#Jharkhand rural infrastructure challenges

[townpostin]

Fire Engulfs Boring Machine in Saraikela's Nandigram

PHD department vehicle destroyed, nearby house damaged in early morning blaze Swift community response and fire brigades prevent further spread of destructive fire. JAMSHEDPUR – A devastating fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in Nandigram, Saraikela. A boring machine belonging to the Public Health Department (PHD) was engulfed in flames, resulting in its complete destruction. The…

[garudsurvey587]

drone survey in mumbai

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, drone surveys have become an indispensable tool for various industries. Whether it’s urban planning, construction, agriculture, or environmental monitoring, drones provide accurate and timely data that can significantly enhance decision-making processes. In cities like Ranchi, Noida, Pune, Mumbai, and states like Haryana, the demand for drone survey services is on the rise, reflecting a broader trend of embracing modern technology for efficient outcomes.

Why Drone Surveys Are Essential

Drone surveys offer a multitude of benefits over traditional survey methods. They provide high-resolution aerial images and 3D maps, making them ideal for large-scale projects that require precise measurements. Drones can cover vast areas quickly, reducing the time and cost associated with manual surveys. Additionally, drones can access hard-to-reach or hazardous areas, ensuring the safety of surveyors while delivering accurate data.

Drone Survey in Ranchi

Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is witnessing rapid urbanization and infrastructure development. As the city expands, there is a growing need for accurate and efficient surveying methods. Drone survey in Ranchi have become a game-changer for construction companies, urban planners, and government agencies. These surveys provide detailed topographical data, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions about land use, infrastructure development, and environmental conservation. By utilizing drones, projects in Ranchi can be completed faster and with greater accuracy, ensuring sustainable growth for the city.

Drone Survey in Noida

Noida, a thriving industrial and IT hub in Uttar Pradesh, is known for its high-rise buildings, expansive residential complexes, and bustling commercial zones. The city’s rapid development demands precise and efficient surveying techniques. Drone survey in Noida offer unparalleled accuracy and speed, making them the preferred choice for construction companies, real estate developers, and government bodies. With drone technology, large areas can be surveyed in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods. This efficiency is particularly beneficial in Noida, where timely project completion is crucial for maintaining the city’s growth trajectory.

Drone Survey in Pune

Pune, a prominent city in Maharashtra, is known for its educational institutions, IT parks, and manufacturing industries. The city’s diverse landscape, which includes urban, suburban, and rural areas, requires versatile surveying solutions. Drone survey in Pune cater to a wide range of industries, from agriculture to construction. In the agricultural sector, drones can monitor crop health, assess soil conditions, and optimize irrigation practices. In urban areas, drone surveys provide critical data for infrastructure development, traffic management, and environmental monitoring. The ability to capture high-resolution images and create 3D models makes drone surveys an invaluable tool for Pune’s development projects.

Drone Survey in Mumbai

Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is a bustling metropolis with a complex urban landscape. The city’s rapid growth and high population density present unique challenges for urban planners, developers, and government agencies. Drone survey in Mumbai have emerged as a powerful solution for addressing these challenges. With their ability to provide accurate and real-time data, drones are being used for various applications, including land surveys, building inspections, and disaster management. In a city like Mumbai, where space is at a premium, drone surveys offer the precision needed for efficient land use planning and infrastructure development. Moreover, drones can access areas that are difficult to reach, such as narrow alleys and high-rise buildings, ensuring comprehensive data collection.

Drone Survey in Haryana

Haryana, a state with a mix of urban and rural landscapes, has seen significant development in recent years. The state’s proximity to the national capital, Delhi, and its growing industrial base have increased the demand for advanced surveying techniques. Drone survey in Haryana are playing a crucial role in supporting this development. Whether it’s for agricultural land mapping, infrastructure projects, or environmental conservation, drones provide the accurate and timely data needed to drive progress. In rural areas, drones can be used to assess crop health, monitor water resources, and plan irrigation systems. In urban areas, they are instrumental in land use planning, road construction, and real estate development. The versatility of drone surveys makes them an essential tool for Haryana’s ongoing development.

Benefits of Drone Surveys

1. **Accuracy**: Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and LiDAR sensors can capture precise data, ensuring accurate measurements and detailed maps.

2. **Efficiency**: Drones can cover large areas quickly, reducing the time and cost of surveys. This efficiency is particularly beneficial for large-scale projects.

3. **Safety**: Drones can access hard-to-reach or hazardous areas, minimizing the risk to human surveyors. This is especially important in industries like mining, construction, and disaster management.

4. **Versatility**: Drones can be used in various industries, including agriculture, construction, urban planning, environmental monitoring, and disaster management.

5. **Real-Time Data**: Drones can provide real-time data, allowing for quick decision-making and immediate action when needed.

Conclusion

As the demand for accurate and efficient surveying methods grows, drone surveys have become the go-to solution for cities and states like Ranchi, Noida, Pune, Mumbai, and Haryana. These regions, each with unique challenges and opportunities, benefit immensely from drone technology's precision, speed, and versatility. By embracing drone surveys, industries and government bodies can ensure that their projects are completed on time, within budget, and accurately. As technology continues to evolve, drone surveys will undoubtedly play an even more significant role in shaping the future of urban and rural development in India.

[reshmaguide]

How the CM’s Directive Ensured Timely Treatment for a Young Girl

In a heartwarming turn of events, a young girl named Silam Kumari from the remote village of Sarla in Jharkhand received timely medical treatment, thanks to the direct intervention of the Chief Minister (CM), Champai Soren. The incident not only underscores the power of social media in highlighting urgent issues but also the responsiveness of empathetic leadership in addressing them swiftly.

The Incident Unfolds

Silam Kumari, a nine-year-old resident of Sarla village in the Alaudia Panchayat of Latehar district, found herself in a dire situation. She developed a severe infection above her eye, manifesting as a painful abscess that required immediate medical attention. Her father, Phuleshwar Ganjhu, a laborer with limited means, was unable to provide the necessary medical care due to financial constraints and the remote location of their village, far from adequate healthcare facilities.

A Cry for Help

Desperate for help, Phuleshwar turned to a local community leader, who suggested they leverage the power of social media to draw attention to Silam's plight. An appeal was posted on the popular social media platform X (formerly Twitter), tagging the official account of the CM and other relevant authorities. The post, shared by the Tribal Army account, described Silam's condition and implored the CM to take immediate action.

Swift Response from the CM

The plea did not go unnoticed. Chief Minister Champai Soren, known for his proactive governance and empathetic approach, responded promptly. He instructed the district administration to take immediate steps to ensure the girl received the necessary medical treatment. The CM's directive was a beacon of hope for Silam and her family, showcasing the importance of a responsive and compassionate government.

Medical Intervention

Following the CM's instructions, Silam was swiftly transported to the Chandwa Community Health Center (CHC) in Latehar. The medical team, led by Dr. Neelima Kumari and Dr. Manoj Kumar, immediately took charge of her treatment. The initial assessment revealed a significant infection, and a decision was made to perform a minor surgery to drain the abscess.

The surgery was successful, and the doctors confirmed that Silam was out of danger. They also ruled out any signs of a more serious underlying condition, much to the relief of her anxious parents. The prompt medical intervention ensured that Silam's health was restored, preventing any potential complications that could have arisen from delayed treatment.

The Broader Impact

This incident highlights several critical aspects of governance and social dynamics:

The Role of Social Media: The successful use of social media to bring Silam's plight to the attention of the authorities underscores the platform's power as a tool for advocacy and change. It enables ordinary citizens to directly reach out to those in power and seek redress for their grievances.

Responsive Leadership: CM Champai Soren's swift action exemplifies the essence of responsive and empathetic leadership. By personally intervening and directing the district administration to act, he demonstrated a commitment to the well-being of his constituents, particularly those from marginalized communities.

Healthcare Accessibility: The incident also brings to light the challenges faced by residents in remote areas in accessing healthcare. It underscores the need for improved healthcare infrastructure and services in rural areas to ensure that all citizens receive timely and adequate medical care.

Community Efforts: The role of the local community leader in advising Phuleshwar to use social media was pivotal. It highlights the importance of community support and guidance in navigating bureaucratic systems and ensuring that voices from the grassroots are heard.

