Today scales a historic peak records of Daily-Testing : COVID UPDATE 25th September

PIB Bulletin of Corona Virus of 25th September 2020

For the first time, close to 15 lakh COVID tests conducted in a single day, Exponential Rise in Total Tests as they near 7 crore. More than 47.5 lakh (47,56,164) patients have recovered so far, 81,177 patients recovered in the last 24 hours. National Recovery Rate continues to rise, stands at 81.74% today. 10 States/UTs contribute 73% of new recovered cases. Historic reform in the field of medical education, with the constitution of the National Medical Commission, along with four Autonomous Boards. Over 1 crore passengers travel by air since Resumption of domestic operations.

PIB Headquarters

PIB’S DAILY BULLETIN ON COVID-19

25 SEP 2020

(Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)

India’s Recoveries on a Steep Upward trend, cross 47.5 lakh; 10 States/UTs contribute 73% of new recovered cases

More than 47.5 lakh (47,56,164) patients have recovered so far. 81,177 patients recovered in the last 24 hours.Recovered cases have exceeded active cases (9,70,116) by nearly 38 lakhs (37,86,048) today.Spurred by this number of very high recoveries, the national Recovery Rate continues to follow a rising curve. It stands at 81.74% today. 73% of the new recovered cases have been reported from ten States/UTs, viz. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam.Maharashtra continues to lead with more than 17,000 new recoveries. Andhra Pradesh contributed more than 8,000 to the single day recoveries. 86,052 new confirmed cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in the country.75% of the new cases are found to be concentrated in ten states/UTs. Maharashtra contributed more than 19,000 to the new cases. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka both have contributed more than 7,000.1,141 deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours. 83% of these are from 10 States/UTs

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India scales a historic PEAK, records all-time High of DAILY TESTING; For the first time, close to 15 lakh COVID tests conducted in a single day, Exponential Rise in Total Tests as they near 7 cr

India has scaled a historic peak in the fight against COVID-19. In a landmark achievement, for the first time, a record of very high number of nearly 15 lakh COVID tests has been conducted in a single day. With 14,92,409 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests have touched nearly 7 crore (6,89,28,440). This exponential surge in the daily testing capacities strongly demonstrates the determined escalation of the testing infrastructure in the country. The last one crore tests were conducted in merely 9 days. The Tests Per Million (TPM) stand at 49,948 as of today. The national cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.44% today. With the expansion of testing infrastructure, the daily testing by States/UTs has also increased. 23 States/UTs have better tests per million than the national average (49,948). The testing network has grown to 1818 labs today, including 1084 labs in the government sector and 734 private labs.

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Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates 65th Foundation Day celebrations of AIIMS, New Delhi

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and President, AIIMS presided over an event to mark the 65th Foundation Day of AIIMS, New Delhi in the presence of Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.This day marks the beginning of undergraduate teaching at AIIMS and was the day the first batch of MBBS classes was held in 1956.Congratulating the AIIMS fraternity for being ranked as number one among medical institutions by National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Dr Vardhan expressed satisfaction that AIIMS, New Delhi has fulfilled the objectives of its establishment set by the Indian Parliament in 1956 during its foundation and has continually sought to achieve a high standard in healthcare services, education and research. Dr. Harsh Vardhanalso expressed gratitude for the institution’s huge contributionduring the COVID Pandemic. On India’s fight against COVID-19, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “India’s continuously rising Recovery Rate and progressively falling Case Fatality Rate have proven the success of the COVID-19 containment strategy followed by all States and UTs under the dynamic guidance of our Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi. We have successfully ramped up our testing capacity which has touched nearly 15 lakh milestone today with more than 1800 testing labs spread across the country. I have confidence in the scientific developments taking place in the field of treatment and vaccines for COVID-19 and soon India will achieve more success in our fight against COVID-19.”

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Historic reform in Medical Education: National Medical Commission constituted

Historic reform in the field of medical education has been effectedby the Union Government with the constitution of the National Medical Commission (NMC), along with four Autonomous Boards. With this, the decades old institution of the Medical Council of India (MCI) stands abolished. Along with NMC, the four Autonomous Boards ofUG and PG Medical Education Boards, Medical Assessment and Rating Board, and Ethics and Medical Registration Board have also been constituted to help the NMC in day to day functioning.This historic reform will steer medical education towards a transparent, qualitative and accountable system. The basic change that has happened is that the Regulator is now 'selected' on merits, as opposed to an 'elected' Regulator. Men and Women with impeccable integrity, professionalism, experience and stature have been now placed at the helm to steer the medical education reforms further.

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Phone call between Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi and H.E. SUGA Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi had a phone call today with His Excellency SUGA Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan. The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Suga on his appointment as Prime Minister of Japan and wished him success in achieving his goals. The two leaders concurred that the partnership between the two countries is even more relevant in today’s times given the global challenges, including that of the COVID-19 pandemic. They emphasized that the economic architecture of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region must be premised on resilient supply chains, and in this context, welcomed cooperation between India, Japan and other like-minded countries. The Prime Minister extended an invitation to Prime Minister Suga to visit India for the Annual Bilateral Summit, after improvement of the situation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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Commencement of Yoga Break at Work Place by the Ministry of AYUSH from today

Activities for promoting the “Yoga Break” protocol of the Ministry of AYUSH, which were suspended after the onset of the Covid-19 protocol, have been resumed with effect from today. This five minute protocol is intended to introduce people at the work place to Yoga, and also to help them to take a break from the work schedule and to refresh and re-focus. Ministry of AYUSH in association with MDNIY developed 5 minutes yoga break protocol to de-stress, refresh and re-focus the workers at the work place in 2019. The protocol was initially launched on trial basis in January 2020 and was found to be effective, based on an analysis of feedback of participants.Taking account of the currently prevailing health emergency, additional emphasis was laid on breathing exercise (pranayama), in view of its effectiveness in increasing the lungs capacity. Ministry of AYUSH will extend this facility free of cost to the staff & officers of various offices situated in GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi in the coming weeks.

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AYUSH Ministry supports a novel e-marathon as part of the “Ayush for Immunity” Campaign

The Ministry of AYUSH has joined hands with Rajagiri College of Social Sciences and Rajagiri Business School, Kochi to organise a novel e-marathon, as a part of the Ministry’s three-month campaign called “Ayush for Immunity”, focussing on desirable health-promotive and disease preventive steps. Combining technology, physical run, charity and wellness programs, this e-event is expected to add positivity and good health to the lives of the participants. This e-marathon is being conducted for the cause of supporting the education of COVID affected children and to enhance the well-being of the participants during the current pandemic crisis. The participants of e-marathon can take part in the event in timings of their choice and at safer places. They also have a long duration of 10 days at their disposal to complete the running challenges. A wellness app will integrate the individual running reading of the participants to a central server (computer) so that all participants will be connected via the centralised software application.Around 8000 participants from India and abroad are expected to join this novel event.

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Ayush Ministry to take up clinical study on the potential of Vasa (AdhatodaVasica) and Guduchi for the management of Covid-19

In view of the need for accelerated solutions for Covid-19, the Ministry of AYUSH has taken up systematic studies on different possible solutions through multiple channels. As part of this effort, a proposal for a clinical study to assess the role of Vasa Ghana, Guduchi Ghana and Vasa-Guduchi Ghana in therapeutic management of symptoms in Covid-19 positive cases has recently been approved. This will be a “randomized, open label three armed” study, and will be conducted at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, in collaboration with the IGIB unit of CSIR.The detailed proposal with methodology including outcome measures, clinical and laboratory parameters, the logistics of the research has been prepared. The study will use a unique Case Report Forum (CRF), suitable for Ayush mode research. The CRF and study protocol has also been peer reviewed by experts from different domains including modern medicine and their suggestions have been incorporated. The study will be undertaken subject to the required approvals like that of the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC).

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General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar - Schedule of Election

Election Commission of India today announced the schedule for 2020 General        Elections to State Legislative Assembly of Bihar.

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116.88 lakh ha area sown compared to 1066.06 lakh ha. area during Kharif season of corresponding period last year

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and State Governments have put all efforts in successful implementation of mission programs and flagship schemes. The timely prepositioning of inputs by Government of India like seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, machinery and credit has made it possible for large coverage during pandemic lockdown conditions. There is no impact of COVID-19 on progress of area coverage under kharif crops as on date. Credit goes to farmers for timely action and adoption of technologies and taking benefit of government schemes. Progress of area coverage reported is1116.88 lakh ha area compared to corresponding period of last year 1066.06 lakh ha. The final sowing figures for kharif season is expected to be closed on 1stOctober 2020.

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India urges Nations to put Nature at the heart of recovery plan post COVID19

for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri PrakashJavadekar urged nations to join hands at the start of the “UN Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development” to put nature at the heart of our recovery plan and realize the vision of “living in harmony with nature”. Shri Javadekar represented India at the virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth yesterday. The ministerial was hosted by China, one week ahead of the upcoming United Nation Summit on Biodiversity, to exchange views on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Around 15 ministerial representatives from countries with adequate regional representation, as well as the heads from relevant international organizations participated in the event. Addressing on the occasion, Shri PrakashJavadekar stated that COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the fact that un-regulated exploitation of natural resources coupled with un-sustainable food habits and consumption patterns lead to destruction of systems that support human life.

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Over 1 crore passengers travel by air since Resumption of domestic operations

More than one crore passengers have flownon 1,08,210 flights since recommencement of domestic operations on 25 May 2020, informed Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, Civil Aviation. Shri Puri further said that domestic aviation is moving towards pre-COVID figures. Civil Aviation minister shared that on 24th September,2020, total number of departing passengers was 1,19,702 and total number of arriving passengers during this period was 1,21,126. He added that total departures were 1393 whereas arrivals were 1394. In the wake of Covid-19, the operations of domestic schedule commercial airlines were ceased with effect from 25th March 2020. These operations resumed after two months on 25th May 2020.

