Month: August 2019

Ranchi man suffering from blood cancer gets a new lease of life

Source: avenuemail.in

Ranchi, July 31: Doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram successfully treated a 60-year-old patient Lal Mani Mahto of Ranchi who was suffering from Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) which is a type of Blood Cancer with no definitive medicines available. The patient was presented to Fortis Gurugram with the complaints od fever, low hemoglobin, weight loss and low platelets. The patient underwent successful Bone Marrow Transplant performed by Dr. Rahul Bhargav, Director, Haematology and BMT, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram and his team.

Lal Mani Mahto was presented to the hospital with the diagnosis of advanced Blood Cancer. He was given chemotherapy for the advance stage of cancer. Mahto started losing weight drastically. The reason for same was unknown, on consulting a doctor in Ranchi, it was revealed that he was losing blood but the reason for same could not be traced. The patient was given Folic Acid to control the level of blood, but the patient’s condition started deteriorating. He soon had to start the process of Blood Transfusion in every 20 days.  After taking consultation from several doctors in Ranchi, the patient was diagnosed with Blood Cancer. The only permanent solution for same was to get a Bone Marrow Transplant. The patient was presented before Dr. Rahul Bhargava who performed the surgery successfully.

Dr. Rahul Bhargava, Director, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram said, “Diagnosis of blood cancer is difficult, secondly, once the diagnosis is done there is no clear-cut medicine BMT is the only thing. Ion the process of BMT, RBC, WBC and platelets are Eradicated from the body. The patient is like a new born baby and is susceptible to infections. Stabilising the patient in such a condition is a challenge. Stem Cells from a different body are transferred to the patient’s body and acceptance of same is essentials for a successful transplant. However, when it comes to the donor, there is no risk involved at all. The donor just donates 300 ml of a blood stem cells and there is noting to be scared. The patient was very lucky as ideally the donors match is 30 %, but in this case the sister and Brother matched 100 %. The donor was discharged the very next day of donation. The patient has successfully been discharged from the hospital and is now leading a normal life”

Patient Mr. Arun Kumar said, “When I came to Fortis I had very little hope left in me.  I had to undergo blood transfusion in every 20 days. My family was seeing me getting weak day by day and I could not do anything about it. When Dr. Bharagava gave me hope that after the BMT I could resume my life like before, I thought it was miracle. My younger sisters stem cell matched and saved my life. While I was in ICU, I was very critical and my family was starting to lose faith. It is through persistent treatment I received from Dr. Rahul Bhargava  at Fortis Gurugram that I am healthy today and doing my normal day to day activities with ease.”

Dr.Ritu Garg, Zonal Director, FMRIsaid, “This was one of the most challenging case presented to the hospital as patient was brought with an advanced stage of Blood Cancer which is very rare. There were many complicationsand stabilising patient after the surgery was a big achievement. The patient’s situation could have been life threatening, however these were successfully avoided due to the diligence with which the case was handled. FMRI is equipped to handle such complications with the help of comprehensive team o handle all Blood Disorders and advanced technology. This case shows we are equipped to handle all the challenges from different specialities.”

Human organs available in India like peanuts: YSRCP MP

Source: newkerala.com

New Delhi , July 31 : A Rajya Sabha MP on Wednesday raised concerns over the availability of human organs like peanuts and urged the government to penalize those involved in such rackets with death penalty.

“Despite successive governments’ efforts to stop illegal organ trade, India has become one of the biggest countries for organ trade, as also the cheapest too, in the world. It is available like peanuts,” YSRCP’s Prabhakar Reddy said in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour.

He said the organs like kidney, liver and heart are easily available and the government should take it seriously so that it could be stopped.

“Otherwise, amend the legislation in such a way that whoever is involved in this, including doctors, the middle-men and the hospital staff. It needs severe penalties which goes up to the death penalty be imposed on those involved in these rackets. I hope that the government would amend the legislation in such a way that it is stopped,” he said.

BJP’s Gopal Narayan Singh demanded that the name of Bakhtiyarpur railway station should be changed to either Rajgir or Nalanda, as it was named after Bakhtiyar Khilji, who was an invader and destroyer.

“It’s a blot on Bihar. It should be removed,” Singh said.

Bakhtiyarpur station connects Bihar’s historical places like Nalanda, Rajgir, Pavapuri and Biharsharif. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was born in Bakhtiyarpur.