Conclusion

The story of Silam Kumari's treatment is a testament to the power of compassion, community, and technology in bringing about positive change. It serves as a reminder that timely intervention and responsive governance can make a significant difference in the lives of individuals, particularly those from vulnerable sections of society. As we move forward, it is crucial to continue fostering an environment where the needs of the most marginalized are addressed promptly and effectively, ensuring that no one is left behind in the quest for a healthier, more equitable society.

[udyam09]

Regional Perspectives: The Varying Impact of Udyam Registration Across Different States

Udyam Registration, introduced by the Indian government, aims to simplify and streamline the registration process for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This initiative offers numerous benefits, including access to financial incentives, subsidies, and a formalized business structure. However, the impact of Udyam Registration varies significantly across different states in India due to regional economic conditions, infrastructural development, and local governance. This article explores these regional perspectives and highlights the varying impacts of Udyam Registration across different Indian states.

Economic Diversity and State-Specific Challenges:

India's diverse economic landscape means that the benefits and challenges associated with Udyam Registration are not uniform across states. States with well-developed industrial sectors, such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, have seen a significant uptake in Udyam Registration. These states have robust industrial infrastructure, better access to financial institutions, and a higher level of awareness about government schemes. Consequently, MSMEs in these states are better positioned to leverage the benefits of Udyam Registration, such as priority sector lending, technological upgradation schemes, and market access.

Conversely, states with predominantly agrarian economies, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, face unique challenges in implementing Udyam Registration. Limited industrialization, lower levels of entrepreneurial activity, and inadequate infrastructure hinder the registration and subsequent benefits for MSMEs. In these regions, the focus needs to be on enhancing awareness about Udyam Registration, improving connectivity and infrastructure, and providing targeted support to rural and semi-urban enterprises.

Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

Infrastructure and digital connectivity play a crucial role in the effectiveness of Udyam Registration. States with advanced digital infrastructure, like Karnataka and Telangana, have a higher rate of Udyam Registration due to easier access to online registration platforms. These states also benefit from government initiatives aimed at promoting digital literacy and entrepreneurship, further boosting the registration process.

On the other hand, states with poor digital connectivity, such as parts of North-Eastern India, face significant barriers. The lack of internet access and digital literacy hampers the ability of MSMEs to complete the online registration process. To address this disparity, the government needs to establish offline registration centers and conduct widespread digital literacy programs to ensure that all eligible businesses can benefit from Udyam Registration.

Government Support and Local Governance:

The role of state governments and local governance structures is pivotal in the successful implementation of Udyam Registration. States with proactive and supportive governments, such as Kerala and Rajasthan, have launched state-specific initiatives to complement Udyam Registration. These initiatives include state subsidies, local mentorship programs, and regional workshops to educate entrepreneurs about the benefits of formal registration.

In contrast, states with less proactive governance may see slower adoption rates of Udyam Registration. Lack of awareness campaigns, inadequate support structures, and bureaucratic hurdles can deter MSMEs from registering. To mitigate these issues, collaboration between central and state governments is essential. Centralized guidelines should be adapted to meet regional needs, and local authorities must be empowered to facilitate the registration process effectively.

Regional Success Stories and Best Practices:

Examining regional success stories can provide valuable insights into best practices for implementing Udyam Registration. For instance, Gujarat's MSME sector has flourished due to a combination of state-level incentives, robust industrial policies, and effective public-private partnerships. The state’s proactive approach in establishing MSME support centers and conducting regular training sessions has significantly boosted Udyam Registration numbers.

Similarly, Tamil Nadu's focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through initiatives like the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy has created a conducive environment for MSMEs. The state's emphasis on technological upgradation and market linkages has enabled Udyam-registered businesses to thrive.

By studying these successful models, other states can adopt and adapt similar strategies to enhance the impact of Udyam Registration. Tailoring approaches to address specific regional challenges and leveraging local strengths can lead to more effective implementation and broader benefits for MSMEs.

Impact on Employment and Economic Growth:

The impact of Udyam Registration on employment and economic growth varies across states. In economically advanced states, the formalization of MSMEs has led to increased job creation, higher productivity, and improved economic output. Access to financial resources and government incentives has enabled businesses to expand, invest in new technologies, and hire more employees.

In contrast, states with slower adoption rates of Udyam Registration may not experience the same level of economic growth and employment generation. Addressing the underlying challenges in these regions is crucial to ensuring that the benefits of Udyam Registration are equitably distributed. By focusing on infrastructure development, capacity building, and targeted support, these states can unlock the potential of their MSME sectors and contribute to national economic growth.

Conclusion:

Udyam Registration has the potential to transform the MSME landscape in India by providing formal recognition and access to a range of benefits. However, the varying impact across different states highlights the need for a nuanced approach that considers regional economic conditions, infrastructural capabilities, and local governance. By addressing state-specific challenges and leveraging best practices, India can ensure that Udyam Registration serves as a catalyst for inclusive and sustainable economic growth across the nation.

[ziqitzahealthcare]

Ziqitza - Budget 2021:Healthcare Industry welcomes the increased budget allocation

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sector which is the biggest talking point this year is healthcare. The pandemic completely exposed India’s underfunded healthcare system. Critical patients all over the country were struggling to get ICU beds. Some lost their lives as the ambulances catering to the public of the state were less, while some died outside the hospitals waiting to get admitted. The pandemic exposed fundamental problems plaguing the Indian healthcare system, be it infrastructure, manpower, etc. Here’s the healthcare industry welcomed the government’s increased allocation for the healthcare sector and said that the move will provide access to medical care for all in the country, Budget presented by FM NirmalaSitharaman rolls out a 2.46 lakh crore healthcare budget for “rebuilding India that's a 137 % spike from last year's allocation under AatmanirbharSwasth Bharat Yojana. The budget adopts a holistic approach towards healthcare much needed hike in healthcare will make our country health and safe budget has seen a phenomenal increase in outlay for the healthcare sector with a focus on addressing the key issues facing India today.

The government encouraging new developments paradigm with a heightened investment towards healthcare infrastructure.The requisite focus for a stronger public health system, along with appropriate support for sustenance as well as the expansion of private healthcare infrastructure.

In addition to the National Health Mission, with whom Ziqitza Healthcare works in association with to provide quality pre-medical care to the people of states. The government has increased the spends on primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.

Amitabh Jaipuria, MD & CEO, Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd says budget 2021 is a Budget of hope towards realizing India’s growth aspirations, strengthening the healthcare system, Ziqitza is happy to know this year’s budget is pragmatic, positive, and committed to the healthcare sector which needed a deliberate boost post unprecedented virus outbreak last year. It is commendable that the government has put healthcare on the forefront, putting the focus on curative and preventive health and wellbeing. The proposals would make quality healthcare accessible and affordable, besides standardizing healthcare infrastructure across the country.

Ziqitza is currently operating Ambulances, Medical Helplines, Mobile Medical Units, and Corporate Wellness Solutions across Mumbai, Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Punjab, Odisha, MP, and Jharkhand. Ziqitza Rajasthan has operated 108 ambulances in Rajasthan free for the public to ensure healthcare is accessible to all.

  Here are the budget 2021 highlights to make it easier for you.

 A. Part A - Policy Statements

1. Health

2. Infra

3. Inclusive development

4. Human capital

5. Innovation and Research

6. Minimum Govt and max governance

Synopsis 

In the backdrop of the numerous challenges that the finance minister faced, the Union Budget presented by her on Feb 01 is path-breaking to quite an extent. The FM continued on the Govt.’s prudent path avoiding populism.

The effort is clearly attempting to spur the economic growth on a faster path by upping spending on schemes/areas which have a multiplier effect. The Budget’s task was to push the long-term growth trajectory up. A virtuous spending cycle may be triggered by these provisions that could lift the rate of growth for the economy and businesses.  No material changes to direct or indirect tax rates or provisions are welcome from a taxpayer perspective who seeks stability in the tax regime.  Raising taxes to fund expenditure would have invalidated the expansionary effect of the spending. The deficit target of 6.8 per cent for 2021-22 (way higher than most forecasts) and the target reduction of fiscal deficit to below 4.5 per cent only in 2025-26 is perhaps as bold as the expansionary fiscal policy can get. The previous target of 3% fiscal deficit (laid out in FRBM Act) now seems to have been abandoned.  However, a significant portion of an increase in spending comes from taking on the food subsidy bill on the Budget instead of financing FCI (Food Corporation of India) via the NSSF (National Small Savings Fund) (impact 0.56% of GDP in FY20).  

