Bengaluru, April 13, 2026: Aster DM Healthcare has expanded its footprint in the city with the inauguration of an upgraded Women & Children facility at its Whitefield hospital, marking over 12 years of service in Bengaluru. The expansion, undertaken at an investment of ₹96 crore, increases the hospital’s total bed capacity from 380 to 539.
The newly launched 159-bed dedicated centre, ‘Aster Women & Children’, is designed to provide comprehensive care spanning preconception to childbirth and beyond. It brings together a range of specialised services, including water birthing, advanced laparoscopic gynaecology, foetal medicine and surgery, a Level 3A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), fertility services, neonatal and paediatric surgeries, a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and a high dependency unit (HDU). A child development centre is also part of the expanded facility.
The facility was inaugurated by Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, along with U.T. Khader, Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, in the presence of U.T. Iftikhar Ali, Chairman of the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council.
Speaking on the occasion, Aster DM Healthcare Founder and ChairmanDr. Azad Moopen said the expansion reflects the group’s focus on scaling both capacity and capabilities to meet the rising demand for quality maternal and paediatric care. He noted that the facility aims to deliver integrated, end-to-end services for mothers and children under one roof, supported by advanced infrastructure and specialised expertise.
Shri.Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, highlighted the growing need for dedicated maternal and child healthcare facilities in urban centres, observing that such institutions play a crucial role in improving access to quality care and strengthening health outcomes. He added that investments in specialised healthcare infrastructure contribute to building a more resilient public health system.
With this expansion, alongside upcoming projects including a 500-bed facility and a 430-bed hospital in Sarjapur, Aster is set to increase its total bed capacity in the region to 2,579, further consolidating its position among the leading private healthcare providers in Karnataka.
A heartwarming gesture of compassion marked the day at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru, where 100 coffee mugs were donated to young cancer patients in the Kapoor Ward.
The initiative was led by philanthropist Irfan Sait, owner of Memon Biryani, whose thoughtful contribution brought smiles to the children undergoing treatment. The mugs were distributed by noted Kannada playback singer Dr. Samita Malnad, adding a personal and emotional touch to the occasion.
The event was attended by key medical professionals including Dr. Nadimul Hoda, Head of the Department of Oral Oncology; Dr. Prakruti Kaushik, Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatric Oncology; and Dr. A.S. Mahantesh, Senior Medical Officer at the institute.
The initiative was widely appreciated as a noble and meaningful gesture, highlighting the importance of community support in uplifting cancer patients, especially children. Organisers and doctors expressed hope that more individuals and organisations will come forward to extend such acts of kindness and support to those battling cancer.
Bengaluru, April 12: In a healthcare system often marked by stark contrasts, the newly inaugurated Arion Radiotherapy & Oncology Centre (ARC Cancer Hospital) has introduced what it describes as a “middle-path” model aimed at balancing affordability with global standards of cancer treatment.
Cancer care in India has long placed patients in a difficult position-choosing between expensive private hospitals offering advanced treatment and public institutions where lower costs are frequently accompanied by long waiting periods and overstretched infrastructure. This dichotomy has particularly burdened the middle class, both financially and emotionally.
Seeking to address this gap, ARC Cancer Hospital proposes to offer comprehensive oncology services at costs estimated to be 20–30% lower than those at leading corporate hospitals, while maintaining comparable standards of care and technology.
Dr. Srihari R. Shapur, Founder and Managing Director, said the hospital was established with the objective of making quality cancer treatment accessible to a wider section of society. He noted that efforts are also being made to extend services to beneficiaries under government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and for those below the poverty line.
The hospital provides multi-disciplinary cancer care under one roof, including surgical oncology, chemotherapy, and advanced radiotherapy. Chairman Dr. Dinesh Mavinahalli said the centre has been equipped with modern infrastructure and supported by a team of experienced doctors available round the clock to ensure continuity of care.
Emphasising the need to reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment, the facility has been designed to ensure quicker access and shorter waiting times, along with personalised care for patients. Medical Director Dr. Samskruthi P. Murthy said the use of advanced equipment enables timely and well-planned treatment.
The hospital has also integrated international tumour boards involving oncology specialists from the United States, enabling collaborative case reviews and access to globally benchmarked treatment protocols, including emerging therapies such as immunotherapy.
In addition to catering to middle-income patients, ARC has initiated radiotherapy services under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) scheme. Support from T.B. Jayachandra, Special Representative of the Government of Karnataka, has been extended to facilitate treatment for underprivileged patients, reflecting a degree of public-private cooperation in improving access to cancer care.
