December 14th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. LAUNCH OF 2nd PROJECT 17A SHIP ‘HIMGIRI
2. eSanjeevani telemedicine service records 1 million teleconsultations
3. NITI Aayog today released a white paper: Vision 2035: Public Health 
Surveillance in India with the vision
4. VigyanYatras to promote Scientific Temper among Masses being organised by 
various institutions ahead of IISF 2020
5. PM interacts with industries, startups and academia from Space sector

1. LAUNCH OF 2nd PROJECT 17A SHIP ‘HIMGIRI

Context: Himgiri  the first of the three Project 17A ships being built in Kolkata.

Details:

• Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements.
• The launch of ‘Himgiri’ has showcased GRSE’s commitment towards the building of three state-of-the-art warships of P17A for Indian Navy.
• P17A ships are the first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE. 

Project 17A?

• Project 17A frigates is a design derivative of the Shivalik class stealth frigates.
• ‘Integrated Construction (IC)’ has been employed here, wherein the blocks are pre-outfitted before joining to reduce the build period of warships.
• INS Nilgiri is the first ship of Project17A.

Atmanirbhar Bharat.

• The P17A class frigates are being built using indigenously developed steel and fitted with weapons and sensors along with the Integrated Platform Management System. These ships are having stealth features.
• Since its inception, Project 17A has upheld India’s vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat. P17A ships have been indigenously designed and are being built at indigenous yards namely MDL and GRSE.
• Naval shipbuilding provides a great opportunity to energise our economy post-COVID-19. Project 17A ships are sourcing 80% of the material/ equipment required for the project from indigenous vendors and with employment generation for over 2000 Indian firms and MSMEs within the country.

2. “eSanjeevani” telemedicine service records 1 million teleconsultations

Context: eSanjeevani telemedicine service of the Health Ministry has crossed 1 million (10 lakh) teleconsultations

Details:

• The roll out of eSanjeevani in India is supposedly the first of its kind of digital transformation in the delivery of health services at the national scale by a developing country.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, eSanjeevani not only brought about a huge digital transformation in the delivery of health services but had also boosted the digital health ecosystem in the country.

Telemedicine

• Telemedicine entails delivery of health services from a distance using the internet and it not only extends the reach of health services but also improves the quality of health services besides saving time and money.

e-Sanjeevani

• ‘eSanjeevani’, is a web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution.
• ‘eSanjeevani’ extends the reach of specialized healthcare services to masses in both rural areas and isolated communities.
• Quality and accessibility have been the core agenda behind the programme.
• eSanjeevani also aims to make healthcare services equitable by bridging the digital divide that exists between the urban vs. rural, rich vs. poor etc.
• eSanjeevani can also be used to provide medical education to interns, people across various Common Service Centers (CSCs), etc.
• eSanjeevani initiative of Health Ministry is serving in two streams in 28 States and Union Territories.
  1. The eSanjeevaniAB-HWC enables a doctor to doctor teleconsultations and is being used at around 6000 Health & Wellness Centres which are being served by specialists and doctors in around 240 hubs which have been set up by States in District Hospitals or Medical Colleges etc.
  2. The second stream eSanjeevaniOPD is or providing remote health services to patients in the confines of their homes. eSanjeevaniOPD enables contactless, risk-free, and safe consultations between a doctor and a patient. It received a huge reception by both the patients and the doctors.

Success of e-Sanjeevani

• eSanjeevani is being used by patients in over 550 districts of India.
• Over one-tenth of the users of eSanjeevani are aged 60 and above.
• Close to around 25% of the total patients have used eSanjeevani more than once.
• These stands as a testimony to the fact that the public has started preferring telemedicine over visiting hospital OPDs for consulting a doctor.

Learn more about the National Digital Health Mission here.

3. NITI Aayog today released a white paper: Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India with the vision

Context:

• NITI Aayog released a white paper outlining steps to be taken to make public health surveillance better.

Details:

• ‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India is a continuation of the work on health systems strengthening.
• It contributes by suggesting mainstreaming of surveillance by making individual electronic health records the basis for surveillance.
• Public health surveillance (PHS) is an important function that cuts across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care. Surveillance is ‘Information for Action’.

