Foreigners lose OCI tag when divorced from Indians, MHA tells HC

Foreigners lose OCI tag when divorced from Indians, MHA tells HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:10.04.2021

The Centre has told the Delhi HC that foreigners registered as OCI (overseas citizens of India) cardholders because of their marriage to Indian nationals cease to enjoy that status after their divorce.

Defending one such decision, the MHA informed the HC that the move of the Indian embassy in Brussels, Belgium, asking a Belgian woman to surrender her OCI card after the dissolution of her marriage with an Indian national was taken due to such a policy.

The woman has challenged in the HC the provision of the Citizenship Act — Section 7D(f) — under which a foreign spouse of an Indian national would lose OCI status on divorce. MHA said the Section under challenge makes a clear classification as it applies to foreigners who were registered as OCI cardholders on the strength of their spouse being a citizen of India or an OCI cardholder.

MHA said the woman was issued a Person of Indian Origin card by the embassy of India, Brussels, on August 21, 2006 on the basis of her marriage with an Indian national. She legally divorced her husband in October 2011, and the PIO card issued to her on the strength of the marriage should have been cancelled, but it was not done at that time.

An OCI card was inadvertently issued to her in 2017 even though she was not married to an Indian citizen or an OCI cardholder at that time, and now she has been requested to surrender the same.

Univs step up measures, AUD stops offline classes

Univs step up measures, AUD stops offline classes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:10.04.2021

With Covid-19 cases continuing to rise, universities across Delhi have stepped up safety measures.

While Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) issued fresh standard operating procedure (SOP) on Friday, pointing out that there are currently 27 active cases on the campus, including 24 students, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia have also issued strict guidelines to restrict student movement on their respective campuses.

Ambedkar University has, meanwhile, gone a step further and has announced that “offline classes shall be suspended in all campuses of the university till further notice.” The varsity has also postponed its MBA entrance test which was due on April 11. Speaking to TOI, AUD registrar Nitin Malik said, “Considering the increase in number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi, to ensure safety of its students, faculty and staff, the university has suspended offline classes.”

On Friday, JNU issued a circular stating that the campus has observed 281 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began. The varsity has also witnessed five deaths due to virus. As part of renewed security measures, JNU has asked its wardens and deans to be vigilant, take precautions and enforce mask wearing, social distancing and hygiene. It asked its NCC and NSS to “create social awareness in all common areas and campus premises.” It also asked its security staff to take pictures of anyone not wearing a mask.

Similarly, Jamia and DU has also issued guidelines limiting student presence on campus and have cancelled all future booking of seminar halls and auditoriums.

20 doctors, 6 students test positive for virus at AIIMS

20 doctors, 6 students test positive for virus at AIIMS

New Delhi:10.04.2021

At least 20 doctors and six medical students of AIIMS have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 10 days, including two who had taken both doses of anti-coronavirus vaccine, official sources said on Friday.

The 20 doctors include two faculty members. The rest are resident doctors, a source said. A majority of them have mild Covid-19. The contacts of most of them have been traced, while for some the process is still on, the source said.

The recent surge in Covid-19 cases has also hit Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, with 37 doctors testing positive for the virus. There has been a spike in coronavirus cases in the national capital over the past few weeks, and the daily case count breached the 7,000-mark for the first time this year.

Around 30 nurses have also tested positive at AIIMS in last one week. There are more than 3,000 doctors, including resident doctors and faculty members, at AIIMS.

“ We have seen that those who have received the vaccination have milder illness even if they test positive,” said a senior doctor at AIIMS. TNN

3 women given rabies vaccine in UP instead of Covid shots

3 women given rabies vaccine in UP instead of Covid shots

Sandeep.Rai@timesgroup.com

Meerut:10.04.2021

Three women in Shamli’s Kandhla town walked in to get their Covid-19 shots at the community health centre on Thursday. They walked out with anti-rabies shots instead.

Saroj Devi, 70, Anarkali, 72, and Satyavati, 62, had arrived separately but grouped together at the health centre. “The first floor of the centre is where Covid-19 vaccinations were being administered. The queue on the ground floor was for anti-rabies vaccination,” Shamli chief medical officer Dr Sanjay Agarwal said. “Instead of going to the first floor, they joined the queue on the ground floor.”

It appears no questions were asked of them as they quietly, unknowingly, took the wrong vaccine and left. But before Saroj Devi could reach home, she got sick. “The pharmacist has been suspended,” Shamli DM Jasjeet Kaur said.

