Ramdev Begins Indefinite Fast Against Corruption

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev launched his indefinite fast against corruption and black money in New Delhi this morning after the government failed to persuade him to call off his protest.

The yoga guru began the protest along with thousands of his followers at the Ramlila Maidan here as he was joined by Swami Sadhvi Ritambara and other religious leaders from the Sikh, Jain and Muslim communities.

Before launching the fast, Baba Ramdev held a yoga and ’bhajan’ session during which he told the gathering that the protest was intended to save the country from corruption and ensure that the poor get a good life.

“Nothing is impossible, everything is possible and we are not going to be defeated,” the saffron-clad Baba seated on an elevated platform, told the gathering, referring to bringing back of black money stashed in tax havens abroad.

Baba Ramdev arrived at the stage at around 0450 hrs today to a huge round of applause from his followers.

Union ministers Kapil Sibal and Subodh Kant Sahay had held a marathon meeting yesterday with Baba Ramdev to persuade him to not go ahead with his indefinite fast. However, the talks failed to reach any breakthrough with the yoga guru insisting that all his demands be met with completely.

Alleges conspiracy against him

Baba Ramdev alleged there was a conspiracy against him to ensure that he does not go ahead with his protest fast but asserted that it had “failed”.

“I will certainly not talk about all issues today, there was a conspiracy but it has failed. What was the conspiracy, I will not say today. When the right time comes, I will say,” he said.

“What will India get from this protest? India will be saved now... People will get an opportunity for the first time that in all government professional colleges one can carry on the studies in his mother tongue,” he said.

Sadhvi Ritambara, who also addressed the gathering, lavished praises on him saying “if there were more Vallabhai Patels, then there was no need for a sanyasi to sit on satyagraha.”

Baba Ramdev was at his humorous best while addressing his followers. When a follower gave him a Rs 11-lakh cheque, the Baba joked, “Take the photos, this is not black money.”

A large number of security personnel, including women from Rapid Action Force, were deployed at the protest site to ensure no untoward incident takes place. A manual frisking is also being carried out at the entrance.

The crowd cheered Baba Ramdev whenever he spoke about bringing back black money, declaring it as a national asset and other issues of corruption. A number of RSS pracharaks in their uniforms were also seen at the site, keenly listening to the discourse.

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Free Healthcare For Pregnant Women, Infants

Toll-free number may be called for transport at time of labour

In a bid to improve the maternal and infant mortality in the country, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to provide free nutritious food, treatment, and transportation to all pregnant women who go to government facilities for delivery. Free healthcare services will also be provided to the newborns, as and when required.

To be launched on June 1 from Mewat, Haryana, the scheme will be applicable for all women from the sub-centre to the district hospital levels which are covered under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Expenses for diagnostics, any surgical interventions, and nutritious food will be provided up to seven days, if need be.

The Centre would undertake the costs involved in transporting pregnant women to and from medical centres, including dropping her back home, said Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

As of now, transportation facility is provided only for taking pregnant women to the health care facility during emergency or for delivery. States have been asked to ensure provision of free services to pregnant women as well as to sick infants in government health institutions. This would include, Mr. Azad said, the provision of free drugs, free consumables and diagnostics, free diet during stay and free transport.

There would be a toll-free number for every State which could be called for transport.

The money for the scheme would be provided through the NRHM and its implementation would also be monitored through the NRHM mechanism.

Also expressing concern over the selective abortion of girls, the Minister said the re-constituted Central Supervisory Board (CSB) was scheduled to meet on June 4 and all the States had been asked to give a report on the steps taken, in the past two years, under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, to prevent female foeticide. Describing as alarming the skewed sex ratio in the country, Mr. Azad said figures that had come up in the latest Census report would also be discussed during the meeting.

Highlighting the achievements of his Ministry in the past two years, Mr. Azad said the government had for the first time in three decades started talking of population stabilisation openly by promoting family planning.

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