The inauguration was attended by Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Uday Garudachar, Dr. Mohammed Maqsood Imran Rashadi of Jamia Masjid, and Dr. Maheshwar Rao, among others.
With India’s cancer burden continuing to rise, the need for timely, high-quality, and affordable treatment remains pressing. ARC’s approach raises a broader question for the healthcare sector-whether advanced cancer care can be made both scalable and affordable without compromising on quality.
While the model’s long-term impact will depend on patient outcomes and sustained affordability, the initiative signals an attempt to bridge the long-standing divide between cost and quality in cancer care.
“The 99% Illusion: Rethinking Cut-Off Culture in Indian Education“ By Dr. Kiran Jeevan
There is something disquieting about the trajectory of higher education in India today. With every admission season comes the familiar frenzy over soaring cut-offs-95%, 98%, 99%, and, increasingly, a perfect 100%. These figures are not merely benchmarks, they have become symbols of prestige, celebrated and pursued with near-obsessive intensity. Yet, beneath this fixation lies a question that remains largely unaddressed: what, truly, is the purpose of education?
As a student, I once heard a Jesuit priest, Father Ambrose, pose a simple yet profound question: “Education is not for the toppers-they will find their way. But what about the rest?” At the time, its significance escaped me. Today, it resonates deeply, exposing a fundamental ethical gap in our education system.
By contemporary standards, I was an average student, scoring between 65% and 70%. In today’s climate, such marks would likely shut the doors of many reputed institutions. Yet, I went on to build a meaningful career and life. This is not an exception, but a reminder that human potential cannot be compressed into a number on a marks card.
What we are witnessing now is not merely the pursuit of excellence, but a systemic overvaluation of percentages. Institutions, driven by rankings and perception, project high cut-offs as indicators of quality. Frameworks like national rankings reinforce this narrative, creating a self-perpetuating cycle: higher cut-offs attract more applicants, which in turn inflate the thresholds further.
This raises an uncomfortable question. When access to quality education is determined by narrow numerical filters, what becomes of the vast majority who fall short? Are they inherently less capable, or are they simply victims of a limited evaluative framework? A significant proportion of students-those scoring 60%, 70%, or even 80%-find themselves excluded from institutions that claim to represent excellence. This exclusion is not merely institutional, it is deeply personal. Over time, students internalise these rejections, equating marks with self-worth, scaling down ambitions, and questioning their abilities. What begins as an academic metric becomes a psychological burden.
The consequences are visible. Reports from national agencies and global health bodies have consistently pointed to rising mental health concerns among students, many linked to academic stress and performance anxiety. When education turns into relentless competition, it ceases to nurture growth and instead breeds fear.
At a broader level, this narrow definition of merit comes at a national cost. India, with its vast demographic diversity, cannot afford to overlook talent that does not conform to exam-centric evaluation. Qualities such as creativity, resilience, leadership, and innovation-crucial for societal progress-are rarely reflected in board percentages. Often, they emerge from individuals who have navigated challenges and setbacks.
This brings us back to the central question: what is higher education meant to achieve? Is it a reward mechanism for those who excel in examinations, or a transformative space that nurtures potential and fosters critical thinking? If it is the latter, then the current obsession with cut-offs represents a serious distortion.
Education, at its core, must be inclusive. It should open doors, not close them. It must recognise potential in varied forms, rather than dismiss it through rigid numerical thresholds. When institutions prioritise cut-offs over capability, education risks becoming transactional rather than transformative.
There is also an underlying reality that merits attention. The race for higher cut-offs is often less about academic integrity and more about institutional positioning. In an increasingly competitive landscape, high entry thresholds create an illusion of excellence. But excellence that excludes is, at best, selective filtering-and at worst, a failure of educational responsibility.
The issue is not whether high achievers deserve recognition-they undoubtedly do. The concern is whether the system should be structured primarily around them, sidelining the majority. When access to education is limited to those who already excel, it ceases to be a vehicle for social mobility and instead reinforces existing inequalities.
Father Ambrose’s question remains as relevant as ever: “What about the rest?” The “rest” are not a marginal group-they are the majority. They are students with aspirations, abilities, and the potential to contribute meaningfully, if only given the opportunity.
My own journey is a modest testament to this truth. What shaped my path was not a percentage, but the chance to learn, grow, and be trusted. If we are serious about the future of education in this country, we must move beyond this narrow fixation on marks. We must reimagine institutions as spaces that value potential alongside performance, that embrace diversity in ability, and that recognise success cannot be standardised.
