Delivery conducted under mobile torchlight at Raichur PHC, video sparks outrage
Raichur: A video showing doctors at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Hutti Gold Mines town of Lingasugur taluk performing a delivery under the light of a mobile phone torch has gone viral, raising questions about the condition of healthcare facilities in government hospitals.
According to reports, several hospitals in the taluk, including the Lingasugur facility, receive free solar power supply from Selco’s electricity unit. However, some of these units have reportedly been out of service for months without repair. Due to this, when a woman developed labour pains recently, doctors were forced to rely on mobile torchlight during the procedure.
A video clip of a doctor and a nurse attending to the patient under torchlight reached Vartha Bharati, our correspondent spoke with Lingasugur Taluk Health Officer Dr. Amaresh. He confirmed that the solar power unit staff had informed Selco about the breakdown but repairs had not been carried out. “It was an emergency, so the staff had no option but to proceed using mobile torchlight,” he said.
The PHC medical officer added that although the hospital has an inverter, it was not in working condition since solar power had been in use. He confirmed that the woman was later shifted to Lingasugur Taluk Hospital for further care.
Local residents, including relatives of patients, have accused hospital authorities of negligence and raised concerns that around 20 nearby villages are being deprived of basic medical facilities. They have demanded a probe into the matter and called for accountability from both the health department and Selco for failing to maintain the solar power units.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
