New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Bihar government and the UPSC on a PIL challenging the appointment of SK Singhal as the Director-General of Police (DGP) of the state.

Hyderabad Feb 23 PTI Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday underlined the importance of basic amenities like safe drinking water and sanitation in preventing diseases and contributing towards the overall well-being of people Addressing the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene WASH Conclave-2022 after inaugurating it virtually he cautioned that with the flattening of COVID pandemic curve people should not lower their guard and should continue with the practice of washing hands frequently an official release said The Vice President said children should grow up in an environment that is healthy -- physically and emotionally -- as he stressed on the need for preventive healthcare measures such as safe water sanitation and hygienic practices to begin from anganwadis and primary schools Observing that taking forward WASH agenda to gram panchayats is critical as they are at the core of rural water supply Naidu further stressed the need to ensure institutional strengthening of panchayats for effective service delivery to the last mile This is a key aspect of governance which I always emphasise efficient last mile delivery of services in every field holds the key to fast-tracking all-round development he said As a nation we need to ensure that every household gets all the basic facilities the most essential of them being WASH-related the Vice President said Recognising that providing safe drinking water and sanitation to every rural household is a massive task Naidu said that this can be realised only if a vast array of players join hands with singular focus and determination Calling the adequate amount of safe drinking water for every rural household as a basic necessity Naidu said India is making considerable progress in this regard He called for further fast-tracking and bestowing greater attention to all aspects relating to WASH facilities in both rural and urban areas Citing a WHO study the Vice President drew attention to the problem of contamination of groundwater sources in many villages due to poor sanitation practices and called for curbing the habit of indiscriminate disposal of waste by adopting responsible behaviour He also underscored the need to create public awareness on this topic and wanted it to be made into a peoples movement Addressing the conclave Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in the last two-and-half years despite the pandemic 581 crore households have been given Functional House Tap Connection FHTC Today more than nine crore households have the provision of tap water supply Six states have already achieved 100 per cent coverage one of which is Telangana There are 100 districts 1141 blocks 138 lakh villages that have been covered so far he said NIRDPR Director General G Narendra Kumar and UNICEF India Country Representative Gillian Mellsop were among those who spoke during the event City-based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj NIRDPR and UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj the Ministry of Jal Shakti is organising the three-day virtual WASH Conclave-2022 PTI VVK HDA HDA

Hyderabad Feb 22 PTI In order to promote millet-based livelihoods in rural development activities the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj NIRDPR and ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research ICAR-IIMR on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU The MoU was signed by NIRDPR Director General G Narendra Kumar and ICAR-IIMR Director Vilas A Tonapi a release from NIRDPR said here The main purpose of having this agreement is to focus on different collaborative activities and to encourage Rural Incubation and Entrepreneurship development by integrating with National Rural Livelihood Mission NRLM activities mainstreaming millet based livelihood strategies and value chain development in convergence with other programmes it said Other focus areas include in promoting millet based local food systems and agriculture-nutrition linkages through Gram Panchayat Development Plans it said Narendra Kumar said that the collaboration between the two institutions is very important in the backdrop of the International Year of Millets in 2023 The technical competence of IIMR in research on millet varieties and making value added products from them and the strength of NIRDPR in creating business opportunities and marketing support through SHGs under NRLM across the country will act in synergy to transform rural livelihoods he noted The promotion of millets through micro enterprises will support their livelihoods and contribute to health and nutrition of population he added PTI VVK VVK SS SS

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 5 (ANI): Over 170 children have been admitted to Motilal Nehru Hospital of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh due to chronic diseases and viral fever like encephalitis and pneumonia where they need oxygen support are admitted here, Prayagraj CMO Dr Nanak Saran said on Sunday.