Mangaluru Press Club distributes health cards to reporters
Mangaluru: Mangaluru Press Club and Dakshin Kannada Working Journalist Association, on Tuesday distributed health cards among its reporters at the Mangaluru Press Club office, here.
The health cards were distributed by President and Chancellor of NITTE (Deemed to be university) N. Vinay Hegde. The Mangaluru Press Club, came up with the scheme of distributing health cards, in association with the NITTE’s Justice KS Hegde Hospital, Mangaluru.
Under the scheme, the holders of the card will be eligible for a family health insurance scheme that will cover four members of a family, between the age of 3 months to 70 years.
A maximum coverage of Rs. 30,000/- will be offered which will be given in three installments. The in-patients can avail upto Rs. 9000/- per admission, while the consultations at the OPD will be free for the holders of the card.
The services and benefits of the card can be availed at NITTE’s Justice KS Hegde Hospital, at Deralakatte in Mangaluru.
Initially 97 cards will be distributed out of 246 reporters registered with Mangaluru press club. Off the 97 cards, those present during the event, were handed their respective healthcards.
Speaking at the event, Vinay Hegde, assured the officials of Press Club and working journalist association that the hospital will extend maximum support to the card holders from the press club while also adding that “The services covered under the card’s scheme will be made available easily, but in-case there is something we can do, that is not covered in the card, we will also try and arrange exceptions, looking at the seriousness of the case”.
Vinay Hegde further added “The media persons are the backbone of the democracy, and plays an important role in the development of any democracy. I take this as a pleasure, to serve media people. Them being healthy is very important for the health of our country”.
Hemanth Shetty, PRO of NITTE, also spoke at the event and explained the benefits of the card, while also urging the holders of the cards to effectively use it.
He added “We charge the BPL card holders a sum of Rs 150 and APL card holders Rs. 250 for the membership of the cards. When press club and working journalist association approached us with the proposal, we immediately approved their request and also told them that we will give these cards for free. It has cost us over Rs 24,000/- which has been credited from our charitable foundation”.
Officials of Mangaluru Press Club and Dakshin Kannada Working Journalist Association, thanked Vinay Hegde and Hemanth Shetty for their constant support throughout the project. Vinay Hegde was also felicitated by Press club towards the conclusion of the event to acknowledge his contributions in the field of education in Dakshina Kannada.
Mangaluru Press Club President, Anu Mangaluru, Working Journalist Association Dakshina Kannada, President Shrinivas Indaje, General Secretary Ibrahim Adkasthala and Patrika Bhava Trust President Anand Shetty were present on diaz during the event.
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Dinesh Gundu Rao seeks more Vande Bharat trains between Mangaluru-Bengaluru; Writes to Centre
Says Mangaluru has potential to emerge as strong alternative to Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging the Centre to introduce additional Vande Bharat train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru to improve daily connectivity.
In his letter, Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Karnataka government is focusing on developing tier-2 cities into modern work and industry destinations to ensure balanced growth across the state and generate employment opportunities. He noted that Mangaluru has the potential to emerge as a strong alternative to Bengaluru, citing its strengths in education, commerce and culture, but pointed out that inadequate fast transport links have limited the city’s growth.
The minister said that the absence of quick daily travel options forces professionals and businesspersons to spend nights travelling for short-duration work, resulting in loss of productive time. He described this as unfair to the people of Dakshina Kannada, many of whom regularly commute between the two cities.
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To address this, Dinesh Gundu Rao requested the introduction of Vande Bharat trains from Mangaluru to Bengaluru at 4 am, 10 am and 6 pm, with return services on the same day on all weekdays. He said such services would significantly benefit working professionals and business communities and provide a major boost to economic activity in coastal Karnataka.
The minister added that improved high-speed rail connectivity would facilitate exchanges in healthcare, banking, commerce and industry, as both cities complement each other. He also said better connectivity would attract travellers from other parts of India and abroad to Mangaluru, given the city’s existing infrastructure and facilities.
Stating that passenger occupancy would not be a concern for these services, Dinesh Gundu Rao said the proposal reflects the aspirations of both the Karnataka government and the people of coastal Karnataka. He expressed hope for a positive response from the Union Railway Ministry.
