Girls paraded naked to please rain gods

Girls paraded naked to please rain gods

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:07.09.2021

Madhya Pradesh is no stranger to bizarre rain rituals, but this one borders on the grotesque. Minor girls were paraded naked, carrying a heavy wooden flail, in Damoh district in the belief that it will please the rain gods.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken suo motu cognizance of the ritual and asked for details from the collector. Graphic videos of the parade have also been shared on social media. In the fag end of monsoon, drought looms over large parts of Bundelkhand, forcing villagers to desperation. People of a tribal village in rain-parched Damoh took to an age-old ritual in a last ditch attempt to appease the rain gods.

On Monday, two little girls, apparently aged below 10, carried a flail over their shoulders as they led a procession of village women, including their mothers. The women sang bhajans to seek blessings of the gods to save crops drying in the fields. They also begged for alms, mainly foodgrains, which were then used to prepare food in the fields to complete the ritual, said the mother of one of the girls. The children had no clue why they were disrobed and made to walk around the village. “This ritual has been happening for a few days,” said some of the villagers. The mother of one of the girls, who was paraded on Monday, said: “Our paddy has started drying due to lack of rainfall. We need water. This will bring rain.”

Damoh SP DR Teniwar said, “It is a tradition here that can be termed superstition. We will investigate. In case we come to know about force being used against the children while they are paraded naked, we will initiate action.”

Asked about videos of the parade being shared on social media, the SP said: “We will investigate the video’s authenticity and take action.”

Monsoon usually slows down in MP in September. On Monday, Damoh was 47% rain-deficient, followed by Panna district at 38% and Chhatarpur at 25%. Many rivers are dry. Unless it really pours this month or the monsoon overstays, Bundelkhand and many other parts of MP face a brutal summer ahead.

On Monday, two little girls, aged below 10, carried a flail over their shoulders as they led a procession of village women, including their mothers. The children had no clue why they were disrobed & made to walk around the village

Girl dies after swallowing 1-rupee coin

Girl dies after swallowing 1-rupee coin

Mysuru:07.09.2021

A four-year-old girl from a Hunsur village died after swallowing a one-rupee coin.

The girl died three days after the coin got stuck in the trachea followed by infection, at a hospital in Mysuru.

The girl’s uncle had given her a coin to buy balloon on Friday. She was playing with the coin, keeping it in her mouth. Accidentally, she swallowed it and she didn’t inform anyone in the family. The incident happened when she was in her grandmother’s home.

A day later, she developed breathing trouble and the family came to know that something was stuck in the windpipe. Doctors discovered that it was a coin after the girl told them in the hospital. However, it lead to infection and she died at the hospital.

Hunsur police said they have not received any complaint in this regard. TNN

Nimhans staff protests nurse’s assault

Nimhans staff protests nurse’s assault

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:07.09.2021

Several nurses and other employees of Nimhans staged a protest on Monday, condemning an alleged assault of a nurse by the head of clinical nursing services (incharge) at the institute.

With over 100 staffers part of the demonstration, patients faced inconvenience in the afternoon, said members of Nimhans employees’ association, which called for the protest.

On August 30, the nurse was allegedly manhandled by the head of clinical nursing services and a complaint was lodged against the officer at Siddapura police station.

AG Nagaraj, president of the employees’ association, said the institution was yet to take any action against the accused, who was also seen on campus on Monday. “It is inhuman to assault a colleague. Such attitude towards subordinate staff is objectionable. The act of manhandling a colleague is a criminal offence and officer must be suspended immediately,” said Nagaraj.

The competent authorities have initiated the suitable administrative procedure, said Nimhans authorities. However, they said functioning of the hospital was not affected. “The protest was not indefinite. The nurses came back to work and patient services were not hit,” said Nimhans medical superintendent Dr Muralidharan K.

Cops from Siddapura police station said a non-cognisable report was filed based on a complaint from the nurse. “With the court’s nod, we have registered an FIR against the head of clinical nursing services on charges of assaulting a nursing officer,” a cop said.

The All India Government Nurses’ Federation has written to the Union ministry of health and family welfare condemning the assault.

It is shocking that the head of clinical nursing services reportedly assaulted one of our nursing colleagues when she approached the former for redressal of serious grievances. The nurse was admitted to the observation ward. The cold response from the management has demoralised the nursing fraternity

K Khurana | SECRETARY GENERAL, ALL INDIA GOVERNMENT NURSES’ FEDERATION

UAE to launch green visa to attract talent and funds

UAE to launch green visa to attract talent and funds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

07.09.2021

The UAE tops the list of hosting the largest number of immigrants from India, stated to be 3.5 million, according to a 2020 UN report. With the UAE set to roll out green visas and expand the eligibility for golden visas, this number may grow by leaps and bounds. Technology workers from India will stand to benefit as UAE plans to focus on hiring coders and attract technology companies.

