Elderly couple in Belagavi allegedly commits suicide for fear of digital arrest
Belagavi: In a first case of suicide in the district fearing digital arrest, a elderly couple residing in Beedi village of Khanapur taluk allegedly committed suicide on Thursday evening for fear of threats by cyber frauds.
The deceased man, identified as Drogger Santan Nazareth (82) of Christian Galli in Beedi village, was found in a pool of blood in the underground water tank of his house while his wife Flavia (79) was seen by the neighbours, lying lifeless inside the house.
The police officers, who visited the residence on being informed by the neighbours, conducted an inspection and found a suicide note, a sickle and Drogger’s mobile phone. Nandgad police have taken the phone, the sickle as well as the suicide note into their custody.
The hand-written two-page suicide note in English said that the husband and wife had decided to end their lives, but no one was to be blamed as they did not wish to live at someone else’s mercy.
Drogger, in the two-page note, added they had received a call from a man identifying himself as Sumit Birra from Delhi and claiming to be a government official. Birra had told Drogger that his mobile phone was being used for illegal advertisements. He connected Drogger to another person Anil Yadav, who narrated the consequences of the situation, the senior citizen said, adding that Flavia and he were ending their lives as they did not wish to live under the mercy of some else.
The deceased man has asked friends to use his wife’s gold jewelry to clear the money he had borrowed from them. Drogger additionally asked that their remains be donated to a medical institution for use at the laboratory. The couple had no children.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Chhattisgarh govt enforces austerity measures, restricts foreign travel and cuts convoy vehicles
Raipur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday rolled out a set of austerity measures, including restricted use of convoy vehicles for the chief minister, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, besides curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The state has decided to implement the cost-saving steps with immediate effect to ensure efficient management of financial resources and discipline in public spending, said a directive issued by Finance Secretary Rohit Yadav.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The order said that only essential vehicles should be used in the convoys of the CM, ministers and office-bearers of corporations, boards and commissions, while ensuring restrained use of other government resources.
It also directed departments to take steps for a phased conversion of all official vehicles into electric vehicles in order to promote the use of EVs.
As part of fuel-saving measures, expenditure on petrol and diesel for government vehicles should be kept to a minimum, the directive said.
Vehicle pooling arrangements should also be implemented for officials of departments travelling to the same destination, it added.
The order further stated that foreign travel of government employees at state expenses will be completely prohibited except under extremely unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, prior approval of the CM will be mandatory.
To reduce administrative expenditure, departments have been instructed to hold physical meetings preferably only once a month and encourage virtual and online meetings. Regular departmental review meetings should compulsorily be conducted through video conferencing, it said.
The government also stressed the need for energy conservation in its offices, directing that all electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners and computers, must be switched off after office hours.
The directive will remain effective till September 30 this year.
Amid the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, Modi has suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
