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Mint
12 hours ago
- Health
- Mint
Health ministry report bats for liver and heart transplants under PMJAY
New Delhi: The union health ministry has called for including liver and heart transplants under the government's flagship health insurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). This assumes importance given that health insurance schemes in the country cover life and disability, but not organ donation. Also Read | Why are men ignoring their hormonal health? The recommendation comes in a report, titled the National Review Meeting on Organ Transplantation Activities in Government Hospitals, prepared by the National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), a top body which manages organ transplantation, under the health ministry. The call for expanding insurance coverage comes in the backdrop of the low number of organ transplants performed in India. Mint has seen a copy of the report, which has been submitted to health ministry. Also Read | Want glowing skin? Take care of your mental health AB PM-JAY is the world's largest health insurance scheme, providing health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year. Notably, the scheme's ambit has been expanded to include free treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year to senior citizens aged 70 years and above. Earlier this month, a nationwide review meeting was conducted on organ transplants in government hospitals by a group of top government experts to identify bottlenecks in the system and formulate a roadmap for improvement. The report underlined that government institutions have inadequate capacities and that new centres are required to be established and made functional. It emphasized the need for a multi-pronged strategy involving policy changes, financial investment, and capacity building to bridge the demand-supply gap in organ transplantation. Also Read | ₹1-crore health cover is fast becoming a necessity. But how to afford one? The report highlighted a huge gap between demand and supply: while India requires at least 100,000 kidney transplants per year, only 13,476 were performed in 2024 across both government and private centers. 'These recommendations aim to strengthen India's organ transplantation capabilities and make life-saving procedures more accessible to those in need. During the nationwide assessment of the government hospitals, we identified their challenges and suggested measures to improve their capabilities in terms of infrastructure, finance, manpower etc. We have submitted our report to the health ministry and now the ministry will take action on these recommendations," said Dr. Anil Kumar, director, NOTTO. One of the key recommendations is to include comprehensive inclusion of liver and heart transplantation in national health schemes like PMJAY, he added. 'Some states like Maharashtra and Delhi have expanded their coverage under the PM-JAY scheme. So, the recommendation of the report to include liver and heart transplantation under PM-JAY may be considered to accelerate organ transplantation in the government institutions," he said. Dr Anup Kumar, head of kidney transplant and urology department at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, said, ' It is a welcome move. PMJAY offers coverage of up to ₹5 lakh, but these are very expensive procedures require ₹20-25 lakh in the private sector. However, in government institutions these transplants can be done in ₹10 lakh. So, to cover these two transplants, the government has to also consider increasing the coverage plan of PMJAY from ₹5 lakh to at least ₹10 lakh." Further, to bridge the critical demand-supply gap, the expert group has put forth several key recommendations, which include financial incentives for transplant teams, enhanced funding for infrastructure development, establishment of dedicated transplant centres and robust training programmes for medical personnel and transplant coordinators. 'We have tried to understand why government institutions are not able to do the maximum number of organ transplants and what are the solutions. Do we require to build new centres or strengthen the existing capacities. Some government centres like Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) Ahmedabad conducted a total of 508 organ transplants in the last year, including 195 cadaveric transplants, PGIMER Chandigarh performed 320 organ transplants including 55 cadaveric transplants," Dr. Kumar said. However, the report revealed that government institutions like GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, despite having the physical infrastructure and licence, did not perform any organ transplants.
