Chhindwara, Aug 22: A major accident struck the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the wee hours of Saturday when a radiant warmer machine caught fire, leaving three newborns with serious burn injuries.

The incident occurred around 2 a.m. in the wee hours of Saturday. According to hospital officials, the three infants were placed inside the warmer to maintain normal body temperature and receive intensive care after birth.

Suddenly, a filament in the heating unit of the warmer sparked, triggering a fire. The presence of oxygen in the NICU caused the blaze to spread rapidly inside the enclosed unit, engulfing the newborns.

Paediatrician of the Hospital Dr Anshul Lamba, confirmed that the sparking in the warmer’s heating filament led to the fire.

“Newborns are kept in warmers after birth to keep their body temperature stable. At night, the filament sparked suddenly and the fire broke out. All three babies suffered severe burns,” he said.

Panic gripped the hospital as the fire erupted. Doctors and staff on duty acted swiftly. They pulled the infants out of the burning warmer, used fire extinguishers to control the flames, and immediately started first-aid treatment.

Despite prompt medical intervention, the condition of the three newborns remained critical due to the extent of their burns.

Given the seriousness of the injuries and the unavailability of a paediatric surgeon at the Chhindwara facility, all three infants were referred to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur for advanced treatment.

They were transported under the supervision of two doctors. One of the newborns is reported to be in a particularly critical state and may require surgical intervention.

Hospital authorities have initiated an internal enquiry into the incident. Preliminary reports point to a technical fault or short circuit in the warmer machine as the likely cause.

Officials are examining the equipment and safety protocols in the NICU to prevent any such recurrence. The accident has raised serious questions about the maintenance of critical medical equipment in government hospitals and the safety of newborns in intensive care units.

Srinagar, Aug 22: Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided two places in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district in connection with an ongoing investigation in a terror case.

Officials said accompanied by J&K Police and the CRPF, the sleuths of NIA raided two houses at Bijbehara and Dooru in Anantnag district.

The NIA investigates major terror and terror-funding cases in Jammu and Kashmir involving banned terror groups, secessionist networks and hybrid operatives.

These active probes target conspiracies by Pakistan-backed outfits and their proxy offshoots aiming to revive or sustain violence in the region.

Cases being investigated by NIA include terror funding and charity misuse. Probes into networks like the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) for raising and channeling funds domestically and internationally under the guise of charity to fuel secessionist actions.

Crackdowns targeting Overground Workers (OGWs) and hybrid operatives linked to outfits like The Resistance Front (TRF), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Al-Badr.

Investigations tracking the delivery of sticky bombs, IEDs, arms, ammunition, and narcotics dropped via drones or cross-border smuggling networks into border districts like Poonch are also under the NIA

Investigations into Radicalization and Digital Propaganda include cases focussing on handlers utilising social media platforms to radicalise and recruit local youth into newly-floated terror outfits.

The cornerstone of terror funding investigation by NIA was targeting the financial channels fueling stone-pelting and unrest. The NIA filed extensive chargesheets against prominent Hurriyat leaders, including Yasin Malik (sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022) and Hafiz Saeed.

Investigations revealed complex Hawala networks, cross-border trade manipulations, and funding channels used to sustain street violence.

The NIA’s investigation centred on ‘Dukhtaran-Milat’, an all-women secessionist outfit, culminated in a landmark judgment by an NIA Special Court. Founder of the outfit, Aasiya Andrabi was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her top aides received 30-year prison terms for spearheading a physical and digital war against India.

Mumbai, Aug 21: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed officials to submit a proposal to establish the ‘Maha CSR Authority’ to ensure a more effective, transparent, and coordinated utilisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds in Maharashtra.

He noted that because various CSR initiatives are currently being executed independently at different levels, a central authority is needed to provide a unified platform for these efforts.

The CM will head the Authority, while senior state officials and industry representatives will serve on the Governing Council. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will work as Member-Secretary of the Governing Council and Head of the Executive Council.

CM Fadnavis stated that the proposed ‘Maha CSR Authority’ should focus on coordinating, monitoring, and ensuring the proper deployment of CSR funds.

He directed authorities to prepare a high-quality “project bank” aligned with government priorities and make it accessible to corporations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

He also said the authority should help eligible Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) select suitable projects and NGOs, while promoting exemplary CSR practices across the state.

The core objective of this initiative is to extend financial backing to priority government projects through CSR funding when necessary.

The initiative will also place special emphasis on maintaining and repairing projects funded through CSR.

CM Fadnavis pointed out that many projects become non-functional after a few years because they lack maintenance funds.

To avoid this, he instructed that the proposed CSR authority prioritise the upkeep and repair of older projects.

The Chief Minister also suggested exploring the concept of ‘Diaspora Connect’ to mobilise CSR and social development funds through the participation of Maharashtrians residing abroad and outside the state.