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Hans India
2 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Probe ordered into death of 5 patients in SLN Hospital
Koraput: Two investigations were ordered after five patients died due to alleged negligence at the State-run Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital in Koraput, officials said on Wednesday. Two men and three women died on Tuesday night within a short span of time. Their families alleged that they were administered injections, following which they died. The deceased persons were identified as Shukra Majhi, Rukuni Pentia, Phulmati Majhi, Bhagaban Parija and Bati Khara. SLNMCH's Superintendent Susanta Kumar Sahu said a departmental inquiry has been ordered. 'We have convened a meeting of all departmental heads. The patients who died on Tuesday night were admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. Prima facie, the deaths seem not to have been caused by any wrong injection. However, we will inquire into the allegations,' he said. Sahu said the patients in the ICU were in a serious condition and were administered the injection to control their dropping blood pressure. He said two of the five deceased patients suffered abdominal injuries, while another suffered from liver perforation. 'We suspect they died due to bleeding and septicemia. The fourth patient was being treated for stage 4 cancer, and the fifth was an accident victim, who was referred from Jeypore,' he said. Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Santosh Mishra also ordered a separate inquiry into the allegations. A five-member team, comprising three doctors from MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur and two from SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, will probe the allegations, he said. 'The team has been asked to submit the report by Thursday,' Mishra said. Koraput District Collector Keerthi Vasan told mediapersons that a high-level committee has been constituted to probe the allegations of medical negligence and find out the causes of deaths. He also assured that the district administration would seek the assistance of the State government, if needed. The Collector claimed that as the SLNMCH, Koraput is a tertiary care centre, mostly the seriously ill patients are referred to the medical college for advanced treatment. The families of the deceased held a demonstration outside the hospital, following which police were deployed. The bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem examination. 'Each family was given a cheque of Rs 10,000 from the district Red Cross fund. Arrangements were made to transport the bodies to the villages of the deceased patients,' a district official said. Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam demanded Rs 25 lakh each as compensation for the families of the deceased.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
DSEL orders survey into encroachment on government school lands
The Department of School Education & Literacy (DSEL) has directed authorities concerned to conduct a survey of encroachment on lands belonging to State-run schools and ensure that khatas have been issued to schools. Following instances of some people claiming school properties as belonging to them donated by their ancestors to schools, and some being encroached, the Principal Secretary of the department V. Rashmi Mahesh issued a note to the Commissioner for Public Instruction asking to take necessary actions to remove encroachment and get the khatas of the land done in school names. There are a total of 41,589 government primary schools and 4,871 high schools. Of these, around 16,000 primary schools and over 1,500 high schools do not own the khata of the property. A majority were gifted lands. As per data, the highest number of schools without formal land documents in the school's name were in Shivamogga district, with around 1,000, followed by Tumakuru with 900. 'We have asked the Deputy Commissioners of the respective districts to identify the school properties and ensure the khata is done in the concerned school's name. Even if they are disputing or if the gift deed is in the school's name, then it is the property of the school. This process will be completed within a month,' said K.V. Thrilok Chandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Deshpande-led panel favours better management of govt.-run temples in Karnataka
The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by veteran Congress leader and MLA R.V. Deshpande, has proposed over 189 reforms in various departments, especially the establishment of a comprehensive framework for better management of the State's 34,500 temples. The commission has proposed the creation of a temple task force to handle crowd control, emergency responses, ticketing, and distribution of prasad during festivals and large special events at temples. Mr. Deshpande submitted the commission's eighth report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday and new recommendations, aimed at revitalising key sectors such as temple management, food and civil supplies, government recruitment, healthcare to bring in better governance, transparency, and accountability in the delivery of public services. The panel is in favour of delegating the power to sanction new staff posts to the Endowment Commissioner, bypassing the current dependency on Finance Department approval in order to increase efficiency in temple operations and transparency. The temple staff salaries are funded by temple income and not the State Budget. So, the recommendation is expected to speed up appointments without additional financial burden on the government. To ensure transparency and check corruption in recruitment, and enhance the integrity of exams conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the commission stated the installation of CCTV surveillance, mobile jammers, secure storage of question papers and answer sheets were mandatory, and a two-tier exam system to reduce candidate volumes and enhance monitoring. For providing digital governance, the commission recommended modernisation of frontline offices such as gram panchayats, primary health centres, raitha seva kendras, and police stations. The report noted that many of these offices currently lack basic infrastructure such as adequate hardware, Internet connectivity, and furniture. It has proposed streamlining the process of issuing ration cards through the integration of State-run platforms such as Bhoomi, Aadhar, Kutumba and Seva Sindhu. After submitting the report, Mr. Deshpande told reporters that the commission had previously made 5,039 recommendations in its earlier seven reports and 30% of them were implemented.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Shakti scheme a resounding hit in Chamarajanagar