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DBT – ICAR Transfer of Technology of novel Brucella vaccine viz. Brucella abortusS19 delta per vaccine

Department of Biotechnology (DBT), facilitated Transfer of Technology of novel Brucella vaccine viz. Brucellaabortus S19 delta per vaccine, through Video Conferencing (VC), earlier this week and anMoU was signed. This vaccine was developed by ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI), Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh through a Network project on Brucellosis supported by DBT in which a gene was knocked out from Brucellaabortus S19 strain.

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INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Kerala: Kerala now ranks fourth in the rise in number of Covid-19 patients daily. The current prevalence of the disease in the state is above the national average in terms of test positivity. The number of patients has increased by thirty per cent in a week when compared to other states in the country. Kerala is currently sixth in the list of states where more people are under treatment. Following the surge in positive cases, various district administrations have issued orders to make Covid regulations stricter. Quick Response Teams have been deployed in districts like Kozhikode where the prevalence of the virus is very high. At present, 45,919 people are being treated for the virus and 2.12 lakh people in quarantine. The death toll is 613.
• Tamil Nadu:Schools set to reopen from October 1 for Classes 10-12 in Tamil Nadu; this would be subject to obtaining written consent from parents or guardians; online classes, distance education will continue. The health officials in Tiruchy to use electoral roll to check the health status of the senior citizens; at present health officials are checking health status of 3,000 residents daily and collecting swab samples from 750 people at these camps. The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) on Thursday sealed a private laboratory for providing a report that falsely states a 27-year-old person as Covid-19 positive.
• Karnataka:Close on the heels of the ASHA workers’ strike, nearly 30,000 contract and outsourced health workers in the State stayed off duty on Thursday. In a rare gesture, the Covid-19 warriors from the Ballari district are being honoured by few parents who are planning to name their kids after doctors and nurses. Mysuru district, which registered the highest mortality rate after Bengaluru, has come up with an action plan to contain the spread of coronavirus in the coming weeks. This step comes in the wake of PM NarendraModi expressing anguish over the increase in mortality cases in seven districts of Karnataka.
• Andhra Pradesh:With over one lakh tests per million population, Andhra Pradesh has a record of 10 per cent of population tested for Covid-19. A total of 53,78,367 samples were screened till date. The state has become number one in the country by significantly increasing its testing capacity in the last six months. To strengthen the medical and health department and increase the services to the patients particularly in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state has recruited new staff in Medical and Health department. Meanwhile, the State Road Transport Corporation has got good response for cargo services in the wake of lockdown due to pandemic.  The RTC is taking cargo across the state and also to Hyderabad.
• Telangana: 2381 new cases, 2021 recoveries & 10 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; out of 2381 cases, 386 cases reported from GHMC. Total cases:1,81,627; Active cases: 30,387; Deaths: 1080; Discharges :1,50,160. City bus services resume in Hyderabad, 6 months after they were halted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The buses are running on 25 major routes, with all necessary precautions. Maoists call for Telangana bandh on September 28 protesting alleged fake encounters.
• Arunachal Pradesh: Total 283 new COVID-19 positive cases detected in Arunachal Pradesh. Currently, there are 2,331 active cases in the state.
• Assam: Assam Health Minister HimantaBiswaSarma tweeted that 2,432 patients have been discharged yesterday. Total discharged patients 1,35,141& active patients 29,830.
• Manipur: 161 new COVID-19 positive cases in Manipur takes the total to 9,537. With 77 percent recovery rate, there are 2,106 active cases.
• Meghalaya: In Meghalaya, 199 individuals have recovered from coronavirus today. Total active cases 1,977, total BSF and Armed Forces 219, total others 1,758 & total recovered 3,058.
• Mizoram: 26 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Mizoram yesterday. Total cases 1,786, active cases 681.
• Nagaland: Armed forces continue to top Nagaland's COVID-19 positive chart with 2,716 (47%) cases. Returnees are 1,462, traced contacts 1,216 and frontline workers 336.
• Sikkim: Sikkim records 95 new cases, active cases are 679 & total cured & discharged cases are 1,994.
• Maharashtra:Maharashtra on Thursday reported 19,164 Covid-19 infections, taking the tally to 12.82 lakh cases. The state has recorded 32,284 deaths.  However, an analysis of data shows that of the state’s 36 districts, 92.91% or 11.92 lakh cases and 94% or 32,284 deaths were reported in 20 districts.  Besides Mumbai, Pune and Thane; Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Chandrapur and Nagpur are some of the worst- affected districts, which have been identified intensified Covid management.  Following the review meeting taken by the Prime Minister, dedicated officials are being appointed to monitor the situation in these districts to ensure that the situation is brought under control at the earliest. Districts are being directed to ramp up health facilities with adequate number of beds, oxygen supply and ventilators and at the same time, go for massive tracing of contacts.
• Gujarat:Gujarat's Covid tally rose to 1,28,949 with the addition of 1,408 new cases on Thursday, the state health department said.  At the same time, as many as 1,410 patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the number of recovered cases to 1,09,211.  With this, the state's recovery rate has risen to 84.69 per cent.
• Rajasthan:Rajasthan Health Department has appointed drug control officers at oxygen production firms and companies to keep a watch on oxygen manufacturing in Jaipur to ensure an adequate supply of oxygen to coronavirus patients.  Medical gas manufacturing units established in the district will present daily information to the concerned Drug Control Officer, regarding oxygen production, sales and all other activities occurring in the plant
• Chhattisgarh: In Chhattisgarh, COVID-19 tests are being substantially increased as corona virus infection continues to surge in the state. Apart from hospitals and primary health centers, the corona tests are also being done by mobile teams. Test facility through rapid antigen kits to identify corona infected patients is currently available in 832 centers. Out of this, 539 centers are in rural areas, while 36 centers are established in urban areas.  Meanwhile, ICMR has completed collection of samples for Sero surveillance in seven districts of the state.

FACT CHECK

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Source: PIB

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Faceless Appeals launched by CBDT today

Faceless Appeals launched by CBDT today

Income Tax Department has launched the Faceless Income Tax Appeals. In the Faceless Appeals, all the income tax appeals will be finalised in a faceless manner under the faceless ecosystem with the exception of appeals relating to serious frauds, major tax evasion, sensitive & search matters, International tax and Black Money Act.

Ministry of Finance

Faceless Appeals launched by CBDT today- Honoring The Honest

25 SEP 2020

The Income Tax Department today launched Faceless Income Tax Appeals. Under Faceless Appeals, all Income Tax appeals will be finalised in a faceless manner under the faceless ecosystem with the exception of appeals relating to serious frauds, major tax evasion, sensitive & search matters, International tax and Black Money Act. Necessary Gazette notification has also been issued today.

It may be noted that Hon’ble PM on 13th August, 2020 while launching the Faceless Assessment and Taxpayers’ Charter as part of “Transparent Taxation - Honoring the Honest” platform, had announced launching of Faceless Appeals on 25th September, 2020 on the birth anniversary of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay. Also, in recent years the Income Tax Department has carried out several reforms in Direct Taxes for the simplification of tax processes and for ease of compliance for the taxpayers.

Under the Faceless Appeals, from now on, in income tax appeals, everything from e-allocation of appeal, e-communication of notice/ questionnaire, e-verification/e-enquiry to e-hearing and finally e-communication of the appellate order, the entire process of appeals will be online, dispensing with the need for any physical interface between the appellant and the Department. There will be no physical interface between the taxpayers or their counsel/s and the Income Tax Department. The taxpayers can make submissions from the comfort of their home and save their time and resources.

The Faceless Appeals system will include allocation of cases through Data Analytics and AI under the dynamic jurisdiction with central issuance of notices which would be having Document Identification Number (DIN). As part of dynamic jurisdiction, the draft appellate order will be prepared in one city and will be reviewed in some other city resulting in an objective, fair and just order. The Faceless Appeal will provide not only great convenience to the taxpayers but will also ensure just and fair appeal orders and minimise any further litigation. The new system will also be instrumental in imparting greater efficiency, transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Income Tax Department.

As per data with CBDT, as on date there is a pendency of almost 4.6 lakh appeals at the level of the Commissioner (Appeals) in the Department. Out of this, about 4.05 lakh appeals, i.e., about 88 % of the total appeals will be handled under the Faceless Appeal mechanism and almost 85% of the present strength of Commissioners (Appeals) shall be utilised for disposing off the cases under the Faceless Appeal mechanism.

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Source: PIB

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संसद के दोनों सदनों में नई श्रम क़ानून के तीन लेबर कोड पास

राज्य सभा में भी नई श्रम क़ानून के तीन लेबर कोड पास

लोकसभा में पास होने के बाद राज्यसभा में भी श्रम कानून में सुधार करने वाला तीन लेबर कोड को पास कर दिया गया. इसके साथ ही ये श्रम कानून के रास्ते के सभी बाधा दूर हो गयी है. अब श्रम क़ानून के संशोधन के बाद अब इस क़ानून से 50 करोड़ से भी अधिक मजदूरों के जीवन में बहुत बड़ा बदलाव होगा. अब देखना ये है कि ये बदलाव मजदूरों के लिए फायदेमंद होंगे या नुकसानदायक. इस नए क़ानून के अनुसार 300 से कम मजदूरों वाली कंपनी को मजदूरों की छटनी करने का हक़ होगा. इसके साथ ही अब महिलाओं को भी नाईट शिफ्ट का मौका दिया जाएगा. 

