PSU workers’ 40-day tool-down strike ends
After talks between the trade unions and the management, the tool-down strike of 40 days by employees in HEC ended on Tuesday. A six-point agreement was reached between the management and the trade unions. The tool-down strike was called on December 2 demanding payment of seven months’ outstanding salary. Officials signed an MoU on behalf of the management. In the MoU signed between HEC management and labour unions, efforts will be made to give half a month’s salary by the end of the month. At the same time, regular salary will be paid to the employees from February 2022. At the same time, the matters of promotion of employees will also be executed.
App soon for availing two-wheeler petrol subsidy
Jharkhand will soon launch an app for hassle-free transfer of subsidy for refilling petrol in two-wheelers to poor beneficiaries from January 26. In a meeting on Friday to review the rollout of the ambitious scheme to provide a subsidy of `25 per litre of petrol refilled in two-wheelers to the poor families, Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed government departments to develop the app at the earliest. According to the officials, beneficiary would have to enter his ration card number, vehicle registration number and Aadhaar card number and enter an OTP in the app to get the subsidy amount transferred to his bank account. Considering poor network in some rural areas of the state, the government is also planning to issue a petro card that would be available through PDS outlets.
Jharkhand gets 7 PSA oxygen generation plants
Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday virtually inaugurated seven more pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants to perk up health infrastructure amid a continuous surge in Covid-19 cases. The state now has 102 functional PSA oxygen generation plants. The seven PSA plants have been donated by Indian unit of PATH (formerly Program for Appropriate Technology in Health). The two units were set up at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, while one unit each were set up at Mercy Hospital in Jamshedpur, Trauma Centre in Ramgarh, Sadar Hospital in Deoghar, etc.
14 Covid patients test positive for Omicron
Latest test samples sent for genome sequencing by Jharkhand have revealed two variants of concern – Omicron and Delta. Of the 87 samples sent to a lab in Bhubaneswar on January 2, results received on Saturday suggest that 14 of those samples pertained to infection caused by the Omicron variant of the corona virus and one Delta. The remaining samples were classified as “variants of concern”. Health experts had in the first week of January claimed that Omicron had spread rapidly taking into account the three to four digit spikes reported daily. In fourth week of December, health authorities had sent about three dozen samples of which several were found to be of Delta.
Mukesh Ranjan
Our correspondent in Jharkhand mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com