Trinamool Congress’ Manas Ranjan Bhunia urged the central government to reduce the percentage of disability from 80 per cent to 50 per cent and provide all possible help, including financial help to physically challenged and handicapped male and female.

“They need active support of the central and state governments. At present, the standing rules and directions are that if any physically challenged person does not have 80 per cent of incapability, then such a person would not get any help from the central government. This has created a serious situation when most of the physically challenged are not getting any support,” he said.

“This situation demands a serious look and thought by the central government to reduce the percentage of disability from 80 per cent to 50 per cent,” he said.

CPI-M’s E Kareem sought for recognizing person working in central government’s schemes as workers.

“More than one crore workers engaged in different schemes of the central government, such as Anganwadi, ASHA, SSA, Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Most of them are women and coming from very poor sections of society. They are getting a meagre remuneration in the name of honorarium.”

“There is a long pending demand to recognize them as workers. The 45th Session of the Indian Labour Conference had recommended to recognize them as workers and extend social security and other benefits and not to privatize this sector. But, this recommendation has not been implemented so far. The government should implement the recommendation of the 45th Indian Labour Conference,” he said. 

Conclave pitch in Jharkhand government tourism push

Source: telegraphindia.com

The state government is keen to organise tourism and Buddhist circuit conclaves to boost the tourism sector in Jharkhand.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, state art, culture and tourism minister Amar Kumar Bauri said: “Compared with Bihar, we started quite late in discovering and developing historical places related to Lord Buddha in Jharkhand. Itkhori in Chatra district is an important site that marks the last journey of Siddhartha Gautama before he became Buddha at Bodhgaya. Kauleshwari in Hazaribagh district is also an important Buddhist site being developed by us.”

Bauri, who is a post-graduate in history, said chief minister Raghubar Das was very keen on organising the conclaves in September.

The minister said the tourism sector in Jharkhand had witnessed phenomenal growth in the last four and a half years and would substantially contribute to the state GDP in the coming years.

“The development of roads, hotels, tourist spots and better law and order situation have led to a spurt in the tourist inflow,” Bauri said.

He said in 2018-19, a total of 3.54 crore domestic tourists and 1.76 crore foreign tourists visited Jharkhand.

The number of hotels having a minimum of 10 rooms have risen to 618 in the state from 359 in 2014-15, the minister said, adding that the tourism sector has generated around 74,000 jobs.

“The development of Patratu Dam is another milestone for us. The first phase of the work has been completed at a cost of Rs 60 crore. We have decided to inaugurate the tourist spots at Patratu in September,” the minister said.

He said the department had categorised 132 tourist spots under international, national, state and local categories on the basis of their popularity.

“Jharkhand was earlier known for all the wrong reasons, but tourism has changed the face of the state. Jharkhand is blessed with beautiful and historical places, but unfortunately their potential remained untapped before the Raghubar Das government,” Bauri said.

The minister informed that his department was working on a proposal to install a lift at Pahari temple.

“A proposal for the construction of a ropeway was mooted years back, but the project, which was found unfeasible, was abandoned at the planning stage. Now we are working on a proposal to install a lift and technical discussions have been initiated,” he said.

However, the minister admitted that the department’s efforts didn’t produce the desired outcome regarding two specific issues — roping in Archaeological Survey of India in 2015 to conduct research and survey in 24 districts and the formulation of Jharkhand Sports Policy.

“The survey by ASI could not be undertaken as we lacked trained manpower to assist them. The department provided funds to students and teachers of history in Bokaro district to conduct research at some historic sites, but their report was found unsatisfactory,” he said.

On Jharkhand Sports Policy, Bauri said he had recently prodded officials of the department on the issue. “I hope we will able implement the policy in our next tenure,” he said.

Bauri said Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society started a talent hunt in 2016 to promote talented children.

So far, 5,48,700 kids took part in the drive and 448 were selected and being trained at the coaching centres.

“However, these coaching centres are meant for minor players. Now, we have decided to set up hostels for senior sportspersons in Ranchi and Dumka,” he added.

Flood-like situation in Gujarat claims 5 lives; Assam, Bihar return to normalcy

Source: indiatoday.in

ive persons were killed and over 5,000 were evacuated in Gujarat which was battered by nearly 500 mm of rain till Thursday morning, even as Assam and Bihar heaved a sigh of relief as the flood situation in the states improved considerably for the second consecutive day.

