Srinagar: PDP chief visits mehbooba mufti His visit to Awantipora in Pulwama on Friday for an upcoming AIIMS and his review of the project with officials has sparked a political storm in Jammu and Kashmir, with the ruling NC alleging that the Center has taken this step at a time when it has intensified its demand for restoration of the state.National Conference (NC) spokesperson Tanveer Sadiq accused the BJP-led Center of using the PDP to create political backlash against the Omar Abdullah-led government. The allegations intensified when former CM Mehbooba spoke to Union Health Minister JP Nadda after the review and requested him to expedite the work.The PDP hit back, saying that a government with a comfortable majority should not feel threatened by a visit to a public health project site, and that it should be concerned about patients in Kashmir who are still waiting for access to a major healthcare institution.Jammu and Kashmir got two AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) in 2015. While the one at Samba in Jammu is operational, the Awantipora facility is under construction. Both projects started in 2019.The Awantipora project has repeatedly missed completion dates and the new deadline is December 2026. Visiting the site, Mehbooba recalled that her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, as CM, had conceived the project. This prompted the PDP – which counts the region as a stronghold – to accuse the Omar-led government of failing to effectively monitor and expedite the project.However, NC suspects a bigger conspiracy in Mehbooba’s visit. National Conference spokesperson Sadiq said, “When we passed an autonomy resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after the 1996 elections, Delhi countered it by helping the PDP emerge as an alternative political force. Now when we have decided to go to New Delhi to protest for the restoration of the state, the Center has once again roped the PDP into it by arranging a briefing for Mehbooba.”Jammu and Kashmir’s Health Minister, NC’s Sakina Itu claimed that Mehbooba is working at the behest of the Centre. Itu said, “Which center of power in Delhi is directing these works? It is ironic that the people who caused the AIIMS project to proceed at an extremely slow pace are now trying to claim ownership of its progress. The fact is that the project is moving towards completion because of the commitment of CM Omar’s government.”PDP hit back at the claims. Party functionary and Mehbooba’s daughter Iltija Mufti recalled that the NC government had publicly criticized the location of the Awantipora project and had “cautiously avoided the review meeting from 2024 to delay the inauguration of the institute”.Pulwama PDP MLA Waheed Para accused Omar of not giving priority to the project. Like Iltija, Parra claimed that Omar had commented last year that the site was selected due to political considerations during the PDP’s tenure.People’s Conference chief and MLA Sajjad Lone criticized Mehbooba’s review, calling it “nothing less than a constitutional crisis”. Lone said, “I cannot believe that the CM has not reacted to an incident that further weakens the already weakened power structure of Jammu and Kashmir.”

According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) statistical report, almost half of all deaths recorded in 2024 occurred without medical attention from a trained professional. Such deaths accounted for 45.5% in 2024 – more than double the 18% recorded in 2020 – and remain close to half of all deaths since 2021.This category includes people who did not receive any medical assistance at the time of death, or who were cared for only by an untrained person. In practice, this often indicates deaths occurring at home or outside formal medical care, although the place of death is not mentioned.The sudden and sustained surge is difficult to explain from published data alone. The increase in such deaths may reflect poor access to health care, high costs of treatment or weak enforcement of death reporting. But the scale and speed of the increase after 2020 also raises the possibility of changes in the way medical presence at death is classified or reported. TOI sought comment from the office of the Registrar General of India, which conducts the SRS, but did not receive any response.

Bihar tops in deaths without medical care

The rural-urban divide supports the possibility that access to health care plays a role. In 2024, the proportion of deaths without trained medical care was significantly higher in rural areas, 48.9%, than in urban areas, 36.1%.This pattern has been consistent since 2014 and is applicable in all states.

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State-level data also shows wide variation. The proportion of deaths without trained medical care in 2024 was lowest in Kerala, at 26.8%, and Jammu and Kashmir, at 29.2%. The percentage was highest in Bihar at 67.8%, Jharkhand at 61.8% and Chhattisgarh at 60.4%. This trend is surprising as it comes after years of expansion in hospital infrastructure, health insurance schemes and public health programs across the country.Nearly a quarter of all deaths in 2024, or 24.7%, occurred in government hospitals, down slightly from the 27% recorded in 2014.From 2014, the share of deaths in government or private hospitals has steadily increased until 2020, when 30% of deaths occurred in government hospitals and 19% in private hospitals. Since then it has fallen.Overall, the share of deaths in government and private hospitals in 2024 was broadly similar to 2014 levels. But where medical help was received from a “qualified professional”, the proportion of deaths fell sharply – from 35% in 2014 to 14% in 2024.Public health experts say the findings underscore persistent inequities in access to health care, especially in rural and poor areas.

