National
Professor Suman Chakraborty from IIT, Kharagpur brings affordable diagnostic technologies
⇒ Professor Suman Chakraborty from IIT, Kharagpur has brought affordable diagnostic technologies for remote, resource constrained areas.
A slew of technologies by Professor Suman Chakraborty, who recently received the Infosys prize, along with his group, are helping community health-workers deliver healthcare-support to last-mile populations.
Diagnostic Technologies:
» A Nucleic-Acid Based Rapid Diagnostic Test for infectious disease detection called COVIRAP they have developed is a substitute for the resource-intensive RT-PCR for testing of infectious diseases.
- It can be used for any infectious disease detection by suitably customizing and preprogramming the device as per the specific test protocol, with no need of changing the hardware.
» Diagnostics with Finger-Prick Blood on Paper Strip, an ultra-low-cost, rapid extreme point-of-care device can quantitatively measure plasma glucose, hemoglobin, creatinine, and lipid profile from finger-prick blood collected on a paper-strip via a smartphone-based app.
- Just like how a credit card interfaces with a card reader, the paper strip interfaces with a hand-held device for getting the test results. This can be used for mass screening of several non-communicable diseases at the grass root level.
» A low-cost portable hand-held imaging device for early screening of oral cancer on the basis of measured changes in the blood flow rate of the tissue from thermal imaging and analytics has been developed by the group. It does not require any clinical infrastructure.
- This portable device can be used for early risk assessment and categorization of the stages of oral cancer and this method can be extended to other forms of cancer.
» They have also developed a portable spinning disc capable of testing several body fluid-based diagnostic parameters from a single drop.
- The technology for measuring Complete Blood Count (CBC) using this platform, was designed and validated. An electrochemical sensor has been integrated for reading out the test results. It is designed to be a substitute of the laboratory centrifuge for diagnostic testing.
» The group has developed a folded paper-kit for evaluating antibiotic resistance, which is a growing challenge.
- The kit helps assess the susceptibility of the bacteria to a medicine, simply by tracking the color changes at marked test-spots on it. In this way, within 3-4 hours, a recommendation on the efficacy of specific drugs for killing the bacteria may be arrived at, facilitating life-saving timely clinical decision making.
» A reagent-free anemia detection technology they have developed harnesses on the fact that blood forms unique patterns while spreading on a moist paper strip.
- The pattern carries the signature of the red blood cell contents in a manner that those for anemic and normal patients may be classified and interpreted to be grossly different when analyzed via a custom-made image-analytics App.
- This can quickly classify at-risk patients needing emergent blood transfusion or other life saving measures.
International
First Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency
⇒ India formally assumed the G20 Presidency, from Indonesia on December 1, 2022.
- The G20, or the Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
- India’s G20 priorities will focus on healing ‘One Earth’, creating harmony within ‘One Family’ and giving hope for ‘One Future’.
- India’s G20 agenda will be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive.
The First Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency was held from December 04-07, 2022 in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
At the 1st Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency, international Sherpas, their delegations, and heads of invited International Organizations (IOs) from G20 Members, 9 Guest countries and 14 IOs, were participated in Udaipur.
» The first day of the meeting saw various activities, interactions, and events including an informal media interaction, a side event on ‘Sustainable Development Goals, an exhibit of Jal Sanjhi art, a networking event for delegates, a Desert Music Symphony, etc.
- A side event on ‘Transforming Lives at the Midpoint of the 2030 Agenda: Accelerating Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in an Era of Cascading and Multiple Crises’ were organised.
» The second day marked the beginning of substantive discussions on five key focus areas of India’s G20 Presidency.
- Discussions of the First Sherpa Meeting were initiated by India’s G20 Sherpa, who highlighted India’s role in providing a greater voice to the Global South, and utilizing its G20 Chairship to forge win-win collaborations between developing countries and advanced economies.
- In addition to the first two sessions on ‘Technological Transformation’ and ‘Green Development and Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE)’, a dialogue on ‘Global & Regional Economy: Prospects & Challenges’ and an informal ‘Chai pe Charcha’ among G20 member countries was also held.
» The highlights of the third day included substantive conversations on key global issues of inclusive growth, multilateralism, and women-led development, as well as 3Fs (Food, Fuel, and Fertilizer), tourism, and culture.
- G20 Sherpa provided an overview of India’s G20 priorities on the above subjects, across six different Working Groups on Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Employment, Anti-Corruption, Tourism, and Culture, as well as ways to strengthen cooperative efforts therein.
- During discussions on the global impediments to economic growth, delegates underscored the importance of attaining resilient growth through long-term solutions and meaningful partnerships.
- Session 4 focused on the ‘need for multilateral reforms and building institutions’ that are better able to capture the needs and ambitions and reflect the priorities of all regions and countries across the globe and address the challenges of the day.