Water from the overflowing Vishwamitri river entered several localities in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

Four persons were killed in Bajwa area after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain. The body of an unknown man was recovered from Khodiyarnagar area Thursday, Vadodara district collector Shalini Agarwal told PTI.

According to figures provided by the state government, Vadodara received a staggering 499 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday.

Of this, 286 mm of rain fell in just four hours, between 4 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, the release said.

Close to 9 million people are said to be affected by floods in Bihar till Thursday though the number of casualties remained unchanged, at 130, for the second consecutive day, according to the state disaster management department.

Torrential rainfall in Nepal in the second week of July, besides heavy showers in districts of Bihar situated on the border, had caused half a dozen rivers, including Bagmati, Kamla, Khiroi and Burhi Gandak to swell, which continue to be above danger level at many places.

Assam’s flood situation also improved considerably with the water level of all the major rivers and its tributaries receding and life was slowly returning to normal in the flood affected districts.

A population of 3,64,553 in 459 villages of 12 districts are currently affected by the floods, according to the flood bulletin of Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA).

The marooned districts are Dhemaji, Darrang, Barpeta, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Chirang, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Charaideo.

There was no report of any fresh casualty and the death toll in the current wave of floods in the north eastern state stays at 86.

It was a hot and humid day in the national capital with the mercury settling at 36.9 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal.

The minimum temperature settled at 27.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, a Meteorological (MeT) Department official said.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said the monsoon is expected to be normal in August and September, in its forecast for the second half of the four-month rainfall season.

Mritunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, said the next two weeks are expected to bring good rainfall due to formation of a low pressure area in the north Bay of Bengal.

Light to heavy rains lashed several places in Himachal Pradesh, while a yellow weather warning for heavy rains has been issued in the state for this weekend.

Una received the highest 76 mm rainfall in the state, followed by Amb (30 mm), Sundernagar (24 mm), Mandi (20 mm), Bhuntar (15 mm), Manali (12 mm), Shimla (7 mm), Dalhousie and Kufri (1 mm each).

The highest temperature in the state was recorded at 29.6 degrees Celsius in Nahan, while the lowest temperature was 14 degrees Celsius in Keylong, the official said.

The Shimla MeT centre has forecast rains in the state till August 7, and issued a yellow warning for August 3 and 4.

Downpour in parts of Kashmir brought down the temperature in the Valley, even as rain caused waterlogging in many regions.

Light rainfall started in the city around 7:30 am. The downpour got heavier as the day progressed, leading to waterlogging of roads in many areas of the city, including the commercial hub of Lal Chowk, officials added.

Breathless Bihar | India Today Insight

Source: indiatoday.in

Every morning, many of Patna’s school kids can be seen wearing a plastic mask as they board their school buses. By mid-morning, Bihar’s capital resembles a city in camouflage with thousands of motorcyclists riding around with colourful masks strapped to their faces.

“My eyes burn, throat itches and chest heaves. I feel breathless more often than not,” says beauty care professional Radha Paswan, 28. She leaves home at 9 am to be at her workplace by 10. “I rush to switch on the air-conditioner the moment I reach my workplace. It still takes a few minutes for me to start breathing normally,” she says.

Radha, however, is not alone in her sufferings. Bihar is increasingly getting breathless. The latest Bihar Economic Survey for 2018-19 confirms that Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) accounts for 36.2% of total patients who visited hospitals last year.

No wonder, ARI is the most prevalent disease in Bihar. The Economic Survey, incidentally, is an exhaustive document annually released by the state finance department to map overall performance of various departments.

In terms of numbers, as many as 1.28 million ARI patients were registered in Bihar last year, which was 11% more than the number of patients suffering from fever of unknown origin, No. 2 in the pecking order of main diseases in Bihar.

The body’s respiratory system includes the nose, sinuses, mouth, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), windpipe (trachea), and lungs. Upper respiratory infections affect the parts of the respiratory tract that are higher on the body, including the nose, sinuses, and throat, while lower respiratory infections affect the airways and lungs.

“Types of upper respiratory infection include the common cold (head cold), flu, tonsillitis, laryngitis and sinus infection. It is the lower respiratory infections, though, which can be worrisome,” says Dr Ajay Kumar, vice president of Indian Medical Association, Bihar. “It can be caused by bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), severe flu, or tuberculosis. Lower respiratory infection symptoms include a severe cough that may produce mucus (phlegm), shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing when exhaling. Clearly, even minor respiratory issues can be debilitating for a person’s immune system and can lead to complications, if it is allowed to persist.”

