Thumbay Moideen among five eminent Aloysian alumni award winners

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan on Wednesday said rumours that the state government has asked offices to remain closed tomorrow are false.

He clarified that the government has asked employers to explore the option of work from home amid the coronavirus scare.

"The rumours that the Govt has asked offices to remain closed tomorrow are false. We have asked employers to explore options of work from home for their employees. Let us be vigilant about this issue and not fall prey to any such rumours," Ashwathnarayan tweeted.

Meanwhile, Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi has cancelled all seminars, workshops or conferences in the premises in the wake of coronavirus spread.

"All the functions including seminars, workshops, conferences are to be cancelled. This is for urgent and necessary compliance," officials from the hospital said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 12: At least 66 children have ended their lives in Kerala since the Covid-19 lockdown began on March 25 with youngsters facing stress unable to bear the unprecedented situation where schools are shut and friends are out of reach to share their woes.

According to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, there has been an increasing instance of suicidal tendencies among children in the state due to various reasons, including parents scolding them over mobile phone use and failure to attend online classes.

This has prompted the government to launch a teleconsultation facility for children facing stress and also cautioning parents against hurting their sentiments while being concerned about welfare of their wards. It has also ordered a study into the issue. "Among the children an increasing instance of suicidal tendency is being witnessed which will become an extremely serious social issue.

Since March 25, when the national lockdown was imposed, 66 children, below 18 years of age, have ended their lives due to various reasons", Vijayan said. A mother scolding her child for not attending the ongoing online classes, or a parent questioning a child for downloading a sleazy video on the smartphone or the constant rift between the parents were among the reasons which triggered the suicidal tendency, he said on Saturday.

As the schools have not yet re-opened due to the lockdown, the children are unable to meet their friends and share their problems. Vijayan said though the parents were intervening keeping in mind their child's welfare, it was essential to ensure that the young minds were not hurt in the process. To helpthe children facing issues relating to mental pressures, 'Chiri'atele-counselling initiative has been started by the government under its Our Responsibility to Children Programme (ORC), a planned community intervention that connects with people between the age of 12-18 years. The state health department has also launched "Ottakalla Oppamundu" (You are not alone,we are with you) programmeto help children facing any kind of mental distress and to prevent the suicidal tendencies among them.

Health Minister K K Shailaja said under the psychosocial support assistance, her department has so far reached out to 68,814 children and 10,890 children have been given counselling. The changes in the behaviour of their children should be noted by the family members and if they find something amiss, the district psychosocial help desk should be informed, she said. A 15-member team of Students Police Cadets will be constituted in each of the 14 districts to help the children needing any assistance,police sources said. Education should not be a competition, but a means to gain knowledge, Vijayan said.

A society's future lies with the children and it is the duty of the society and the government to ensure their physical and mental well being. Taking a serious view of the situation, the state government has constituteda committee headed byFire and Rescue Services DGP R Sreelekha to conduct a study on child suicides in the state. The aim of the ORC was also to create a multi collaborative platform for government and professional agencies, parents and teachers to equip youth with appropriate know-how to face challenges, officials said. 

Mangaluru, Jul 13: Air India Express flight brought around 170 passengers from Bahrain to Mangaluru under Vande Bharat Mission yesterday. 

This is the first VBM flight from Bahrain to Mangaluru. The flight took off from Bahrain at 10 am on Sunday and landed at Mangaluru International airport at 4.45 pm. 

Even though thousands of Indian expatriates from other gulf countries were brought to Mangaluru in past few weeks, no flight was arranged from Bahrain so far. Hence, several Mangalureans including senior citizens, women and patients were stranded in Bahrain for months together.

Local entrepreneur and president of Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) Mohammed Mansoor, who saw the plight of the hapless Indian expatriates in Bahrain had discussions with the Indian embassy in Bahrain and convinced it to arrange a special Air India Express flight under the Vande Bharat Mission. 

IOC, along with the cooperation of ‘KHK Heroes’ had arranged meal kits for passengers during their flight to Mangaluru. IOC had also contacted all the Mangaluru-based NRIs who wanted to fly back to India and made a list with the help of Indian embassy to avoid any untoward incidents.

IOC had also given details of hotels to be quarantined in Mangaluru and Udupi, names of nodal officers to be contacted and emergency telephone numbers. The passengers were given a warm farewell by the office bearers of IOC from Bahrain international airport.

The effort taken by Mohammed Mansoor, president of IOC is lauded by all. All the passengers who travelled by the flight have thanked IOC and its office bearers whole heartedly.