The Peralam police are investigating the reason for the clash between two schoolchildren on October 10 at Poonthottam near Nannilam in Tiruvarur district, which resulted in the arrest of 11 persons.

According to the police, two boys studying in the government school at Poonthottam reportedly entered into a brawl during school hours on October 10. In the afternoon, one student was attacked by another student accompanied by his friends and relatives at the market area in Poonthottam.

Subsequently, the student sought the help of his friends and relatives to avenge the assault. This resulted in a clash between two groups in the market area. Later, both groups lodged complaints against each other with the Peralam police, leading to the arrest of 11 persons. The police said one injured student has been admitted in the government hospital.

File photo of an Urban Primary Health Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Image used for representational purposes
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

All Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Tamil Nadu should have ‘May I Help You’ counters and must create a patient-friendly ambience that should include accessibility features for persons with disability.

Issuing guidelines for a “patient-centric approach”, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has told its District Health Officers (DHO) that such an approach at PHCs is crucial for providing quality care and ensuring a positive experience for patients. All DHOs should ensure that PHCs have ‘May I Help You’ boards and counters in place at the outpatient hall.

The counters should be managed by friendly, trained, and empathetic staff members or volunteers. They should be familiar with the PHC services, procedures, and staff. Clear signages with essential information on PHC services and timings, staff directories, important phone numbers, and extensions should also be in place. The signages should be in local languages and braille, if possible, the directorate said in its latest guidelines.

The PHCs should have a computer with internet connectivity for generating outpatient slips and accessing patient records (with privacy and security measures). The facilities should have printers too. To ensure patient support, the centres should have comfortable seating and waiting areas, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, wheelchair or mobility aid, basic first aid kit, and information brochures or leaflets on various health topics.

There should be digital display screens for queue management, health awareness messages, PHC announcements, and mobile charging points or power banks. A feedback mechanism with a suggestion box or feedback form and regular patient satisfaction surveys should be taken up. To ensure that the centres are accessible, there should be ramps or elevators for easy access, audio announcements or visual displays for visually challenged patients, and sign language interpreters or braille material, if possible.

The directorate said that by incorporating these components, the counters can effectively support patients, streamline processes, and enhance the overall experience at PHCs.

Leh:

High altitudes, unpredictable weather and the lack of proven mechanical options have made the armed forces look at a natural alternative for patrolling and carrying equipment in the challenging terrain of Ladakh, and the two-humped camel is leading the pack.

The Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) in Leh, Ladakh is training these wild camels, also known as Bactrian camels, to be obedient pack animals.

Bactrian camels are very hardy, can survive in high altitudes and are also food storehouses, with the ability to go without feeding for nearly two weeks. They have been used extensively as beasts of burden in Central Asia and can easily carry loads of over 150 kg in a cold, rarified environment.

Speaking to NDTV, Colonel Ravi Kant Sharma of the Remount Veterinary Corps in Leh, Ladakh, said double-humped camels were used to transport goods on the legendary Silk Road, but the knowledge to tame them and get them to obey has been lost in India.

Colonel Sharma who is part of DIHAR, which is part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said, “Double-humped camels are a good option as pack animals for the operational logistics requirements of the Army, especially last-mile connectivity’.

Logistical Nightmare

Scientists from DRDO say the mountains are generally considered a logistician’s nightmare. In Ladakh, an improvement in the road infrastructure has substantially widened the transportation options, but troops still have to rely on porters and pack animals for last-mile connectivity.

They said pack animals have proven their worth in logistics, especially in the mountains, where the capabilities of drones, quadcopters and all-terrain vehicles or ATVs have not yet been proven on the required scale. At high altitudes, the use of technological options is also dependent on weather conditions, environmental factors and terrain, and support from pack animals, they said, will enhance the operational logistics efficiency.

In the Ladakh sector, Zanskar ponies have been extensively used as pack animals since the 1999 Kargil operation and, in Eastern Ladakh, initial trials on Bactrian camels for the same purpose have been successful.

