On Monday (June 7), the Labour and Employment Department of the Ladakh administration has announced that all jobs would be reserved for the locals in the Union Territory.
As per reports, the local administration has enacted the Union Territory of Ladakh Employment (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules 2021, reserving 100% jobs for local people in Ladakh.
In a tweet by the Department of Information and Public Relations Leh, it said, “UT #Ladakh has formulated the Union Territory of Ladakh Employment (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules 2021. Jobs would be reserved exclusively for locals.” The rules were formulated by Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur as promulgated by S.O 282(E) dated 21.01.2020. It would come into force from the date of the release of the Official Gazette.
Clause 11 of the notification read, “No person shall be qualified for appointment to the service unless the person is a resident of Union Territory of Ladakh.” Besides, the new notification emphasised that those already appointed for a post in the Jammu and Kashmir Employment (Subordinate) Service cadre, as per Section 89(2) of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, will be deemed as appointed since the constitution of the Service. reportedly, this has been a long-standing demand of the people of Ladakh.
While speaking about the matter, Feroz Ahmed Khan said, “It was our demand since the bifurcation of J&K almost two years ago. It’s a welcome move…At present, the state land of the UT comes under twin elected councils, Leh and Kargil. However, private land does not have any protection.”
He added that the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil would (LAHDC) also demand relaxation in the upper age limit in new recruitments and the framing of rules for local governance. Khan is the Chief Executive Councilor of LAHDC.
Abrogation of Article 370, creation of separate Ladakh UT
In the manifesto, BJP had promised to repeal Article 370 from the state of Jammu and Kashmir that gave it special status. On 5th August 2019, the BJP-led Union government fulfilled the promise. The state was divided into two Union Territories, Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir, under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. The decision came into effect on 31st October 2019.
The Uttar Pradesh government has released an order to seal Paras Hospital in Agra after an old video of the proprietor admitting to having snapped the oxygen supply to critical patients on the 26th of April went viral on social media. However, in a latest interview to news agency ANI, Dr Arinjay Jain owner of the Paras Hospital has refuted all claims.
Reports had suggested that 22 patients had lost their lives due to a ‘mock drill’ conducted by the hospital to ascertain which patient is in actual need of oxygen. The hospital authorities, however, suggest that the news of deaths are baseless.
“There was mock drill. We conducted a clinical assessment to check how we can maintain a patient at minimum level of oxygen. News of 22 deaths are baseless,” informed Dr Arinjay Jain.
#WATCH | Dr Arinjay Jain, owner of Agra’s Paras Hospital, who is in centre of a controversy over a viral video, says, “There was mock drill. We conducted a clinical assessment to check how we can maintain a patient at minimum level of oxygen. News of 22 deaths are baseless”. pic.twitter.com/8UZNBiwVzQ
In the video tweeted by Livehindustan on May 7, the owner of Paras Hospital could be heard telling some people that the drill was conducted because of an acute shortage of oxygen and the patients’ family members were not ready to discharge their patients despite multiple requests.
Prabhu N Singh the DM of Agra city informed that the hospital faced no shortage of oxygen on April 28, the day the viral video was shot.
“Agra is a small city. There would an outcry if 22 patients die at a hospital. No patients died due to oxygen shortage that day,” informed DM on the Paras Hospital matter.
In the video, he said there was no oxygen production at Modinagar plant, which is not true. He has been booked under epidemic act & Section 188 of IPC because such talks create fear among public. The hospital will be sealed after moving hospital patients: Agra DM Prabhu N Singh
“In the video, he said there was no oxygen production at Modinagar plant, which is not true. He has been booked under epidemic act & Section 188 of IPC because such talks create fear among public,” Singh added.
Patients being admitted to other hospitals
According to reports, all the 55 patients currently being treated at the Paras Hospital have been asked to shift to another hospital. Once the process is over, the hospital will be sealed by the authorities.
