Justice Chauhan sworn-in as new DERC Chairman
New Delhi, July 5: Justice Satyendra Singh Chauhan (retd), who was appointed as the DERC chairman last month, took over charge formally on Thursday with his swearing-in.
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) Chairman's post had been lying vacant for over one and a half years.
Chauhan, who had served as a judge in the Allahabad High Court, was administered the oath by Power Minister Satyendar Jain, in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and senior officials of the Power Department.
After the ceremony, Jain said that "this is for the first time in DERC history that a judge has been appointed as its chairman." Complimenting the DERC for its increasing efficiency, he hoped that the "current situation continues for the next five years too".
Congratulating Chauhan, Kejriwal said that this is the best period for the power sector as Delhi, in the whole country, is enjoying minimal power cuts and cheap electricity.
"Right now, the power sector in Delhi is going through its best period. With fewer power cuts, Delhi people are getting cheap electricity in the country. Moreover, the financial position of companies in this sector is also enhancing every day," he said.
He hoped that the "current situation of power sector remains the same in the future so that the government could come up with better services and policies".
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Karnataka Health Minister Rao hopeful of resolving issues raised by docs, health staff
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday expressed hope to find a solution to the issues raised by KGMOA and other health department employees' associations as they have called for a statewide strike.
As part of the phased statewide agitation by Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA), all Outpatient Department (OPD) services will be affected from March 11.
From March 16, doctors plan a complete boycott of duties, including emergency services, if the government fails to act.
"We have discussed with doctors and healthcare workers. We have spoken to them twice. Yesterday, we communicated the government's actions to them through our commissioner," Rao said in the Legislative Assembly.
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He said, "Their demands include issues pending for several years, such as Cadre and Recruitment Rules, the seniority list, and discrepancies in the last counselling, among others."
"We plan to resolve them. There are several other issues, I don't want to discuss now. We have called them for a meeting with the chief minister today. We will discuss and resolve what we can in the interest of the department and most importantly the public. I'm confident that the issue will be resolved soon," he added.
The minister was replying to a question raised by three MLAs, including BJP's Sunil Kumar during the question hour.
"With various demands, doctors across the state have called for an indefinite strike starting tomorrow. Supply of medicines, transfer policy and filling vacancies are the major issues they have raised," he said.
Noting that the doctors and healthcare staff have threatened to stop OPD operations from March 11 and emergency services from March 16, he said, "This is worrying. The heads of the doctors' and healthcare staff associations told the media that although they brought their issues to the government's attention a month ago, they have not been called for discussion to resolve the issue."
He further urged that the government should not take any drastic measures, like imposing Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), to curtail the strike. "The government should adopt negotiation instead of conflict. They should call them and resolve the issue immediately."
Congress MLA and chief whip Ashok Pattan said the strike by doctors and healthcare staff will affect the poor.
"The government should call the representatives of doctors and healthcare staff for a meeting and resolve their issues that can be solved immediately. They should also convince them that other issues would be addressed in stages," he said.
Another Congress MLA, Hampanagouda Badarli, also made a similar demand.