The Northern Command of the Indian Army said the two-humped camel offers an innovative means for last-mile delivery of critical load and mounted patrolling in the sandy terrain of the plateau. The utilisation of camels has been generating employment for the local population and has also paved the way for enhancing conservation efforts.

Dr Om Prakash Chaurasia, Director, DIHAR, said, “Similar to the Zanskar ponies, as per requisition from the headquarters of the Army’s 14 Corps, a trial is being undertaken by us to check the feasibility of using the two-humped camels for patrolling and carrying loads. The initial trial has shown encouraging results.”

Colonel Sharma said, “Training a double-humped camel to be a soldier is very different from training them to offer joy rides to tourists. In times of war, the animal has to remain steady and obey all commands even as the machines roar around them.”

Yaks Too

Trials on the use of yaks as pack animals for extreme altitudes (above 15,000 feet) are also taking place. Yaks have three times more red blood cells than native cattle as well as larger lungs and are perfectly adapted to carrying up to 100 kilograms of load in high altitudes. Their heavy coat allows them to survive temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius and they can graze on high-altitude pastures ranging from 15,000 to 17,000 feet.

The use of these animals is also more important now because drones and robots could fail just when they are needed most if the enemy uses jammers.

Thane, Maharashtra:

A 41-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Thane district has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife over the custody of their children, an official said on Saturday.

The couple – Nadeem Khan and his wife Amrin (36) – from Mira Road has two children, aged 2 and 10, and was caught in a dispute over their kids’ custody, the official said.

The woman had gone to the police station to seek some help. Since the cops were busy, she told them she would return after some time and went to the nearby school to meet her child.

On her way to the school, Khan picked up a quarrel with Amrin and stabbed her to death, said the official from Mira Road police station.

Khan has been booked for murder and a probe is underway, he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday (October 12, 2024) alleged that no action has been taken against a health official who is accused of sexually harassing a lady doctor in a Delhi Government hospital.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, in a press conference, questioned Lt Governor VK Saxena why no action was taken against the accused officer even though allegations against him were found to be correct.

Mr. Singh said the woman doctor filed her complaint against the medical superintendent of the hospital in October 2023. After a delay of four months, a probe was started by an internal committee in March 2024, he claimed.

“The internal committee in its probe found that the woman doctor’s allegations against the officer were correct, yet no action was taken against him,” he claimed further.

The AAP leader demanded action against the Health Secretary of Delhi Government and arrest of the accused officer.

New Delhi:

With Navratri festivities drawing to a close, quick commerce firm Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha took to LinkedIn to inform that the platform sold over 1 Lakh dandiya sticks during the season.

“What a day! Closing out Navratri 2024 with a grateful heart, seeing the beauty of India’s diversity through our users, sellers, brands, and every Zeptonian, who made it all happen. From essentials to festive picks, thank you for making us part of India’s celebrations across nine incredible days,” he wrote on LinkedIn.

Through graphics, he shared that the Mumbai-headquartered firm sold 1,00,000 plus dandiya sticks during the season.

He further said sales for fasting-friendly chips, Kattu and Rajgira atta, grew significantly compared to last year’s Navratri sales.

Mr Palicha also shared how Zepto’s dark stores indulged in Navratri festivities across the country.

In Coimbatore, Kochi, Chennai, and Bangalore, the stores celebrated Ayudha Puja, honouring tools and equipment. The Bhawanipore store in Kolkata embraced the lively essence of Durga Ashtami, while the Gota store in Ahmedabad kept the festive spirit alive with an energetic Garba event.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Upset with her daughter’s love affair, Alka Devi, 42, hired a hitman to kill her daughter but ended up being murdered by him. In a shocking turn of events, Subhash, the hitman, turned out to be the daughter’s lover. In exchange for a marriage proposal, he murdered the woman. The incident came to light on October 6, when Alka’s body was found in a millet field under Jasrathpur police station of Etah district, Uttar Pradesh.

