The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi is creating a virtual museum space through its online summer programme NAIMISHA 2021. This unique art fiesta will provide a platform to create and engage with the arts. The current duration of the programme is 17th May to 13th June 2021.
The planned workshops and hosts of related events are expected to spark imagination, creativity and interest in visual and other related arts. The idea behind designing and delivering online interactive programmes is to provide a creative outlet to children, and indeed all interested adults. Lead artists have joined the programme as teachers and mentors to add zest to this unique pedagogic carnival. The announcement of the workshops on 13th May has been welcomed all over the country, evident from the number of children and adults who have already registered.
Workshops have been designed on painting, sculpture, print making and videography and puppeteering and other related arts. The NGMA NAIMISHA portal will also stream a curated film festival for the participants from NGMA’s private collection. A session on storytelling and performances will be held every Friday. During the opening week, maestro Saskia Rao – de Haas, iconic cellist and composer, will regale participants with her music and stories. She will be accompanied by her fifteen-year-old gifted pianist son.
The exhibition of selected artworks from NAIMISHA 2021 will be displayed on NGMA’s website and SO-HAM the cultural media platform of NGMA for public viewing soon.
The details of activities will be available on NGMA’s official website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SoHam page.
Sources https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1718794
One hundred and ten (110) Medical Cadets, including 21 female cadets, of the 55th (C3) batch of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) have been commissioned as Medical Officers into the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). The Medical Cadets were commissioned by Commandant, AFMC Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani in a brief ceremony at AFMC on May 15, 2021.Ninetyfour cadets were commissioned into the Indian Army, 10 in the Indian Air Force and six in the Indian Navy. The newly commissioned medical officers were administered the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India by Col Training, AFMC Col AK Shakya. The Passing Out Parade had to be called off for the first time since 1982, keeping in mind the Covid-19 restrictions.
In his commissioning address, Lt Gen Naithani congratulated the newly commissioned officers for joining AFMS which is the finest integrated medical organisation in the country. He complimented the parents of the students for the success of their children. He added that C3 batch has the unique distinction of having the entire batch that entered AFMC in 2016 graduating together with 100% success, which by itself is the best tribute to the teachers at AFMC. The Commandant reminded the graduating batch that they were joining the medical profession at a time when the country was passing through a difficult phase. He exhorted them to put their knowledge and skills acquired at AFMC to provide the best possible care to their patients as they join the nation’s battle against Covid-19 as COVID warriors. Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani expressed confidence that given their academic rigor and training, the newly commissioned Medical Officers would always measure up to the highest standards expected from military doctors.
The preparatory period for commissioning of this graduating batch of AFMC has been curtailed to only two weeks against four to five weeks earlier. These two weeks have been utilised completely to give intensive training to specifically prepare these young doctors to work in Covid care settings. The medical cadets have also completed the American Heart Association (AHA) certified course in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). The commissioned Medical Officers would be leaving immediately to join as interns in 31 AFMS hospitals across the country, which are also designated for COVID care of Armed Forces personnel as well as civilians.
Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani, who himself is a distinguished alumnus from the 17th (Q) batch of the college, also awarded trophies, medals and prizes to medical cadets for their outstanding achievements in academics and all-round performance. The President's Gold Medal for the best all-round out graduating cadet as well as the Kalinga Trophy and the DGAFMS gold medal for best academic record during the MBBS course were awarded to Medical Cadet Vinita Reddy. Medical Cadet Suyash Singh, who was also the College Cadet Captain, received the Maj Gen NDP Karani Trophy for second best overall performance. Medical Cadet Nikita Dutta was awarded the Lt Gen Thapar Gold Medal for topping the Final MBBS examination.
Sources https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1718786
The commonly observed symptoms among COVID-19 patients are fever, dry cough, tiredness and loss of taste or smell. Irritation in throat, headache, body ache, diarrhea, rash on skin and redness in eyes are also observed in rare cases. If you observe any of these symptoms, you should immediately isolate yourself from others. This was informed by Dr. Neeraj Nishchal of AIIMS Delhi, during a webinar on “Medication and Care in Home Isolation”, for patients who are tested positive for COVID-19. The webinar was organized by The Centre of Excellence of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
View Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihA8id9_WlM
80 per cent of infected patients experience very mild symptoms. If the RT-PCR test comes out to be negative, but symptoms are present, it is recommended to go for another test. Whether hospitalization is required is to be decided based on the intensity of the disease.
