Pib

Pib

1. Explore ancient medical systems like Ayurveda for alternative solutions for Cancer treatments: Vice President

The Vice President said that researchers must explore ancient Indian medical systems like Ayurveda for alternative solutions. We should see if there are some indigenous cost-effective solutions that may be useful to make cancer treatment more affordable, he added.

The Vice President said that Cancer is a major public health concern in India and has become one of the 10 leading causes of deaths. He further said that Cancer is one of the dreaded diseases and also a very costly disease in terms of treatment. A better understanding of the likely causes and early detection could help reduce the disease burden in our country, he added.

The Vice President said that the screening of people will help in early detection of cancer. He also wanted the people to go back to roots, especially the way we live and the way we think. He said awareness must be created, particularly, among youngsters, on the need to lead healthy lifestyles and avoid consumption of junk food.

The Vice President said that Yoga training should be imparted to students as part of ensuring healthy lifestyles. Yoga is a holistic approach to healthy living and there is evidence that it enhances the well being and quality of life, he added.

2. “Need to Break the Mindset of Working in Silos and Work Collectively Towards Developing Synergy”: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Underlining the need to formulate well-defined goals and time-bound actions, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that a working group will be formed and MoEFCC will work as a secretariat, while each of the Ministries will nominate its nodal officers. He strongly emphasized the need to come up with results over the next one year. The Minister also stated that meetings of the joint working group will be held every month and a quarterly meeting will be held at the Minister’s level. However, he also pointed out that the meeting will be attended by all concerned project groups of all the Ministries.

Recollecting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, talking of “Scientific Social Responsibility”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan averred that there is an urgent need to put science to use for the benefit of people. He urged the scientists and the senior officers present at the meeting to also work out innovative solutions and projects for 115 aspirational districts to improve their Human Development Index (HDI).

3. The Government of India, the Government of Uttarakhand and the World Bank sign $120 million Loan Agreement to improve access to Water Supply Services in the Hilly State of Uttarakhand.

The Uttarakhand Water Supply Program for Peri-Urban Areas will help the State increase water supply coverage as well as ensure sustainable water supply service delivery in peri-urban areas. It will develop and implement a service-oriented and efficient water supply policy for peri-urban areas, strengthen the current monitoring and evaluation systems, and provide dedicated incentives for preparation and adoption of water supply ‘master-plans’ in peri-urban areas.

Growth and urbanization has led to the rise of significant “peri-urban” areas (mostly in the plains) that, while classified as rural, are effectively urban in nature (in terms of density of population, the structure of the economy, and aspirations of the people). The “disconnect” between the formal classification of these populated areas and their actual nature, including provision of water supply, along with unique governance, infrastructure, and service delivery challenges.

From 2001 to 2011, the state’s urban population grew by nearly 42 percent, which is substantially higher than the national average of 32 percent. While the state has made significant strides in piloting and implementing innovative approaches in water supply and sanitation services, water supply services in peri-urban areas have not been a focus.

4. International Dam Safety Conference to be held at Thiruvananthapuram

Dams have played a key role in fostering rapid and sustained agricultural and rural growth and development, which have been key priorities for the Govt. of India since independence. Over the last seventy years, India has invested substantially in the critical infrastructure required to manage and store the limited surface water resources in reservoirs to ensure food, energy, and water securities. Globally India ranks third after China and the United States of America in terms of number of large dams (5254 large dams in operation and 447 large dams under construction) with a total storage capacity of about 283 billion cubic meters. About 80% of these large dams are more than twenty-five years old, and about 213 dams exceed the age of 100 years and were built in an era whose design practices and safety considerations do not match with the current design standards and the prevailing safety norms. This necessitates special efforts at rehabilitation of old dams and ensuring their long term structural safety.

Seven dam safety guidelines and manuals developed under DRIP will also be released for implementation during the conference. A software programme - Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring Application(DHARMA)- will also be launched during the conference. DHARMA is a web tool to digitize all dam related data effectively. It will help to document authentic asset and health information pertaining to the large dams in the country, enabling appropriate actions to ensure need based rehabilitation. It is a new stride in asset management aspect by India.