COVID19 update :1,761 new cases reported in the last 24 hours

 Weekly Positivity Rate is presently at 0.41%

India's Active caseload declines to 26,240 today; stands at 0.06% of India’s total Positive Cases

1,761 new cases reported in the last 24 hours

Recovery Rate currently stands at 98.74%

New Delhi

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 181.21 Cr (1,81,21,11,675) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,13,75,059 sessions. 

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 17 lakh (17,36,464) adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 

Following a continuous downward trend, India’s Active Caseload has declined to 26,240 today, constituting 0.06% of the country's total Positive Cases.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.74%.  3,196 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 4,24,65,122.

1,761 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

 The last 24 hours saw a total of 4,31,973 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 78.26 Cr (78,26,60,658) cumulative tests.

There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.41% and the Daily Positivity rate is also reported to be 0.41%.

MLA Athram Sakku unveiled Sharat MaxiVision Vision Centre in Asifabad

 Sharat MaxiVision plans to set up 60 centers by end of 2022 to make the society blind free

Asifabad / Hyderabad:Athram Sakku, MLA (Member of legislative assembly of Telangana) from Asifabad constituency has unveiled Sharat MaxiVision Vision Centre in Asifabad today which caters to the need of eye care services of remote areas of Telangana. Kova Laxmi, Zilla parishad Chairman also graced the occasion. This center will offer of basic eye care services to those who stay in remote villages having no out reach to the eye care facilities in their vicinity

Many people have a fear that they need to shell out huge expenses if they go for eye checkups in cities like Hyderabad and Warangal which ultimately impact the vision of many. Vision centers like Asifabad will rectify the basic eye care problems of villagers.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sharat Babu Chilukuri, Chief Medical Director, Sharat MaxiVision Eye hospital said, making the society blind free is the motive behind the vision center launch in Asifabad. Sharat MaxiVision is planning to open 60 such Vision centers in Telangana by the end of 2022.Optometrists are available in all the Vision centers apart from weekly visits by ophthalmologists / Eye care specialist doctors to address any type of eye related problem. People living in remote areas / villages can now access these facility centers to undergo eye checkups at a nominal charge. Sharat Maxi vision will offer free eye checkups to poor on submission of substantial proofs.

All the basic eye problems like refractive error corrections / presbyopia etc. are rectified by the vision center doctors / optometrists. Depending upon the severity of the problems patients are referred to tertiary centers in Hyderabad, Warangal, Karim Nagar,Khammam to undergo further examinations.

Sharat MaxiVision is planning a mass people outreach program with eye camps in villages across the state of Telangana with the help of eye care volunteers and optometrists in its mission to make the society blind free. We will train rural area people on how to conduct basic eye checkups to all those people who wants become a volunteer in the mission. Volunteers on successful completion of the training will get a stipend from the Sharat MaxiVision.K. Manohar – DMHO, Ashok – Circle Inspector, Raju – Sub Inspector, K. Prem -Sub-Jail Police, Dwaraka Prasad, M. Satish, Yakub from Sharat MaxiVision were also present in program

VP calls for revisiting our age-old teaching-learning systems and make them relevant to present times

 

Need to restore India’s glorious tradition in education sector– Vice President

India’s famed age-old education system was severely dented by centuries of foreign rule: VP

VP underlines importance of peace as a pre-requisite for progress – Vice President

India is the land of peace, our eternal ideals teach ‘welfare of all’ - Vice President

Vice President inaugurates South Asian Institute of Peace and Reconciliation in Haridwar

VP says South Asia shares the same history and civilizational values

New Delhi

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today called for restoring India’s glorious tradition in the education sector by revisiting ancient teaching-learning systems and traditional knowledge to make them relevant to the present times..

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the South Asia Institute of Peace and Reconciliation (SAIPR) in Haridwar today, the Vice President lamented that India’s famed, age-old education system was severely dented by centuries of foreign rule.

