843 women undergo uterus removal, 1,523 worked pregnant in Beed’s sugarcane fields: Report
Beed: A recent health report has revealed alarming findings about the conditions faced by women sugarcane labourers in Maharashtra’s Beed district. According to the data, 843 women, mostly aged between 30 and 35, have undergone hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), while 1,523 women were found to be pregnant during the harvesting season.
Beed district, often referred to as the sugarcane cutter labourers’ hub, sees an annual migration of nearly 1.75 lakh workers, including 78,000 women, to sugarcane fields across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. These workers leave during the Diwali season and return by March or April.
The health report, compiled as part of government check-ups conducted before departure and after return, has triggered state-level concern. Among the 843 hysterectomy cases, 477 involved women aged between 30 and 35 who reported issues like excessive bleeding, infections, and abdominal pain. The health department said 279 surgeries were performed privately with the approval of government doctors.
Disturbingly, 1,523 pregnant women, listed on the Maternal and Child Welfare Portal, were forced to work in the fields carrying sickles while carrying children in the womb. The report also noted widespread anaemia, with 3,415 women found suffering due to iron, B12, and folic acid deficiencies, as well as conditions like thalassemia and post-surgery blood loss.
Health screenings were carried out for 46,231 women before their migration. Health cards were issued, and Women Health Action Groups have been set up in 1,132 villages to monitor migrant women labourers.
Dr. Sachin Shekde, Maternal and Child Welfare Officer, confirmed the findings and said routine screenings have documented the surgeries and pregnancies, exposing the severe economic and health vulnerabilities of women in the sugarcane sector.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
