There is construction going on in front of our house. So in between all the workers, there was a worker named Jack. He was working with the flooring contractor. He was just labour and used to do things like transferring goods and cleaning up.
He had some mental issue. He used to take more time to understand things. Sometimes he even used to the exact opposite of what he supposed to. The construction owner was getting pissed by his behaviour. He was having so much trouble because of Jack. One or two times, Jack even caused loss to him. Jack mistakenly drilled a hole in a new wall. Another time, Jack threw construction debris in front of someone’s car. So such incidents were happening continuously. The owner complained about him to the contractor many times. But the contractor told him that Jack’s family pleaded him to keep him on work, so I’m just adjusting him.
But the owner was not happy with Jack’s work at all. The contractor was getting complaints about Jack every single day. One day, Jack came, worked for a day and went back home early in the evening. When neighbours begin to shout, the owner got to know that the road is totally blocked by construction debris. He was so angry and frustrated. But somehow he managed to clean the road with the help of other labours. When the contractor came at the site, the owner called him and shouted at him for Jack. The contractor made an apology and told the owner that he already fired Jack and he’ll be no longer with them.
So? Who was at loss now? I could see the one who was at loss was only Jack. The contractor knew that Jack has some mental health issue. Even the owner got to know this by Jack’s actions. But none of them stood out for Jack and adjusted him. That’s how our cruel society works actually. When we see or when we are around a mental health patient, we consider them as a healthy and normal human being. But they struggle badly. Lacking concentration at the work, confusion during the work is their disease only. So they struggle while doing that. So it’s our duty as a human to accept their struggle and help them during it. But we do exactly the opposite. We keep on discouraging them, bashing them as if they are normal and finally end up pushing them in the valley of mental diseases. Actually, we should encourage them. They carry the courage which we can never imagine. Fighting with your own brain to survive the battle of life takes lots of guts. Only these people have this courage. So it’s our duty to accept them as they are, help them in need and the most important thing is to ignore their mistakes. Because now we see them as a third person or maybe a stranger. But who knows if your life events take a dramatic change and you or your loved ones are in the position of Jack. At that day, you will realize your mistake as you’ll also receive the same treatment as you did to someone in past. So let’s take a pledge to consider mental health of each human being. Each life has a value and it’s our social responsibility to make them survive along with us!…

Priya Yadav,

Hindi Day is celebrated on 14 September every year. On 14 September 1949, Hindi was declared as the official language in the Constituent Assembly by vote. After this decision, from 1953 on September 14, India was celebrated as Hindi Day every year on the request of Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha, to broadcast Hindi in every region. Hindi is one of the 22 languages ​​of India. Most Indians speak and understand Hindi. Hindi is spoken and understood in the northern states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh.

Many programs are organized on Hindi Day for the promotion and promotion of Hindi. Many cultural programs are also organized on this day in schools and colleges. On 14 September 1953, Hindi Day was celebrated for the first time in the country. Hindi is not only our mother tongue or national language, but it is a symbol of national identity and pride. Without language, no one can express their words, their feelings. Different types of culture can be known only through language. Hindi language is very important in that. In Hindi, you can easily explain your point.

There is also a fact that 14 September 1949 was the 50th birthday of Rajendra Sinha, a pioneer of Hindi, who struggled for a long time to make Hindi the national language. After the attainment of independence, Vayuhar Rajendra Singh worked tirelessly with writers like Kaka Kalelkar, Maithili Sharan Gupta, Hazariprasad Dwivedi, Seth Govindadas to establish Hindi as the national language.

In the year 1918, Gandhiji had asked to make the Hindi language a national language in Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. Gandhiji also called it the language of the people. In the year 1949, on 14 September 1949, after much deliberation on the question of the national language of independent India, this decision was taken which is mentioned in Article 343 (1) of Chapter 17 of the Indian Constitution. According to this, the national language of the Sangh will be Hindi and the script Devanagari.

In the very long history of Human civilization, many languages have survived, many have thrived, many have died a slow death. Few think that Hindi is pushing other languages to oblivion. But how true is that?

Once upon a time, languages like Sanskrit, Latin and even Persian were thriving. Today, they are confined to a much smaller dominion.Is Hindi causing the death of other languages? First of all, are we really speaking Hindi in our daily lives?

We don’t speak Hindi any more. We speak Hindustani. It’s a language which is a mixture of Hindi, Urdu and Persian. Whenever you speak pure Hindi, you receive a look of amusement even from the so called Hindi speakers.

Now, is Hindustani destroying other languages? Hindustani has thrived mainly due to two aspects – Simplicity and Acceptance. It has slowly given up complicated words from both Urdu and Sanskrit and has adopted easier words. This is also the main reason why English is most popular in the world.

Any simple language will spread on its own. This is the law of nature and nothing can supersede it. It can be slowed down, but never stopped. You cannot get back Latin and kick away English. English was once a language of poor and commoner and was associated with poverty and still it spread because it kept on adopting words from different languages. This acceptance is also the primary reason why English is a phonetically incorrect language.

Due to a multiple reasons, English has been unable to penetrate the rural India, specially in North India. Hence it would be foolish to expect that English can take place of Hindustani in India within a span of a few more decades.

Hindustani is spreading and will keep on spreading as it keeps on accepting words from different languages. Any language which is not open to accepting vocabulary of other languages will die away with time.

Language is essentially the medium of communication and Humans tend to bend towards ease and simplicity.

No matter how much Indian government pushes India towards pure Hindi, it would fail. With time, even the pure Hindi might die.

The beauty industry rakes in over a billion dollar per year. With expendable budgets and promises, these beauty companies spend millions of dollars in advertising as a means to create loyal, life-long customers. With the promise of making you, your best self and give you a forever youthful glow, you start to wonder what the catch is. Every industry has it’s darkside and the beauty industry is no outlier. Humans are visual and social creatures. It makes sense thus that, historically, we have been collectively preoccupied with beauty. Someone’s appearance is the first thing we notice about them upon meeting them. The nature of beauty itself has been the focus of Aesthetics, a major field of study in Western Philosophy, and has occupied the brilliant minds of numerous philosophers, from Plato to the aforementioned Kant.

