04 March 2019 News 04/03/2019 – Posted in: Press Information Bureau

Primary care and Health Policy

News Flash

While making hospitalisation affordable brings readily noticeable relief, there is no alternative to strengthening primary health care in the pursuit of an effective and efficient health system.

A year ago, an expenditure of ₹1,200 crore was proposed to change 1.5 lakh sub-health centres into wellness and health centres by 2022, which would give a more extensive scope of primary care services than existing sub-and primary health centres. But,

  • Allocated budget is low: The National Healthcare Mission’s (NHM) share in the health budget fell from 73% in 2006 to 50% in 2019 in the absence of uniform and substantial increases in health spending by States.
  • Slow establishment of Health and Family Welfare.

Government’s Commitment

Centre looks fairly committed to increasing access to hospitalisation care, predominantly through private players.

  • This reflects in the 167% increase in allocation this year for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
  • Steps taken to incentivise the private sector to open hospitals in Tier II and Tier III cities.

Shortage of Manpower

There is a shortage of medical and paramedical staff at all levels of care. 10,907 auxiliary nurse midwives and 3,673 doctors are needed at sub-health and primary health centres, while for community health centres the figure is 18,422 specialists.

  • There is a shortage of PHCs (22%) and Sub-health centres (20%).
  • Only 7% sub-health centres and 12% primary health centres meet Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms.

National Health Mission

In 2013, National Urban Health Mission was launched, which later integrated into National Rural Health Mission and a new National Health Mission was created from 2014-15.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana

It the insurance programme which aims to cover 10 crore poor families for hospitalisation expenses of up to Rs.5 lakh per family per annum.

Way forward

  • More steps to be taken on Primary health care services.
  • Sufficirnt increase in health spending.
  • Focused on the ninth dimension (Healthy India) of “Vision 2030”.

Source: The Hindu

 

‘National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation’

News Flash

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities laid the foundation stone of the ‘National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilition’.

  • This Institute will be first of its kind in the country.

Location

Village Sherpur, district Sehore along with Bhopal-Sehore highway, Madhya Pradesh.

The Institute will

  • Promote mental health rehabilitation using an integrated multidisciplinary approach.
  • Undertake capacity building.
  • Involve in developing trained professionals in the area of mental health rehabilitation.
  • Help the government in policy formulating and programmes for rehabilition of persons with mental illness.

A‘Centre for Disability Sports’

  • Set up at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Ensures effective participation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in sports activity.
  • Enables them to compete at national and international levels.

Source: Indian Express

 

National Policy on Software Products – 2019

News Flash

The Union cabinet has approved the National Policy on Software Products-2019 to develop India as a Software Product Nation. The Policy will prompt the formulation of plans, schemes, activities, undertakings and measures for the development and improvement of Software items segment in the nation according to the guide imagined in that.

Background

The Indian IT Industry has overwhelmingly been an service Industry. Notwithstanding, a need has been felt to climb the value chain through technology innovation products. The union government has approved the policy to creat a robust software product ecosystem.

Impact

  • It has potential to boost revenues and exports in the sector.
  • Create employment opportunities.
  • Inclusive and Sustainable growth.

Aims

  • To develop India as the global software product hub, driven by innovation, improved commercialisation, sustainable Intellectual Property (IP), promoting technology startups and specialized skill sets.
  • To align with other Government initiatives such as Start-up India, Make in India and Digital India, Skill India etc so as to create Indian Software products Industry of USD ~70-80 billion with direct & indirect employment of ~3.5 million by 2025.

Missions

To achieve the vision of National Policy on Software Products-2019, the policy has the following five Missions:

  • To promote the creation of a sustainable Indian software product industry, driven by intellectual property (IP), leading to a ten-fold increase in India share of the Global Software product market by 2025.
  • To nurture 10,000 technology startups in software product industry, including 1000 such technology startups in Tier-II and Tier-III towns & cities and generating direct and in-direct employment for 3.5 million people by 2025.
  • To create a talent pool for software product industry through

(i) up-skilling of 1,000,000 IT professionals.

(ii) motivating 100,000 school and college students.

(iii) generating 10,000 specialized professionals that can provide leadership.