Healthcare / Pharma to the National Health Mission

17000 rural and 11000 urban health and wellness centers will be set up. and create new institutions, to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases. It will help pharma, healthcare & diagnostic companies. 

The Budget outlay for Health and Wellbeing is pegged at Rs 2,23,846 crores as against Rs 94,452 crores with a sharp increase of 137% over the previous year. Expenditure on health and family welfare has been increased from Rs 65,012cr to Rs 71,269cr.

 A positive development for pharma and healthcare sector. Key beneficiaries from our coverage. HCG, Apollo Hospitals, Alkem Labs, Sun Pharma, Sanofi India Govt. has provided Rs 35000cr for Covid-19 vaccine in the budget and remain committed to providing further funds if required. Positive for Healthcare and logistics Sector

[bbcbreakingnews]

Digital Divide, Educator Development –the challenges that await attention in 2021

MUMBAI: The year 2020 has revolutionised the education sector across the globe. The pandemic shook the educators and student community alike, the unemployment rate stood at 27% in India- re-establishing the importance of skill development. The Indian education system is finally ready for its digital revival. Today, as the nation prepares to step into the ‘New Beginning’ of 2021, the ecosystem needs to step up to help overcome the enlisted challenges that await the education sector. Lack of Learner Perspective Covid-19 has played a crucial role in highlighting the digital divide in India. It is being feared that the lockdown will lead to an increase in dropout rates amongst students residing in the rural and semi-urban areas. Despite the rise in wireless users in recent years, semi-urban and predominantly rural India are miles apart in their online presence (27 subscribers to 100 people in rural areas, according to 75th National Sample Survey of India). This adds to the existing challenges of unbalanced access to basic education infrastructure in the form of teachers, classrooms, study material and the teaching pedagogies. Educated employment is another major problem faced by India which the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) aims to address by focusing on skill development, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, problem-solving and industry-relevant knowledge. This problem arose as we have neglected developing career aspirations and restricted itself to assess the memory power of the students. NEP empowers educational institutions to act as the bridge between students who are potential employees and corporates, the potential employers. Lack of teaching resources As stated in a Niti Aayog report released earlier this year, a single teacher may handle 100+ students in rural areas as a result of the shortage of trained teachers. The state of Jharkhand faces a teacher shortage of ~40% as also other states like Rajasthan, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The deficit of trained teachers is another issue according to the 2015-16 Education Ministry data which revealed that 1.1 million of the 6.6 million teachers employed at the elementary level were untrained. The pandemic highlighted some of the deep-rooted problems such as lack of exposure to necessary teaching tools, engaging learning strategies and industry-relevant curriculum that teachers across India face as they struggle to broaden the learning horizons of their pupils. And if that was not all, COVID-19 has further disrupted the teacher-learner way of interaction, from the four walls of a classroom to fit a 13-inch screen. These challenges need a multi-stakeholder approach to be addressed efficiently and effectively. Digital platform players have a key role to enable transformation across 4 areas: Building Digital Twins & Leveraging AI: Building experiential learning platforms that help increase the learner engagement that bears similarity to the physical platforms is the need of the hour. It will help create a familiar atmosphere for the learner as well as enable educators to maintain the necessary decorum (For Eg. multi-lingual virtual classroom platforms). This also includes building applications that offer alternate models for lab learning and vocational trades. The learning platforms can also be backed by AI for hyper-personalisation of learning. This will help in the overall transformation of learner engagement and experience- making learning more relevant, engaging and precise. Though investments are being made on the infrastructure for the same, emphasis needs to be laid on improving the accessibility, scale, standardisation and affordability. These platforms have an important role to play in reducing dropout rates amongst the under-privileged students residing across the country. Aggregating Partner Ecosystem: Digital Technologies should act as a point of confluence bringing numerous stakeholders in the field of education, enacting different roles like infra providers, content providers, career guides, etc. These firms are playing a key role in offering an end-to-end service, ensuring that issues are addressed holistically with technology as an enabler. For. eg. One of the solutions for the digital divide could be the availability of low-cost education devices capable of working in a network-less scenario. Language is a major barrier when it comes to imparting quality education in rural areas. Enable Educator Transformation through Educational Leadership: It’s time for the head educators to take the lead, comprehend the nuances of a digital school and step ahead as digital leaders. This is a change management program and will prepare heads of institutions to lead this change. We should then focus on transforming the educators- this would typically include innovation in the teaching space to promote effective learning outcomes. A comprehensive program should help the teachers and instructors reskill and learn new skills for the digital education. Policymakers can collaborate with deep tech platform providers to explore new forms of teaching, learning, and assessment to drive 21st century skills. User experience with Service Delivery Integration: A unified, end learner experience is the result of the composition of educators, infrastructure, hardware and software services. It simultaneously results in the integration of various teaching-learning elements. This would require tech support to plug-in multiple pedagogical elements like games, assessments, hands-on components, seamlessly in one learning path. Typically, this also includes, providing industry-relevant certification courses. These courses play a key role in skill-development and should be leveraged as career guidance tools. The pandemic has fueled the spark of digital platform ideas in India. The industry has the potential to rise on a global scale. Digital Platform players have a pivotal role to play in strengthening the Digital India Mission and go beyond. But this will only be possible if the obstacles in the education sector are transformed into opportunities and platform players act as a catalyst for social change in the Indian education scenario by bridging the digital divide. (The writer heads the cloud education platform at Tata Consultancy Services)

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source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2021/01/06/digital-divide-educator-development-the-challenges-that-await-attention-in-2021/

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India Telecommunication Market : by Medium, by Type and by Region – Industry Analysis, Market Share, Trends, Size, and Forecasts to 2020 – 2027.

India Telecommunication Market was valued US$ XX Bn in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ XX Bn by 2027, at CAGR of XX% during forecast period of 2020 to 2027.

India Telecommunication Market Introduction:

Telecom sector plays a significant role in India and make country stands as the world's second-largest telecommunications market, with a subscriber base of 1.20 billion at the end of June 2019 and has registered strong growth in the past two decades.

The report study has analyzed revenue impact of covid-19 pandemic on the sales revenue of market leaders, market followers and disrupters in the report and same is reflected in our analysis.

According to report prepared by MMR, the Indian telecommunication market is growing rapidly and will contribute noticeably to India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The liberal and market supportive policies of the Government of India along with the strong consumer demand fueled in the rapid growth in the Indian telecommunications market. The Indian government has allowed convenient market access to telecom equipment and proactive regulatory framework to make telecom services available to consumer at affordable prices. The deregulation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms has made the sector one of the fastest growing and a top five employment opportunity generator in the country. As per the report of MMR, India has witnessed an exponential growth in usage of smart phones and 150 per cent growth in app downloads in the past four years.

India Telecommunication Market Size:

From the extensive research done from the analysts at MMR, is been stated that, rise in smart-phone usage and decline in data costs, will add 500 million new internet users in India, creating huge opportunities for small & large players in the market by the end of the forecast period.

In 2017, India surpassed USA to become the second largest market in terms of number of app downloads. The country remained as the world’s fastest growing market for Google Play downloads in the second and third quarter of 2018. As of January 2019, not only with telecom subscriber base of 1,18X.X52 million but also with the 606X.X21 million internet subscribers, Indian market ranks as the world’s second largest in both the telecommunication users as well as in total internet subscribers respectively.

India has witnessed the high growth in number of internet subscribers with the CAGR of 4X.X8 % during 2011 to 2018 and expected to reach 6XX.X1 million by 2027, with CAGR of XX.XX%. As of January 2019, India stands as the world’s highest data usage per smartphone at an average of X6.X8 GB per month and is anticipated to reach X8.XX GB by 2027. India became the world’s fastest-growing market for mobile applications and Google Play downloads in the first & second quarter of 2018. Total wireless data usage in India is growing by 11X.XX % year-on-year and expected to reach 1,X8,XX,560 terabytes over the forecast period. India Telecommunication Market is studied by Various Segments:

The analysts at Maximize Market Research have done an extensive research for the India Telecommunication Market and provides the report with detail study of the market by various segments and by region: India Telecommunication Market by Medium

• Wireless • Wire Line • Internet Services India Telecommunication Market by Type

• Urban • Rural

The telecom market can be bifurcated into segments by medium & by type. Segments by Medium is divided into wireless, wire line and internet services. The wireless market segment comprises of 97.XX % of the total subscriber base, as of January 2019. Segment by type is sub segmented by Urban & Rural.

