Chandrababu Naidu writes to ACB Court alleging security lapses in prison
Rajamahendravaram (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): TDP supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written a letter to a special court alleging security lapses in the prison he is lodged in and appealed for foolproof security arrangements.
Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which resulted in a purported loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.
He is currently lodged in the Rajamahendravaram central prison.
"It is requested to undertake foolproof security arrangements in and around the central prison, Rajamahendravaram commensurate with the Z plus category security cover provided to me," wrote Naidu in the letter to the Vijayawada ACB Court Judge B S V Hima Bindu, a copy of which was shared with PTI by the TDP on Friday.
Recounting several alleged lapses such as unauthorised capturing of video footage and photographs while entering the prison complex and drones hovering over the jail two times, Naidu said these untoward incidents are endangering his life despite being a Z plus category security protectee.
The former CM alleged that video footage and photographs were leaked by the police which were later widely circulated in various media, including social media to damage his reputation.
According to Naidu, one remand prisoner incarcerated in the jail in a narcotics case is roaming with a pen camera.
Also, Naidu claimed that East Godavari district superintendent of police and jail authorities received an anonymous letter from left-wing extremists threatening to assassinate him, adding that crore of rupees exchanged hands for this purpose.
Delving on drones, the former CM alleged that unidentified miscreants flew a drone to capture his movements in the jail at the instance of people in power.
He noted that the drone came near the open jail where some prisoners were lodged and observed that police did not initiate any action to find the truth behind this incident or the mastermind behind it.
Naidu said another drone was flown over the main gate of the prison on October 6 to capture the images of his family members who came to visit him, noting that these incidents expose the security risks to him and his family.
Considering these alleged lapses, Naidu requested the Judge to arrange foolproof security in and around the Rajamahendravaram central prison where he is lodged in.
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ASHA workers threaten indefinite strike from Feb 27 over rationalisation order, pending demands
Bengaluru: ASHA workers in Karnataka have warned of launching an indefinite strike from February 27, protesting a health department order to rationalise the workforce and alleging that long-pending demands have not been addressed.
The Karnataka State Joint ASHA Workers’ Association criticised the department’s decision to increase the population assigned to each ASHA worker, arguing that it violates existing norms and would lead to large-scale job losses. According to current norms, one ASHA worker is assigned for every 1,000 individuals. Under the current rationalisation plan, the allotted population in rural regions has been increased to up to 2,000, while in metropolitan areas with populations more than 50,000, the number has been raised from 1,000 to a minimum of 2,500 and a maximum of 3,000.
Deccan Herald quoted D Nagalakshmi, state secretary of the ASHA Union affiliated to AITUC, as saying the department had conveyed that an honorarium of ₹10,000 could not be ensured unless the population coverage per worker was increased. She alleged that workers were effectively being asked to accept higher workloads while excess ASHAs would be removed. “This would render nearly 7,000 to 8,000 ASHA workers jobless, and such a move is being carried out only in Karnataka,” she said.
At present, the state government pays ASHA workers a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000, while the Centre provides performance-based incentives. Workers said accessing these incentives has become difficult as data must be entered on the ASHA portal by primary health community officers, but vacancies in these posts have not been filled.
The workers have also submitted a set of pre-Budget demands, seeking an increase in the combined state and central incentives to ₹15,000 and enhancement of the state honorarium to ₹ 8,000, in line with promises made in the Congress election manifesto. Other demands include a lump-sum retirement benefit on the lines of West Bengal, creation of a corpus fund to meet treatment expenses of ASHA workers suffering from serious illnesses with reimbursement provisions, and payment of a fixed monthly honorarium for up to three months during recovery from severe illness.
ASHA workers had staged an indefinite protest in January over similar issues. On the fourth day of the agitation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened and assured the workers that their demands would be met.
