Latest news with #SheelaDevi
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Target is to stop spread': Screening camps at Delhi's urban slums strengthen fight against TB
Sheela Devi (48), a resident of Indira Kalyan Vihar, a jhuggi jhopri cluster in Southeast Delhi's Okhla Industrial Area Phase-1, stepped out to buy vegetables when Subhash, the village head or pradhan as they call him, asked her to visit the TB screening camp operating from his office. The screening was long overdue, she thought to herself. She has been suffering from fever for the last few months and coughs excessively. 'There is a persistent cough and fever which doesn't fade away,' she added. Her X-ray showed abnormalities and cavities in her lungs. 'Now, we will send her to the Nehru Nagar centre where her sputum samples will be collected for further evaluation,' explained District TB officer Dr Umesh Kumar. The village head has lent his office space for a screening camp under the Delhi government's TB programme for free for a month. A team of doctors, under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), are screening patients with the help of a handheld X-Ray machine and AI software, which identifies abnormalities in the lungs and is said to have minimal radiation exposure. According to the 2019-2021 National TB Prevalence Survey, Delhi was identified as having the highest TB prevalence in India, with 747 cases per lakh population. Under the NTEP, Delhi has been conducting screening drives in urban slums and has started the first phase of the programme targeting six high-burden areas — Nehru Nagar, Narela, Karawal Nagar, Moti Nagar, Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital's chest clinic and Shastri Nagar. In Nehru Nagar, five areas have been targeted — Indira Kalyan Vihar, Jaitpur, Pul Prahladpur, Nizamuddin and Batla House. To drive engagement, doctors and volunteers also conduct door-to-door drives, and announcements are made on loudspeakers as well. Five X-ray machines have been set up in each camp in the slums of South Delhi. 'The programme has been functioning since last December, and we started again in June this year. Our target is to stop the spread of TB, and we need to do catchment at the mass level. Except pregnant women and children below 15 years, everyone else is being screened,' Dr Umesh explained. Since June, more than 10,000 people have been screened, and around 40 people have been identified as TB affected at such camps across the city, said sources. Along with the mass-level screening, these camps provide prevention therapy to people who are at high risk — they collect the medicines from the nearby DOT centre, a healthcare facility focused on tuberculosis. 'Before prescribing medicines under TB prevention therapy, we confirm about latent TB infection by the Cy-Tb test, a modern skin test for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis. If it is positive in TB contact persons, we give them the preventive therapy,' underlined Dr Umesh Kumar. For this, the doctors deployed are particularly targeting the high-risk group, which includes patients with diabetes, those with alcohol or cigarette addiction, those who are not gaining weight and those who are living in families where someone had TB in the last five years. The camp at Indira Kalyan Vihar Jhuggi has been conducting 150-200 X-rays daily at the centre. Even as 5-10% of X-rays highlight abnormalities on average every day, not all of these patients test positive for TB. 'The X-rays highlight if there is fluid in the lungs, signs of pneumonia, old or new pneumonia and cavities in the lungs. If these abnormalities are found, we send the patient for further tests,' said Dr Umesh. With the X-ray machines, screening takes just 5-10 minutes, and the visitors can get details added to the system, which is convenient for many. One doctor, one technician and one patient mobiliser and a volunteer for registration of people have been deployed at each camp. Meanwhile, more women than men are visiting the camp at Indira Kalyan Vihar, according to the team. 'This may be because most of the women are at home, and the men of the house go to work. Which is why we are taking this till 4 pm to target the men as well,' said Himansh Parewa, junior field officer who has been mobilising people from the jhuggi cluster. 'We mobilise the community with the help of ANM and ASHA workers and TB health workers from the Dot centres,' he added. However, this does not mean more women are testing positive. 'Diabetics, malnourished smokers, those with a family history of TB have the highest prevalence, along with those who are living in poorly ventilated areas, which makes slum areas more at risk,' explained Dr Umesh. A majority of men in the area, according to Himansh, are factory workers who have to leave for work early morning, due to which it remains a challenge to screen them.
