Prepaid card boon for AIIMS

The Bank of India (BOI), Patna zone, on Friday launched prepaid card system for cashless transactions at AIIMS-Patna.

This scheme has been operating at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar successfully and would be the first-of-its-kind in Bihar under the guidance of V. Vishwanathan, BOI general manager, who looks after the card payment system, at the head office. The AIIMS prepaid card can recharged for any amount above Rs 100 by paying cash and later, through debit cards, credit cards and Internet banking from any bank account for a yearlong validity. Eleven machines have been installed on the AIIMS campus for patients and their families to pay for tests, buying medicines or any other facility.

In his welcome speech, BOI zonal manager, Patna zone, M.N. Ansari said: "The prepaid card system would enable people to make hassle-free transactions. We are looking forward to extend it to other institutions." BOI, partnered with Worldline, an ATOS company, provides the technological framework for the prepaid card system.

BOI executive director R.P. Marathe was the chief guest at the event. Explaining the importance of this system, he said: "Payments at hospitals is perceived to be cumbersome and hence, this facility would minimise the need to carry cash and wait in long queues."

AIIMS-Patna director Dr G.K. Singh, the guest of honour, said: "Collaborating with BOI would help both patients and the AIIMS administration."

Media role in polls

National Election Watch organised a discussion "The role of media in Bihar to facilitate free and fair elections" at AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences on Friday. Manikant Thakur from the BBC, Ajay Kumar from the New Indian Express, Amar Nath Tivari of The Hindu were among the orators.

"Media should be pro-people, rather than the diversion that they show today. Paid news is quite prevalent in media houses and this phenomenon is not attached to one journalist but it is against democracy," said Thakur.

"The public should not rely on media blind-foldedly. This is gospel truth," said Tivari.

Renowned journalist Shashikant said: "News is given less focus, whereas views are highlighted more nowadays. Credibility should never be forgotten. If one is unsatisfied with the news, he is free to complain to the Press Council."

Agro myths broken

Noted journalist P. Sainath expressed concern over the agriculture sector and farmer suicides in the country. Speaking at the Jagjivan Ram Parliamentary Study and Political Research Institute, he said: "According to official records, around three lakh farmers committed suicide in the country in the past two decades. Even this figure is an understatement. In quite a few cases, if the farmer is a woman or the son of the landowner, it is not recognised as suicide by farmers because officials recognise only those persons whose names are in the land document," he said.

He attributed the farmer suicides to growing cash crops more than food crops.

Thumbs up to sports

The Bihar Disabled Sports Academy, an association working for the differently abled, launched its annual sports calendar 2015-16 at Sone Bhavan on Friday. It informed each sport event in detail.

Academy secretary Dr Shivaji Kumar said: "The participation of children is now not confined to state boundaries but has reached the international-level. Several students are going to represent the state abroad."

A confident Abhinash, a participant from the academy, said: "I am going to the US and I will come back with a medal."