First Indian-Origin Woman to be Scottish Lawmaker
A woman of Indian origin, Pam Gosal, has created history in Scotland. She has becoming the first Indian woman to get elected to Scottish Parliament. Gosal was elected on a Conservative Party ticket from West Scotland. She is the Deputy Chairperson of the Conservative Women’s Organisation of Scotland.
In a tweet, Gosal said: “It’s a privilege to be the first female Member of Scotland Parliament from an Indian background. Thank you everyone who’s supported me. Can’t wait to get to work for the people of West Scotland.”
Gosal’s roots are said to be from Bhatinda (Punjab). She is the director of the Conservative Friends of India Scotland. The organisation seeks to build strong ties between the Conservative Party and the British Indian community in Scotland.
Born in Glasgow, Gosal helped her family business before working in the local government prior to being elected to Parliament. A graduate and an MBA in Consumer Law, she is currently pursuing a PhD.
China bid to keep Covid at bay from Mt Everest
China, from where deadly Covid-19 virus “slipped’ to cause millions of deaths across the planet and wreck the global economy, is securing its land, sea and skies to stop Covid-19 “invasion”. It is now drawing a “separation line” at the world’s roof–Mount Everest–to prevent the coronavirus from being spread by climbers ascending Nepal’s side of the mountain.A Tibetan activist in exile wondered whether China was fearing Covid-19 attack triggered by “unknown forces”.Beijing says a team of Tibetan mountaineering guides will set up the “separation line” at the tallest peak before climbers attempt to reach the summit from the Chinese side. It is not clear what the “separation line” would be made of.
The mountaineers ascending the north side of the peak from China will be prohibited from crossing the line or coming into contact with anyone or any objects on the south, or Nepalese, side. Kathmandu and its mountaineering officials have not commented on this.
Ex-actor’s plea to PM on home treatment costs
Ravi Arora, a former actor, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the ordeal of lakhs of families battling with Covid-19 and other illness at home as they do not have access to hospitals despite having a medical health insurance cover.
“People across the country down with the virus and other major ailments need to be hospitalized but due to non-availability of hospitals beds and oxygen, they all, including my family, are converting our homes into hospitals. Trained nurses, tests from private labs, arranging oxygen and video consultations with doctors, are causing all of us huge expenses,” says Arora’s letter. “The irony is that we are medically insured, but the insurance companies say that we will be reimbursed only if we are hospitalized!”
“Corona patients are being forced to treat themselves from homes, endangering family members and neighbours,” says Arora wondering “how is it our fault…we have medical insurance cover, and would like to be admitted to hospitals but they are unavailable.”
Talking to The Sunday Guardian, the Delhi-based Arora says “I know of many families whose members needing hospitalization have medical insurance worth over Rs 20 lakh but they ‘can’t avail home treatment expenses’ reimbursement because rules don’t permit this. The rules want us to get admitted to hospitals…but no hospital rooms are available.”
Arora in his appeal to the PM has said that the government should change rules and order the insurance companies to take care of medical expenses incurred at home due to non-availability of admission to hospitals. This would reduce the burden on hospitals.
Afghan Envoy Dials Indian NRI for Help
Afghanistan Ambassador in New Delhi, Farid Mamundzay, recently sent an SOS to Dubai-based Punjabi businessman Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi, requesting him to arrange food stock and medical aid for nearly 19,000 of his compatriots hit by Covid-19 crisis across India.
Oberoi immediately began transporting hundreds of ration packets, each weighing 20 kg, for the Afghan refugees. The first four tranches of food stock have been sent to cities like New Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and Hyderabad, where the concentration of Afghan refugees is large. Medical aid and Covid-related material were also dispatched from Patiala. The exercise is being executed through Oberoi’s charitable organisation, “Sarbat Da Bhala.”
Thanking Oberoi, the Ambassador tweeted, “I am humbled to witness the restoration of hope and dignity in the lives of many destitute people through your kind gesture.” The Afghanistan Embassy, on receiving reports that nearly 4,000 Afghan families were battling hunger at various cities, had got in touch with Oberoi. The NRI told this paper that “these are depressing times where men, institutions and even countries are fast running out of resources. I assured the Ambassador that not a single refugee will sleep on an empty stomach.”