IAS aspirant with bone disorder appears for prelims with oxygen cylinder
Thiruvananthapuram, June 2: A rare bone disorder coupled with a respiratory condition requiring external oxygen support has not deterred 24-year-old Latheesha Ansari of Kottayam from setting her eyes on the highly coveted civil services.
On Sunday, she appeared for the Preliminary Civil Servicesexamination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission here, on a wheelchair and an oxygen cylinder beside her.
Latheesha, who was diagnosed with 'type II Osteogenesis Imperfecta' ,(brittle bone disease) after birth also suffers from pulmonary hypertension since over a year due to which she needs an oxygen cylinder always besides her for respiratory needs.
The short statured IAS aspirant had to be carried to school by her father due to her condition, father Ansari, who hails from Erumeli in Kottayam, said.
Thanks to the intervention of Kottayam District Collector P R Sudheer Babu, a portable oxygen concentrator was provided to her inside the examination hall.
A portable equipment would be provided to her free of cost for which tender process had been completed, the collector told PTI when contacted.
Her parents had travelled to the examination hall with an oxygen cylinder.
Latheesha, who appeared for the examination at a centre here, told PTI that she had been preparing for the examination since the past one and half years and hoped that her efforts would prove fruitful.
Latheesha, who has completed her M Com degree, has chosen Malayalam as an optional subject for the examination.
Latha Nair of Amritavarshini, a charitable Society working for children with the rare genetic disorder, said the UPSC needs to provide better facilities for IAS aspirants like Latheesha.
She needs about Rs 25,000 a month for a medical needs, Nair said.
The examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), was held in 72 cities across India on Sunday.
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
