Any deviation may dilute government's sensitivity, says Mamata on lateral entry
Kolkata, June 12: Raising "few concerns" on proposed government appointments through lateral entry, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said any deviation from the system, particularly by inducting professionals from non-governmental sector, notwithstanding their talent, may "dilute the sensitivity attached to the functioning of the government".
She also said there should be a "wider debate and discussion with different stakeholders" before implementing the proposed lateral entry into senior positions of the government.
"In my view, there is no objection if talented persons join the Central Government to improve its professional competence and efficiency. But I have few concerns about the issue involving various implications," she said in a Facebook post.
According to her, presently, the officers of All India/Central Services have been working in the government with "sincerity and accountability" and "maintaining secrecy, where the paramount interest of the nation remains supreme".
"In view of it, I feel that any deviation from the system, particularly by inducting professionals from non-governmental sector, notwithstanding their talent may dilute the sensitivity attached to the functioning of the government," she wrote.
Opening the doors of the bureaucracy for private sector professionals, the Central government on Sunday had invited applications for 10 Joint Secretary-level posts through lateral entry as opposed to those inducted through the UPSC exam.
Banerjee said the officers from All India Services/Central Services presently hold positions of Joint Secretary and equivalent levels in the Government of India, having been inducted in government services through transparent recruitment processes by Constitutional bodies like the UPSC. The officers are expected to be politically neutral while discharging their duties.
"Any shift from such standard will not be good for the nation," she said.
"Therefore, it is necessary to have wider debate and discussion with different stake-holders, including representatives of the All India Services/Central Services, before implementing the proposed induction of lateral entries into senior positions of the government," she said.
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Jhansi fire: Nurse's heroic efforts helped save over dozen babies
Lucknow/Jhansi (UP), Nov 17: Nurse Megha James was on duty when the fire broke out at the Jhansi hospital and she threw herself headlong into the rescue efforts, playing a hero's role by saving several babies.
Even when her salwar got burned, she refused to give up and was able to evacuate 14-15 babies with others' help.
"I had gone to take a syringe to give an injection to a child. When I came back, I saw that the (oxygen) concentrator had caught fire. I called the ward boy, who came with the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But by then, the fire had spread," James said.
Ten babies perished in a fire that broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi Friday night.
Faced with an enormous blaze, James's mind worked with a frenetic speed, to the extent she cared little about burning herself.
"My chappal caught fire and I burned my foot. Then my salwar caught fire. I removed my salwar and discarded it. At that time, my mind was virtually not working," she told PTI Videos.
James just wore another salwar and went back to the rescue operation.
"There was a lot of smoke, and once the lights went out, we could not see anything. The entire staff brought out at least 14-15 children. There were 11 beds in the ward with 23-24 babies," she said.
Had the lights not gone out they could have saved more children, James said. "It all happened very suddenly. None of us had expected it."
Assistant Nursing Superintendent Nalini Sood praised James's valour and recounted bits from how the rescue operation was carried out.
"The hospital staff broke the glasses of the NICU ward to evacuate the babies. It was then Nurse Megha's salwar caught fire. Instead of caring for her safety, she stayed there to rescue the babies and handed them over to people outside," she said.
Sood said James is currently undergoing treatment at the same medical college. She said she did not know the extent of her burns.
"The rescued babies were shifted to a ward very close to the NICU ward… When I recall the scene, I feel like crying," she said.
Dr Anshul Jain, the head of the anaesthesiology department at the medical college, explained the standard rescue operation and claimed the hospital followed the protocol to the T.
"In the triage process during an ICU evacuation, the policy is to evacuate less-affected patients first. The rationale behind this approach is that patients requiring minimal support can be relocated quickly, enabling a larger number of evacuations to be completed in a shorter time.
"In contrast, patients on ventilators or requiring high oxygen support demand more time and resources for evacuation," he said.
"This principle was successfully implemented in Jhansi, playing a significant role in saving many lives," Jain said.
A newborn rescued from the fire died due to illness on Sunday, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said.
