Veer Bal Diwas: JP Nadda offers prayers at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Thiruvananthapuram, July 4 (IANS) At a time when the Kerala healthcare sector is being projected as one of the leading states in the country by the ruling Left government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is scheduled to leave for the US as part of his medical treatment and follow-up.

He will be on a week-long trip, flying first to Dubai and then to the US.

But his departure comes at a time when the heat is on the state Health Minister, Veena George, with the Congress and the BJP demanding her immediate resignation after her “failure” in multiple events that took place in the past few days.

Incidentally, social media is flush with activity after CM Vijayan slammed Urologist Dr Harris Chirackal, who exposed the serious shortage of equipment and medical supplies in the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and Hospital. The CM said that he had portrayed “an excellent system of healthcare in poor light”. He defended the state’s health sector as one of the most advanced and responsive in the country, and also cited consistent national and international recognition.

No sooner did CM Vijayan accuse Chirackal of a “heedless and baseless post” than questions were asked: if Kerala boasts of the best healthcare system, then why was he flying out for medical treatment to the US?

Popular public health activist and former WHO Consultant Dr S.S. Lal said, “When there is a narrative of Kerala being the best, then it’s only natural that questions like why CM Vijayan is flying out of the country for medical needs, will be asked. We now know that former Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan, for the past several days, is admitted to a leading private hospital and not to a state-run hospital,” said Lal, who was the Congress candidate at the 2021 Assembly polls from the capital district constituency at Kazhakootam.

Many years ago, when Achuthanandan went for treatment abroad and Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar visited him at his hospital bed there, that picture was used by the Congress-led UDF during the then Assembly elections, labelling it as “the double standards adopted by the CPI(M)”.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) The starting point of India’s macro balance sheet is positively positioned, underpinned by a robust macro-stability framework (fiscal consolidation and flexible inflation targeting framework), productivity enhancing policy reforms, and favourable structural factors such as demographics, that lend support to the growth trajectory, a Morgan Stanley report said on Thursday.

The report expects growth to average 6.5 per cent in the next 10 years, with inflation likely to align with the RBI’s target of 4 per cent, thus providing a favourable backdrop to the cost of capital and ensuring debt sustainability.

“India’s overall indebtedness levels reflect an incipient inflexion with a rise in private sector leverage. We expect private sector debt to continue to see modest expansion while public sector debt decline keeps overall debt manageable and improves the productivity of incremental debt,” said the report.

The report further stated that the pace of expansion of overall debt levels is likely to remain modest, even as the mix changes more in favour of productivity-augmenting private sector debt.

“As such, we expect overall debt levels to remain range-bound between 157-158 per cent of GDP over the next two years. A pickup in private sector capex may lead to a rise in corporate leverage, albeit at a modest level, while expansion in household leverage could continue. The reduction in public sector debt should be driven by gradual fiscal consolidation even as the quality of spending remains skewed towards capex,” it noted.

The share of private sector debt in overall debt levels is seeing incipient signs of pickup, offset by a commensurate decline in public sector leverage, indicating improved debt dynamics.

Private sector debt has risen to 76 per cent of GDP as of FY2025 from 73.9 per cent of GDP at the trough in FY2024, while public sector debt has fallen to 82 per cent of GDP in FY2025 from 83.4 per cent of GDP in FY2024.

In addition, the productivity of incremental debt has also improved in a broad-based manner across sectors, including the public sector, which has directed its funds towards infrastructure expansion, said the report.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Tuesday apprised the Supreme Court that the issue of deportation of illegal immigrants is receiving consideration at the highest executive level and a decision is likely to be taken soon.

He made the intimation as he requested a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan to defer the scheduled hearing on the prolonged detention of identified foreigners, saying that a decision on deporting persons declared foreigners in Assam is likely to be taken by March 21.

Acceding to the request, the apex court posted the matter for hearing on March 21.

In the earlier hearing held on February 4, the Justice Oka-led Bench pulled up the Assam government for keeping illegal immigrants in detention centres ‘indefinitely’ and not deporting them back for lack of their foreign addresses.

It had told the Assam Chief Secretary, who appeared virtually pursuant to its order, that once these illegal immigrants are held to be foreigners, they could not be detained indefinitely.

“Once they are held to be foreigners, they should be deported immediately. You know their citizenship status. Then how can you wait till their address is received? It is for the other country to decide where they should go,” the apex court had remarked.

Turning down the submission that deportation could not be effected without actual addresses of illegal immigrants, it had suggested that these foreigners should be deported to their capital city.

“Once you declare a person as a foreigner, then you have to take the next logical step,” it said.

SG Mehta said that he has spoken to the highest executive authority of the Assam government and would file consolidated documents, after discussing the matter with the officials concerned.

The law officer had assured that he would also sit with Ministry of External Affairs officials and find a solution.

In its order, the Supreme Court had ordered the Assam government to commence the procedure for deportation, even if the addresses of those persons detained in detention centres in a foreign country are not available. It had further directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit regarding the nationality verification process within two weeks.

In a different matter, a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had asked the government to explain “the idea” of keeping hundreds of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in detention camps for an indefinite period of time after they have completed their term of sentence under the Foreigners Act, 1946.

It had also sought data about illegal immigrants, as to date, in various detention camps/correctional homes after being convicted and having undergone the entire sentence under the Foreigners Act.

“We would like to understand from the respondents (authorities) that once an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh has been convicted for the alleged offence, is it not established that he is not a citizen of India? What is the idea of keeping hundreds of such illegal immigrants in detention camps/correctional homes for an indefinite period of time?” the top court had asked.

–IANS

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