843 women undergo uterus removal, 1,523 worked pregnant in Beed’s sugarcane fields: Report
Beed: A recent health report has revealed alarming findings about the conditions faced by women sugarcane labourers in Maharashtra’s Beed district. According to the data, 843 women, mostly aged between 30 and 35, have undergone hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), while 1,523 women were found to be pregnant during the harvesting season.
Beed district, often referred to as the sugarcane cutter labourers’ hub, sees an annual migration of nearly 1.75 lakh workers, including 78,000 women, to sugarcane fields across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. These workers leave during the Diwali season and return by March or April.
The health report, compiled as part of government check-ups conducted before departure and after return, has triggered state-level concern. Among the 843 hysterectomy cases, 477 involved women aged between 30 and 35 who reported issues like excessive bleeding, infections, and abdominal pain. The health department said 279 surgeries were performed privately with the approval of government doctors.
Disturbingly, 1,523 pregnant women, listed on the Maternal and Child Welfare Portal, were forced to work in the fields carrying sickles while carrying children in the womb. The report also noted widespread anaemia, with 3,415 women found suffering due to iron, B12, and folic acid deficiencies, as well as conditions like thalassemia and post-surgery blood loss.
Health screenings were carried out for 46,231 women before their migration. Health cards were issued, and Women Health Action Groups have been set up in 1,132 villages to monitor migrant women labourers.
Dr. Sachin Shekde, Maternal and Child Welfare Officer, confirmed the findings and said routine screenings have documented the surgeries and pregnancies, exposing the severe economic and health vulnerabilities of women in the sugarcane sector.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
