Ravish Kumar completes 10 million subscribers on YouTube 18 months after launching channel
New Delhi: Renowned journalist and former NDTV Executive Editor Ravish Kumar achieved a milestone on Monday as his YouTube channel crossed 10 million subscribers.
This achievement comes approximately 17 months after Kumar began sharing his insights and commentary on various issues through his YouTube platform following his departure from NDTV, which he announced via a video post on December 1, 2022, He had launched his channel in October 2022, which largely remained inactive till December 2022.
Known for his insightful analysis and independent viewpoint, Kumar's YouTube channel has garnered widespread popularity, consistently attracting millions of views for his videos. Having spent 27 years at NDTV, where he served as Senior Executive Editor and hosted several flagship programs, Kumar's transition to digital media reflects the evolving landscape of journalism.
His decision to resign from NDTV and embrace digital media was influenced by challenges, including his mother's illness in Bihar, as well as the broader context of threats and pressures faced by journalists in India. Kumar had received death threats on his personal phone from supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amidst NDTV's encounter with a potential takeover by the Adani Group, known for its close ties with the government.
In his resignation address, delivered on his YouTube channel, Kumar expressed gratitude to his audience for their unwavering support over the years. He also voiced concerns about authoritarian forces dividing the nation and lamented the state of journalism in India, characterizing it as a "dark age of journalism."
Kumar's departure from mainstream media to pursue an independent digital presence mirrored a growing trend among Indian journalists. Many have opted to utilize platforms like YouTube and social media to navigate the challenges faced by traditional media organizations in the current political climate.
Through his YouTube channel, Ravish Kumar continues to engage with his audience, offering his perspective on pressing issues and contributing to the discourse on journalism in India.
https://www.youtube.com/@ravishkumar.official
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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.
