Matrize Exit Poll predicts Congress sweeping Haryana with whopping majority
BJP set to win only 18-24 seats
New Delhi: As the polling has ended in Haryana’s 90 Assembly constituencies today, the Matrize Exit Poll has projected a challenging outcome for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), predicting it to win between 18-24 seats. The Congress is expected to make a comeback with 55-62 seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is likely to be limited to 3-6 seats. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is likely to secure around 3 seats, and other parties are expected to win between 2-5 seats.
As of 5 pm, voter turnout stood at 61%, indicating a keenly contested election. The BJP, which aims to secure a third consecutive term in the state, is facing a tough battle as the Congress seeks to regain power after being out of office for nearly a decade.
In the previous assembly elections, exit polls had projected varying outcomes. India Today had predicted 38 seats for the BJP and 36 for Congress, while ABP-C Voter projected a landslide with 72 seats for the BJP and 8 for Congress. News 18-IPSOS estimated a BJP victory with 75 seats and 10 for Congress. However, the final results led to a hung Assembly, with no party securing a majority. The BJP eventually formed the government with the support of the JJP and several Independent MLAs.
This time, with exit polls indicating a possible shift in voter preference, all eyes are on the final results to see if Congress can indeed stage a comeback or if BJP will retain its hold in the state.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