महिलाओं और पुरुषों के वेतन में समानता होगा. श्रम और रोजगार मंत्री ने जवाब देते हुए कहा कि श्री प्रधानमंत्री जी का सपना था कि मजदूरों के भविष्य को सुधारने के लिए कुछ किया जाए. इस क़ानून के बाद अब संगठित और असंगठित मजदूरों को भी नियमित कर्मचारियों की तरह सभी सेवा शर्तें लागू होंगी. महिलाओं के लिए मातृत्व अवकाश अब 12 सप्ताह से बढ़ाकर 26 सप्ताह हो जाएगा. इस क़ानून के तहत सभी मजदूरों को कम से कम सरकार द्वारा निर्धारित न्यूनतम मजदूरी प्राप्त होगा जो अभी तक नहीं मिल पाता था. 

इस क़ानून के तहत सभी मजदूरों को स्वास्थ्य सुरक्षा भी प्रदान किया जाएगा अर्थात उसे काम करने के लिए सुरक्षित वातावरण दिया जाएगा. इसके तहत पहली बार एक निश्चित आयु से ऊपर के श्रमिकों के लिए, वार्षिक स्वास्थ्य जांच का प्रावधान किया गया है. 

श्रम और रोजगार मंत्रालय

ऐतिहासिक एवं निर्णायक श्रम कानूनों के अधिनियमन का मार्ग प्रशस्त करने के लिए संसद ने तीनों श्रम संहिताओं को पारित किया

ये श्रम संहिताएं कामगारों और उद्योग जगत की आवश्यकताओं में सामंजस्य स्थापित करती हैं तथा कामगारों के कल्याण के लिए मील का पत्थर साबित होंगी : श्री गंगवार

नई श्रम संहिताओं के माध्यम से देश में सबका साथ, सबका विकास और सबका विश्वास को प्रोत्साहन मिलेगा  : श्री गंगवार

श्री गंगवार ने इस बात पर बल दिया कि इन श्रम संहिताओं  में श्रम कल्याण उपबंधों से संबंधित कई ‘महत्वपूर्ण परिवर्तन’ किए गए हैं

नई श्रम संहिताओं में 50 करोड़ से अधिक संगठित, असंगठित तथा स्व-नियोजित कामगारों के लिए न्यूनतम मजदूरी, सामाजिक सुरक्षा आदि का प्रावधान किया गया है।

महिला कामगारों को पुरुष कामगारों की तुलना में वेतन की समानता सुनिश्चित होगी

गिग और प्लेटफॉर्म कामगारों सहित असंगठित क्षेत्र के 40 करोड़ कामगारों के लिए ‘सामाजिक सुरक्षा कोष’ की स्थापना से सार्वभौमिक सामाजिक सुरक्षा दायरे के विस्तार में सहायता मिलेगी

श्रमजीवी पत्रकारों की परिभाषा में डिजिटल और इलैक्ट्रानिक मीडिया को शामिल किया जाएगा।

गिग तथा प्लेटफॉर्म कामगारों के साथ-साथ बागान कामगारों को भी ईएसआईसी के लाभ प्राप्त होंगे

प्रवासी कामगारों की शिकायतों का समाधान करने के लिए हेल्प लाइन की शुरूआत ।

इन श्रम संहिताओं से सभी संहिताओं के लिए एक पंजीकरण, एक लाइसेंस और एक विवरणी के प्रावधान से एक पारद‎र्शी, जवाबदेह और सरल कार्यतंत्र की स्थापना होगी।

23 SEP 2020

श्रम एवं रोजगार राज्य मंत्री (स्वतंत्र प्रभार) श्री संतोष कुमार गंगवार ने श्रम सं‎हिताओं पर आज राज्य सभा में चर्चा के दौरान कहा कि द्वितीय राष्ट्रीय श्रम आयोग की सिफारिशों के अनुसार हमारी सरकार ने सभी श्रम कानूनों को 4 श्रम संहिताओं में समाहित करने का कार्य वर्ष 2014 में प्रारम्भ कर दिया था। कुल 44 श्रम कानूनों में से 12 श्रम कानून पहले ही निरस्त किए जा चुके हैं। वेतन संबंधी संहिता अगस्त, 2019 में पहले ही संसद द्वारा सर्वसम्मति से पारित की जा चुकी है । उन्होंने कहा कि इस संहिता के माध्यम से हमारी सरकार ने 50 करोड़ श्रमिकों को न्यूनतम मजदूरी तथा समय पर वेतन मिलने का कानूनी अ‎धिकार दिया था । इसी क्रम में अब माननीय सदन के सामने 3 अन्य श्रम संहिताएं लाई जा रही हैं। व्यवसायिक सुरक्षा एवं स्वास्थ्य संहिता विधेयक, 2020 में 13 श्रम कानून, औद्योगिक संबंध संहिता विधेयक, 2020 में 3 श्रम कानून तथा सामाजिक सुरक्षा संहिता विधेयक, 2020 में 9 श्रम कानून समाहित किए गए हैं।

2.   श्रम संहिताओं पर बोलते हुए श्रम एवं रोजगार मंत्री ने कहा कि इन संहिताओं को पहले 2019 में लोक सभा में पेश किया गया था । श्रम संबंधी संसदीय स्थायी समिति की सिफारिशों तथा अन्य सभी हितधारकों के सुझावों के अनुसार इन संहिताओं को महत्वपूर्ण बदलावों के साथ वर्तमान सत्र में लोक सभा में पुन: रखा किया गया और ये तीनों संहिताएं लोक सभा से पारित होने के पश्चात आपके समक्ष विचारार्थ लाई गई हैं। उन्होंने आगे कहा कि श्रम संबंधी संसदीय स्थायी समिति  की 233 सिफारिशों में से 74 प्रतिशत सिफारिशों को स्वीकार करते हुए इन संहिताओं को अंतिम रूप दिया गया है।

3.   श्री गंगवार ने कहा कि हमारे यशस्वी प्रधान मंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी का मंत्र रहा है- रिफॉर्म, परफॉर्म, ट्रांसफॉर्म। माननीय प्रधानमंत्री जी के इसी मंत्र पर अमल करते हुए हमारी सरकार ने 2014 से लेकर अब तक श्रमिकों के कल्याण हेतु अनेक कदम उठाए हैं तथा इन श्रम संहिताओं के माध्यम से समग्र श्रम सुधार का सपना साकार हो रहा है।

4.   श्रम मंत्री ने आगे बताया कि ओएसएच संहिता में श्रमिकों को कार्य के लिए एक सुरक्षित वातावरण उपलब्ध कराने तथा श्रमिक कल्याण सुनिश्चित करने हेतु प्रावधान शामिल किए गए हैं। इसी प्रकार आईआर संहिता के माध्यम से श्रमिकों के लिए एक प्रभावी विवाद निस्तारण व्यवस्था सुनिश्चित की जा रही है। इस संहिता का उद्देश्य है कि प्रत्येक औद्योगिक संस्थान में, चाहे वहां एक ही श्रमिक कार्य कर रहा हो, एक प्रभावी एवं समयबद्ध विवाद निस्तारण प्रणाली उपलब्ध हो। सामाजिक सुरक्षा संहिता, संगठित एवं असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों को व्यापक सामाजिक सुरक्षा के दायरे में लाने का कार्य करेगी । इसमें भवन निर्माण कामगारों के लिए ईपीएफओ, ईएसआईसी, मातृत्व लाभ, ग्रेच्युटी तथा असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों के लिए सामाजिक सुरक्षा फंड  से संबंधित उपबंध शामिल हैं। इस संहिता के माध्यम से हम माननीय प्रधानमंत्री जी के “सार्वभौमिक सामाजिक सुरक्षा” के संकल्प को पूरा करने की ओर अग्रसर हैं।

5.   श्री गंगवार ने इस बात पर बल दिया कि इन तीनों श्रम संहिताओं के माध्यम से श्रमिकों, उद्योग जगत तथा अन्य संबंधित पक्षों के अधिकारों एवं आवश्यकताओं में एक सामांजस्य स्थापित किया है तथा आशा है कि ये श्रम संहिताएं श्रमिकों के कल्याण हेतु महत्वपूर्ण साबित होंगी। हमारी सरकार सदैव से ‘श्रमेव जयते’ के सिद्धांत को मानती है तथा एक श्रमिक के जीवन को बेहतर बनाने के लिए संकल्पित है। इसी उद्देश्य से हम अपने श्रमिकों को वेतन सुरक्षा, काम करने के वातावरण की सुरक्षा, सामाजिक सुरक्षा तथा त्वरित विवाद निस्तारण प्रणाली देने के लिए सदैव प्रयासरत रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि हमारे माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी ने अपने कार्यकाल के आरम्भ में ही यह स्वीकार किया है कि जितना महत्व ‘सत्यमेव जयते’ का है, उतना ही महत्व राष्ट्र के विकास के लिए ‘श्रमेव जयते’ का है। इसलिए सरकार का यह प्रयास रहा है कि अपने श्रमिक को ‘श्रम योगी’ बनाते हुए उनके जीवन को सहज बनाने की कोशिश की जाए। इस उद्देश्य की प्राप्ति के लिए पिछले 6 वर्षों में लगातार प्रयास किए, जैसे:- असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों और छोटे व्यापारियों को पेंशन देना, महिलाओं के मातृत्व अवकाश को 12 सप्ताह से बढ़ाकर 26 सप्ताह करना, ईपीएफ तथा ईएसआईसी का दायरा बढ़ाना, विभिन्न कल्याणकारी सुविधाओं की पोर्टेबिलिटी सुनिश्चित करने का प्रयास करना, न्यूनतम मजदूरी को बढ़ाना इत्यादि। इसी क्रम में श्रम सुधारों की प्रक्रिया भी 2014 में आरम्भ की गई थी, जिसका उद्देश्य यह था कि अनेक श्रम कानूनों को समाहित कर उसे सरलीकृत रूप में 4 श्रम संहिताओं में परिवर्तित किया जाए। श्रम सुधारों का उद्देश्य यह है कि अपने श्रम कानूनों को, बदलती परिस्थितियों के अनुरूप किया जाए तथा श्रमिकों और उद्योगों की आवश्यकताओं के बीच संतुलन बनाते हुए एक प्रभावी और पारदर्शी व्यवस्था दी जाए। 29 श्रम कानूनों के 4 श्रम संहिताओं में एकीकरण पर श्री गंगवार ने कहा कि श्रम संहिताओं को अंतिम रूप देने से पहले सरकार से व्यापक परामर्श किया। इनमें नौ त्रिपक्षीय बैठक, 4 उप समितियों, 10 अंतर मंत्रालयी परामर्श, ट्रेड यूनियंस, नियोक्ता संगठनों, राज्य सरकारों, विशेषज्ञों, अंतरराष्ट्रीय संगठनों के बीच विचार विमर्श शामिल हैं। साथ ही इन्हें सार्वजनिक करते हुए जनता से सुझाव/टिप्पणियां मांगी गई थीं।

