SPB stable but remains on life support, say docs

SPB stable but remains on life support, say docs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.08.2020

Playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, who was admitted to MGM Healthcare in Chennai, with mild Covid-19 symptoms, continues to be on life support. His condition is critical.

The 74-year-old singer was moved into the intensive care unit on Friday after his oxygen saturation dipped. He was admitted to the hospital on August 5. On Saturday, Dr V Sabanayagam, consultant and clinical lead, MGM healthcare, said the singer had been on life support in the intensive care unit for the past 48 hours but his condition is stable.

“He has been administered plasma therapy and the recommended medications such as remdesiver, steroids and medications to prevent blood clots. The life support is to help them breathe. He has been undergoing physiotherapy and frequently kept in a prone position to improve oxygenation. Doctors are monitoring his clinical parameters,” he said. SPB has been waking up from time to time. “He is aware of the treatment we are giving him,” the doctor said.

While visitors are not allowed, health minister C Vijayabaskar dropped in at the hospital along with senior government doctors to enquire about SPB’s health. “The chief minister is concerned about SPB’s health. The hospital explained his health condition and our medical team has also offered help to the treating team. I also spoke to his son who is now quarantined. We are hopeful he will recover,” he said. Policemen were posted outside the hospital for crowd management.

Earlier, the singer’s son, singer and film producer S P Charan released a video message assuring people that he was hopeful that his father would recover from the viral infection. “I have been receiving calls since the morning. Appa is stable now. He is responding well to the ventilator. His lungs are functioning better than they were yesterday. Doctors are confident he will pull through. But it will take time. ….Recovery will be slow,” he said, urging people to continue praying.

On Friday, the hospital announced there was a setback in the singer’s health. On August 13, his condition deteriorated and based on the advice of the expert medical team he was put on life support in the intensive care unit.

On August 5, the singer himself posted a video message on his Facebook page stating that he had tested positive for Covid-19 after showing mild symptoms. He said although doctors had advised him home isolation, he decided to get himself admitted to a hospital as he was concerned about the health of his family members. He requested people not to call him as he wanted some rest.



PRAYERS FOR RECOVERY

S’pore central bank buys 11% in ICICI Bank’s QIP for ₹1,662cr

S’pore central bank buys 11% in ICICI Bank’s QIP for ₹1,662cr

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai  16.08.2020

Singapore’s central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has emerged the largest investors in ICICI Bank’s qualified institutional placement of shares picking up 4.6 crore shares for ₹1,662 crore, which is over 11% of the issue size. The second-largest investor is Morgan Stanley Investment Management with a ₹1,086 crore investment followed by French bank Societe Generale which has purchased 2.3 crore shares for ₹832 crore.

On Saturday, ICICI Bank announced that it has successfully raised ₹15,000 crore by issuing equity at the rate of ₹358 per share under a qualified institutional placement. The issue price was fixed at ₹358 per equity share, which is at a premium of ₹356 per unit. The bank’s board, which met on Saturday, approved the allotment of shares. The Issue opened on August 10, 2020, and closed on August 14, 2020. “The proceeds of the issue will be used towards strengthening the capital adequacy ratio of the bank and improve its competitive positioning and/ or general corporate requirements or any other purposes as may be permissible under the applicable law and approved by the board,” the bank said in a statement.

The Government of Singapore through GIC and the Monetary Authority of Singapore have been big investors in the Indian capital markets. In November, the Singapore government and its monetary authority had invested over ₹900 crore in Zee Entertainment Limited.

Indian lenders have been taking advantage of the ample liquidity in capital markets to issue equity and raise confidence capital to make up for any losses that might occur because of stress among borrowers due to the Covid-19 economic crisis. So far Indian private lenders have raised over ₹50,000 crore.

On Saturday, ICICI Bank announced that it has successfully raised ₹15,000 crore by issuing equity at the rate of ₹358 per share under a qualified institutional placement

Ex-AIADMK minister joins DMK

Ex-AIADMK minister joins DMK

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.08.2020

Former AIADMK health minister V S Vijay on Saturday joined the DMK in the presence of party president M K Stalin. He later unleashed a scathing attack on the present AIADMK leadership, calling it weak and subservient to the BJP government at the Centre.

