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india News
mann calls for immediate transfer of chandigarh to Punjab, says centre must Honour Principles of federalism
tHE Bhagwant Mannled government moved a resolution in the one-day Punjab assembly session on Friday, seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, requesting the Centre to honour the principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution.
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It further said that the Centre should not take any step, which may disturb the balance in the Chandigarh administration and other common assets such as the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Punjab was reorganised through the Punjab Reorganisation Act,1966, wherein, the State of Punjab was reorganised into State of Haryana, Union Territory of Chandigarh, and some parts of Punjab were given to then Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh.
Since then, a balance has been maintained in the administration of common assets like BBMB, by way of giving management positions in some proportion to the nominees of the State of Punjab and State of Haryana, Mann said.
The resolution further stated that through many of its recent actions, the Central government has been trying to upset the balance. Most recently, the Centre had advertised the BBMB posts for all states and Central government, however, the jobs are traditionally filled up by the officers from Punjab.
Similarly, the Chandigarh administration has always been managed by the officers of Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40. However, recently, the Central government had posted outside officers to Chandigarh, and had introduced the Central Civil Service Rules for the employees of the Chandigarh administration, which goes against the understanding in the past, the resolution stated.
“Chandigarh city was created as the capital of Punjab. In all past precedents, whenever, a state has been divided, the capital remains with the parent state. Punjab, therefore, has been laying its claim for a complete transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. In the past, this house has passed a number of resolutions urging the Central government to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab. For maintaining harmony and taking the sentiments of people into account, this House once again recommends to the State government to raise the matter with the Central government to immediately transfer Chandigarh to Punjab,” he said.
954 mP govt staff with more than 2 kids served notices
tHE action has been taken as per a circular of the General Administration Department issued in 2000, district education officer Atul Mudgal explained.
A show-cause notice has been issued to 954 employees of the school education department in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh for violating a service rule that bars them from having more than two children, district education officer Atul Mudgal said on Saturday.
“According to a circular of General Administration Department issued in 2000, if any employee has a third child born after January 26, 2001, then that employee will not be eligible to continue in the government job. Every appointment letter postJanuary 26, 2001, specified the rule,” he said.
While some of the teachers stated that they were unaware of the rule, others said action should be taken against only those whose appointment letters mentioned the rule.
The notice was served a month ago after the department sought information on the number of employees who have more than two children.
A senior officer of the state’s school education department, who didn’t want to be named, said, “The school education department sought information regarding employees who have more than two children and a third child born after January 26, 2001. The information was sought based on the question of an MLA during the budget session. However, many districts are still gathering the information.”
Mudgal said he had received information that 954 employees and teachers in his district have more than two children. “After gathering information, I served showcause notices to all of them. As many as 154 employees replied, while others are yet to. In the reply, teachers are giving unsatisfactory explanations stating they were unaware of the rule. I will send their replies to the state government to take action,” he added.
“A showcase notice was issued to us. We’ve intimated to the authorities that there’s no mention of the rule in our appointment letter. We’re scared and paranoid. Action should be taken only against those whose appointment letter had the rule mentioned in it,” said Mohan Singh Kushwaha, one of the teachers who got the notice.
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Patient bitten by rodents at hospital dies in telangana
KADArlA srinivas, who had been admitted to the respiratory intensive Care unit (riCu) of the MGM with serious lung, kidney and liver ailments on March 26, was shifted to the NiMs Hyderabad on Friday morning as his condition deteriorated.
A 42-year-old patient, who was reportedly bitten by rodents while undergoing treatment in the staterun Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) hospital in Telangana’s Warangal district six days ago, died at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad around midnight on Friday, doctors said.
Kadarla Srinivas, who had been admitted to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) of the MGM with serious lung, kidney and liver ailments on March 26, was shifted to the NIMS Hyderabad on Friday morning as his condition deteriorated.
“He had been in a comatose state when he was brought to the NIMS and his condition was critical. He breathed his last around midnight on Friday,” a senior doctor at the NIMS said.
Srinivas, a goldsmith from Bhimaram village on the outskirts of Hanamkonda town, had been in the news when the local media reported about rodents nibbling his fingers and toes when he was lying in an unconscious state on the hospital bed in the RICU ward at the MGM.
His younger brother Srikanth, who visited him on March 27, found the patient bleeding from his feet and fingers and rats were moving around the bed. “I immediately brought it to the notice of the hospital staff, who applied a bandage to the injured parts. They tried to hush up the incident saying my brother was in critical condition,” Srinivas told the reporters on Thursday.
On March 31 morning when Srikanth went to the RICU to see his brother, he found the rats on the bed and his fingers were bleeding.
Immediately, Srikanth informed his relatives, who staged a dharna in the hospital demanding action against the negligent staff.
When the local media questioned MGM Hospital superintendent, Dr B Srinivasa Rao, he admitted that there was a menace of rodents in the RICU block, and assured that steps would be taken to get rid of the rodents.
Warangal district Additional Collector K Sreevatsa visited the hospital on Thursday and pulled up the hospital staff. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed that such incidents should not recur.
On the same day, state health minister T Harish Rao ordered the transfer of the MGM hospital superintendent and suspended two other doctors, “holding them responsible for the incident”.
Later, the government directed that Srinivas be shifted to NIMS in Hyderabad for better treatment on Friday.
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arunachal: two injured in Army firing; Naga outfit demands repeal of afspa
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ACCOrDiNG to local accounts, the two were returning from a nearby river after fishing when army personnel opened fire. The army said that it was a case of “mistaken identity”.
Two civilians were injured in a case of “mistaken” firing by the Indian Army in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, the state police said on Sunday, adding that a case has been registered in the matter.
The alleged firing was reported from Chasa village in Tirap district on Friday evening.
Chukhu Apa, Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Arunachal Pradesh said that a case has been registered in connection with that incident. “We have received FIR from the victim’s families and a case has been registered,” the IGP said.
The injured civilians were identified as Nokphua Wangpan and Ramwang Wangsu. According to local accounts, the two were returning from a nearby river after fishing when army personnel had allegedly fired upon them.
The duo was rushed to the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for treatment.
The Naga Students’ Federation condemned the incident and sought strict punishment for the guilty besides complete removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (Afspa) from all Nagainhabited areas in the Northeast.
The apex Naga students’ body in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, in a statement, said it “outrightly rejected the Centre’s ploy to please certain sections of Northeast” by removing Afspa from some pockets, while keeping it imposed in a majority of Nagainhabited areas in the region.
“Such acts of the armed forces trampling upon the dignity, existence, freedom and happiness of the Naga people without any remorse under the protection of Afspa cannot be accepted by the Federation in particular and the Naga people in general,” the outfit said.
The Army said that it was a case of “mistaken identity”.
The Centre had on Thursday announced a reduction in the number of “disturbed areas” under the purview of the contentious law in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur with effect from April 1.
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