6.   श्री गंगवार ने कहा कि स्वतंत्रता के 73 वर्षों की इस यात्रा में आज के नए भारत का वातावरण, तकनीकी दौर, काम करने का तरीका, तथा काम के स्वरुप में भी अत्यधिक परिवर्तन हो गया है। इस परिवर्तन के साथ यदि भारत अपने श्रम कानूनों में अपेक्षित परिवर्तन नहीं करता है तो हम श्रमिकों के कल्याण तथा उद्योगों के विकास दोनों ही उद्देश्यों में पीछे रह जायेंगे। आत्मनिर्भर श्रमिक के कल्याण और अधिकारों की संरचना, चार स्तंभों पर आधारित है। सर्वप्रथम आत्मनिर्भर श्रमिक का पहला स्तंभ यानी वेतन-सुरक्षा की बात करें, तो स्वतंत्रता के 73 वर्षों के बाद भी, और 44 श्रम कानून होने के बावजूद भारत के 50 करोड़ श्रमिकों में से लगभग 30 प्रतिशत श्रमिकों को ही न्यूनतम मजदूरी का कानूनी अधिकार था तथा सभी श्रमिकों को समय पर वेतन भी नहीं दिया जाता था। इस विसंगति को पहली बार हमारी सरकार ने दूर करने का कार्य किया है तथा सभी 50 करोड़ संगठित एवं असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों को न्यूनतम मजदूरी और समय पर वेतन मिलने का कानूनी अधिकार दिया है।

7.   श्रम मंत्री ने आगे कहा कि श्रमिक सुरक्षा दूसरा महत्वपूर्ण स्तंभ है, उसे काम करने के लिए एक सुरक्षित वातावरण देना, जिससे उसके स्वास्थ्य की सुरक्षा हो सके और वह एक खुशहाल जीवन जी सके। इसके लिए ओएसएच संहिता में पहली बार, एक निश्चित आयु से ऊपर के श्रमिकों के लिए, वार्षिक स्वास्थ्य जांच का प्रावधान किया गया है। इसके अतिरिक्त सुरक्षा से संबंधित मानदंडों को प्रभावी और गतिशील रखने के लिए उन्हें नेशनल ऑक्यूपेशनल सेफ्टी एंड हैल्थ बोर्ड के द्वारा बदलती हुई तकनीकी के साथ बदला जा सकेगा। यह बोर्ड एक त्रिपक्षीय संस्था होगी, जिसमें केन्द्र एवं राज्य सरकार, श्रमिक संगठन, नियोक्ता संगठन के प्रतिनिधि होंगे। इनके अतिरिक्त इस क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ भी इसमें शामिल होंगे। इस प्रक्रिया से अब हमारे सुरक्षा मानदंड प्रभावी और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्तर के होंगे। सुरक्षित वातावरण देने के लिए श्रमिक और नियोक्ता साथ मिलकर निर्णय लें, इसके लिए सभी संस्थानों में सुरक्षा समिति का प्रावधान किया गया है। वर्तमान श्रम कानूनों में कैंटीन, क्रैच, फर्स्ट ऐड, तथा अन्य कल्याणकारी सुविधाओं के लिए अलग-अलग थ्रेसहोल्ड दिए गए हैं। अब ओएसएच संहिता में हमने इन सभी के लिए एकसमान थ्रेसहोल्ड देने का कार्य किया है, जिससे ज्यादा से ज्यादा श्रमिक, कल्याणकारी प्रावधानों का लाभ उठा सकें।

8.   श्रम एवं रोजगार मंत्री ने उल्लेख किया कि श्रमिकों की यह समस्या रही है कि वे कई परिस्थितियों में यह सिद्ध नहीं कर पाते हैं कि वे किस संस्थान के श्रमिक हैं। इस समस्या के निदान के लिए नियुक्ति-पत्र का कानूनी अधिकार, हर श्रमिक को इस कोड के माध्यम से दिया गया है। वर्तमान में किसी श्रमिक को एक वर्ष में न्यूनतम 240 दिन का काम करने के बाद ही, हर 20 दिन पर एक दिन की छुट्टी पाने का अधिकार मिलता था। अब ओएसएच संहिता में हमने, छुट्टी की पात्रता के लिए, 240 दिन  की न्यूनतम शर्तों को घटाकर 180 दिन कर दिया है। कार्य स्थल पर चोट लगने या मृत्यु होने पर नियोक्ता के ऊपर लगाए गए जुर्माने का कम से कम 50 प्रतिशत, अन्य लाभों के अतिरिक्त पीड़ित श्रमिक को देने का प्रावधान कानून में पहली बार किया गया है। इन सभी प्रावधानों के द्वारा श्रमिकों को कार्य करने के लिए एक सुरक्षित वातावरण देने का प्रयास किया गया है। इसी प्रकार, महिलाओं को पुरुषों के समान ही कार्य करने की स्वतंत्रता होनी चाहिए तब ही हम नवीन भारत का निर्माण कर पाएंगे। इसलिए पहली बार हमने यह प्रावधान किया है कि महिलाएं किसी भी प्रकार के संस्थान में अपनी स्वेच्छानुसार रात में भी काम कर सकेंगी। परन्तु, नियोक्ता को इसके लिए, उपयुक्त सरकार द्वारा निर्धारित, सभी आवश्यक सुरक्षा प्रबंध करने पड़ेंगे।

9.   श्री गंगवार ने बल दिया कि श्रमिकों के लिए तीसरा महत्वपूर्ण स्तंभ है, व्यापक सामाजिक सुरक्षा। हमारी सरकार का संकल्प है कि हम एक सार्वभौमिक सामाजिक सुरक्षा की प्रणाली की व्यवस्था अपने श्रमिकों के लिए करें। इसी संकल्प के अनुरूप सामाजिक सुरक्षा संहिता में ईएसआईसी और ईपीएफओ के दायरे को बढ़ाया जा रहा है।  ईएसआईसी के दायरे को बढ़ाने के लिए यह प्रावधान किया गया है कि अब इसकी कवरेज देश के सभी 740 जिलों में होगी। इसके अतिरिक्त ईएसआईसी का विकल्प, बागान श्रमिकों, असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों, गिग तथा प्लेटफॉर्म वर्कर्स तथा 10 श्रमिकों से कम श्रमिक वाले संस्थानों के लिए भी होगा। यदि किसी संस्थान में जोखिम वाला कार्य होता है, तो उस संस्थान को एक श्रमिक होने पर भी अनिवार्य रुप से ईएसआईसी के दायरे में लाया जाएगा। इसी प्रकार ईपीएफओ के दायरे को बढ़ाने के लिए वर्तमान कानून में संस्थानों के शिड्यूल को हटा दिया गया है और अब वे सभी संस्थान जिनमें 20 या उससे अधिक श्रमिक हैं, वे ईपीएफ के दायरे में आएंगे। इसके अतिरिक्त 20 से कम श्रमिकों वाले संस्थान तथा स्व-रोजगार वाले श्रमिकों के लिए भी ईपीएफओ का विकल्प, सामाजिक सुरक्षा संहिता में दिया जा रहा है।

