The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan today virtually launched the online system of Registration and Renewal of Jewellers and online system of recognition and renewal of the Assaying and Hallmarking Centres. This online system can be accessed through Bureau of Indian Standards web portal www.manakonline.in.While launching the online system, Shri Paswan said that it was difficult tohandle thelarge number of proposals received for registration manually, these online modules will bring about ease of doing business for both the jewellers and the entrepreneurs who have established Assaying and Hallmarking Centres or wish to do so. Hallmarking of precious metals will be mandatory from 1^st June 2021.

Shri Paswan said that with hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts becoming mandatory, the number of jewellers coming forward for registration is expected to go up5 lakh from the present 31,000. Shri Paswan said thatthe number of jewellery and artefacts to be hallmarked will also see a big jump too. He said, it is estimated that the number may go up to 10 crores from the present level of 5 crores. This will necessitate increase in the number of Assaying and Hallmarking Centres too. At present, there are 921 Centres, located in 234 districts of the country. He informed that BIS is working on operationalizing the A&H centers in remaining 480 districts by June, 2021. Shri Paswan informed that now BIS Hallmark will be issued for three categories only. They are 14 carat (14K585), 18(18K750) carat and 22 (22K916) carat only with A&H centre’s identification mark/number and jewellers identification mark/number.

He said that the online system will ensure that applications to start a new center or renew the existing license can be submitted online. Entire process of recognition, which involves audit of the Centres, submission of audit report, and grant of recognition orrenewal, has been automated. Not only the applicant will have all the information available with him, but it will also be possible to do real-time basis monitoring of the processing of applications.

Shri Paswan in his addressmade special mention of the fact that the online system of audit will facilitate expeditious disposal of complaints regarding malpractices in the Hallmarking of jewellery items.He said that BIS was also working on the module to automate the work-flow of the Assaying and Hallmarking Centres, which is expected to be ready by December, 2020.

He said that with the launch of the two online systems, he expects jewellers and entrepreneurs will be encouraged to join the government’s effort to ensure the availability of the gold jewellery of proven quality and purity to the consumers. Shri Paswan further said that while reviewing the functioning of BIS, he could also see the need for augmenting the manpower dedicated to Hallmarking and approved the engagement of additional manpower at the Branch Offices.

Shri Paswan said that the Department is in process to implement IS or EU standards for products in India. He said, from September, 2020, BIS officials along with custom officials will examine the quality and standard of imported products cargos on 7 Indian ports. Only those products, who meet the prescribed quality standards will be given permission to enter the Indian markets. Presently steel, chemical, heavy machineries and toys holds major share in import list of the country.

Shri Paswan informed that the BIS is also working on Quality Checks for various products available in the market. At present QCO’s for 254 products are there and QCO’s for another 268 products under pipeline. Shri Paswan informed that the discussion with other ministries and departments are going on to provide QC for more products.

The new BIS Act,2017 is more effective in overcoming the new challenges of the economy. The scope of BIS widens through this Act. Department of Consumer Affairs is having discussion with other ministries and department so that they can also issue the certificate of conformity for standardization of products comes under their prerogative.

In his concluding remarks Shri Paswan drew attention towards the Bureau of Indian Standards –BIS Care app launched some time back. He urged consumers to use this app to register complaints regarding quality of jewellery/artefacts or any deficiency in the grant of registration or recognition of A&H centers or any other product.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu wished people on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in a message.

The following is the full text of the message:

I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’.

Lord Ganesha who is believed to be the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is revered as an embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.  We invoke Lord Ganesha and seek his blessings to remove obstacles in our path before we begin anything new.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day long festival that marks the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festivities often witness huge gatherings and processions of devotees.  Every year, people bring splendid idols of Lord Ganesha into their homes and worship the deity with utmost devotion and piety. The Visarjan of the idols, that symbolizes the journey of Lord Ganesha to Kailasa takes place on the 10^th day, marking the end of the festival.

Though huge processions and gatherings are the hallmark of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, this year, we must strive to tone down the celebrations in view of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. I urge fellow citizens to strictly adhere to COVID-19 physical distancing protocols and maintain good hygiene while celebrating the festival.

May this Ganesh Chaturthi bring peace, harmony and prosperity in our country. 

The following is the full text of the message:

I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’.

Lord Ganesha who is believed to be the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is revered as an embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.  We invoke Lord Ganesha and seek his blessings to remove obstacles in our path before we begin anything new.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day long festival that marks the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festivities often witness huge gatherings and processions of devotees.  Every year, people bring splendid idols of Lord Ganesha into their homes and worship the deity with utmost devotion and piety. The Visarjan of the idols, that symbolizes the journey of Lord Ganesha to Kailasa takes place on the 10^th day, marking the end of the festival.

Though huge processions and gatherings are the hallmark of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, this year, we must strive to tone down the celebrations in view of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. I urge fellow citizens to strictly adhere to COVID-19 physical distancing protocols and maintain good hygiene while celebrating the festival.

May this Ganesh Chaturthi bring peace, harmony and prosperity in our country. 

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives due to fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant.

The Prime Minister said, “Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest.”

In order to enhance Railway infrastructure and assist in urban decongestion, Indian Railways is taking series of steps all across the country. 

As a part of those activities, Northern Railways has converted the existing Rohtak-Gohana Railway line into a 4.8 km long elevated track. The work on the line is almost complete and it will be commissioned in the next three months. 