“There are multiple reasons for the respiratory issues: pollution from vehicles, garbage burning, road and construction dust, followed by brick kilns they all contribute to it,” he adds.

A comparative study of the figures point towards a very disturbing trend. The number of ARI patients in Bihar has gone up from 690,000 in 2016-17 to 1.28 million in 2017-18, an increase of 290,000 respiratory patients in just one year. “What is, however, more worrisome is the fact that ARI has been at the top of the table of Bihar’s main diseases year after year. We need to do a deeper study to understand the cause and eliminate it,” says a senior health department official.

Dr Ragini Mishra, surveillance officer at the Bihar Health Society, a state government body, explains that ARI numbers have always been high because it also includes cases of common cold. The State Health Society, however, will soon collect a database of patients suffering from pulmonary and other respiratory disorders. Once done, this will be compared to the air quality index to establish what could have caused the disease.

A deeper scrutiny of the figure of ARI patients in Bihar, however, suggests that the usual suspect, air pollution by vehicular traffic, is not the only culprit. In fact, an assessment of patients has confirmed that districts with fewer vehicles have higher number of patients suffering from respiratory illness.

For instance, the district of Vaishali, which annually registers not even 25% of the number of vehicles registered in Patna, reports four times more respiratory cases than those registered in the capital.

Incidentally, of the 1,283,860 patients of Acute Respiratory infection reported in the state last year, Vaishali alone accounted for 126,104 cases. Siwan (94,013), Jamui (90,885), Khgaria (80,212), Purnea (65,254) and Bhojpur (65,027) are the other districts where respiratory illness cases have touched alarming numbers. On the other hand, Patna, said to be the most polluted city with maximum population density in Bihar, had just 20,083 cases of respiratory illness reported last year.

Vaishali, however, does have a higher population share per sq.km. Vaishali is No. 4 in most densely populated districts in the state, with 1,717 persons per sq.km as against the state’s average of 1,106.

“The cause of these alarming numbers, however, is not just the dreaded pollution caused by vehicle fumes,” says Dr Ajay Kumar, vice-president of the Indian Medical Association in Bihar.

“The toxic air that we breathe is the new tobacco. Add to this the unhygienic conditions in Bihar’s rural outback, prevalence of dust and lack of awareness and you have a recipe for disaster,” Dr Kumar adds.

Incidentally, toxic air is already a global menace killing seven million people each year, according to last year’s United Nations Environment Programme report. A majority of these deaths have been reported from the Asia-Pacific region.

Muzaffarpur-based senior pediatrician Dr Arun Shah told India Today that high population density, increasing urban slums and poor sensitivity to health awareness are the major reasons for respiratory diseases. “Remember, viral infection spreads like wildfire. Proactive prevention and timely treatment are just a few ways to win over respiratory illness,” he says.

There are grave threats. Long-term exposure to lung irritants and toxins in the air can cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which, according to University of Washington’s Global Burden of Disease study, 2018, was the second highest cause of deaths in India after heart disease in 2017, killing almost 1 million (958,000 to be exact) Indians that year.

COPD inflames airways in the lungs and destroys the air sacs which extract oxygen from the air and expel waste, including carbon dioxide. Patients often cough, wheeze and are short of breath.

In the developed world, a majority of COPD cases are caused by smoking tobacco, but in the developing world, including India, most COPD cases are caused by exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution, particularly burning biomass, from wood to cow dung.

This could well be the case in Bihar too where a village woman cooks over a dung-fuelled chulha for several hours a day. She could be more exposed to hazardous pollutants than an office worker in Patna.

“The top priority should be to reduce household air pollution from cooking with biomass because the proximity to stove smoke, especially for women and children, makes it most harmful,” says Dr Shah.

But in Bihar’s outback, home to the poor population, people seem less inclined to change their way of life. Chewing tobacco is one of the habits which many in Bihar are unwilling to shun. Researchers have linked smokeless tobacco products also to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Tobacco users are more likely to suffer from wheezing and night-time chest tightness, chronic bronchitis and chronic nose and sinus problems. Time for Bihar to take note.