10.  श्रम मंत्री ने आगे कहा कि 40 करोड़ असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों को सामाजिक सुरक्षा देने के लिए विशेष रूप से सामाजिक सुरक्षा कोष का प्रावधान किया गया है। इस फंड के द्वारा असंगठित क्षेत्र में काम कर रहे श्रमिक और गिग व प्लेटफॉर्म वर्कर्स के लिए सामाजिक सुरक्षा की योजनाएं बनायी जायेंगी। इससे, इन 40 करोड़ श्रमिक भाई-बहनों को सामाजिक सुरक्षा से संबंधित सभी प्रकार के लाभ जैसे : मृत्यु बीमा, दुर्घटना बीमा, मातृत्व लाभ और पेंशन इत्यादि प्रदान करने के लिए योजनाएं बनायी जायेंगी। इन प्रयासों के द्वारा हमने एक सार्वभौमिक सामाजिक सुरक्षा कवरेज के अपने संकल्प को पूरा करने की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम उठाया है। औद्योगिक विकास के लिए यह आवश्यक है कि हम विवाद निस्तारण की एक प्रभावी प्रणाली अपने श्रमिकों को उपलब्ध करवायें, जिससे औद्योगिक शांति सुनिश्चित हो सके। इस चौथे स्तंभ को देने के लिए आईआर संहिता में एक व्यवस्थित विवाद निस्तारण प्रणाली की व्यवस्था की गयी है, जिसके अंतर्गत हमने औद्योगिक न्यायाधिकरणों की व्यवस्था को मजबूत किया है। उन्होंने कहा कि ‘आईआर संहिता’ में भी परिभाषाओं को वर्तमान की तुलना में और ज्यादा सुदृढ़ किया गया है। उदाहरण के लिए, कामगार की परिभाषा में शामिल, सुपरवाइजर की वेतन सीमा को 10 हजार रुपए से बढ़ाकर अब 18 हजार रुपए कर दिया गया है। इस बदलाव से आज के मुकाबले कहीं ज्यादा सुपरवाइजर, आईआर संहिता की परिधि में आएंगे। उन्होंने स्पष्ट किया कि अन्य श्रेणी के श्रमिकों के लिए कोई वेतन सीमा नहीं है।

11.  श्री गंगवार ने निश्चित अवधि (फिक्स्ड टर्म) वाले रोजगार को आईआर संहिता में लाने पर कहा कि निश्चित अवधि वाले कर्मचारियों की सेवा शर्तें, वेतन, छुट्टी एवं सामाजिक सुरक्षा भी, एक नियमित कर्मचारी के समान ही होंगी। इसके अतिरिक्त निश्चित अवधि वाले कर्मचारियों को प्रो राटा ग्रेच्युटी का अधिकार भी दिया गया है। आईआर संहिता में हड़ताल के प्रावधानों पर भी मैं बताना चाहूंगा कि किसी भी श्रमिक का स्ट्राईक पर जाने का अधिकार सरकार ने वापिस नहीं लिया है। हड़ताल पर जाने से पहले, 14 दिन के नोटिस पीरियड की बाध्यता हर संस्थान पर इसलिए लागू की गयी है, जिससे इस अवधि में आपसी बातचीत के माध्यम से विवाद को समाप्त करने का प्रयास किया जा सके। श्रमिकों के हड़ताल पर जाने से, न तो श्रमिकों का, और ना ही इंडस्ट्री का कोई लाभ होता है। जहां तक आईआर संहिता में छंटनी, क्लोजर या जबरन छंटनी में थ्रेसहोल्ड को 100 श्रमिक से बढ़ाकर 300 श्रमिक करने की बात है, तो इस पर श्रम मंत्री ने कहा कि श्रम एक समवर्ती सूची का विषय है और संबंधित राज्य सरकारों को भी अपनी परिस्थितियों के अनुरूप श्रम कानूनों में परिवर्तन करने का अधिकार है। इसी अधिकार का उपयोग करते हुए 16 राज्य, पहले ही अपने यहां यह सीमा बढ़ा चुके हैं। संसदीय स्थायी समिति ने भी यह अनुशंसा की थी कि इस सीमा को बढ़ा कर 300 कर दिया जाय। इसके अतिरिक्त इस प्रावधान का एक पक्ष यह भी होता है कि ज्यादातर संस्थान, 100 से अधिक श्रमिकों को अपने संस्थान में नहीं रखना चाहते हैं, जिससे अनौपचारिक रोजगार को बढ़ावा मिलता है।

12.  श्रम मंत्री ने उल्लेख किया कि आर्थिक समीक्षा 2019 के अनुसार राजस्थान राज्य में इस सीमा को 100 से 300 करने के बाद, बड़ी फैक्ट्रियों की संख्या के साथ-साथ, श्रमिकों के रोजगार सृजन में भी बढ़ोत्तरी हुई है तथा छंटनी के मामलों में अभूतपूर्व कमी आयी है। इससे यह स्पष्ट होता है कि इस एक प्रावधान को बदलने से देश में बड़ी-बड़ी फैक्ट्रियों को स्थापित करने के लिए निवेशक प्रेरित होंगे और ज्यादा संख्या में बड़ी फैक्ट्रियों के स्थापित होने से, रोजगार के कहीं ज्यादा अवसर, हमारे देश के श्रमिकों के लिए उत्पन्न होंगे।

13.  श्री गंगवार ने आगे कहा कि श्रमिकों को संस्थानों में उनके अधिकार दिलवाने में ट्रेड यूनियंस की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका को स्वीकार करते हुए कानून में पहली बार ट्रेड यूनियंस को संस्थान के स्तर पर, राज्य के स्तर पर तथा केन्द्र के स्तर पर मान्यता दी जा रही है। किसी भी श्रमिक की यदि नौकरी छूट जाती है तो दोबारा उसके रोजगार की संभावना बढ़ाने के उद्देश्य से आईआर संहिता में पहली बार पुनः कौशल (रि स्किलिंग) फंड का प्रावधान किया गया है। इन श्रमिकों को इसके लिए 15 दिन का वेतन दिया जाएगा।

14.  श्री गंगवार ने आगे कहा कि कोविड-19 के परिदृश्य में प्रवासी श्रमिकों के अधिकारों को सुदृढ़ करने के लिए विशेष प्रावधान किए गए हैं। प्रवासी श्रमिकों की परिभाषा को व्यापक बनाया गया है। अब सभी मजदूर, जो एक राज्य से दूसरे राज्य में आते हैं और उनका वेतन 18 हजार रुपए से कम है तो वे प्रवासी श्रमिक की परिभाषा के दायरे में आएंगे और उन्हें सरकार की कल्याणकारी योजनाओं का लाभ मिल पाएगा। इसके अतिरिक्त प्रवासी श्रमिकों के लिए एक डाटा बेस बनाने का प्रावधान, उनकी कल्याणकारी योजनाओं की पोर्टेबिलिटी, एक अलग हेल्पलाइन की व्यवस्था तथा उन्हें साल में एक बार अपने मूल स्थान पर जाने के लिए नियोक्ता द्वारा यात्रा-भत्ता दिए जाने का प्रावधान किया गया है। क्योंकि श्रमिक और उद्योग, दोनों एक  दूसरे के पूरक हैं, इसलिए बदलते परिवेश में हमारे श्रमिकों और उद्योगों की आवश्यकताओं में भी संतुलन होना चाहिए ।

15. श्रम मंत्री ने कहा कि इन श्रम संहिताओं में जहां एक तरफ श्रमिकों के अधिकारों को सुदृढ़ करने का प्रयास किया गया है, वहीं उद्योगों को सरलता से चलाने के लिए एक सरल अनुपालन की व्यवस्था भी की गई है। अब उद्योग लगाने के लिए विभिन्न श्रम कानूनों के अंतर्गत, अलग-अलग कई रजिस्ट्रेशन या कई लाइसेंस लेने की आवश्यकता नहीं होगी। जहां तक संभव है, अब हम रजिस्ट्रेशन, लाइसेंस इत्यादि को समयबद्ध सीमा में और ऑनलाइन प्रक्रिया के अंतर्गत प्रदान करने की व्यवस्था करने जा रहे हैं।

16.  श्री गंगवार ने विशेष बल देते हुए कहा कि इस प्रकार इन 4 श्रम संहिताओं के माध्यम से हम एक तरफ श्रमिकों का कल्याण सुनिश्चित कर रहे हैं, वहीं दूसरी तरफ यह प्रयास है कि एक सरल अनुपालन व्यवस्था के माध्यम से नये उद्योगों का विकास हो, जिससे हमारे कार्यबल के लिए रोजगार के नए अवसर पैदा होंगे और हमारा देश हमारे यशस्वी प्रधान मंत्री के नेतृत्व में विश्व के अग्रणी देशों में शामिल हो जाएगा जिससे सबका साथ, सबका विकास और सबका विश्वास सुनिश्चित होगा।  

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Source: PIB

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कृषि मंत्री ने आम लोगों के लिए "सेंट्रलाइज्ड फार्म मशीनरी परफॉर्मेंस टेस्टिंग पोर्टल" लॉन्च किया

कृषि मंत्री ने आम लोगों के लिए "सेंट्रलाइज्ड फार्म मशीनरी परफॉर्मेंस टेस्टिंग पोर्टल" लॉन्च किया

केंद्रीय कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र सिंह तोमर ने सभी आम लोगों के लिए "केंद्रीकृत कृषि मशीनरी परीक्षण पोर्टल (Centralized Farm Machinery Performance Testing Portal)" लांच किया, इसके द्वारा कृषि मशीनरी परीक्षण संस्थानों की सेवाओं में सुधार और मशीनों के परीक्षण और मूल्यांकन की पूरी प्रक्रिया में पारदर्शिता आएगी. 

