Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day.There were several studies that scientists did in the early 2000s that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation.
Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration.A lack of sleep may affect a person’s desire or ability to maintain a healthful lifestyle, but it may or may not be a direct contributor to weight gain.

Man is the only mammal that willingly delays sleep.In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult.There are individual differences in the need to nap. Some adults and children need to nap. However, the majority of teenagers probably nap in the afternoon because they are not sleeping enough at night.Studies have found a relationship between the quantity and quality of one’s sleep and many health problems.Rates of insomnia increase as a function of age, but most often the sleep disturbance is attributable to some other medical condition.The body rests during sleep, however, the brain remains active, gets “recharged,” and still controls many body functions including breathing

According to research-
12% of people dream entirely in black and white
Before colour television was introduced, only 15% of people dreamt in colour. Older people dream in black and white more often than younger people.
Snoring is a common problem, especially among men, but it isn’t harmful.
Although snoring may be harmless for most people, it can be a symptom of a life threatening sleep disorder called sleep apnea, especially if it is accompanied by severe daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing that prevent air from flowing into or out of a sleeping person’s airways. 
A giraffe only needs 1.9 hours of sleep a day, whereas a brown bat needs 19.9 hours a day.

Within 5 minutes of waking up, 50% of your dream is forgotten
After an additional 5 minutes, 90% of recollection is gone. Sigmund Freud believed this was because dreams represent our repressed thoughts and so our brain wants to get rid of them quickly. However, it’s much more likely due to our brains simply being used much more as soon as we’re awake and so we forget much of what we’ve dreamed about.
Fear is said not to be the main emotion in nightmares
Instead, researchers have found that it’s most often feelings of sadness, guilt and confusion.

Priya Yadav,

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be conducted across the country on 13 September i.e. today for admission to medical courses. States have also relaxed transport with corona virus restrictions in the wake of NEET exams. The conduct of the NEET exam in the midst of the Corona epidemic was challenged by some students and opposition-ruled states. He had said that the life of students would be put in danger by conducting these exams at this time. A petition to defer the NEET and JEE examination was filed in the Supreme Court last month. However, the court said that the examination can be conducted strictly following the rules of social distancing.

This time around 16 lakh students have registered for NEET exam. The NTA has changed the examination centers of some candidates due to the corona virus epidemic. Candidates whose examination centers have been changed keeping in mind the safety and convenience have been informed through message, email or phone. NEET exam will be held from 2 pm to 5 pm.
Security arrangements have been completed by the NTA to ensure the NEET exam 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic. In view of social distancing, the number of examination centers has been increased from 2,846 to 3,843 by NTA.
Candidates for NEET examination have started arriving at the examination centers. According to news agency ANI, ‘Neet is just a test. There is nothing to fear. If Neet is not successful in the exam this time, he will give the exam again next year.

9.25 AM- Special train for NEET candidates today

For the convenience of the candidates who take part in the Medical Entrance Examination (NEET), Railway Examination will run a special train. Tickets for the journey in special trains will meet the machine installed on the platform.
The candidates have to show the admit card before taking the ticket. Family will also be allowed to travel with the examinee. Train number 04304 will leave Bareilly at 04:15 am on Sunday and reach Lucknow at 8:45 am. In return, train number 04303 will leave Lucknow at 19:30 pm and reach Bareilly at 00.25 pm via Sandila, Balamau, Hardoi, Shahabad, Shahjahanpur, Tilhar, Pitambarpur.

8.50 AM-NEET 2020: Ministry gave these guidelines

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made the rule of social distancing of masks and six feet mandatory for NEET examination. The university and exam conducting bodies are required to give masks and sanitizers to students and staff at exam centers.

8.30 AM- NEET 2020: Maharashtra government allows students to travel by local train.

The Maharashtra government has allowed all students to travel in local trains. Students going to take the exam will have to show their ID and admit card to travel on special trains.

8.05 AM-NEET 2020: Self Declaration Certificate

There will be “isolation rooms” for candidates whose body temperature exceeds the prescribed limit. The NTA has also asked the candidates being part of NEET exam to show self declaration certificate in the exam center. In which it is said that the candidate does not have Covid-19 symptoms and he has not come in contact with any infected person.

Weather predictions becoming more certainand help in preventing air traffic disasters may now be easier and, especially in the Himalaya region. Thanks to certain atmospheric turbulence parameters specific to the Himalaya region that scientists have calculated.

Scientists at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India, have estimated turbulence parameters in the lower troposphere over the central Himalayan region for the first time.

