To save us they have to risk their families' safety

When the dust settles, we should not forget sacrifices of the personnel in khaki

Published: 01st April 2020 06:11 AM 

PIC: R SATISH BABU

By JAYANTHI PAWA R

Express News Service

CHENNAI: PRIYA* (9) wonders why everybody stays at home to stay safe from COVID-19 while her mom has to turn up for work. Not just that, she’s no more allowed to hug her mother when she gets back from work, until she has had a bath. Priya’s mother is a policewoman. With COVID- 19 spreading rapidly, there’s fear among family members of police personnel about their safety. While rest of the city is working from home, policemen are working overtime on the field -- running to markets to clear crowds, checking vehicles on roads, spreading awareness in public places -- to contain the spread of the virus.

While they have been preaching social distancing to everyone else, their job doesn’t allow them to practice it for themselves. “We need to go into crowds to clear it out. We have to interact with community members. So distancing is impossible,” says the 32-year-old constable mother of Priya. “For instance, I went to market yesterday. A destitute woman had fainted there, and I had to help her out. I couldn’t go searching for gloves or masks at that moment.

” The policewoman says she depends on a regimen of sanitising her hands and not touching her face unnecessarily after such episodes. However, it’s easier said than done. Her husband Raja* says he is concerned about his wife’s safety. “She calls us half hour before getting home, and I ensure the kids do not go near her as soon as she enters the house,” says Raja. “Everything she brings on her way back from office, including her phone and bag are sanitised before being brought inside the home. Our elder daughter is 15, and understands the process but Priya gets confused.” Ambika, sister of a police inspector in the city echoes the same feelings.

“We are proud of the service she does, but it’s also worrisome.” “The little we can do for her is wake up early and lunch for her. With all hotels and restaurants closed, lunch is a struggle. She does not find the time to come home for lunch,” says Ambika. Sekar*, brother of a police constable at the commissioner’s office gets worried every time he sees the news. “My sister’s work is to issue travel passes to public. I see on TV how many people are crowding to avail passes and that scares me. None of them follow social distancing. A few of them do not even wear masks. I am worried for all police personnel on duty there,” says Sekar. Traffic policemen, who have masks and gloves, are struggling to use them standing under the scorching sun.

Overtime and all over the city

While rest of the city is working from home, policemen are working overtime on the field -- running to markets to clear crowds, checking vehicles on roads, spreading awareness in public places -- to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

AP also defers salaries of CM and government staff to revive the state revenue

PTI

Published  Apr 1, 2020, 8:40 am IST

Chief secretary Nilam Sawhney issued the order around Tuesday midnight

Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Nilam Sawhney.

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government late on Tuesday night announced deferment of payment of full salaries to the chief minister, officers and employees, saying its revenue streams have "totally dried up" in view of the ongoing lockdown to combat coronavirus.

The deferments will range from 10 to 100 per cent for different categories of employees, it said.

In an order issued around midnight, chief secretary Nilam Sawhney said the deferment will continue to be in force till further orders.

"While the revenue streams have totally dried up due to the lockdown, the demand on state resources has increased tremendously for contact tracing, quarantining, providing personal protection equipment, drugs, health facilities, etc. and for providing financial assistance to the poor people, most affected by the lockdown," he said.

"There shall be 100 per cent deferment in respect of chief minister, other ministers, MLCs, MLAs chairpersons and members (political appointees) of all government-owned corporations, elected representatives of all local bodies and people holding equivalent posts," the order stated.

All India Services officers (IAS, IPS and IFS) will see a 60 per cent deferment in their salaries, while all other employees will get only 50 per cent of their pay, it said.

Class-IV employees, outsourced and contractual staff and the newly employed village and ward secretariat staff will be paid 90 per cent of their salaries, with only a 10 per cent deferment, it added.

According to the order, the deferments will be applicable to pensions and honorariums as well.

Besides, serving and retired employees of all PSUs, government-aided institutions, universities and autonomous bodies would get only proportionate deferred payments, it stated.

3 rescue flights to take back stranded Malaysians

01/04/2020, TIRUCHI

Malindo Air has proposed to operate rescue flights on three different dates to take back the remaining Malaysian nationals stranded at Tiruchi following the suspension of international flights in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The airline has proposed to operate the first rescue flight (OD 223/224) late in the night on April 1. The second rescue flight (OD 221/222) would be operated on April 2 morning and the next rescue flight (OD 221/222) on April 4 morning.

Not allowed to collect fees, some schools mull salary cuts

Budget schools facing a tough time in making ends meet

01/04/2020, STAFF REPORTER,BENGALURU

As big corporations are announcing salary cuts, people employed by private schools are worried about job security, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown. What’s cause for concern is that school managements have been told not to collect fee for the next academic year, a fact they cite as reason for not having enough money to meet their recurring expenditure. Some school managements are contemplating paying only half of the next month’s salary to their staff.

D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said the government is yet to pay the RTE reimbursement to schools amounting to lakhs of rupees.