- Session 5 discussions centred around Women-led Development, and the need to have women at the forefront of development.
» An All-Party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held on December 05, 2022, to discuss aspects relating to India’s G20 Presidency.
- Prime Minister stated that India’s G20 Presidency belongs to the entire nation, and is a unique opportunity to showcase India’s strengths to the entire world. Prime Minister emphasized the importance of teamwork, and sought the cooperation of all leaders in the organization of various G20 events.
» Rounding up the fruitful deliberations of the 1st Sherpa meeting, India’s G20 Sherpa highlighted focal areas of discussion and stressed the need to reinforce collective action of the G20 nations.
» In keeping with India’s G20 Presidency motto “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” and the theme “One Earth. One Family. One Future”, the discussions focused on finding holistic and harmonious solutions to prevailing challenges.
Second Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency
⇒ The Second G20 Sherpas meeting under India’s G20 Presidency, chaired by India’s G20 Sherpa Shri Amitabh Kant took place in the picturesque village of Kumarakom, Kerala, from March 30 to April 2, 2023.
The four-day gathering of over 120 delegates from G20 Members, 9 invitee countries, and various international and regional organizations held multilateral discussions on G20’s economic and developmental priorities as well as on addressing contemporary global challenges.
- The deliberations focused both on policy approaches and concrete implementation.
- The 2nd Sherpas Meeting worked on a range of cross-cutting issues of global concern, and encompassed the work being done under the 13 Working Groups within the Sherpa track.
- Further, 11 Engagement Groups and 4 Initiatives (Research and Innovations Initiative Gathering or RIIG, Empower, Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting or SELM and Chief Scientific Advisers Roundtable or CSAR) were also feeding policy recommendations from the perspectives of the civil society, private sector, academia, women, youth, scientific advancement and research.
- The deliberations of the Sherpa Meetings will take forward the outcomes of various Sherpa Track and Finance Track Meetings, and will form the basis of the Leaders’ Declaration, slated to be adopted at the New Delhi Summit in September 2023.
The Meeting started with two high level side-events:
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
- Green Development.
» The Digital Public Infrastructure side-event, was organised in partnership with NASSCOM, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), began with an immersive digital experience for all G20 delegates.
- This was followed by multiple panel discussions on global challenges and opportunities for building a growth-oriented and inclusive DPI.
- Two Spotlight Sessions were also held to showcase (a) ‘Presentation on DPI Financing Gap’; and (b) discuss ‘How DPI is fueling the start-up ecosystem – Investor + Founder’.
» The side-event on ‘Green Development: Need for an Ambitious Vision for 21st Century’ was organized in partnership with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in India (UNRC) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
- It provided an in-depth perspective on global efforts needed to drive a new vision of green development, one that maximizes synergies in our efforts to achieve developmental and environmental goals through a conducive and revamped international environment and a policy framework that is adaptive, proactive, and responsive to the needs and challenges of developing countries.
To ensure an effective green transformation, following emerged as critical check points for the G20 to work on:
- Building coherence around economic, social, and environmental goals through recognising the commercial value of long-term investments in human and natural capital.
- Ensuring continuity in the G20’s efforts to make energy accessible for the most vulnerable communities, pushing forward agricultural reforms, and building towards sustainable cities and lifestyles, in addition to promoting just transitions for green development.
- Recognising the opportunities for course correction while at the same time pushing for concerted efforts for adaptation to ensure resilience and equity.
- Accelerating climate and development finance flows to the developing world through increased collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
- Achievement of the SDGs would require substantial scaling up of investments in all forms of capital, making the MDBs fit for purpose, incentivising private sector participation, and pushing for an increased focus on debt and concessional finance for vulnerable countries.
- To ensure convergence of the global policy space and international finance, the prospects of economic growth and job creation from additional long-term investments must be highlighted to build a compelling political and economic case for sustainable and green transformations.
Death
Noted economist and former Union minister Yoginder K Alagh
⇒ Noted economist and former Union minister Yoginder K Alagh passed away on 06 December 2022 in Ahmedabad. He was 83.
About Alagh:
- Alagh was an emeritus professor at the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR) in Ahmedabad. He was also a former vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
- Alagh was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 1996 and remained a member of the Upper House till 2000. He served as the Union minister of state for Planning and Programme Implementation, Science and Technology and Power during 1996-98.
- Alagh was a Member of the Planning Commission and had also served as the chairman of the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices in the Ministry of Industry.
- He has been the chairman of the Agricultural Prices Commission of India, adviser to the Planning Commission of India and the chairman of the Economic Group of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
- He also served as the chairman of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) from 2006 to 2012.