The researchers have calculated the magnitude of refractive index structure (Cn2), a constant that represents the strength of the atmospheric turbulence using observation from their Stratosphere Troposphere Radar (S T Radar). In the study published in Radio Science journal led by Aditya Jaiswal, a Ph.D. student at ARIES Nainital and ARIES faculties D.V. Phani Kumar, S. Bhattacharjee, and Manish Naja have found that the refractive index structure constant (C_n²) is as large as 10^-14 m^-2/3. Such large values at the lower altitudes are due to the mountain wave activities and presence of low-level clouds.

Proper and timely information of the higher values of the atmospheric turbulence parameters and understanding of time and space distribution of turbulence structure in the troposphere could help improve performance of numerical weather prediction and climate models.

While the turbulence parameters for southern India were known earlier, the same were not known over the Himalayan region. Thus some approximate values were used by modelers for calculation. They have now been found to be much higher over the Himalayan region. Now modelers will be able to update these values in their existing models. This will help in improving weather predictions. Also, precise knowledge on turbulence over this region will help in safe air traffic movements.

It is also important to model clear-air turbulence as that would aid in limiting the air traffic disasters, particularly over the complex mountainous regions. Low levels of cloud are generated in a mountainous region with complex topography. Because of this, stable air in this region is set into oscillations known as mountain waves and lee waves. Characterization of turbulence in the mountainous region is vital to understand the dynamics of mountain induced wave disturbances and other related phenomena, which has crucial role in modulating the general circulation wind patterns.

Talking about the SERB, DST funded indigenously developed ST Radar used in the study, DST Secretary Professor Ashutosh Sharma said, “Development of such radar at 206.5 MHz, within the country, will further strengthen our efforts to better understand the regional changes in weather and climate, particularly in the Himalayan region, which is having complex topography.”

As the world runs out of fossil fuels and looks out for alternate sources of clean energy, there is good news from the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin. The methane hydrate deposit in this basin is a rich source that will ensure adequate supplies of methane, a natural gas.

Methane is a clean and economical fuel. It is estimated that one cubic meter of methane hydrate contains 160-180 cubic meters of methane. Even the lowest estimate of methane present in the methane hydrates in KG Basin is twice that of all fossil fuel reserves available worldwide.

In a recent study conducted by researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India have found that the methane hydrate deposits are located in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin are of biogenic origin. The study was conducted as a part of the DST-SERB young scientist project titled ‘Elucidating the community structure of methanogenic archaea in methane hydrate’. Methane hydrate is formed when hydrogen-bonded water and methane gas come into contact at high pressures and low temperatures in oceans.

According to the present study accepted for publishing in the journal ‘Marine genomics’, theARI team has further identified the methanogens that produced the biogenic methane trapped as methane hydrate, which can be a significant source of energy.

“The massive methane hydrate deposits of biogenic origin in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin and near the coast of Andaman and Mahanadi make it necessary to study the associated methanogenic community,” said Dr. Vikram B Lanjekar, the Principal Investigator of the study.

According to the ARI team, until recently, there have been only a few investigations of the methanogenic communities associated with methane hydrate-bearing sediments. This study has shown that methanogens under these elevated pressure and temperature conditions are well adapted to these conditions and are different in methane-producing activities. Understanding of these methane-producing methanogenic communities under such an extreme and pristine environment was very important. This study using molecular and culturing techniques revealed maximum methanogenic diversity in the KG basin, which is one of the prominent reasons to confirm it to be the extreme source of biogenic methane in comparison to the Andaman and Mahanadi basins.

The kinetics study based on their model also predicted the rate of biogenic methane generation in KG Basin hydrates to be 0.031 millimoles methane/gTOC/Day, resulting in total deposits of methane around 0.56 to 7.68trillion cubic feet (TCF). The sediment samples associated with methane hydrate deposits from Krishna Godawari, Andaman, and Mahanadi basin were provided by National Gas Hydrate Core Repository, GHRTC, ONGC, Panvel, Maharashtra for this study.

The ARI team has documented a predominance of genus Methanosarcina in KG basin, followed by a few other genera Methanoculleus,Methanobacterium. Genus Methanosarcina was found to be more diverse among the obtained genera with four different species M. siciliae, M. barkeri, M. flavescens, and M. mazeias per their findings.

“Cultivation, isolation, and characterization of putative novel Methanoculleus sp. nov. and Methanosarcinaspnov. from methane hydrate sediments of Krishna Godavari basin, India are reported for first time,” said Dr. Vikram B Lanjekar, Principle Investigator of the study.

At a time when COVID pandemic has created havoc globally, Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology- IPFT an autonomous Institution under the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers has successfully developed two new technologies namely “Disinfectant spray for surface application” and “Disinfectant spray for Vegetables & fruits.”

According to a statement provided by IPFT   the variety of surfaces like door handles, chair armrest, computer keyboard & mouse taps etc. may transmit microbes to the individuals through direct or indirect contact. Keeping this in view IPFT has developed; alcohol based “Disinfectant Spray” for the surface applications containing botanical anti-microbial which may be effective in prevention from various diseases caused by microbes, bacteria and virus. The formulation is volatile and evaporates quickly after disinfecting the surface and does not leave any stains, odor and residue etc. 

