Social media addiction harming IAF pilots, says Air Chief
Bengaluru, Sep 15 : Addiction to social media affects the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, as they are being deprived of adequate sleep for flying duty, said Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshall B.S. Dhanoa on Friday.
"Much dependence on social media is taking away interpersonal and communication skills of our pilots. Earlier, if a pilot had too many drinks, the bar man would know. If he did not notice, others would know and the affected pilot would be laid off flying for the day. We need a system that can tell us if a pilot has been sleep deprived," Dhanoa said at a conference here.
Inaugurating the 57th annual conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine here, Dhanoa told the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) to develop a method to ascertain if a pilot was deprived of mandatory sleep.
"Getting hooked to social media like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for long hours in the night was making pilots sleep late and less than required for flying. The IAM should find a method to de-addict the pilots of social media," reiterated Dhanoa.
As flight briefings are held very early in the day (around 6:00 a.m.) when the ambient temperature is above 40 degree Celsius, the pilots have to sleep early overnight and rest enough to be fresh and alert for flying sorties.
"We need to have more filters and mechanisms developed to deal with the excessive usage of social media, leading to anxiety and health issues," added Dhanoa.
"I request doctors to find a quick solution for the problem," he noted.
On the role of IAF in selecting and training astronauts for the manned mission in 2021-22 under the human space programme, the Air Chief said the IAM would be involved in their selection of astronauts and their health.
"Aerospace medicine specialist is the best friend of the air crew in the field," added the Air Chief.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