Cops called for Congress clash in Ranchi

Source: telegraphindia.com

Congress factions resorted to an ugly clash in front of the party office on Thursday afternoon, forcing police to use force and detain a few leaders, indicating a growing belligerence among party men eager to ascribe blame for the poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections.

State party chief Ajoy Kumar, who arrived at the state party headquarters on Shradhanand road moments after the police managed to control the situation, addressed a gathering of loyalists and blamed a set of senior leaders for trying to “break the party”.

He did not mention names, but made it amply clear he was referring to former minister and Ranchi MP Subodh Kant Sahay, former state party chief Pradep K Balmuchu, former MPs Rameshwar Oraon and Furkan Ansari, all of whom have joined hands against him.

The Congress contested seven of 14 Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the JMM, JVM and RJD but could win only one.

By the end of the day, a senior Congress leader revealed that the party’s central leadership, already grappling with a leadership crisis, summoned all senior leaders of the state for a meeting in Delhi on August 3.

The leader also said that Jharkhand Congress minder R.P.N Singh called him from Delhi in the afternoon to find out what had happened.

The clash had its genesis in Wednesday night’s expulsion of former president of Ranchi district unit Surendra Kumar Singh and former state spokesperson Rakesh Sinha on disciplinary grounds for a period of six years.

Both leaders, considered to be Sahay loyalists, decided to hold a press conference at the party office at 2pm on Thursday. But around 50 supporters of the state party chief gathered at the party office early on with a plan to thwart the press conference.

At 1.45pm, both the expelled leaders, along with 250 of their supporters, arrived at the party office. They were jeered and pushed back by Kumar’s supporters, saying expelled leaders weren’t allowed to use the party office.

A clash ensued. Stones and missiles were hurled freely. Police, who seemed to have been informed earlier, were on standby with officer in-charge of Kotwali police station S.N. Mandal deploying as many as 22 personnel.

“Police used mild force to disperse the crowd. One photojournalist was hit by stone and injured. Surendra Kumar Singh and Sinha were kept under preventing arrest for around two hours after which they were released. No FIR has been lodged,” Mandal said.

Before they were taken into custody, Surendra Kumar Singh and Sinha addressed the media, calling Kumar “incompetent and arrogant” for wanting to run the party like a “dictator”.

“Kumar will be remembered as the worst (state) president of the party. The downfall of the Congress in Jharkhand and expulsion of committed party leaders and workers are some of his notable achievements. He has set a record of expelling over 100 leaders and workers during his tenure. We have lost committed workers like Ajay Rai and Sunil Singh, whom he has expelled,” said Sinha.

Three days earlier, Kumar had expelled Sudhir Singh, Yogendra Singh Beni, Ashutosh Nath Pathak, Manish Kumar Singh, Tinku Verma and Krishna Verma after they burnt his effigy and shouted slogans against him.

In May, Kumar expelled a dozen leaders and workers of the Hazaribagh district unit. Several others were expelled from Ramgarh, Giridih and other district units.

“Our expulsion is blatant violation of the party constitution. As per rules, a showcause notice has to be issued, and a reply has to be given within two weeks. An expulsion is subject to approval of the working committee. In our case, no procedure was followed,” Surendra Kumar Singh alleged.

In his address to party men, Kumar, who was accorded a welcome with garlands, thanked his supporters and went on fire a volley of accusations against senior leaders. Kumar said that like others, he too was sad over the performance of the party in the Lok Sabha elections.

“We won one seat and lost two others with a narrow margin. This is not a battle for posts and power. There are some people who want to take control over the ticket distribution exercise for Assembly elections. They want to grab the entire party. I have dedicated my life to serve the people of Jharkhand. As a police officer, I was wounded by the bullet fired by criminals. What kind of language they have been using? I too can collect 50 men at a time,” he said.

Kumar said there were leaders who wanted tickets for themselves and their children.

“Those who were defeated in the parliamentary election will not take responsibility of their defeat. For the coming Assembly elections, tickets will be given to new faces, the young and the energetic,” he said.

Congress Lohardaga MLA Sukhdeo Bhagat said the party had become a laughing stock in the state. “Jab nash manuj par chhata hai pahle vivek mar jata hai. (When the end is near, wisdom dies first),” he said.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna Beneficiaries in Ranchi Rechristen Diyadih Village as ‘Modi Tola’

Source: news18.com

Impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship programme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), about 40 beneficiary families have renamed their Diyadih village as ‘Modi tola’ at Icchagarh block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district-105 km south of Ranchi.