Can’t reveal info of customers: Banks plead to SC on RTI ruling

Can’t reveal info of customers: Banks plead to SC on RTI ruling

New Delhi:10.04.2021 

Nearly six years after the Supreme Court ruled that RBI had to reveal information about functioning of banks under the RTI Act, major banks, including SBI and HDFC, on Friday urged the court to recall its order as they cannot reveal confidential information of account holders who may sue them for putting such details in public domain, reports Amit Anand Choudhary.

The SC had in 2015 directed that RBI can’t refuse to reveal information under the transparency law on financial health of banks under the pretext of ‘fiduciary relations’ with financial institutions and had held that the regulator was supposed to “uphold public interest and not the interest of banks”. Another round of litigation was initiated after RBI didn’t comply with the SC order and the court issued contempt notice. The proceedings were wound up in 2019 with RBI being given the last opportunity to comply to disclose its Annual Financial Inspection report of banks. With RBI asking the banks to provide information to be disclosed under the RTI Act, third round of litigations has started with all major banks filing fresh applications and petitions seeking quashing or recall of earlier direction. Banks such as SBI, PNB, HDFC, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda made a pitch for re-examining the issue.

Stay Home, Stay Safe To Tide Over 2nd Wave

Stay Home, Stay Safe To Tide Over 2nd Wave

Kolar & Shahpura hunker down for life behind barricades, again

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:10.04.2021

As lockdown was imposed in Kolar and Shahpura localities of the city confining more than 2.5 lakh residents in their homes till April 19, unlike first lockdown which was completely new, residents are mentally prepared for life behind barricades in these 10 days.

“My March closing ended recently, so a break was desperately needed, however this was also sudden, I will now be with family for at least 2-3 days. Probably on Monday I would think how to and what to do from home,” says Kolar resident Vineet Chowdhary who works as a regional head of an insurance company.

Another resident who is a government employee says that it was troublesome in the evening and it took more than 2 hours for him to reach home from office but compared to previous lockdown, he feels, “people at ease with the concept of staying at home”.

“I had a lot of trouble reaching home as it took more than 2 hours. I left office at 6.10 pm and reached home at 8.10 pm, otherwise it is hardly half an hour journey as roads were blocked. We had also completed our March closing and we as government employees have been issued passes, I had to go to office on Saturday too, lets see what is the condition. On Monday, there is no way I will have to go to office. However I feel that now we are more at ease with the concept of staying at home, during initial days of first lockdown it felt as if we would loose our mental calm and stability by remaining confined, but it taught us to be at ease while staying at home,” says an railway official, Arun Hota, a resident of Kolar area.

Traders from the lockdown areas, however feel that this lockdown was also unexpected and sudden.

“We receive supplies from other states, we supply to various education institutions but now everything has stopped. Thankfully we were able to complete the March closing. Visits of marketing officials was also scheduled, but everything has to be planned again. I will think about ways to workout after a couple of days, probably from Monday or Tuesday. Today it should have been more planned, it seemed that the entire planning was done in hurry and haphazardly which led to traffic bottlenecks”, says Rakesh Sharma, a Shahpura resident who supplies, laboratory equipment in educational institutions.

Majority of the residents however think that the announcement was sudden and surprising.

“I was in my home town in Vidisha district, my wife and kids were in Bhopal. When I came to know about the lockdown today morning, I had to rush leaving behind my work there. Anyhow reached home before 6 pm. Now there is nothing to do as of now. Will repair cycles and do cycling if allowed, or will read books, lets wait and watch”, says Pramod Yadav, manager with a private energy company and resident of Kolar.

Heavy traffic on Kolar Road before the nine-day lockdown in the area came into force on Friday

With 1800 active cases, Kolar hit hard by 2nd wave; MP Nagar, Govindpura close behind

Bhopal:

Jehangirabad, Aishbagh, Hanumanganj and Ashoka Garden — they are not the Covid-19 hotspots in the second wave of Coronavirus in the city but now, it’s Kolar, Shahpura, Trilanga, Bawadia Kalan and Gulmohar.

These areas have 1800 active Coronavirus cases and that is why 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh population living in the area are now under lockdown.

All the areas under the lockdown are under the jurisdiction of SDM, Kolar. Next in line could be MP Nagar and Govindpura. Caseload in areas under the jurisdiction of SDM, MP Nagar and Govindpura is quite close to Kolar.

