New Delhi: A 60-year-old rickshaw puller, resident of a slum in the Connaught Place area, yesterday inaugurated a renovated hospital in central Delhi in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Bijay Baba inaugurated the renovated Palika Maternity Hospital in Lodhi Colony after Kejriwal called him on Friday night and asked him to do the honours.
“This is a matter of great respect and dignity that a rickshaw puller has been chosen to inaugurate a hospital,” Bijay Baba said after inaugurating the hospital.
“I have always seen MLAs and MPs coming with their bodyguards to inaugurate hospitals and malls, but only in the AAP government can people like us hope to get such respect,” Baba said.
“AAP just wants to make common people feel that their role is important for society,” a Delhi government official said.
Kejriwal, on this occasion, said that to achieve the objective of round-the-clock maternity and child welfare services, the strength of the beds at the hospital had been increased from 30 to 65 and upgraded facilities were made available.
A new out-patient department block and an indoor treatment block have been opened with neonatal ICU (Intensive Care Unit), modular operation theatre and labour room. Round-the-clock obstetric emergency facilities for the convenience of patients and prompt treatment have also been provided.
The renovated maternity hospital will also offer laboratory services and immunisation and distribute drugs free of cost.
Haasan, Vidya and Paes get Padma awards
New Delhi: Noted scientist R A Mashelkar, yoga expert BKS Iyenger, actors Kamal Haasan and Vidya Balan, tennis player Leander Paes, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, and former chief justice of India J S Verma have been conferred the Padma awards on the occasion of the 65th Republic Day.
While Mashelkar and Iyengar were the two named for Padma Vibhushan, 24 eminent people including Verma, Haasan, writers Anita Desai and Ruskin Bond, badminton player P Gopichand and Paes got the Padma Bhushan.
The 101 conferred the Padma Shri include Vidya Balan and Paresh Rawal, cricketers Yuvraj and Anjum Chopra, Odisha sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, and fashion designer Wendell Rodricks.
Padma Awards — the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred to eminent people for their contribution in the field of social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service.
Agencies