The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Omar Abdullah seeks centre's intervention in securing release of abducted Indian in Niger
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday (July 20, 2025) sought the Centre's intervention in seeking the release of a resident of Ramban district, who was allegedly abducted by terrorists in the West African country of Niger a few days ago. Mr. Abdullah's request to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar comes a day after Rankeet Singh's wife made a fervent appeal for his release. "Chief Minister has expressed concern over the abduction of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban, in Niger. He urges the Hon'ble EAM @DrSJaishankar and @MEAIndia to urgently intervene to secure Ranjeet's safe and swift return," Abdullah's office posted on X. Chief Minister has expressed concern over the abduction of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban, in Niger. He urges the Hon'ble EAM @DrSJaishankar and @MEAIndia to urgently intervene to secure Ranjeet's safe and swift return. — Office of Chief Minister, J&K (@CM_JnK) July 20, 2025 Sheela Devi, Rankeet's wife, on Saturday said that her husband works as a senior safety officer at Transrail Lighting Limited, an integrated power transmission and distribution company, in Niger and the family lost contact with him on July 15. According to the Indian embassy, two Indians were killed and one abducted following a terrorist attack in southwest Niger. "In a heinous terror attack on July 15 in Niger's Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted," the embassy said in a social media post on Friday. According to Niger media, unidentified gunmen attacked an army unit guarding a construction site in Dosso, about 130 kilometres from capital Niamey. "We talked on WhatsApp on July 15 and since then, I have not been able to contact him. I called his management and was initially told that there is no network at the work site," Sheela Devi said. She said she learned about her husband's abduction the next day through his friend, even as the management maintained that he had fled deep into the forest following the terror attack. "It has been four days since then. I believe that there is no effort to secure my husband's release from his captors," the mother of three children, said. She alleged that her repeated attempts to reach out to the company were being met with cold response. "I do not know what kind of situation my husband is in. I do not have any idea about the efforts of the local government," Sheela Devi said. She said she has also met Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan. "The deputy commissioner said he will do everything in his capacity, but I know the main work is that of our external affairs ministry. If they want, my husband will come home safely," she said.
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
J&K man abducted by terrorists in Niger; family pleads for Centre's help
SRINAGAR: A man from Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district has reportedly been abducted by terrorists in Niger, West Africa, during a deadly attack on a construction site in the Dosso region. The victim, Ranjeet Singh, was working as a Senior Safety Officer with Transrail Transmission Lighting Limited, an integrated power transmission and distribution company. His wife, Sheela Devi, said the family has had no contact with him since July 15. 'I have been trying to reach him since July 15, but there has been no response,' she said. It was only after repeated inquiries that the company informed the family that terrorists had attacked the site and Singh had reportedly fled toward a forested area. 'On July 16, my brother-in-law received a phone call saying there had been a terror attack and Ranjeet had run toward the forest. Later that night, company officials confirmed that my husband had been abducted,' she said. According to local media in Niger, unidentified gunmen attacked an Army unit guarding the construction site in the Dosso region, about 130 km from the capital Niamey. 'In a heinous terror attack on July 15 in Niger's Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted,' the Indian Embassy in Niamey said in a post on X. Sheela Devi alleged that the company has made no visible efforts to help secure her husband's release. 'We have three young children and elderly parents who are in shock after hearing about his abduction,' she said, appealing to the Indian government for intervention. She has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh to ensure her husband's safe return. She has also met Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan, who assured her that the matter would be taken up with the Indian Embassy in Niger and the Ministry of External Affairs. 'My humble request is to please bring my husband home safely,' she said.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Time of India
Police find missing man in Balrampur
Kanpur: Police successfully rescued a missing man from Bharthana area of Etawah. The man, missing since June 28, was held captive by unidentified miscreants in Balrampur. The victims was found with wounds on his face and a cloth tied around his mouth. The victim was unable to provide comprehensive details about the incident. One Sheela Devi lodged a missing case for son Manish at Bharthana police station on June 28. During police investigation, the surveillance and SOG teams received information regarding the victim's location. Following the lead, the police team travelled to Balrampur. On Monday, the police force carried out a search operation in Balrampur and located the victim. He was found under the influence of alcohol, with facial injuries and his mouth tied with cloth. The team left Balrampur with the rescued person on Monday night and arrived in Etawah on Tuesday morning. SSP Brijesh Kumar Srivastava confirmed the registration of a missing person case on a complaint filed by the mother of Manish. The SSP said that the victim was in inebriated condition and couldn't provide any information about the kidnappers. "As soon as he comes to his senses, the complete incident details will come to the fore," the SSP added. tnn Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
News18
27-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Tyres Thrown, Vehicles Collide: SP MP Ramjilal Suman's Convoy Attacked By Karni Sena In Aligarh
Last Updated: Videos of the incident shared online depict several men attacking police vans in the convoy with tyres. They hurled tyres at the vehicles. Samajwadi Party MP Ramjilal Suman's convoy was attacked by members of the Karni Sena near Khereshwar Chauraha in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Online visuals show a group targeting police vans in the convoy with tyres. Several individuals hurled tyres at the high-speed vehicles, causing them to swerve and collide. Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh: Karni Sena members attacked the convoy of Samajwadi Party MP Ramjilal Suman by throwing tyres at the vehicles, causing several cars in the high-speed convoy to collide and suffer damage. The incident took place near Khereshwar Chauraha on the highway — IANS (@ians_india) April 27, 2025 According to a report by ANI, the SP MP was going to Bulandshahr to meet the victims who were injured on Tuesday after an SUV ran over a group of Dalits. A woman named Sheela Devi was killed in the incident.