People have been using makeup and cosmetics since ancient times: the Egyptians’ use of dark eyeliner is present in everyone’s mind through their paintings and deities, while most know that Victorian women often fainted not because of their demureness, but because of the wide-spread use of lead-based creams to “improve complexion” together with constricting girdles.So what is an example of a potentially harmful beauty product you could come into contact with? Well, 1-in-5 products on the market contain traces of formaldehyde, which is known as a human carcinogen. Some signs to be aware of that could contain formaldehyde are that you notice watery eyes, burning of the nose and throat, coughing or skin irritation. This is your sign to stop using these products, immediately. Your body’s telling you it is not feeling great with these products around.


How about the environment? Aerosol sprays where you at?! The wrong answer would be anywhere besides the trash. Just take a moment to think about the last time you went to the store and how many aerosol cans you saw stacked on the shelves. This is not a good thing. Aerosol cans contain hydrocarbons that can contribute to global warming. And don’t think this harm starts and stops with aerosol cans. Fingernail polish, mouthwash, perfumes and roll on deodorants also have the potential to release hydrocarbons into the environment.

Growth in the beauty industry, however, has boomed in recent years, in a trend that many link to a broader generational trend of attention to physical wellbeing (which we covered in our recent article about the growing plant-based market and Beyond Meat). Millennials are often quoted as being the main drivers behind the meteoric growth of the beauty segment. There have been many articles written on this trend, citing everything from the aging of the millennial demographic to a focus on “self-care” as a coping method against a difficult political and economic climate.

As much as difficult it is to analyze creativity, it’s even harder to assess it. Creativity is as difficult to assess as it is fun to analyze. It favours a prepared mind.
According to Albert Einstein -Creativity is … Thinking outside the confines of the situation, being open to unexpected events /chances, allowing the subconscious mind to take over leading to and springing up with surprise solutions at unexpected times.

Research to uncover facts about creative people that are all supported by scientific studies are as follows:

Sleep On It
Research backs this one up. A study published in Nature found that people who were given a creative task to solve and then allowed to sleep on it were more successful than those who remained awake to solve it. Sleep allows your unconscious mind to restructure information, resulting in new and insightful responses. Just make sure to keep a notepad by the bed for when inspiration strikes.


A Person’s Creativity Mostly Peaks During “off” Hours.
Another research shows that your inclination towards being a night or day person affects your creativity in interesting ways. One of the lesser-known facts about creativity is that night owl creatives are smarter and outgoing and early birds are more proactive, persistent, and meticulous. When challenged to create at their non-preferred times, they passed the questions with amazing marks.


DAYDREAMING IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN
According to the science on daydreaming, these moments provide a sort of mental incubation period that can enhance creative thinking, long-term planning, and self awareness. Psychologists have been studying the concept of “positive-constructive daydreaming” for decades and uncovering the various ways in which, as the authors put it, “the mind’s wandering is vital to imagination and creative thought.”

Write During Your “Off Time”
People have what scientists call a circadian preference, which essentially means they are either morning people or evening people. You probably assume it is best to write during your most optimal time (morning people writing in the morning, evening people in the evening), but that’s not true. Although analytical thinking—the kind you use to solve math problems—is better during people’s optimal times, a 2011 study found that creativity was actually better during people’s non-optimal times. Because our conscious mind is groggy during our non-optimal time, it relaxes the reigns on our unconscious mind and gives it more freedom to wander

 Memory Plays a Significant Role in Creative Thought.
Our subconscious immediately takes us to the past, which is very familiar when asked to think of a new idea. Future circumstances are fabricated by details we have retrieved from past scenarios. Hence, having a strong sporadic memory can help in creative thinking.

Creative people are more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder.
From Picasso’s blue period to Van Gogh’s infamous mood swings, the study of why creative individuals tend to get the blues is a widely discussed topic. Although the link between depression and creativity is still disputed, this recent study found that creative people are more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

creativity must also be recognised and encouraged in the workplace. Because, after all, it’s creative thinking that leads to problem solving and innovation in a range of areas.

कार्यक्रम के शुरूआत में मुझे एक दुखद खबर आपके साथ साझा करनी है। बिहार के दिग्‍गज नेता श्रीमान रघुवंश प्रसाद सिंह, वे अब हमारे बीच नहीं रहे हैं। मैं उनको नमन करता हूं। रघुवंश बाबू के जाने से बिहार और देश की राजनीति में शून्‍य पैदा हुआ। जमीन से जुड़ा व्‍यक्तित्‍व, गरीबी को समझने वाला व्‍यक्तित्‍व, पूरा जीवन बिहार के संघर्ष में बिताया। जिस विचारधारा में वो पले- बढ़े, जीवनभर उसको जीने का उन्‍होंने प्रयास किया।

मैं जब भारतीय जनता पार्टी के संगठन के कार्यकर्ता के रूप में कार्य करता था, उस काल में मेरा उनका निकट परिचय रहा। अनेक टीवी डिबेट में काफी वाद-विवाद, संघर्ष करते रहते थे हम लोग। बाद में वो केन्‍द्रीय मंत्रिमंडल में थे यूपी में, मैं गुजरात के मुख्‍यमंत्री के नाते भी उनके साथ लगातार संपर्क में रहता था विकास के कामों को ले करके। अब पिछले तीन-चार दिन से वे चर्चा में भी थे। उनके स्वास्थ्य के लिए मैं भी चिन्‍ता करता था। लगातार जानकारियां लेता रहता था। और मुझे लगता था कि बहुत ही जल्‍द ठीक हो करके वो वापिस बिहार की सेवा में लग जाएंगे, लेकिन उनके भीतर एक मंथन भी चल रहा था।

जिन आदर्शों को ले करके चले थे, जिनके साथ चले थे, उनके साथ चलना अब उनके लिए संभव नहीं रहा था और मन पूरी तरह जद्दोजहद में था। और तीन- चार दिन पहले उन्‍होंने अपनी भावना को चिट्ठी लिखकर प्रकट भी किया था। लेकिन साथ-साथ भीतर अपने क्षेत्र के विकास के लिए भी उतनी चिन्‍ता थी तो उन्‍होंने बिहार के मुख्‍यमंत्री जी को अपनी एक विकास के कामों की सूची भेज दी। बिहार के लोगों की चिन्‍ता, बिहार के विकास की चिन्‍ता उस चिट्ठी में प्रकट होती है।