ADM , Bhopal, Sandeep Kerkatti, when asked which are the other Coronavirus hotspots in the city, said after Kolar, it’s MP Nagar and Govindpura.

When asked how close the areas under the jurisdiction of SDM, MP Nagar and Govindpura are to Kolar in terms of number of active patients, he said “Among 4800 active cases in the city, these areas also have almost the same number of Coronavirus active cases as Kolar.”

Kerkatti, when asked whether there could be lockdown in areas under the jurisdiction of SDM, MP Nagar and Govindpura, he said “It depends on the caseload. We hope the situation will improve and lockdown will not be required.” TNN

Why are women missing from health leadership?

Why are women missing from health leadership? 

A key reason is that they are less likely to have mentors than men

10.04.2021

Sandhya Venkateswaran

At the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, there is evidence of progress towards greater representation of women in different spheres of life; yet, their under-representation in decision-making positions in most spheres stands out.

It is not that women’s contribution in leadership roles is not recognised. Studies have demonstrated that women in leadership positions in government organisations implement different policies than men; policies that are more supportive of women and children. A global study on publicly traded companies across 91 countries found women’s presence in top positions of corporate management to correlate with increased profitability. The impact of women’s leadership is not limited to financial outcomes alone, but equally to greater innovation in teams, the development of more creative solutions to problems, a more inclusive culture and improved employee engagement and satisfaction.

Villages in India, with women leaders in local governance institutions have shown to have a higher availability of public goods than other villages. Studies in India have shown the availability of women physicians in districts to be associated with higher maternal healthcare utilisation. Women’s leadership has been known to contribute to strengthening women’s voices, influencing career aspirations and educational attainment of adolescent girls. Clearly, the benefits of women’s leadership are wide.

Yet, gender-related gaps in leadership remain wide. Women constitute 70% of health workers, but constitute less than a quarter of the senior roles in health institutions globally; the pipeline for leadership positions is disproportionate to the wide base of women in lower positions. In India, women constitute about 46% of the health workforce overall, much of it as nurses, where almost 80% are women. This dwindles to less than 30% in the case of doctors and others, comprising pharmacists, physiotherapists, diagnostic and other technicians.

The question of why women’s participation in health declines on the path to decision-making roles has a complex set of answers, ranging from lack of confidence, women’s multiple roles including unpaid work, the absence of agency to navigate institutional structures, gender discrimination, sexual harassment and the dearth of networks and support/ mentoring structures, to name a few. Promotion of women’s leadership requires all of these to be addressed, by enabling access to the tools and resources – social and political – that can help overcome constraints.

Studies have highlighted trust as key to moving up the decision-making ladder; trust in turn requiring ability, affinity and integrity (building on work by Roger Mayer, James Davis and David Schoorman). Affinity, an intangible but significant factor on hiring decisions, is invariably built through networks, which are not prioritised by women in the same way as men; nor do women have the same opportunities to ‘network’. With men dominating leadership roles, opportunities for women to connect with men in informal settings may be lower.

As Oliver Wyman’s 2019 report on women in healthcare leadership points out: “Because they have a harder time expanding their networks and implicitly building more affinity – and because few executives truly appreciate the impact that affinity has on trust and decisions women have essentially defaulted to over-relying on ability and delivering results to get ahead.” The ambiguity in defining ‘ability’, entailing different assumptions of leadership by different people, further reinforces the role of affinity as a decisive element.

It is also suggested that women are less likely to have mentors than men, to help them navigate the institutional ecosystem. Upward movement, when it entails disruption for the family, is often harder for women to undertake, due to their roles as family caregiver and their hesitation to uproot children.

Despite large numbers of young women interested in health as a profession, a gender balance across levels will remain elusive unless proactive measures are taken to remove obstacles for women reaching leadership positions. This imbalance can be addressed: Kerala has a female health minister, several women technical directors and eight times the female doctor density than several other Indian states.

Women’s leadership in healthcare is not only possible but imperative: For themselves, to realise their full potential, and equally for the health sector, so that gender responsive policies and technology are aimed at women’s needs. A better job of hiring, promoting, enabling networks and mentoring will bring many more women in leadership roles. As Anne-Marie Slaughter states: “Only when women wield power in sufficient numbers will we create a society that genuinely works for all women.”

The writer is Fellow, Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System

Affinity, an intangible but significant factor on hiring decisions, is built through networks, which are not prioritised by women in the same way as men; nor do women have the same opportunities to ‘network’