Ban soon on diesel vehicles older than 15 years
With vehicular emissions identified as a major cause of the high pollution levels in Patna, the state government has decided to ban plying of commercial diesel vehicles older than 15 years on the city roads from December. Diesel-driven auto-rickshaws will also not be registered in the city any more. These moves, announced by Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), are expected to reduce the high level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Patna’s air, said experts. Air pollution levels in the state capital are set to improve significantly from next month when the supply of compressed natural gas (CNG) begins. Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is working on a project to provide piped natural gas (PNG) to households and CNG for vehicles under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojna from June.
EPF balm for government staff on contract
Thousands of Bihar government employees working on contract have some good news. The state government is going to bring all its contractual employees under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) net soon. The move will benefit contractual employees appointed either directly or through an outsourcing agency, said state labour resources minister Vijay Kumar Sinha. Senior labour department officials, including labour commissioner Gopal Prasad Meena, recently discussed the modalities with top officials of the EPFO, Patna circle, including VP Singh, additional provident fund commissioner for Bihar and Jharkhand. Contractual employees of various departments have been demanding regularisation of their services and payment of salaries at par with regular staff. But the state government has no plans to regularise the services of contractual employees mainly because of the additional financial burden it would put on the exchequer.
Biometric attendance system irks PU teachers
The installation of biometric attendance machines for the teachers and non-teaching staff of Patna University and new rules linked to them have faced protests from the teaching community. The machines have been installed at PU’s main office, the postgraduate (PG) departments and all major colleges. Patna University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has protested the circular linking payment of salaries with submission of the activities’ report of teachers every month. The new system, spearheaded by the office of Governor-cum-Chancellor Satya Pal Malik, also requires the university administration to send a list of teachers and employees staying in their respective departments for the maximum and minimum duration. PUTA president Randhir Kumar Singh said since teachers are engaged in a wide range of activities – teaching, examination, evaluation and research activities – they should be exempted from the biometric system.
AIIMS gets eight new departments, more facilities
With the inauguration of eight new departments at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna (AIIMS-P), the total number of departments at the super-specialty hospital has gone up to 30. The new departments were inaugurated by Union minister of state for health and family welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a Bihar MP who used to be the state’s health minister earlier. The new departments include neurology, gastroenterology, surgical gastroenterology, oncology, surgical oncology, haematology medicine, burn and plastic surgery, transfusion medicine, psychiatry and blood bank. A new outdoor patient department (OPD) building and two new IPD blocks were also inaugurated by Choubey. The number IPD beds at the hospital has now risen from 196 to 400. AIIMS-P, which started functioning in 2012, plans to begin emergency services shortly, said its director Dr Prabhat Kumar Singh.