IPFT has also developed Disinfectant Spray to remove pesticide residues left over on the surface of fruits and vegetables.  Fruits & vegetables are basic food commodities and necessary component of daily nutrition. Sometime non judicious uses of pesticide contaminate raw vegetables and fruits as pesticide residues  persist on their surface and can causes health risk upon consumption. 

To make fruits and vegetables 100 percent safe for human consumption  IPFT has developed a water-based formulation .The decontamination procedure using the formulation is simple; vegetables or fruits are soaked in the diluted solution of this formulation for15-20 minutes thereafter rinsed with fresh water.  This simple procedure makes fruits and vegetables totally pesticide free.

Gurugram, Haryana, based IPFT was Established in May 1991 under the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers as an Autonomous Institution. Intitute has been working towards the development of safer, efficient and environment friendly pesticide formulations. IPFT has four administrative divisions namely, Formulation Technology Division, Bioscience Division, Analytical Science Division and a Process Development Division.

अभी मुझे कुछ लाभार्थियों से मेरी चर्चा हुई, जिनको आज अपना पक्का घर मिला है, अपने सपनों का घर मिला है, अपने बच्चों के भविष्य का विश्वास मिला है। अब मध्य प्रदेश के पौने 2 लाख ऐसे परिवार, जो आज अपने घर में प्रवेश कर रहे हैं, जिनका गृह-प्रवेश हो रहा है, उनको भी मैं बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं, शुभकामनाएं देता हूं। ये सभी साथी टेक्नॉलॉजी के किसी ना किसी माध्यम से, पूरे मध्य प्रदेश में इस कार्यक्रम से जुड़े हैं। आज आप देश के उन सवा दो करोड़ परिवारों में शामिल हो गए हैं, जिन्हें बीते 6 वर्षों में अपना घर मिला है, जो अब किराए के नहीं, झुग्गियों में नहीं, कच्चे मकान में नहीं, अपने घर में रह रहे हैं, पक्के घर में रह रहे हैं।

साथियों, इस बार आप सभी की दीवाली, आप सभी के त्योहारों की खुशियां कुछ और ही होंगी। कोरोना काल नहीं होता तो आज आपके जीवन की इतनी बड़ी खुशी में शामिल होने के लिए, आपके घर का ये सदस्य, आपका प्रधानसेवक, पक्का आपके बीच होता। और आपके इस आनन्‍द उत्‍सव में भागीदार होता लेकिन कोरोना की जो स्थिति है, उसके कारण मुझे दूर से ही आज आप सबका दर्शन का अवसर मिल रहा है। लेकिन अभी के लिए ऐसा ही सही !!!

आज के इस समारोह में मध्य प्रदेश की गवर्नर श्रीमती आनंदी बेन पटेल जी, राज्य के लोकप्रिय मुख्यमंत्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान जी, केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल के मेरे सहयोगी नरेंद्र सिंह तोमर जी, मेरे साथी ज्‍योतिरादित्‍य जी, मध्य प्रदेश के मंत्रिगण, सदस्‍य, सांसद और विधायगकगण, ग्रामपंचायतों के प्रतिनिधिगण और मध्य प्रदेश के गांव-गांव से जुड़े सभी मेरे प्यारे भाइयों और बहनों!

आज मध्य प्रदेश में सामूहिक गृहप्रवेश का ये समारोह पौने 2 लाख गरीब परिवारों के लिए तो अपने जीवन का यादगार पल है ही, देश के हर बेघर को अपना पक्का घर देने के लिए भी एक बड़ा कदम है। आज का ये कार्यक्रम मध्यप्रदेश सहित देश के सभी बेघर साथियों को एक विश्वास देने वाला भी पल है। जिनका अब तक घर नहीं, एक दिन उनका भी घर बनेगा, उनका भी सपना पूरा होगा।

साथियों, आज का ये दिन करोडों देशवासियों के उस विश्वास को भी मज़बूत करता है कि सही नीयत से बनाई गई सरकारी योजनाएं साकार भी होती हैं और उनके लाभार्थियों तक पहुंचती भी हैं। जिन साथियों को आज अपना घर मिला है, जिनसे मेरी बातचीत हुई है और जिनको मैं स्क्रीन पर देख पा रहा हूं, उनके भीतर के संतोष, उनके आत्मविश्वास को मैं अनुभव कर सकता हूं। मैं आप सभी साथियों से यही कहूंगा कि ये घर आपके और बेहतर भविष्य का नया आधार हैं। यहां से आप अपने नए जीवन की नई शुरुआत कीजिए। अपने बच्चों को, अपने परिवार को, अब आप नई ऊंचाइयों पर लेकर जाइए। आप आगे बढ़ेंगे तो देश भी आगे बढ़ेगा।

