6-Sep-2022: Dr Mansukh Mandaviya virtually lays Foundation Stone of NCDC branches in 6 states- Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh
“Disease surveillance plays a crucial part in disease prevention, control and management. Towards this end the regional branches of NCDC will pay a pivotal part. They will provide a boost to public health infrastructure with prompt surveillance, rapid detection and monitoring of diseases thereby enabling early interventions”. This was stated by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare as he virtually laid the foundation stone of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) branches in six States (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh).
“The Government under leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji is committed to strengthening the health infrastructure across the country. There has been a shift from “token” to “total” approach where States are our partners in the spirit of collaborative and cooperative federalism to ensure quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to all”. Dr. Mandaviya added that it is vision of the Prime Minister to strengthen health infrastructure across the country. Govt of India has under PM-ABHIM (Prime Minister- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission) approved Rs. 64,000 cr. for various health infrastructure in the states. He added that the present pandemic of COVID-19 has shown us the importance of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases which can not only cause localized outbreaks but can also lead to a pandemic. NCDC branches in the states and UTs will support the State Govts in timely disease surveillance and monitoring. These will enable early warning leading to timely intervention based on evidence gathered from the field, he pointed out. The state branches will coordinate with NCDC HQR at New Delhi with real time sharing of data and information aided by cutting edge technology. NCDC branches would also be crucial in ensuring timely availability of updated guidelines so that accurate scientifically backed information can be disseminated easily.
Currently, NCDC has eight branches in states with focus on one or few diseases, these will be repurposed and new branches are being added with the mandate for integrated disease surveillance activities, dealing with Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), multi-sectoral and entomological investigations etc.
Union Health Minister also inaugurated the NCDC Laboratory Block -1,Residential Complex and NRL of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. The NCDC Laboratory Block will house state-of-the-art testing and referral laboratories concerned with bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic diseases of public health concern. This laboratory is equipped with 50 high-capacity labs which include 30 Bio-safety level3 labs, 5 RT-PCR labs and 15 other labs. The laboratories will be designed to not only offer testing facilities, but also provide hands-on training, capacity building and quality assurance services to whole network of laboratories across the country.
Dignitaries including Shri. V. Muraleedharan, MoS of Ministry of External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tanaji Rao Sawant, Health Minister (Maharashtra), Shri Alo Libang, Health Minister (Arunachal Pradesh), Shri Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Shri Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, MoS for Health (Uttar Pradesh), Shri Rajeshwar Singh, MLA, Shri Tana Hali Tara, MLA attended the event virtually. Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, MoHFW, Dr. Prof. Atul Goel, DGHS (MoHFW) and Shri Lav Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, MoHFW were also present.
30-Jul-2021: Union Health Minister digitally inaugurates Whole Genome Sequencing National Reference Laboratory for AMR and New BSL 3 Laboratory on occasion of 112th Annual Day of NCDC
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the 112th Annual Day celebrations of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) along with Dr. Bharati Pawar, MoS (HFW), here today. At the event, the Union Health Minister virtually inaugurated the Whole Genome Sequencing National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and BSL 3 Laboratory along with a PG hostel and Guest House. The L3 laboratory complex has five floors and houses 22 Biosafety level (BSL) II laboratories.
Congratulating NCDC for its contributions, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya said that India has performed better than many other countries in fighting the COVID pandemic. He said that new dimensions have been added today in the legacy of 112 years of achievements of NCDC. He encouraged NCDC to strive for further innovations so that not only India but the whole world can benefit from its work. The Union Health Minister also underlined that scientists, doctors, officers and staff of NCDC should collectively chart out goals they want to achieve in the coming years.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need of creating vigilance and awareness on Zoonotic Diseases. Accordingly, Division of Zoonotic Disease Programme at NCDC under the "National One health Programme for prevention and Control of Zoonoses" has created IEC materials (Print, Audio & Video) on 7 priority zoonotic diseases namely Rabies, Scrub Typhus, Brucellosis, Anthrax, CCHF, Nipah, Kyasanur Forest Disease in India. The Union Health Minister along with MoS(HFW) unveiled these today.
The Union Health Minister also launched the National Health Adaptation Plan on Air Pollution and National Health Adaptation Plan on Heat along with infographics and the first newsletter under the "National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health" developed by Centre of Environmental and Occupational Health, Climate Change and Health at NCDC.
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, MoS (HFW) stated that NCDC provides a gamut of services to the people through its laboratories, and strengths in epidemiology, public health capacity building, entomology, etc. NCDC’s role in steering the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Containment Programme in the country is commendable. “NCDC can act as a focal point with greater authority and resources for disease surveillance, monitoring of health status, educating the public, providing evidence for public health action and enforcing public health regulations,” Dr Pawar mentioned. She also stressed the importance of public awareness and people’s participation in keeping today’s lifestyle diseases at bay.
21-Jul-2020: Sero-prevalence study conducted by National Center for Disease Control NCDC, MoHFW, in Delhi, June 2020
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [MoHFW] commissioned a sero-surveillance study in Delhi.
This study has been done by the National Center for Disease Control [ NCDC] in collaboration with Govt of National Capital Territory of Delhi, following a rigorous multi-stage sampling study design.
Study was conducted from 27th of June 2020 to 10th July 2020.
For all the 11 districts of Delhi, survey teams were formed. Blood samples were collected from selected individuals after taking written informed consent and then their sera were tested for IgG antibodies and infection using COVID KAVACH ELISA approved by Indian Council for Medical Research [ICMR]. It is one of the largest sero-prevalence studies conducted in the country using the ELISA testing.
21,387 samples were collected as per lab standards and were tested. The tests done help in identification of presence of antibodies in the general population. These test performed is not a diagnostic test but only provides information about past infection due to SARSCoV-2 in individuals who test positive.
