Archives for 2024

Bengaluru : As the country celebrated its first ever National Space Day commemorating the soft landing of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface on Friday, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy recalled the contributions of four Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) in making India’s lunar mission a success.

The union minister said these CPSEs under his ministry had proudly contributed to achieving the milestone.

“Four CPSEs under MHI—Instrumentation Ltd. (IL), FCRI, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT)—supplied essential products that were integral to the success of Chandrayaan-3,” Kumaraswamy said in a post on ‘X’.

He also said that the National Space Day celebration is a testament to the dedication and hard work of ISRO’s scientists and engineers, and the collaborative efforts of our nation’s industries.

On this day a year ago, India achieved a major feat in its Space programme when its Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had named the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 as ‘Shiv-Shakti Point’ and declared August 23 as the National Space Day.

Five labourers were killed after the roof slab of an under-construction cottage of a resort collapsed in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, an official said on Friday.

The incident occurred at Choral village in Mhow tehsil, about 40 km from the district headquarters, on Thursday night when the labourers were sleeping under it, the police official said.

The bodies have been sent to the hospital, Indore (Rural) Superintendent of Police Hitika Wasal told PTI over the phone from the spot.

She said that the police were informed about the incident around 6.30 am. Police rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation immediately.

“The operation has ended with the recovery of five bodies. We have launched an investigation into the incident,” she said.

The accident came to light in the morning when other labourers turned up for work at the site, said inspector Amit Kumar of Simrol police station.

Earlier, an official had said that one worker was killed and five others were trapped under the debris.

In a major relief for patients, hundreds of resident doctors here returned to work on Friday after ending their 11-day strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata, following an appeal by the Supreme Court.

Healthcare professionals across the country ceased work after the body of the medic, a junior doctor, was found in a seminar room of the West Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

Non-emergency services, including OPD and diagnostics, were shut as medics, including resident doctors, of major central and Delhi government-run hospitals struck work on August 12 evening, causing hardships for patients and delay in treatment.

Residest doctors, including those of Centre-run AIIMS, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Delhi government-run LNJP, Maulana azad Medical College, GTB Hospital and Indira Gandhi Hospital, resumed duties after two national bodies announced the end of the strike on Thursday evening.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) took the decision after the Supreme Court issued directions about the safety of healthcare personnel.

While it appealed to medics across the country to rejoin duty and assured that no coercive action will be taken against them, the top court also said judges and doctors cannot go on a strike since they deal with matters involving life and liberty.

Except West Bengal, resident doctors’ associations of all other states have called off their strike. In Bengal, the epicentre of the protests, healthcare services remained affected at state-run hospitals as agitating junior doctors have said they would continue their ceasework.

Resident doctor at the GTB Hospital in Delhi, Aman Khanna, said, “I’m glad to return to work with the hope that our demands will be fulfilled and justice will be served. We are closely observing the decisions the government is making for us.”

Medics have been demanding a central law to check violence against healthcare professionals at workplace.

Mumbai : The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has come out in support of its ideological rival and Left-leaning student group at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) which has been banned by the premier deemed university, contending educational institutions should be bastions of free speech and democratic participation.

The ABVP said on Thursday that the “abrupt and irrational” banning of the student group risks causing significant unrest among such bodies.

Such a step could severely impact the integrity of future student council elections, a cornerstone of democratic process, noted the campus wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

On August 19, the TISS, a premier institute under the Union Ministry of Education, banned the Progressive Students Forum (PSF-TISS). It said the PSF has been engaging in activities that obstruct the institute’s function and defame it.

The TISS also warned any attempt by the PSF to organise or participate in unauthorised events will be met with “immediate intervention and consequences”.

The PSF has had several run-ins with the TISS administration in the past.

The ABVP said it firmly believes educational institutions should be bastions of free speech and democratic participation. The presence of various student organisations is essential for fostering a healthy discourse and ensuring that the diverse views of the student community are represented.

“The sudden and unjustified ban on student organisations at the TISS is a direct attack on these principles,” ABVP secretary Nidhi Gala argued.

The Democratic Secular Students Forum (DSSF), a right-wing student body at the TISS, said a ban on campus outfits strikes at the heart of what makes the premier institute a leading academic body.

DSSF, in a statement, said these groups have always played a crucial role in ensuring that the voices of all students are heard and that campus remains a space for healthy democratic activism.