New Delhi: What started as a satirical online reaction to comments he made regarding the Chief Justice of India spilled onto the streets of the capital on Saturday, three weeks later, with cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dubey leading a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the examinations.While the protest passed off peacefully, with a large turnout, the CJP said it would wait for a week for the Center to sack Pradhan or seek his resignation. “If no action is taken, this movement will spread across the country,” a CJP statement said.Posting visuals of the packed protest site on his social media handle, Dipke wrote: “They said cockroaches will not come to the ground”.Dipke reached Delhi from Boston on Saturday morning. Supporters were asked to gather outside the Parliament Street police station, but the call was modified after the police gave permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar even before Deepke exited the IGI.

Not just Gen Z, crowds from different generations also gather at CJP protests

The supporters had by then started gathering outside the Parliament Street police station and were asked to move to Jantar Mantar through repeated announcements by the police. There was heavy police deployment, including RAF personnel, and several layers of barricades around the area. Water sprinklers were on standby.As the hours passed the crowd increased. By 11 am the site was completely packed. This is known as the Gen Z movementHowever, the protests at Jantar Mantar attracted people across generations. Apart from school children and college students, parents, job aspirants, working professionals and older people also joined the movement. Common perception: The system has become increasingly unresponsive, and repeated exam leaks have undermined public confidence in institutions. Senior citizens, professionals and children of farmers came from different states to participate in it.Environment activist Sonam Wangchuk was also present along with CJP members and supporters. Wangchuk had earlier announced that he would fast for six weeks if Dipke was arrested.People gathered peacefully carrying the tricolor, copies of the Constitution and other books, and placards demanding accountability. Many participants wore cockroach masks, carried flowers and wore T-shirts bearing the movement’s symbol. As supporters waited for Deepke’s arrival, slogans of “Vande Mataram”, “Shame” and “Dharmendra Pradhan resign” echoed at the venue. The demonstration also received support from university campuses, with members of various student unions and student groups coming out in support.The protest ended at around 3.30 pm after Deepke’s health deteriorated.The BJP called it “negative politics”, while the Congress said its youth wing had done a lot for the welfare of students. The movement has been supported by AAP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Left parties, among others.Pandurang Jadhav, 50, who traveled more than 1,300 km from Pune to take part in the protests, said he fears for the future of his two sons, aged 17 and 21. “My children have lost faith in the system. Every few months there is some controversy – sometimes paper leaks, sometimes glitches in the CBSE system. I have come here for their future,” said Jadhav, a financial analyst.Sajeev Kumar, 24, from Jaunpur, said he changed several trains and traveled for about 10 hours for the protest.The youngest participant was Abhimanyu of class three who wore a cockroach-style face mask and came with his elder brother. “All I know is that the paper was leaked and responsibility for it should be taken and the education minister should resign,” he said.Many participants described the protests as extending beyond exam leaks.For 83-year-old retired driver Itwari Lal Mathur, the issue was very personal. “Young people are losing hope. Children are suffering because of these failures. Who will bring back the lives lost due to such pressures?”There was brief chaos at the protest site when some people allegedly raised slogans against CJP supporters. Police personnel intervened and detained three people.

A high-level standoff between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at four points along the India-Bangladesh border in Bengal ended suddenly overnight, with all 40 Bangladeshi nationals stranded at the zero points since Friday missing by Saturday morning.The most tense confrontation took place at Pillar No. 134 at Panishala in Mekhliganj, Cooch Behar, where 10 people were stranded as the BGB refused to accept them, claiming they were being “illegally pushed back” from India.When BSF demanded a flag meeting, BGB refused. After several hours of standoff and a major controversy in the early hours of Saturday, the BGB backed down. BSF said all the stranded people have returned to Bangladesh.Despite the immediate resolution of the standoff, the BGB issued an official statement through its public relations officer Shariful Islam on Saturday, claiming to have foiled eight separate “push-back” attempts by the BSF in the last 24 hours.A similar pattern played out at three other locations – Sitalkuchi and Dinhata in Cooch Behar and Sakti in Jalpaiguri Sadar – where around 30 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, remained stranded till Friday before disappearing overnight.In a video that surfaced during the standoff, purportedly showing a conversation between BSF-BGB in front of the trapped persons, a woman is seen saying that she is from Khulna and wants to return to her village. Sources said the BSF used the footage to put pressure on the BGB to accept them back.Among the incidents cited by the BGB in its statement, three persons were stopped at the Jadabpur border near North 24 Parganas and Nadia; 17 were returned to Karamudanga border near South Dinajpur; 21 were blocked at Barkhata and Payashottibari border near Dhubri in Assam; And seven were stopped from crossing at the Dighaltari border near Cooch Behar. “Increased vigilance, intensive patrolling and immediate preventive measures resulted in the foiling of eight separate attempts,” the BGB statement said.The episode unfolds in the backdrop of the new BJP government in West Bengal expediting the identification and deportation of unidentified Bangladeshi nationals.The Center on Friday also asked Dhaka to speed up the verification process of suspected illegal immigrants to facilitate deportation. Since then BSF has increased vigil on the border.