Among the five guarantees launched by the Congress government, the Shakti scheme, which offers free travel for women in State-run buses, has seen an overwhelming response in Chamarajanagar district. Launched on June 11, 2023, the scheme allows free travel on Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses. Since its inception, there has been a significant surge in the number of women commuting by these buses in the region. As of April 2025, the Chamarajanagar division of KSRTC recorded 14.82 crore passenger journeys under the Shakti scheme. Of these, 9.08 crore journeys were made by women. KSRTC has reported a total revenue of ₹551.60 crore, with ₹328.16 crore being the ticket money of women passengers which the government will reimburse to the corporation, according to a press release from the Department of Information and Public Relations. The scheme has enabled women to travel for various purposes, including employment, education, pilgrimage, tourism, and daily trips. By eliminating travel expenses, many women have reported improved financial stability, particularly those employed in private companies, small businesses, and retail shops who previously spent a portion of their income on commuting, the release added. The scheme has also led to a noticeable increase in the number of women visiting religious and tourist destinations across the district. Notable sites include Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Hanur taluk; Biligiri Ranganabetta in Yelandur taluk, and Himavad Gopalaswamy Hills in Gundlupet taluk. KSRTC divisional controller R. Ashok Kumar said the footfall at Male Mahadeshwara Hills had particularly risen during festive occasions such as New Moon days, Shivaratri, Ugadi, and Deepavali. The increased mobility of women has also improved local businesses, particularly in religious and tourist hubs. Fairs and festivals in these areas have seen higher economic activity as a result of the rise in the number of women visitors.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
What is the controversy over Bengal school scam?
The story so far: Last week, after days of protests outside the headquarters of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, hundreds of teachers of State-run schools decided to call off the agitation for a week. The protests had erupted on April 21 after the State government went back on its promise to make public the list of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates in the recruitment process carried out in 2016. What did the government say? The government said it had sent the list of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates to the district inspectors of schools. The protesters said they would return to their schools, and resume the protest in a few days. On April 26, another group of protesting employees, the non-teaching staff of State-run schools, held a meeting with the State government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that as long as the matter is pending before the courts, the State government would hand out ₹25,000 per month for Group C staff and ₹20,000 per month for Group D staff. What have the courts ruled? These developments followed a Supreme Court order on April 3 which upheld a Calcutta High Court decision of April 22, 2024 cancelling en bloc appointments of 25,752 teaching and non-teaching staff in State-run schools. The recruitment process was carried out in 2016 by the WBSSC. A Bench consisting of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar agreed with the High Court's finding that the selection process was 'vitiated and riddled with manipulations and fraud.' The Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court ordered the termination of an entire panel of teaching and non-teaching staff as neither the WBSSC nor the West Bengal government came up with a list of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates before the court. The loss of appointments of about 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff across 19,000 schools raised serious questions on the functioning of schools in the State. What relief has been granted? On April 17, the Supreme Court granted some relief to the West Bengal government by allowing the services of 'untainted' teachers to the State's government and aided schools to be retained till a fresh recruitment process is completed by the end of 2025. The Court, however, passed no such order for non-teaching staff. After the April 17 order, pressure mounted on the State government and the WBSSC to release the list of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates. The State government, however, insisted that teachers would get their salaries. 'You don't need to worry about who is tainted and who is not. You only need to worry about whether you have your job and whether you are getting your salaries on time,' Ms. Banerjee said at a public meeting on April 22. So far, neither the West Bengal Education Department nor the WBSSC has officially come out with the list. However, the protesting teachers who held meetings with WBSSC have pointed out that out of 17,206 teachers recruited during 2016, 15,403 were 'untainted' and eligible to continue teaching till the end of 2025. As the West Bengal school recruitment scam continues to make headlines, the big question is around the list and the number of 'tainted' and 'untainted' recruitments. The protesting employees say it is not just about salaries but also about dignity, and that it is necessary to separate the grain from the chaff. When did the scam surface? The school recruitment scam came to the fore with the arrest of former State School Education Minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022. Subsequently, several arrests were made in the scam which involved cash-for-school jobs recruitment.
