36 nursing students face action for missing 100th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' in Chandigarh

Thirty-six students of PGIMER's National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) in Chandigarh were barred from leaving hostel for a week for not attending a programme where the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' was broadcast.

The hospital authorities had made it compulsory for the first and third-year students to listen to the radio broadcast on April 30 at the institute. However, 36 girl students from NINE didn't turn up.

Following this, the nursing college authorities issued an order on May 3 informing the students -- 28 from the third year and eight from the first year -- that they would not be allowed to step out of the hostel for a week.

PGIMER issued a statement late Thursday evening on "banning the outing of the nursing students after classes in evening due to non-attending the Mann Ki Baat programme..".

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It was a little "overreaction" on part of the nursing college authorities and "the concerned have already been conveyed the displeasure of PGIMER administration", it said.

"So we humbly urge that the issue should not be given any other connotation or blown out of proportion in the larger public interest," the statement issued to the media by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, said.

The NINE authorities had recently conveyed to the first and third-year students that it was compulsory for them to listen to the 100th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' at lecture theatre-1 on April 30, the May 3 notice stated.

The students were also warned that outings of those who do not attend the programme would be cancelled, it said.

However, despite repeated reminders from the warden and the hostel coordinator, these students did not attend, the notice said.

The PGIMER statement said, "This is to clarify that nursing students from National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE), a premier nursing college of the country and producing best nursing professionals, were asked to attend the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on April 30...This instruction was given purely with an intent to enable them to attend the aforementioned episode as a part of their regular curricular activities wherein talks, guest lectures and discussions are arranged regularly by best speakers, experts, professionals to impart them value education."

"Rather, in an earlier episode, the Hon'ble Prime Minister had interacted with an organ donor family, a case of transplantation from PGIMER, to promote the noble cause of organ donation, which was hugely morale boosting and invigorated more interest in the episode," the statement said.

The statement further said since some of the students did not share any reason for not attending the session and abstained from the event arranged for them in a lecture theatre, the college authorities took action against them