Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the citizens to be ready to prevent, prepare and respond to the next health emergency.   In a video message at the G20 Health Ministers meeting being held in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, PM Modi said, “This is especially important in today’s interconnected world. As we saw during the pandemic, health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short time.” The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is being held in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar from August 17-19. Notably, India assumed the presidency of the G20 on 1 December 2022.  While explaining the importance of holistic health, he said that the global celebration of the International Day of Yoga is a testament to the universal desire for holistic health.  He further noted that Gujarat is an important step in establishing the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Center for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar. “The holding of the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, along with the G20 Health Ministers meeting, will intensify efforts to harness its potential. It should be our joint effort to build a global repository for traditional medicine,” he added.    PM Modi further said that health and the environment are organically linked. He added that clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient nutrition, and secure shelter are major factors of health. “The steps taken to address the threat of Anti-Microbial Resistance are also commendable. AMR is a grave risk to global public health and all pharmaceutical advancements so far. I am also glad that the G20 Health Working Group has prioritized ‘One Health’.” He emphasized that the vision of ”One Earth, One Health” envisages good health for the entire ecosystem, including humans, animals, plants and the environment. “This integrated view carries Gandhiji’s message of not leaving anyone behind,” he said.  Additionally, he stressed the digital solutions and technological innovations to make our efforts equitable and inclusive. Nowadays, people from far and wide can receive quality care through tele-medicine.  “India’s national platform, e-Sanjeevani, has facilitated 140 million telehealth consultations to date. India’s COWIN platform successfully facilitated the largest vaccination drive in human history. It managed the delivery of more than 2.4 billion vaccine doses and the real-time availability of globally verifiable vaccination certificates,” he said.  Such global initiatives on digital health will bring together various digital health initiatives on a common platform. “This initiative will allow countries in the Global South to close the gap in healthcare delivery. It will take us one step closer to our goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage,” PM Modi added.

The security environment in our neighbourhood remains far from ideal. Therefore, our economic progress needs to be complemented by a mirroring trajectory of homegrown military capabilities : VR Chaudhari, Indian Air Chief Marshal The IAF Chief was speaking at an event here. “We need to have own research and development. Industry needs to adopt the twin mantras of quality and scalability of products,” he said. “The Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2 version project will help indigenous manufacturing. The expertise gained from this will help in making Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft,” said the IAF Chief. Noting that the country is faced with a wide variety of threats, the Air Chief Marshal said the distinct challenge lied in convergence into hybrid wars. “The impact of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is being felt globally. The world is staring at an economic recession, with many smaller countries already facing the brunt of political instability caused by hyperinflation. In this environment, India continues to be an outlier as our economy has shown a robust recovery,” he said. “The security environment in our neighbourhood remains far from ideal. Therefore, our economic progress needs to be complemented by a mirroring trajectory of homegrown military capabilities. Rapid economic growth has allowed countries to invest heavily into military technology and associated research and development,” he said. Chaudhari said given the political scenario prevalent today, it was important for the Indian Air Force to enhance its capabilities across the conventional, sub-conventional and non-conventional domains. “New technologies, platforms, weapons, systems and forms of warfare are being conceptualised, which have the potential of making the existing inventory less relevant or even redundant. Our adversaries have developed full-spectrum capabilities across multiple domains, which can be brought to bear upon us in case of any escalation, or even in a no war, no peace situation,” he added. Source: The Tribune  