India Telecommunication Market Region wise Market Analysis & Forecast: The report covers a geographic breakdown and a detailed analysis of each of the segments across region North India, East India, West India & South India. North India: • Jammu & Kashmir • Hariyana • Himachal Pradesh • Punjab • Uttarakhand • Uttar Pradesh • Rajasthan

East India: • Bihar • Jharkhand • Orrisa • West Bengal • Seven Sisters ( Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura)

West India: • Gujrat • Maharashtra • Goa

South India: • Andhra Pradesh • Telangna • Tamilnadu • Kerala • Karnataka

Key Developments & Government Initiatives:

• Bharti Airtel is planning to spread with 2,000 km of optical fiber cable in Gujarat. • Whereas BSNL is expected to launch its 5G services by the end of 2020. • Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have merged into ‘Vodafone Idea’ and become India’s largest telecom service provider. • Considering the technological advancement in the sector over the past few years the Government of India is soon going to come out with a new National Telecom Policy 2018. • On the basis of the National e-Governance Plan, the Department of Information Technology plans to set up over 1 million internet-enabled common service centers across India. • FDI cap in the telecom sector has been increased. FDI of up to 100 per cent is permitted for infrastructure providers offering dark fiber, electronic mail and voice mail. • The Government of India has announced Digital India program in which all the multiple sectors will be linked using internet to make data available & improve efficiency. India Telecommunication Market Dynamics & Company Profiles –

The India Telecommunication Market dynamics are thoroughly studied and explained in the report, which helps reader to understand emerging market trends, drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges at the regional & state level for the India Telecommunication Market. The major players operating in the India Telecommunication Market, analyzed in the report are: • BSNL • MTNL • Reliance Communications • Bharti Airtel • Vodafaone Idea

visit Full report below  links : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/india-telecommunication-market/45156/

India Telecommunication Market: Competition Landscape

In the recent years there are many discoveries in the field of technologies with regards to India Telecommunication Market, which in turn will help the industry to grow resulting in boost to the competition too. Detailed analysis of competition, new entrants, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisition in the India Telecommunication Market is covered in the report. The report covers the market leaders and followers in the industry with the market dynamics by region. It will also help to understand the position of each player in the market by region, by segment with their expansion plans, R&D expenditure and organic & in-organic growth strategies. Long term association, strategic alliances, supply chain agreement and mergers & acquisition activities are covered in the report in detail from 2014 to 2019. Expected alliances and agreement in forecast period will give future course of action in the market to the readers. All major & important players are profiled, benchmarked in the report on different parameters that will help reader to gain insight about the market in minimum time.

Objective of the Report:

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive analysis of India Telecommunication Market including all the stakeholders of the industry. The past and current status of the industry with forecasted market size and trends are presented in the report with the analysis of complicated data in simple language. The report covers all aspects of the industry with a dedicated study of key players that includes market leaders, followers and new entrants by region. PORTER, SVOR, PESTEL analysis with the potential impact of micro-economic factors by region on the market are presented in the report. External as well as internal factors that are supposed to affect the business positively or negatively have been analyzed, which will give a clear futuristic view of the industry to the decision-makers. The report also helps in understanding India Telecommunication Market dynamics, structure by analyzing the market segments and project the India Telecommunication Market size. Clear representation of competitive analysis of key players by type, price, financial position, product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence in the India Telecommunication Market make the report investor’s guide.

About Us:

Maximize Market Research provides B2B and B2C market research on 20,000 high growth emerging technologies & opportunities in  Chemical, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Electronics & Communications, Internet of Things, Food and Beverages, Aerospace and Defense and other manufacturing sectors.

Contact info: Name: Vikas Godage Organization: Maximize Market Research Pvt.Ltd.Pune Email: sales@maximizemarketresearch.com Contact: +919607065656 / +919607195908 Website:www.maximizemarketresearch.com

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/news-updates-live-technology-is-helping-us-deal-with-agricultural-challenges-says-pm-modi/

News Updates Live: Technology is helping us deal with agricultural challenges, says PM Modi

!1 New UpdateClick here for latest updates

Congress writes to Facebook CEO again

The Congress’ letter to Zuckerberg came over an article in Time magazine, which the opposition party claimed “revealed” more information and “evidence of biases and a quid pro quo relationship” of Facebook India with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Tour De France to go ahead, despite COVID-19 concerns

The number of daily cases in France has been rising steadily in recent weeks, casting a menacing shadow over the three-week event which is starting nine weeks later than originally scheduled.

Single voter list for LS, assembly, local body polls?

At present, the Election Commission prepares the electoral roll or voter list for Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The state election commissions, which are altogether separate bodies as per constitutional provisions, hold elections for local bodies such as municipalities and panchayats in their respective states based on their own voter lists.

An update from the Health Minister:

Only 0.29% of COVID-19 patients are on ventilators, 1.93% on ICU & 2.88% of cases are on oxygen support. More than 9 lakh samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

BSF finds Pakistani tunnel

The sandbags have proper markings of Pakistan, which clearly shows that it was dug with proper planning & engineeri… https://t.co/EPDafnSFVl

— ANI (@ANI) 1598692973000

UP Rajya Sabha polls: Nomination papers of BJP leader Syed Zafar filed

CM Yediyurappa to flag off first RORO train from Bengaluru to Solapur tomorrow

New e-market platform launched to bridge gap between Indian farmers and UAE food industry

The UAE has launched Agriota, a new technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform that will bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the Gulf nation’s food industry.

Upon landing in the UAE, all IPL participants have followed a mandatory testing & quarantine programme. Total of 1,988 RT-PCR COVID tests were carried out between August 20th – 28th. 13 personnel have tested positive of which 2 are players

– Board of Control for Cricket in India

A protest will be lodged with Pakistani authorities, asking to take action against the guilty

– Jammu BSF IG NS Jamwal on the recovery of a tunnel in Samba area of Jammu and Kashmir

We were getting input about the existence of a tunnel in Samba area (of Jammu & Kashmir). A special team found the tunnel yesterday

– Jammu BSF IG NS Jamwal

Meghalaya’s COVID-19 tally rises to 2,248

Affordable rental housing complexes included in list of infrastructure sub sectors

The Centre has included affordable rental housing complexes in the harmonized list of infrastructure sub-sectors.

The department of economic affairs under the ministry of finance issued a notification earlier this week to this effect.

877 newborns,61 pregnant women die in Meghalaya in last four months: Official

At least 61 pregnant women and 877 newborns have died in Meghalaya in the four months starting from April for want of admission to hospitals and also due to lack of medical attention because of diversion of the health machinery to fight COVID-19 pandemic, a senior health department official said.

Puducherry MLA files plea in SC to stall NEET

On behalf of Puducherry government, we filed a writ petition in SC to stall NEET exam. The case has been filed in my name. The petition will be heard by next week. We hope for a good ruling from the SC which will safeguard the student community: R K R Anantharaman, Puducherry MLA

UAE formally ends Israel boycott amid US-brokered deal

The ruler of the United Arab Emirates has issued a decree formally ending the country’s boycott of Israel amid a US-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two countries.

The state-run WAM news agency reported the decree on Saturday, saying it was on the orders of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the Emirates’ leader.

Sushant case: Rhea arrives for CBI questioning for second day

Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting the suicide of film star Sushant Singh Rajput, reached the DRDO guest house here for the second consecutive day on Saturday for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an official said.

Modern technology is helping deal with the challenges related to agriculture. One example of it was how the government used technology to minimize damage caused by locust attack in about 10 States recently

– PM Modi

Financial experts express mixed feelings on RBI’s restructuring package

The loan restructuring package announced by the Reserve Bank of India evoked mixed reactions from experts in the financial sector, as some found it helpful for the tourism industry, while others described the guidelines of the scheme as “restrictive” to the NBFCs.

Tourism Finance Corporation of India MD and CEO Anirban Chakraborty said hotels and the hospitality sector are under the MSME segment in the loan restructuring framework of RBI.

The emergency credit line extended to the borrowers is a good measure to help the sector sustain for the next two years, he said at a webinar organised by Enqube Collaborations on Friday.

