Latest news with #Ahil
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
The challenges of filing RTI petitions online
Every time 20-year-old Ahil Adithyaa drives from Mahindra World City in Chengalpattu where he lives, he has to pay up at Paranur toll plaza. The reluctance with which Ahil hands out the cash is understandable. 'Residents staying within a five-kilometre radius are eligible for exemption from toll fee payment and I live within a two-kilometre radius from the plaza,' says Ahil, a student of a college in Potheri. The youngster has also heard that the lease period of the toll plaza has run its course. Keen on getting the details about this, Ahil, who recently attended a Right to Information (RTI) workshop conducted by Tambaram Makkal Kuzhu, made a postal application with the Chengalpattu taluk office. Though the digital native would have preferred to make the application online, the traditional snail mail is being used for various reasons including the lack of a mechanism at various government departments at the state and district level. Although any digital submission is supposed to make things easier and faster, the State Government's RTI site would leave any user frustrated. The home page of constantly 'alerts' users with a message that reads: 'Petitions and First Appeals addressed to the departments of Secretariat may be entered here. Action is being taken to extend this facility to the Heads of Departments, District Offices and the offices down below, in a phased manner.' It further adds, 'RTI petitions relating to the offices where the facility has been implemented can be sent through this portal and the petitions and appeals relating to the offices wherein this facility has not yet been implemented may be sent manually to those offices at present and not to file those petitions in this web portal.' Slow digital adoption B. Savadamuthu, who conducts free online RTI workshops for Chennai-based Nallore Vattam every Monday, says digital platform for RTI applications in Tamil Nadu has a long way to go. 'On July 4, 2024 based on many representations I made, the Commissioner of Revenue Administration communicated to all districts collectors to accept online applications and create 'credentials' for the public information officer (PIO) handling the department,' says Savadamuthu, who retired as an executive from a public sector bank and also served as PIO and appellate authority for RTI. In the last one year, Savadamuthu has filed many RTIs to find the number of applications that were answered online and only four districts responded. While no department will refuse to accept applications online, this process is complete only when a credential is also created for the PIO. 'A government office may have at least 10 departments and for every PIO they need to create a user name and password so that a petitioner can address him/her directly. This ensures faster response,' he says. Besides reduction in cost and time, the chances of digital submissions going missing are low. 'We encourage citizens to opt for digital submission, but many departments are yet to make the process easy for citizens,' he says. Experts on how to draft a compelling plea Saroja Sundaram, executive director of the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), says among what ought to be kept in mind while drafting an RTI application are specificity and conciseness. 'Questions should be targeted. One question could be broken into multiple ones to avoid ambiguity and make it easy for the department to respond. If you are asking information about an infrastructure try to give as many details as possible otherwise the answer would be yes/no. You can also give a table and list the details you need as some departments give information in the format that we ask for,' says Saroja adding that CAG had conducted awareness workshops in the past. V. Santhanam, who has filed close to 2000 RTI applications, says one must know the functions of the department before filing a petition. 'If residents in a street want to get answers to an infrastructure work I ask a group of people from the area to file the RTI, so the department is forced to give answers,' says Santhanam. Youngsters need to come forward to file RTIs and they could start with small issues concerning their neighbourhood. 'For instance, the ration shop in your neighbourhood is not stocking various items. One can file an RTI to understand how the system works, where the questions could range from the population the ration shop covers to how many kilos of certain items a household is entitled to,' adds Saroja. They conduct free RTI workshops Tambaram Makkal Kuzhu (Tambaram People's Forum), a civic organisation, conducted its first RTI workshop in June and plans to conduct them periodically. Two RTI activists addressed the participants on how to draft RTI questions. C.R. Bharathi Kannan of the Forum says a majority of the participants for the first workshop were students. He says they also plan to conduct follow-up meetings to help people with any nagging questions they might have. The next workshop will be held on a weekend at Thagai Community Centre in Tambaram. Those keen on being part of the workshop can call 9498488645/ 9986316106. *** For close to a year now, Nalloorvattam has been conducting online sessions on RTI every Monday at 7.30 p.m. An average of 15-20 people attend these sessions conducted in Tamil and English for people from across Tamil Nadu. The main focus at these workshops is to train participants on submitting an application digitally. Interested participants are required to share details such as name, email ID and residential address to get the link to the meetings. Depending on requests, these workshops are sometimes conducted offline as well. For details, call 89034 32714. *** Over the last three years, Arappor Iyakkam has conducted at least 100 workshops to educate people on how to file an RTI. The workshops cover aspects such as how to frame RTI questions, ways to address the authorities and how to go on an appeal. An extension of this initiative is the 'My vote Is Not For Sale' campaign; the pilot programme has spread to various districts in Tamil Nadu. Currently, in Chennai its workshops are held once in three months. Interested persons can either write to contact@ or call 7200020099 to know about the upcoming sessions. *** Chitlapakkam Rising conducts these awareness sessions periodically. The citizens group is planning one in September. In 2022, during one such workshop, they brought active RTI champions from Chennai to speak to the participants. They included social activist from Chromepet V. Santhanam; banker Perulli Viswanathan; activist Kasi Mayan; civil engineers R. Pandiraja and Dayanand Krishnan. *** Social activist and Chromepet resident V. Santhanam is invited by many institutions to conduct awareness workshops where he shares his experiences and the various battles won by filing an RTI. He also conducts them for small groups of two to five. Those who are interested may call 9444254850.