In a press conference on Sunday, under the banner of ‘Projects of the 50’ which is a series of development and economic projects, aimed at making UAE an ideal destination for highly skilled individuals and investors, a restructuring of the entry and residency system was announced. A green visa will be rolled out, which expands the selfresidency status (in other words employer sponsorship is not required) to investors, entrepreneurs, highly skilled individuals, top students and graduates. Green visa holders can sponsor their parents and kids who are up to the age of 25, said a UAE government press release.Another stream of visa that was announced was the federal freelancers visa for self-employed workers based in the UAE and overseas in specialised fields such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital currencies. The existing Golden Visa eligibility will be expanded to include managers, CEOs, specialists in science, engineering, health, education, business management and technology.

Another regulatory change that was announced is that on loss of a job, the visa holder and dependents can stay in the UAE for up to 6 months, instead of just 30 days. Business trip permits will also upped from 3 months to 6 months.

TOP JOB DESTINATION?

Another fake email of MSU VC in circulation

Another fake email of MSU VC in circulation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Vadodara:07.09.2021

‘Hello, Help Needed, email me back asap’ — a fake email with this text in the name of M S University vice-chancellor (VC) professor Parimal Vyas has been circulating in the university circles since Sunday.

Even as the university authorities have approached the cybercrime department with a request to investigate, the email has created quite a flutter as it is the second instance where specific circles are receiving fake email in Vyas’ name.

“After it came to my notice, I have already warned everybody through social media platforms that such a fake email in my name is in circulation and they should remain alert,” Vyas told TOI.

University authorities said VC’s email account has not been hacked nor is there any data breach of the official contacts.

“Some miscreant has created a new email account that seems to be that of the VC. The email that many in the university circle have received is not from the official email id of the VC. So far, it could be traced to Nigeria,” said Dr Viral Kapadia, deputy director of MSU’s computer centre.

Interestingly, the officials believe that it is the handiwork of some insider, in all probability, someone from the Faculty of Arts.

“Most of the recipients are teachers of the Faculty of Arts and even the timings of sending the emails are not uniform,” said Kapadia. adding, so, it seems this is the work of someone who is trying to gather email ids of teachers and sending the emails to whomever he or she can.

‘16 years of hearings punishment enough’

LENIENCY SHOWN

‘16 years of hearings punishment enough’

Train Ticket Black-Marketer Sentenced To One Day In Court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:07.09.2021

A local court handed down a minor punishment — sitting in the courtroom for one day — for the blackmarketing of railway tickets after observing that the accused regularly attended court hearings for 16 years and this itself was punishment enough for him.

The accused’s behaviour of religiously attending proceedings for 16 years paid him at the end of the trial. There were in all 62 hearings and adjournments during the course of the trial.

The case involved Ashok Bhumihar (39), a resident of Delhi Darwaza, who was caught buying railway tickets from the reservation counter on March 25, 2004. Railway police force lodged a complaint against him under Section 143 of the Railways Act, which provides for ‘penalty for unauthorised carrying on of business of procuring and supplying of railway tickets’. It entails punishment of up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 10,000. Bhumihar was booked because he was found in possession of tickets without a licence to sell them.

The accused denied the charges and claimed that he had bought the tickets for relatives. However, the court did not believe him and held him guilty of black-marketing. The court awarded him punishment on September 3 but rejected the prosecution’s demand for harsh punishment.

While holding him guilty, additional chief metropolitan magistrate B R Rajput said, “Because of such persons, railway tickets are black-marketed and poor and needy passengers do not get reservations on trains and cannot travel in proper conditions. If this black-marketing is not stopped, many passengers will have to continue to face hardships on daily basis.” However, the court was lenient on Bhumihar. It ordered him only to sit till the rising or the court (TRC) and pay a Rs 5,000 fine. The court said, “This is a 2004 case and the accused remained present for the hearings on a regular basis. His presence in court for 16 years is punishment enough.”

State govt hikes DA from 17% to 28%

State govt hikes DA from 17% to 28%

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gandhinagar:

Here’s some good news for government employees.

The state government has accepted the long-pending demand of employee associations to raise the dearness allowance of government employees and pensioners. Nitin Patel, who is deputy chief minister, finance minister and spokesperson of the state government, said that the state government has decided to raise the DA from present 17% to 28%. The increased benefit will be applicable from September salary.

“The Centre raised the DA by 11% from July so we have decided to raise the DA of state government employees in the same way. Arrears of July will be paid in October before the Diwali while the August arrears will be paid in January 2022. The additional monthly burden on the exchequer will be Rs 378 crore. The state government has 9.6 lakh employees and pensioners. Panchayat and other government category employees will get similar benefits,” Patel said.