RG Kar issue: Junior doctors' fast-unto-death enters 14th day
Kolkata (PTI): The fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered its 14th day on Friday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security.
So far, six fasting junior doctors have been hospitalised after deterioration in their health condition, a protesting doctor said.
Currently, eight medics are on an indefinite fast at the protest site in Esplanade, located in the heart of Kolkata, he added.
The protesting doctors are demanding justice for the deceased woman medic and immediate removal of state Health secretary NS Nigam.
The protesting doctors said the government has not taken any concrete steps to address their 10-point charter.
In addition to justice for the medic who was raped and murdered, their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
They are also demanding increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
The junior doctors went on a 'cease-work' following the alleged rape-murder of a fellow medic at RG Kar hospital on August 9. They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.
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Nitish Kumar's son Nishant among 32 to take oath as Bihar ministers
Patna (PTI): In a major expansion of the Cabinet of Bihar's first BJP-led government, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar and 31 others took oath as ministers on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Altogether 32 leaders, drawn from all constituents of the five-party NDA in the state, were administered the oath of office by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain at a grand ceremony that was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister J P Nadda and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
Prominent inductees included Nishant Kumar, the son of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as chief minister last month to enter the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 243-member assembly with 89 MLAs, has 15 ministers, who took oath on Thursday.
Most of the inductees were those who were part of the Nitish Kumar cabinet formed in November last year after the NDA stormed back to power in the assembly polls.
The JD(U) is represented by a total of 15 ministers, 13 of whom took the oath at the Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav had taken oath in April along with Samrat Choudhary and were designated as deputy chief ministers.
Sanjay Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Paswan, both from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, are back as ministers, and so are Santosh Kumar Suman and Deepak Prakash, sons of Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, respectively.
