The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu to the Nation and inaugurated new Rail Lines and Electrification Projects in Bihar for the benefit of passengers through video conference.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said a new history has been created in the field of rail connectivity in Bihar. He said projects worth about Rs 3000 crore like inauguration of Kosi Mahasetu and Kiul Bridge, electrification projects, promotion of Make in India in Railways and a dozen of new job creating projects are launched today. These projects will not only strengthen Bihar’s rail network but also strengthen West Bengal and Eastern India’s rail connectivity.
The Prime Minister congratulated the people of Bihar for the new and modern facilities which would benefit the railway passengers of Eastern India including Bihar. He said many parts of Bihar are cut off from each other due to many rivers crisscrossing the state and people have to perform long journeys due to this. He said four years ago, construction of two Mahasetu was started in Patna and in Munger, to solve this problem. Now due to the commissioning of these two rail bridges, the travel between North and South Bihar has eased and this has initiated a new momentum for development especially in North Bihar.
The Prime Minister said a severe earthquake which occured eight and a half decades ago isolated the Mithila and Kosi region and it is a coincidence that both the regions are being interlinked in the midst of a pandemic like Corona. He added that today the Supaul-Asanpur-Kupha rail route is dedicated to the nation due to the hard work of the migrant labourers who were also involved in the construction of the bridge. He said this new Kosi rail line was envisaged in 2003 when Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and Shri Nitish Kumar was the Railway Minister, to overcome the problems of the people of Mithila and Kosi region. He said this project was fast paced during the present Government and work has been completed on Supaul-Asanpur Kupaha route using modern technology.
The Prime Minister said today a new rail service commencing between Supaul-Asanpur via Kosi Mahasetu will greatly benefit the people of Supaul, Araria and Saharsa districts. This would also make an alternative rail route to the people of the North East. He said with this Mahasetu a journey of 300 km is reduced to 22 km and will also promote business and employment in this entire region. He said this would save both time and money of the people of Bihar.
The Prime Minister said like Kosi Mahasetu, a new rail route on Kiul River with the electronic interlocking facility trains will be able to run at the speed of 125 kilometers per hour on this entire route. He added electronic interlocking will ease the movement of trains on the main line from Howrah-Delhi and will provide relief to unnecessary delays and travel would be safer.
The Prime Minister said for the past 6 years, efforts are being made to shape the Indian Railways as per the aspirations of a new India and fulfill the expectations of a ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’. He said today Indian Railways is cleaner than ever before. He added Indian Railways have been made safer than ever by eliminating unmanned rail crossings from the broad gauge rail lines. He said the speed of Indian Railways has increased. Made in India trains like Vande Bharat are a symbol of self-reliance and modernity and are becoming part of the rail network.
The Prime Minister said Bihar is reaping huge benefits due to the modernization efforts in railways. In the last few years, to promote Make in India, Electric loco factory has been set up in Madhepura and Diesel loco factory in Marhaura. In both these projects, almost Rs 44000 crore have been invested. He said people of Bihar would be proud that the most powerful electric locomotive in India - 12000 horsepower locomotive is manufactured in Bihar. Bihar's first loco shed has also started functioning which would maintain electric locomotives.
The Prime Minister said today almost 90% of the rail network in Bihar has been electrified. He added that in Bihar over the period of last 6 years, more than 3000 kilometers of railways have been electrified. He said only about 325 km of new rail lines were commissioned in Bihar in the 5 years before 2014 whereas about 700 km of new rail lines were commissioned in Bihar in the 5 years after 2014 which is almost double the distance constructed earlier. He added another 1000 km of new rail lines are under construction.
The Prime Minister said with the introduction of Hajipur - Ghoswar - Vaishali rail line, Delhi and Patna will be connected by direct rail service. This service will give a lot of boost to tourism in Vaishali and new jobs will be created. He said work on dedicated freight corridors is going at a faster pace and about 250 km length of the corridor would fall in Bihar. After this completion of this project, the problem of delay in passenger trains will be reduced and the delay in the movement of goods will also be greatly reduced.
The Prime Minister lauded the railways for working tirelessly during the crisis of Corona. He said Railways played a prominent role in providing employment to migrant labourers and also bringing them back through Shramik Special Trains. He said the country's first Kisan rail was introduced between Bihar and Maharashtra during the Corona period.
The Prime Minister said earlier there used to be few medical colleges in Bihar. Due to this the patients in Bihar faced a lot of inconvenience, even the meritorious youth of Bihar had to move to other states for medical studies. Today in Bihar, there are more than 15 medical colleges, many of which have been built only in the last few years. A few days ago a new AIIMS was approved to be established in Darbhanga, Bihar and will also create thousands of new jobs.