New Delhi: Ahead of the India Block meeting on Monday, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has made the allegations in a sharply worded letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul Gandhi And other senior leaders during Kerala elections said that CPI(M) and BJP had struck a deal and demanded ED action against the then CM Pinarayi Vijayan. The Left party has asked the Congress to “clarify the position regarding such disruptive steps”.According to sources, in the letter to Kharge, Baby has alleged that a “systematic campaign” was run by the Congress leadership during the Kerala elections, alleging that Vijayan had also struck a deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asking a question ‘otherwise, why was he not interrogated or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate’?Baby makes it clear that “unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the India Block will remain in question”. Baby is understood to have put the ball in Kharge’s court in the letter, saying, “As Congress President, it is up to you and the Congress leadership to clarify the situation regarding such disruptive steps.”The CPM general secretary has said that these were not sporadic comments made in the heat of the election campaign, but were “the centerpiece of the political campaign of the Congress party-led UDF. Every national leader, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and you have repeatedly made such allegations,” Baby said in the letter.In this backdrop, Monday’s India Bloc meeting is likely to see some direct talks and fireworks. The two-time CPI(M)-led LDF lost to the Congress-led UDF in the recent assembly elections. Senior leaders said that despite the strong tenor of the letter, it is expected that the CPM will not boycott the meeting, although the party leadership will take a final decision on Sunday.In his letter highlighting that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi repeatedly called for ED action against then Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPM general secretary asked Kharge “can this be called an anti-BJP stance or is it a case of inviting the Modi government to take illegal punitive action against a fellow opposition leader?”Baby recalls that the India Bloc was formed as a broad platform to fight the BJP politically, and the CPI(M) has worked sincerely for such a united platform to emerge.It is strange that now, CPI(M) is being accused of colluding with the BJP, with Baby saying in the letter that this is a rumor which they cannot take lightly, as “it attacks the foundation of unity built against the BJP.”However, Baby has assured that CPI(M) will extend full cooperation in Parliament with India Bloc and other opposition parties to fight a united fight against the authoritarian, communal and anti-people policies of the Modi government.The India Bloc meeting, being held after a long gap, comes amid changing dynamics within the alliance, with the DMK already saying it will not attend it in the backdrop of Congress breaking ties with it to support TVK to form government in Tamil Nadu. On Thursday, DMK spokesperson TKS Ekangovan told ANI that the DMK is no longer a part of the India Bloc.At Monday’s meeting, where it is proposed to chalk out the future strategy of the India Bloc, former West Bengal CM and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will be there to present the TMC’s views and garner support amid the current developments in the state. TMC, which has established itself as a major regional player within the Indian block, is set to lose party clout in the backdrop of recent developments – the defeat in Bengal and the recent split in the party.According to sources, in the India Block meeting, TMC leaders proposed to share their views on the role of the Election Commission, the developments on the day of counting and the reasons for the defeat, besides various issues.

New Delhi: Cricketer turned politician Yusuf Pathan On Saturday rejected reports which claimed that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee Either directly or through Sourav Ganguly, he was asked to resign from his Lok Sabha seat to pave the way for contesting the by-election.In a video shared on social media, Pathan termed the reports as “completely false” and said that neither the former West Bengal chief minister nor any other party leader had ever discussed such a proposal with her.Pathan said, “For some time now, a news has been going viral in which it is being claimed that Mamata Banerjee has asked me to resign from my MP seat, Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency, so that she can contest elections from there.”He said, “Mamata Banerjee never spoke to me on this matter. This claim is completely false. Therefore, neither Mamata Banerjee nor any party leader has asked me to resign from my MP seat.”This clarification comes amid ongoing speculation over the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency and reports that efforts are being made to pave the way for Mamata to enter Parliament through the by-election.Following these reports, rumors gained momentum that TMC had reportedly sought the help of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly to convince Pathan to vacate the seat. Speculations intensified over Mamata’s political future after her electoral setback against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the West Bengal Assembly elections.Earlier, Ganguly had also strongly refuted the claims and said that reports linking him to any such efforts were false.In a statement, Ganguly said it is alleged that he contacted Pathan on Mamata’s behalf and gave him a message asking him to “step down/resign from his constitutional post as the elected representative” of the constituency to enable him to contest the by-election.Ganguly said, “The above allegations are false.”Calling the reports irresponsible, he said it was “extremely unfortunate” that no effort was made by Mamata to verify the allegations before publication. He further said that the claims related to him were made with “disregard for the truth”. Ganguly also categorically denied acting as a mediator for the TMC chief. He said, “Thus it is necessary to put on record that Ms. Mamata Banerjee had never requested/asked me to convey any of her messages to Mr. Yusuf Pathan.”