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1. J&K Chief Secretary calls on Dr Jitendra Singh, briefs about various projects

Dr Jitendra Singh expressed satisfaction over the decks having been cleared as far as “Shahpur Kandi Project” is concerned and said, this will be a game - changer for the entire region, thus bringing about revolutionary transformation not only in agriculture and irrigation sector but also in the power sector. The Chief Secretary informed the Minister that there were no more issues pending as far as “Shahpur Kandi Project” is concerned. UJH Multi Purpose Project in the region of Kathua is also in the final stages, he informed.

Dr Jitendra Singh referred to a joint meeting convened by him of the three top Army Generals namely Lt Gen Suresh Sharma, Engineer-in-Chief, Lt Gen Shrivastava, DG BRO and Lt Gen Bhatt, DGMO with regard to the Chattergala tunnel which, when ready, will offer an all - weather alternative road connectivity between Lakhanpur via Bani upto Doda, Bhardawah. He said, since the tunnel involved a huge budget as well as construction through a difficult terrain, it is not going to be an easy task but the great achievement is that it has been included in the approved list of works to be taken up by BRO. He suggested to the Chief Secretary to follow it up with the concerned authorities so that it might be included in the priority list and expedited.

The Chief Secretary also informed Dr Jitendra Singh that the State Government is ready to fully cooperate in setting up of North India’s first ever Bio-Tech Park in Kathua through Department of Bio-Technology, Government of India and the setting up of Radio Station at Udhampur by Prasar Bharti, Govt of India. It was also discussed that an MoU will be signed soon between the Defence authorities and the State Government to enable acquisition of extra land for upgradation of the Air strip at Kishtwar. This will create the option of landing of civilian and State Aircrafts in Kishtwar, he said.

2. XITH Annual MedTech Summit of Biodesign Programme Under Department of Biotechnogy

The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, has implemented Biodesign programme with the aimto develop innovative and affordable medical devices as per unmet clinical needs of India and to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India for bringing such impactful devices to the real world. This Program is implemented by Department of Biotechnology jointly at AIIMS and IIT Delhi in collaboration with International partners.

During the event, Dr. Harsh Vardhan formally launched Noxeno- a nasal foreign body removal device developed by start-up InnAccel Technologies Private Limited, Bangalore, created by the Fellow trained under the Biodesign program. Noxeno is the first dedicated tool for anterior nasal foreign body (NFB) removal that allows doctors in any setting to quickly and safely remove objects that people (mostly children aged 2-10) put into their noses.

Noxeno has been 100% invented, designed, engineered and manufactured in India. Noxeno has an ergonomic handle along with a built-in light source and a hinge. This allows the user to slip behind the NFB and remove it in a matter of seconds by simply squeezing the trigger and pulling the device. The modular nature of the system allows for sterilization of the hinge through autoclaving it. This reusable device has a target price of around INR 5000, making it both easy to use and cost-effective. The start-up hopes to deploy this device across primary health care centers, community health care centers, clinics and smaller hospitals nationwide by 2020.

3. India re-elected as Member of International Maritime Council for two years (2018-19)

India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization [IMO] under Category “B” at the 30th session of the Assembly of the IMO held in London on 01 December, 2017. The IMO Council consists of 40 member countries. In Categories “A” and “B” there are 10 members each and in Cateogary “C” 20 members, who are elected by the IMO Assembly. IMO Council plays a crucial role to play in deciding various important matters within the mandate of the IMO, in relation to the global shipping industry, including its work programme strategy and budget.

India has a large merchant marine fleet of 1359 vessels, both on foreign going and coastal operations, with a combined Gross Tonnage of 12.2 million. Nearly 90% of India’s overseas trade by volume is carried through maritime transport. Nearly 92% of these goods are carried through foreign flag vessels. With the Indian economy poised to grow at a faster pace, there exist more opportunities for both the Indian and foreign flag vessels, to carry large volumes of goods, to and from the Indian coasts. India has a strong contingent of more than 145,000 active seafarers who continue to be the preferred choice for specialized vessels.

India has been one of the earliest members of the IMO, having ratified its Convention and joined it as a member-state in the year 1959. India has had the privilege of being elected to and serving the Council of the IMO, ever since it started functioning, and till date, except for two years for the period 1983-1984.

4. President will Present National Award for Divyangjan Empowerment - 2017 on International Day of Persons With Disabilities

On the occasion of ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ i.e. 3rd December, 2017, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will present the “National Award for Divyangjan Empowerment-2017” to Individuals, Institutions, Organisations, State/District etc for their outstanding achievements and work done towards empowerment of Persons with Disabilities at a function in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi tomorrow.

According to Census 2011, there are 2.68 crore persons with disabilities in our country who exhibit great diversity in terms of quantum of disability as well as types of disabilities. To give focussed attention to the schemes and programmes for empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, a new Department under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment came into existence during the year 2012. Since then, a number of new schemes and programmes for the empowerment of persons with disabilities have been added. On the other hand, the financial outlay for the department is also going up every year. The existing schemes of the department have been reviewed and in case of many modifications have been made. Receiving of applications under two major scheme is on-line and the same are processed, funds sanctioned through the electronic mode.

The history of National Awards goes back to 1969, when Awards in only two categories were instituted by the Government of India with the objective to focus public attention on issues concerning persons with disabilities and to promote their mainstreaming in society. The National Awards for empowerment of persons with disabilities have been notified in the year 2013. Now there are 14 broad categories for individuals and institutions consisting of 58 awards.