साथियों, कोरोना काल में तमाम रुकावटों के बीच भी देशभर में प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के तहत 18 लाख घरों का काम पूरा किया गया है। उसमें 1 लाख 75 हजार घर अकेले मध्य प्रदेश में ही पूरे किए गए हैं। इस दौरान जिस गति से काम हुआ है, वो भी अपने आप में एक रिकॉर्ड है। सामान्य तौर पर प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के तहत एक घर बनाने में औसतन सवा सौ दिन का समय लगता है। लेकिन अब जो मैं बताने जा रहा हूं, वो देश के लिए, हमारे मीडिया के साथियों के लिए भी ये बहुत सकारात्मक खबर है। कोरोना के इस काल में पीएम आवास योजना के तहत घरों को बनाने में 125 दिन नहीं सिर्फ सिर्फ 45 से 60 दिन में ही बनाकर तैयार कर दिया गया है। आपदा को अवसर में बदलने का ये बहुत ही उत्तम उदाहरण है। आप सोचेंगे कि ये कैसे संभव हुआ? पहले 125 दिन अब 40 से 60 दिन के बीच में कैसे हुआ?

साथियों, इस तेज़ी में बहुत बड़ा योगदान रहा शहरों से लौटे हमारे श्रमिक साथियों का। उनके पास हुनर भी था, इच्‍छाशक्ति भी थी और वो इसमें जुड़ गए और उसके कारण ये परिणाम मिला है। हमारे इन साथियों ने प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण रोज़गार अभियान का पूरा लाभ उठाते हुए अपने परिवार को संभाला और साथ-साथ अपने गरीब भाई-बहनों के लिए घर भी तैयार करके दे दिया। मुझे संतोष है कि पीएम गरीब कल्याण अभियान से मध्य प्रदेश सहित देश के अनेक राज्यों में करीब-करीब 23 हज़ार करोड़ रुपए  के काम पूरे किए जा चुके हैं। इस अभियान के तहत गांव-गांव में गरीबों के लिए घर तो बन ही रहे हैं, हर घर जल पहुंचाने का काम हो, आंगनबाड़ी और पंचायत के भवनों का निर्माण हो, पशुओं के लिए शेड बनाना हो, तालाब और कुएं बनाना हो, ग्रामीण सड़कों का काम हो, गांव के विकास से जुड़े ऐसे अनेक काम तेज़ी से किए गए हैं। इससे दो फायदे हुए हैं। एक तो शहरों से गांव लौटे लाखों श्रमिक साथियों को रोज़गार उपलब्ध हुआ है। और दूसरा- ईंट, सीमेंट, रेत और निर्माण से जुड़े दूसरे सामान का व्यापार-कारोबार करते हैं, उनकी भी बिक्री हुई है। एक प्रकार से प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण रोज़गार अभियान इस मुश्किल समय में गांव की अर्थव्यवस्था का भी बहुत बड़ा सहारा बनकर उभरा। इसे बहुत बड़ी ताकत प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के तहत हो रहे कार्यों से मिल रही है।

साथियों, मुझसे कई बार लोग पूछते हैं कि आखिर घर तो देश में पहले भी बनते थे, सरकार की योजनाओं के तहत बनते थे, फिर आप ने बदलाव क्या किया? ये सही है कि गरीबों के लिए घर बनाने के लिए देश में दशकों पहले से योजनाएं चली आ रही हैं। बल्कि आज़ादी के बाद के पहले दशक में ही सामुदायिक विकास कार्यक्रम के तहत ये काम शुरु हो गया था। फिर हर 10-15 साल में इस प्रकार की योजनाओं में कुछ जुड़ता गया, नाम बदलते गए। लेकिन करोड़ों गरीबों को जो घर देने का लक्ष्य था, जो एक गरिमापूर्ण जीवन देने का लक्ष्य था, वो कभी पूरा ही नहीं हो पाया। कारण ये था कि पहले जो योजनाएं बनी थीं, उनमें सरकार हावी थी, सरकार का दखल बहुत ज्यादा था। उन योजनाओं में मकान से जुड़ी हर चीज का फैसला सरकार, वो भी दिल्‍ली से होता था, करती थी। जिसको उस घर में रहना था, उसकी पूछ ही नहीं थी। अब जैसे शहरों की ही तर्ज पर आदिवासी क्षेत्रों में ही कॉलोनी सिस्टम थोपने की कोशिश होती थी, शहरों जैसे मकान बनाने की ही कोशिश होती थी। जबकि हमारे आदिवासी भाई-बहनों का रहन-सहन शहर के रहन-सहन से बिल्कुल अलग होता है। उनकी जरूरतें अलग होती हैं। इसलिए सरकार के बनाए घरों में उनको वो अपना-पन आता ही नहीं था। इतना ही नहीं, पहले की योजनाओं में पारदर्शिता की भारी कमी थी, कई तरह की गड़बड़ियां भी होती थीं। मैं उनके विस्तार में नहीं जाना चाहता। इसलिए उन घरों की क्वालिटी भी बहुत खराब होती थी। ऊपर से बिजली, पानी जैसी मूल ज़रूरतों के लिए लाभार्थी को सरकारी दफ्तरों के चक्कर अलग से काटने पड़ते थे। इन सबका नतीजा ये होता था कि उन योजनाओं के तहत जो घर बनते भी थे, उनमें जल्दी लोग शिफ्ट ही नहीं होते थे, उनमें गृह प्रवेश ही नहीं हो पाता था।

