The Caravan's Executive Editor Vinod K Jose resigns
New Delhi: Senior Journalist and Executive Editor of reputed Indian magazine The Caravan, Vinod K Jose resigned from the magazine on Tuesday, January 31.
Vinod broke the news of his resignation in a Facebook post from his profile on Tuesday morning, expressing gratitude while also calling his nearly one and a half decade-long association with The Caravan "Stellar".
"After nearly a decade and half of long-forming and muckraking, I'm hanging up my Caravan boots today." He wrote in his Facebook post.
Vinod joined The Caravan in 2009 when he was 29-year-old. He led The Caravan's Editorial team which went on to cover several groundbreaking stories over the years including the coverage of Judge Loya's mysterious death who was hearing the fake encounter case against Amit Shah, the Commonwealth Games scam, Adani's Coalgate scam, the Hindutva Terror Network among others.
Vinod in his post thanked owner-publisher-editor of The Caravan Anant Nath for giving him the opportunity while also thanking Anant's father Paresh Nath and sister Richa Shah for extending support to him.
"In 2009, Caravan probably was the smallest newsroom in Delhi, just enough people to fit into my small car, when felt like going for a dinner at Karims at Old Delhi. But now the team is ten times bigger." He recalled his early days at The Caravan.
Speaking about the investigation pieces that the magazine carried over the years, Vinod wrote the investigations were fun because it spoke truth to power. He also listed some of the major stories which he commissioned/supervised.
He also listed and thanked several reporters, journalists, and contributors for making his journey stellar.
"I'm sure the current editorial team, whose names in not taking as the list will become so long, and the know how well they do what they do, will thrive in all areas. For me personally, as a media scholar, whose PhD was in the sociology of newsrooms, my favourite aspect of Caravan was how we brought diversity into the newsroom. I think Caravan is among the most diverse newsrooms in India." He wrote.
"Hartosh, whom I brought in 2014 as the Political Editor, and was in the thick and thin of the things since then, will replace me as the Executive Editor." Vinod added.
Speaking of his own plans after resignation, Vinod wrote he would be working to complete a book that he has been contracted to write.
"I consider myself a reporter who was caged in a beautiful editor's room, unable to report and write as much as I would like to do." He further added.
"It also weighs heavily on me that the times we live in demand serious thinking and interventions, even from outside the boundaries of the newsroom, who knows what that means, though. But first, I want to finish the book at hand."
Towards the end of the post, Vinod thanked his family, who he said had "sacrificed the most for this run".
"I hope to give those near and dear some time. So by for now as an editor, and hi as a reader and writer." Vinod wrote to conclude his post.
I have some professional news to share: after nearly a decade and half of long-forming and muckraking, I'm hanging up my Caravan boots today.
— Vinod K. Jose (@vinodjose) January 31, 2023
Thank you so much everyone. It has been a stellar journey, both personal & professional.
Full post is here: https://t.co/EVaSQwFgOo pic.twitter.com/7RXpKa0qtR
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Insensitive of Pune hospital to deny admission to woman, says Fadnavis; forms inquiry panel
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the formation of a committee to inquire into the death of a pregnant woman after she was allegedly refused admission by Pune's leading Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital over non-payment of a deposit of Rs 10 lakh.
The controversy escalated on Friday with local political activists staging a protest outside the hospital and the hospital claiming that the woman's relatives were making misleading allegations.
A day earlier, BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe claimed in a video message that Tanisha Bhise, the wife of his personal assistant, was refused admission by the hospital. She was taken to another hospital where she died after delivering twins, he said.
A statement from the Chief Minister's Office said on Friday that he had taken serious note of the incident. "He has ordered the formation of an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of the Joint Commissioner of Charity, Pune," it said.
It said that the deputy secretary or under-secretary of the Law and Justice department would be the member secretary of the committee.
Further, instructions have been issued to the principal secretary, the Law and Justice department and the charity commissioner to ensure that the Charity Patient Scheme prepared as per the directions of the High Court is effectively implemented by all charity hospitals, the CMO said.
"All charitable hospitals should seek approval from the 'Charity Hospital Help Desk' through the online system to make reserved beds available to patients from the poor and vulnerable groups," it said.
The government has approved 186 posts of charitable health workers in charitable hospitals, and they should be filled immediately, the CMO statement said.
Talking to reporters here, Fadnavis said it was "insensitive" on the part of the hospital to deny admission to a pregnant woman.
He conceded that there was a lot of anger among the people over the incident.
"Medical ethics are needed. The Chief Minister's medical cell also intervened, but the hospital did not budge," Fadnavis said.
An internal inquiry report of the Mangeshkar Hospital claimed that the allegations of denial of admission for non-payment of Rs 10 lakh were "misleading" and made "out of frustration" by her family.
The woman's pregnancy was in the high-risk category, and her two underweight fetuses of seven months, coupled with a history of an old ailment, required Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) treatment for at least two months, it said.
The treatment required Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and the family was advised that in case of lack of funds, they could admit the patient to the government-run Sassoon General Hospital for a complicated surgery, it added.
BJP MLC Chitra Wagh, meanwhile, came under criticism for a social media post praising the party's women's wing members who targeted and vandalised a private clinic in Pune's Kothrud area belonging to Dr Shusrut Ghaisas, who works at the hospital.
Dr Nilima Ghaisas, his mother, said her son did not practice there.
Activist Vishwambhar Choudhari criticised Wagh's remarks and claimed that the BJP-led state government recently allotted land to the hospital for Rs 1 per year rent.
The deceased woman's husband was the personal assistant of a BJP Member of the Legislative Council, yet he could not do anything, Chaudhari said.
