/ 1 F)9 ( +,%!+ -.'/ SIDISrtVUU@IB!&!!"&# G G G S@B9IV69P99I !%! %! ' 0+ * 2%++# 2?< &'( )'*+ ',-. @/ * / A/91/'+/.'1*) )$;(.0/*'$/1A8$)/17*$ 981D)$*;0/)*;A8$ *B(/1'81)89/C /))/+7.;)+/00A8$)/07 ):*/7*8A')E('+:/' !" 0 -'012-34 .5/% $ %'( $) #/(/19/;()/ 7807/)/ ven as the striking junior Edoctors defied Mamata Banerjee for the second time on Saturday turning down her offer for talks, the Bengal Chief Minister swore by her Q " # “patience” saying like the other " $ Q% State Governments she had all the legal means to invoke the # # coercive Essential Services # Maintenance Act (ESMA) but & # ' # had thus far desisted from tak- ( #) * Q ing the extreme step on + * humanitarian grounds. & * “The Government is show- , ing patience, sympathy for the ' ( ! ( ) - ( #) doctors but now it is time for P % + them to act and resume duty. - We have conceded to all the ) . + ) demands that the doctors had * Q made,” she said, wondering / why the doctors refused to / ( , / / 7 L# meet her at the State ! #+ 0 $ / Secretariat. * 1 1$: In Kolkata, a representative M & / ( #) of the striking doctors said, . + ) “This is an issue relating to /'' 9 2 33& thousands of doctors who are & & 4/ 5 being attacked every day. The 7 7 8/ / ' Government is calling a few of not take any action. Any other $ 5 / them to hold closed-door own children.” Act. Again the BJP person in my place would have Q" R" 9 $ / )/ meeting. We are not ready to Mamata’s renewed appeal Governments of Rajasthan and taken strong action as they did * $ / $ accept that. We want the CM to to doctors to resume duty Haryana implemented ESMA in the other States earlier.” / $ : / / come here at the NRS Hospital came close on the heels of a let- and the Government of Jammu The doctors’ campaign ear- )5 and see for herself the condi- ter from West Bengal Governor & Kashmir too did the same lier spread like wildfire after $ %R&' & / tion we work in and give assur- KN Tripathi, who directed the thing. But here our on-duty junior doctors of NRS ( #) ances in public to rectify them.” Government to take adequate Government is taking a soft Medical College were on . + ) “We are eagerly waiting to security measures for the doc- approach towards the young Monday night brutally beaten start our duty, but from the tors and restore normalcy in doctors who have bright future up by hooligans following the ( Chief Minister’s side there is no the health sector. ahead of them.” death of a patient. ' # & such honest initiative to find a Referring to the earlier She said, “We believe in Even as the NRSCH doc- 1*#9*0:' matter of deep concern”, the /;* 4 solution (of the ongoing prob- instances of ESMA being humanism and expect the doc- tors struck work demanding Centre said, pointing out the lem),” a spokesperson of the invoked, Mamata said, “In tors to do the same. They are adequate security measures he Centre on Saturday growing number of election- ) joint forum of junior doctors 2008/2009 the Narendra Modi into a noble profession,” and and arrest of all the 200 people Tsought a report from the related and political violence. : 5 told reporters. Government of Gujarat had reminded, “despite they heck- who had attacked the hospital, Mamata Banerjee dispensa- “It is requested that a , L Meanwhile, after giving a enforced ESMA and even led and abused me at the SSKM the protest spread and their col- tion on the measures it took in report may be sent to this 48-hour ultimatum to West arrested 150 doctors while in Hospital where I had gone to leagues from other hospitals light of the “unabated” and Ministry on the steps taken by 4 Bengal Chief Minister Mamata 2015 the AAP Government of see whether the Emergency and medical colleges struck “increasing” incidents of polit- the State Government and its ( #) Banerjee, doctors of Delhi’s Delhi too invoked the same was functioning or not I did work. ical violence and resultant law enforcement machinery to " AIIMS said they have resumed deaths since 2016 in the State. investigate the incidents of ( work for now but they will go The Ministry of Home violence to bring the culprits to , L on an indefinite strike if no Affairs (MHA) said according book as also the measures action is taken against the ) ( * to reports