Govt implementing several projects to ensure availability of water in drought-prone Bundelkhand region: PM Modi

Jharkhand allows public transport within state; hotels, lodges to reopen in view of JEE/NEET exams

India has controlled spread of locust swarms using modern technologies including drones

– PM Narendra Modi

When we talk about self-reliance in agriculture then it is not limited to self-sufficiency in food grains but encompasses self-reliance of the entire economy of the village

– PM Narendra Modi

West Bengal govt writes to Railway Board, says metro, local train services can be resumed

IIT Kharagpur researchers develop microneedle to administer drug in a painless way

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a microneedle which is capable of administering large drug molecules in a painless way, a statement issued by the institute said on Saturday.

The Institute’s Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering has not only reduced the diameter size of the microneedles but also increased the strength so that they do not break while penetrating the skin, it said.

The microneedle can be used even in COVID-19 vaccination in future, besides for insulin delivery, the statement said.

Pak set to reopen educational institutions from mid-September as COVID-19 situation improves

DERC’s power tariff for 2020-21 will add to financial challenges of discoms: TPDDL

The new power tariff announced by the DERC for 2020-21, without any hike in the existing rates, will “substantially increase” the financial “challenges” and “ability” to ensure round-the-clock electricity supply by the discoms in Delhi, a spokesperson of the TPDDL said on Saturday.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) announced the new tariff on Friday, saying no hike was considered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the DERC has maintained the tariff at the existing level. However, for the discoms, this tariff order will substantially increase the financial challenges and hence, the ability to ensure 24×7 power supply,” the spokesperson of the Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) said.

PM inaugurates Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the College and Administration Buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agric… https://t.co/MJfT4xfKk3

— ANI (@ANI) 1598685644000

Flood-like situation in 4 C’garh districts, thousands shifted

Heavy rains battered several parts of Chhattisgarh over the last two days, creating a flood-like situation in some areas of at least four districts and causing rivers, including the Mahanadi, to flow above the danger mark, officials said.

Nearly 12,000 houses in various districts of the state were partially or completely damaged due to the incessant rainfall and thousands of people were shifted to relief camps, they said.

Chinese, Indians constitute 48% of foreign students in US in 2019: Report

Chinese and Indians accounted for 48 per cent of all active foreign students in the US in 2019, according to an official report.

A report on immigration students in US, released on Friday by the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) — a part of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — said there were 1.52 million active records in SEVIS for F-1 and M-1 students during calendar year 2019, a 1.7 per cent decrease from 2018.

Jammu-Srinagar NH cleared for stranded vehicles after four days closure

Govt making numerous efforts to popularise sports and support sporting talent

– PM Modi

August receives 25 pc more rainfall; highest in 44 years: IMD

Mumbai police will provide protection to Rhea Chakraborty on CBI’s request

Mumbai police will provide protection to Rhea Chakraborty whenever she commutes from her residence to DRDO guest house. This is being done on the request of Central Bureau of Investigation: Mumbai Police official

Odisha floods: 1.5 lakh people affected across 543 villages

Flood situation continues in several parts of Bhadrak district. Additional District Magistrate, Bhadrak says, “1.5 lakh people are affected across 543 villages in the district that are facing flood situation. Over 3,000 people have been evacuated so far.”

Pranab Mukherjee health update

Former President Pranab Mukherjee is being treated for lung infection. His renal parameters have improved. He continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support. He remains haemodynamically stable: Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi Cantonment

Suresh Raina pulls out of upcoming IPL, says CSK

Suresh Raina returns to India from UAE 'for personal reasons' and will be unavailable for the remainder of the IPL… https://t.co/Au8yee9GtM

— ANI (@ANI) 1598680595000

President Kovind virtually confers the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind virtually confers the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2020. https://t.co/f0VZoDoz9y

— ANI (@ANI) 1598680174000

Kiren Rijiju defends govt’s decision to confer Sports Awards to record 74 winners

J-K: Seven terrorists neutralised, one surrendered in last 24 hours

Acting on a specific police input, an operation was launched in Zadoora area of Pulwama district by security forces at 1 am on Saturday in which three terrorists were neutralised. A soldier, who was critically injured in the encounter succumbed to his injuries, according to a Public Relations Officer of Defence, Srinagar. Incrimination materials including arms and ammunition were seized from the encounter site.

Malaysia extends ban on foreign tourists

Malaysia has extended its pandemic movement restrictions including a ban on foreign tourists until the end of the year.

Hockey veterans to attend the National Sports Award Ceremony

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee Rani Rampal, who is also Captain of Indian Women’s Hockey Team & Arjuna Awardee, Hockey player Akashdeep Singh leave for Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru to attend the National Sports Award Ceremony that is being held virtually.

Trump to head to Louisiana as Hurricane Laura cleanup starts

The U.S. toll from the Category 4 hurricane stood at 14 deaths, with more than half of those killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators. President Donald Trump plans on Saturday to tour the damage in Louisiana and neighbouring Texas.

Pandemic reinforced need to be physically fit, mentally strong

– M Venkaiah Naidu on National Sports Day

Kamala Harris pledges to rejoin the Paris Climate agreement and re-enter Iran nuke deal if voted to power

Uttarakhand BJP Chief Bansidhar Bhagat tests positive for COVID19

UP Congress leader demands expulsion of Ghulam Nabi Azad from party

Congress leader Naseeb Pathan in Uttar Pradesh on Friday said the party should expel Ghulam Nabi Azad who is among 23 signatories to a letter which called for an overhaul of the organisation.

Indian heritage WWII spy Noor Inayat Khan gets honoured with blue plaque in London

Telangana reports 2.7K Covid-19 cases, recovery still lower than national average

Will FM answer how to describe mismanagement of economy before pandemic

– P Chidambaram

Single-day spike of 76,472 infections, 1,021 fatalities push India’s COVID-19 caseload to 34,63,972, death toll to 62,550: Health Ministry

Party election to pick PM Abe’s successor around Sept. 15, media say

Today, on National Sports Day, we pay tributes to Major Dhyan Chand, whose magic with the hockey stick can never be forgotten. This is also a day to laud the outstanding support given by the families, coaches and support staff towards the success of our talented athletes

– PM Narendra Modi

The water level of Yamuna River recorded at Delhi’s Old Yamuna Bridge was 204.26 metres at 8 am today

Three militants, one soldier killed in encounter in J-K’s Pulwama

Prize money on sports awards to be increased: Kiren Rijiju

We’ve taken a decision to increase prize money for sports & adventure awards. Prize money for sports awards has already been increased. Prize money for Arjuna Award & Khel Ratna Award has been increased to Rs 15 lakhs & Rs 25 lakhs respectively: Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

Odisha: Examination cities to remain free from lockdown

There will be no lockdown or shutdown in force in the examination cities in Odisha from 30th August and 7th September and from 12th September and 14th September: State Government

Pulwama encounter update:

One soldier who was critically injured has succumbed to his injuries in an encounter that started last night in Zadoora area of Pulwama. Joint operation in progress: PRO Defence, Srinagar

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43

China’s Wuhan says all schools to reopen on Tuesday

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[moorthimany]

Innovative use of technology in Healthcare

On March 24th 2000, the then US President Bill Clinton on his maiden visit to India commissioned the world’s first VSAT enabled village hospital in Andhra Pradesh. This marked the formal introduction of telehealth services in India and heralded a new revolutionary phase. ApolloTeleHealth, a unit of Apollo Hospitals Group, has been at the forefront of this revolution, being a pioneer in enabling remote healthcare services in the country.

It is a well-known fact that equitable access remains a significant challenge in healthcare delivery. There is just one doctor for 1,445 Indians, much below the WHO stipulated doctor-patient ratio of 1:1000. Worse still, 70 percent of doctors are concentrated in urban areas while the rural population remains grossly under-served. According to estimates, Community Healthcare Centres (CHCs) and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in India face up to 82 percent shortage of specialists. These are voids that technology can effectively fill. This has been the objective behind Apollo Telehealth that was established in 1999. The aim was to leverage new-age digital technology to expand the reach of healthcare services to under-served populations.

The technological challenges

While telemedicine has become a popular term in recent years, 20 years back, it faced a major obstacle in the form of lack of enabling infrastructure. The age of the Internet as we know it didn’t exist back then. Understandably, the organization had to start from scratch in building not just a tele consult model but also in addressing speed and connectivity issues. In rural areas, for which this model was mainly intended, these problems were even more pronounced. Power fluctuations added to the connectivity issue which also impacted the audio and video quality of calls. These challenges were gradually overcome by establishing power back up systems including solar power units for some telemedicine units.

