DISCORD IN SHIMLA
COMMUNAL clashes have broken out in the beautiful vintage hill station of Shimla which once upon a time was the summer capital of the British viceroys of the British Raj in India. Today, some Hindutva group is demanding that a mosque be demolished in Shimla because it has been illegally built. The police have had to resort to a lathi charge and use both cannons of water to disburse the mob of hard-core Hindutva organisation.
Again, earlier this month there were communal clashes in the “diamond capital” of India which is Surat in Gujarat. Some young men of the minority community allegedly threw stones at a Ganesh pandal.
CYBERABAD POLICE ARREST 13-MEMBER GANG IN RS4 CRORE UPI FRAUD
THE Shamshabad CCS Police, with the help of KPHB Police, Madhapur and Narsingi police from Cyberabad Commissionerate, apprehended a 13-members gang from Rajasthan on September 8, 2024. This gang was involved in a series of high-tech UPI frauds and cheating schemes, defrauding M/s Bajaj Electronics, a reputed business establishment, of approximately Rs4 crore. The police seized Rs1.72 lakh in cash and electronic goods worth Rs50 lakh.
Several fraud and cheating cases have been reported in various police stations under the Cyberabad, Hyderabad, and Rachakonda Commissionerate’s, as well as in other metropolitan cities across Telangana state, all involving Bajaj Electronics and totalling losses exceeding Rs.4 crore.
Upon receiving information from Bajaj Electronics, the Shamshabad CCS Police and KPHB Police, Madhapur and Narsingi police, started investigation. They discovered that individuals from Rajasthan visited showrooms and purchased expensive electronics. The gang’s modus operandi was sharing the showroom’s UPI scanner with an accomplice in Rajasthan, who would transfer the money to the showroom. After taking delivery of the goods, the accomplice would file a chargeback complaint with the bank, causing the transaction to reverse and the money to return to the gang’s account.
The gang of 13 members aged 20-25 years from Rajasthan operated in groups. Some stayed in Hyderabad while their associates remained in Rajasthan. Members in Hyderabad would visit the Bajaj Electronics showrooms to purchase high-value electronic items and send the showroom’s QR code to their associates in Rajasthan, who would transfer the money through UPI. After receiving the items, they would sell them and split the profits. The associate who transferred the money would later file a fraudulent complaint requesting a chargeback, resulting in a refund of the amount.
Arrested gang members include SomRaj, Sunil, LacRam, Sharwan, Somraj, shivalal, Ramesh, Shrawan, Pappu Ram, Shravan, Rakesh, Ramesh, Ashok Kumar and based on their confessions the police recovered Rs1.62 lakh in cash and electronic goods worth Rs50 lakh.
Cases have been registered against the gangs, respectively. The Shamshabad CCS team led by M Pavan (Inspector of Police), DI KPHB, DI Narsingi, and DI Madapur, under the guidance of ACP CCS Shashank Reddy and Kalinga Rao, and supervision of DCP Crimes K Narsimha (IPS), with direction from Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, Avinash Mohanty (IPS), apprehended the accused and recovered stolen property. The team’s work has been appreciated and rewarded for commendable work.
GAONKAR WINS SILVER AT 37TH NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
MASTER Prayank Gaonkar, talented young chess player from Goa, made a significant mark winning the silver medal at the 37th U-7 National Chess Championship held in Mysore. This prestigious tournament organized by the Karnataka Chess Association on behalf of the All India Chess Federation from September 1 to 5, 2024 saw Prayank showcase his exceptional skills.
Despite a loss in the second round, Prayank exhibited remarkable resilience and skill, winning all subsequent rounds to secure second place overall. His final victory against Kavin Velavan from Tamil Nadu was a notable highlight. The tournament saw Devanarayanan Kalliyath of Kerala take the gold medal with an unbeaten record, while Aaradhyo Guin of West Bengal claimed the bronze with 7.5 points.
In a commendable performance, Prayank Gaonkar won against notable players such as Agaarth Mishra and Ayansh Singh in the seventh round, demonstrating his ability to compete effectively against a range of opponents. His success in this championship resulted in a gain of 65 ELO points.
Just 7-year-old Prayank is a student of Manovikas English-medium School in Margao and currently in the second standard. His victory has earned him a place as India’s representative in the upcoming Under-8 Asian and World Chess Championships in 2025.
The 37th National U-7 Open and Girls Chess Championship 2024 concluded with a grand ceremony, featuring 382 young chess players from 28 states, all displaying impressive talent and sportsmanship. The president of the Goa Chess Association, Mahesh Candolkar, Secretary Ashesh Keni, and other office-bearers congratulated the Prayank Gaonkar on his maiden national victory.
Goa Chess Association Secretary Ashesh Keni and Damodar Zambaulikar, vice- president of Salcete Taluka Chess Association, Chess Guru Academy Prakash Singh and coach Suraj along with parents Pradeep and Priyanka Gaonkar warmly welcomed the silver medallist — Prayank Gaonkar.
HEALTH INSURANCE
THE central government has belatedly fulfilled its promise of offering health insurance coverage up to Rs5 lakh to senior citizens who’re 75 years plus, plus. Narendra Modi had made the promise of extending the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to all senior citizens above 70 irrespective of their income. Under the PMJAY scheme, all eligible senior citizens will be issued a new distinct card.
Families already covered under the scheme will get the additional top up of Rs5 lakh per year which they can keep themselves and do not have to share with other members of the family. Citizens are already availing of the public health insurance scheme, those who are eligible for the benefit including those covered by private schemes. The Rs5 lakh coverage is very inadequate for senior citizens with serious health problems like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even spinal TB. The benefit should be made cashless so that senior citizens may be treated not only in government hospitals but any private hospital of choice. The rates for various treatments in private hospitals should be fixed by the Central government.
