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Doctors to resume work, students
to continue strike

       New Delhi: Hours after the Supreme Court ordered agitating medicos to call off their strike, resident doctors of the Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) decided to resume work, while medical students decided to continue with their strike against the government's reservation policy. Resident doctors of AIIMS have called off the strike and have decided to resume work from Thursday to avert a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court. The decision was taken during a General Body Meeting (GBM) of AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association. The GBM felt that the Supreme Court had left them with no option but to resume duties from Thursday, sources said. Observing that the damage done to the patients was "irretrievable", the court ordered the medicos to "call off forthwith" all strikes, protests, demonstrations or any form of dissent. Senior advocate LM Singhvi said that the students had no trust on the politicians and now had their trust only with the courts. The court however, assured the medicos that it would hear their grievances and have asked them to file separate petitions and return to work making it clear that no punitive action will be taken against them. In view of the strike, the Government had also said that it would take the services of doctors of the armed forces and the Indian Railways to tide over the crisis.

SC again asks doctors to end quota strike (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: With anti-quota doctors continuing their strike despite the Supreme Court direction to call it off, the apex court on Wednesday again directed them to get back to work immediately. Assuring the striking medicos that the court would look into their grievances, a vacation Bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice L S Panta said: "We direct that all strikes, protests, demonstrations or any form of dissent should be called off forthwith". The court said that considering the feelings of students, the Government should not take any punitive action if the strike was called off. The Bench also said that the doctors facing termination should resume work within three days. The Centre was also asked to file a status report on the strike by Thursday. Ignoring the apex court's direction, the doctors had refused to end the strike yesterday after two back-to-back General Body Meetings. The Supreme Court had yesterday expressed its displeasure over the medicos ignoring appeal to immediately call of the strike indicating that contempt action could be initiated if they continued with their stir.

'Doctor' Ramadoss treats patients (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: As the Delhi agitating doctors remain defiant to call off their strike even after the Supreme Court direction, Union Health Minister Ambumoni Ramadoss on Wednesday visited the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and checked up waiting patients personally. The minister, who is a qualified doctor also, turned up at the premier Institute and gave patients medical advice after examining them amidst tight security as the doctors here are on an indefinite strike for last 19 days. "It has been a while since I did that (medical check-up)," Ramdoss told reporters.

Ramdev against quota for creamy layer (Go To Top)

      Dharamsala: Jumping into the reservation controversy, popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said that in principle he is not against granting reservation to backward classes in institutions of higher learning, but adds that this benefit should not be accessed by the creamy layer. "I support reservation for the poor but they hardly get the benefit of reservation. Therefore, the intellectuals of the nation should sit together and draw an outline of the bill which will benefit the poor. I am not against the reservation to the OBC, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe, but I am against the reservation to the creamy layer," Baba Ramdev said here.

      Talking about the recent breach of his security where a man named Gaurav managed to enter Ramdev's helicopter, the guru said that he would be more careful from now on. "I take care of my security myself. Considering the feelings of the crores of Indians, I will take better care of my security, " he said. Sudesh Pal Kapoor, Gaurav's grandfather, claims that his grandson has been framed. Swami Ramdev has a large following amongst young and old alike who believe he has amalgamated spirituality, yoga and Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine. He was recently in the thick of controversy after Communist leader Brinda Karat alleged that ayurvedic medicines dispensed at his clinics contained human or animal extracts. But the Uttaranchal government, where he has set up a hermitage and medical pharmacy, gave him a clean chit.

TN Assembly passes reservation Bill  (Go To Top)

       Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill to provide reservation for students belonging to the Backward Classes (BC), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in private educational institutions across the state. The legislation would apply to private educational institutions - aided or unaided - by the government other than minority educational institutions. Law Minister I Periyasamy said the bill aimed at the advancement of people belonging to the BC, SC and ST communities. Tamil Nadu has the highest percentage of reservation - 19 per cent for SCs and STs and 50 per cent for OBCs. The Bill aims to bring even unaided non-minority institutions under its purview. In his address to the newly-constituted State Assembly on May 24, Tamil Nadu Governor SS Barnala had said that the proposed law would be in pursuance to the 93rd amendment of the Constitution.