कृषि एवं किसान कल्‍याण मंत्रालय

केंद्रीय कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र सिंह तोमर ने आम लोगों के लिए “सेंट्रलाइज्ड फार्म मशीनरी परफॉर्मेंस टेस्टिंग पोर्टल” लॉन्च किया

कृषि का मशीनीकरण छोटे और सीमांत किसानों की आवश्यकताओं के अनुरूप होना चाहिए- श्री नरेन्द्र सिंह तोमर

24 SEP 2020

केंद्रीय कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री नरेंद्र सिंह तोमार ने आज आम लोगों के लिए “केंद्रीकृत कृषि मशीनरी परीक्षण पोर्टल (सेंट्रलाइज्ड फार्म मशीनरी परफॉर्मेंस टेस्टिंग पोर्टल)” लॉन्च किया जिसे कृषि, सहकारिता और किसान कल्याण विभाग द्वारा कृषि मशीनरी परीक्षण संस्थानों की सेवाओं में सुधार और मशीनों के परीक्षण और मूल्यांकन की पूरी प्रक्रिया में पारदर्शिता लाने के लिए एक कदम के रूप में विकसित किया गया है।

इस अवसर पर श्री नरेंद्र सिंह तोमर ने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की सरकार किसानों के कल्याण और कृषि क्षेत्र के विकास के लिए पूरी तरह से प्रतिबद्ध है। सरकार की प्रतिबद्धता को ध्यान में रखते हुए कृषि क्षेत्र का बजट आवंटन भी काफी बढ़ाया गया है। श्री तोमर ने कहा कि कृषि मशीनों को अपनाने में काफी वृद्धि हुई है, जिसके परिणामस्वरूप फसल के क्षेत्र, फसल की विविधता और देश में कृषि उत्पादन का अभूतपूर्व विस्तार हुआ है। कृषि मशीनीकरण को बढ़ावा देने के लिए केंद्रीय कृषि मंत्री ने उद्योग के प्रतिनिधियों से अपील की कि वे कृषि उपकरण बनाये, जिन्हें छोटे और सीमांत किसानों द्वारा उपयोग किया जा सके।

यह पोर्टल निर्बाध तरीके से उनकी मशीनों के परीक्षण की प्रगति के लिए आवदेन करने, संप्रेषण और निगरानी करने में विनिर्माताओं को सुविधा प्रदान करेगा, क्योंकि इस पर किसी भी लोकेशन से और इंटरनेट से जुड़ी किसी भी डिवाइस से आसानी से पहुंचा जा सकता है। यह संगठन के भीतर एकीकृत तरीके से समेकित प्रबंधन की संभावना प्रदान करता है और इस प्रकार परीक्षण संस्थानों की दक्षता में सुधार लाने में मदद करेगा जिससे विभिन्न कृषि मशीनों और उपकरणों के परीक्षण समय को कम किया जा सकेगा। यह पोर्टल प्रयोक्ताओं अर्थात विनिर्माताओं, एफएमटीटीआईएस और डीएसी एंड एफडब्ल्यू को निम्नलिखित लाभ प्रदान करता है।

क. सरकार की “ईज ऑफ डूइंग” नीति की तर्ज पर यह ऑनलाइन मशीनरी के परीक्षण हेतु अप्लाई करने हेतु सुविधा प्रदान करेगा।

ख. समग्र परीक्षण प्रक्रियाओं में पारदर्शिता को सुनिश्चित करेगा।

ग. फीडबैक तेजी से प्राप्त होगी।

घ. परीक्षण समय में कमी आएगी।

ङ. कृषि विनिर्माताओं के बिजनेस खर्चे में कमी आएगी।

च. परीक्षण दक्षता में सुधार होगा।

छ. परीक्षण में पूर्णता आएगी।

ज. मंत्रालय के संबंधित अधिकारी और विनिर्माता इंटरनेट पहुंच से किसी भी स्थान से परीक्षण गतिविधियों को मॉनिटर कर पायेंगे।

कृषि मशीनीकरण कृषि कार्य को कार्यक्षम एवं लाभकारी बनाने का सर्वाधिक महत्वपूर्ण साधन है। यह फसल उत्पादन प्रणाली में उपयोग किए जाने वाले सभी प्रत्यक्ष और अप्रत्‍यक्ष इनपुट की कार्यक्षमता और उत्पा‍दकता बढ़ाने के साथ-साथ विभिन्न कृषि कार्यों से जुड़े कठिन परिश्रम को कम करता है। भारत सरकार के कृषि मशीनीकरण संबंधी कार्यक्रमों एवं स्कीमों के फलस्वरूप विभिन्न कृषि कार्यों के निष्पादन हेतु प्रति इकाई क्षेत्र में विद्युत की उपलब्धता में अनुक्रमिक वृद्धि हुई है। इस बदलाव के फलस्वरूप कृषि का विविधीकरण हुआ है और परंपरागत फसलों से व्यावसायिक फसलों की ओर रुझान बढ़ा है।

फार्म मशीनों का परीक्षण कृषि मशीनीकरण का एक महत्व‍पूर्ण पहलू है, जो किसानों और कृषि मशीनों के विनिर्माताओं दोनों को लाभान्वित करता है। कृषि मशीनों का परीक्षण एवं मूल्यांकन गुणवत्ता तथा कार्य क्षमता में सतत सुधार करता है। एक समान प्रकार की मशीनों के लिए तुलनात्मक डाटा विनिर्माताओं के लिए उपलब्ध है, जो उनके उत्पाद के डिजाइन को बेहतर बनाने में उनकी मदद करता है और न केवल राष्ट्रीए स्तर पर बल्कि वैश्विक स्तर पर भी कृषि मशीनों के वाणिज्यीकरण के अवसर प्रदान करता है। कृषि मशीनरी के परीक्षण और मूल्यांकन के महत्व को देखते हुए और परीक्षण की बढ़ती हुई मांग को पूरा करने के लिए मौजूदा चार कृषि मशीनरी प्रशिक्षण और परीक्षण संस्थानों के अतिरिक्त कृषि, सहकारिता एवं किसान कल्याण विभाग ने राज्य कृषि विश्वविद्यालयों,  भारतीय कृषि अनुसंधान परिषद और राज्य सरकारों के तहत 35 संस्थानों की पहचान करके प्राधिकृत किया गया है।

बुदनी (मध्य प्रदेश), हिसार (हरियाणा), अनंतपुर (आंध्र प्रदेश) और बिस्ववनाथ चरियाली (असम) के फार्म मशीनरी प्रशिक्षण एवं परीक्षण संस्थान इसमें एक महत्वरपूर्ण भूमिका निभा रहे हैं और अपने क्षमता निर्माण कार्यक्रमों, फार्म मशीनरी परीक्षण एवं मूल्यांकन तथा किसानों के खेतों पर मशीनों/प्रौद्योगिकियों के प्रदर्शन के माध्यम से भारत के कृषि मशीनीकरण का विकास एवं उत्तरोतर स्वीकृति में अपना महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दे रहे हैं। ओईसीडी मानकों के अनुसार बुदनी संस्थान ट्रैक्टर के परीक्षण के लिए एक नामित राष्ट्रीय संस्थान है। बुदनी और हिसार संस्थानों को केंद्रीय मोटर वाहन नियमावलियों के तहत ट्रैक्टरों एवं स्व‍चालित मशीनों की जांच के लिए मान्यता दी गई है।

इस पोर्टल के लॉन्च होने के दौरान केन्द्रीय कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण राज्य मंत्री श्री परुषोत्तम रूपाला और श्री कैलाश चौधरी, कृषि सहकारी एवं किसान कल्याण विभाग के सचिव श्री संजय अग्रवाल और विभाग के अन्य वरिष्ठ अधिकारी भी उपस्थित थे।

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Source: PIB

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PM launches the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols

PM launches the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols

Prime Minister has launched the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement, via virtual conferencing today. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju said that MyGov has registered more than 1 crore people for this unique program of the Fit India Dialogue envisioned by the Prime Minister.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Prime Minister launches the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols

Interacts with various fitness enthusiasts on the First Anniversary of Fit India Movement

Fit India Dialogue focuses on the fitness interests of every age group and brings into play different dimensions of fitness: PM

24 SEP 2020

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement, via virtual conferencing today.

Shri Modi interacted with various sports persons, fitness experts and others during the Fit India Dialogue event organised on the occasion. The virtual dialogue was conducted in a casual and informal manner where the participants shared with the Prime Minister their life experiences and their fitness mantra. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijijuparticipated in the event virtually.

The influencers, who shared their thoughts on fitness and health, include Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, Fitness icon and winner of the Ironman Triathalon Milind Soman; Paralympian gold medalist Devendra Jhajharia; nutrition expert RujutaDiwekar, who has been vocal about using local ingredients in diets and following simple fitness regimes and is the author of several best-selling books on diet and nutrition; Afshan Ashiq a woman footballer from Jammu and Kashmir who now trains other girls in football; Swami ShivadhyanamSaraswati, an alumni of IIT and MIT representing the Bihar School of Yoga and BharatiyaShikshan Mandal’s Mukul Kanitkar, who is renowned for his research for National Resurgence and is an educationist, among others.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the Fit India Dialogue focuses on the fitness interests of every age group and brings into play different dimensions of fitness.He said that within a year, this fitness movement has become a movement of the people, and a movement of positivity. Constant awareness about health and fitness is also increasing in the country, and activeness has also increased. I am happy that Yoga, Asanas, Exercise, Walking, Running, Swimming, healthy food habits, healthy lifestyle, are now becoming part of our natural consciousness. He said the Fit India movement has proved its influence and relevance in this corona period in spite of the restrictions.

The Prime Minister said staying fit is not as difficult a task as some think. With a little discipline and a little hard work you can always be healthy. He gave the mantra 'Fitness dose, Half an hour everyday' for everyone's health. He urged everyone to practice yoga, or badminton, tennis or football, karate or kabaddi for at least 30 minutes daily. He said today the Youth Ministry and Health Ministry together released Fitness protocols.

The Prime Minister said today awareness about fitness has become worldwide. World Health Organization - WHO has made a Global strategy on Diet, physical activity and health. They have issued a global recommendation on Physical activity also. Today many countries like Australia, Germany, Britain and the US have set new goals for fitness and are working on them. A large-scale campaign is going on in many such countries at the moment and more and more citizens are joining the routine of daily exercise.