साथियों, 2014 में हमने जबसे कार्य संभाला इन पुराने अनुभवों का अध्ययन करके, पहले पुरानी योजना में सुधार किया गया और फिर प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के रूप में बिल्कुल नई सोच के साथ योजना लागू की गई। इसमें लाभार्थी के चयन से लेकर गृह प्रवेश तक पारदर्शिता को प्राथमिकता दी गई। पहले गरीब सरकार के पीछे दौड़ता था, सिफारिश के लिए ढूंढ़ता था लोगों को, आज हमारी योजना ऐसी है कि अब सरकार लोगों के पास जा रही है। खोजना होता है और सुविधा देना होता है। अब किसी की इच्छा के अनुसार लिस्ट में नाम जोड़ा या घटाया नहीं जा सकता। चयन से लेकर निर्माण तक वैज्ञानिक और पारदर्शी तरीका अपनाया जा रहा है। इतना ही नहीं, मटीरियल से लेकर निर्माण तक, स्थानीय स्तर पर उपलब्ध और उपयोग होने वाले सामानों को भी प्राथमिकता दी जा रही है। घर के डिजायन भी स्थानीय ज़रूरतों और निर्माण शैली के मुताबिक ही तैयार और स्वीकार किए जा रहे हैं। अब पूरी पारदर्शिता के साथ, घर बनाने के हर चरण की पूरी मॉनीटरिंग के साथ लाभार्थी खुद अपना घर बनाता है। जैसे-जैसे घर बनता जाता है, वैसे-वैसे घर की किश्त भी उसके खाते में जमा होती जाती है। अब अगर कोई बेईमानी करने की कोशिश भी करता है तो इसमें पकड़े जाने के लिए अनेक रास्ते भी बनाए गए हैं।

साथियों, प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना की एक बहुत बड़ी विशेषता है, उसका इंद्रधनुषी स्वरूप। जैसे इंद्रधनुष में अलग-अलग रंग होते हैं वैसे ही प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के तहत बनने वाले घरों के भी अपने ही रंग हैं। अब गरीब को सिर्फ घर ही नहीं मिल रहा है, बल्कि घर के साथ-साथ शौचालय भी मिल रहा है, उज्जवला का गैस कनेक्शन भी मिल रहा है, सौभाग्य योजना का बिजली कनेक्शन, उजाला का LED बल्ब, पानी का कनेक्शन, सब कुछ घर के साथ ही मिल रहा है। यानि पीएम आवास योजना के आधार पर ही अनेक योजनाओं का लाभ लाभार्थी को सीधे मिल पा रहा है। मैं शिवराज जी की सरकार को फिर बधाई दूंगा कि उन्होंने इसको विस्तार देते हुए पीएम आवास योजना के साथ 27 योजनाओं को जोड़ा है।

साथियों, प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना हो या स्वच्छ भारत अभियान के तहत बनने वाले शौचालय हों, इनसे गरीब को सुविधा तो मिल ही रही है, बल्कि ये रोज़गार और सशक्तिकरण का भी ये बड़ा माध्यम हैं। विशेषतौर पर हमारी ग्रामीण बहनों के जीवन को बदलने में भी ये योजनाएं अहम भूमिका निभा रही हैं। पीएम आवास योजना के तहत बन रहे घर की रजिस्ट्री ज्यादातर या तो सिर्फ महिला के नाम पर हो रही है या फिर साझी हो रही है। वहीं आज गांवों में बड़ी मात्रा में रानीमिस्त्री या महिला राजमिस्त्री के लिए काम के नए अवसर बन रहे हैं। अकेले मध्य प्रदेश में ही, 50 हज़ार से ज्यादा राजमिस्त्रियों को प्रशिक्षित किया गया है और इसमें से 9 हज़ार रानीमिस्त्री हैं। इससे हमारी बहनों की आय और आत्मविश्वास, दोनों में बढ़ोतरी हो रही है।