What is public health surveillance?

• An ongoing, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice
• Surveillance is undertaken to inform disease prevention and control measures

Why is surveillance needed?

1. Serve as an early warning system, identify public health emergencies
2. Guide public health policy and strategies
3. Document the impact of an intervention or progress towards specified public health targets/goals.
4. Understand/monitor the epidemiology of a condition to set priorities and guide public health policy and strategies

Significance of the white paper.

• The Covid-19 pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to revisit (re) emerging diseases due to increased interaction between human-animal-environment.
• Early identification of this interference is essential to break the chain of transmissions and create a resilient surveillance system.
• This vision document is a step in that direction, it articulates the vision and highlights the building blocks.
• It envisions a citizen-friendly public health system, which will involve stakeholders at all levels, be it individual, community, health care facilities or laboratories, all while protecting the individual’s privacy and confidentiality.’

Conclusion

• The paper released today is envisaged to serve as a vision document to propel public health surveillance in India and establish India as a global leader in the area.

4. VigyanYatras to promote Scientific Temper among Masses being organised by various institutions ahead of IISF 2020

Context: VigyanYatras to promote Scientific Temper ahead of India International Science Festival (IISF).

India International Science Festival (IISF)

• It was launched in 2015 as a celebration to promote Science and Technology and demonstrate how science could lead India towards a developed nation within a short span of time.
• The aim is to engage the public with science and celebrate the joy of science and show the ways how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) provide us with the solutions to improve our lives.
• Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), has created a unique platform of India International Science Festival which intends to inspire curiosity and make learning more rewarding.

 What is Vigyan Yatra?

• VigyanYatra is a promotional activity of the India International Science Festival. In this activity, the mobile science exhibition vans flag off from many cities of the country and the vision behind this science journey is to promote scientific temper and inculcate the culture of science among the masses.
• This program also ignites the minds of the youngsters because science exhibition mobile vans are viewed by all local school/university students that create interest in science and generate awareness about the IISF.
• This 6^th edition of IISF is going to be organized on the virtual platform due to the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.
• Around 30 locations have been identified across the country where this science journey will be organized. Eminent science communicators, innovators, teachers, students and research scholars of the locality will be felicitated.

5. PM interacts with industries, startups and academia from Space sector

Context:

• Prime Minister of India interacted with key industries, startups and academia from the Space sector via video conferencing to encourage their participation in space activities.

Details:

• PM while interacting with leaders from the space industry expressed hope that the country would soon become the manufacturing hub of space assets.
• PM’s outlined his vision is to ensure the benefits of the space program reach out to the poorest.
• Just like Indian talent has been able to attain worldwide fame in the IT sector, PM wished that even the space sector will be able to do so shortly.

Space sector reforms:

• A historic decision was taken to open up the Space sector and enable the participation of the Indian private sector in the entire gamut of space activities.
• With the creation of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the reforms will provide a level playing field for private companies and start-ups.
• The proposals pertain to a vast range of activities including satellite constellation, small satellite launch vehicles, ground station, geospatial services, propulsion systems and application products have been submitted.
• The decision to unlock India’s potential in the Space sector has heralded a new age of public-private partnership in this sector.

Significance

• Private investment in the sector will lead to the creation of hi-tech jobs, which will provide a host of opportunities to the talent pool in IITs/NITs and other technical institutions.
• The move showcases faith and belief in the private sector capability in the space sector.
• Will promote more innovation.

PM’s promise

• Prime Minister underlined that the reforms in the Space sector are more than ensuring ease of doing business, he pointed out at the necessary mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure help for the participants at each stage, including making available testing facilities and launch-pads.
• Reforms will ensure that India becomes a competitive space market and also ensure that the benefits of the space programme reach out to the poorest.
• He asked the participants to think boldly and work for the benefit of society and the country.
• Prime Minister underlined the significance of the Space sector in communication and navigation.
• He assured the participants that they will be co-passengers with ISRO in this age of space research and expressed hope that the country would soon become the manufacturing hub of space assets.

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December 14th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here