Agricultural Reforms Bill
The Prime Minister said yesterday was an historic day for the country in the field of agricultural reforms. The Agricultural Reforms Bill has been passed which has liberated our farmers from many restrictions. He wished the farmers across the country and said these reforms will give farmers more options in selling their produce. He said these reforms would protect the farmers from the middlemen, who take a large share of the farmers' earnings.
Criticising the opposition who are spreading the lies on the Agriculture Reforms Bill the Prime Minister said some people who ruled this country for decades are attempting to mislead the farmers on this issue. He said the changes in the provisions of the agricultural market in APMC Act were also promised in the election manifesto of the opposition parties who are opposing the reforms now. He also refuted the lies propagated that the benefit of MSP will not be given to the farmers by the government and said that the government is committed to provide fair prices to farmers through MSP and Government procurement will continue as before. He added that with the new provisions coming into force, Farmers can harvest their crop and sell at his desired price in any markets of the country. He said realising the harm done by the APMC Act, the Chief Minister of Bihar removed this law in Bihar. He listed the initiatives of the Government to improve the lives of the farmers such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Neem coated Urea, network of cold storage is being built on a large scale in the country, investment is made on food processing industries and the creation of agricultural infrastructure fund.
The Prime Minister said the Government is constantly working to increase the income of farmers. A nationwide campaign is also being carried out to protect the livestock from diseases. In a clear message to the farmers of the country he urged them to be vigilant of those who are misleading them. He added these people are beating the knack of protecting the farmers, but actually they want to keep the farmers in many bonds. They are supporting the middlemen and supporting the looters of the farmers' earnings. This is the need of the country and the demand of time.
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656179
Ministry of AYUSH has received 154 misleading advertisements related to Ayush claims for COVID 19 from different parts of the country till August 2020. In this regard, Ministry of AYUSH has issued directives to the State/UT authorities to initiate necessary action against the defaulters and alleged manufacturers/ advertisers acting in contravention of the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 & Rules there under and Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules there under and to send the details of the clinical trials of Ayush medicines claimed for the prevention or treatment of Covid 19 for verification. Ministry of AYUSH has also issued public advisories and guidelines for the practitioners about the use of Ayush remedies to meet the challenge of Covid-19 , details are available in the Ministry’s website www.ayush.gov.in
A number of medicinal products for immunity and health promotion have come in the market after Ministry of AYUSH issued public advisories of Ayush-based healthcare during COVID-19 outbreak and promulgated a generic formulation called Ayush Kwath/Ayush Kudineer/Ayush Joshanda comprising of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaves: 4 parts, Dalchini (Cinnamomumzeylanicum) stem bark: 2 parts, Sunthi ( Zingiberofficinale) rhizome: 2 parts and Krishna Marich (Piper nigrum) fruits:1 part. State Licensing Authorities have started granting license or approval for commercial manufacturing of such formulations under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 as applicable to Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani (ASU) drugs.
Instances of adverse effects due to consumption of above-mentioned immunity boosting drugs are not reported from the States/UTs. But, the incidences of COVID-19 related exaggerated claims and misleading advertisements of ASU drugs have been reported by Pharmacovigilance centres and forwarded to the concerned State Licensing Authorities / Drug Controllers and individual advertisers/manufacturers for corrective action.
As per the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules there under, approval of Ministry of AYUSH is not required to manufacture for sale of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs and such medicinal formulations. Powers of regulation and quality control of these drugs and formulations are vested with the State Governments, for which State Licensing Authorities/Drug Controllers are appointed.
This information was given by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656381
To promote the education of Indian System of Medicines and Ayurveda globally, Ministry has signed 13 MoUs for setting up AYUSH Academic Chairs with foreign Universities/ institutes under which AYUSH experts are deputed in reputed Universities/ institutes to undertake teaching/ training / research activities. Country to Country MoUs have been signed with 23 countries for cooperation in field of Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy in which, amongst others, research, education, training, etc. are some of the areas of cooperation. Under Fellowship/ Scholarship Scheme of Ministry of AYUSH, 104 scholarships are offered every year to the eligible foreign nationals from 99 countries for pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph. D courses in AYUSH systems in premier Institutes in India. The Fellowship Scheme aims at achieving recognition and acceptance of Indian traditional medicine systems abroad.
The Ministry of AYUSH has launched a scheme for Voluntary Certification of Yoga Professionals which aims at certifying the competence level of Yoga professionals through certification process and promoting authentic Yoga as a preventive and health promoting drugless therapy. Yoga Certification Board (YCB) has been established with the objectives to bring synergy, quality and uniformity in knowledge and skills of Yoga professionals across the world through certification programs.