मैं नितीश जी से जरूर आग्रह करूंगा कि रघुवंश प्रसाद जी ने अपनी आखिरी चिट्ठी में जो भावनाएं प्रकट की हैं, उसको परिपूर्ण करने के लिए आप और हम मिल करके पूरा प्रयास करें क्यूंकि पूरी तरह विकास की ही बातें उन्‍होंने लिखी थीं, उसको जरूर करें। मैं फिर एक बार आज कार्यक्रम के प्रारंभ में ही श्रीमान रघुवंश सिंह प्रसाद जी को आदरपूर्वक श्रद्धांजलि देता हूं, उनको नमन करता हूं।

बिहार के गवर्नर श्री फागू चौहान जी, बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री श्री नीतीश कुमार जी, केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल में मेरे सहयोगी श्री धर्मेंद्र प्रधान जी, रविशंकर प्रसाद जी, गिरिराज सिंह जी, आर के सिंह जी, अश्विनी कुमार चौबे जी, नित्यानंद राय जी, बिहार के डिप्टी सीएम सुशील कुमार मोदी जी, अन्य सांसद और विधायक गण और तकनीक के माध्यम से जुड़े मेरे प्यारे भाइयों और बहनों !

अपने सबके प्रणाम करै छीयै, आज के इ आयोजन शहीद अरू शूरवीर के धरती बांका में होय रहल छै। जे – जे योजना के लोकार्पण आज होलो छै , ओकरो लाभ बिहार के संगे- संगे पूर्वी भारत के बड़ हिस्सा के भी मिलतै । आज 900 करोड़ रुपया से बेसी के जे लोकार्पण अरू शिलान्यास कइलो गेल छै, ओकरा में LPG पाईपलाइन छै, दू टा बड़ा बॉटलिंग प्लांट भी छै। इ सब सुविधा लेली, विकास के ई सब प्रोजेक्टस ख़ातिर बिहार वासी लोगन के बहूत बहूत बधाई छै!

साथियों,

कुछ वर्ष पहले जब बिहार के लिए विशेष पैकेज की घोषणा की गई थी, तो उसमें बहुत फोकस राज्य के इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर पर था। मुझे खुशी है कि इसी से जुड़े एक महत्वपूर्ण गैस पाइपलाइन प्रोजेक्ट के दुर्गापुर-बांका सेक्शन का लोकार्पण का मुझे सौभाग्य मिला है। डेढ़ साल पहले इस प्रोजेक्ट का शिलान्यास करने का भी अवसर मुझे ही मिला था। इस सेक्शन की लंबाई करीब-करीब 2 सौ किलोमीटर है। मुझे बताया गया है कि इस रूट पर पाइपलाइन बिछाकर काम पूरा करना बहुत ही चुनौतीपूर्ण था। जिस रास्ते में 10 के करीब बड़ी नदियां हों, कई किलोमीटर के घने जंगल और चट्टानी रास्ते हों, वहां काम करना इतना आसान भी नहीं होता। नई इंजीनियरिंग तकनीक, राज्य सरकार के सक्रिय सहयोग, हमारे इंजीनियरों, श्रमिक साथियों के कठिन श्रम के कारण ये प्रोजेक्ट समय पर पूरा हो पाया है। इसके लिए मैं इस प्रोजेक्ट से जुड़े सभी साथियों को बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं।

साथियों,

बिहार के लिए जो प्रधानमंत्री पैकेज दिया गया था, उसमें पेट्रोलियम और गैस से जुड़े 10 बड़े प्रोजेक्ट थे। इन प्रोजेक्ट्स पर करीब-करीब 21 हजार करोड़ रुपए खर्च किए जाने थे। आज ये सातवां प्रोजेक्ट है जिसमें काम पूरा हो चुका है, जिसे बिहार के लोगों को समर्पित किया जा चुका है।

इससे पहले पटना LPG प्लांट के विस्तार और Storage Capacity बढ़ाने का काम हो, पूर्णिया के LGP प्लांट का विस्तार हो, मुजफ्फरपुर में नया LGP प्लांट हो, ये सारे प्रोजेक्ट पहले ही पूरे किए जा चुके हैं।

जगदीशपुर-हल्दिया पाइपलाइन प्रोजेक्ट का जो हिस्सा बिहार से गुजरता है, उस पर भी काम पिछले साल मार्च में ही समाप्त कर लिया गया है। मोतीहारी अमलेखगंज पाइपलाइन पर भी पाइपलनाइन से जुड़ा काम पूरा कर लिया गया है।

अब देश और बिहार, उस दौर से बाहर निकल रहा है जिसमें एक पीढ़ी काम शुरू होते देखती थी और दूसरी पीढ़ी उसे पूरा होते हुए। नए भारत, नए बिहार की इसी पहचान, इसी कार्यसंस्कृति को हमें और मजबूत करना है। और निश्चित तौर पर इसमें नीतीश जी की भी बहुत बड़ी भूमिका है।

मुझे विश्वास है कि ऐसे ही निरंतर काम करके हम बिहार और पूर्वी भारत को विकास पथ पर ले जा सकते हैं।

साथियों,

हमारे शास्त्रों में कहा गया है कि – सामर्थ्य मूलं स्वातंत्र्यम्, श्रम मूलं वैभवम् ।

यानि सामर्थ्य स्वतंत्रता का स्रोत है और श्रम शक्ति किसी भी राष्ट्र की प्रगति का आधार होती है। बिहार सहित पूर्वी भारत में ना तो सामर्थ्य की कमी है और ना ही प्रकृति ने यहां संसाधनों की कमी रखी है। बावजूद इसके बिहार और पूर्वी भारत विकास के मामले में दशकों तक पीछे ही रहा। इसकी बहुत सारी वजहें राजनीतिक थी, आर्थिक थीं, प्राथमिकताओं की थीं।

इन स्थितियों की वजह से पूर्वी भारत या बिहार के इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर प्रोजेक्ट्स हमेशा अंतहीन देरी का शिकार रहे। एक समय था जब रोड कनेक्टिविटी, रेल कनेक्टिविटी, एयर कनेक्टिविटी, इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी, ये सब प्राथमिकताओं में थे ही नहीं।… इतना ही नहीं, अगर रोड बनाने की बात करते तो ये पूछा जाता था, ये तो गाड़ीवालों के लिए बन रहा है, पैदल वालों के लिए क्या है यानी सोच में ही गड़बड़ थी।