He said that prolonged colonial rule deprived large sections, including women of education and only a small elite class had access to formal education. “It is necessary to provide quality education to all, only then can our education be inclusive and democratic,” he said. Shri Naidu also expressed his happiness over National Education Policy’s attempt to Indianise our education system and expressed strong disapproval of the mentality that considers everything Indian as inferior.

​Emphasizing the need to re-connect with our roots, the Vice President wanted the family elders to spend more time with the young children so that the latter can better imbibe our rich cultural values and traditions. He also advised the youngsters to spend time with nature and called it as the best teacher.

Stressing the importance of mother tongue in our lives, the Vice Pr​​esident exhorted the youth to practice, propagate and promote their mother tongues. "I would like to see a day when Indians talk to their fellow countrymen in their mother tongue, administration is run in mother tongue and all government orders are issued in people's language," Shri Naidu said. He also called for use of local languages in court proceedings.

With social and other tensions on the rise in the strife-torn world, the Vice President said that peace is a prerequisite for humanity’s progress. “Peace has a cascading effect—it engenders social harmony and paves the path for progress and prosperity,” he said, underlining that the ‘dividend of peace’ benefits every stakeholder and brings wealth and happiness to the society.

Referring to our age-old civilisational values of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’ and ‘LokahSamastahSukhinoBhavantu’, Shri Naidu said that India’s commitment to peace and welfare of humanity transcends geographical boundaries. “India is known as a land of peace. We have always accorded highest priority to maintaining peace and ensuring harmonious living of all sections of the society,” he added.

Noting that South Asian countries share common history and civilization, he also called for respecting the linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversities in the region, which showcase the core values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. “As the ‘spiritual capital’ of the world, India will continue to play its part in maintaining peace and ensuring harmony,” he added.

Congratulating everyone involved in the establishment of South Asia Institute of Peace and Reconciliation (SAIPR) , the Vice President hoped that the institute will become an important centre for academic deliberations and act as a springboard to spread the values of peace and reconciliation. It may be noted that SAIPR has been established at the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya in Haridwar in the Golden Jubilee year of Gayatri Teerth.

On this occasion, the Vice President remembered Lord Buddha and Emperor Ashoka and said that they preferred Dhamma Ghosh over ‘Yudh Ghosh’ (war) and Panchsheel, as propounded by Lord Buddha, forms the basis of our foreign policy.

Shri Naidu also lauded the efforts being made by Dev Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya in collaboration with various institutions to make Yoga and meditation popular across the world. He called Yoga as India's unique gift to humanity.

After inaugurating the Institute, the Vice President visited SAIPR & Asia’s first centre for Baltic Culture & Studies. He also had Darshan at PragyeshMahakal Temple and planted a Rudraksha sapling at the university premises. During his visit to the university, he was also shown various facilities at the institute such as paper manufacturing unit, Center for Agriculture and Cow Based Products and handloom training center.The Vice President also paid tribute to the martyrs at the ‘Wall of Heros’ in the DSVV campus and launched various publications of the university, including its new website.

Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.), the Governor of Uttarakhand, Dr. Pranav Pandya, Chancellor, Dev Sanskriti University, Shri. SharadPardhy, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Chinmay Pandya, Registrar, Shri BaldauDevangan,  faculty members, students and other eminent personalities attended the event.

BHARAT BIOTECH and BIOFABRI partner to develop, manufacture and distribute a novel TB vaccine, MTBVAC

●       This partnership will guarantee the supply of TB vaccines in more than 70 countries, especially in Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa with a high TB incidence.

 

●       MTBVAC is a global public-private project that will be a milestone in the field of vaccinology and in the approach to this highly communicable disease global epidemic with high morbidity and mortality.

 

●       Phase 3 clinical trials are expected to start in the coming months.

 

● For BIOFABRI, the agreement is of strategic importance since it reaffirms its purpose of placing a globally accessible and affordable vaccine on the market in low- and middle-income countries.

  

Hyderabad, India / Porriño, Spain, March 16, 2022: Bharat Biotech, a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases today announced the partnership with BIOFABRI, a Spanish biopharmaceutical company, to join forces to develop, manufacture and market a new tuberculosis vaccine in more than 70 countries in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Biofabri is a biopharmaceutical company of Zendal group based in Porriño, Spain, with the aim of researching, developing and manufacturing vaccines for humans.