Thankfully, this had changed dramatically over the past few years when telemedicine started being recognized as a viable solution to the healthcare accessibility problem. Even as infrastructure became more enabling, initiatives like ‘Digital India’ empowered people and strengthened the prospects of virtual health services. Over the past few years, we have entered into active partnerships with several governments to establish models of telehealth for the rural and urban poor.

The successful initiatives

In 2016, Apollo TeleHealth entered into a PPP with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to upgrade urban primary health centres into electronic urban primary health centres. Already, 183 electronic Urban Primary Health Centres (eUPHCs) have been established across nine districts to provide essential primary healthcare services for the urban poor living in slums. They have conducted over 9 million consultations so far. In 2018, under another PPP, Apollo TeleHealth had set up Tele-Ophthalmology centres to provide state-of-the-art eye screening facilities at 115 Community Health Centres in 13 districts of the state.

With the paucity of quality emergency care being a major concern in remote villages, Apollo TeleHealth launched another pioneering initiative in the form of Tele-Emergency units in Himachal Pradesh. Under this PPP with the HP government, first of its kind Tele Emergency Centres were established to provide much-needed emergency and speciality consultation services to locations at 14,931 feet above sea level in the Himalayan mountain range. Apollo TeleHealth also manages 120 Telemedicine and 134 Teleradiology centers in Uttar Pradesh and 100 Digital Dispensaries in Jharkhand. Today, Apollo TeleHealth is available to as many as 700 million Indians.

Apollo TeleHealth also supports India’s Pan African e Network Project and also provides virtual consult service ‘Ask Apollo’ to millions of patients across the world.

[liveindiatimes]

Ensuring safety of migrants key policy challenge for govt - india news

https://www.liveindiatimes.com/ensuring-safety-of-migrants-key-policy-challenge-for-govt-india-news/

On Labour Day, 38 days after a nationwide lockdown was announced, the first train ferrying migrants ran from Lingampally in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand. As the country trudges back to the new normal, a critical policy challenge will be to ensure the safety of the millions of migrants returning home. The preparation to safely transport migrants across the country will require data-driven decisions and an understanding of the arduous circumstances that await them and their families.

We already know that migrants will go back from urban industrial hubs to their homes in rural areas. In this article, we stitch together several different data sets to understand the characteristics of their home districts and some potential challenges that await them.

A majority of the return migration will likely originate from districts in red zones (hot spots). Therefore, returnee migrants are at a higher risk of being carriers of infection.

To approximate the districts migrants will potentially return to, we rely on the most recent data available from the National Sample Survey, 2007-08. We use data on both interstate seasonal migrants and recent migrants who moved for economic reasons.Since most of the return migration is expected to be geographically concentrated, we focus on the top 25% districts in the country that are most likely to receive migrants (Chart 1). These are the migrants’ home districts. These districts accounted for almost three-fourths of the migrant-sending households in the country. Over 78% of these districts were in six states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The characteristics of migrants’ home districts will predominately reflect the socioeconomic profile of these states.

More than 60% of the home districts are in red and orange zones, where the Covid-mitigation measures are still mostly in place . But a significant containment challenge remains for unaffected and recovered districts (green zones), which make up 39% of the home districts.

As migrants return from severely affected districts to their home districts concentrated in the northern and eastern parts of the country, practising strict self-isolation will be critical to limit the spread of the virus. Self-isolation will require the luxury of physical space for quarantine.

Isolating oneself may not be a trivial endeavour for returnee migrants: a typical household in the home districts has 5.9 members in contrast to 4.6 members in other districts.

Besides, more than three household members share a room, on average. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that they are also more likely to have a household member above the age of 65 years, and are therefore more susceptible to infection (Chart 2). In addition to congested homes, inadequate access to private water supply, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure (WASH) – the first line of defence in the battle against Covid – could expose migrants, their families and communities to increased risk of infection and also make self-isolation challenging for returnee migrants. Indeed, this problem is severe in migrants’ home districts.

Only 24% of households in these districts had access to a private water source in 2016 (Chart 3). While access to a private source in these districts is still higher than other districts in the country, many still lack this necessity.

As many as 58% of the households in these districts practised open defecation in 2016. While the toilet coverage has increased vastly under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, there is still a gap between access and usage.

The fact that less than half of the households in migrants’ home districts may be able to comply with recommended hand-washing with soap practices further reveals their vulnerability.

If these challenges translate into a rapid spread of infection, the consequences for both illness and livelihood management will be more precarious given that migrants’ home districts are poorer and less urban. Expectedly, their home districts also have a lower capacity to provide health care.

For instance, the average number of government district hospitals per 10,000 people in these districts is half that of the rest of the country.

Since the first lockdown announcement, stranded migrants across the country have been facing an uncertain future not only about their livelihood prospects but also about when they can see their families. As migrants prepare to return home, it is critical to acknowledge that they are likely going back to rural and more impoverished districts. That net emigration is occurring from urban and more industrialized red zone districts is, perhaps, not surprising. A large part of the net immigration will also be to the red and orange zone districts, that already have some containment measures in place. However, others will likely move back to places that have a low incidence of infection.

Here, preparations to protect these populations from the unfolding threat will be critical. While avoiding interpersonal contact is in any case challenging in India, data shows that it will be especially so for migrants and their families who lack adequate housing and WASH infrastructure.

Preparedness in the migrants’ home districts will be the key to restricting the risk of Covid-19 spread. Given that housing, water, or sanitation infrastructure cannot be improved overnight, the double whammy of moving to a more impoverished district and difficulty in practising social distancing highlights the need for other ingenious, quick, and contextually relevant solutions. For instance, wherever institutional quarantine is infeasible, instead of home quarantine, migrants can be asked to isolate themselves in schools or other public buildings in their home towns. Indeed, there is anecdotal evidence that returnee migrants are choosing to self-isolate for a couple of weeks before they meet their families. Furthermore, distribution of sanitiser bottles and face masks could be one quick way to respond to the inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure.

The vast institutional infrastructure of self-help groups can play a crucial role in managing Covid-19 response in rural India, by producing cloth masks, running community kitchens, and raising awareness, for instance. Above all, home districts will need to address these issues in a way that does not lead to stigmatisation of migrants.

Madhulika Khanna and Nishtha Kochhar are PhD candidates at Georgetown University. Esha Zaveri is an affiliated scholar at the Center on Food Security and Environment at Stanford

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[solarenergyinindia]

Solar Energy In India: Challenges Of The Hinterlands Regarding Renewable Energy Sources

After several decades’ worth of attempts, India finally managed to achieve nearly one hundred percent household electrification. However, the story is too long to end here. In hamlets and rural areas, power quality is still poor. It undoubtedly affects organizations, such as education, health, and livelihood sectors. The places where electricity lines are still unreliable, people resort to diesel for power. Companies operating in the renewable energy sector, such as Mahindra Teqo consider it a perfect empowerment opportunity. Regardless of this fact, the uptake is poor. Here are a few reasons why renewable sources of energy aren’t accessible in the villages of India.

 1.      Policies aren’t in tandem with needs: Generally, the central government designs the policies regarding solar energy in India, and they do so for smooth implementation at state levels. These policies don’t consider the local context or the actual necessity. Due to this disconnection, service delivery providers encounter entry-level barriers to avail government schemes. It’s almost impossible, even for educated people, to decipher these policies and create an application against the same by pinpointing the priorities identified by the policymakers.

 2.      Technology ceased to remain a black box: Technology is no longer a black box. Even then, health, education, and livelihood experts have to put up with challenges in finding the appropriate solution for their energy requirements. For instance, the loads in hospitals are variable, and they tend to be critical in nature. Just a few seconds of unreliable power translates into the loss of lives. Some of the hamlets of India are in locations that experience high humidity and heat, heavy winds, landslides, and floods. Furthermore, the voltage keeps on fluctuating and the grid infrastructure keeps on expanding.  In such a situation, it’s mandatory to integrate solar with the grid to ensure smooth delivery of power throughout the day.

 3.      Inadequate finances: Required finances are never available for nonprofit organizations that operate in the rural districts. These organizations cater to the population that occupies the bottom position of the pyramid. The people who belong to this stratum always experience a severe lack of resources. Besides, installing solar power generation systems demands a massive upfront cost. There are companies like Mahindra Teqo that offer financing options, but it’s too risky for poor people to gamble with their lives. Also, there are corporate social responsibility funds, but they rarely reach far-flung areas. For instance, less than 1.5 percent of the total CSR funds earned in 2018 reached the northeastern region of Jharkhand. Apart from that, government subsidies and debt are equally difficult to access for nonprofit agencies.

