New Delhi Jan 22 PTI Indias COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 16181 crore doses with more than 61 lakh doses being administered on Saturday the Health Ministry said The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of final reports for the day the ministry added Cumulatively 533682347 first doses have been administered to individuals in the 18-44 age group across states and union territories and 386619600 second doses have been given in the same age group since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive according to health ministry data The ministry further said that cumulatively 926916256 first doses and 683271219 second doses have been administered More than79 lakh 7978438 precaution doses for the identified categories of beneficiaries have been administered so far Indias COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed16181 crore 1618165913 doses More than61 lakh 6162171 vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm Saturday it said In the age group of 15-18 years 41436237 doses have been administered The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level the ministry underlined PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Jan 21 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees on Monday via video-conferencing Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister of State Munjpara Mahendrabhai will be present on the occasion The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar PMRBP is given as recognition to children aged between five and 18 years with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievement in six fields -- innovation scholastic achievements sports arts and culture social service and bravery Each awardee is given a medal a cash prize of Rs 100000 and a certificate the WCD Ministry said in a statement During the function the prime minister would give digital certificates to winners of PMRBP-2022 using block chain technology The certificates would also be given to winners of PMRBP-2021 who could not be given the certificates last year due to the COVID-19 situation Block Chain Technology is being used for the first time for giving certificates to awardees of PMRBP These awards are conferred by the President in a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan The prime minister also interacts with these awardees every year The awardees of PMRBP also take part in the Republic Day parade However in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country it has not been possible to organise the award ceremony in New Delhi this year On the occasion of National Girl Child Day on Monday and as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav PM Modi would interact virtually with the winners of PMRBP-2022 The children along with their parents and the district magistrates of their respective districts would join the event from their district headquarters PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Nov 30 PTI The government has constituted a committee to revisit the criteria for determining the economically weaker sections to provide them reservation The government had informed the Supreme Court last week that it has taken a considered decision to revisit the criteria In an official memorandum issued on Tuesday the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry said the government constituted the committee in accordance with the commitment given to the Supreme Court to revisit the criteria for determining the economically weaker sections EWS in terms of the provisions of the explanation to Article 15 of the Constitution The committee will revisit the criterion in determining EWS category keeping in view the observations of the Supreme Court It will also examine various approaches so far followed in the country for identifying economically weaker sections and recommend criteria that may be adopted for identifying EWS category in future The committee members are former finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey member secretary of Indian Council of Social Science Research ICSSR V K Malhotra and principal economic advisor to the government Sanjay Sanyal The committee has been asked to complete its work within three weeks PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Oct 28 PTI Underlining that telemedicine is no longer an option but a necessity Union minister Jitendra Singh called for such innovative healthcare solutions in a country like India where there is a shortage of medical professionals and millions of people live in rural areas without direct access to proper healthcare or treatment Singh said the implementation of telemedicine technology could save India between 4-5 billion US dollars every year and replace half of in-person outpatient consultations He said tele-medicine in the country has proven to be cost-effective Addressing the CII Asia Health 2021 Summit on the theme of Transforming healthcare for a better tomorrow Singh called for innovative healthcare solutions like telemedicine in a country like India where there is a shortage of medical professionals and millions of people live in rural areas without direct access to proper healthcare or treatment Noting that telemedicine is no longer an option but a necessity he said digital health is the next frontier to ensure healthcare delivery is accessible available and affordable Singh said health technology is becoming central to healthcare as it leads to improvement of health literacy patient empowerment and engagement and enable better self-management of care It is also one of the key components of efforts to improve the quality efficiency and safety of healthcare delivery while lowering healthcare costs PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Oct 25 PTI The Union Health Ministry has sent a high-level multidisciplinary team to Uttar Pradesh where a case of Zika virus disease has been reported A 57-year-old man from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh tested positive for Zika virus on October 22 In a statement the ministry said the multidisciplinary team comprising an entomologist public health specialists and gynaecologist drawn from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme National Centre for Disease Control and RML Hospital New Delhi has been deployed to assist the state health authorities for control and containment measures of Zika virus disease The team shall work closely with the state health department take stock of the situation on the ground and assess whether the Union Health Ministrys Action Plan for Zika Management is being implemented The team will also recommend necessary public health interventions for management of Zika in the state the statement said PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Oct 25 PTI More than 10722 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far the Union Health Ministry said on Monday More than 1275 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses still available with states and UTs it said The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs for enabling better planning by them and streamlining the vaccine supply chain the ministry said More than 10722 crore 1072289365 vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through the central channel and direct state procurement category it said As part of the nationwide vaccination drive the Centre has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them COVID-19 vaccines free of cost it said PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Oct 24 PTI The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has recommended decriminalising possession of small quantities of drugs for personal consumption in its review of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act submitted to the Revenue Department Currently there is no provision for relief or exemption under the NDPS Act and it only gives addicts immunity from prosecution and imprisonment if they volunteer for rehabilitation In its recommendations shared with the Department of Revenue last week the ministry suggested decriminalising possession of small quantities of drugs for personal consumption officials said The ministry suggested that the compulsory treatment in government centres must be given to those caught with small quantities for personal consumption instead of a jail term an official said Possession of drugs is a criminal offence in India and Section 27 of the NDPS Act prescribes imprisonment of up to a year or a fine of up to Rs 20000 or both for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance Actor Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan has been arrested under this section PTI UZM SMN SMN

New Delhi Sep 18 PTI Governance in Punjab has been the biggest casualty in the Congress partys Game of Thrones the Aam Aadmi Party AAP said on Saturday after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh resigned following months of a power tussle in the ruling party In a video message AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the issues of Punjab have been put on the back burner amid a power struggle in the ruling party Congress has cheated the people of Punjab They do not care about the welfare of Punjab but their own personal happiness Congress is a drowning Titanic that neither has vision nor commitment or performance Chadha said in Punjabi He tweeted Governance in the state of Punjab has been the biggest casualty in Congresss Game of Thrones Singh on Saturday resigned as chief minister of Punjab capping months of a power tussle that had polarised the ruling party in the state headed for elections in just about four months I feel humiliated Singh told reporters outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan after submitting his resignation to the governor PTI UZM SMN SMN