This tale of contract killing is not as modest as it appears to be. The number of characters will grow as each chapter unfolds. Sit tight.

Last week, on October 5, Alka Devi had gone to Etah to plead a case. When she didn’t return till late evening, Ramakant, her husband tried calling on her mobile but it was switched off. He looked around for his partner but all in vain until Sunday evening, when he got a call from the police, asking to identify a dead body.

Following identification, Alka’s body was sent for a postmortem and the widower Ramakant registered a case against two men – Akhilesh and Aniket – from his village, in Jasrathpur police station.

Reportedly, the duo is also accused of luring and kidnapping Alka’s daughter. Akhilesh was put behind bars by Naya Gaon police while the minor girl was safely rescued and sent to her family.

Alka Devi, probably scarred by the incident, sent her daughter to her maternal home in Sikandarpur Khas village of Farrukhabad district.

There the minor girl developed a relationship with 38-year-old Subhash, who, in the past, has served 10 years in jail. Subhash got her a mobile phone to talk.

Alka was tired and upset with her daughter’s love affair. That’s when she decided to get her killed. She offered Subhash Rs. 50,000 to execute the murder. Little did she know Subhash was the man her daughter was having an affair with.

Subhash disclosed the plan to the girl. Quick-witted, the girl offered to marry him if he killed the mother instead. Together, they strategised and staged pictures of the murder, fooling Alka. But when Alka didn’t pay the promised sum of Rs. 50,000, Subhash called her to Agra and visited her along with her daughter.

The trio travelled to Etah from Agra and went to Ramleela fair. From there, they got down before Aliganj and took Alka to Nagla Chandan where she was killed. The woman was strangled, according to the police. The daughter and her lover have been arrested.

Kaithal (Haryana):

Three women and four girls, all from the same family, died on Saturday when their car fell into a canal here, police said.

They said nine people, including eight of the family, were in the vehicle. They were headed for the Baba Rajpuri Mela held on the occasion of Dussehra.

Taking to the social media platform X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the accident as heart-rendering and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims.

हरियाणा के कैथल में हुआ सड़क हादसा हृदयविदारक है। इसमें जान गंवाने वालों के शोकाकुल परिजनों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं। ईश्वर उन्हें इस पीड़ा को सहने की शक्ति प्रदान करे। राज्य सरकार की देखरेख में स्थानीय प्रशासन मौके पर हरसंभव मदद में जुटा है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 12, 2024

He said the local administration was making every effort to help under the state government’s supervision.

According to police, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into the canal near Mundri village.

They said the driver was rescued but seven other occupants of the vehicle drowned. A 12-year-old girl, Komal, is missing and efforts are on to trace her, police said.

The dead were identified as Satwinder (50), Chameli (65), Teejo (45), Fiza (16), Vandana (10), Riya (10) and Ramandeep (6).

All were from Deeg village in Kaithal. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
| Photo Credit: PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena-led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will hold separate Dussehra rallies in the state on Saturday (October 12, 2024), aiming to show their strength just before the assembly polls in the State.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) rally will be held at Shivaji Park while the Ekanth Shinde faction’s rally will be held at Azad Maidan. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, “It has been a tradition for more than 50 years – only 2 Dussehra rallies are famous – Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally which was started by Balasaheb Thackery and the other one is of RSS’ Dussehra rally in Nagpur. Now, the duplicate Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Sena of Modi and Shah is also organising the Dussehra rally in the name of Shiv Sena, many other organisations also do rallies but the importance of the rally that is organised in Shivaji Park has always been more in the country and State.