ऐसे में गैस बेस्ड इंडस्ट्री और पेट्रो-कनेक्टिविटी की तो बिहार में पुराने ज़माने में कल्पना भी नहीं की जा सकती थी। Landlocked स्टेट होने की वजह से बिहार में पेट्रोलियम और गैस से जुड़े वो साधन-संसाधन उपलब्ध नहीं हो पाते थे जैसे समंदर से सटे राज्यों में होते हैं। इसलिए बिहार में गैस आधारित उद्योगों का विकास एक बड़ी चुनौती थी।

साथियों,

गैस बेस्ड इंडस्ट्री और पेट्रो-कनेक्टिविटी, ये सुनने में बड़े टेक्नीकल से टर्म लगते हैं लेकिन इनका सीधा असर लोगों के जीवन पर पड़ता है, जीवन स्तर पर पड़ता है। गैस बेस्ड इंडस्ट्री और पेट्रो-कनेक्टिविटी रोजगार के भी लाखों नए अवसर बनाती है।

आज जब देश के अनेकों शहरों में CNG पहुंच रही है, PNG पहुंच रही है, तो बिहार के लोगों को, पूर्वी भारत के लोगों को भी ये सुविधाएं उतनी ही आसानी से मिलनी चाहिए। इसी संकल्प के साथ हम आगे बढ़े।

प्रधानमंत्री ऊर्जा गंगा योजना के तहत पूर्वी भारत को पूर्वी समुद्री तट के पारादीप और पश्चिमी समुद्री तट के कांडला से, जोड़ने का भागीरथ प्रयास शुरु हुआ। करीब 3 हज़ार किलोमीटर लंबी इस पाइपलाइन से 7 राज्यों को जोड़ा जा रहा है जिसमें बिहार का भी प्रमुख स्थान है। पारादीप-हल्दिया से आने वाली लाइन अभी बांका तक पूरी हो चुकी है। इसको आगे पटना, मुज़फ्फरपुर तक विस्तार दिया जा रहा है। कांडला से आने वाली पाइपलाइन जो गोरखपुर तक पहुंच चुकी है, उसको भी इससे जोड़ा जा रहा है। जब ये पूरा प्रोजेक्ट तैयार हो जाएगा तो ये विश्व की सबसे लंबी पाइपलाइन परियोजनाओं में से एक हो जाएगी।

साथियों,

इसी गैस पाइपलाइन की वजह से अब बिहार में ही सिलेंडर भरने के बड़े-बड़े प्लांट्स लग पा रहे हैं। बांका और चंपारण में ऐसे ही 2 नए bottling plants का आज लोकार्पण किया गया है। इन दोनों प्लांट्स में हर साल सवा करोड़ से ज्यादा सिलेंडर भरने की क्षमता है। इन प्लांट्स से आपके बिहार के बांका, भागलपुर, जमुई, अररिया, किशनगंज, कटिहार, पूर्वी चंपारण, पश्चिम चंपारण, मुज़फ़्फ़रपुर, सिवान, गोपालगंज और सीतामढ़ी जिलों को सुविधा मिलेगी।

वहीं झारखंड के गोड्डा, देवघर, दुमका, साहिबगंज, पाकुड़ जिलों और उत्तर प्रदेश के कुछ क्षेत्रों की LPG से जुड़ी ज़रूरतों को ये प्लांट पूरा करेंगे। इस गैस पाइपलाइन को बिछाने से लेकर इससे जो नए उद्योगों को ऊर्जा मिल रही है, उससे बिहार में हज़ारों नए रोज़गार बन रहे हैं और आगे भी अनेक रोज़गारों के लिए संभावना बन रही है।

साथियों,

बरौनी का जो खाद कारखाना बंद हो गया था, वो भी इस गैस पाइपलाइन के बनने से अब बहुत जल्द काम करना शुरु कर देगा। गैस कनेक्टिविटी से जहां एक तरफ फर्टिलाइज़र, पावर और स्टील इंडस्ट्री की ऊर्जा बढ़ेगी, वहीं दूसरी तरफ CNG आधारित स्वच्छ यातायात और पाइप से सस्ती गैस और आसानी से लोगों के किचन तक पहुंचेगी।

इसी कड़ी में आज बिहार और झारखंड के अनेक जिलों में पाइप से सस्ती गैस देने की शुरुआत हुई है। ये देश के हर परिवार को साफ-सुथरे ईंधन, धुआं रहित किचन से जोड़ने के आंदोलन को और गति देगा।

साथियों,

उज्जवला योजना की वजह से आज देश के 8 करोड़ गरीब परिवारों के पास भी गैस कनेक्शन मौजूद है। इस योजना से गरीब के जीवन में क्या परिवर्तन आया है, ये कोरोना के दौरान हम सभी ने फिर महसूस किया है। आप कल्पना कीजिए, जब घर में रहना ज़रूरी था, तब अगर इन 8 करोड़ परिवारों के साथियों को, हमारी बहनों को, लकड़ी या दूसरा ईंधन जुटाने के लिए बाहर निकलना पड़ता तो क्या स्थिति होती?

साथियों,

कोरोना के इस दौर में उज्जवला योजना की लाभार्थी बहनों को करोड़ों सिलेंडर मुफ्त में दिए गए हैं। इसका लाभ बिहार की भी लाखों बहनों को हुआ है, लाखों गरीब परिवारों को हुआ है। मैं पेट्रोलियम और गैस से जुड़े विभाग और कंपनियों के साथ-साथ डिलिवरी से जुड़े उन लाखों साथियों को, उनको कोरोना वॉरियर्स की प्रशंसा करता हूं। ये वो साथी हैं, जिन्होंने इस संकट के दौरान भी लोगों के घरों में गैस की कमी नहीं होने दी और आज भी संक्रमण के खतरों के बावजूद सिलेंडर की सप्लाई को बनाए हुए हैं।

साथियों,

एक समय था जब पूरे देश में और बिहार में एलपीजी गैस कनेक्शन होना बड़े संपन्न लोगों की निशानी होता था। एक एक गैस कनेक्शन के लिए लोगों को सिफारिशें लगवानी पड़ती थीं।… MP साहब के घर के बहार कतार लग जाती थी। जिसके घर गैस होती थी, वो माना जाता था कि बहुत बड़े घर-परिवार से है। जो समाज में हाशिए पर थे, पीड़ित थे, वंचित थे, पिछड़े थे, अतिपिछड़े थे, उन्हें कोई पूछता नहीं था। उनके दुख, उनकी तकलीफों को देखकर भी नजरअंदाज कर दिया जाता था।