 

The vaccine is being manufactured and developed by BIOFABRI, in close collaboration with the University of Zaragoza, IAVI and the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI). MTBVAC has been designed and discovered by Carlos Martín team of the University of Zaragoza.

 

This agreement between Bharat Biotech and Biofabri would guarantee the worldwide production and the supply of the future vaccine in more than 70 countries with a high TB incidence, such as India which has the highest TB burden in the world, with a 25% of all cases.

 

MTBVAC is one of the most promising vaccine candidates in the current global

TB vaccine pipeline. The only currently available TB vaccine, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), was developed 100 years ago and has limited efficacy in preventing pulmonary TB in adults, who, along with adolescents, are the biggest spreaders of the disease.

 

“TB infects more than 20% of the global population and is the second leading cause of deaths from infectious disease after COVID-19. TB is a highly contagious disease where vaccines are the best solution to prevent disease, reduce transmission and combat multi drug resistant strains. We are proud to announce this partnership with BioFabri, where MTBVAC can become a global TB vaccine. Bharat Biotech has opted for this vaccine candidate owing to its advanced stage of clinical development as well as the extremely promising results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials." said Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director Bharat Biotech.

 

“For us, this agreement is a milestone in the MTBVAC project. From day one, our goal has been to make a vaccine accessible to everyone at affordable prices in middle- and low-income countries where the incidence of tuberculosis is high. The contract signed with Bharat Biotech ensures that our vaccine reaches countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan and South Africa, among others, where tuberculosis is a public health problem due to its high incidence”, said Esteban Rodríguez, Biofabri CEO.

“We have a good hope that a new vaccine TB vaccine is in the horizon. At the University of Zaragoza, we been working in the search of a new TB vaccine since 1998 and since 2008 in close partnership with Biofabri. Accelerating efficacy studies for TB vaccines that have shown better protection than BCG in different preclinical models and to be immunogenic and safe in humans, as is the case of MTBVAC, is possible as it has been done for Covid vaccines. The experience of Bharat will be a great help reinforcing collaboration with TBVI and IAVI. We are ready, as soon that we can demonstrate that MTBVAC protects against pulmonary forms of TB, the sooner we can begin to save live and to have huge impact in TB pandemic, including multidrug resist forms of TB” explained Professor Carlos Martín, is principal investigator of TB Vaccine project of University of Zaragoza, Spain.

 

Multidrug-resistant TB and COVID-19

 

TB has been the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the world, with an average annual death toll of 1.4 million people, 10% of whom are minors.

The appearance of COVID-19 put the brakes on years of progress in the response to this disease, costing additional lives and increasing the global urgency of the epidemic. The Stop TB Partnership estimates that an additional 1.4 million TB deaths will occur over the next four years due to the halt in developments stemming from COVID-19.

 

Drug-resistant / multidrug-resistant TB (DR / MDR TB) is becoming a growing problem due treatment of DR/MDR TB is arduous, expensive and not always successful. A vaccine that prevents TB disease would be a big step to tackle the DR/MDR TB problem.

 

A vaccine against tuberculosis is more necessary than ever and, thanks to the different agreements promoted by Zendal Group through the biopharmaceutical company BIOFABRI, it is possible to speed it up.

 

 A global public-private project with a global reach

 

MTBVAC is the only live attenuated vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in development. It is currently being developed for two purposes: as a more effective and potentially longer-lasting vaccine than BCG for new-borns and, on the other hand, for the prevention of TB disease in adults and adolescents, for whom there is currently no effective vaccine. MTBVAC will start phase 3 clinical trials in Senegal, South Africa and Madagascar in the second half of 2022.

 

300 million CORBEVAXTM doses ready-to-use: Biological E Ltd.

 Biological E. Limited Gears Up for new phase of India’s Vaccination Drive on National Immunisation Day!