The medications are to be taken in proper quantity and at accurate timing. Knowing about the medicine is not enough; patients should also know how and when they are to be taken, only then would it prove to be beneficial, said Dr. Neeraj.
The decision of home isolation for patients above 60 years and with co-morbidities like Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Disease, chronic ailments related to kidneys and lungs, should be taken only after consulting doctors.
Here are some measures COVID-19 positive patients need to take, as part of managing the infection.
Regular medicines should be taken, requirements for sanitization and cleanliness should be met. Medical grade masks should be stocked in advance. We should plan for daily essentials and prepare list of contact numbers for health-related information, health workers, hotlines, etc. Along with this, contact numbers of friends, other family members and neighbours should also be kept handy for emergency situations. Proper care and planning should be done also for the children in the family.
Mild and asymptomatic patients should be kept in home isolation. Such patients should take utmost care to keep safe distance from other family members, especially children. Medicines required frequently should be easily accessible by the patients. Proper and regular communication between caregiver and doctor is necessary. Positive patients should always wear three-layered mask. Masks should be discarded after proper sanitization every 8 hours. Patient and caregiver both should wear N-95 masks while interacting with each other.
Pulse Oximeter should be used to monitor oxygen levels in body, very carefully. Artificial nails or nail polish should be removed before use and patient’s hand should be warmed if it is cold. Take rest for at least five minutes before testing. If the observation is constant for five seconds, the figure indicates oxygen level in your body. Remdesivir should never be taken at home. Positive attitude and regular exercise are a must for patients in home isolation, said Dr. Neeraj.
If the oxygen level goes below 94, patients should be admitted, said Dr Manish of AIIMS Delhi, speaking about “Revised Guidelines for Mild COVID-19 patients during treatment’. While checking oxygen level, age of the patient and other chronic disease should be kept in mind.
Informing about the use of Ivermectin, Dr. Manish said that its use depends on the immunity level and other patient-specific conditions. The same holds for the use of Paracetamol. Hence it one should only the medication advised by doctors.
While informing about Fabiflu, he said, Maharashtra government’s guidelines regarding COVID-19 treatment mention use of Fabiflu. The recommendation is based on the research done by Glenmark on 150 patients but Ivermectin is not included in the guidelines.
Many patients insist on the use of Azithromycin, but the guidelines clearly discourage the use of these tablets. Same instructions are given about Revidox. It is not recommended to use Revidox in home isolation, said the doctor.
During the discussion, both experts clearly said that no medication should be taken during home isolation, without consulting doctors
Sources https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1718783
Under Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 Mission COVID Suraksha was announced by the Government of India, to accelerate the development and production of Indigenous COVID Vaccines. This is being implemented by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), New Delhi.
To augument the capacity of Indigenous production of Covaxin under the Mission, theDepartment of Biotechnology, Government of India in April, 2021 provided financial support as Grant to vaccine manufacturing facilities for enhanced production capacities, which is expected to reach more than 10 crore doses per month by September, 2021.
As a part of this augmentation plan, capacities of Bharat Biotech Limited, Hyderabad as well as other public sector manufactures are being upgraded with required infrastructure and technology. Financial support is being provided as grant from GoI to the tune of approx. Rs 65 Cr to Bharat Biotech’s new Bangalore facility which is being repurposed to increase the capacity of vaccine production.
The following three public sector companies are also being supported to increase the capacity of vaccine production.
1. Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai-a State PSE under State Govt of Maharashtra.
Financial support of Rs. 65 crores as grant from GoI is being provided for this facility to make it ready for manufacturing. The facility will have a capacity of 20 million doses per month, once functional.
2. Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), Hyderabad –A facility under National Dairy Development Board is being provided a grant of Rs. 60 crore and
3. Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Limited (BIBCOL), Bulandshahr a CPSE under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India is being supported with a grant of Rs. 30 crores to prepare their facility to provide 10-15 million doses per month.
Further, Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Department of Science and Technology Govt. of Gujarat along with Hester Biosciences and OmniBRx has also firmed up its discussions with Bharat Biotech to scale up the COVAXIN technology and to produce minimum 20 million doses per month. Technology transfer agreement have been finalized with all manufacturers.
