Farmers integral to 'Make in India', Rahul tells Modi

April 29, 2015

New Delhi, April 29: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on problems in the agricultural sector, asking him to visit Punjab and learn about the plight of farmers who are integral to the government's flagship 'Make in India' initiative. The government hit back, asking him to visit his own constituency first.rahul 2

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, a combative Gandhi said that his recent meeting with farmers in Punjab's wholesale grain market revealed the reality of the country's wheat bowl, where "farmers are crying and Haryana agriculture minister says those (farmers) who commit suicide are cowards".

"Government says there should be 'Make in India'... It is our government, your government, but not farmers' government," he said.

"Our prime minister is on a tour of India, he must also go to Punjab. He will know what is happening... Farmer growing wheat is also 'Make in India'," he said taking a jibe at the prime minister and his key policy.

The jibe triggered an uproar in the lower house with members of the ruling alliance protesting the comments and hitting back at the Congress vice chief, leading Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the house briefly.

Jumping to Modi's defence, Food Processing Induistries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said though Gandhi has visited Punjab, he was yet to visit his own constituency, Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh.

"I would like to ask him when the farmers were suffering inclement weather, including hail storms, where was he then?

"Some people have come back and to reinvent themselves, they are playing a drama here. They should do so in Amethi," she said.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the Modi government is "doing the work which you (the Congress-led UPA) didn't do for the nation".

Intervening in the discussion, Paswan said that the government has for the first time given a "value cut" as far as the quality of grain is concerned.

"We have increased the import duties and have also compensated farmers," he said.

He assured the house that all of farmers' grain would be bought at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). "By just visiting the mandi (wholesale market), they are trying to becomes martyrs," he said in a dig at Gandhi.

"You should thank the prime minister and the government for the support being given to farmers," he said.

Gandhi, during his visit Punjab - the food bowl state of the country - Tuesday, had also questioned the prime minister on his 'Make in India' campaign and asked the the central as well as the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government in the state to help farmers and labourers who are India's "spinal cord".

"The prime minister talks about 'Make in India'. No one does more 'Make in India' than the farmers of Punjab... The beginning (of 'Make in India') should be done from them.

"When the poor do 'Make in India', is it not 'Make in India'? Is it something else?" he asked.

In a move aimed to mount pressure on the government over the agrarian crisis, the Congress vice president traveled to grain markets in Punjab's Sirhind, Khanna and Mandi Gobindgarh towns on Tuesday in the second class compartment of a train to interact with farmers about the problems they are facing with procurement and lifting of wheat stocks.

He criticised the Modi government and the state government for being indifferent to the problems of farmers.

Farmers across Punjab are protesting the tardy lifting of wheat stocks.

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News Network
July 5,2020

New Delhi, Jul 5: World's largest, 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Chhatarpur area of the national capital has made operational on Sunday.

Inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, the facility has been created on an emergency basis by the South Delhi District Administration with support of the Ministry of Home Affairs in a record time of 10 days.
Notably, this coronavirus treatment centre which is set up in Chhatarpur area of the national capital is said to be the "largest" of its kind in the world.
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"The Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital has been developed to help the citizens of Delhi and NCR who are affected by the coronavirus. Our team of doctors and medical staffs will take care of this facility. Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital will have 10 per cent of beds with oxygen facility," the Delhi LG said after the inaugural.
Talking about the facilities at the new coronavirus centre, Baijal further stated, "We have counsellors for mentally traumatised patients. We have a team of good psychiatrists and specialists in medicine."

The facility will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic COVID positive patients. 10 per cent of the beds will have oxygen facility in case the patient develops severe breathlessness and requires tertiary hospital care, read a statement.

Operationally, the facility has been linked to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. The referral tertiary care hospitals are Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.

ITBP will be running the first 2,000 beds with their 170 doctors/specialists and more than 700 nurses and paramedics, the statement added.
Most of the basic infrastructure such as beds, mattresses and linen has been donated by various civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations. 

A recreational centre has been made available to the patients along with a library, board games and skipping ropes. People admitted to the facility will be provided five healthy meals a day along with immunity-boosting chawanprash, juices and hot kadha, the statement added.

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News Network
March 26,2020

Mar 26: As Kashmir reported its first COVID-19 death on Thursday, Islamic scholars urged people to follow the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines on funeral and burial of those who die due to coronavirus pandemic.

“Medical science can’t be ignored and whatever directions there are in the (MHA) guidelines should be followed. As far as the funeral of the person, only family members should participate in the funeral and burial after wearing the protection kits,” the scholars said.

The MHA has stressed that there should be no bathing, kissing, hugging and reciting of verses while the body should be transported in a secured bag. Health experts have stressed that the grave for the person should be dug eight feet deep instead of normal six feet.

“The body of the person should be transported in a secured bag and the vehicle in which he is transported has to be decontaminated by the trained staff who should be wearing N-95 masks and protection equipment,” read the MHA guidelines.

Kashmir witnessed the first death of a COVID-19 patient from uptown city Hyderpora, who had a travel history of outside J&K as he was part of a ‘Tableegi Jamaat’.

Dr Naveed, Head of Department, at Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar, said that no one from the family should go closer to the body and if someone from the family wants to see the face, he/she has to wear a complete protective gear.

“Burial bath is not recommended for the body. Grave for him should be dug eight feet deep instead of normal six feet,” he said.

As far as funeral prayers, he said, those intending to offer funeral should wear protective gear and maintain sufficient distance between the body and people.

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News Network
June 29,2020

New Delhi, Jun 29: A disturbing video of a Covid-19 patient, speaking his last words, after his oxygen supply was allegedly cut off, has surfaced on social media. The patient reportedly died after indicating that the oxygen supply to him was cut off despite his requests.

The video has a 35-year-old Covid-19 patient bidding good-bye to his family, from a government hospital bed in Hyderabad. The patient Ravi Kumar can be seen speaking out against the negligence of of the medical staff in providing ventilator support to him when he needed it the most.

The video has led to social media outrage as it attracted public attention towards plight of patients in government hospitals

"I am not able to breathe, I pleaded but they did not continue oxygen for the last three hours. I am not able to breathe anymore daddy, it's like my heart has stopped, Bye daddy. Bye to all, daddy," these were apparently the final words of the man, who spoke in his local dialect, and shared on social media.

Several reports have claimed that the man had been admitted to government Chest hospital, after several private hospitals refused to admit him. His ventilator support was allegedly taken off in the hospital, after which he recorded the video message.

The victim’s family shared the video message for the public to know of the negligence.

Reports have it that Ravi’s covid-19 report, which testes positive, was given to family a day after his death, when 30 of his family members performed the final rites, thus making all of them vulnerable to the virus. Ravi’s father has alleged that the test was done on June 24 and Ravi died on June 26, while the report was given to them on June 27.

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