving over-the-counter MTP kit misuse. "We have also started to reverse trace the cases. Sahelis are told to inform about any miscarriages to their respective medical officers," the CMO added. Additionally, 23 suspected illegal MTP cases are under investigation by BAMS doctors, while 50 BHMS and 328 BAMS practitioners have been registered to support the initiative. The Saheli initiative is being hailed as a model for community-based maternal health surveillance, combining technology, grassroots engagement and regulatory oversight to protect women's health and uphold the law.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Haryana cracks down on illegal abortions, suspends licences of 2 docs, files 3 FIRs
Chandigarh: Continuing its stringent measures against illegal abortions, Haryana's health authorities have suspended the licenses of two doctors, registered three FIRs, and conducted search and seizure operations targeting illegal medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits. The developments were shared during the weekly meeting of the state task force (STF) for improving sex ratio, chaired by additional chief secretary (health and family welfare), Sudhir Rajpal, on Tuesday. Rajpal directed health officials to step up enforcement efforts against illegal abortion practices. He stressed the need for severe action against errant doctors, including the cancellation of their licences. Between May 13 and 19, the health authorities conducted 50 inspections across the state focused on the illegal sale of MTP kits. The operations led to the closure of 25 MTP centers, the suspension of two doctors' licences — one from Kurukshetra and another from Assandh, Karnal — for malpractice, and the registration of three FIRs. Authorities also sealed two shops involved in illegal practices and seized 921 MTP kits, which violated established guidelines. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что о вас может рассказать поза во время сна? Удивительные Новости Undo Legal proceedings under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, are set to follow. Significant progress has been made in reducing the number of wholesalers dealing in MTP kits, from 32 to just six within a month. The sale of these kits has notably declined in 13 districts across Haryana. The additional chief secretary emphasised the importance of targeting unqualified practitioners, particularly BAMS doctors and quacks, who are involved in illegal abortion procedures. He urged district-level officials to bolster field monitoring and conduct thorough data tracking. In a bid to ensure personalised support and monitoring, the govt has assigned every pregnant woman with one or more female children to an ASHA or anganwadi worker, referred to as a "Saheli" (companion). These workers will counsel and monitor the pregnancies closely. Civil surgeons are maintaining records of these women and their Sahelis, with their activities being closely monitored at the headquarters. In cases of suspicious abortions, a detailed investigation will be conducted, holding the Saheli concerned accountable.