  • To build a cluster-based innovation driven ecosystem by developing 20 sectoral and strategically located software product development clusters having integrated ICT infrastructure, marketing, incubation, R&D/testbeds and mentoring support.
  • In order to evolve and monitor scheme & programmes for the implementation of this policy, National Software Products Mission will be set up with participation from Government, Academia and Industry.

Source: Business Standard

 

Aadhaar ordinance

News Flash

Last week Union Cabinet passed an Aadhaar-related Ordinance, which is now getting fire from privacy activists. They are calling it an underhand method to sidestep the parliamentary legislative process.

The ordinance allows

  • Use of the biometric identity card by private companies as long as the holder gives consent to this.
  • Children to out of Aadhaar after they cross 18.
  • Another provision provides for civil penalties for violations of the Act.
  • Allows the use of Aadhaar number for authentication on voluntary basis as acceptable KYC document under the Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002.
  • Prevents denial of services for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo authentication.

Critic’s points

  • It Permits the entities to perform authentication only when they are compliant with the standards of privacy and security specified by the Authority.
  • The authentication is permitted under any law made by Parliament or is prescribed to be in the interest of State by the Central Government.
  • Provisions violated a 2018 Supreme Court judgment that declared Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act unconstitutional, allowed private companies to use the biometric ID for authentication.
  • The ordinance now makes this authentication measure voluntary, but privacy activists say it is still against the spirit of the SC judgment.

 Justice B.N.Srikrishna committee report

It was proposed to amend the Aadhaar Act, Indian Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in order to ensure that that personal data of Aadhaar holder remains protected against any misuse and Aadhaar scheme remains in conformity with the Constitution.

Supreme Court Judgement

SC said ordinance must be utilized in emergency circumstances, and not as a way to bypass the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Given that the Aadhaar changes were not a crisis prerequisite, there was no compelling reason to drive it through.

Source: The Hindu

 

 Smart India Hackthon 2019

News Flash

SIH 2019 is a  nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve some of pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving.

  • In SIH 2019, students across the nations would also have the opportunity to work on challenges/issues faced within the private sector organisations and create world class solutions for some of the top companies across the world, thus helping the Private sector hire the best minds from across the nation.

SIH 2019

  • An initiative by Ministry of HRD, AICTE, Persistent Systems, i4c and Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.
  • Involves 1 Lakh+ technical students, 3000+ technical institutions, 200+ organizations from across India.
  • World’s biggest Software and Hardware hackathon.
  • 3rd edition of highly successful Smart India Hackathon initiative.
  • Technology Students across India compete to creatively solve problems and offer technical solutions.
  • Harness expertise of students from IISc, IITs, NITs and AICTE/UGC approved institutions.

SIH Themes

  • Smart Communication: Designing gadgets which would help in facilitating correspondence chennels between different various communication devices and points.
  • Healthcare & Biomedical devices: Designing devices that would help in managing healthcare better.
  • Smart Vehicles: Making smart devices or intelligent gadgets to improve commutation facilities, quality of travel experience and overall travel safety features hardware.
  • Agriculture & Rural Development: Designing gadgets remembering the need to improve the essential part of India – Agriculture and the lives of our Rural Population.
  • Security & Surveillance: Creating state-of-the-art safety and security technologies for India.
  • Clean water: Creating state-of-the-art devices to improve distribution, management and purification of water.
  • Robotics and Drones: There is a need configuration drones and robots that can comprehend a portion of the pressing challenges of India, for example, dealing with medical emergencies, search and rescue operations, and so on.
  • Food Technology: Creating state of art solutions to manage and process our agriculture produce.
  • Waste management: Solutions could be in the form of waste segregation, disposal, and improved transportation system.
  • Renewable Energy: Innovative ideas that help manage and generate renewable sources more efficiently.
  • Miscellaneous: Technology ideas in tertiary sectors like Hospitality, Financial Services, Entertainment, Tourism and Retail.

Source: SIH

 

Sustainable Housing/ Urbanisation/Infrastructure

News Flash

More than 2500 delegates from 32 countries participated in Construction Technology India-2019. It is the Global housing Technology Challenge Expo-cum-Conference event. This occasion will turn into a regular feature in the worldwide for construction sector.