“”Today, our rally will be held. After Balasaheb Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray is leading the party and he will address the rally. Bow and arrow has always been our symbol, but Modi-Shah through theft gave it to dishonest and duplicate people, but it doesn’t change anything. Bow and arrow will always be in our hearts but our symbol is Mashal [flame] now. This Mashal induces fire but also gives light,” Mr. Raut added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey termed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction as a “duplicate” and said that Uddhav Thackeray has worked for the honour of Maharashtra while others have backstabbed and have been the servitors of Delhi. Mr. Dubey said, “Today, two [Dussehra] rallies are taking place in Mumbai – one, of the real Shiv Sena and the other, of the duplicate Shiv Sena. The real Shiv Sena is taking place at Shivtirth, like every year. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray can’t be compared to any other Shiv Sainik or any other duplicate Shiv Sainik. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has worked for the honour and character of Maharashtra. Others have backstabbed Maharashtra and have been the servitors of Delhi.””In a month or two, the duplicate Shiv Sena will not be seen anywhere. There will be just one Shiv Sena,” Mr. Dubey added.

Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction leader Sanjay Nirupam targeted Uddhav Thackeray and said that he has sidelined Hindutva after allying with Congress.”Shiv Sena rally has a historical context. When Balasaheb used to address the Dussehra rally, he used to give his views on Hindutva to the Shiv Sainiks. There were strong comments, especially on the Congress’s policy of appeasement and the communal approach they followed in the name of secularism. Today Uddhav Thackeray has formed an alliance with Congress and has sidelined Hindutva. So he will not be able to speak much on Hindutva in his rally because it will disturb his Muslim votes,” he said.

“In the true sense, the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray will be expressed in Azad Maidan which will be addressed by Eknath Shinde. Along with that, there will be his sharp comments on the bad things that Congress has spread in the country,” Mr. Nirupam added.

Another Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande said, “Lakhs of people will come. The rally will be held at Azad Maidan. To hear the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray, Shiv Sainiks used to come here from across the country…Shiv Sena had deviated from its path and Eknath Shinde is bringing it back to its path. All his supporters, Hindutva supporters will be there in large numbers.”Uddhav Thackeray on October 8 slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing it of attempting to change the constitution and creating “a fight in the whole country”.

“The government sitting in Delhi was going to change the constitution but they could not do so. The results that have come in Haryana and Kashmir today, the people of every state take their own decisions.There was never a fight between Gujarati and Marathi.The two thugs sitting in Delhi have created a fight in the whole country,” Thackeray said.Referring to the recent Lok Sabha election results, Mr. Thackeray said, “We are proud that Maharashtra has brought them to their knees in the Lok Sabha.

“He further asserted that Shiv Sena still stand with Hindutva but not with BJP.”My grandfather fought against the wrong Hindutvaists of that time, Babasaheb also said this. I left BJP, but that does not mean that we have left Hindutva,” he said.The 288 seats Maharashtra Assembly will go to polls later this year. The Election Commission of India has yet to announce the poll dates. The upcoming Maharashtra election will see a contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress, and the Maha Yuti Alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).

Representational image. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Saturday (October 12, 2024) said it has sanctioned ₹770 crore financial assistance for the construction of two irrigation projects in Jharkhand.

These projects were approved under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

“NABARD has sanctioned financial assistance of ₹769.58 crore for construction of two irrigation projects in Palamu and Giridih districts under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund during FY 2024-25,” S K Jahagirdar, Chief General Manager, NABARD Jharkhand Regional Office, said.

Once completed, the project in Palamu will provide irrigation to an additional 11,000 hectares of land through pipelines across eight blocks in the district.

The megalift irrigation project in Giridih will cover 165 of the 197 villages in Pirtand block, leading to the development of 10,158 hectares of cultivable command area.

Both projects are expected to significantly enhance agricultural activities in these districts, according to NABARD.

The routine announcement by NABARD came as the state is gearing up for assembly elections, expected to be held this year.

The tenure of the current Jharkhand assembly of 81 members is due to expire on January 5, 2025.

“With this sanction, NABARD’s support to Jharkhand under RIDF during FY 2024-25 has reached ₹1,017 crore. The support provided to Jharkhand since the inception of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund now stands at around ₹24,300 crore,” the bank said in a statement.