In the end, the strength of an education system is not measured by how it serves its toppers, but by how many lives it empowers. Until we confront that honestly, the question will persist, if education is only for the toppers, what becomes of the rest?
ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 14: ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್–ಜಗಜೀವನ್ ರಾಮ್ ಜಯಂತಿ, ಸಾಧಕರಿಗೆ ಸನ್ಮಾನ
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಸಿಟಿ ಕಾರ್ಪೋರೇಶನ್ ವರ್ಕರ್ಸ್ ಫೆಡರೇಷನ್ ಹಾಗೂ ಜೈ ಭಾರತ ಮಾತಾ ಸೇವಾ ಸಮಿತಿ ಸಂಯುಕ್ತ ಆಶ್ರಯದಲ್ಲಿ, ಭಾರತರತ್ನ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ಶಿಲ್ಪಿ ಬಿ. ಆರ್. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ರವರ 135ನೇ ಜನ್ಮಜಯಂತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಹಸಿರು ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಹರಿಕಾರ, ಮಾಜಿ ಉಪಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಬಾಬು ಜಗಜೀವನ್ ರಾಮ್ ಅವರ ಜಯಂತಿಯನ್ನು ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 14ರಂದು ಅದ್ದೂರಿಯಾಗಿ ಆಚರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ನಗರದ ಪ್ರೆಸ್ ಕ್ಲಬ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಪತ್ರಿಕಾ ಗೋಷ್ಠಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ವಿಷಯ ತಿಳಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಫೆಡರೇಷನ್ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ ಡಾ. ಬಾಬು, ಸಮಿತಿಯ ವೈಜನಾಥ್ ರುುಳಕಿ, ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನ ಸಾರವಾಡ್, ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಡಿ.ವೈ.ಎಸ್.ಪಿ ಎಸ್.ವಿ. ಅವಂಟಿ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಗುರುಸಿದ್ದಪ್ಪ, ಗಣೇಶ್ ಬೀದರ್, ದೊರೈ ಮತ್ತು ಶಿವಶರಣ ಸುತ್ತಾರ್ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು.
ಡಾ. ಬಾಬು ಮಾತನಾಡಿ, ಜಯಂತಿ ಅಂಗವಾಗಿ ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಕಚೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಮಹನೀಯರ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರಗಳಿಗೆ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಆಯುಕ್ತರು ಮತ್ತು ಐದು ಪಾಲಿಕೆಗಳ ಆಯುಕ್ತರು ದೀಪ ಬೆಳಗಿಸಿ ಪುಷ್ಪನಮನ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಚಾಲನೆ ನೀಡಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು.
ಜೈ ಭಾರತ ಮಾತಾ ಸೇವಾ ಸಮಿತಿಯ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾಪಕ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ ಪರಮಪೂಜ್ಯ ಶ್ರೀ ಹವಾಮಲ್ಲಿನಾಥ ಮಹಾರಾಜ ನಿರಗುಡಿ ಅವರ ದಿವ್ಯ ಸಾನಿಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ, ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಕಚೇರಿಯಿಂದ ಫ್ರೀಡಂ ಪಾರ್ಕ್ವರೆಗೆ ಭವ್ಯ ಮೆರವಣಿಗೆ ನಡೆಯಲಿದೆ. ವಿವಿಧ ಕಲಾತಂಡಗಳು ಮೆರವಣಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಲಿವೆ.ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳು, ದಲಿತ ಪರ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳು, ಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರು, ಪೌರ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕರು ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ವಿವಿಧ ವಲಯಗಳ ಜನರು ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೈನಿಕರು, ಹಿರಿಯ ನಾಗರಿಕರು ಹಾಗೂ ಶ್ರಮಿಕ ವರ್ಗದ ಸಾಧಕರಿಗೆ ಸನ್ಮಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವೂ ನಡೆಯಲಿದೆ. ಮೆರವಣಿಗೆ ಫ್ರೀಡಂ ಪಾರ್ಕ್ನಿಂದ ಕೆ.ಆರ್. ಸರ್ಕಲ್, ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧ, ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆ, ಶಾಂತಿನಗರ, ಎಂ.ಜಿ. ರಸ್ತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಬ್ರಿಗೇಡ್ ರಸ್ತೆ ಮಾರ್ಗವಾಗಿ ಸಾಗಲಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಅವರು ವಿವರಿಸಿದರು.
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