While DSSF acknowledges that student groups may have diverse opinions and ideologies, it believes these differences are essential for fostering a culture of critical thinking and debate, said the statement.

“DSSF has consistently opposed the non-democratic activities of PSF and its sympathisers and will continue to stand in opposition to all such activities. However, we do not support any action that violates the basic democratic rights of students,” the statement added.

The TISS was established in 1936 as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. In 1944, it was renamed as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. In 1964, it was declared deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act (UGC), 1956.

According to its website, since its inception, the vision of the TISS has been to be an institution of excellence in higher education that continually responds to changing social realities through the development and application of knowledge.

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday condoled the loss of lives in the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district, and urged the government to take steps to avoid such incidents in the future.

A major fire and explosion ripped through a pharma unit in Anakapalle on Wednesday, leaving 17 people dead and 33 injured. The damage could have been worse but due to lunchtime fewer workers were in the plant when the accident occurred.

Harrowing scenes unfolded with injured workers — their skin ripped and peeling off, bodies soaked in blood — being shifted to hospital in ambulances after the incident occurred at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd.

“Deeply anguished by the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh where several people have lost their lives,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.

“Our heartfelt condolences to the grieving families. The government must provide them with immediate and adequate compensation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and we wish them a speedy recovery,” he said.

“We need to take more preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future and ensure justice to the victims, therefore the government must act with alacrity on the high level probe,” the Congress president said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, promising stringent action against the management if its negligence was found to have caused the tragic incident.

Jamshedpur: A team of the Indian Navy was set to join the search for the trainer aircraft that went missing with a pilot and a trainee shortly after it took off from an aerodrome in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur, officials said on Thursday.

As the search continued in the reservoir of the Chandil dam, where it was suspected to have crashed on Tuesday, a body was found floating this morning, they said.

The 19-member Navy team along with equipment reached Ranchi around 12.50 am.

“The Navy team from Visakhapatnam landed in Ranchi to extend help for the search operation of the trainer aircraft. It has reached Jamshedpur and is set to join the search operation,” an official said.

Another official of the Seraikela-Kharsawan administration, who did not wish to be identified, told PTI, “A body was found floating in the dam in the morning. His identification is being done.”

From the uniform on the body, it was suspected to be of one of the two persons on board the aircraft, he said.

It was suspected that the plane, which had pilot Captain Jeetu Sutaru and trainee pilot Subrodeep on board, crashed into the dam’s reservoir.

On Wednesday, a six-member team of NDRF searched the reservoir for hours.

The aircraft, a Cessna 152 owned by Alchemist Aviation, took off from the Sonari aerodrome around 11 am on Tuesday.

The reservoir was being searched after villagers claimed the aircraft crashed into it, Superintendent of Police (Seraikela-Kharsawan) Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.

East Singhbhum’s Deputy Commissioner Ananya Mittal had said the last location of the aircraft was near Nimdih in Chandil sub-division as per the Air Traffic Control.

Searches were also being conducted in areas near Nimdih, and the adjacent Purulia district of West Bengal to locate the aircraft.

Chennai: Top Tamil actor Vijay, leader of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam party, unveiled his political party’s flag on Thursday. The event took place at the party office in Chennai, where Vijay, along with party workers and leaders, took a pledge to uphold the principles of equality and strive for equal rights for all.

In his pledge, Vijay emphasized the importance of eliminating differences based on caste, religion, gender, and place of birth. He affirmed his commitment to creating awareness among the people and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. “We will always appreciate the fighters who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of our country and the countless soldiers who fought tirelessly for the rights of our people from Tamil soil,” Vijay stated.

The actor had previously announced the launch of Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam in February this year and confirmed his intention to contest the 2026 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. Notably, his party chose not to align with any political bloc in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, where the DMK-led alliance secured a sweeping victory in the state.

Kolkata: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly joined a candlelight protest in Kolkata on Wednesday, demanding justice for the doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at a state-run hospital earlier this month.

Ganguly was accompanied by his wife, Odissi dancer Dona Ganguly, and their daughter, Sana Ganguly, during the rally held in the Behala area, where they reside.

Speaking to the media, Sana expressed her outrage, stating, “We want justice, this has to stop. Every day we hear about some rape case, and it’s heartbreaking that this is still happening in 2024. This has to stop.”