Keeping in view the mythological and historical importance of Indian systems of Medicine, Ayurveda Day, Unani Day and Siddha Day are celebrated in the country every year. International Day of Yoga is celebrated in 190 countries and Ayurveda day is celebrated in more than 35 countries. The Ministry has been organizing International Yoga Conference every year since 2015.
Government of India is implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) in the country through State and UT governments for promotion and development of AYUSH systems. Under the concept of AYUSH Gram, AYUSH based lifestyles are promoted through behavioral change communication, training of village health workers towards identification and use of local medicinal herbs and provision of AYUSH health services.
Under Central Sector Scheme for promotion of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) in AYUSH, the Ministry of AYUSH undertakes promotional activities like organization of AROGYA fairs at State and National level; multimedia campaigns; preparation and distribution of publicity material including audio visual material, etc. The Ministry provides assistance for organizing seminar, conference etc. to eligible agencies and incentives to AYUSH industry for participation in AROGYA and other fairs. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ministry of AYUSH is making the optimal utilization of electronic and digital platforms for promotion and publicizing AYUSH systems.
Under Central Sector Scheme for promotion of International Cooperation, (IC Scheme), the Ministry of AYUSH undertakes various steps to promote and publicize AYUSH systems of medicine including Ayurveda across the globe. The Ministry deputes AYUSH experts to foreign countries to participate in international meetings, conferences, training programmes, seminars and on special assignment of the Government of India for promotion and propagation of AYUSH Systems. Financial assistance is provided for presentation of AYUSH related scientific research papers in international conferences, workshops, seminar etc.
Incentives are provided to AYUSH drug manufacturers, entrepreneurs, AYUSH institutions, etc. for (i) participating in International exhibitions, conferences, workshops, trade fairs, etc. for generating awareness amongst the public about the AYUSH systems of medicine and; (ii) registration of AYUSH products with regulatory authorities of the foreign countries. So far, more than 50 products (Unani and Ayurveda) have been registered in 08 countries namely Kenya, USA, Russia, Latvia, Canada, Oman, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka under the IC scheme of the Ministry.
33 AYUSH Information Cell have been set up in 31 countries to disseminate authentic information about AYUSH systems. The Ministry of AYUSH has deputed two experts (Ayurveda and Siddha) to Ministry of Health, Malaysia under ITEC Programme of Ministry of External Affairs for providing their services at Port Dickson Hospital, and Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital.
An Advisory Committee on formulation of Integrative Health Policy has been constituted by the NITI Aayog to propose framework of comprehensive integrative health policy to achieve an inclusive, affordable, evidence based healthcare; and roadmap for disease prevention and health promotion in National programmes based on modern and traditional integrative approaches. Ministry of AYUSH has signed an MoU with Ministry of Railways for establishment of AYUSH wings at 5 Railway Zonal Hospitals. An MoU has been signed with Ministry of Defence for integration of Ayurveda under the Health establishments of Ministry of Defence/ Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).
This information was given by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan in a written reply in the LokSabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656379
A total of 247 proposals of Ayurveda interventions have been received under modified Extra Mural research (EMR) Scheme for SARS CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Out of 247 proposals, 21 research proposals recommended by competent authority on Ayurveda for SARS/COVID cases have been approved for funding.
Ministry of AYUSH has formed an Inter-disciplinary AYUSH R&D Task Force. Task Force has formulated and designed clinical research protocols for prophylactic studies and add-on interventions in COVID-19 positive cases through thorough review and consultative process of experts of high repute from different organizations across the country for studying four different interventions viz. Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu, Guduchi + Pippali and a poly herbal formulation (AYUSH-64). AyushSanjivani mobile app developed by Ministry of AYUSH has also been launched to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact in prevention of COVID-19 targeting 05 million population. All these studies are at various stages of conduction.
This information was given by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan in a written reply in the LokSabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656377
The Government has taken many steps to promote research in Ayurveda to develop treatment of cancer. The Government has set-up Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) as an autonomous organization, with the mandate to undertake research in Ayurvedic healthcare services.
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has undertaken research related to Cancer also involved in drug development and documentation of medical practices as per following details:-
- Development of AYUSH QOL2C for improving quality of life in cancer patients
- Development of Carctol S as Standalone therapy in Ovarian Cancer
- Development of Comprehensive Integrated Format for Systematic Documentation of Cancer Management through Ayurveda Interventions
- Screening of medicinal plants on Anticancer Activity
- Ayurveda Interventions for Cancer: Systematic Review, Meta-analysis; and Revival, Documentation, Validation and analysis of data from practitioners, institutes
The Center for Integrative Oncology (CIO) has been established as a joint venture of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR-ICMR) with the intention of collaborative research activities in cancer.
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has also signed MoU with Dr. BRA Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, with similar aims and objectives.
This information was given by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656378
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