PhD scholar ends life over not getting any employment

PhD scholar ends life over not getting any employment

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Rajkot:  09.12.2020

A 28-year-old PhD scholar woman of Saurashtra University ended her life on Monday evening due to depression over not being able to find a job.

Gunjan Khara, a native of Porbandar living on University Road in Rajkot, was found hanging from ceiling fan when her flatmates returned home around 7pm on Monday.

Khara was living in the paying guest accommodation for the past three years and was looking for jobs. Her suicide note stated that as she was not finding a job, she was forced to take the extreme step.

“Addressed to her parents, the woman wrote that despite studying so much, she has failed as she has neither been able to secure a government job nor one in private sector,” said a police official.

Khara’s flatmates told cops that they took the duplicate key from the owner of the house, who lived next door and found her hanging. The flatmates also told police that she seemed fine after returning from her house in Porbandar a week ago.

On Tuesday, the body was handed over to her parents after the post-mortem and necessary legal procedures. Khara’s father Amar works as a lawyer in Porbandar while the mother is a homemaker.

Gunjan Khara from Porbandar was living as paying guest for the past three years and was looking for jobs

Docs prescribe their virtual wedding

Docs prescribe their virtual wedding

INSTEAD OF POSTPONING THE DAY, THE DUO DECIDED TO GO ONLINE

Melvyn.ReggieThomas@timesgroup.com

Surat:  09.12.2020

Belonging from a well to-do family in Surat city and MD pathologist herself, Dr Neha Pokharna had always dreamt of grand wedding with her would-be doctor husband from Mumbai. But, the coronavirus pandemic greeted her with the unexpected gifts — lockdown, quarantine, social distance and restrictions on the guests. So, Pokharna decided not to cancel the wedding planned on December 9 in Surat and convinced both her families for a ‘virtual wedding’.

Dr Pokharna and Dr Prabodh Garg, MD, Pulmonary, in Mumbai will have an online wedding on Wednesday which will be attended virtually by their close friends and relatives. For this, Pokharna and few of his family members travelled to Mumbai where the virtual wedding has been planned at a resort.

The guests were sent out wedding invitations on the WhatsApp with the simple message ‘considering the current pandemic, we seek your precious blessing and virtual presence by being kind enough to access the wedding with the virtual Youtube link’.

Over 2,000 guests are likely to attend the wedding online.

On Tuesday, they also held an online mehendi, and a sangeet ceremony which was performed according to the Hindu custom which was streamed online.

“Being a pathologist, I understand the seriousness of the pandemic. To set an example, I let go of my dream for a grand wedding and made it a simple family affair through a virtual wedding. For me, health and safety of my family and relatives is the most important,” said Pokharna.

“This is a message to the society that the pandemic is going to stay and we have to live with it. Once it is over, may be we can plan a grand reception,” she added.

Dr Garg told TOI, “Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives from good to bad, but we have to accept and move on. Grand marriage is everyone’s dream, but considering the potential danger Covid-19 poses, we felt that a virtual wedding is a better option than not having a wedding at all.”

Pokharna’s brother Yuvraj Pokharna, who is an academician in Surat told TOI, “We had decided to cancel the marriage initially, but then we thought of a virtual wedding. An invitation was sent to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who also has blessed the couple.”

Dr Pokharana with her fiance

Intern doctors want stipend hiked, threaten strike

Intern doctors want stipend hiked, threaten strike

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:09.12.2020

Intern doctors on Covid duty at government hospitals since April have threatened to go on strike if their monthly stipend is not increased from the present Rs 12,800 per month to Rs 20,000.

The intern doctors, who have completed their MBBS and are serving in teaching hospitals of government colleges wrote to the deans, superintendents and Covid-19 nodal officer, saying their demand for an increase in their stipend be fulfilled immediately. They stated that either the government announces an increase in their stipend by December 14, or they will assume they have been relieved from their duties by the authorities.

In a letter addressed to the authorities, the intern doctors stated that they have been serving in Covid-19 wards since April, and have been discharging all duties. Nearly 150 intern doctors have been infected by Covid-19. They underwent isolation and resumed work enthusiastically.

They said that alongside senior faculty members, resident doctors and paramedical staff, they have been discharging their duties in Covid-19 wards. They are proud to have been respected as corona warriors and are grateful to the government and the people for this. However, the remuneration they are getting is not enough, compared to corona warriors in Gujarat and other states, including the medical students who have been ordered by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to work as ‘Covid Sahayaks’.

UP IN ARMS: The intern doctors said if the government does not announce an increase in their stipend by December 14, they will assume they have been relieved from their duties

SANDIP UNIVERSITY NOTIFICATION

 

Bharat bandh gets lukewarm response across the country

Bharat bandh gets lukewarm response across the country

Normal Life Disrupted Only in T’gana, Andhra Pradesh & Odisha

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

09.12.2020

The Bharat Bandh called on Tuesday in support of farmers got a lukewarm response across the country, with reports of disruptions to normal life from only a few states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

While there were no reports of violence in Punjab, movement of vehicles, including buses, was affected due to closure of roads at various places by farmers. Though government offices were open, attendance was thin as many of the employees joined the protest.

Haryana remained peaceful as farmers sat at various places on state and national highways carrying their tractor-trolleys and hookahs. No political leader was allowed to address the gathering of farmers.

A 32-year-old farmer reportedly died on Tuesday near Sonipat border where farmers are camping for the protest. He reportedly died due to a heart attack while a 58-year-old died during a chakka jam on the Jind-Patiala national highway due to cardiac arrest.