New Indian Express
17 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Power supply to Uttarakhand's remote border villages and ITBP posts for first time since Independence
The work plan focuses on reaching these highly inaccessible and strategically crucial areas adjacent to the India-China border, marking a new chapter of development and connectivity for Uttarakhand's frontier regions. The tendering process has been completed for projects to provide grid-based electricity supply to the 43 ITBP outposts and 882 homes across eight border villages identified under the Vibrant Village Programme. These key locations are spread across the Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, and Chamoli districts. Under the Vibrant Village Programme, Purali village in Uttarkashi district, along with Nabi, Kutti, Gunji, Garbyang, Shila, Baling, and Tidang villages in Pithoragarh, have been selected for grid connectivity to 882 homes in total. Survey work is currently underway, including technical assessments, line route determination, pole placement, transformer planning, and other essential preparatory tasks. UPCL Managing Director Anil Kumar stated, 'Under the guidance of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, both these schemes are extremely crucial from the perspective of national security and rural empowerment.' He added that despite the challenging weather conditions and limited accessibility in these mountainous regions, UPCL's regional teams are working on a war footing to achieve these targets
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Curbing phone addiction: Desi, physical games to challenge e-game fixation at UP govt primary schools
The Uttar Pradesh basic education department has introduced a calendar of traditional Indian games for students of Classes 1 to 8 across government primary and upper primary schools. The move is aimed at reconnecting children with their cultural roots and curbing the growing mobile phone addiction. The initiative, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to encourage physical activity and reduce children's screen time by promoting indigenous games like Posham Pa and Langdi Taang. The calendar, prepared by experts from the State Institute of Education (SIE), Prayagraj—a unit of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)—has been distributed digitally to around 1.5 lakh schools across the state, for the benefit of over 1.5 crore students. 'The illustrated PDF calendar has been shared with school principals, who have been instructed to incorporate these games into teacher-parent meetings and other school events to actively engage children,' said Anil Kumar, principal in-charge, SIE-Prayagraj. This initiative is a step toward reviving traditional games and improving both mental and physical health among students, he added. Officials hope the games will not only promote fitness and teamwork but also instill cultural pride among young learners.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Uttar Pradesh launches clean air plan to reduce pollution
Lucknow: The department of environment, forest and climate change (DOEFCC) on Monday launched the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Plan (UCAP), India's first state-level clean air strategy grounded in scientific analysis and an airshed-based approach. The plan was released by principal secretary Anil Kumar at an event held in Lucknow on Monday. It was attended by senior state officials and representatives from the World Bank. The UCAP is a first-of-its-kind plan in India, developed through scientific modelling and data from Uttar Pradesh's own emissions inventory. It provides a 10-year roadmap to reduce PM2.5 levels by targeting key sources such as household emissions from cooking with solid fuels, transport, industries, and agriculture. Moving beyond city-level plans, UCAP introduces an airshed management approach, recognising that air pollution often travels between urban and rural areas. A key pillar supporting the implementation of UCAP is the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project (UPCAMP), expected to be financed by a USD 320 loan from the World Bank. UPCAMP focuses on strengthening airshed institutional mechanisms for long-term planning, expanding air quality monitoring networks, and piloting innovative clean air measures like tunnel kiln technology, state-of-the-art supersites, and AI-enabled Decision Support System (DSS) to track pollution trends, among others. With the launch of the UP State Clean Air Plan, Uttar Pradesh is leading the way in science-based, multi-sectoral clean air action and setting a strong precedent for other Indian states to follow, said an official.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
UG admissions: PU to release second merit list on June 19
Patna: Patna University (PU) will release the second cut-off list for admission to its four-year undergraduate programmes (conventional) and three-year degree programmes (self-financing) in its different colleges in the current academic session (2025-26) on June 19. More than 2,185 students were already admitted from the first cut-off list between June 13 and 16. Giving details of the admissions held in different honours subjects in arts, science, and commerce streams from the first merit list, PU students' welfare dean Anil Kumar said the maximum number of students (510) were admitted to Magadh Mahila College, followed by 500 in B N College. The number of students admitted to Patna College, Patna Science College and Vanijya Mahavidyalaya was 490, 415 and 270, respectively. "The total number of sanctioned seats in these colleges is 4,531," he said. He said the second cut-off list for admission against the remaining seats in various honours subjects in different colleges would be released on June 19 and the candidates figuring in the list would have to secure their admission in their respective colleges from June 21 to 24. "The third and final merit list will be announced on June 27 and the candidates figuring in this list will have to secure their admission on June 30 and July 1," he said. "Students who took admission in the first round and opted for the sliding option would be considered for their upgradation (of the choice of college or honours subject or both) in the second round of admission," the dean said. The admissions are also being held simultaneously in the three-year degree courses under the self-financing scheme in different colleges. The self-financing (vocational) courses running in different colleges of PU are functional English (Patna College and B N College), BCA (B N College, Patna Science College, Magadh Mahila College), BBA (Patna College, B N College, Magadh Mahila College), biotechnology (Patna Science College and B N College), mass communications (Patna College), environmental science (Patna Science College) and social work (Magadh Mahila College).
