End ‘disparity’ in giving additional weightage to Cov workers: HC to govt

Cuttack: The Orissa high court has directed the state govt to stop “disparity” in providing additional weightage for work during the Covid-19 pandemic in recruitment of healthcare professionals and asked it to consider those who worked in private hospitals as well.The single-judge bench of Justice A K Mohapatra on Friday said restricting the benefit under Rule 3 of ‘Odisha grant of weightage in marks in the Recruitment for Short-Term Covid-19 Healthcare workers Rules, 2022’ to only those healthcare workers who rendered their services in govt hospitals during the pandemic is unconstitutional.Accordingly, he also directed the state govt to extend the benefit in a manner which would include all categories of persons who have rendered their services for more than three months as provided in the Rules.“This court finds absolutely no valid ground and justification for creation of such a sub-class amongst the short-term Covid-19 healthcare workers. Moreover, it is not that the healthcare workers employed in private hospitals during Covid-19 were immune to such pandemic and such workers did not die due to Covid-19 during such pandemic,” he observed. TNN

Short-term course starts at MNNIT

The GIS Cell of MNNIT Allahabad is conducting a national level two-week short-term course on InSAR for disaster preparedness and precursors. The course is sponsored by ISRO DMS capacity building programme and includes participants from various institutes and universities.

State to pay for workers' children in govt medical, engg colleges

Uttarakhand govt offers free vocational education to children of daily wage workers. The scheme covers polytechnics, ITIs, govt medical and engineering colleges. It ensures social security for unorganised sector workers and extends financial support to registered workers and their families.

CDRI to work on major drugs, aims to cut healthcare costs

The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) is dedicated to affordable healthcare through research and development. CDRI is working on Umifenovir, Picroliv, Centinhale, S007-1500, and L-Ormeloxifene. They focus on basic and translational research for communicable and non-communicable diseases, and collaborate with industry partners.