“After the demise of former chief minister Jayalalithaa, there is no strong leadership in the ruling party. The dual leadership, which has scant regard for the party’s ideology, is hurting the party’s interests,” he said. The present leaders of the AIADMK are “puppets” in the hands of the BJP, he said.

“The Centre had usurped several of TN rights. Admissions in state-run medical colleges were usurped through NEET. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is not doing anything to protect the interests of the state. Leaders were keen on promoting their own political future,” said Vijay, who had joined the AIADMK in 1977. Vijay was health minister for 2.5 years in the 2011-16 AIADMK government. After Jayalalithaa’s death, he was in AMMK before returning to the AIADMK.

Banks to work with 50% staff starting tomorrow

REGULAR OPS, HRS

Banks to work with 50% staff starting tomorrow

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  16.08.2020

Chennai: All banks in the state will work normal hours with 50% staff on rotation basis from Monday, August 17. Usual banking services will also be provided.

The state-level bankers committee decided to reduce staff strength and deploy them in rotation following representations from employees who found it difficult to report to work as there was no public transport due to the lockdown.

A public sector bank official said, “We also wanted clarity on the state government’s SOP as its order said all private offices and establishments have been allowed to function with 75% workforce. However, no specific guideline was sent to us (banks).”

The Tamil Nadu government, which has extended the lockdown till August 31, in its last order said the ban on public and private bus transport services, malls, gymnasiums and cinema halls will continue.

Vyasarpadi’s ₹5 doc no more

Vyasarpadi’s ₹5 doc no more

A.Selvaraj@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.08.2020

Dr V Thiruvengadam, famous as Vyasarpadi’s ‘5 rupee doctor’, died of cardiac arrest at the Southern Railway Hospital on Saturday. He was 70 and his survived by his wife T Saraswathi, daughter T Preethi and son T Dipak.

Confirming that he didn’t have Covid-19, Preethi, a doctor herself, said he had been admitted to the hospital on August 13 after he complained of chest pain. “We were arranging for his discharge today when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest and breathed his last at 12.05pm.”

Pointing out that she was yet to decide on how to continue her father’s clinic at V Kalyanapuram, she said he had remained at home since March, giving advice over phone to some of his regulars. An alumnus of Government Stanley Medical College, Dr Thiruvengadam shot to fame after the release in 2017 of Tamil movie ‘Mersal’ in which hero Vijay plays a ‘5 rupee doctor’.

S Boobalan, the doctor’s assistant for the past 25 years, said he joined as a juvenile and started distributing tokens to patients at the clinic that was opened from 7.30pm to midnight. Boobalan, who dropped out of school after Class X, said, “He charged ₹5 per patient when I joined. It was ₹2 per patient when he started the clinic 45 years ago.”

Every day, more than 150 people came to consult Dr Thiruvengadam who often gave out free medicines and even gave some of them money, he said. “It’s a great loss to residents of the area.”

M Nathamuni, a retired LIC staffer and a relative, said, “Thiruvengadam, the only son among five children, was inspired to become a doctor by his uncles A Murugesan and A Kanniappan, both siddha practitioners.

His wife Saraswathi is a former railway employee, while his son Dipak is a final year medical student in Mauritius.

Int’l flights resume from city airport after 4-mth hiatus

LIMITED OPS

Int’l flights resume from city airport after 4-mth hiatus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.08.2020

After a gap of four months, international flights have resumed in a small way from Chennai airport with airlines slotting services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The state government has also waived seven days institutional quarantine for those who arrive with Covid-19 negative certificate.

Indigo and GoAir have released schedules from Chennai and SpiceJet from Madurai for flights to the UAE till the end of the month.

This will make it easier for people to reach UAE as getting seat in Vande Bharat flights being operated by Air India was not easy. The move comes after the ministry of civil aviation approved flights between airports under the ‘air bubble’ scheme.

The number of flights will be limited, as it's not daily service, because the state government continues to be concerned about the spread of Covid-19.

Nevertheless, the state government has relaxed institutional quarantine rules for international travellers.

As per the new rule, passengers who arrive from abroad with an Covid-19 test certificate will have to undergo another test here and can go on home quarantine if the result is negative. This means those who do not have Covid-19 infection may have to be in a hotel or a government facility for one or two days only.