Families of patients struggle to shift patients
An attendant of a patient admitted to Paras Hospital informed, “Our patient was admitted in Hospital’s ICU 2 days ago. He’s on oxygen support. Hospital administration has handed over patient’s file & asked to take the patient to another hospital.” She said she does not know where to take the patient now.
Our patient was admitted here 15 days ago & there’s no improvement in the condition. We have been asked to sign the patient’s discharge document in order to recieved the file. We don’t know where to take patient: Lal Kumar Chouhan, Attendant of a patient at Paras Hospital (08.06) pic.twitter.com/WSLGzDTMxq
Lal Kumar Chouhan whose patient was admitted to the hospital 15 days ago revealed that there was no improvement in the patient’s condition and now they have been asked to admit the patient elsewhere.
“My father had a surgery yesterday & he’s yet to be healed. In this critical condition, where do I take him? I urge the administration to give us some time,” informed another attendant.
Agra | My father had a surgery yesterday & he’s yet to be healed. In this critical condition, where do I take him? I urge the administration to give us some time: Attendant of a patient at Paras Hospital (08.06) pic.twitter.com/9tXf2QDSpp
State authorities assured action against Paras Hospital if video is confirmed to be genuine
When asked, the chief medical officer of the Agra district, Dr RC Pandey, had said that they have taken cognisance of the video and a committee has been constituted to investigate the issue.
UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh had also confirmed receiving the complaint and had assured that the state administration would look into the video and take necessary action against the hospital if the video is confirmed to be genuine.
80-year-old Kanta Prasad, popularly known as Baba from ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ food stall, has shut down his restaurant and is now back to running his food stall. However, he says that he is happy to do so.
Last year, everyone witnessed how a humble 80-year-old Kanta Prasad of ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ made a fresh beginning after people from all over Delhi came out in huge number to provided help and support to the octogenarian roadside shanty owner. Few months later, he started his own restaurant in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, where he served Indian and Chinese cuisines.
Recently, when word of him quitting his restaurant and returning to his old roadside eatery in Delhi started circulating, numerous media outlets reported that Kanta Prasad had lost all his money on the endeavour and was back to square one.
Report by Times Now published on May 8
Hindustan Times report published on May 8
However, when OpIndia got in touch with Kanta Prasad, he confirmed that he still has a significant sum of money raised by the public intact with him. He claims that he was able to get over his over financial woes due to the help and support he received from the people of Delhi.
Kanta Prasad speaks to OpIndia
He further adds that it is because of the love and support of the public and the financial help that came through, he has been able to build a house for himself and is being able to run his roadside eatery successfully.
“My financial condition is still very stable. The money I received from the public is safe with me. More than my children, I am aware that the donation I got would safeguard my future. I have kept it safely, remarked Kanta Prasad.
Putting to rest rumours that his new business shut due to the lack of funds, Prasad said that he shut it not because he was out of funds but because the per-day cost he was incurring to run that restaurant was far more than what that venture was paying back to him.
“My operating expenses were Rs 1 lakh per month, and I was getting back not more than Rs 1000/1500 per day. So I decided to shut it”, said Kanta Prasad furthering that he has come back to operate his old roadside eatery because he likes to work, not because he is out of funds, as many media houses have claimed.
When asked about the adverse impact the Covid lockdown has had on his business, he said that because of the immense love and support of the public, his dhaba is doing very well. Despite the covid restrictions being in place, he said he has been getting regular customers at his dhaba and there are no financial problems he is facing as such.
Baba Ka Dhaba gained internet popularity last year after a food vlogger Gaurav Wasan posted a video where he was seen crying over financial woes amid lockdown that was imposed to curb Chinese coronavirus. After his video went viral, support and love poured in from all over Delhi and people flocked his little ‘dhaba’ where he served ‘matar paneer’ and rotis.
A day after PM Modi slammed state governments for their bungled handling of COVID-19 vaccination and took control of their procurement and distribution, the son-in-law of the Gandhi family, Robert Vadra, came up with a ludicrous argument to oppose the move. However, in doing so, he ended up promoting vaccine hesitancy and stoking fears about taking vaccines.