साथियों, जब गरीब की, गांव की आय और आत्मविश्वास बढ़ता है तो आत्मनिर्भर भारत बनाने का हमारा संकल्प भी मज़बूत होता है। इस आत्मविश्वास को मज़बूत करने के लिए गांव में हर प्रकार का आधुनिक इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर विकसित किया जा रहा है। 2019 के पहले 5 वर्ष शौचालय, गैस, बिजली, सड़क जैसी बेसिक सुविधाओं को गांव तक पहुंचाने का काम किया गया, अब इन मूल सुविधाओं के साथ-साथ आधुनिक सुविधाओं से भी गांवों को मजबूत किया जा रहा है। इसी 15 अगस्त को लाल किले से मैंने कहा था कि आने वाले 1 हज़ार दिनों में देश के करीब 6 लाख गांवों में ऑप्टिकल फाइबर बिछाने का काम पूरा किया जाएगा। पहले देश की ढाई लाख पंचायतों तक फाइबर पहुंचाने का लक्ष्य रखा गया था, अब इसको पंचायत से आगे बढ़ाकर गांव-गांव तक पहुंचाने का संकल्प लिया गया है।

इस कोरोना काल में भी प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण रोज़गार अभियान के तहत ये काम तेज़ी से चला है। सिर्फ कुछ हफ्तों में ही देश के 116 जिलों में 5 हजार किलोमीटर से ज्यादा का Optical Fibre बिछाया जा चुका है। जिससे साढ़े 12 सौ से ज्यादा ग्राम पंचायतों में करीब 15 हजार Wi-Fi Hot Spot और लगभग 19 हजार ऑप्टिकल फाइबर कनेक्शन दिए गए हैं। यहां मध्य प्रदेश के भी चुने हुए जिलों में 13 सौ किलोमीटर से ज्यादा Optical Fibre बिछाया गया है। और मैं फिर याद दिलाउंगा, ये सारा काम कोरोना काल में ही हुआ है, इस संकट के बीच हुआ है। इतने बड़े संकट के बीच हुआ है। जैसे ही गांव-गांव में ऑप्टिकल फाइबर पहुंचेगा तो इससे नेटवर्क की समस्या भी कम हो जाएगी। जब गांव में भी जगह-जगह बेहतर और तेज़ इंटरनेट आएगा, जगह-जगह वाई-फाई  Hotspot बनेंगे, तो गांव के बच्चों को पढ़ाई और युवाओं को कमाई के बेहतर अवसर मिलेंगे। यानि गांव अब वाई-फाई के ही Hotspot से नहीं जुड़ेंगे, बल्कि आधुनिक गतिविधियों के, व्यापार-कारोबार के भी Hotspot बनेंगे।

साथियों, आज सरकार की हर सेवा, हर सुविधा ऑनलाइन की गई है ताकि लाभ भी तेज़ी से मिले, करप्शन भी ना हो और गांव के लोगों को छोटे-छोटे काम के लिए भी शहर की तरफ ना भागना पड़े। मुझे विश्वास है कि गांव-गांव ऑप्टिकल फाइबर पहुंचने से इन सेवाओं और सुविधाओं में भी और तेज़ी आएगी। अब जब आप अपने नए घरों में रहेंगे तो डिजिटल भारत अभियान, आपका जीवन और आसान बनाएगा। गांव और गरीब को सशक्त करने का ये अभियान अब और तेज़ होगा, इसी विश्वास के साथ आप सभी साथियों को अपने खुद के पक्‍के घर के लिए फिर से अऩंत शुभकामनाएं। लेकिन याद रखिए, और ये बात मैं बार-बार कहता हूं, जरूर याद रखिए, मुझे विश्‍वास है आप याद रखेंगे। इतना ही नहीं मेरी बात मानेंगे भी, देखिए जब तक दवाई नहीं, तब तक ढिलाई नहींयाद रहेगा। दो गज़ की दूरी, मास्क है ज़रूरी, इस मंत्र को भूलना नहीं है। आपका स्वास्थ्य उत्तम रहे!

इसी कामना के साथ आपका बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद! और सबको बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं!

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing, where 1.75 Lakh Families were delivered pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G)

Shri Narendra Modi also interacted with the beneficiaries under PMAY-G in Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister said that the 1.75 Lakh beneficiary families who are moving into their new houses today have got their dream home and also a confidence about the future of their children. He said that the beneficiaries who got homes today have joined the ranks of the 2.25 crore families who have got their own house in the last 6 years and will now be living in their own house rather than living in a rented house or a slum or a kutcha house. He wished the beneficiaries Diwali and said that he would have been amongst them personally to share their joy if not for the Corona.