4.      Unavailability of data: Data has always been critical when it comes to generating solar energy in India. However, it’s never available. The building blocks of renewable energy constitute policies, energy demand, vendors, technologies, and funding sources. The only way for a vendor to customize an energy solution is by gaining access to data on the performance of the equipment installed. Similarly, the vendor has to be able to visualize the opportunity to generate demand and market activity in the remotest areas. Educated people residing in villages should learn about these vendors and the solutions that they can offer. Additionally, accessibility and availability of a skilled labor pool can ensure the maintenance of the system. Unfortunately, such information is currently unavailable in the public domain.

 Final words

As you can see, there are too many challenges to stand against. While it’s true that some rural areas in India currently have solar power generation systems to procure power, the scenario isn’t the same in every rural district.

[townpostin]

Highway Damage Disrupts Bus Services to Odisha Border

20 km detour affects 60 daily buses, causing passenger frustration A critical 3.8 km stretch of highway near Chakradharpur has deteriorated, halting direct bus routes to Odisha. JAMSHEDPUR – Bus operations between Chakradharpur and the Odisha border have been disrupted due to severe damage on a 3.8 km stretch of highway, forcing vehicles to take a 20 km detour. The affected road segment,…

[csrgood]

Harnessing the Power of Goodness During COVID19

Adani Foundation, the CSR arm of Adani Group, is implementing a three-pronged approach in helping India battle the novel coronavirus. With a focus on addressing the needs of the underprivileged communities, it is carrying out relief work to fight hunger, raise awareness and provide healthcare support at a national level.  

Adani Foundation has aligned its foot soldiers to the need of the hour, which is to ensure that basic amenities reach those people who are severely affected by the complete lockdown. These include daily wage workers, migrant labourers and people working in informal sectors as domestic help, vegetable vendors etc. Keeping this in mind, the Foundation team has rolled out ration distribution across locations in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha and Kerala. Community kitchens have also been made operational to provide the security of daily meals to several thousands of people.  

The community-centric relief efforts are also focussed on raising awareness about the pandemic and its prevention. The teams on ground are working extensively across states to sensitise the masses. Awareness campaigns are being held in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Gujarat where they are reaching out to people in more than 200 villages. In order to maintain optimal hygiene levels, 47 villages in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh were sanitised, ensuring that the communities live and breathe in a safe environment.

Further, several initiatives were taken up to equip doctors and healthcare providers who are fighting this contagion on the front line. The Adani Foundation donated 10,000 PPE kits to the Government of India to help safeguard the medical staff. Women and youth trained at Adani Skill Development Centres have joined hands to produce thousands of masks, which are being distributed for free in various regions.

The Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Sciences (GAIMS) in Kutch, Gujarat has also set up separate ward and ICU for suspected and COVID positive patients. Dedicated beds and separate FLU OPD have been made to reduce the exposure of other patients in OPD. 

Employees of the group across verticals like ports, power plants, transmission sites, edible oil refineries, residential townships, and city gas distribution have been working seamlessly thereby ensuring that the lockdown does not impact the basic needs of people.

Apart from anchoring comprehensive relief work, the Adani Foundation along with Adani Group has donated an upwards of USD 15 Million to central and state governments for PM CARES Fund, the Gujarat CM Relief Fund and Andhra Pradesh CM Relief Fund among others. This monetary aid also includes employee contributions and donations made to NGOs engaged in COVID relief work. The Adani Parivar is committed to do its part in combating this global humanitarian crisis.

About Adani Group The Adani Group is an integrated business conglomerate in India which consists of six publicly traded companies with combined revenues of $13 billion.

Founded in 1988, Adani has grown to become a global integrated infrastructure player with businesses in key industry verticals - natural resources, logistics, energy and agro. The integrated model is well adapted to the infrastructure challenges of the emerging economies. 

With expanding global footprints across Australia, Bangladesh, China, Dubai, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and the United States the group’s vision is to enrich lives and contribute to nations in building infrastructure through sustainable value creation. 

More than 3.2 million people across India have benefited through the group’s community empowerment initiatives focusing across sectors such as Education, Health, Sustainable Livelihood, and Community Infrastructure Development. 

About Adani Foundation 

Established in 1996, Adani Foundation today has widespread operations in 18 states that include 2250 villages and towns across the country with a team of professionals who work with an approach that embodies innovation, people participation and collaboration. 

Touching the lives of more than 3.2 million people and passionately working towards creating social capital with focus on four core areas – Education, Community Health, Sustainable Livelihood Development and Infrastructure Development, Adani Foundation acts towards inclusive growth and sustainable development of the rural and urban communities, in turn contributing towards nation-building.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.adani.com/covid19updates https://adanifoundation.org/covid19updates

source: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/44708-Harnessing-the-Power-of-Goodness-During-COVID19?tracking_source=rss

[inkariasacademyworld]

Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (Pm-Aasha)

​Background

Minimum Support Price (MSP) system suffers from various shortfalls such as limited geographical reach and crop coverage (for instance it excludes oilseeds). It works well only where there was direct procurement by industries. Also, prices of key agricultural commodities have fallen below their MSP due to which there is increasing farmer unrest across the country.

PM-AASHA scheme thus aims to plug the gaps in procurement system, address issues in MSP system and give better returns to farmers.

About the scheme It has three components complementing the existing schemes of the Department of Food and Public Distribution for procurement of paddy, wheat and other cereals and coarse grains where procurement takes place at MSP:

Price Support Scheme (PSS): Under this, physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies. Besides National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), FCI will also take up procurement of crops under PSS. The expenditure and losses due to procurement would be borne by the Centre.

Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS): This will cover all oilseeds for which MSP is notified and Centre will pay the difference between the MSP and actual selling/ model price to the farmer directly into his bank account. Farmers who sell their crops in recognized mandis within the notified period can benefit from it.

Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockiest Scheme (PPSS): In the case of oilseeds, the States will have the option to roll out PPSS in select districts where a private player can procure crops at MSP when market prices drop below MSP. The private player will then be compensated through a service charge up to a maximum of 15% of the MSP of the crop.

Significance of the Scheme An innovative MSP-plus approach to the problem of non-remunerative prices: The three different components of the scheme will cover gaps in the procurement and compensation mechanism for crops, thus ensuring remunerative prices for farmers and help reviving rural economy.

Ensure crop diversification and reduce stress on soil and water: Unlike the current system where farmers repeatedly go for the few crops, such as paddy, wheat and sugarcane, the new scheme would ensure crop diversification and reduce stress on soil and water.

Savings for the Centre: Under the current physical procurement, government agencies end up stockpiling food grains leading to high storage costs and significant wastage and leakages. This would be addressed in the new scheme.

Better translation of increased MSP to farmer’s income: Government has recently increased the MSP of Kharif crops by following the principle of 1.5 times the cost of production, which will get translated to increased farmer’s income by way of robust procurement mechanism in coordination with State Governments.

Increased financial provisions: the centre has made a provision of Rs. 16,550 Crore as a bank guarantee for central agencies to directly procure from farmers under PSS, while budgetary allocations for PM-AASHA has been raised to Rs. 15,053 Crore.

It is a significant step towards enhancing productivity, reducing the cost of cultivation and strengthening post harvesting management, including market structure.

Challenges

Agricultural markets must function transparently and government must take steps to break the traders’ cartel: Experience of Madhya Pradesh which implemented the PDPS under Bhavantar Bhugtaan Yojana revealed that the traders plotted with each other and depressed the prices at mandis. They forced farmers to sell at lower prices and pocketed the compensation from the government.

Small and marginal farmers face double burden of lowered price and no compensation: Many small and marginal farmers were unable to sell their produce under Bhavantar scheme due to double burden of lowered price and no compensation. Government must come up with mechanisms to provide income transfer to farmers.

Providing funds for PSS would be a key challenge for Centre as State Governments consider it financially burdensome. If all states apply to NAFED/FCI for procurement of oilseeds or pulses, the agencies would fall short of funds.

Only 25% of the marketable surplus would be procured under the scheme: Instead of just 25% procurement, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) must be redesigned and renamed to ‘Commission for Farmers’ income and Welfare’ with a mandate to work out the minimum living income for a family and clearly defining means to provide it.