According to The Pioneer, Diyadih village is one out of 116 odd villages where around 20,000 people were left homeless due to construction of Chandil Dam of Subarnarekha multipurpose project.

The homeless people displaced from their original habitant were bereft of their houses and agriculture land. However, a few months ago, 40 families of Diyadih village were provided houses under PM Awas Yojana by the Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

Under PM Awas Yojna, each unit of house has two rooms, verandah, kitchen and a toilet.

“Diyadih village is one of displaced village of Subarnarekha multipurpose project. As the government has constructed 40 units of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, the villagers impressed with the project and expressing their gratitude towards Modijee have renamed the village as Modi Tola,” Vimal Mahto, one of the beneficiaries of PMAY was quoted saying by The Pioneer.

A farmer by profession, Mahto further said they were displaced from their houses around four decades back, many governments visited them but they cared little about their interest. “Few months back that we receive houses PM Awas and the onus goes to PM,” Mahto said.

However, residents of Diyadih village are deprived of infrastructure facilities in the village as they are yet to see power connection at the time when the Jharkhand government is claiming of 100 percent power connection in rural areas.

To fasten Centre and State Government’s development schemes, BJP MLA from Icchagar, Sadhu Charan Mahto recently visited the village and assessed the development projects there. The MLA has promised villagers to provide drinking water through deep boring.

“Work on connecting the village with power map is going on war footing pace with the village going to witness power connection within a month. I have also ensured villagers that a rural road will be constructed in their village,” The Pioneer quoted the BJP MLA saying.

Though the villagers have received houses under PM Awas Scheme, the displaced families are yet to get the promised compensation.

The State Government had approved proposal for construction of 1.60 lakh houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, of which 48,000 houses has been completed. At the same time construction work of 43,822 is underway at war footing pace.

The PM Awas Yojana was introduced in June 2015 is an interest subsidy scheme for purchase/construction/extension/improvement of house to cater economically poor section of society.

Crop failed due to lack of rain, Jharkhand farmer hangs self

Source: indianexpress.com

“Depressed” over his worsening financial condition, a 50-year-old farmer allegedly hanged himself at his home in Dhadhauli village, in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, on Monday night, it emerged on Wednesday.

Family members said Shiva Khariya had sown paddy but it failed due to lack of rain, which deteriorated his “mental condition”.

Deputy Commissioner Gumla Shashi Ranjan, however, said stress may not be the only reason behind the suicide. “He was also an alcoholic, and over the last few days had fever. He did not eat anything.”

Khariya’s family was a beneficiary of the LPG connection under the Central government’s Ujjwala scheme, Ranjan added.

This came days after a farmer from Ranchi district allegedly killed himself, with his family claiming that the government authorities did not clear dues for building materials for a well dug on his land under the Mahatma National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Khariya’s wife Mangri Devi said he had mortgaged land for their son and daughter’s weddings. She said: “Farming is limited to the three-four months during the monsoon; there is no water the rest of the year. Over the years, we survived on free ration and some rice and urad dal produced on our farm. Our sons go out for work, but the money they send home is not sufficient.”

Land records show Khariya owned 13 acres of land; the family said half of that had been “mortgaged”.

Khariya’s son Birsa, 25, said his father did not eat the rice and starch cooked at home on Monday night and went to sleep. “We found his body, hanging, the next day,” he said.

The family has an MNREGA job card but has not taken any job for the last five years, with family members claiming that the low wages and a bigger payment cycles dissuade them.

Village head Sushila Soren said most people in all three villages under Kasira panchayat are farmers but people temporarily leave for other areas in search of jobs after the monsoon. “Under MGNREGA, payment cycles have been absurdly delayed by more than 45-60 days. Even when money comes, there there is misdirection of wages and people do not get it. This has led to a belief that there will be no payment under MGNREGA,” Soren said.

Panchayat secretary Ravindra Kashyap said farmers who had availed schemes such as well construction in 2017-18 have not received material payments yet.

But maintaining that MGNREGA payment error in Gumla is “less than 1 per cent”, the DC, Ranjan, said, “There are some problems regarding material payments, but the dues are cleared periodically.”

