Rahul Gandhi holds talks with European Parliament members in Brussels
London (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Thursday, marking the start of his three-nation European tour.
According to sources, the human rights situation in Manipur was among the topics that were raised during his meetings in the Belgian capital. This comes against the backdrop of a resolution entitled India, the situation in Manipur' which had been adopted by the European Parliament in July.
The discussions in Brussels, which were not listed on the official parliamentary agenda of the day, were described as successful by Opposition party sources.
India in the past has said that the Indian authorities at all levels, including the judiciary, are seized of the situation in Manipur and are taking steps to maintain peace and harmony and law and order.
"The European Parliament would be well advised to utilise its time more productively on its internal issues," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in July when the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in India, with particular reference to the clashes in Manipur.
He added that "such interference in India's internal affairs is unacceptable, and reflects a colonial mindset".
"Shri @RahulGandhi at a round table with MEPs in the European Parliament, co-hosted by MEP Alviina Almetsa (Shadow Rapporteur on EU-India Relationship) and MEP Pierre Larrouturou (portfolios within Parliamentary budget, climate & employment generation)," the Congress Party said in a tweet, confirming the meeting.
Later on Thursday, Gandhi attended an event organised by civil society organisations focussed on human rights issues within the European Union (EU). The day concluded with an interaction over dinner with the Belgium-based Indian diaspora.
The former Congress chief is expected to leave for Paris after a meeting with business leaders and a media interaction in Brussels on Friday. He is also tentatively scheduled to address the media in the French capital later on Friday.
On Saturday, he is expected to hold a meeting with French parliamentarians and interact with students at the Sciences Po University before leaving for the Netherlands on Sunday. There he will visit the 400-year-old Leiden University and interact with students.
On September 11, the Congress leader would head to Norway where he will meet the country's parliamentarians in the capital Oslo. He would also meet non-resident Indians and attend a meeting at the University of Oslo.
The Indian Overseas Congress is organising the events for Gandhi, a senior party leader said. He is scheduled to return on September 12 night, a day after the conclusion of the G20 Summit.
The G20 Leaders Summit will be held from September 9 to 10 in Delhi.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