लेकिन बिहार में अब ये अवधारणा बदल चुकी है। उज्जवला योजना के माध्यम से ही बिहार के करीब-करीब सवा करोड़ गरीब परिवारों को गैस का मुफ्त कनेक्शन दिया गया है। घर में गैस कनेक्शन ने बिहार के करोड़ों गरीबों का जीवन बदल दिया है।अब वो अपनी शक्ति खाना बनाने के लिए लकड़ी के इंतजाम में नहीं, बल्कि खुद को आगे बढ़ाने में लगा रहे हैं।

साथियों,

जब मैं कहता हूँ कि बिहार देश की प्रतिभा का पावरहाउस है, ऊर्जाकेंद्र है तो ये कोई अतिशयोक्ति नहीं होगी। बिहार के युवाओं की, यहाँ की प्रतिभा का प्रभाव सब जगह है। भारत सरकार में भी बिहार के ऐसे कितने ही बेटे-बेटियां हैं जो देश की सेवा कर रहे हैं, दूसरों के जीवन में सकारात्मक बदलाव ला रहे हैं।

आप किसी भी IIT में चले जाइए, वहाँ भी बिहार की चमक दिखेगी। किसी और संस्थान में चले जाइए, आँखों में बड़े-बड़े सपने लिए, देश के लिए कुछ कर गुजरने का जज्बा लिए बिहार के बेटे और बेटियां सब जगह कुछ न कुछ हटकर कर रहे हैं।

बिहार की कला, यहाँ का संगीत, यहाँ का स्वादिष्ट खाना, इसकी तारीफ तो पूरे देश में होती ही है। आप किसी दूसरे राज्य में भी चले जाइए, बिहार की ताकत, बिहार के श्रम की छाप आपको हर राज्य के विकास में दिखेगी। बिहार का सहयोग सबके साथ है।

यही तो बिहार है, यही तो बिहार की अद्भुत क्षमता है। इसलिए, ये हमारा भी कर्तव्य है, और मैं तो कहूँगा कि कहीं न कहीं हमारे ऊपर बिहार का कर्ज है, कि हम बिहार की सेवा करें। हम बिहार में ऐसा सुशासन रखें, जो बिहार का अधिकार है।

साथियों,

पिछले 15 सालों में बिहार ने ये दिखाया भी है कि अगर सही सरकार हो, सही फैसले लिए जाएं, स्पष्ट नीति हो, तो विकास होता है और हर एक तक पहुंचता भी है। हम बिहार के हर एक सेक्टर के विकास को आगे बढ़ा रहे हैं, हर एक सेक्टर की समस्याओं के समाधान का प्रयास कर रहे हैं, ताकि बिहार विकास की नई उड़ान भरे। उतनी ऊंची उड़ान भरे जितना ऊंचा बिहार का सामर्थ्य है।

साथियों,

बिहार में कुछ लोग कभी ये कहते थे कि बिहार के नौजवानों को पढ़-लिखकर क्या करेंगे, उन्हें तो खेत में ही काम करना है। ऐसी सोच ने बिहार के प्रतिभाशाली युवाओं के साथ बहुत अन्नाय किया। इसी सोच की वजह से बिहार में बड़े शिक्षण संस्थानों को खोलने के लिए ज्यादा काम ही नहीं किया गया। नतीजा ये हुआ कि बिहार के नौजवान बाहर जाकर पढ़ाई करने के लिए, नौकरी करने के लिए मजबूर हो गए।

साथियों,

खेत में काम करना, खेती किसानी बहुत परिश्रम और गौरव का काम है, लेकिन युवाओं को दूसरे मौके न देना, न ऐसी व्यवस्थाएं बनाना, ये भी तो सही नहीं था। आज बिहार में शिक्षा के बड़े-बड़े केंद्र खुल रहे हैं। अब एग्रीकल्चर कॉलेज, मेडिकल कॉलेज, इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेजों की संख्या बढ़ रही है। अब राज्य में IIT, IIM, IIIT, बिहार के नौजवानों के सपनों को ऊंची उड़ान देने में मदद कर रहे हैं।

नीतीश जी के शासन के दौरान ही बिहार में दो केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय, एक IIT, एक IIM, एक निफ्ट, एक नेशनल लॉ इंस्टीट्यूट जैसे अनेकों बड़े संस्थान खुले हैं। नीतीश जी के प्रयासों के चलते आज बिहार में पॉलीटेक्निक संस्थानों की संख्या भी पहले के मुकाबले तीन गुना से ज्यादा हो गई है।

स्टार्ट अप इंडिया, मुद्रा योजना, ऐसी योजनाओं ने बिहार के नौजवानों को स्वरोजगार के लिए जरूरी राशि मुहैया कराई है। सरकार का प्रयास ये भी है कि जिला स्तर पर कौशल केंद्रों के माध्यम से बिहार के नौजवानों को स्किल बढ़ाने की ट्रेनिंग दी जा सके।

साथियों,

बिहार में बिजली की क्या स्थिति थी, ये भी जगजाहिर है। गांवों में दो-तीन घंटे बिजली आ गई तो भी बहुत माना जाता था। शहर में रहने वाले लोगों को भी 8-10 घंटे से ज्यादा बिजली नहीं मिलती थी। आज बिहार के गांवों में, शहरों में बिजली की उपलब्धता पहले के मुकाबले कहीं ज्यादा हुई है।

साथियों,

पावर, पेट्रोलियम और गैस से जुड़े सेक्टर में जो आधुनिक इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर का निर्माण हो रहा है, जो रिफॉर्म्स लाए जा रहे हैं, वो लोगों का जीवन आसान बनाने के साथ-साथ उद्योगों और अर्थव्यवस्था को भी गति दे रहे हैं। कोरोना के इस कालखंड में अब एक बार फिर पेट्रोलियम से जुड़े इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर के कार्यों ने गति पकड़ ली है।