BJP Demands Name Change Of Bihar Railway Station To Nalanda Or Rajgir

Source: ndtv.com

NEW DELHI: 

A BJP member today made a demand in Rajya Sabha to name the Bakhtiyarpur Railway Station in Bihar after famous Buddhist tourist spots, saying it was a matter of concern that oppressor Bakhtiyar Khalji who destroyed Nalanda University was still being glorified.

Gopal Narayan Singh (BJP) demanded that Railways immediately change the name of Bakhtiyarpur Railway Station to Nalanda or Rajgir, saying Khalji had destroyed the world-famed Nalanda University and killed 2,000 to 3,000 Buddhist monks.

He said the magnitude of destruction could be gauged from the fact that books of the university kept burning for two to three years.

He said burnt books are still being recovered in fresh excavations in 6 km area around the university and the government should immediately remove the name of the oppressor from all such places.

Raising another issue, Prashant Nanda (BJD) demanded a masterplan for conservation and protection of world famous Konark Temple in Odihsa, a UNESCO heritage site.

Samir Oraon (BJP) raised the issue of neglect of tribals even after over 70 years of Independence and demanded that a separate autonomous university for tribals be set up in Jharkhand.

Ranchi doctors protest ‘quack’ bill

Source: telegraphindia.com

Outdoor patients in the capital suffered on Wednesday as OPD services at private and government hospitals stayed suspended due to the doctors’ nationwide strike against the National Medical Commission Bill 2019 passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, which doctors claim will legitimise quacks in the country.

The 24-hour national protest, called by the apex body representing the country’s medical fraternity Indian Medical Association, started from 6am on Wednesday with the withdrawal of non-essential services. Emergency, trauma, ICU and related services were outside the ambit of the strike.

In Ranchi, as well as elsewhere in the country, poor patients seeking OPD services at government hospitals faced the brunt of the strike.

At the state’s largest government-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, nearly 200 poor patients, many from outside Ranchi and districts of Jharkhand, had come on Wednesday. They did not know anything about the strike. On an average, over 500 people come to RIMS OPD every day.

Amar Nath Dubey, 62, who came from Baijnathpur in Deoghar to get his post-surgical check-up, said the strike was a big financial blow. “I met with an accident on February 7 and had a surgery at RIMS the same month. My doctor called me a month ago and again today (Wednesday) to the OPD for post-surgical check-up. I’ve come spending Rs 16,000 on a private vehicle as I am in no position to take buses or trains, but the OPD is closed. It means I have to stay in Ranchi, an added expense,” Dubey said.

Four-year-old TB patient Arvind from Chandankyari in Bokaro, who came for a consult at RIMS with his grandparents, slept outside the OPD, as the elderly couple worried about where to stay the night.

At Sadar Hospital, poor people from across the capital and nearby localities who turned up for free treatment at the OPD, had to leave. “I am suffering from toothache,” said Salia Khatoon, who came from Brambe to Sadar Hospital. “I was asked to come tomorrow (Thursday).” Usha Devi from Hatma, who came for a pregnancy-related test, said the same. Seven-year-old deaf-mute Raja from Dhanbad came with his grandparents to obtain a disability certificate. His grandfather, mason Ramchandra Sah rued he did not know about Wednesday’s strike.

District civil surgeon Dr Vijay Bihari Singh said outdoor patients at Sadar Hospital needing immediate attention were treated at the emergency ward that was open.

RIMS director Dr D.K. Singh did not reply to calls. President of RIMS Junior Doctors’ Association Dr Ajit Kumar said they were compelled to strike work to “save medical science.” Through the National Medical Commission Bill, the central government is taking a step that will transfer medical science in the hands of those who have not studied medical science. The new system will promote quacks. This will affect the poor the most,” Dr Kumar said. “However, all emergency services were exempt from the strike.”

On its website, the IMA has alleged that “Section 32 of the NMC Bill provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non medical persons to practise modern medicine”.

It claimed the new bill vaguely defined the term “community health provider”, thereby allowing persons without medical training to practise and prescribe independently. If the bill comes in force, the quality of healthcare services will fall drastically, the doctors fear, calling the bill “draconian”, “anti-people”, “anti-poor” and “anti-students”.

OPD open

Dhanbad: OPD services largely stayed open at state-run Patliputra Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. IMA state president, Dr A.K. Singh said they were “totally against the National Medical Commission Bill” but decided to let OPD services function to help the poor.