The said Railway line  was going through the heart of the city. There are four level crossings on this line within the town limits. This resulted in heavy traffic congestions as the level crossing gates would often be closed. It also jeopardized movement of rail traffic, compromising safety and speed of trains and inconvenienced the road users.

Now the track has been elevated this has eliminated the level crossings which will be a big relief to the people of Rohtak. With the commissioning of the line, Railways will be able to smoothly operate trains on this important route.  Speed of trains in this section will also be increased. 

The Railways and the Government of Haryana together working on the project, have spent Rs. 315 Crore in total, with the state contributing Rs. 225 Crore. With this a long standing demand of the people of Rohtak has been fulfilled by the Railways.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswanhas said that the details of manufacturer, date of expiry, MRP and other details of the product should be legible and should be given on packages of all the products. He urged consumers to file complaints, if they found any information missing on the package of any product. He said that this will create deterrence in the minds of the manufacturers who indulge in unfairpractices or pushing sub-standard products into themarket.

Replying to media queries today during a Video press conference, Shri Paswan informed that the Department of Legal Metrology, Guntur in AP has registered a complaint against the pharmaceutical distributor of medicine ‘Seder OM’. Shri Paswan informed that as per the complaint received, the name of the Manufacturer, Helpline number and date of expiry are not visible. It is further alleged that the size of the numerals and letters of the declaration is less than 1 mm and not easily legible on the above medicine packages. He said that raidswere conducted on the premises of the distributor and seller under section 15 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and packets of the above medicine have been seized.

The Income Tax Department carried out a search and seizure operation on 20.08.2020 at various locations in Bhopal.

The key person of one of the groups covered used to run a bangles shop. Another person covered is a property builder/developer and is also running a cricket academy. During the course of the search operation, documents pertaining to about 100 properties in the nature of plots, flats and agricultural lands having market value of about Rs.105crorehave been found. Documents indicate that a huge amount of undisclosed cash was invested in these properties in the last 6 years. Most of the properties have been found in the names of persons of no means, indicating that these are benami properties. During the search, cash and jewellery worth Rs. 1.8crore have been seized.

Further, documentary evidence gathered during the search operation indicates partnership/association with some retired government servants and holding of their benami properties.

 Investigations are still in progress.

Tender for manufacturing of 44 sets of semi high speed train set (Vande Bharat) has been cancelled.

Fresh tender will be floated within a week as per Revised Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) order.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi and wished joy and prosperity everywhere.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said,

“आप सभी को गणेश चतुर्थी की बहुत-बहुत बधाई। गणपति बाप्पा मोरया! 

Greetings on the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. May the blessings of Bhagwan Shri Ganesh always be upon us. May there be joy and prosperity all over.”

Vegetables are good for health, but now there’s a whole new mat that one veggie could help our heart. Spanich can be used as a scaffold for beating human heart cell, a new study finds.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), a leafy vegetable which is rich in vitamin K and other nutritions. It acts as anti cancer agent, which is also necessary for blood clotting and for mantainance of bone, suitable for anaemia, helps in low fat diets.

Our relation with world of plant may soon be a lot more interwined that any of us could have imagined. Researchers found that spinach is not just good fit our heart but it can be our heart. While researchers have found success using technology such as 3D printing to build more substantial part of human heart. They had a cimparatively harder time for reconstruction of tiny blood vessels that heart tissue needs to function. They thought that Spinach may help to solve the problem.

They did this by perfusing spinach leaves with a detergent solution, which stripped them with their plant cells. The proof of concept study suggest that multiple spinach leaves could be used to grow layers of healthy heart muscle that could one day be used to treat heart attack patients. The researchers said that “we have lot of work to do, but so far this is so promising”. Glenn Gaudette, the study’s senior researcher and a Profession of Biomedical Engineering at the Worcester, Massachusetts said in a statement ‘adapting abundant plants that farmers have been cultivating for thousands of years for use in tissue engineering could solve a host of problems limiting the field.

“In addition, the researchers said they think they could deliver blood and oxygen to developing tissue by pouring fluids through the spinach leaves veins”. “When I looked at the spinach leaf, it’s stem reminded me of an aorta” said Joshna Gershalk, a graduate student of biomedical engineering at WPI and the study’s lead researchers. “So I thought, let’s perfuse right through the stem”.

Spinach leaves make a good scaffold because once the plants cell are washed away a cellulose structure remains, the researchers said.

“Cellulose is a biocompitable and has been used in a wide variety of regenerative medicine applications, such as cartilage tissue engineering, bone tissue engineering and wound healing,” the researchers wrote in the study. In addition to spinach leaves also removed plant cells from parsley. Artemesia annua (sweet wormwood) and peanut hairy roots. Scaffolds from these plants, and perhaps others could be helpful for other types of specialized tissue regeneration, they said.

Although spinach leaves have many veins, making them a well-suited scaffold for heart tissue, other plans show promise for other medical uses. Namely the “Cylindrical, hallow structure of the stem” of jewelseed plant could be used as a graft fur any artery, they said. In addition wood from trees “might be useful I bone engineering”, due in parts to its strength, they wrote.

Thus plants as these not only good for our health, but also they provide many economic and environmental advantage to the field of biomedical. Plants are easy to grow and are eco-friendly.