Heart screenings for children made mandatory in Karnataka schools: Health Minister
Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday announced that the government will soon classify certain ailments responsible for sudden deaths as ‘notifiable diseases’, while also introducing mandatory heart screenings for children below the age of 15 at the school level.
Speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha after receiving a report from a committee headed by Dr. Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, the minister said the new initiatives aim to detect heart conditions in children early and prevent fatalities.
“As part of this initiative, heart check-ups will be made compulsory for students under 15. This will help identify cardiac conditions at an early stage and provide timely medical intervention,” Rao said.
To spread awareness about heart attacks and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), related content will be included in school textbooks from the next academic year, the minister added. Until then, awareness will be raised through moral education lessons.
Highlighting the increasing number of sudden deaths occurring outside hospitals, Rao said post-mortem examinations will be made compulsory in such cases to determine the exact cause of death. He also announced that Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed in public spaces like railway stations and bus terminals to provide immediate response in cardiac emergencies.
The state also plans to implement mandatory annual health check-ups for government employees and contractual workers, the minister said. Similar requirements will be extended to employees of private companies, he added.
“All recommendations made by the expert committee will be discussed with the Chief Minister before taking final decisions,” Rao stated.
Expansion of 'Puneeth Rajkumar Vijayajyoti' Scheme
In another major announcement, the minister confirmed that the Puneeth Rajkumar Vijayajyoti Scheme, which is currently operational in 86 hospitals across the state, will be extended to include taluk-level hospitals. The scheme aims to support timely diagnosis and treatment of critical illnesses.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