“People don’t know which centre is giving free vaccines. If you are saying that there are free vaccines available, why are you allowing 25% of private hospitals to charge a certain amount? People have no knowledge about vaccine and its complications,” a tweet posted by ANI quoted Robert Vadra as saying.
People don’t know which centre is giving free vaccines. If you are saying that there are free vaccines available, why are you allowing 25% private hospitals to charge certain amount? People have no knowledge about vaccine and its complications: Robert Vadra pic.twitter.com/Yu6VPObKr3
Earlier yesterday, Rahul Gandhi had posted a mindless tweet to criticise the centre’s new vaccine policy after PM Modi announced yesterday that the centre would buy 75 per cent of the total production of the vaccine producers and provide to the states free of cost, and 25 per cent vaccination that was with states would now be undertaken by the Centre. He also said that the system of 25 per cent vaccines being procured directly by the private hospitals will continue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “One simple question – If vaccines are free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them.”
It appears that members of the Gandhi family have decided in advance that they are going to oppose PM Modi, even if their opposition makes no sense at all and could potentially result in promoting vaccine hesitancy. Vadra says people don’t know which centres are giving free vaccine. However, it appears that it is not the people but Vadra himself who is confused about India’s vaccination programme. A cursory glance at India’s CoWin platform would have made him understand where to look for free or paid vaccines.
Here’s how the webpage of the CoWin platform looks like after the user signs in.
Source: https://www.cowin.gov.in/home
The user can register himself/herself and search for vaccination centres through either PIN Code or by the district. Once necessary details are typed in, the portal throws up a list of vaccination centres in the area mentioned. The list can be filtered with the help of various such options such as vaccination group, different vaccines available and paid/free options.
If a user wants to opt for a free vaccine, he/she can choose the “free” option in the list. And for those who want to have paid vaccination, they can select “Paid” and search for hospital centres that are providing paid vaccines in the selected area.
Instead of blurting out inanities on vaccines, Mr Vadra should sign up on the CoWin platform like millions of lesser mortals with no ‘Gandhi tag’ are doing to book their vaccine slots. Additionally, the information about free and paid vaccines, along with different types of vaccines available in India could also be received at nearby community health centres.
Another problematic statement made by Mr Vadra was regarding the private hospitals being allowed to charge for vaccines. In fact, the question asked by Mr Vadra was patently wrong. He asked why the centre is allowing 25 per cent of private hospitals to charge for the vaccines. But this is not the case. The centre is not allowing 25 per cent of the private hospitals to charge for vaccines. They have allowed 25 per cent of the vaccine developed by the manufacturers to be sold to private hospitals, who could then charge for the vaccines, with an upper cap of service charge fixed at Rs 150 per dose.
Giving the benefit of doubt to Mr Vadra, it could be assumed that he was asking the same question which was asked by Rahul Gandhi yesterday. It is worth noting that their objections to private hospitals being allowed to charge charging for vaccines is profoundly misplaced. Mr Gandhi and Mr Vadra here forget that vaccines administered by private hospitals will be bought by the hospital managements from the suppliers/ manufacturers directly and not from the central government. Citizens who do not want to get a free jab at government centres can happily visit private hospitals to get paid vaccination.
Besides, big corporate organisations, private companies, housing societies, and other entities, who are planning to get their employees/members vaccinated, could take advantage of the services rendered by these private hospitals and get them to set up vaccination camps inside their respective premises to expedite the vaccination. This would be done at the comfort of the organisations, societies and private firms, who are ready to pay for convenience.
However, for the Gandhi family members, who are pioneers of freebie politics in the country, allowing private companies to charge for vaccines in lieu of offering services would be beyond their grasp.
Furthermore, Vadra also promoted vaccine hesitancy by alleging that people are still “unaware” of the vaccines and the “complications” arising out of them. For weeks, doctors, scientists, infectious disease experts across the world are repeating it ad nauseam that the only way of defeating the coronavirus is through vaccination. Yet, Mr Vadra sought to fuel doubts regarding vaccines by raising aspersions on them.