About DBT: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, promotes the use and application of biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment and industry. It is focused on attaining new heights in biotechnology research, shaping biotechnology into a premier precision tool of the future for creation of wealth and ensuring social justice – specially for the welfare of the poor. www.dbtindia.gov.in
About BIRAC: Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.www.birac.nic.in
For Further Information: Contact Communication Cell ofDBT/BIRAC*@DBTIndia@BIRAC_2012
www.dbtindia.gov.in www.birac.nic.in
TRIFED of M/o Tribal Affairs conducted an outreach session with the state teams and VDVKs of the two North-Eastern States of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh recently. This session was one in the series of State Level webinars conducted to review the progress of the implementation of the Van Dhan initiative . Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are the latest entrant states from the North-East. Attendees from the two States (SIAs, SNAs, VDVKCs) are all keyed up and geared to launch 1250 and 1330 VDVKs which will be subsumed into 80 VDVK Clusters in Sikkim and 85 VDVK Clusters in Arunachal Pradesh.
The webinar was started with an address by Shri Pravir Krishna MD, TRIFED who reiterated the need and importance of implementation of MSP For MFP Scheme, Van DhanYojana and other convergence projects which aid in employment and income generation for the tribal people, while keeping in mind and implementing complete safety measures during these times of the pandemic.
This was followed by a quick progress update on the status of implementation of the MSP for MFP Scheme and Van DhanYojana by the representatives of the two states.In Arunachal Pradesh, 85 VDVKCs have been identified and actions are being put in place so that they will be sanctioned at the earliest.
For Sikkim, an amount of Rs 1200 Lakh has already been sanctioned for the Van DhanYojana. Efforts have also begun in earnest to operationalize all the 80 VDVKCs at the earliest. As a part of the immediate next steps towards this goal, it has been decided that the State agencies from both the states will start preparation of the plans for MSP procurement and infrastructure development. The five-step plan for each VDVKC will also be formulated. Step 1 involves the identification of items for Procurement of MFPS in each VDVKC and strengthening it with a planned development of infrastructure including Procurement Sheds and godowns. Step 2 entails the appointment of Local NGOs or NRLM Officials as Mentors for each Cluster as per guidelines issued and Release of money to each Cluster by Transferring Rs 10 lacs to each cluster account.Step 3 will require the preparation of Business Plans for each cluster for taking up Value addition and other formalities including opening of bank account and setting up of signages and Boards for identification of each VDVK Cluster and VDVK. Step 4envisges the Planning and facilitating of each Cluster into Production, Branding, Packaging and Sale of its selected products as per the Business Plan. And in Step 5, ESDP, SFURTI and TRIFOOD schemes will be converged with respective clusters gradually to expand the scope of programme.
The rest of the webinar was focused on the clarification of any related queries from either the State teams or the representatives of the Van DhanVikas Kendras or clusters. The webinar was also attended by UNICEF representatives to guide the VDVK members regarding safe practices during COVID. This will provide sustainable livelihoods to more Tribal Families based on Grants for each of the above activities as a viability gap funding for aspirational and far flung areas of the state to promote growth based on local asset base and skill sets of the people residing there.
A series of more Webinars with Top Officials of the remaining partner states across the country have been planned for the next two weeks, up until May 28, 2021.
The Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and its component, Van Dhan tribal start-ups is an initiative implemented by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs towards income and livelihood generation of the tribal population. A flagship scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs,drawing its strength from The Forest Rights Act of 2005, the MSP For MFP Scheme aims to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces, almost three times higher than would be available to them from middle men, trebling their incomes.
The Van Dhan tribal start-ups is a programme for value addition, branding & marketing of Minor Forest Produces by establishing Van Dhan Kendras to facilitate creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribes. A typical Van DhanVikas Kendra includes 20 tribal members. 15 such Van DhanVikasKendras form 1 Van DhanVikas Kendra cluster. The Van DhanVikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs) provide Van DhanVikasKendras economies of scale, livelihood and market-linkages, as well as entrepreneurship opportunities.
Together, both the schemes offer a great opportunity to the tribals to improve their income and employment. To continue with the progress made in the implementation and take it to the next level, the convergence of the Van DhanYojana with the MSP for MFP has been planned. A way of doing that is through the convergence of the Van DhanYojana to the Enterprise Model: from processing to cluster development under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) and TRIFOOD.
The webinars being held in this month are an opportunity to the State implementing agencies and the other stakeholders to connect, review and correct course of action so that maximum benefit that can be derived by the efficient implementation of these schemes accrue to the tribal population.
With the successful implementation of these planned initiatives, TRIFED is working towards the transformation of the tribal ecosystem and usher in an Amul-like revolution among the tribals across the country.
Sources https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1718850
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