Sea of humanity pays respects to Deshmukh, funeral in evening

August 15, 2012

Vilasrao-Deshmukh

Latur, August 15: A sea of humanity poured out on all roads leading to Babhalgaon village in Latur district where the body of their beloved leader Vilasrao Deshmukh was brought for people to pay their last respects here Wednesday.

As a mark of respect to the departed leader, all shops and businesses remained closed for the second consecutive day Wednesday and many people observed fast, locals said.

Security arrangements at levels never before seen have been put in place since Wednesday morning when Deshmukh's body was brought by a special Indian Air Force aircraft to Latur for the last rites in his native village.

While thousands lined the route leading to the funeral site, over half a million people are likely to witness the last rites.

Deshmukh spent his childhood in Babhalgaon, became one of its youngest sarpanch (village head), and later went on to become Maharashtra chief minister twice and also a union minister.

He breathed his last in Chennai's Global Hospital Tuesday after a cardiac arrest following multiple organ failure.

Shortly after it arrived and got stuck in a traffic jam owing to the huge crowds on the roads, the cortege carrying the coffin was placed for public 'darshan' at the Dayanand School here.

Even as people filed past the coffin weeping, his sons Amit, Dheeraj and Reitesh accepted condolences from the host of dignitaries and VVIPs who have reached Latur for the funeral, scheduled Wednesday evening.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Governor K.

Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his cabinet colleagues are among the dignitaries expected at the funeral.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athavale and other opposition leaders will also pay their respects to the departed leader.

The state government has organised a state funeral for Deshmukh and declared a three-day official mourning.

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News Network
January 18,2020

Shirdi, Jan 18: The administrative body of Sai Baba's Samadhi calls for the indefinite closure of the Shirdi temple after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reportedly said Pathri in Parbhani is Sai Baba's birthplace.

"We have announced to close Shirdi against rumours from January 19," said B Wakchaure of Saibaba Sansthan Trust.

"A meeting of villagers will be convened Saturday evening to discuss the issue. Devotees will not face any difficulty if they come to Shirdi," Mr Wakchaure added.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bollywood Film Director Anurag Kashyap, who has been vocal about his political views on social media, slammed Union Minister Amit Shah and accused him of being 'cheap'.

"How timid our Home Minister is. Its own police, its own goons, its own army and security increases and invades unarmed protestors. Amit Shah has crossed the extent of cheapness and inferiority. History will spit on this animal," Kashyap tweeted.

The film director has taken an active part in the anti-Citizenship Act protest rallies and was against the Jawaharlal Nehru violence. He also came in support of his contemporary Deepika Padukone when the latter faced backlash for showing up at JNU in support of the students.

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Agencies
May 30,2020

New Delhi, May 30: The COVID-19 pandemic has left the Indian private healthcare sector in acute financial distress, a new survey said on Friday adding that the healthcare facilities in the country have witnessed at least 80 per cent fall in average revenue.

Post the lockdown from March 24, Indian hospitals have seen a large impact, especially among small and medium-sized hospitals, which are now facing existential challenges.

The survey by healthcare industry body NATHEALTH was conducted in 251 healthcare facilities across nine states and 69 cities to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the domestic healthcare industry.

The findings showed that 90 per cent of the surveyed healthcare facilities are facing financial challenges with 21 per cent facilities facing an existential threat.

"There is a need for a stimulus package to revive the Indian healthcare industry which will be crucial to provide much-needed relief to the healthcare sector which is the frontline defence in this fight against COVID-19," said Dr Sudarshan Ballal, President NATHEALTH.

According to the survey, hospitals in tier 1 and tier 2 cities are experiencing a 78 per cent reduction in OPD footfalls, and a drop of 79 per cent in in-patient admissions.

The study found that 90 per cent of organisations require some form of financial assistance.

The findings indicated that even after the lockdown lift, the situation will remain difficult for the hospitals and nursing homes as patients will hesitate from visiting hospitals.

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