National
New Variety of "Lotus" flower developed by Lucknow Institute CSIR-NBRI
⇒ Union Minister of State (I/C) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh unveiled the new variety “Lotus” flower that has 108 petals on 19 August 2023.
Developed by:
The new variety “Lotus” flower has been developed by Lucknow Institute CSIR-NBRI (National Botanical Research Institute), a premier plant-based, multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art National R&D center based in Lucknow.
Key Points:
- The lotus has been named ‘NBRI Namoh 108’.
- The Namoh 108 lotus variety flowers from March to December and is rich in nutrients. This is the first lotus variety whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics.
» Dr Jitendra Singh also released apparel made from lotus fibre and perfume ‘Frotus’, extracted from lotus flowers and developed by the NBRI under the Lotus Research Programme in collaboration with FFDC, Kannauj.
» Also launching the Lotus Mission on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said this project is being undertaken in Mission mode like the other priority schemes, – the National Honey and Bee Mission (NHBM), National Bamboo Mission (NBM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Gokul Mission, Blue Revolution, Mission Shakti – an integrated women empowerment programme and the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) etc.
Other products were also launched on this occasion:
- In another novel initiative at recycling, Dr Jitendra Singh also released herbal colours for various applications, extracted by NBRI from flower offerings made at temples. These herbal colours can also be used for dying silk and cotton cloths.
- The Minister also released the new variety of Aloe vera named ‘NBRI-Nihar’, a clonal selection having approximately 2.5 times high gel yield in comparison to Aloe vera. As per the field observations, ‘NBRI-Nihar’ is found least affected against bacterial and fungal diseases.
- Two herbal products namely ‘Herbal Cold Drops’ for curing common cough and cold & Herbal Anti Dandruff Hair Oil, made by Marc Laboratories, were also launched by the Minister.
- Dr Jitendra Singh also launched a Database of 500 Raw Drug Repositories of the Institute developed as per Indian Pharmacopoeia Standards and released a book on roses in CSIR-NBRI Garden, comprising the details of elite varieties conserved at the Botanic Garden.
- On the occasion, an MoU was signed between CSIR-NBRI & M/s Nucleome Informatics, Hyderabad for collaborative research on Cotton.
- The CSIR-NBRI digital Herbarium, a National Repository of flora specimens of India, was also launched to easily disseminate information among the public and a book on ‘Plant Resources of Uttar Pradesh and a Check List’ and ‘e-flora of Uttar Pradesh’ were also released. The e-flora and book provide a list and information of more than 5,000 plants of Uttar Pradesh.
- The S&T Minister also released the NBRI-Goutout, a supplement for gout/gouty arthritis, and a nutri-bar for army personnel deployed in high-altitudes.
Foundation stone laid for Datia Airport
⇒ Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, laid the foundation stone of Datia Airport in Madhya Pradesh on 21 August 2023.
Key Points:
- The airport is being developed at a cost of around Rs 50 crore and is expected to be complete by February 2024.
- The development involves the renovation of the existing 1810-meter runway and construction of apron which can house two nineteen-seater aircraft and a terminal building of 750 square meters and ATC tower.
- The terminal building will have the capacity to accommodate 100 passengers during peak hours.
The development of Datia airport will be completed soon. As soon as it is developed, flights connecting Khajuraho and Bhopal will be operationalised. These routes have already been awarded under RCS UDAN.
International
G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting
⇒ The G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting under India’s G20 Presidency was held from August 18 – 19, 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 International Organizations participated in the meeting.
The focus of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting was on the three key priorities:
- Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness & Response, With focus on One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance
- Strengthening cooperation in pharmaceutical sector with focus on availability and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures – VTD
- Digital Health innovations and solutions to aid Universal Health Coverage & improve healthcare service delivery
The G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting provided a conclusion to the work of the Health Working Group which deliberated and discussed the three key priorities of the group in the four Meetings that were held:
- 1st G20 Health Working Group Meeting
- 2nd G20 Health Working Group Meeting
- 3rd G20 Health Working Group Meeting
- 4th G20 Health Working Group Meeting (Health Deputies’ Meeting)
Day 1:
» Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the gathering during the inaugural session via video message.
» During the panel discussions on ‘WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit’ and ‘One Earth One Health Advantage Healthcare India 2023‘, the Health Ministers and delegates discussed the contributions of indigenous knowledge and traditional medicine towards the well-being of societies & economies.
Day 2:
The G20 Health Minister’s Meeting concluded with the adoption of an Outcome Document and the Chair’s Summary, as well as the launch of the Global Initiative of Digital Health which aims to consolidate and amplify recent and past gains in global digital health for health systems while strengthening mutual accountability to enhance the impact of future investments in healthcare.
» The last day of the G20 Health Minister’s Meeting also saw the 1st Joint Finance and Health Ministerial under the Indian Presidency.
The meeting also saw sessions on India’s two G20 Health Priorities-
- Strengthening Cooperation in Pharmaceutical Sector with a focus on Availability & Access to Safe, Effective, Quality, and Affordable Medical Countermeasures – Vaccine, Therapeutics & Diagnostics
- Digital Health Innovation & Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage & Improve Healthcare Service Delivery.
World Bank Report:
During the second session, a World Bank Report titled Digital-in-Health: Unlocking the Value for Everyone, was launched.
- It presents a new way of thinking from simple digitization of health data to fully integrating digital technology in health systems.
- It focuses on infusing digital technologies into health financing, service delivery, diagnostics, medical education, pandemic preparedness, climate and health efforts, nutrition, and ageing.
Outcome Document:
The G20 Health Minister’s Meeting saw the unanimous adoption of the Outcome Document, agreed to by all G20 delegations, except for paragraph 22*, which pertains to the Chair’s Summary. The Outcome Document reaffirmed the commitment of G20 countries to continue strengthening the Global Health Architecture.
India MedTech Expo 2023:
The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, and Fertilizers inaugurated India’s first medical technology expo, ‘India MedTech Expo 2023’, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on the sidelines of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting.
Sustain, Accelerate and Innovate to end TB in the South-East Asia Region:
» Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya delivered the keynote address at the Ministerial meeting – Sustain, Accelerate and Innovate to End TB in the South-East Asia Region co-chaired by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO at Gandhinagar.
- The event witnessed a significant milestone in the signing of the Gandhinagar Declaration, the joint declaration by the Health Ministers and WHO South-East Asia Regional Organisation (SEARO).
- It expresses confidence that the WHO SEARO Region will be able to end TB by 2030 with unrelenting, concerted and synergistic actions in the right direction by all Member States with the support of partners, stakeholders and communities.
- The Gandhinagar Declaration commends the initiatives taken by Member States to enhance the community approach against tuberculosis such as nutritional support to patients by individuals and groups, family-centric care, and financial support to patients for nutrition- and treatment-related transportation, which accelerates progress towards better outcomes and also reduces stigma.
4th G20 Health Working Group Meeting:
» The 4th G20 Health Working Group Meeting which was a meeting of G20 Health Deputies’ was held on August 17, 2023, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- Delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 International Organizations participated in the meeting.
Aim:
The aim of the Health Deputies’ Meeting was to further discuss strategies to enhance healthcare delivery, improve access, and bolster our health systems for a healthier future.
Key Points:
- The focus of the G20 Health Deputies’ Meeting was to finalise the draft of the Outcome Document that would be adopted by the Health Ministers’ meeting to be held subsequently.
- On the first day of the meeting, WHO held a Global Summit for Traditional Medicine.
- The first day concluded with delegates keeping the focus on the finalisation of the Outcome Document.