Already, India’s vaccination drive is facing roadblocks due to the widespread vaccine hesitancy, especially prevalent in rural India. Therefore, when members of the Nehru-Gandhi family make remarks that encourage vaccine hesitancy, it only adds to the already existing chaos. Perhaps this is what they actually want so that India’s vaccination drive is derailed, and they can lay the blame for it on their bete noire— PM Modi.
The Congress Minority Department took to Twitter on Tuesday to express its elation at being followed back by none other than its party senior leader Rahul Gandhi. The tweet in Hindi roughly translates to: “It is a matter of pride for the entire Minority Department that today our Twitter handle got a follow back from @RahulGandhi. Now the department will be directly under the supervision of Rahul Gandhi ji and this will make the office-bearers more responsible”.
पूरे माइनॉरिटी डिपार्टमेंट के लिये ये फ़ख़्र की बात है कि आज हमारे ट्विटर हैंडल को @RahulGandhi जी का फॉलो बैक मिला है । अब डिपार्टमेंट सीधे राहुल गॉंधी जी की निगरानी में रहेगा और पदाधिकारियों को अधिक ज़िम्मेदार बनायेगा ।
— Congress, Minority Department (@INCMinority) June 8, 2021
The Congress Minority Department was ecstatic when the Gandhi scion chose to follow their Twitter account. They posted a screenshot of Rahul Gandhi responding to them on Twitter, along with a note praising the former party president for his kindness.
No sooner did Rahul Gandhi decide to follow back the party’s minority department, than his sister and the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi also followed suit.
माइनॉरिटी डिपार्टमेंट के तमाम साथियों के लिये ये फ़ख़्र की बात है कि आदरणीया प्रियंका दीदी ने भी हमारे ट्विटर हैंडल को फॉलो बैक दिया है । अब आप साथियों की ज़िम्मेदारी और बढ़ जाती है शुक्रिया @priyankagandhi जी pic.twitter.com/QaVSpKZk2Z
— Congress, Minority Department (@INCMinority) June 8, 2021
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unfollowed about 63 people on Twitter
This decision to follow back his own party’s Minority Department’s Twitter handle comes a week after Rahul Gandhi decided to unfollow 63 accounts on Twitter.
Of these, at least two of them have been known for peddling Congress propaganda.
Pratik Sinha, co-founder of the propaganda website Alt News, was one of the accounts Gandhi unfollowed. The same portal recently came up with an unconvincing defense to give the Congress party a clean chit and extricate it from the toolkit debacle.
Though it’s unclear what went wrong for the Gandhi scion to discontinue following not only the co-founder of the portal that invariably ends up acting as an outpost of the Congress party, loyally peddling its agenda but also his other loyalists like senior journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt, his close aide Nikhil Alva, other staff members, as well as a slew of reporters covering the Congress, to name a few.
Sanjukta Basu explains Rahul Gandhi’s unfollow strategy on Twitter
While many Congress leaders had come up with an explanation that Gandhi’s Twitter account is being purged, resulting in many accounts being unfollowed, Congress mouthpiece National Herald Consulting Editor Sanjukta Basu came up with a timeless classic.
Despite being unfollowed by Rahul Gandhi herself, the towering intellectual of the Congress-left ecosystem didn’t see it as some kind of insult meted out to her. She instead went on to explain how this move was a part of a well planned strategy.
Meanwhile, Aaj Tak journalist Panini Anand explained how it does not matter who all Rahul Gandhi unfollows on Twitter, it is important he follows his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, the constitution of India and the ‘Idea of India’, in that order.
With temperatures soaring in the state of Rajasthan, a 5-year-old girl who had set out to go to another village on foot along with her grandmother lost her life due to dehydration in the Jalore district of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan: A 5-year-old girl died due to dehydration in Jalore district
The incident took place on Sunday in the Raniwara area. Her grandmother was found lying unconscious next to her. The elderly woman is in better condition now: Prakash Chandra Aggarwal, SDO, Raniwara pic.twitter.com/FsrQvQIf97
In a distressing incident on Sunday, a shepherd found an old lady and a girl child lying unconscious on the road and informed the village head immediately. By the time a team of police arrived, the 5-year-old girl had lost her life due to dehydration while the old lady was saved due to light rains.
