'Feeling dumped in the backyard', IAS officer resigns from service
Pune(PTI): Daulat Desai, a 2008-batch IAS officer working as joint director in the Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD) in Maharashtra, has resigned from the elite service and put up a long post on a social media platform on Monday stating it was "quite depressing to lie dumped in the backyard".
The senior bureaucrat, before being transferred to MEDD, was the collector of Kolhapur and had handled the 2019 floods that ravaged the western Maharashtra district.
"Amidst mixed feelings, I inform you all that I have resigned and voluntarily stepped out of the so-called steel frame, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS), leaving behind all that Power, Security, Status and Prestige! Though striving for good health is the instant driver of this decision, it was quite depressing to lie dumped in the backyard, that too after accomplishing most challenging tenure as Collector and District Magistrate Kolhapur," said Desai in the post.
He said the civil service gave him tremendous exposure, recognition and opportunities to serve the people of the country.
"I was very fortunate to be one of the very few! It was a very satisfying and exciting journey full of surprises and successes," the IAS officer said.
Desai said he never compromised if public interest was at stake.
"Always listened to the voices of weak and needy, ignoring vested interests of strong, established and powerful ones in the societal hierarchy. My hands trembled, but decisions didn't. For that, sometimes I happily faced criticism from those disgruntled who were hurt. I did whatever I could within the framework of rules and regulations for the betterment of society," he added.
The 2008-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre said he is indebted to people who supported and appreciated his honesty and sincerity. The bureaucrat said it's time to shed the 'aura' of IAS and be a 'common man' and struggle in the outside world. "I am happy and fulfilled, No Regrets at all," he wrote on the social media platform.
Despite repeated attempts, Desai was not available for comments.
During his career spanning 14 years, the IAS officer also served as Director, Disaster Management, and CEO of the Pune Zilla Parishad.
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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.