रिफाइनरी प्रोजेक्ट्स हों, Exploration या Production से जुड़े प्रोजेक्ट हों, pipelines हों, City Gas Distribution projects हों, ऐसे अनेकों प्रोजेक्ट्स या तो फिर से चालू हो चुके हैं या फिर नए शुरु किए गए हैं। इनकी संख्या कम नहीं है। ये 8 हजार से ज्यादा प्रोजेक्ट्स हैं, जिन पर आने वाले दिनों में 6 लाख करोड़ रुपए खर्च किए जाएंगे। आप अंदाजा लगा सकते हैं कि देश में, बिहार में गैस आधारित अर्थव्यवस्था के लिए कितने बड़े पैमाने पर काम चल रहा है।

इतना ही नहीं, इन प्रोजेक्ट्स में जितने लोग पहले काम कर रहे थे, वो वापस तो लौटे ही हैं, इनकी वजह से रोजगार के नए अवसरों की भी संभावनाएं बनी हैं। साथियों, इतनी बड़ी वैश्विक महामारी देश के प्रत्येक व्यक्ति के लिए परेशानियां लेकर आई है। लेकिन इन परेशानियों के बाद भी देश रुका नहीं है, बिहार रुका नहीं है, थमा नहीं है।

100 लाख करोड़ रुपए से ज्यादा के नेशनल इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर पाइपलाइन प्रोजेक्ट से भी आर्थिक गतिविधियों को बढ़ाने में मदद मिलने वाली है। बिहार को, पूर्वी भारत को विकास का, आत्मविश्वास का अहम केंद्र बनाने के लिए हम सभी को तेजी से काम करते रहना है। इसी विश्वास के साथ सैकड़ों करोड़ की सुविधाओं के लिए फिर से पूरे बिहार को बहुत-बहुत बधाई। खासकर के, माताओं और बहनों का जीवन आसान होने वाला है इसलिए उनको अनेक अनेक बधाई देता हूँ ।

याद रखिएगा, कोरोना संक्रमण अभी भी हमारे बीच में मौजूद है। और इसलिए मैं बार बार कहता हूँ – जब तक दवाई नहीं, तब तक ढिलाई नहीं ! फिर से सुन लीजिये जब तक दवाई नहीं, तब तक ढिलाई नहीं।

इसलिए, दो गज़ की दूरी, साबुन से हाथ की नियमित सफाई, यहां वहां थूकने से मनाही और चेहरे पर मास्क, इन जरूरी बातों का हमें खुद भी पालन करना है और दूसरों को भी याद दिलाते रहना है।

आप सतर्क रहेंगे तो बिहार स्वस्थ रहेगा, देश स्वस्थ रहेगा। मैं फिर एक बार आप सबको इन अनेक भेंट-सौगातों के साथ बिहार की विकास यात्रा में नई ऊर्जा के इस अवसर पर आपको बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं  । 

बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद !

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation three key projects related to the Petroleum sector in Bihar today via video conferencing. The projects include the Durgapur-Banka section of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur Pipeline Augmentation Project and two LPG Bottling Plants. They have been commissioned by IndianOil and HPCL, PSUs under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the special package announced for Bihar a few years ago, focused much on the state’s infrastructure. He said the special package given for Bihar had 10 big projects related to petroleum and gas worth Rs 21 thousand crore. Among these today it is the seventh project which is being dedicated to the people of Bihar. He also listed the other six projects which had been completed in Bihar earlier. He expressed happiness that he is inaugurating the Durgapur-Banka section (about 200 km) of an important gas pipeline project for which he laid the foundation stone about one and a half years ago. He lauded the hard work of the engineers and laborers and active support of the state government for completing this project on time, in spite of the challenging terrain. He lauded the Chief Minister of Bihar for playing a big role in making Bihar come out of the work culture in which one generation used to start the work and the other generation completed it. He said this new work culture needs to be strengthened and it can take Bihar and East India on the development path.

The Prime Minister quoted from the scriptures “सामर्थ्य मूलं स्वातंत्र्यम्, श्रम मूलं वैभवम् ।” meaning strength is the source of freedom and power of labour is the basis of development of any nation. He said there is neither a shortage of power of labour in eastern India, including Bihar, nor this place lacked natural resources and despite this, Bihar and East India remained behind in terms of development for decades and suffered endless delays due to political, economic reasons and other priorities. He said since road connectivity, rail connectivity, air connectivity, internet connectivity were not a priority earlier, gas based industry and petro-connectivity could not be imagined in Bihar. He said development of gas based industries was a major challenge in Bihar due to it being a landlocked state and thus lacking resources related to petroleum and gas which are otherwise available in the states adjacent to the sea.

The Prime Minister said Gas-based industry and petro-connectivity have a direct impact on people’s lives, on their standard of living and also create millions of new employment opportunities. He said today, when CNG & PNG are reaching many cities in Bihar and Eastern India, people here should get these facilities easily. He said the Bhagiratha effort to connect eastern India with Paradip on the eastern seaboard and Kandla on the western seaboard began under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana and seven states will be connected through this pipeline, which is about 3000 km long, of which Bihar also has an prominent role. The line from Paradip – Haldia will now be further extended to Patna, Muzaffarpur and the pipeline coming from Kandla which has reached Gorakhpur will also be connected to it. He said when the entire project is ready, it will become one of the longest pipeline projects in the world.

The Prime Minister said due to these gas pipelines, big bottling plants are being installed in Bihar. Of which two new Bottling Plants have been launched today in Banka and Champaran. Both these plants have a capacity to fill more than 125 million cylinders every year. These plants will meet the LPG requirements of Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Sahibganj, Pakur districts and some areas of Uttar Pradesh in Jharkhand. He said Bihar is creating thousands of new jobs from the laying of this gas pipeline to the new industries based on the energy from the pipeline.

The Prime Minister said the fertilizer factory of Barauni, which was closed in the past, will also start working soon after the construction of this gas pipeline. He said today eight crore poor families of the country have gas connections because of the Ujjwala scheme. This has changed the lives of the poor during the period of corona as it was necessary for them to stay at home and they need not go out to collect wood or other fuel.