Currently around 300 million doses of ready-to-use CORBEVAXTM doses 

                        Biological E. Limited’s production capacity is up to 1 billion vaccines annually 

Hyderabad, March 16, 2022: On the occasion of National Immunisation Day today and in an effort to support the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect our country against COVID-19, Biological E. Limited is geared to facilitate the first phase of the vaccination drive for the 12 to 15 years’ Indian population through its vaccine CORBEVAXTM. Biological E. Limited collaborated with the Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College to develop the CORBEVAXTM vaccine. 

Dynavax, Inc from the USA supported CORBEVAXTM development by providing the adjuvant and THSTI Delhi conducted key immunogenicity testing as part of a comprehensive clinical trial development plan. 

BIRAC, a division of the Department of Biotechnology, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Coalition for Epidemic Prevention and Innovation (CEPI) provided partial funding during clinical development.   CORBEVAXTM is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine against the novel coronavirus and has been given emergency use authorisation (EUA) for children aged 12-18 years and adults from 18-80 yrs.   CORBEVAXTM is administered through an intramuscular route with two doses scheduled 28 days apart and is stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

Biological E limited had begun the manufacturing CORBEVAXTM for stockpiling after approval, based on the favourable  clinical evidence and review by experts. Multiple Biological E. Limited facilities in Hyderabad are currently producing and will continue to produce the vaccine. The group will leverage its robust pan India presence and partner with the State Governments, hospitals, and Medical institutions to leave no stone unturned in facilitating the uninterrupted supply of “CORBEVAXTM”: COVID-19 vaccine. To date, 30 crore vaccines have been produced as part of the commitment made to the Government of India.

On the occasion, Ms. Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited said, “As the entire country awaits the new phase of immunisation drive for the 12 to 15 years, we at Biological E. Limited are privileged to support the Indian Government in this valiant exercise through our CORBEVAXTM vaccine. We are grateful to our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for giving us an opportunity to join the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

It’s been a significant development for us to extend our vaccine reach to children aged 12-15 years. Not only will this allow them to resume their daily lives, but it will also lower the parents’ concerns as they see their children resuming academic activities in person. 

We are happy to share that, Biological E. Limited has been strengthening its production and supply chain facilities, to ensure the efficient and fast administration of vaccines with the highest safety standards. As one of the largest and most trusted pharmaceutical companies in the country, we believe that it is our duty and responsibility to actively participate in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 and make India safe. Biological E Limited has achieved a capacity to produce 100+ million doses per month in order to ensure adequate supply and we are able to respond to any increasing demand too, should the need arise. 

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has undergone a lot of mutations in a short duration. In clinical trials, CORBEVAXTM induced immune response demonstrated consistent neutralization of the Ancestral SARS-COV-2 strain as well as the Variants of Concern such as Beta, Delta, and Omicron.  In the efforts to bolster COVID-19 vaccines in India, I am grateful to our dedicated team, who have worked tirelessly to develop CORBEVAXTM and get it to this stage of readiness.”

Biological E. Limited is making continuous efforts to provide access to affordable healthcare by serving the community and society at large. We are proud that CORBEVAXTM is the most affordable COVID-19 vaccine for the Government of India which is providing free vaccination to all eligible citizens. The pricing of CORBEVAXTM in the private market will be Rs. 990 inclusive of all taxes and vaccine administration charges.

Key Highlights of the CORBEVAXTM vaccine:

The first indigenous Indian vaccine to get EUA for vaccinating the Indian population between the age group of 12 to 80 Yrs

 CORBEVAXTM is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine against the novel coronavirus

 CORBEVAXTM induced immune response was indicative of over 90% effectiveness against the Ancestral strain; while >80% in the case of the Delta strain based on the level of neutralizing antibody titers.  

 CORBEVAXTM vaccination generates an antibody response that is highly persistent for more than 6 months post-vaccination.  

Biological E. Limited’s  CORBEVAXTM production capacity is up to 1 billion vaccines annually

 CORBEVAXTM will be the most affordable COVID-19 vaccine in India as well as globally

Stray Animals : Total population of stray dog and stray cattle in the country was 203.31 lakh.

