Siddaramaiah flags off 262 new ambulances under Arogya Kavacha - 108 scheme
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday flagged off 262 new modern, life-saving ambulances here to be inducted into the Arogya Kavacha-108 programme, under which people in need of emergency medical services vehicles can book these vehicles free of charge.
The Arogya Kavacha - 108 ambulance programme is run by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department. At an event marking the occasion on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha here, Siddaramaiah said it is the government's goal to ensure that quality healthcare services are made available at all government hospitals.
The Chief Minister called upon doctors to treat poor people who come in "old and dirty clothes" with humanity.
"They must get good health care without discrimination," he said.
"The government is committed to providing quality healthcare to the people of the state. The 108 emergency ambulances have been provided to the health service so that no one loses their life without getting treatment.
"More than 840 ambulances are required in the state. Four ambulances are functioning in each taluk and are providing emergency health services to hundreds of people every day," he said.
The chief minister stressed the importance of primary emergency treatment in saving lives.
"Every district should have MRI scanning facility. Due to the high cost of services in private diagnostic centres, the poor are facing a lot of hardship. Thousands of people are applying for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for this reason alone," Siddaramaiah said.
"Therefore, an environment is being created in the state where quality treatment is available in government hospitals. When good service is possible at Jayadeva Hospital, it is possible to provide the same quality service in other places," he stressed.
Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICR) is an autonomous healthcare institute run by the state government, known for providing quality medical care at affordable cost to all sections of society.
Stating that the government is working hard in that direction, he suggested that Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao focus more on North Karnataka, where more such services are needed.
According to officials, the 108-Arogya Kavacha - Emergency Ambulance Service was started in 2008-09 with 150 Ambulances. By 2014-15, based on the then population, the ambulance fleet size was increased to 710, out of which 555 were Basic Life Support (BLS) and 155 were Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances.
Presently, 484 Basic Life Support and 231 Advanced Life Support ambulances are operational in Karnataka, out of which 262 ambulances (105 ALS and 157 BLS) are being replaced in the existing fleet.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