Click here for details of interaction of Prime Minister with fitness influencers

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1658729

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju said that MyGov has registered more than 1 crore people for this unique program of the Fit India Dialogue envisioned by the Prime Minister. Shri Rijiju added thatlast year, the PM had said that it has to be a people’s movement and it should be driven by the people and I can say happily that in the last 1 year, there has been a lot of development. He further said that we have envisaged Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols for three age groups: 5 – 18, 18 – 65 and above 65.

The Fit India Movement envisioned by Honourable PM and launched by him on August 29, 2019, has seen a collective participation of more than 3.5 crore Indians in various events, with more than 2 crore participants in the Fit India Freedom Run that was launched on August 15, 2019, with a digital footprint of 30 crore people. 

The Fit India Dialogue aims to draw ideas of health and fitness from citizens in taking the Fit India Movement forward.

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Source: PIB

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PIB Bulletin of COVID-19 of 24th September 2020

PIB Bulletin of COVID-19 of 24th September 2020

India reports steady trend of higher New Recoveries than New Cases for 6th successive day. 13 states / UTs reporting higher number of new recoveries than the new cases. Recovery Rate has crossed 81.55%. 75% of new confirmed cases found concentrated in 10 States / UTs. PM interacts with CMs of seven states to review status and response to COVID - 19: exhorts the States to assess the efficacy of local lockdowns of 1-2 day in controlling the spread of the virus. eSanjeevani OPD of Health Ministry Completes 3 lakh tele-consultations within six months of launch.

PIB Headquarters

PIB’S DAILY BULLETIN ON COVID-19

24 SEP 2020

(Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)

India reports steady trend of higher New Recoveries than New Cases for the 6th successive day; 74% of New Recoveries from 10 States/UTs

With its focussed strategies and effective people-centric measures, India is reporting exponential increase in recoveries. New recoveries in India have exceeded the new cases for the last six days. 87,374 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours in the country, while the number of new confirmed cases stands at 86,508. With this, the total number of recoveries are 46.7 lakh (46,74,987). The Recovery Rate has crossed 81.55%. The gap between Recovered Cases and the Active Cases is continuously widening. The recovered cases (46,74,987) exceed the active cases (9,66,382) by more than 37 lakh. This has also ensured that the active caseload accounts for merely 16.86% of the total positive cases. This has sustained on its steady declining path. Following the national lead, 13 States/UTs are also reporting higher number of new recoveries than the new cases. Nearly 74% of the New Recovered cases are found in 10 States/UTs. Maharashtra has maintained this lead with 19,476 cases (22.3%) for the sixth consecutive day.

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75% of new confirmed cases found concentrated in 10 States/UTs

For the sixth consecutive day, the number of new confirmed cases has been lower than the new recoveries.A total of 86,508 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in the country. 75% of the new confirmed cases are concentrated in 10 States/UTs.Maharashtra continues to top this list. It has alone contributed more than 21,000 followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka with more than more than 7,000 and 6,000 cases respectively.1,129 deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours.10 States/UTs account for 83% of the deaths in the last 24 hours due to COVID.Maharashtra reported 479 deaths followed by Uttar Pradesh and Punjab with 87 and 64 deaths, respectively. India has substantially ramped up its testing infrastructure across the country. As on date, there are 1810 labs including 1082 government and 728 private labs. 11,56,569 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. The total number of tests has crossed 6.74 cr today.

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PM interacts with CMs of seven states to review status and response to COVID-19

Prime Minister Shri NarendraModiyesterday interacted with Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing to review status and response to COVID-19.Prime Minister remarked that the day marks the second anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana, and noted that in these two years, more than 1.25 crore poor patients have received free treatment under the scheme. He lauded the doctors and medical staff who are continuously engaged in serving the poor.Noting that while the number of cases is increasing, the Prime Minister said that the country is also conducting more than 10 lakh tests daily, and the number of patients recovering is fast increasing. He said that there is a need to further strengthen health infrastructure to tackle COVID, improve the network of tracking and tracing, and ensure better training. He announced that the limit of using the State Disaster Response Fund for COVID specific infrastructure has been increased from 35% to 50%, noting that the decision will help States have more finances at their disposal to fight the virus.Prime Minister exhorted the States to assess the efficacy of local lockdowns of 1-2 days in controlling the spread of the virus, asking if the decision is preventing kickstart of economic activities in the States. He said that the country needs to not only keep fighting the virus, but also move ahead boldly on the economic front.

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Text of PM's address at the virtual meeting with the Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of seven COVID high burden States/UTs

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Prime Minister launches the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols; Interacts with various fitness enthusiast on the First Anniversary of Fit India Movement

Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi launched the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement, via virtual conferencing today.Shri Modi interacted with various sports persons, fitness experts and others during the Fit India Dialogue event organised on the occasion. The virtual dialogue was conducted in a casual and informal manner where the participants shared with the Prime Minister their life experiences and their fitness mantra.Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister saidstaying fit is not as difficult a task as some think. With a little discipline and a little hard work you can always be healthy. He gave the mantra 'Fitness dose, Half an hour everyday' for everyone's health. He urged everyone to practice yoga, or badminton, tennis or football, karate or kabaddi for at least 30 minutes daily. He said today the Youth Ministry and Health Ministry together released Fitness protocols.

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Text of Prime Minister's address at Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement

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Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses Members of the UN and WHO

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed Ministers of Member Nations of WHO, Heads & Representatives of UN Agencies & Partner Organizations through virtual interaction today. He spoke on India’s role and contribution towards strengthening multisectoral action and progress towards ending TB, especially in context of the COVID-19 crisis.The Union Health Minister spoke about Covid-19 pandemic which has “brought a dramatic shift in our lives in more ways than one”. He pointed out how the public discourse on health has now taken centre stage. There is heightened public health awareness among the public today. Covid-19 and its highly contagious nature have created a huge health related risk perception across the globe, he pointed.

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eSanjeevani OPD of Health Ministry completes 3 lakh tele-consultations within six months of launch

eSanjeevani OPD platform of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has completed 3 lakh tele-consultations. This landmark milestone has been achieved within a short period of six months since its launch.eSanjeevani OPD services have enabled patient-to-doctor telemedicine in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has helped in containing the spread of COVID by ensuring physical distancing and has simultaneously enabled provisions for non-COVID essential healthcare. The number of high tele-consultations is a testimony of its popularity among the citizens.With 1,29,801 digital interactions, Tamil Nadu has held the largest number of tele-consultations so far.eSanjeevani platform has enabled two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations. The former is being implemented through Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC).

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Monsson Session 2020 of Parliament Concludes, Productivity of LokSabha was approx. 167% and RajyaSabha was approx. 100.47% :Prahlad Joshi

The Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shri Prahlad Joshi in a statement on the Monsoon Session, 2020 issued today informed that the productivity of LokSabha was approx. 167% and that of RajyaSabha was approx. 100.47% during the Monsoon Session, 2020.  Shri Joshi said that the Monsoon Session, 2020 of Parliament which commenced on 14th September, 2020 was scheduled to culminate on 1st October, 2020 but due to COVID-19 pandemic risks after transaction of essential business LokSabha and RajyaSabha were adjourned sine-die on 23rd September, 2020 yielding 10 sittings spread over 10 days. He further informed that during the Session, 22 Bills (16 in LokSabha and 06 in RajyaSabha) were introduced. LokSabha and RajyaSabha individually passed 25 Bills each. 27 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament which is best ever rate of passage of Bills per day i.e. 2.7 Bills.Appreciating the arrangements made for conducting the Session amid Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister said that the extra-ordinary output of this Session has become possible due to tireless efforts of all agencies and individuals involved in the transaction of -Business before two Houses of Parliament.

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Press Statement of Minister of l&B on 51st edition of IFFI

The 51st Edition of the International Film Festival of India scheduled to be held at Goa from 20th November to 28th November, 2020 has been postponed to 16th to 24th January, 2021. The decision has been arrived at after the Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri PrakashJavadekar discussed the issue with Dr. PramodSawant, Chief Minister, Goa. The festival will be conducted in a Hybrid format i.e. Virtual & Physical format. All COVID related protocols will be strictly enforced as per the festivals convened recently in the International Film Festival circuit.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1658623

More than 15 Lakh loan applications received under PM SVANidhi scheme

More than 15 lakh loan applications have been received so far under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbharNidhi(PM SVANidhi) Scheme. Out of these, more than 5.5 lakh loans have been sanctioned and about 2 lakh loans disbursed. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs is implementing PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbharNidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme to facilitate collateral free working capital loan to 50 lakh street vendors to restart their businesses post COVID-19 lockdowns. In order to expedite the loan sanctioning process and provide ease of operation to the lenders, it has been decided to push the applications directly to the bank branches, which have been indicated by the Vendor as ‘Preferred Lender’ OR where the Vendor holds a savings bank account in case ‘Preferred Lender’ is not indicated. This process is expected to give boost to the number of loans sanctioned and cut down the time for loan disbursal drastically.

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Central Pollution Control Board celebrates its 46th Foundation Day; pledges to provide technical leadership for more science-based environmental management.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate ChangeSh. Babul Supriyoyesterday said, people and governments need to share the responsibility and work together to keep the air clean. Speaking at the webinar to commemorate 46th Year of Establishment of Central Pollution Control Board, he said, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been doing a remarkable work in terms of collecting and collating the data related to pollution which is acting as a key policy input for the government and the concerned agencies to improve air quality. He said, CPCB has been providing a real time data which is commendable.Shri Supriyosaid, that the pandemic COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to press the reboot button to save the environment. The Minister further said, that there is a need to ensure that water is not polluted because it can have an adverse impact on the crops. He appreciated CBCB for handling bio-medical waste during the times of COVID-19.