Lost in the dunes
As per reports, Sukhidevi, a resident of Doongri village had set out on foot with her granddaughter on Sunday to meet her sister residing in another village. As the weather was cool she took the decision of walking to the village, however, lost her way in the sand dunes.
As the temperature began to soar in the afternoon, the lady, as well as the young girl, fell unconscious as they could find no source of water after covering a distance of just ten to twelve kilometers from the village.
The lady has been shifted to a hospital for treatment, whereas, the young girl’s body was handed over to her relatives after conducting a post-mortem.
BJP leader lashes out at Rajasthan govt
OpIndia reached out to Rajasthan BJP leader Vijay Singh Bainsla who lashed out at the Congress-led ruling government for misplaced priorities.
“The government needs to be more sensitive towards what is important and get their priorities right. If they are going to spend 300+ crores to make big buildings with 5-star facilities to house only the MLAs while the population of Rajasthan is dying because of thirst, there is a lack of correct priority and direction in the government,” said Bainsla.
This throws light on how the water crisis in the state of Rajasthan still prevails even a few kilometers away from a village.
Psychologist Dr Swapna Patker, who had filed a stalking case in Bombay HC against Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, has been taken to Bandra Police station by police without any written summons, her advocate Abha Singh has said. Singh also alleged that she was not provided with an FIR copy before cops took her to the police station.
The development was shared by a Twitter user named Varun Singh, who quoted Patker’s lawyer and shared screenshots of his chat with her to allege that Bandra police officials have taken Patker along with them. A few hours back, advocate Singh also took to Twitter to inform that she is rushing to the Bandra Police station after her client was taken into custody for filing a case of harassment against the leader of one of the parties ruling Maharashtra.
“Rushing to Bandra West Police Station. Swapna Patkar who had filed a stalking case in Bombay High Court bears the brunt.3 Cops including PI Padmakar Devre have come to her house and taken her to the police station without any written summons. Copy of FIR not given @supriyasule,” Singh tweeted.
Rushing to Bandra West Police Station. Swapna Patkar who had filed a stalking case in Bombay High Court bears the brunt.3 Cops including PI Padmakar Devre have come to her house and taken her to the police station without any written summons. Copy of FIR not given @supriya_sule
Dr Swapna Patker accuses Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut of 8 years of harassment, torture, vulgar video calls, character assassination and abuse
Earlier in April 2021, Dr Swapna Patker wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which she alleged that she is being harassed, tortured and abused by Shiv Sena MP and Editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut, since the past eight years.
Dr Swapna informed OpIndia that she used to write columns for Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece publication Saamna from 2009-2014 and also took care of some of Sanjay Raut’s Rajya Sabha work. However, when she decided to get back to her profession from her passion, Dr Swapna alleged that Sanjay Raut was not happy with her decision and started to heckle, harass and torture her.
Detailing her ordeal in a two-page letter to the Prime Minister which is pinned on her Twitter profile, Dr Swapna appealed for justice and security. Appealing that her matter be considered at the earliest, she said her complaints were ignored by the police, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and other officials of Maharashtra as the perpetrator has a stronghold in the political party. Dr Swapna claimed that she also met NCP leader Supriya Sule to narrate her ordeal, but that just made matters worse for her.
Dr Swapna in her letter stated that she had been attacked physically in 2013, multiple false cases have been filed against her, her family and friends have been tortured for the past eight years yet no action has been taken by the police department on any of her complaints. She alleged that her relatives were once called and assaulted on the third floor of Shiv Sena Bhavan.
The owner of Dream & Happiness Wellness Centre, Dr Swapna also alleged that Raut had made multiple attempts to malign her character, defame her and wreck her professional life. She says that she was threatened with being slapped with a prostitution case. She says that she has been the victim of vulgar abuses over phone calls and has also received vulgar video calls.
