Gujarat Confidential: No Shoes Please

Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat and BJP leader Mayank Nayak can be seen moving around barefoot these days, even in the Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session. When inquired about this, Nayak said, “I don’t wear anything on my feet in the holy month of Shravan. It is my way of offering prayers to Lord Shiva.” He further said, “During this period, I move around barefoot everywhere, including Parliament. In 2006, during Surat floods, I had gone (to flood-hit areas) to provide my service. But I did that barefoot,” he added.

Down With Dengue

Health department officials of Surat Municipal Corporation have been on their toes with one of their Deputy Municipal Commissioners, Nidhi Sivach, being diagnosed with dengue. The IAS officer is undergoing treatment at her home in a multi-storeyed apartment in the city. On Wednesday, health officials of Athwa zone carried out a survey in all the flats of the apartment and found mosquito breeding centres in some of them. The health officials also issued a notice to the apartment president. Sources in the SMC said that the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Health and Hospitals, Gurav Dinesh (IAS), also resides in the same apartment complex. Sources said the health officials surveyed Sivach’s office as well. Meanwhile, Sivach is on the road to recovery, the sources added.