Author: Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale over his failure to pay Rs 50 lakh damages to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

A bench of Justice Manoj Jain was hearing a contempt plea filed by Lakshmi Puri against Saket Gokhale for the latter’s “wilful and deliberate non-compliance” of the Delhi HC judgment.

Issuing notice, Justice Jain-led Bench ordered Saket Gokhale to file an affidavit disclosing all his assets, properties, and bank accounts and deposits within the next four weeks.

The matter will be heard next on February 5 next year.

In its July 1 decision, the Delhi High Court had ordered the Trinamool Congress leader to pay Rs 50 lakh damages in a defamation case filed by former diplomat Lakshmi Puri.

It had also directed Saket Gokhale to publish an apology in a newspaper and on his social media platform “X” handle within four weeks for publishing wrong and unverified allegations.

Further, the Delhi HC had directed that the apology tweet published on Saket Gokhale’s X account should be retained for six months.

In the latest plea, Lakshmi Puri contended that Saket Gokhale should be punished for his non-compliance and willful disobedience of the court’s decision.

The contempt plea added that Saket Gokhale was completely aware of the July 1 judgment passed against him, and he had also published related tweets on his social media handle.

The defamation suit was filed following Saket Gokhale’s successive X posts accusing Lakshmi Puri of purchasing property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income. He also named Hardeep Puri in the tweets.

The Delhi High Court had held that the plaintiff suffered irreparable harm on account of Saket Gokhale’s defamatory statements.

It said: “The defendant (Gokhale) is restrained from publishing further defamatory content against the plaintiff. Damages to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 are awarded to the plaintiff for the harm caused to her reputation.”

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Dec 23 (IANS) Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said that the state government will provide compensation to farmers for the damage to the crops due to unseasonal rainfall in the state within the next five days.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Pujari said that the district administrations have been asked to conduct proper assessment of the crop loss due to the unseasonal rainfall in the state.

He also said that the district administrations have also been instructed to rope in officials from unaffected areas for the assessment work.

“The revenue department officials have already started on-the-ground assessment. They have been instructed to complete the assessment within three days,” said Pujari.

He urged the farmers not to worry as the state government will compensate for the losses caused by the natural disasters.

The revenue minister also asserted that the process of assessment is likely to be completed within three to four days. He stated that the compensation would be provided to the farmers through district administrations within five days.

Pujari further added that the district collectors have been asked to help farmers with the sale of crops not damaged completely.

The revenue minister noted that Ganjam district is worst affected due to the untimely rains.

He also clarified that all the affected farmers including those paid premium under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) will be compensated by the government through input subsidy for the crop loss.

The minister said that the insurance companies have also been instructed to pay the compensation amount to the farmers at the earliest.

As per report, the harvested crops of farmers in many coastal and interior districts -Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nawrangpur, Nayagarh, Puri and Raygada, have been damaged due to the unseasonal rainfall recently.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Ahead of the Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), R. Alice Vaz, on Monday urged voters to use helpline number 1950 (toll-free) for their electoral queries and complaints.

To ensure inclusivity and accessibility, the helpline offers assistance in approved local/regional languages.

It operates on all days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing citizens to connect at their convenience, she said.

This effort focuses on improving accessibility and ensuring that every voter receives accurate information and timely support, she added.

The Voter Helpline – 1950 serves as the first point of contact for citizens seeking assistance with electoral services, she said.

Callers can inquire about various queries, including EPIC (Voter ID), electoral roll, polling station details, online registration, voting dates, and other election-related matters. The helpline is designed to provide comprehensive and user-friendly support to all voters in English and Hindi, she said.

The helpline is designed to provide comprehensive and user-friendly support to all voters in English and Hindi, she added.

In addition to providing information, the helpline facilitates complaint registration.

Citizens can report issues related to electoral services by dialling this toll-free number, 1950. Feedback and suggestions from callers are also encouraged to help improve the quality of services offered, she said.

Earlier last month, the CEO said that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) collected nearly 1.62 lakh forms during house visits to address additions, deletions, and corrections in the electoral roll in the past three months.

On November 28, Vaz also highlighted that for the upcoming Assembly elections, the number of polling stations is likely to increase by 70, ensuring better accessibility and convenience for voters across Delhi.

She said house-to-house verification was conducted by BLOs from August 20 to identify unenrolled voters, prospective electors who will turn 18 by October 1, 2025, and entries requiring deletion, such as those for deceased or permanently shifted voters.

“Cases of multiple entries and family splits were also identified. During this extensive verification drive, BLOs collected nearly 1.62 lakh forms (6, 7, and 8) to address additions, deletions, and corrections in the electoral roll,” Vaz said in a statement.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) From expanding health coverage to all elderly above 70 years of age to promoting cervical cancer vaccination among young girls to slashing customs duty on cancer drugs and improving several disease rates, India has made substantial progress in healthcare in 2024.

In 2024, the Union government continued its emphasis on tackling non-communicable diseases and allocating funds for research in the healthcare sector.

The Union Budget 2024-25’s total outlay for the health sector was Rs 89,287 crore, amounting to 1.85 per cent of the budget expenditure. While it remains below the 2 per cent mark for health outlays from FY18 to FY22, it is marginally up from 1.76 per cent, and Rs 79,221 crore in the revised estimate for budget 2023-24.

It exempted customs duty on three crucial cancer drugs — Trastuzumab deruxtecan (for breast cancer), Osimertinib (lung cancer drug for EGFR mutation), and Durvalumab (for lung and biliary tract cancers).

