Bank strike goes digital amid Covid curbs

Bank strike goes digital amid Covid curbs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:17.03.2021 

As the bank strike entered the second day on March 16, the agitating employees and officials were active on social media following new Covid curbs announced by the state government.

There were standalone agitations by the bank personnel as they stood in one corner of a public place with placards.

Banking business worth over Rs3 crore was affected in Bhopal alone following the two-day strike called byemployees and officials of 12 public sector banks in protest against the privatisation of public sector banks (PSBs) and retrograde banking reforms. All the 500 bank branches were shut down completely after 5000 bank employees participated in the strike on the second day. In all, the banks had been closed for four days — Saturday and Sunday included.

Senior bank employees and officials’ leaders like VK Sharma, Sanjeev Sablok, Madan Jain, Arun Bhagoliwal, Deepak Sharma, Nazeer Qureshi and Naleen Sharma among others were active during the day coordinating with the agitating personnel to ensure that the Covid SOPs are followed during the strike, said a member of the coordinating committee of United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions which called for the two-day nationwide strike on March 15 and 16.

The UFBU claimed that over Rs8 lakh crore money of banks was stuck as non-performing assets (NPAs) when a large number of business houses failed to return loans. “Those who failed to pay the loans may become the bank owners also after privatisation,” a bank personnel feared.

Services such as deposits and withdrawal at branches, cheque clearance and loan approvals were affected completely due to the strike. There were complaints of cash exhaustion in many ATMs of the state capital.

FIGHT FOR RIGHT

Govt orders to pay remaining arrears of 7th pay scale to staff

Govt orders to pay remaining arrears of 7th pay scale to staff

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:17.03.2021 

The state government on Tuesday issued orders for the payment of remaining 75% arrears of the seventh pay scale to the government employees.

The government orders stated that due to Covid-19 crises, the payment of the final installment due on May 1, 2020 was postponed.

Later, to improve the financial status, 25% of the arrears of seventh pay scale were given to the government employees, while the decision on remaining payout was put on hold.

Now, the government has decided to pay the remaining 75% arrears of third and final installment of seventh pay scale to the employees after the due deductions as per rule.

The subscribers of the national pension scheme would also get their dues after the due contribution of the government, the order stated. Finance minister Jagdish Devda made an announcement in this regard in his budget speech earlier this month.

Sudhir Nayak, president of the Mantralayin Karmachari Sangh said, due to escalating prices of essentials government employees are finding it tough to meet the monthly expenses. Government should consider giving salary increment or dearness allowance. Like farmers and traders, the government should also take care of its employees, he added.

On March 3, the government employees protested for ignoring them in the state Budget. Employees union took out a rally outside the secretariat.

Employees union stated that in the state Budget for 2021-2022 presented on March 2 there was no provision for clearing pending dearness allowance or salary increments for the government employees. It led to government employees getting disheartened.

The government employees have not got promotions for the past five years and the future, too, looks bleak. Several other issues of the government employees were left unaddressed, the employees union stated.

Over ₹23,000 fine collected for defying mask mandate

Over ₹23,000 fine collected for defying mask mandate

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:17.03.2021 

In a drive against people not wearing masks at public places in TT Nagar, Ashoka Garden and other areas, the district administration on Tuesday collected Rs 23,640 as penalty. Every person found without a mask is being fined Rs

100. On Sunday, when the district administration’s drive for compliance of “compulsory mask at public places” began, the district administration officials had collected over Rs 36,000.

District collector Avinash Lavania, has asked all the SDMs, revenue and BMC officials to ensure compliance of compulsory mask rule, not only in conventional markets but also markets and haats taking place in open spaces.

He has also asked the officials to organise meetings with traders’ associations, residents’ welfare society of big colonies and other groups of people to seek their help in motivating people to compulsorily wear masks when they are out of their homes.

People without masks at Roshanpura square on Tuesday

IndiGo flight from B’luru to Rajkot

IndiGo flight from B’luru to Rajkot

Bengaluru:  17.03.2021 

After SpiceJet, private carrier IndiGo will ensure air connectivity from Bengaluru to Rajkot, Gujarat, on a daily basis from March 28.

According to sources, Indi-Go airlines flight 6E 6507 will fly from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 3.55pm daily and reach at Rajkot at 6.30pm. The return flight— 6E 6508— will take off at 7pm from Rajkot and land here at 9.15pm. The Bengaluru-Rajkot leg on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is likely have different departure timings, which will be announced later. TNN

Rlys will never be privatised: Goyal

Rlys will never be privatised: Goyal

New Delhi:  17.03.2021 

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday asserted that Indian Railways will never be privatised but said private investment should be encouraged for more efficient functioning.

Replying to a discussion on Demands for Grants for Railways in the Lok Sabha, Goyal said there has been no death of any passenger in rail accidents in past two years and the railways has been putting enormous focus on passenger safety.

The Lok Sabha later passed the Demands for Grants for Railways for 2021-22.

Goyal said the country can progress towards high growth and create more employment opportunities only when the public and private sectors work together.

"Indian Railways will never be privatised. It is a property of every Indian and will remain so," the minister said, adding that it will remain with Government of India.

He said they were working to making Indian Railways the "engine of growth". The minister also sought cooperation of state governments for land acquisition for faster implementation of rail projects.

"If Maharashtra gives support and makes available land in Bandra Kurla for terminal then high-speed bullet train using Japanese technology will come into India. Today 95 per cent land has been acquired in Gujarat and land has also been acquired in Daman and Diu. However, in Maharashtra we have acquired 24 per cent. If we can acquire land in Maharashtra, then we can implement the project at a faster pace," Goyal added.

