Hyderabad, Jul 10,2021:General Insurance Employees All India Association (GIEAIA) General Secretary K Govindan said the ‘Central government should merge the public insurance companies under one entity instead of privatizing them’.
Delivering his lecture on the ninth day of the month-long AIBEA National Webinars to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Bank Nationalisation on theme ‘Vibrant Banking for Vibrant India’ and focus ‘people’s money for people’s Welfare’, on Friday night, he took the attendees through the entire journey of banking system in India and the significant events on bank’s nationalization that have eventually resulted in ripe fruit for the nation.
On the contrary, in the current scenario public sector units including banks and insurance companies are being pushed towards privatization, Mr Govindan said and narrated as to how before Nationalisation of general insurance companies in 1971, there had been a mushroom of private general insurance companies and due to their mismanagement and failures, general insurance companies were nationalised under four Public Sector General Insurance Companies — National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company, United India Insurance Company and New India Assurance.
Since the nationalisation of general insurance companies, the business of the general insurance got improved manifold. At the lowest rate of premium, the public sector insurance companies are able to provide general insurance coverage to the people of the country especially to the common man, he said.
Suggesting the alternative, the GIEAIA General Secretary said, “the government should merge public insurance companies under one entity instead of privatizing them.”
Pointing towards the wrongful approach of the government, the speaker shared that the insurance sector is dealing with other challenges like working with the hospitals that do not follow standardized charges. Instead of acting enablers for this public institution, the government is just dismantling or privatizing them, he remarked.
On his recent meeting with the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam, Mr Govindan said, “When we met her last week we did ask when there are already 21 private insurance companies then why add one more.”
He said the Finance Minister assured to protect all the benefits, however, there would be some benefits that might not be available post the anticipated privatization of the sector like job security, social security and reservation.
The speaker said that while AIBEA is fighting to safeguard the public sector banking, the GIEAIA too wants the Insurance sector to remain a public institution.
NEW DELHI,July 1,2021:: An expert panel of the country’s central drug authority on Wednesday recommended against granting permission to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to conduct the phase 2/3 trial of COVID-19 vaccine Covovax on children aged two to 17 years, sources said.
The SII applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Monday seeking permission for conducting a trial of Covovax on 920 children, 460 each in the 12-17 and 2-11 age groups, at 10 sites.
“The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which deliberated on the application, noted that the vaccine has not been approved in any country,” a source said.
“It also recommended that the Pune-based company should submit the safety and immunogenicity data (of Covovax) from the ongoing clinical trial in adults for considering the conduct of a clinical trial in children,” the source said.
The recommendations are learnt to have been approved by the DCGI.
In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc. had announced a licence agreement with the SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.
The clinical trials of Covovax began in India in March and the SII hopes to launch it by September for adults.
In January, the SII had rolled out the Covishield vaccine in the country.
It had entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.
New Delhi , June 30,2021: Amidst the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Medical Association on Tuesday said that 798 doctors died during the second wave of COVID-19 across the country of which maximum 128 doctors lost their lives in Delhi, followed by Bihar at 115.
As per the official note by the IMA, the number of doctors who lost their lives in the pandemic in Delhi stands at 128, followed by Bihar at 115 and Uttar Pradesh at 79.
States like Maharashtra and Kerala where the prevalence of the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 is on a rise also reported deaths of doctors in double digits. Maharashtra reported 23 doctor deaths and Kerala reported 24 deaths.
Pondicherry reported the lowest deaths of doctors by logging one death only.
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised doctors for going out of their way to extend help to people during the coronavirus pandemic, IMA President Dr JA Jayalal said that the PM has assured that doctors will be respected, protected and safeguarded.
Like every year, the country celebrated National Doctors’ Day on July 1 to honour the contributions of the doctors. The first National Doctor’s day was celebrated in the country in July 1991.
“PM Modi ensured that doctors should be respected, protected and safeguarded. He also emphasised the need for vaccination. We’re celebrating this year’s National Doctors’ Day (July 1) in remembrance of the veteran Dr BC Roy. We’re so much pleased that PM Modi greeted the medical fraternity for the Doctors’ Day,” the IMA President had said.
On June 25, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) informed that 776 doctors lost their lives in the second wave of COVID. According to the IMA COVID registry on June 25—in the state-wise doctors martyrs list, Bihar saw the maximum number of 115 deaths, followed by Delhi at 109, Uttar Pradesh 79, West Bengal 62, Rajasthan 44, Jharkhand 39, and Andhra Pradesh 40.
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday reported 37,566 fresh COVID-19 cases, the first time in 102 days that daily cases dropped below the 40,000 mark, the Union Health Ministry informed. With this, the country’s total COVID-19 tally stands at 3,03,16,897, including 2,93,66,601 recoveries and 5,52,659 active cases.
New Delhi , June 30,2021: The delimitation commission tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assemblies constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to hold an internal meeting at the Election Commission office in Delhi on Wednesday, said sources.
The meeting would be chaired by Justice Ranjana Desai (Retd), Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and will be attended by Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer along with other officials of the poll panel.
The commission is expected to finalise its plans after consultations with political parties soon.
Last week on June 23 the Election Commission held virtual discussions with its representatives in Jammu and Kashmir and deputy commissioners regarding the delimitation of the 90 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory.
In the meeting, that was attended by 20 deputy commissioners from Jammu and Kashmir, administrative difficulties faced with respect to the assembly constituencies were discussed.
Voters’ adversities regarding assembly constituency that do not have exact geographical delineation were also discussed in the meeting.
This meeting was held a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s all-party meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir where leaders discussed the re-starting of political activity in the Union Territory.
The three-member delimitation commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up in March 2020 for a year. Later, the panel got a one-year extension from the Central government on March 3, 2021, after it failed to complete its task last year.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.
The Act provides that the number of seats in the legislative assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.
Importantly a full meeting of the commission including the associate members’ Lok Sabha MPs from Jammu and Kashmir is likely to take place soon. It is likely that the date for such a meeting will be decided on Wednesday.