New Delhi : National level of information regarding Livestock population is collected every 5 years. The last livestock census was conducted in 2019 and next census is due in 2024. As per 2019 census, total population of stray dog and stray cattle in the country was 203.31 lakh.

The management of public health, sanitation and cattle pounds comes under the purview of the State/UT Government and the local bodies need to evolve the mechanism to control stray animals in order to protect the citizens.

As per the Article 246(3) of the Constitution of India in List II of Seventh Schedule the Preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases; veterinary training and practice is under State list on which the State has exclusive power to make laws for such State or any part thereof with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List II in the Seventh Schedule. Further, as per the Article 48 of the Constitution of India, State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.

As per the Eleventh Schedule of Constitution of India, the state may endow Panchayat to establish and run the Cattle Pounds (Kanji Houses)/Gaushala Shelters (community assets). Many States are establishing the Gaushalas and Shelter houses for control of Stray Cattle.

Further, as per Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, it is the duty of every person having care or charge of any animal to take all reasonable measures to ensure the wellbeing of such animals and to prevent infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering. Section 11(1) (h) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 provides that it is a cruelty, if any person, being the owner of (any animal) fails to provide such animal with sufficient food, drink or shelter and as per the Section 11 (1)(i) it is a Cruelty, if any person, without reasonable cause, abandons any animal in circumstances which tender it likely that it will suffer pain by reason or starvation, thirst and it is also a punishable offense under PCA Act, 1960. The Provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and Rules framed there under need to be implemented by the State Governments.

In view of the aforesaid constitutional arrangements, the States are mandated to arrange the shelters and kanji house to control the stray animals population. Further, the Central Government has framed Rules for Animal Birth Control (Dogs) to control the dog population. It is the duty of the Local Bodies are mandated to implement the ABC Programme in their respective localities as per provisions of the Rules.

State/UT-wise the number of persons killed by animals during 2018-2020 is placed at Annexure-I.

No Gaushalas has been set up under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission in the country during the last three years. However, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) provides financial assistance to the recognized Gaushalas/AWOs/NGOs/SPCAs and Local bodies under a scheme namely Shelter House for establishment of new animal Shelter House and under the Regular Grant Scheme for maintenance of animal shelters, animal medicines, purchase of medical equipment and conducting of veterinary camps etc. and rescued cattle maintenance grant for maintenance of the animals rescued from illegal transportation/slaughter-houses. In addition, provides financial assistance under the scheme of Provision of Ambulance Services for animals in distress for purchase of suitable vehicles for transportation, rescue and also for providing emergency services to animals in distress.

This information was given by The Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri. Parshottam Rupala in the Lok Sabha in a written reply today.

28,69,477 eligible beneficiaries benefited under PM SVANidhi Scheme

Rs 45.21 crore & Rs 7.55 crore paid as interest subsidy and cash back respectively

New Delhi

As apprised by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Street Vendors engaged in vending in urban areas as on or before March 24, 2020 are eligible for benefits under PM SVANidhi Scheme. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

The Minister stated that 28,69,477 eligible beneficiaries have benefited under the PM SVANidhi Scheme till March 7, 2022. A statement indicating State and year-wise details of the loan disbursed under the scheme is at ANNEXURE-I.

So far, the Minister stated, an amount of Rs 45.21 crore & Rs 7.55 crore have been paid as interest subsidy and cash back respectively, the Minister stated. State wise details is at ANNEXURE-II.

The Minister stated that PM SVANidhi is a Central Sector Scheme. No funds are released to the States for disbursal to beneficiaries. Loan amount is directly released to the beneficiaries by the Lending Institutions, the Minister added.

Giving more details, the Minister stated that an interest subsidy of 7% is paid on quarterly basis through direct benefit transfer to the borrower on repayment of the loan instalments and cash back of upto Rs 100 per month is provided to the street vendors to incentivize digital transactions.