The Prime Minister said in this period of Corona, millions of cylinders have been provided free of cost to the beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme which has benefited millions of poor families. He lauded the efforts of the petroleum and gas departments and companies, as well as the millions of delivery partners, as they did not let people run out of gas, even during the time of Corona, despite the dangers of infection. He said there was a time when LPG gas connections in Bihar were a sign of affluent people. People had to make recommendations for each gas connection. But now this has changed in Bihar due to the Ujjwala scheme, about 1.25 crore poor families of Bihar have been given free gas connection. The gas connection at home has changed the lives of crores of poor in Bihar.

The Prime Minister praised the youth of Bihar and said Bihar is the powerhouse of the country’s talent. He said the strength of Bihar and the imprint of Bihar’s labor will be seen in the development of every state. He said in the last 15 years, Bihar has also shown with a right government, right decisions and a clear policy, development happens and reaches every one. There was a thinking, education was not necessary as the youth of Bihar have to work in the fields. Due to this thinking, not much work was done to open large educational institutions in Bihar. The result was that the youth of Bihar were forced to go out to study, to work. Working in the field, farming is very hard work and pride, but do not give other opportunities to the youth, nor make such arrangements, it was not right.

The Prime Minister said today big centers of education are opening in Bihar. Now the number of agricultural colleges, medical colleges, engineering colleges is increasing. Now IIT, IIM and IIIT in the state are helping to make the dreams of the youth of Bihar soar. He lauded the efforts of the Chief Minister of Bihar in tripling the number of polytechnic institutions and opening of two large universities, one IIT, one IIM, one NIFT and one National Law Institute in Bihar.

The Prime Minister said Start up India, Mudra Yojana and many such schemes have provided the necessary amount of self-employment to the youth of Bihar. He said today the availability of electricity in cities and villages of Bihar is more than ever. The modern infrastructure is being built in the power, petroleum and gas sectors, the reforms are being brought in, are making the lives of people easier as well as giving impetus to industries and the economy. He said in this period of Corona, once again the petroleum-related infrastructure works like refinery projects, projects related to Exploration or Production, pipelines, City Gas Distribution projects, many such projects have gained momentum. He said there are more than 8 thousand projects, on which 6 lakh crore rupees will be spent in the coming days.

The Prime Minister said migrant labourers have returned back and new employment opportunities have also been created. Even during such a huge global epidemic the country has not stopped especially Bihar has not stopped. He added the National Infrastructure Pipeline Project worth more than Rs 100 lakh crore is also going to help in increasing economic activity. He urged everyone to to keep working fast to make Bihar, Eastern India an important center of development.

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The Monsson session 2020 of Parliament will begin from Monday, on September 14, 2020. The fourth session of  17^th Lok Sabha and 252^nd  Session of Rajya Sabha is scheduledto be held on Monday, 14th September, 2020 and subject to exigencies of Government Business, may conclude on Thursday, 1^st October, 2020.

The Session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days (all the days including Saturdays and Sundays of the ensuing session will be working days) and a total of 47* items have been identified for being taken up during the Monsoon Session, 2020. (*Includes 45 Bills and 02 financial items).

The total eleven Bills replacing  the ordinance namely: (i)The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. (ii) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.(iii) The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (iv) The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (v) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.(vi) The Insolvency & Bankruptcy (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020 ( vii) The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (viii) The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 (ix)The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (x) The Salary and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (xi) The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are required to be passed during the ensuing Monsoon Session.

Further, some important pending legislations in the Houses required to be considered and passed during the Session are (i) The Pesticides Management Bill, 2020. (ii) The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2019 as passed by Rajya Sabha.(iii)The National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2019as passed by Rajya Sabha.(iv)The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020 as passed by Lok Sabha.(v) The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as passed by Lok Sabha. (vi) The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (vii) The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as passed by Lok Sabha.(viii)The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 as passed by Lok Sabha.(ix)The Rashtriya Raksha  University Bill, 2020(x) The National Forensic Science University Bill, 2020. (xi) The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as passed by Lok Sabha (xii)The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment), Bill, 2019 as passed by Lok Sabha.(xiii)The Dam Safety Bill, 2019 as passed by Lok Sabha.(xiv)The Major Port Authorities  Bill 2020 (xv) The Code On Social Security and Welfare, 2019 (xvi) The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2019 (xvii) The Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2019

Some other new bills likely to be introduced, considered and passed  during this session are: (i) The Bilateral Netting of Financial Contracts Bill, 2020 (ii) The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (iii) The Pension Fund Regulatory And Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (iv) The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020 (v) The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020.(vi) The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (vii) The Foreign Contribution (Regulation)Amendment Bill, 2020(viii) The Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (ix) The Prohibition of Employment as manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (x) The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2020.(xi) The Multi State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (xii) The Jammu and Kashmir Official Language, Bill, 2020.

There are few bills for withdrawal during the session namely: (i) The Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018 (ii) The Mines (Amendment) Bill, 2011 (iii) The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2011(iv)The Building and Other Construction Workers Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2013(v)The Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Amendment Bill, 2013.  

This will be the first Parliament session being held amid the  Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore all safety measures have been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for Covid-19.

There will be a four-hour session for each House each day (9 am to 1 pm for Rajya Sabha and 3 pm to 7 pm for Lok Sabha. But on the first day only i.e. on 14th September of the Lok Sabha will meet in the morning session. The session will see other  measures like  seating MPs in a staggered way in chambers of both Houses, as well as galleries to maintain physical distancing norms, introduction of mobile app for registering of MPs’ attendance and seats separated with poly-carbon sheets in the House.

The Zero Hour will be there and the un-starred questionswill be laid on the table.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda  said, by 2023 India will be self-reliant in the production of fertilizers as  under “Atma Nirbhar  Bharat” programme new fertilizer manufacturing units are being setup  with  an investment of Rs 40,000 crore in the country to reduce dependency on import.

Shri Gowda was addressing  a webinar on “Self-Reliant India and Sustainable Agriculture ”organized by IFFCO for the farmers of Karnataka. He said, “As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision to promote indigenous industries, we are converting all fertilizer companies to gas based technology. Recently we have revived four urea plants (Ramagundam, Sindhri, Barouni and Gorkhpur) in India. By 2023 we should become self –sufficient in the production of Fertilizers.”

Union Minister informed that Government  is encouraging the production of organic and Nano fertilizers in the country as they are 25 to 30 per cent cheaper and give 18 to 35 per cent higher yield and keep the soil in good health. He lauded the IFFCO’s Nano experiment and called it a game changer. He informed that Nano fertilizers distributed freely to 12,000 farmers and agriculture universities across the country have given positive feedback.