The Prime Minister said that today is not only a memorable moment in the lives of 1.75 lakh poor families, but it is also a major step to give pucca house to every homeless person in the country. He said while this strengthens the hope of the homeless in the country this also proves how Government scheme launched with right strategy and intention reach the targeted beneficiaries.

The Prime Minister said that notwithstanding the challenges during the Corona period, work of 18 lakh houses has been completed throughout the country under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana-Gramin and among that 1.75 lakh houses completed in Madhya Pradesh itself. He said that on an average, building a house under PMAY-G takes about 125 days but during this period of Corona, it was completed in just about 45 to 60 days which is a record in itself. He said this was made possible owing to the migrants returning from cities to their villages. The Prime Minister said this is a great example of turning a challenge into an opportunity.  He said that these migrant labour took care of their families by taking full advantage of the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan and at the same time worked to build homes for their poor brethren.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that in many states of the country including Madhya Pradesh projects worth about Rs 23 thousand crores have been completed under PM Garib Kalyan Abhiyan. He said under this scheme, homes are being built for the poor in every village, works are being undertaken to provide water supply to every house, buildings are built for anganwadis and panchayats, along with cow sheds, ponds, wells etc.

He said that this has led to two benefits. One is millions of migrant labourers who returned back to their villages from the cities have got meaningful employment. And second – goods related to construction like Brick, Cement, Sand, etc. have been sold. He said that in a way Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan emerged as a big support for the village economy in this difficult time.

The Prime Minister said that various schemes were launched in the country for decades to build homes for the poor. But the goal of giving a dignified life, giving home to the crores of poor, could never be achieved. This is because there was too much interference of the government, lack of transparency and no consultation whatsoever with the actual beneficiary. He added that lack of transparency in earlier plans led to the poor quality of those houses.

Shri Narendra Modi said that in 2014, the scheme was modified after analysing tthe past experiences and it was launched as Prime Minister Awas Yojana with a new strategy. The entire procedure, right from selection of beneficiary till handing over the houses, was made transparent. He said earlier the poor had to run after the government, now the government is reaching the people. He said that scientific and transparent methods are being adopted from selection to manufacture. Not only this, priority is also given to locally available and used goods, from materials to construction. He said the designs of the house are also being prepared according to the local needs and style.

The Prime Minister said there is complete monitoring of each phase of the house construction. Various installments of money are released after completion of each stage.  

He added that the poor are not only getting a house, they are also  getting toilets, Ujjwala Gas connection, Sowbaghya Yojana, Power connection, LED bulb and Water connection also along with it. He said that schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are playing an important role in changing the lives of rural sisters. Prime Minister said about 27 welfare schemes of the Central Government are linked to the PM Awas Yojana.

The Prime Minister said that the houses built under the PM Awas Yojana are mostly registered in the name of the woman or registered jointly alongwith the woman of the household. New work opportunities are being created for and at the same time, a large number of lady masons are used for the construction. He said that in Madhya Pradesh alone more than 50 thousand masons have been trained out of there are 9,000 lady masons. When the income of the poor increases, their confidence grows. So the resolve to build a self-reliant India is also strengthened. To strengthen this confidence, the Prime Minister said that modern infrastructure is being developed in every village since 2014.

The Prime Minister recalled his promise made on the 15th August 2020, from the Ramparts of the Red Fort, on laying optical fiber cable in around 6 thousand villages in the next  1000 days. He said that even in this corona period, under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan, this work has progressed rapidly. He said that in just a few weeks more than 5000 kilometers of optical fiber has been laid in 116 districts. He said more than 1250 Gram panchayats are connected with about 19 thousand Optical fiber connections and about 15 thousand Wi-Fi HotSpot are provided. He said that when better and faster internet comes to villages, the children of the village will get better opportunities for education and the youth will get better business opportunities. He said that today every service of the government has been made online so that the benefits are also fast, there is no corruption and the villagers do not have to rush to the city for even small work. He said that to empower the village and the poor this campaign will be faster now, with the same confidence.

The Government has embarked upon a transformational programme of implementing international standards of emission and safety measures in the transport vehicles. As such government is moving on the path of a long-term regulatory road map for the automobile industry to grow and increase its contribution to GDP.  There are plans to bring Indian automotive industry at par with developed nations in such regulations.

The Indian automotive industry has kept pace with these changes and in recent years has undergone a number of changes in the domain of passenger safety, emission control and connected technology. One such highlight is leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms and hence achieving parity with Euro emission norms. These changes have also brought this industry at par with Europe, Japan and the US. Further, the much-needed amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) have been well received as a positive step by the government.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has already notified a number of regulations for upgrading emission and safety features in Indian automobiles. These include the draft notifications for anti-lock braking systems, airbags, speed alert systems, reverse parking assist, crash standards, etc.