it received, the num- taken to contain and curb vio- ( attack on the doctor in Kolkata. ber of incidents of political vio- lence,” the MHA’s advisory to “We condemn the hostile and lence in West Bengal increased the Trinamool Congress <52&) Q unapologetic attitude of the from 509 in 2016 to 1,035 in Government said. Government of West Bengal. ( 2018. While as many as 773 While violence marred the Our protest at AIIMS, New incidents have already recently-concluded Lok Sabha #( # Delhi continues until justice is $" also asked all the States to take For his part Union Health occurred in 2019 till date, cor- elections in the State, in the meted out,” they said. strict action against any person Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote respondingly, the death toll has post-poll scenario too the In what the striking doc- who assaults doctors. to all the Chief Ministers risen from 36 in 2016 to 96 in TMC and the BJP, which has & tors of NRS Medical College In its advisory to the West regarding the law to protect the 2018. In 2019, 26 deaths have emerged as the principal chal- ! L=$> and Hospital saw a “veiled 1*#9*0:' Bengal Government, the MHA medicos and the need to take been reported, it stated. lenger to the ruling party, have 1 &.) ?).5*L threat”, the Chief Minister said, said it has received a number strict action against any person The MHA said the con- been at serious loggerheads 4 “Though we have Supreme he Centre on Saturday of representations from doc- who assaults doctors. tinued trend of political vio- with both sides accusing each ( Court verdict in our favour and Tsought a report “urgently” tors, healthcare professionals Along with his letter, Harsh lence from 2016 through 2019 other of unleashing violence though we have previous from the West Bengal and medical associations from Vardhan attached a copy of the is indicative of the “failure” on against each other’s workers. ) instances of other State Government on the ongoing different parts of the country Draft Act provided by IMA — the part of the law-enforce- West Bengal Governor & Governments invoking the strike by the doctors even as it for their security in view of the the Protection of Medical ment machinery of the State in Kesharinath Tripathy recently ESMA, we have desisted from wrote to all State Governments ongoing strike by doctors. “It is Service Persons and Medical maintaining the rule of law and met Union Home Minister L/;= taking such strong actions as to consider enacting a specific requested that a detailed report Service Institutions (Prevention inspiring a sense of security Amit Shah and Prime Minister &$5& we do not want to take any legislation for protecting the be sent urgently on the repre- of Violence and Damage or among the people. Narendra Modi, apparently to coercive actions on the young medical professionals from any sentations and ongoing strike Loss of Property) Act, 2017. The “unabated violence brief them about the current &/;= boys and girls who are like our form of violence. The Centre by the doctors,” it said. Turn to Page 2 over the years is evidently a situation in the State. ) % 4 ( #) &&$5 @/ /&$5 Q # # ( #) - . + ) 4 ! =$> &=* ""# # # 1*#9*0:' the Government’s former Chief &$5 # Economic Adviser, Arvind , A - gainst the backdrop of the Subramanian, recently brought $ / + # Aongoing debate over India’s the focus back on the GDP $* . + ) Gross Domestic Product growth rate saying between ) (GDP) growth rate and unem- 2011-12 and 2016-17 it was !"#$%! ! ployment besides his over-estimated by 2.5 per cent "# $ , & Government’s aim to make (should have been about 4.5 - 5 India a five-trillion economy, per cent instead of the official = 5 B Prime Minister Narendra Modi estimate of close to 7 per cent). @ ) #Q on Saturday asked the States to The Centre has denied it and %& pitch in with their contribution said it will come up with a ' A by recognising their respective point-by-point rebuttal. ( core competence and working While Modi spoke of a col- # towards raising the GDP targets lective fight against poverty, & # * & and per capita incomes. unemployment, drought, flood, ' ( $* + In his opening remarks at pollution, corruption and vio- ! )* the fifth meeting