Shri Gowda asked farmers to use Urea judiciously as excessive use of Urea may spoil the soil health. He advised  farmers to use fertilizers according to their soil health cards.

He praised the efforts of IFFCO, during the COVID pandemic period for not only keeping regular supply of fertilizers but also organising campaigns by distributing masks, sanitizers and hand gloves to mitigate the spread of COVID  . He also thanked other fertilizers companies and Railway department for playing important role in timely supply of fertilizer during the COVID pandemic period.

More than 1500 farmers from Karnataka took part in the Webinar through zoom. Managing Director IFFCO, Dr. U S Awasthi, Marketing Director Yogendra Kumar, IFFCO Karnataka marketing manager Dr. Narayanaswamy , agriculture scientists from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and other eminent dignitaries also  participated in the Webinar..

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Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today interacted and answered questions posed by his social media followers on the Sunday Samvad platform. These questions covered a multitude of queries concerning not only the current situation of COVID but also the government’s approach to it, the likely changes one expects to see in the post COVID world and the steps taken by government in its facilitation.

The Minister informed that while no date has been fixed for the vaccine launch, it may be ready by the first quarter of 2021. Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government is taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 under the Chairmanship of Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog is drawing up a detailed strategy on how to immunize majority of the population. “Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines etc., are also been discussed intensely”, he stated. He assured the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity.

Further, he said that the Government is considering emergency authorization of COVID-19 vaccination especially in the case of senior citizens & people working in high-risk settings. “This shall be done after a consensus has been reached”, he said.

To allay fears regarding the safety aspect of the vaccines, he said he will be happy to take the first dosage of vaccine if some people have a trust deficit.

Elaborating on the vaccine candidates and their development in India, he said that Department of Bio Technology (DBT) as well as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been pro-active in responding to the emerging situation to support advancement of vaccine candidates. India is actively partnering with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and trials at different phases are ongoing with respect to several vaccines in Indian laboratories (private or public) and hospitals.

The Minister also noted that a safe and effective vaccine will help in establishing immunity to COVID-19 at much faster pace as compared to the natural infection. It is hoped that a consensus will emerge in next few months over the desired level of protective herd immunity in any community, he stated.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted how the pandemic became a turning point for Indian manufacturing. From the time when there were “no indigenous manufacturers of PPEs with requisite standards, now there are nearly 110 indigenous manufacturers of PPE with requisite standards. The country is in a position to not only meet its own demands but also export to help out fellow nations”, Dr Harsh Vardhan said. Similar ‘Make in India’ initiatives were launched and promoted for enhancing indigenous manufacturing of diagnostic kits, ventilators, drugs like Remdesivir etc., and reducing reliance on foreign countries. This was made possible through the ‘Whole of Government’ approach under the leadership of Prime Minister. A multipronged strategy of promoting indigenous manufacturers and ensuring market availability was adopted with the partnership of various Ministries. He added that the Government took a number of initiatives to promote domestic manufacturing of critical APIs in India and thereby decrease India’s dependence on imports of such APIs.

In order to make the healthcare cost reasonable and affordable for the common man, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the Government has directed all States and UTs to fix a reasonable price for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals. Free coverage up to ₹ 5 lakhs for COVID patients for those who are eligible under the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY package was announced. He added that the Central Government has also asked States/UTs to proactively engage with the private sector health providers and consider pooling in public and private healthcare facilities, as this will help in providing prompt, good quality and reasonable health care to Covid-19 patients. He has himself appealed to the private hospitals to refrain from over charging COVID patients, he stated.

The Minister highlighted that measures have been to ensure accessibility and affordability of all drugs and other therapeutics to all citizens, irrespective of their paying capacities. The Government has taken cognizance of reports of alleged black marketing of drugs like Remdesivir and has asked Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to take suitable action against the same along with their State Counterparts.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government is seized of the evolving nature of the infection and emerging evidence of the systemic health complications in those who have been infected. AIIMS and other research institutions have been asked to undertake research to study the long-term impact of COVID. ICMR is establishing a National Clinical Registry on COVID that will provide insights into clinical course of COVID-19 disease, its spectrum and outcome of patients. Expert group consultations are already going on to review the emerging evidence and generate our own data on organ system specific (respiratory system, renal system, cardiovascular and gastro-intestinal) sequelae of COVID, he stated.

The Union Health Minister stated that “NDHM is one of the most ambitious missions of the Government of India and is set to catapult India as a global leader in the field of digital health. However, there are vested interests that do not want India to succeed and are spearheading a disinformation campaign against NDHM.” Allaying fears, he clarified that it is an utter lie that those who do not become part of this system shall not be allowed to access the hospitals. “Those persons or institutions who are not a part of this system shall continue to enjoy access to the healthcare system in exactly the same manner as they are doing now. Participation in the digital health ecosystem shall be totally optional and shall never be made mandatory for individuals”.

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The Union Health Ministry held a virtual meeting today where Union Health Secretary, Secretary DPIIT and Secretary Pharmaceuticals participated. State Health Secretaries and Industries Secretaries of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also participated in the meeting. The aim of the meeting was to ensure adequate Oxygen availability in all healthcare facilities in these States & unrestricted intra as well as inter State movement of oxygen.

In the end, all the participants were addressed by the Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, and Railways Shri PiyushGoyal.

The States were specifically advised to :-

1. Ensure facility wise/hospital wise oxygen inventory management and advance planning for timely replenishment so that there are no stockout.

2. Ensure that no restriction is imposed on the movement of Medical Oxygen between States/UTs.

3. Provision of “Green Corridor” for Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tankers within the cities.

4. Hospitals and institutions have long term tender/ contract agreement for supply of Oxygen with oxygen manufacturers, which need to be honoured. Hence, States must not impose restrictions on free movement of Oxygen.

5. Ensure timely payment of the due bills to the manufacturers and supplier to maintain uninterrupted supply of oxygen.

6. Improve power supply infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted supply to Oxygen Manufacturing Units.

7. Ensure proper disinfection of Oxygen cylinders as per protocols while sending cylinders to fillers of Oxygen.

8. Effective coordination with steel plants for Oxygen procurement since steel plants provide approx. 550 MT/day oxygen in addition to oxygen manufacturers who provide 6400 MT/day.

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