The Minister stated that the eligible vendors are identified as per following criteria:-

1. Street vendors in possession of Certificate of Vending / Identity Card issued by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs);
2. The vendors, who have been identified in the ULB led survey, but have not been issued Certificate of Vending / Identity Card;
3. Street Vendors, left out of the survey or who have started vending after completion of the survey and have been issued Letter of Recommendation (LoR) to that effect by the ULB / Town Vending Committee (TVC); and
4. The vendors of surrounding development/ peri-urban / rural areas vending in the geographical limits of the ULBs and have been issued Letter of Recommendation (LoR) to that effect by the ULB / TVC.

 

Giving details on the rate of interest charged by different types of Lending Institutions under PM SVANidhi Scheme, the Minister stated as under:-

1. In case of Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Small Finance Banks (SFBs), Cooperative Banks & SHG Banks, it is as per their prevailing rates of interest as per their Board approved policies.
2. In case of Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC), NBFC-Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) etc., it is as per RBI guidelines for respective lender category.
3. For MFIs (non NBFC) & other lender categories not covered under the RBI guidelines, it is applicable as per the extant RBI guidelines for NBFC-MFIs.

An interest subsidy of 7% is paid on a quarterly basis on timely repayment of the loan instalments. The interest above the subsidy is borne by the beneficiary.

Mann ki Baat on 27th March, 2022 : PM invites citizens for ideas and suggestions

 PM invites citizens for ideas and suggestions for Mann ki Baat on 27th March 2022

New Delhi :The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has invited citizens for ideas and suggestions for Mann ki Baat which will take place on 27th March 2022.

"This month’s #MannKiBaat programme will take place on the 27th. As always, I hope to receive your ideas and suggestions for the programme. Share them on MyGov, the NaMo App, or dial 1800-11-7800 and record your message."

COVID19 Update : 2,568 new cases reported in the last 24 hours

 India's Active caseload falls to 33,917 today; stands at 0.08% of India’s total Positive Cases

2,568 new cases reported in the last 24 hours

India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 180.40 Cr

Recovery Rate currently stands at 98.72%

Weekly Positivity Rate is presently at 0.46%

New Delhi

In a positive development, India’s Active Caseload has declined to 33,917. Active cases now constitute 0.08% of the country's total Positive Cases.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.72%.  4,722 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 4,24,46,171.

 

2,568 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

 

 

The last 24 hours saw a total of 7,01,773 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 77.97 Cr (77,97,54,156) cumulative tests.

There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.46% and the Daily Positivity rate is reported to be 0.37%.

Eye care tips for students during examinations

                     Authored by: Dr. Shibu Varkey, MS, DNB, DO, FRCS (UK) Regional Medical Director, MaxiVision Eye Hospitals

Examination season is again around the corner, students preparing for 10th, 12th, and various entrance exams are in a feverish pitch of activity. So, a few suggestions on how to take care of eyes during this period are certainly in order

1.      Sleep deficiency: A minimum of 7 hours of sleep is essential to maintain good health for the eyes as well as the whole body and mind, sleep deficiency leads to eye problems like recurrent styes (eye boils), which causes pain and swelling of the eyelid and results in loss of study time.

# plan and manage study time to get enough sleep

 

2.     Dietary deficiency: Students tend to skip meals or depend on fast foods, nutritional deficiencies tend to cause fatigue and loss of concentration and again affect the eyes with blepharitis, dry eyes, and eyelid infections # eat balanced healthy meals at regular intervals. Foods rich in vitamins A, D, E, B complex, minerals, and Omega 3 are essential for students preparing for exams.

 

3.      Dehydration: Due to the intensity of studies, some students forget to drink enough water and fluids, this results in dehydration and frequent headaches, inability to focus, and tired eyes.

 

# Drink at least 3 to 3.75 liters of fluids per day.

 

4.     Postural problems: Bad posture affects the neck, shoulders, lower back, and the eyes, especially in students who have poor eye muscle balance and astigmatism.

# study, preferably, in sitting posture with feet firmly on the ground arms and shoulders well supported and book at least 20 inches from the eye, the book kept at 60 degrees. Take short breaks to stretch.