In addition, GST rates for these drugs were also slashed — from 12 per cent to 5 per cent; the maximum retail price (MRP) was reduced for these drugs.

Further, the flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) was expanded to provide health coverage to all senior citizens above 70 years irrespective of their income.

The government has also worked towards medical education and infrastructure. In his address to the nation on Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi promised to create 75,000 more medical seats in the next five years, from the current over one lakh in the country to reduce foreign dependence in medical education. The government added 5,150 more seats for MBBS courses in 2024.

Over two lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established across the country to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. More than 14,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have also been launched across the country where medicines are available at an 80 per cent discount — a significant reduction in the cost of treatment for both poor and middle-class families.

Further, emphasising the vision of ‘Swasth Bharat’ (Healthy India) for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) also introduced the Rashtriya Poshan Mission to enhance the nutritional status of children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls.

Parallelly, India’s digital health infrastructure has seen remarkable advancements through the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) initiative — a hassle-free method of accessing and sharing your health records digitally. Till December 22, more than 71.81 crore ABHA numbers have been generated and 46.53 crore health records have been linked with ABHA.

Mission Indradhanush led to the vaccination of 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women. The programme also includes a provision of 11 types of vaccines enhancing protection against preventable diseases. A U-WIN portal was also launched to digitise routine immunisations.

Notably, these efforts led to remarkable improvement in key health indicators, including a reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio, Infant Mortality Rate, and Total Fertility Rate.

India also got WHO certification for eliminating trachoma — a bacterial eye infection that can cause irreversible blindness. India is the fourth country in Southeast Asia, after Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan to achieve the feat.

A shorter and more effective treatment regimen for tuberculosis was also launched under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). It reduced the treatment duration from 9-12 months to 6 months.

Meanwhile, the government has also launched several health projects related to the Ayush sector, with the Ayurveda manufacturing sector seeing an 8-fold growth in the last 10 years. It has led to significant growth in medical tourism resulting in about 123 regular Ayush visas and 221 e-Ayush visas issued to foreigners seeking treatment in India.

–IANS

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Giridih (Jharkhand), Dec 23 (IANS) A woman in Giridih district of Jharkhand allegedly committed suicide on Monday due to continuous harassment by employees of a microfinance company.

The police arrived at the scene after getting the information and recovered the body, which has been sent for post-mortem examination. An investigation into the matter is underway, the police said.

The deceased, identified as Sulekha Devi, was a resident of Bhurai village under the Teesri police station area. Her husband, Amarjeet Sharma, works as a labourer in another state.

Reports say that Sulekha had taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from the microfinance company but was struggling to pay some installments. Company employees reportedly pressured her repeatedly to repay the outstanding amount.

On Monday morning, the company officials visited Sulekha’s house again, demanding immediate payment. Despite her pleas for some more time, the employees allegedly issued threats.

As tensions escalated, villagers gathered outside her home, but the company representatives continued to put pressure on her for immediate payment of dues.

Tragically, Sulekha ended her life by hanging herself inside her home. Villagers rushed to save her, but she had already succumbed by the time they brought her down from the noose.

The company employees fled the scene after the incident.

Local panchayat head Ibrahim Mian informed the police, who recovered the body and sent it to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.

The police station in-charge said that an investigation is going on and culprits will be brought to book.

This incident highlights a troubling pattern of harassment by microfinance and non-banking financial companies in Jharkhand. Similar cases have been reported in the past as well.

In October last year, Zaibun Khatoon, a resident of Khandoli village in Bengabad police station area, consumed poison after facing harassment from microfinance agents. She succumbed during treatment.

In September last year, a 17-year-old girl from Hara Naukadih village under the Pratappur police station area in Chatra district died after consuming poison. She had reportedly been beaten and harassed by loan recovery agents.

Authorities continue to urge stricter regulations on recovery practices to prevent such tragedies.

–IANS

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Patna, Dec 23 (IANS) As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar started the first phase of Pragati Yatra from Valmikinagar in West Champaran on Monday, the Cabinet Secretariat of the state issued the schedule of the second phase of the Yatra starting from January 4 from Gopalganj.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar initiated Pragati Yatra, a development-oriented journey with the aim of reviewing ongoing projects and introducing new schemes to boost the infrastructure and welfare systems across Bihar.

S. Siddhartha, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat issued the notification of the schedule and said that Nitish Kumar will embark on the second phase of his Pragati Yatra from Gopalganj on January 4, followed by neighbouring Siwan on January 7, Saran on January 8, Darbhanja on January 11, Madhubani on January 12 and Samastipur on January 13.

The copies of the letter were sent to the district magistrate, Superintendent of Police and Divisional Commissioners for the respective areas and directed them to start the preparation.

Nitish Kumar is expected to announce schemes worth crores in every district.

He will also review and monitor the ongoing development projects to ensure timely and effective implementation.

The Pragati Yatra reflects Nitish Kumar’s commitment to community-centred governance and equitable development.

In the first phase, Nitish Kumar started his Pragati Yatra from Valmikinagar, West Champaran on Monday.

He laid the foundation stones of various projects worth ₹700 crore, including a landmark ₹139 crore scheme for electrification using underground cables in the Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve area.

The electrification project is expected to be completed within 18 months, significantly transforming the lives of people in these villages.

Nitish Kumar’s Pragati Yatra highlights his long-standing tradition of engaging directly with citizens and officials to drive development at the grassroots. The phased approach to this journey ensures that every region of Bihar receives attention, with specific interventions tailored to local needs.

–IANS

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