PM Modi appreciates work of dropped ministers, asks new members to learn from their experience
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday appreciated his former ministerial colleagues who were dropped after the Cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, saying they all contributed in the development work executed by his government and advised the newly sworn-in ministers to learn from their experience, sources said.
Interacting with members of the revamped Council of Ministers a day after the reshuffle, Modi said some leaders are now not part of the government due to certain situations and circumstances, in an apparent reference to Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar who resigned before the Cabinet rejig.
The sources said Modi appreciated Prasad and Javadekar for their work.
Other ministers who quit the government on Wednesday included Harsh Vardhan (health minister) and Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' (education minister).
The PM also expressed concern over the sight of crowded places with people not following COVID-19 norms, saying that there should be no space for carelessness or complacency and that a single mistake would have far-reaching impact and may weaken the fight against the pandemic.
This is not a pleasant sight and it should instil a "sense of fear in us", he said, referring to pictures and videos of crowded places doing the rounds.
People are seen without wearing masks or following the social distancing norms, he said, according to the sources.
He stressed India's fight against the pandemic is underway with full vigour with the vaccination programme going on steadily and testing numbers also consistently high.
"He added that in such a time, there should be no space for carelessness or complacency. A single mistake would have far-reaching impacts and weaken the fight to overcome COVID-19," a source said.
"The PM said that with the Covid infection numbers being fewer than what they were in the recent months, people may want to venture out. However, everyone must remember that the threat of COVID-19 is far from over. Many other nations are seeing surges in infections. The virus is also mutating," he added.
Modi told the ministers that the aim should not be to instill fear but to request people to keep taking all possible precautions so that the nation is able to move beyond this pandemic in the times to come. In the meeting, he expressed concern at the persistently high number of Covid cases coming from Maharashtra and Kerala, the sources said.
He also asked his ministers to reach office on time and channelise all their energy into their ministerial work, saying their focus should be on helping the most deprived people.
In a word of advice, he said it is the work that only matters and the ministers should not get trapped in the vicious circle of grabbing media attention.
He said ministers should avoid making unnecessary statements.
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Mumbai family deaths: Rat poison ingredient zinc phosphide found in viscera, watermelon sample
Mumbai (PTI): Four members of a family in Pydhonie area of south Mumbai died last month due to rat poison, police officials said on Thursday.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed the presence of zinc phosphide in viscera (liver, kidney, spleen), stomach contents, bile, and abdominal fat samples of the deceased identified as Abdulla Dokadia (44), his wife Nasrin (35) and their daughters Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13), said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe.
"The watermelon sample also tested positive for zinc phosphide, while all other food items were negative. The report will be studied in depth. We will consult forensic doctors. Further probe in the case is underway," the DCP said.
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Zinc phosphide is used primarily as a highly toxic acute rodenticide to control rats and mice.
"The forensic experts who examined the viscera of deceased Abdulla Dokadia, Nasrin (35), Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) found traces of zinc phosphide. It is, however, unclear whether the rat poison was consumed accidentally (or on purpose). So far, we have found no strong reason why the whole family would take such an extreme step," another official said.
Further probe is being conducted by the JJ Marg police station, which has recorded statements of kin and neighbours, he added.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia, his wife Nasreen, and daughters Ayesha and Zaineb ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