“On the other hand, they’re empowering parents not to pay fee. All we are saying is let parents at least pay last year’s fee. Many had requested for time, which was granted. They would usually pay up the remaining amount before the exams. But now that the academic calendar has been thrown out of gear, we haven’t even got the pending amount. How are we supposed to pay staff?”

He also said budget schools, which make up the majority in the private school sector, are suffering. “We will not be able to maintain this in the long run. Of 1,700 students in our school, for example, 400 are yet to pay. We may have to pay only half the salaries for staff next month. And we may also have to see more staff being let go,” he said.

Managements of a few schools in the city are being criticised for terminating the contracts of some of staff like bus drivers.

One of them spoke to The Hindu on condition of anonymity.

“I have been working here as a bus driver for three years. After completing two years, they said they’ll make my service permanent. Now all of a sudden, the principal has called me and said they no longer require my services,” he said, visibly distressed.

Officials inspect COVID-19 hospital

Exclusive facilities being created across State, says Health Minister

01/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

Exclusive isolation facilities for COVID-19 patients are being created across the State, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said.

The Minister, along with Roshini Arthur, senior regional director, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and two officials of World Health Organisation, Country Office, India, inspected the facility at the Government Medical College Hospital in Omandurar Estate.

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Arthur said they inspected Tamil Nadu’s first dedicated COVID-19 hospital to check the preparedness, infrastructure, human resources, equipment and adherence to protocols.

“Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, has a good dedicated COVID-19 unit here. There are three dedicated blocks. There is an outpatient facility on the ground floor with infection protocols in place, sample collection area, waiting room, counselling room and pharmacy as per guidelines. There are 150 isolation beds with spacing, equipment, and disinfection protocols. In addition, another 200 beds for an intermediate care unit is available with 75 ICU beds and 125 step down beds,” she said.

She said protocols for biomedical waste, dietary, treatment guidelines are in place. Staff members on rotation for seven days for IMCU are in place. There are specialists, including pulmonologists, radiologists and physicians, to man the facilities, apart from portable X-ray, ultrasound, and CT equipment

“We suggest that more such dedicated COVID-19 centres be opened in all of Tamil Nadu,” she added.

Like in Chennai, which has a 500-bed facility with intensive care unit and ventilators at Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, separate blocks in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and ESI Hospital, Ayanavaram, exclusive facilities for COVID-19 are being created across the State, Dr. Vijayabaskar said. “The condition of all patients is stable. None of them is on ventilatory support,” he said.

CM announces 3-month deferral of property tax, co-op loan dues

Move to benefit middle- and low-income groups, farmers and entrepreneurs

01/04/2020,DENNIS S. JESUDASAN  CHENNAI

Discussing strategy: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami calling on Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Tuesday. Special arrangement

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday announced the deferment of co-operative loan repayment, property tax and other dues by three months in view of the COVID-19 lockdown. The measures would benefit middle- and low-income groups, farmers and entrepreneurs.

The Chief Minister also called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhavan to brief him on the measures taken by the government to deal with the pandemic and its impact.

He announced an extension of the deadline for the payment of property tax and water charges to the local bodies by three months, until June 30.

“Many firms are not in a position to pay salaries and businesses have been severely affected. Daily-wage labourers are among the worst-affected. We are hoping that the CM's announcement would bring them temporary relief as far as their dues are concerned,” a top official told The Hindu.

Mr. Palaniswami announced a three-month extension of the deadline (until June 30) for the repayment of loans obtained from co-operative banks, fishermen’s cooperative societies and handloom weavers’ cooperative societies.

He extended by three months the deadline for the payment of dues to co-operative housing societies and the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, until June 30.

He also announced an extension of the deadline for the repayment of loans obtained by Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which have obtained loans from the Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC) Limited.

The deadline for the repayment of soft loans obtained from the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (Sipcot) has been extended by three months. The deadline for the payment of operational and maintenance costs by units located in Sipcot industrial parks has also been extended by three months.

Mr. Palaniswami said a ‘COVID Relief and Development Scheme’ would be implemented, with an allocation of ₹200 crore for providing loans to help meet the urgent capital requirements of around 2,000 MSME units that have obtained loans from TIIC.

He also extended till June 30 the validity of various licences and fitness certificates obtained under the Motor Vehicles Act, which were due for renewal. The same will apply to licences obtained under the Weights & Measures Act and the Tamil Nadu Shops & Establishments Act that are due for renewal. “Medical experts are insisting that people should remain indoors and prevent the State from entering stage 3 [of the pandemic]. The people should follow the time restrictions announced by the State government for getting essential supplies. I urge the people not to believe rumours. The State government will take severe action against rumour-mongers,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Salary contributed

01/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,KARAIKUDI

The Vice-Chancellor, officers, teaching and non-teaching staff of the Alagappa University here have decided to contribute one-day salary towards the COVID-19 fund. The Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had appealed to the people to liberally donate to the CM Public Relief Fund to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the State. According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, Registrar Prof. H Gurumallesh Prabu, they would contribute the one-day salary to the fund.