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COVID-19 Treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana

Under Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY), as of 21.09.2020, over 1.26 Crore hospital admission have been authorised since its inception. Out of these 5.13 lakh hospital admissions have been authorized towards testing and treatment of COVID-19.The funds under AB-PMJAY are allocated on PAN India basis and are released to the State/UT based on the receipt of proposal after due compliance and furnishing of requisite information.The budget allocated for implementation of AB-PMJAY for the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 has been Rs. 2400 Crore, Rs. 6400 Crore and Rs. 6400 Crore respectively.From the launch of AB-PMJAY till 21.09.2020, a total of Rs. 5474 Crore have been disbursed to States/UTs for implementation of scheme. Total amount sanctioned to the States/UTs is:Rs. 1849.5 Crores for fiscal year 2018-19, Rs. 2992.9 Crores for fiscal year 2019-20, Rs. 631.0 Crores for fiscal year 2020-21 (ongoing.)Funds are allocated to PM-JAY which are disbursed among States/UTs based on the amount incurred towards treatment of beneficiaries in the respective States/UTs. The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabha yesterday.

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OPD services under RashtriyaArogyaNidhiand Ayushman Bharat Yojana

Government is implementing Umbrella Scheme of RashtriyaArogyaNidhi (RAN) to provide financial assistance for treatment of poor patients suffering from life threatening disease undergoing treatment in Government hospitals. Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per annum for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to poor and vulnerable families identified as per Socio-Economic Caste Census Database. There is no proposal to extend the coverage of these schemes to out-patient services.Sufficient funds have been allocated under AB-PMJAY and Umbrella scheme of RAN for providing the hospitalization and treatment services to entitled beneficiaries. The allocation under Budget Estimates (BE) 2020-21 for AB-PMJAY and Umbrella scheme of RAN are Rs. 6400 crore and Rs. 177.32 crore respectively. BE 2020-21 for Umbrella scheme of RAN includes Rs. 77.32 crore for the rare diseases component.Government has formulated draft of the National Policy for Rare Diseases 2020 and placed it on the website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inviting comments from all stakeholders. The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabhayesterday.

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Incentives for ASHAs

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India has provisioned additional incentive of Rs. 1000 per month under the “India COVID 19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package” to ASHAs for undertaking COVID 19 related activities for the period of their engagement in this work. Further the benefit under “Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Package : Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID 19”, has been launched to provide an insurance cover of Rs. 50 lakh to public health providers including ASHAs, who may be at risk of being impacted by COVID 19.The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabhayesterday.

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Guidelines for use and disposal of face mask

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in its guidelines on rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has issued specifications and standards to be followed for Personal Protective Equipment including medical mask for use by healthcare workers and other front-line workers. These specifications are available in public domain through the website of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.Government of India has also issued advisory & manual on use of homemade protective cover for face & mouth for use by general public.From no indigenous manufacturer to begin with, 1100 indigenous manufacturers of PPE kits have been developed by the Government till date, most of them being from MSME sector. As per the current assessment, the production capacity of PPE coveralls is nearly 5 lakh per day with potential for additional capacity creation to meet demand.The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabhayesterday.

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Vaccines Being Developed to Combat Coronavirus

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has informed that it has granted test license permission for manufacture of COVID-19 Vaccine for preclinical test, examination and analysis to the following manufacturers in India: M/s Serum Institute of India Pvt., Ltd., Pune, Ms. Cadila Healthcare Ltd., Ahmadabad, M/s Bharat Biotech International Ltd., Hyderabad, Biological E Ltd., Hyderabad, M/s Reliance Life Sciences Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, M/s AurbindoPharma Limited, Hyderabad and M/s Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, Pune. A National Expert Group on COVID 19 vaccine has been constituted to guide the Government on:-Prioritization of population groups for vaccination, Selection of COVID 19 vaccine candidates, Inventory management and delivery mechanism of the vaccine including making of vaccination process,Selection of delivery platforms and Cold chain and associated infrastructure for roll-out of COVID 19 vaccination etc.phase II clinical trials are ongoing. The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabhayesterday.

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Additional Borrowing permission granted for Rs. 9,913 crore to Five States on meeting reform targets

Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has granted permission to raise additional financial resources of Rs. 9,913 crore to 5 (five) States through Open Market Borrowings (OMBs). These States are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Karnataka and Tripura. This permission has been accorded after these States successfully met the reform condition of implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System.In view of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic the Central Government had in May, 2020 allowed additional borrowing limit of up to 2 percent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to the States for the year 2020-21.

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INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Kerala:State Health Department has reported that five districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode and Kasaragod, are witnessing extreme spread of Covid-19. It has directed to identify people with Covid-19 symptoms and quarantine them immediately. The latest report of the Health Department also revealed that the daily number of cases will go up in these districts. In Kozhikode district, test positivity rate has risen to 9.1 percent. The Palayam market in Kozhikode will be shut down for a week. 143 more positive cases have been reported in the district till noon today. Breaching the 5000-mark, 5,376 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Kerala yesterday. 42,786 patients are now undergoing treatment. A total of 2,12,629 persons under observation across the state.
• Tamil Nadu: Puducherry reported its highest single-day spike of 668 Covid-19 cases and six deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases to 24,895, active cases to 5097, and deaths at 487; so far 19,311 Covid infected persons have recovered in the UT. Founder President of DMDK A. Vijayakant tested positive for Covid-19. TN breached yet another grim milestone on Wednesday with the number of Covid deaths crossing 9,000. The total number of people discharged after treatment crossed the five lakh mark with 5,363 more people getting discharged. The State reported 5,325 fresh cases, taking the tally to 5,57,999 yesterday.
• Karnataka: Karnataka’s Covid fatality rate dipping, CM Yediyurappa tells PM Modi. In the video conference, Yediyurappa informed the PM that the state has set up 136 testing laboratories and testing has been increased to about 70,000 samples per day. Indian Medical Association data shows 43 doctors on the frontlines of the pandemic in Karnataka died of Covid-19 since March, with the highest casualties of seven each in Bengaluru and Mysuru regions. 1.5 lakh kids switch from private to govt schools in Karnataka. The migration is mostly happening in rural areas where parents have moved back from towns to villages due to financial issues during the pandemic.
• Andhra Pradesh: The rapid spread of Covid-19, which was witnessed in urban areas such as Vijayawada, Kurnool and Guntur, has now shifted to rural areas. The State health department said this was expected, and containing the spread of the disease is not difficult. State Health Commissioner observed that each district experienced the peak phase of about 40 days. As per state’s assessment, all 13 districts have crossed the infection peak, while positivity rate and daily deaths per million have reduced. Meanwhile the State continues to record more recoveries than new Covid cases as 8,291 patients got discharged across the State.
• Telangana: 2176 new cases, 2004 recoveries & 8 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; out of 2176 cases, 308 cases reported from GHMC. Total cases:1,79,246; Active cases:30,037; Deaths:1070; Discharges:1,48,139. In a respite to commuters who depend on bus services for their travel needs, TSRTC has resumed mofussil services on the Hyderabad city outskirts.
• Arunachal Pradesh:Arunachal Pradesh recorded 289 new Covid19 positive cases with Itanagar Capital Region accounting for 173 cases.
• Assam: In Assam during the last 24 hours 1762 COVID-19 patients discharged after recovery. Total active cases in the state reached to 30182. While 132709 patients have been discharged so far.
• Manipur: In Manipur 96 new Covid19 positive cases detected taking the covid tally to 9376. With 75 percent recovery rate, there are 2206 active cases in the state.In Manipur 2 patients expired due to Covid19 complications taking the death toll in the state to 62.
• Sikkim: In Sikkim till today 1974 COVID-19 patients discharged after recovery. There are 607 active cases in the state.
• Maharashtra: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressed confidence that his government’s just launched ‘My family - My Responsibility’ direct contact campaign would strengthen the fight against Covid-19 in the state which has recorded more than 2.73 lakh active cases as on date. 59 thousand health teams have been formed to reach out to 2.25 crore households across the state.Besides creating public awareness about Covid-19, the campaign envisages conducting health checks to identify symptoms followed by proper treatment of patients.  CM Thackerey briefed Prime Minister NarendraModi about the state’s initiative during the Covid review meeting held on Wednesday evening.
• Gujarat: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has directed the state Health Department to conduct a state-wide investigation on private laboratories, after a report in a Gujarati daily stated that several of them were offering "bogus negative certificates" without collecting samples or providing details of tests.  These certificates were allegedly issued to returning migrant workers to help them dodge 14 days quarantine 
• Rajasthan:  In Rajasthan, the recovery rate of the Corona patients has reached 83.12 per cent in the state. At the same time, the number of people who have won the battle of life by defeating Corona has also crossed one lakh. Barmer tops the recovery rate, where more than 95 per cent patients have been recovered. Bundi and Sirohi districts also have high recovery rate. Hanumangarh, Bundi, Jhunjhunu, Pratapgarh and Dausa are the districts where the death toll due to Corona is in the single digit.
• Madhya Pradesh: In 23 days of September, Covid-19 cases have more than doubled in 21 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The tally has more than tripled in at least three districts, and in Narsinghpur, it has increased by nearly 400%. The major Covid-19 hotbeds of the state — Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur and Gwalior — are not among these 21 districts.  This clearly indicates the spread of Covid-19 in smaller districts of the state.

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Source: PIB

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