The Ministry is in the process of finalization of implementation of standards for electronic stability control systems (ESC) and brake assist systems for relevant categories by next two years. The notification of ESC for buses has been issued last year. Draft notification has also been issued for electronic stability control systems for buses, which is likely to be brought into force by April 2023.We are contemplating higher level of safety for all categories of vehicles.

The Ministry has identified certain priority areas for international standardisation in this field. These include the tyre pressure monitoring system, if fitted for certain categories of vehicles, which is likely to come into force by October this year. The standards for vehicle dimensions and safety of construction equipment vehicles have been notified. Similarly, notifications have already been issued for side stands, foot rests and external projections of 2-wheelers. These will come into force soon.

The bookings for daily flights will start by end of September from Darbhanga to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, said Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, I/C, Civil Aviation. After reviewing the groundwork of Darbhanga airport in Bihar, he informed that the flight operations will begin in the first week of November, before the auspicious festival of Chhath Puja. He further said that this a boon for 22 districts of North Bihar.

                  Civil Aviation Minister reviewed the progress and construction status of the Darbanga airport along with Shri Gopal Jee Thakur, MP, Darbhanga, Shri Ashok Yadav, MP, Madhubani, Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA Shri Arvind Singh, Chairman AAI and other officials.

               Expressing satisfaction over the progress of work of Darbhanga airport, Shri Puri said that most of the work at the airport is almost complete. He added that arrival and departure halls, check-in facility, conveyor belt etc have already been installed and remaining work will be completed before end October. Spicejet has already been awarded this route under RCS-UDAN.

The Union Health Ministry in collaboration with FICCI and AIIMS, New Delhi, organized a virtual conclave for private hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment in the country. This provided a platform for discussion of clinical protocols and best practices in COVID-19 management towards reducing avoidable deaths.

While COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to the country’s healthcare systems, there have been proactive responses from the government as well as the private industry. The Conclave was organised to share the best practices and effective treatment modules being implemented by the public and private sector hospitals in the country. The Ministry also encouraged the hospital representatives to share their key concerns and challenges being faced while managing COVID-19 in their facilities.

Union Health Secretary inaugurated the virtual conference. He reiterated the resolve of the Government to ensure that patient of COVID-19 must not be denied beds and must be provided prompt treatment. The collective goal must be to have a health system that available, affordable and accessible to all. He highlighted that the aim of the Centre along with the State/ UT governments is to achieve a mortality rate of less than 1%.

The best practices included discussion of the tele-consultation sessions conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi through the e-ICU, Centers of Excellence (CoE) and Clinical Grand Rounds to enhance the clinical management capacities of the ICU doctors in various States/UTs. This, supplemented by various other focussed strategies of containment, prevention, early identification, has resulted in higher recoveries and steadily declining mortality.

During the meeting, the importance of timely treatment of comorbid patients to reduce fatality was stressed upon. Hospitals were encouraged to protect healthcare workers by adopting all practices on infection prevention and control and keep the staff motivated. Hospitals were also asked to ensure seamless admission of patients. The importance of evidence-based treatment protocols and reducing heterogeneity in treatment to COVID-19 patients was also underscored.

Senior doctors from private sector hospitals also shared their experiences and challenges about their battle against COVID-19. Several best practices were shared by the private hospitals, including regular monitoring of key metrics at the facility level and leveraging technology to support hospital staff in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Concerns around delayed referral of patients from smaller facilities and financial stress owing to lack of health insurance were also discussed.  The Conclave was attended by more than 150 hospital representatives, senior doctors and clinicians from across the country.

Prof BalramBhargava, Director General, ICMR, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Shri Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, MoHFW, Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI and JMD, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises,Dr Alok Roy, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee and Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals were also present.

The 2-days Orientation and Training programme on iRAD App was conducted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways on 7th & 8th September 2020 for the selected districts of Karnataka, and on 10th & 11th September 2020 for some districts of Uttar Pradesh. Based on the feedback and other suggestions received, the App will be customised for the State.

The basic iRAD app has been developed and will be customized/integrated as per the requirements of concerned States/UTs. Mobile app of iRAD is available for Android platform, and for other platforms like iOS will be available shortly.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is in the process of implementing ‘Integrated Road Accident Database Project (iRAD)’ which will be applicable across the country. In the first instance, it has been decided to implement the proposal in six States, viz. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The development and implementation of iRAD has been entrusted to lIT Madras and National Informatics Centre Services Inc. The App when developed and functional, will enable the stakeholders such as the Police, Transport, Health, etc to use their mobile phones to collect accident data on the spot.

This project is proposed on IT based system for capturing the spot accident data using mobile app configured for this purpose. This data can then be utilized for various purposes like finding the causes of the accidents and remedial measures to improve the road infrastructure, to record the accidents data for the use of police, health services and other concerned departments.