Karnataka to make term insurance mandatory for doctors, officers, staff in medical education dept
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has decided to make term insurance mandatory for all doctors, officers and staff under the Medical Education and Skill Development Department, Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said on Sunday.
Patil, in charge of medical education portfolio, said the decision follows the death of IAS officer Mahantesh Bilagi in a road accident last month, in which a technical oversight resulted in his family receiving nearly Rs 50 lakh less than the entitled amount.
"The issue came to notice during a governing council meeting of a medical college, where it was found that the officer had not updated his service status in the term insurance system after being promoted from the State Civil Services to the IAS," Patil said in a statement.
He added that the lapse had financial consequences for the bereaved family.
Taking serious note of the matter, Patil said he had directed the Additional Chief Secretary to issue a circular mandating all medical college and hospital doctors, officers and staff to enrol in term insurance schemes commensurate with their current salary and designation.
The objective, he said, is to ensure that families receive the full entitled insurance cover in the event of an employee's death.
The minister said many employees, particularly those in lower pay scales, may not have opted for adequate term insurance due to financial constraints or lack of awareness.
He said officials have been instructed to engage leading banks and insurance companies to offer the best possible term insurance schemes at affordable premiums.
He also said the department would examine the feasibility of extending term insurance benefits to contract employees as part of a broader social security measure.
In another decision, Patil said he had directed the Additional Chief Secretary and heads of medical colleges and hospitals to consider migrating experienced and meritorious outsourced employees into contract positions, strictly following the reservation roster.
Instead of fresh recruitment to fill temporary vacancies, eligible outsourced personnel with proven experience may be absorbed into the contract category to ensure continuity and fairness in employment, he said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