 

5.     Duration of study: The stress on eye muscles when studying for 8 hours is equal to the stress on leg muscles from running 50 to 60 kms. So studying without rest for 10 to 12 hours causes intense pressure on eye muscles and has now been shown to be related to the development of myopia (glass power), spasm of eye muscles, eye strain, inability to focus the eyes, eye pain, and severe headaches.

# take short breaks every 30 minutes and look at far objects for 10 seconds to relax the eye muscles.

 

6.     Digital Eye Strain: Earlier known as Computer Vision Syndrome, is very common among students nowadays. Redness, irritation, foreign body sensation in the eye are leading symptoms. When computers or smartphones are used for long durations of time the tears in the eye gradually evaporate. Normally a person blinks about 20 times in a minute but during computer and mobile phone use, the blink rate decreases to once or twice in a minute.

 

This reduces the replenishment of the evaporated tears and causes dry eye syndrome.

Air conditioning also removes moisture from the skin and eyes and leads to dryness.

# Students who use computers and mobile phones must be careful to follow the 20 20 20 20 rule.

#Hold the device 20 inches from the eye.

#take a break of 20 seconds every 20 minutes

#look at any object 20 feet away.

#blink 20 times every minute

#Air conditioning should be frequently switched off and should never blow directly on to face.

GST reduced from 18% to 5% for domestic Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services

New Delhi :The average number of the passenger carried in the pre-Covid financial year (2019-20) was around 4 lakh per day. On 6th March 2022, domestic airlines in India carried around 3.7 lakh passengers. The number of daily air passengers may cross pre-COVID levels in a few months.

 

The Government has taken several steps to meet the increasing demand in aviation sector in future, some of which include the following:

 

(i) AAI has taken up development of new and existing airports with a projected capital expenditure of around Rs. 25,000 crores in next five years. This includes construction of new terminals, expansion and modification of existing terminals, expansion and/ or strengthening of existing runways, aprons, Airport Navigation Services (ANS) infrastructure, control towers and technical blocks etc.

 

(ii) The Public Private Partnership (PPP) airports at Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru are undertaking major expansion projects of around Rs. 30,000 crores by 2025. Additionally, Rs. 36,000 crores have been planned for investment in the development of new Greenfield airports across the country under PPP mode.

 

(iii) Government of India has accorded 'in-principle' approval for setting up of 21 Greenfield Airports across the country. So far, eight Greenfield airports namely, Sindhudurg and Shirdi in Maharashtra, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala, Orvakal in Andhra Pradesh, Kalaburagi in Karnataka and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh have been operationalized.

 

(iv) Under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UdeDesh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), 403 routes connecting 65 airports (including 8 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalised as on 31 January 2022.

 

(v) Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate has been reduced from 18% to 5% for domestic Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services.

 

(vi)  A conducive aircraft leasing and financing environment has been enabled.

 

(vii) Improvement in air navigation infrastructure at Indian airports is being carried out.

 

The issue of reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) has been taken up with the States and the UTs. The following 11 States/UTs have reduced the VAT on ATF to below 5%:

 

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir,  Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry Of Civil Aviation (Gen. (Dr) V. K. Singh Retd) in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today

Covid19: India reported only 2,503 new cases in the last 24 hours, making it lowest in 680 days so far.

 India's current Active caseload (36,168) is lowest in 675 days

2,503 new cases in the last 24 hours are lowest in 680 days

India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 180.19 Cr

Recovery Rate currently stands at 98.72%

Weekly Positivity Rate is presently at 0.47%

New Delhi

In a significant development, India reported only 2,503 new cases in the last 24 hours, making it lowest in 680 days so far.

With this, India’s Active Caseload at 36,168 becomes lowest in 675 days. Active cases now constitute 0.08% of the country's total Positive Cases.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.72%.  4,377 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 4,24,41,449.

 

The last 24 hours saw a total of 5,32,232 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 77.90 Cr (77,90,52,383) cumulative tests.

There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.47% and the Daily Positivity rate is reported to be 0.47%.