There will be around seven flights by Indian carriers till August 30. UAE-based airlines too will be adding flights. With IPL to be held in Dubai, flight schedules for next month are expected to be released soon.

Sriharan Balan from Madura Travels said, “This is a good beginning. UAE has also started issuing tourist visas to Indians. A passenger flew the day before on a tourist visa to Dubai. He will be staying for a month with his friends.”

However, it would take longer for leisure travellers to visit UAE because they continue to insist on quarantine. “With IPL going to be held in UAE next month, this rule too may be relaxed and airlines are likely to schedule more flights,” he added Lufthansa too have scheduled flights to Bengaluru. However, only those who wish to fly to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah can travel and people who want to fly beyond UAE cannot board these flights.

Basheer Ahmed of Metro Travels said, “The flights to the UAE will be of help to people who were struggling to get tickets on Vande Bharat flights. However, they should allow passengers who prefer to travel beyond Dubai or Abu Dhabi. This will offer more choice for people who want to fly to Europe from Chennai."

Adoptive father can’t replace biological father on birth certificate: Ahmedabad court

Adoptive father can’t replace biological father on birth certificate: Ahmedabad court

TNN | Dec 17, 2018, 06.43 AM IST

AHMEDABAD: A local court refused to replace the name of a child’s biological father with that of the adoptive father on a birth certificate, holding that it is the “legal right of a child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law”.

This was after the woman divorced her first husband and remarried. A sessions court said, “It is not legal and valid to replace the name of the biological father or mother with that of adoptive parents…”

The court quoted the Madras high court, which observed, “Assuming, (God forbids) that there is yet another marriage, as it happens without much ado in western societies, is it possible to change the name of the parents every time there is a divorce followed by a fresh marriage.”

The court had two different cases before it. Ranip-residents Jagdish Patel and his wife Vaibhavi wanted to remove the name of the biological father, Kamleshkumar Jain, from the birth certificate of their daughter Priyanshi. Vaibhavi had married Jagdish after divorcing Jain. The stepfather had formally adopted the girl as his daughter and approached the court for the declaration and to replace the biological father’s name with his. Vaibhavi also wanted to correct her name, which was written as Vaishali, in the column for the mother’s name. The court flatly refused to order the change in names.

In another case, Bopal residents Bhanuprasad Chaudhary and his wife Shilpa wanted to remove Shilpa’s first husband Ghanshyam Patel’s name from the birth certificate of their daughter Manali and replace it with Bhanuprasad’s. Shilpa married after her first husband had died. The court ruled that this was not possible.

Referring to orders passed by the Madras HC and the Punjab & Haryana HC, additional sessions judge T K Rana observed, “It is a legal right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law. The fundamental premises on which the Hindu law of adoption proceeds is that the relationship between the biological parents and the children can never get severed, except in accordance with provision of this Act. Hence, it is not legal and valid to replace the name of the biological father or mother with that of the adoptive parents as stated in the adoption deed.”

The court further clarified that inserting the name of the adoptive parents is easy and valid in cases of adoption of children who are abandoned by their biological parents. But in cases of divorce, insertion of the stepfather’s name on the birth certificate “poses a lot of difficulties” keeping in mind, “The future rights of the child”.

Sub-registrar refuses to make changes

A civil court in Mansa town of Mehsana district had ordered the sub-registrar to replace the biological father’s name with the adoptive father’s on a child’s birth certificate. Chirag Patel had sought a correction in the birth certificate of his adopted daughter Misika, under provisions of Specific Relief Act. The child’s mother divorced her first husband, Tarunkumar Patel, and married Chetan, who adopted the child. The sub-registrar rejected Chetan’s application for a correction on the birth certificate by removing Tarunkumar’s name and adding his.

Mansa court junks an application

A Mansa court rejected an application seeking to replace the biological father’s name with that of the mother. After Rajesh and Ramila Chaudhary divorced, the woman got custody of their minor daughter Rinal. As Ramila lives abroad, she filed an application in court through her brother, requesting the court to order the sub-registrar to make the correction in her daughter’s birth certificate. The court rejected her plea.