CHOLERA IN CUTBONA
THE outbreak of cholera at the Cutbona fishing jetty has reached epidemic proportions. Migrant workers employed by Goan trawler owners are the biggest victims. Cases of dengue has spread from the fishing jetties all over Goa. The migrant workers on the trawlers are not provided with any medical facilities by the trawler owner. They live in very unhygienic conditions.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant after inspection at the Cutbona jetty has mandated that trawler owners pay Rs5 lakh compensation to the migrant families who have lost a member to cholera. Also, if a migrant labourer died on duty the boat owner must pay his family Rs25 lakh. The CM has directed the Fisheries department to ensure that trawler owner pays the compensation and that it reaches the victim’s family within eight days. If the trawler owners do not pay their licenses would be suspended.
Trawler owners have been asked to ensure that migrant workers are not charged for using the toilets at the jetty. Fisheries director Sharmila Montero has been transferred for her failure to enforce sanitation and hygiene at the jetties.
CHIEF JUSTICE CELEBRATES LORD GANESH
CHIEF Justice of India DY Chandrachud a devout Maharashtrian and he and his family celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at his official resident on the 5th day of the festival in New Delhi. Among those who visited him at home to participate in the Ganesh puja was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several members of the Supreme Court bar and bench called on the chief justice and also participated in the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration.
KAMALA TRUMPS TRUMP!
KAMALA Harris, the vice-president of USA, is the Indian-origin presidential candidate for the Democratic party. She is vying with former president Donald Trump for the president’s post in the forthcoming presidential elections in November 2024. What is interesting is history will be made if she wins and is the next president of USA, beating the hot shot Donald Trump who is seeking a second term as president. Kamala Harris who is of Indian as well as Jamaica origins has been scoring over Trump in the ongoing election rallies and meetings being organised in state after state and in the latest debate in which both Trump and Harris featured it was Kamala Harris who won a major victory over Donald Trump. In the presidential debate, Kamala Harris trumped Donald Trump who could do little but throw his by now familiar temper tantrums.
In the debate Trump lashed out at the growing migrants’ menace in the USA making the absurd charge that some migrants from Haiti were “eating pets” – that is American pet dogs, cats, etcetera. Trump has threatened to evict all illegal migrants from the US if he is elected president. Meanwhile, international rock star Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for the president’s post. Sections of the American media have been accused of protecting Donald Trump for all his crimes of omission and commission. The world is watching to see who wins and becomes the next president of USA – a woman of mixed parentage who is winning praise all around, or a man who is considered by many as a Zionist white supremacist guilty of racist and other sins against women!
KEY TO PARKINSONS
PARKINSON’S which is a debilitating disease affecting senior citizens has historically been associated with damage to the brain. A new study has suggested that it may be the gastro-intestinal system (GUT) which could be responsible for Parkinson’s. Which affectively means that Parkinson’s which damages the muscles of the body is caused by the digestive system. The American Medical Association suggests that injury or irritation of stomach muscles may lead to Parkinson’s. Moral of the story: don’t take your stomach for granted, protect it in all the ways you can, which is easier said than done of course given our plethora of drugs and the long term toll they take on the organs of the body.
THINK TWICE BEFORE TAKING YOUR DOG FOR A WALK IN PUBLIC
IN light of the recent death of a 7-year-old kid due to being attacked by a pitbull – a fierce dog breed — the Goa government has now issued safety guidelines. Anyone taking a dog out for a walk must put their dog on a neck leash and dogs must also have a mouth guard. Nobody should be allowed to import ferocious attack dogs like pitbulls into the country. All this is fine for only the very wealthy have fierce pet dogs, at road level what is the government doing about the huge growing population of stray dogs waiting at odd places down highways and lanes in wait for their regular feeders? Some gangs of stray dogs turn real nasty if not fed on any particular day and take it out on innocent passers-by taking a walk, even pouncing on two-wheeler riders and taking them unawares, sometimes leading to the riders taking a bad fall and mauling from the stray dogs rabid or not rabid.
`PRESVU’ EYE DROPS SUSPENDED
THE newly introduced eye-drops PresVu has been suspended by the drug controller general of India. The manufacturers of the new eye-drops claim that the eye drops can reduce the need for reading glasses in people who suffer the common age related problem that makes it difficult for the eyes to focus on near objects.
Earlier the drug controller had issued a license to market the eye-drops only on prescription. But now the license have been suspended as the company Entod Pharmaceticals has been caught carrying out trials on the public without proper permissions.
BCG TB VACCINES FOR ADULTS
GOANS should be cautious about taking the newly introduced BCG adult vaccines for tuberculosis. The vaccine is given routinely to children as part of the immunity program. For the first time, the vaccine is being tried out on adults on an experimental basis in south Goa and the country. Reports have it that the vaccine has serious side effects and Goans should not volunteer to be guinea pigs. There are over two lakh TB patients in Goa.
TB is not necessarily restricted only the lungs and chest cavity but the TB bacillus can also attack the brain, the spine and indeed, any part of the body. Most of think that TB means only of the lungs. There is TB and TB and not all types are infectious. Alas, there are no facilities for treating patients if they have TB of the spine or brain, even after a cure is achieved over long months there is no infrastructure for the rehabilitation of TB patients. Even the Rs 500 per month incentive disbursed by the official Central government TB campaign does not reach the patients being made to sign endless forms followed by a long, long wait. And to think such large sums of money are actually allotted to eradicate TB in India where it continues to be a major killer for want of better systems in place for rehabilitation of patients.