NDTV
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Aayush Sharma's Health Update After Two Back-To-Back Surgeries: "Act Early, Heal Properly"
New Delhi: Aayush Sharma took to Instagram to update his followers on his back-to-back surgeries recently. Stating how his back pain had initially started when he was performing a stunt for his film Ruslaan, he admitted to ignoring it at first. However, things started acting up while he was filming his latest movie and he realised his backache was a little more serious. He updated everyone that he was officially on his road to recovery. What's Happening Aayush Sharma recently put up an Instagram post, revealing details about his recent surgeries. He penned a long post explaining how it all began with a simple back pain while he was shooting for Ruslaan. However, with time, the symptoms exacerbated and he had to seek medical attention. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aayush Sharma (@aaysharma) His post read, "Life has its way of slowing you down to make sure you listen. For the last couple of years, I had been experiencing consistent pain in my back it started while pulling off a stunt during the action scene in Ruslaan - nothing too dramatic, so I did what most of us tend to do... ignored it, masked it, and kept going. It finally caught up with me while shooting for my current movie, and things took a turn. Movements that once felt like second nature - dancing, stunts, even the simplest stretches - became restricted. What I thought was temporary turned out to be far more serious." The Antim actor added, "The biggest mistake? Taking the pain lightly and hoping it would heal on its own. But now... here we are. After two surgeries, I'm officially on the road to recovery. The journey has just begun, and I'm filled with nothing but gratitude, hope, and a burning desire to get back to doing what I love the most - being in front of the camera." He expressed deep gratitude towards the doctors and his family for taking such good care of him, as he concluded, "This phase has taught me that good health isn't just about a six-pack - it's about what's happening inside. Don't ignore the whispers your body sends you. Act early. Heal properly. To the doctors - thank you for the laser-sharp attention and care. To my producer @isajidqureshi & director @dir_kiran - your patience and understanding in these uncertain weeks mean the world. And to my beautiful family - Arpita, Ahil, and Ayat - thank you for turning my bedrest into what felt more like a vacation than a punishment. Your laughter, love, and support have been my real medicine. And then there's my little man, Ahil, who looked at me and said - "Papa, you heal fast... I need my Wolverine back." I'm coming back stronger. For you. For me. For all of it. #Gratitude #RecoveryMode #BackSoon." Aayush Sharma's Upcoming Projects As for his next lineup, Aayush Sharma has been sharing glimpses of a new project that he is filming in Banaras. My Punjabi Nikaah and Dhak are the other two titles also expected in his slate of films. In A Nutshell Aayush Sharma shared a long Instagram post on recuperating from two back-to-back surgeries. He assured his well-wishers that he was officially on the road to recovery after getting the necessary medical help for his relapsing back pain.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Aayush Sharma undergoes two back surgeries, calls ignoring pain his ‘biggest mistake'; says he's on the road to recovery: ‘Ahil said, I need my Wolverine back'
Aayush Sharma , who is married to Salman Khan 's sister Arpita Khan Sharma, revealed that he recently underwent two back surgeries after ignoring persistent pain that began while shooting an action sequence for his film Ruslaan. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Aayush shared that he initially brushed off the discomfort, a decision he now calls his 'biggest mistake. ' It started while pulling off a stunt 'Life has its way of slowing you down to make sure you listen,' Aayush wrote, opening up about the injury. 'For the last couple of years, I had been experiencing consistent pain in my back. It started while pulling off a stunt during the action scene in Ruslaan — nothing too dramatic, so I did what most of us tend to do... ignored it, masked it, and kept going.' However, the pain eventually worsened while he was shooting for his current film. Movements like dancing, stunts, and even basic stretches became difficult. 'What I thought was temporary turned out to be far more serious,' he said. On the road to recovery Aayush shared that he's now finally taking the time to heal. 'The journey has just begun, and I'm filled with nothing but gratitude, hope, and a burning desire to get back to doing what I love the most — being in front of the camera.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ductless Air Conditioners Are Selling Like Crazy [See Why] Keep Cool Click Here Undo He reflected on how this phase shifted his perspective on fitness: 'This phase has taught me that good health isn't just about a six-pack — it's about what's happening inside. Don't ignore the whispers your body sends you. Act early. Heal properly.' Aayush Sharma unveils 'ASO4' teaser on his birthday Thanks family and crew for support Aayush thanked his doctors, as well as his producer Sajid Qureshi and director Kiran Korrapati, for their patience and understanding. He also credited his wife Arpita Khan Sharma, and their children Ahil and Ayat, for transforming his recovery period. 'To my beautiful family — Arpita, Ahil, and Ayat — thank you for turning my bedrest into what felt more like a vacation than a punishment. Your laughter, love, and support have been my real medicine.' Ending his post on a heartfelt note, Aayush shared a special moment with his son: 'And then there's my little man, Ahil, who looked at me and said — 'Papa, you heal fast... I need my Wolverine back.' I'm coming back stronger. For you. For me. For all of it.'