Warehousing and storage infrastructure shortage not addressed: Many States such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and almost entire North-East are unlikely to procure a substantial quantity of paddy at MSP due to weak financial resources and infrastructure constraints of the organizations responsible for paddy procurement.

States would also find it hard to implement the scheme from the current Kharif marketing season which begins soon.

Way Forward

E-NAM and inter-market competition must be promoted: Centre must break the trader lobbies by widening the competition by inter-linking mandis, and States must proactively undertake regulatory reforms. Also, a robust pro-farmer export policy must be considered. Simultaneously, market reforms including Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act, 2017 and Model Contract Farming and Services Act, 2018 should also be replicated by all the State Governments.

Successful implementation and effective private participation is the key to overall success of the scheme. Guidelines for private participation in consultation with state governments must be formed.

[hemapriya022-blog]

India’s growing demand for Quality Doctors

How the government plans to fix the issue?

The Indian medical education system has around 529 registered medical colleges. Medical schools in India create the largest number of doctors in the world corresponding to the rapid increase of medical colleges in the last two decades, particularly within the private sector. The Medical Council of India (MCI), the regulatory body, is required to approve any important reforms in medical curricula. The authorization procedure for medical schools in the past has placed higher importance on the infrastructure along with staff and lesser on the quality of education imparted to the students. But this is about to change with the formation of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board or MARB which is to be responsible for granting permissions for the creation of new medical colleges and for existing medical colleges to start PG programs.

The deficit of quality doctors is one of the major problems that is plaguing the current Indian medical system. The various loopholes that have been identified in the MCI regulations have made it possible for some private medical colleges without proper infrastructure or an adequate number of patients to get accreditation. This has been one of the key contributing factors in the gradual decline in quality of medical education in India over the years, a problem that the current government plans to tackle head-on with the introduction of the new National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill.

According to a 2018 report, the doctor-patient ratio in India stands at 1:1300 but is gradually improving and is expected to reach the World Health Organisation (WHO) norm of 1:1000 by 2024. This when compared to other developed countries like the USA (1:400), Germany (1:244) and Australia (1:303) places further emphasis on our government’s efforts in increasing the number of doctors in the country. These numbers are inclusive of various medical practitioners like ayurveda, homeopathy, unani and allopathy, but taking only allopathic (modern medicine) practitioners into consideration would drastically reduce the stated doctor-patient ratio.

India has such a huge resource of doctors but still finds it challenging in providing quality treatment to their patients. Statistics show that Tamil Nadu has a doctor-patient ratio of 1:253 whereas Jharkhand has 1:8180. This disproportion of doctors pan India is one of the most important issues faced by the medical system as its resulting issues are very widespread. Half of the children in India are not immunized and less than half of the women don’t receive proper prenatal care during pregnancy. With the demand for doctors being high in rural areas, this uneven spread of qualified doctors shows us that it’s not just about the quality of education, but several other factors that affect the entire Indian medical system as a whole.

In the current Indian medical education system, around 15.2 lakh students registered for the pre-medical entrance test in 2019, out of which only about 75,000 turn out to be fortunate enough to secure a seat. This huge gap in the numbers has given rise to a latest trend where an increasing number of students prefer to study medicine abroad as many countries provide Indian students with the opportunity to pursue a high quality medical education at very affordable costs.

With the introduction of the government’s new NMC bill, the number of available medical seats in the country is set to steadily increase year-on-year, while the Indian healthcare industry is also on the rise with an estimated 2500 new hospitals to be setup within the next 5 years. Although this is a positive factor in our country’s progress, and given that we continue to maintain this rate of steady growth, it will take us at least a decade at minimum to close the gap between the number of medical aspirants and the number of seats available to them. But until then, it will be the overseas study option that provides medical aspirants with a further chance at becoming a doctor and in-turn contribute to India’s growing number of qualified doctors.

Privatization of educational institutions has further added to the commercialization of medical education in India. There have been many incidences in the past where private medical colleges were in the practice of taking exorbitant amounts of money as illegal fees and donations. But with the introduction of the new bill, the National Medical Commission from now will regulate all fees related charges for 50 percent of all seats in both deemed universities and private medical colleges, making medical education in India more accessible and affordable.

Most faculties in private medical colleges are extremely busy private practitioners and their private practice in some way or the other compromises with their required research and preparation time. The demand for quality doctors is so much that many of them choose to do multiple practices, with most having a clinic of their own and also practicing as a visiting doctor in high-end hospitals. This shift by doctors affects their performance in teaching and hence, it becomes one of the main contributing factors that adds to the lack of quality educators in the Indian medical system.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill was introduced by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in Lok Sabha on July 22, 2019. The Indian Medical Council Act will be repealed after the National Medical Commission Bill is put into practice. This bill has introduced a new entrance exam called the National Exit Test (NEXT) for the students of MBBS. The NEXT will also serve as a screening test for Indian students who have a graduation degree in medicine from a foreign country. The Medical Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet which stated that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), common counseling and NEXT shall even apply to Institutes of National Importance (INIs) similar to AIIMS to have common standards in India. The release stated that Commission will control fees and all other charges for 50 percent seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities. The statement further added that the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) will carry out an assessment to the medical college and develop a system of ranking medical colleges that would allow the students to chose the medical college judiciously. Such measures will assure a more transparent admission process and also bring about a significant decrease in all admission related costs and charges.

As demonstrated in the past, India has been on the back foot when it comes to the quality of medical education, which in turn directly influences the country’s need for more qualified doctors. But things are about to take a turn for the better with the introduction of the new National Medical Commission Bill. With this bill, the Indian government aims to drastically reform the current Indian medical education system by bringing in high-quality and up-to-date study material while also factoring in a much-needed degree of fairness and transparency into the entire student selection process.

– Authored by Mr. Saju Bhaskar, Founder & President of Texila American University located in Guyana, South America

click the below link to know more:https://blog.tauedu.org/indias-growing-demand-for-quality-doctors/

[newsheadlinesindia-blog]

Electricity for Every Household

Aiming to empower and uplift the rural youth and development, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship partnered today with the Ministry of Power to ensure access to electricity for every household in the country through an ambitious scheme, Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna (SAUBHAGYA). The scheme aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country at a cost of Rs 16,320 crore, including Gross Budgetary Support of Rs 12,320 crore from the government.

In order to successfully deliver a project of this magnitude, huge volume of skilled workforce would be required across different job roles to enable completion of various components of the work. To support the successful execution of the scheme, the vocational training program has been launched in six states namely Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. A total estimated number of participants to be trained between the two job roles of Lineman Distribution (Multi-skilled) and Technical Helper is 47000 in these six focus states and more than 55000 across the country.

The launch was done through a video conferencing with states where eminent dignitaries including State Ministers like Dr Neera Yadav, Minister for Labour and Skill Development, Uttar Pradesh and Deepak Joshi, Minister of Skills, Madhya Pradesh, engaged to discuss local challenges and targets to support the project.

As the scheme is to be implemented across the country with 200 districts as major focus area, the skilling initiatives are proposed to be delivered in a decentralised mode at district level. The training infrastructures available with ITI’s at district level as well as the infrastructures available with the State Power Distribution Utilities will be utilised for skill training of the candidates ensuring successful implementation of the scheme.

Highlighting the role of electricity in boosting socio-economic development of a nation and congratulating all partners contributing to the success of the projects, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Today’s announcement is a new chapter in the development of our nation. Is it in line with the structured approach of our Prime Minister and his vision of One Team India.  With our Skill India program supporting Ministry of Power and the contribution being made from REC, NSDC and the respective State Governments, this is yet another milestone reflecting how a joint organised mechanism is institutionalised to ensure efficient delivery of projects and schemes.”

“Saubhagya is a scheme with estimated expenditure of Rs 16000 crore our of which 25 per cent is estimated cost against wages and margin for human resource being deployed for the project. This is a big employment opportunity for skilled workforce and we will work jointly with Ministry of Power across the nation to ensure that we avail this opportunity for our youth and help them better their livelihood,” he further added.

The measure of success is to map the accomplishments that we achieve on ground. We need more than 5000 lakh man hours today to ensure successful completion of our projects and around 35000 trained manpower for Saubhagya alone. Our targets for skilling workforce will be set in accordance with our local requirements”. Saubhagya is more than a mission to provide electricity to the entire nation and ensure energy security.

Source : http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/electricity-for-every-household.html