In Odisha, normal life was affected as offices, shops, commercial establishments remained largely closed in the forenoon. All state government offices were closed for the day. Buses remained off the road. At least three trains got halted for around one hour in Bhubaneswar station as members of Left parties staged a symbolic rail roko.

However, Chhattisgarh, where the Congress and chief minister Bhupesh Baghel came out in support of the bandh, saw widespread impact of the bandh call. Business and establishments stayed shut till 2pm. Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the state chapter of Confederation of All India Traders extended support to bandh.

In Bihar, opposition party leaders and supporters held demonstrations, put up road blockades and disrupted rail and road traffic across the state to register their protest. At some places like Ara in Bhojpur, Araria and Jehanabad, the bandh supporters clashed with the police. In Patna, protesters overpowered constables manning traffic, burnt the effigies of PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar.

In western Uttar Pradesh, farmers blocked all major highways leading to Delhi, including Yamuna Expressway and NH2 in Mathura, Aligarh-Palwal road in Aligarh and Pilibhit-Basti national highway in Pilibhit on Tuesday, but allowed operation of all emergency services. The bandh evoked mixed response in Madhya Pradesh too. Many cities felt the impact in the morning as markets were closed. AAP activists held a demonstration at the bungalow of Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and were arrested. All the main markets of Bhopal were open.

Scores of TRS ministers and MLAs along with leaders blocked national highways, towns in Telangana and in Hyderabad. Businesses were shut and traffic went off the roads for a large part of the day. Hundreds of IT employees on Tuesday took part in a demonstration organized by the Forum of IT professionals and took out a rally from Raidurg metro station to TCS Deccan Park and also blocked roads at Lemon Tree Junction.

Normal life was affected in Andhra Pradesh as the state government cancelled public transport services till 1 pm. Government offices also remained closed till 1 pm in support of the farmers. Schools and colleges did not function. The ruling YSRCP, though did not directly extend support to the Bharat bandh, the state government kept its offices closed in the morning.

Farmers raise slogans during a protest in Amritsar on Tuesday

PIL seeks pension to be paid at doorstep

PIL seeks pension to be paid at doorstep

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:09.12.2020

The Karnataka high court has asked the Centre to clarify whether senior citizens are entitled to receive their pension at home during the prevailing pandemic.

A division bench led by chief justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka made this oral observation while hearing a PIL filed by Akhila Karnataka Vayovrudhara Okkoota (Aikyata), an organisation which represents senior citizens seeking enhancement of pension.

The organization’s counsel told the court that the guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) says citizens above 65 years and those with comorbidities have been advised to stay at home.

Considering this, the bench said the state cannot expect citizens to go to banks to collect their monthly pension and the issue needs to be addressed by the government by the next hearing. Under the Sandhya Suraksha Yojana and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, pension was increased from ₹600 to ₹1,000 for people above 65 years, effective from November 1, 2018.

The petitioner argued, “A senior citizen has no other means of livelihood during the pandemic. It is imperative that to adequately comply with its duties and secure the living conditions of senior citizens in cities like Bengaluru, the pension amount needs to be increased from a mere ₹1,000.”

In addition, the association also urged the court to order the directorate of social security and pensions, Karnataka, to release pension due to senior citizens since January this year with immediate effect and pay it at their doorsteps. It also sought a direction to the body to ensure it regularly releases pension amounts by the second week of every month through the agreed upon mode of payment and also ensure holding of monthly ‘pension adalats’.

The petitioner claimed that despite lockdown guidelines stipulating disbursement of pensions be continued, several beneficiaries did not receive their pensions.

Parties miffed over SC nod for Salem-Chennai expressway

Parties miffed over SC nod for Salem-Chennai expressway

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:09.12.2020

The DMK and the PMK have expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court verdict that has come in favour of the₹10,000 crore Salem – Chennai expressway project. They urged the state government to drop the project.

In a statement DMK president M K Stalin said the SC verdict, in favour of the expressway, has come on a day when farmers are holding protests to safeguard their livelihood. It is disappointing to both farmers as well as environmental activists. “The failure of the AIADMK government to put forth its views strongly to protect the livelihood of farmers and the determination with which the Centre argued about implementing the project are the two main reasons for such a verdict,” Stalin said.

“The two parties, which are together, in working against the interests of the farmers in the name of development may have succeeded in their plans in the Supreme Court. But the people’s court is sure to give them a fitting verdict,” Stalin said. “The farmers, who opposed the project, were subjected brutal police atrocities for the sake of the rulers’ gain from implementing the expressway. Will chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at least now come out in support of the farmers,” Stalin asked.

Reminding the CM that he cannot escape responsibility by stating it is a project being implemented by the Centre, Stalin asked Palaniswami to drop the project.

Expressing disappointment over the verdict, PMK youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss, who was one of the petitioners against the project, urged the state to withdraw the project. Since there are two national highways connecting Chennai and Salem cities via Ulundurpet and Vellore-Krishnagiri and a third NH being laid via Tindivanam-Krishnagiri, the fourth road project connecting the two cities is unnecessary. “This was the stand of our party,” Anbumani said in a statement. PMK is an ally of BJP-AIADMK in TN. More than 10,000 families of farmers would lose their livelihood as the state would acquire around 7,000 acres of land for the 2,77.3km road project, he said.

Meanwhile in Salem, farmers vowed to continue to protest. “Farmers in Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram will continue to protest until the project is withdrawn. We will not allow the project to be implemented,” P Mohanasundaram, a farmer, said.

As farmers continue protest, DMK and PMK criticise expressway project terming, it unnecessary and anti-farmer