Delhi resident Manish Singh has filed a complaint against social media platform Instagram for showing God Shiva in an objectionable manner in one of its stickers. The complainant has alleged that the sticker, which shows God Shiva with alcohol in one hand and a mobile phone on the other, hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The controversial sticker of God Shiva
The complainant mentions that God Shiva is venerated by millions and millions of Hindus and accuses Instagram officials of committing serious offences. The sticker was in a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). Lord Shiva is also seen winking in the sticker.
The complaint against Instagram
The complainant alleges that the “accused is deliberately and intentionally hurting the feeling and sentiments of the millions and millions of Hindus, including the complainant, by portraying the Supreme God, Lord Shiva, in such a state.”
The complainant also says that the sticker has been introduced with the “sole intention of inciting the followers of the Hindu community and in the process promote disharmony, hatred and enmity, further, the conduct of the accused persons may result in extreme provocation of the followers of the Hindu community and this may result into breach of peace.”
The complaint against Instagram
Consequently, the complainant has demanded that a criminal case be registered against the CEO of Instagram and other officials under sections 153 and 295A of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face during a walkabout session with a crowd in the Drome region in southeastern France. In a video of the incident that has now gone viral on the internet, Mr Macron could be seen walking up to a barrier where a man slaps him across his face after shaking hands with him.
As Mr Macron is slapped, the words “Down with Macron-ism” could be heard in the background. In the video that is circulating on social media websites, a man wearing a green T-Shirt, with glasses and a face mask, shouted “Down with Macronia” (“A Bas La Macronie”) and then delivered a slap to Macron’s face.
Soon after being attacked, the retinue of officers flanking the French President got hold of the man. Following the incident, the president was quickly escorted away from the spot.
According to BFM TV and RMC radio, two people have been arrested in connection with the case.
Mr Emmanuel Macron was on a visit to the Drome region in south-eastern France, where he met restaurateurs and students to talk about how life is returning to normal after the COVID-19 epidemic.
On Tuesday (June 8), the Chinese Communist government lodged a diplomatic protest against the United States and warned it against forging trade deal and bilateral ties with the island nation. The development comes at the backdrop of 3 US senators’ visit to Taiwan in a military aircraft, US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III freighter, for vaccine donation on Monday.
As part of its expansionist policy, China considers Taiwan as a part of its own territory. Therefore, it has discouraged diplomatic ties between the island nation and other countries. The three US senators, namely, Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Christopher Coons, had visited Taiwan’s capital Taipei to announce that they will donate 7.5 lac Coronavirus vaccine doses to the country. During a Congressional hearing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also emphasised that talks were underway about a possible trade deal.
“I know we are engaged in conversations with Taiwan, or soon will be, on some kind of framework agreement,” Blinken had said. He further added, “We are committed to the proposition that Taiwan must have the means to defend itself, and that is consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act. We’ve continued to provide significant equipment and sales to Taiwan for that purpose. We have real concerns about the increased aggression that the government in Beijing has shown towards Taiwan.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth, who visited Taipei, had remarked, “It was critical to the United States that Taiwan be included in the first group to receive vaccines because we recognise your urgent need and we value this partnership.” Meanwhile, the island nation of Taiwan has blamed China for isolating it globally and creating hindrances in the procurement of Coronavirus vaccines, amidst rising cases. The attempts to forge a diplomatic deal with Taiwan, coupled with the use of a military carrier by the US, had rattled the Communist regime of China.
China warns US against establishing trade deals
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian warned the US to handle the ‘Taiwan issue’ cautiously, cease official exchanges and stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan Independence forces.’ Another spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, claimed that the visit of the US senators ‘gravely violated’ 3 China-US joint communique and one-China policy. He has asked the US to maintain the status quo to avoid causing ‘serious damage’ to their bilateral ties and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Despite Chinese aggression, the US remains a strong ally of Taiwan and its largest arms supplier.