  • The Construction Technology India (CTI) will be a biennial event.
  • NAREDCO and CREDAI will lead the pack with the help of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in facilitating this occasion.

“Construction Technology Year”: April-2019 to March, 2020.

Topic discussed during event

  • Reforms to bring an urban renaissance with an integrated approach to address Urban Challenges.
  • Ensuring Liveability and desirability of Affordable Housing.
  • Skills and Human resources in construction sector.
  • Enabling Eco-system for new construction technologies.
  • Innovations in construction equipment manufacturing sector.
  • New technologies in construction beyond housing sector.

Lighthouse Projects

Six cities have been identified to locate Lighthouse projects that will serve as “Live Laboratories”. These Lighthouse projects are targeted for June, 2019.

  • Six cities namely, Rajkot in Gujarat, Ranchi in Jharkhand, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Agartala in Tripura and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

ASHA-India

Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerator (ASHA-India) will support by providing training and acceleration guidance to these Lighthouse projects. ASHA will also support by the expert jury and help it become market-ready.

Aim:

Transform the eco-system of housing construction sector in the country through lighthouse projects built using advanced proven technologies.

Incorporating all Disaster-resilient features in future construction projects in both Public and Private Sector.

Source: The Quint

Social Justice and Inequalities

News Flash

Information from the 2011 Census demonstrates that the extents of laborers from the SC/ST people group in low-paying non-farm occupations were generally high contrasted with their share in the high-pay profiles.

For instance, about 33% of the “elementary employments” — the most minimal pay category — for example, cleaners, sweepers and road merchants were held by people from those SC/ST communities. Furthermore, just about 6% of the “professional employments” — the most highest pay category — for example, designers and engineers, were held by such people.

SC/ST community:

Four top paying profiles are: Professionals; clerks; technicians and associate professionals; legislators, senior officials and managers.

Four bottom pating profiles are: Plant and machine operators and assemblers; craft and related trade workers; skilled agricultural and fishery workers; elementary occupations.

Source: The Hindu

 

Kanyashree stipends are no shield against trafficking

News Flash:

Specialists and activists state the perplexing issue can’t be averted only by financial or monetary handouts intended to retain girls in school.

Kanyashree is a conditional cash transfer scheme of West Bengal.

Kanyashree aimed at combating trafficking.

Kanyashree Scheme:

Department of Women Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal (DWD&SW) has designed the Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme.

Kanyashree Prakalpa is a West Bengal Government sponsored scheme which will be implemented henceforth in all districts of the State.

The aim of the scheme is to improve the status and well being of the girl child in West Bengal by incentivizing schooling of all teenage girls and delaying their marriages until the age of 18. 

Target Beneficiary

  • All girl children within the age of 13 to 19 years from families with annual income up to Rs 120000/-
  • Girls regularly attending institutions for education or vocational/sports training
  • Girls of Child Care Institutes registered under J.J. Act within the age of 18-19 years
  • For the one-time grant, girls who are completing 18 years on or after 1st April 2013
  • Approximately 18 Lakhs girl students for annual scholarship each year
  • Approximately 3.5 Lakhs girls for one time grant each year

Swayangsiddha scheme

Swayangsiddha means self reliance. This is the scheme of West Bengal to prevent trafficking. Under the scheme complaint boxes have been installed in the schools where girls can submit any complaint of stalking or harassment faced by them or any of their friends.

Source: The Hindu

 

World Wildlife Day

News Flash:

3rd March is celebrated as World Wildlife day.

Background:

On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.

The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.

CITES/ Washington convention:

·         CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments.

·         Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

·         CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union).

·         The text of the Convention was finally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington, D.C., the United States of America, on 3 March 1973, and on 1 July 1975 CITES entered in force.

 Theme:

‘Life below Water: for People and Planet’,  which aligns with goal 14 of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Significance of marine protection:

  • The ocean contains millions of unidentified species.
  • The global market value of marine and coastal resources in estimated at US$3 trillion per year.
  • Around three billion people rely on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
  • Marine provides food and nourishment to wildlife and to human as well.