He said the government is targeting complete electrification of Indian Railways by December 2023 and this year 5,500 km track is going to be electrified. PTI

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said that the carrier is a property of every Indian and will remain so. He said they were working to making Indian Railways the ‘engine of growth’

Hospital sealed, doctor moves HC

Hospital sealed, doctor moves HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:  17.03.2021 

A doctor practising in the Nava Vadaj area for 27 years has moved the Gujarat high court after the AMC sealed his hospital in a fire safety drive. The drive has been launched following the HC’s directions to implement fire safety norms at hospitals.

The civic authorities sealed the administration room and the OPD of Jivandeep Hospital on March 6. Its owner, Dr Chinubhai Patel, has filed an application in the high court complaining that he was only orally told by the authorities that the sealing was taking place.

The sealing order said that the hospital did not have a proper building-use (BU) permission. The BU permission was for residential purpose and therefore the hospital cannot continue to function in the absence of the appropriate BU permission, the order said.

Dr Patel has submitted in his application that since a part of his hospital has been sealed, emergency services have stopped, and regular patients are suffering.

The doctor has maintained that his hospital has been duly registered and has the proper BU permission. He said there are necessary firefighting equipment installed at the hospital and a no-objection certificate has been issued by the chief fire officer. He has submitted that the hospital functions on the ground floor and his family lives on the first floor of the building.

The doctor has submitted that there is no violation of law and he is qualified to run the hospital. He has sought directions of the high court to the AMC to remove the seal.

On February 26, the high court issued a stern warning to all hospitals to either follow the norms or “shut the shop”. This happened during the hearing of a PIL filed by advocate Amit Panchal seeking action against those responsible for the fire at Shrey Hospital on August 6, 2020. Eight Covid-19 patients had lost their lives in the tragedy.

Why Covishield is ‘safe’ despite the blood clot scare in Europe

Why Covishield is ‘safe’ despite the blood clot scare in Europe

Cases Of Blood Clots Among Vaccinated People Are No More Common Than In The General Population, Say Experts

Abhilash.Gaur@timesgroup.com

17.03.2021 

Serum Institute’s Covishield is India’s main Covid vaccine. In the West, it is known as the ‘Oxford’ or ‘AstraZeneca’ vaccine. Over the past few days, 11 European countries, including Germany, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, have suspended its use over fears it causes blood clots. There’s no proof yet, but as country after country hits pause, you might wonder whether Covishield is safe for you. Should you still keep your vaccine date?

The short answer is: yes. The problem — if it can be linked to the Oxford vaccine at all — has affected only 37 of the 1.7 crore Europeans vaccinated with it, says BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle. That would be roughly equal to 2,800 cases among 130 crore Indians. Considering the coronavirus has killed about 1.6 lakh Indians in the past year, the vaccine’s unproven side effects should be the least of our worries.

‘No increase in cases’

The Guardian’s health editor Sarah Boseley points out the problems this vaccine is suspected to cause are equally prevalent among people who have not taken it. “The numbers of blood clots and thrombocytopenia cases in people who have been vaccinated is no higher than in the population that has not received the jab.”

Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which the body does not make enough platelets, so the risk of excessive bleeding increases.

In an opinion piece for The Guardian, British statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter says, “It is not at all surprising that there have been 30 reports.” After all, ‘deep vein thrombosis’ – the formation of blood clots inside veins – is a relatively common problem, affecting 1 out of every 1,000 people each year. “Probably more in the older population being vaccinated.”

Even without the Oxford shot, 17,000 of the 1.7 crore vaccinated Europeans would probably have suffered clots in a year. That’s 47 every day. Why the fuss over 37 cases, spread over several weeks?

European governments are acting out of “an abundance of caution,” says Boseley. Triggle agrees the decision “has been made on the basis of the precautionary principle.” But when a pandemic is killing thousands of people every day, “it is an approach which can sometimes do more harm than good.”

‘Vaccines don’t cause clots’

A Johns Hopkins University scientist tells The New York Times, “Vaccines have not been shown to cause blood clots.” Another expert says the factors that increase the risk of clots are more common in the high-risk populations that are being vaccinated first. So, it’s possible that the vaccine is not to blame for the clots.

However, some vaccines – including the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) shot given to children – can temporarily lower the level of platelets. And lower platelet levels “have been reported in small numbers of patients receiving the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Astra-Zeneca vaccines.”

For now, though, even the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis says a few cases among lakhs of vaccinated people do not suggest a direct link, and “people with a history of blood clots or taking blood-thinning drugs should go and get their vaccination,” Boseley writes in The Guardian.

More vaccines coming

While doubts about side effects have clouded the vaccine rollout in Europe, Science Magazine has good news for poorer countries. Last year, the US, UK, Canada and other rich countries reserved many times more vaccines than they needed. As they wrap up vaccinations over the next few months, they will be left with a glut of unused vaccines.

Australia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, the US, Italy, the UK, Germany, Poland, Spain and France will have enough spare shots to fully vaccinate 2.9 billion more people. These vaccines would be “enough to immunise everyone in the many poorer nations that lack any secured Covid-19 vaccine.”

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports, 8 new Covid vaccines could be launched by the year-end. Some of them are based on safer technologies and can be given without a syringe. So, they might be better suited to pregnant women and other groups, it quotes WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.