Agnipath scheme aims to make the Army a future-ready fighting force capable of meeting multiple challenges across the full spectrum of conflict, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Tuesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with three services chiefs General Manoj Pande (Army), Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Admiral R Hari Kumar (Navy), addressed a joint press conference today at National Media Centre in New Delhi. Here, the government unveiled a new scheme called "Agnipath" for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, largely on a short-term contractual basis, with an aim to cut the ballooning salary and pensions bill. Speaking at the press conference today, the Indian Army chief said, "Agnipath scheme aims to make the Army a future-ready fighting force capable of meeting multiple challenges across the full spectrum of conflict and it will increase the technical threshold of the Army by recruiting 'Agniveers' through ITIs and other tech-institutes." The Army chief highlighted that 'Agniveers' will be assimilated and integrated into Army in every way. "We will institute a fair, transparent and scientific method in screening initial intake of four years and apply similar yardsticks to select those who will get enrolled... 'Agniveers' will be assimilated and integrated into Army in every way," he said. "There won't be any compromise on the skillset of Agniveers. We will deploy Agniveers on borders," Chief Of Army Staff General Manoj Pande said. The Army chief said further, "Agnipath scheme aims to bring a paradigm shift in recruitment in armed forces. Agnipath scheme will help ensure optimum balance between youth and experience in Army." Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on June 14, approved the Agnipath scheme under which the youngsters will be provided with an opportunity to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces. The Agnipath model envisages the recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the Army, Air Force, and Navy for four years, including six months of training. Soldiers recruited under the Agnipath model will be called as 'Agniveers'. The Agniveers will form a distinct rank in the three services, and will also wear a distinct insignia as part of their uniform. Source:ANI

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, I have appointed the new faces as ministers and that does not mean that the old were failed. The country has moved much forward as the old were successful. I have appointed the new persons as ministers to prepare the future generation. All the cabinet members will be under strict surveillance. The Prime Minister said these in a view exchange meeting with the new cabinet members and Awami League executive working committee members at the Gonobhaban in the capital on Tuesday. The premier said, the country has progressed much as the old ministers were successful. Not for their failure, to prepare the future generation the new persons were placed in the cabinet instead of the old persons. At that time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the new ministers to advance the success of the old persons through their ministerial work with merit and efficiency. She also announced to keep the cabinet members under strict surveillance. In the meeting the newly appointed ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and Awami League executive working committee members were present. In the newly formed cabinet comprising 47 members led by the Prime Minister 27 are new faces. There are also four members who were not in the previous cabinet but remained there earlier. With these two categories in the cabinet the number of new faces is 31. Nine members have become ministers for the first time. Of the 19 state ministers 15 have come to the cabinet for the first time. Three deputy ministers also have taken their position in the cabinet for the first time. AH        

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Sunday asked the country’s specialized hospitals, medical colleges and sadar hospitals for taking necessary steps to ensure the proper treatment of the victims of any possible chemical attack by militants. The DGHS sent a letter in this regard to the directors concerned of the specialist hospitals and medical colleges and civil surgeons/deputy directors of all sadar hospitals on August 26, its Director (Hospital) Dr Kazi Jahangir Hossain told UNB on Sunday. “The initiative was taken based on information provided by the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry,” he said. The Home Ministry first sent the information to the Health Ministry on May 3 this year and then forwarded it to the DGHS on June 4, Dr Hossain added. The notice also directed each of the hospitals to form a special medical team to provide necessary treatment to the victims of chemical attacks as well as arrange special trainings for all the team members, and keep medical instruments and medicines in stock to deal with any emergency situation. The DGHS also asked them to keep ambulances standby and arrange alternative electricity supply (Generator) at every operation theater (OT).  It also urged all the government hospitals to ensure the capacity of treating chemical attack victims and be ready for it. A chemical attack is the use of toxic chemical agents as a weapon of mass destruction. Victims of a chemical exposure or attack require immediate decontamination. Source: UNB AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, we have to give special attention whether the schools are conducting proper educational activities. This is very important, I think. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the formal free text book distribution program and receiving the results of this year’s Primary Education Completion (PEC), Ebtedayee, Junior School Certificate (JSC), Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) and equivalent examinations at Gonobhaban on Saturday. Sheikh Hasina said, our students are meritorious and they are being given all sorts of facilities. So, why they couldn’t pass in the examination? She said, our target is that the students would be prepared to keep pace with the time. They will go forward by keeping pace with the world. They will exist in the competition and take the country forward. The Prime Minister said, we need educated population to build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ of the dream of father of the nation. The combined pass rate of this year’s JSC and JDC is 83.65 percent. One lakh 91 thousand 628 students have achieved GPA-5. This year 95.18 percent students passed in the PEC and 92.94 percent students passed in the Ebtedayee examinations. Two lakh 62 thousand 609 students got GPA-5 in PEC and five thousand 23 students got GPA-5 in Ebtedayee examinations. AH