Antibody testing repeatedly done over time i.e. sero-surveillance, generates important evidence for assessing the spread of the pandemic from time to time.
The results of the sero-prevalence study show that on an average, across Delhi, the prevalence of IgG antibodies is 23.48 %. The study also indicates that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic. This implies the following:
- Nearly six months into the epidemic, only 23.48% of the people are affected in Delhi, which has several pockets of dense population. This can be attributed to the proactive efforts taken by the Government to prevent the spread of infection including prompt lockdown, effective containment and surveillance measures, including contact tracing and tracking, as well as citizen’s compliance to COVID Appropriate Behaviours.
- However, a significant proportion of the population is still vulnerable. Therefore, the containment measures need to continue with the same rigour. Non-pharmacological interventions such as physical distancing, use of face mask/cover, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoidance of crowded places etc., must be followed strictly.
24-Mar-2020: Dr Harsh Vardhan visits NCDC Control Room, Lab and Testing Facilities
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare visited National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Control Room and the Testing Laboratories, and reviewed the current status with Dr S K Singh, Director (NCDC) and senior officials, here today. He also interacted with the NHM MDs and senior surveillance officers of the States/UTs through a Video Conference.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that NCDC is taking a lead role in undertaking investigations of disease outbreaks all over the country employing epidemiological and diagnostic tools. He appreciated the public health surveillance and response management, technical guidance, laboratory support and addressing public concerns through a 24x7 helpline for COVID-19 undertaken by NCDC.
He visited the Control Room and interacted with the response givers and encouraged them. Appreciating the efforts and work of the call centre staff at NCDC control room, and the scientists engaged in tests and research, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated: “You all form our frontline warriors, who through supporting people with correct, timely and vital information, are rendering yeoman service to the nation”, he stated. “I salute the scientists who work with the testing procedures, and put themselves at risk in their line of duty“, he further added.
In all, more than 2 lakh calls have been answered and responded to at the Control Room, while more nearly 52,000 emails have been answered.
Dr Harsh Vardhan also lauded the dedication, hard work and sincerity of all the surveillance officers and encouraged them to continue the fight with renewed vigour. Reviewing the status of containment and management of COVID-19 in the country with the NHM MDs, the Union Health Minister emphasised on the quality and sturdiness of the community surveillance and contact tracing. “It is the need of the hour that all the people who are either in home or facility quarantine, need to maintain strict vigil, and practice the laid down protocols of social distancing, and personal hygiene. Special care needs to be taken of the elderly, pregnant women and small children”, he stated.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan also appealed to the citizens of India that they should cooperate with the Government authorities, help each other by sharing authentic information and suppress the misconceptions & rumours regarding COVID-19.
As on date, cumulatively 1,87,904 persons are under surveillance, and around 35,073 have completed 28 days observation period as on day. Of the total samples tested(12872), 2023 samples have been tested by NCDC. Of these, 52 have tested positive for COVID-19.
2-Sep-2022: CCRAS ‘SPARK’ Program to Support Innovative Research in Ayurveda
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), has taken a unique initiative to support the research efforts of bright young minds of the Country by developing the Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) for Ayurveda (BAMS) students studying in recognised Ayurveda colleges.
Sh. Pramod Kumar Pathak, Special Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India and Vaidya Jayant Yeshwant Deopujari, Chairman, National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) launched the fellowship scheme and the application portal in the presence of Prof. Sanjeev Sharma, Director-cum-Vice Chancellor In-Charge, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur and Prof. R.N. Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, Dr. Sulochana Bhatt, Director, CARI, Bengaluru, Dr. M.M. Rao, Director, CARI, Bhubaneswar and Research Officers of the Institute at Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bhubaneswar on 2nd September 2022 in an event organized to mark the occasion.
While lauding the efforts of CCRAS, the Special Secretary said, “CCRAS has taken many commendable initiatives in recent times, especially during the COVID-pandemic. The Council has not only developed popular formulations such as Ayush-64, it has as many as 18 formulations and technologies to its credit also.” He further added, “I am confident that the SPARK Program developed by the Council will support the innovative ideas of young students and promote the culture of evidence based scientific research in the field of Traditional Medicine.”
Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS informed, “with guidance and support from the Ministry of Ayush, CCRAS has developed and implemented a wide range of schemes and programs to serve the citizens.” While elaborating upon the recent initiatives of CCRAS including SPARK, the Director General also mentioned, “by developing meaningful collaborations with premiere academic research institutions within and outside of the country such as IIT, ICMR, ICAR, JNU, BHU, AIIMS, University of and others, the Council has accelerated quality research activity in the domains of Ayurveda and allied sciences.” Prof. Acharya further added, “SPARK program is primarily developed to help students develop an acumen for research and to further support and incentivise their research ideas.”
While speaking about international collaborations, the Director General informed that the Council is currently working on research and development projects in collaboration with leading research institutions at Romania, Germany, Israel, USA, Canada and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Prof. Acharya also informed, “with an objective to complement the efforts of the Ministry of Ayush for promotion and propagation of Ayurveda education across the world, the Council has collaborated with premier educational institutions across the world and has set up Ayurveda Chair in 11 countries.
While sharing more details about the SPARK program Dr. Adarsh Kumar, Assistant Director (Ayurveda), CCRAS informed that ‘SPARK’ aims to support the research ideas of young undergraduate students enrolled in Ayurveda Colleges across India. The application process for SPARK will be completely online through the portal www.spark.ccras.nic.in.”
Further, Dr. Adarsh added, “Interested candidates will be required to submit their research proposals through the SPARK Portal. The proposals will be evaluated by eminent experts and reviewers. The selected fellows will be offered a financial support of Rs.50,000 under the fellowship. Initially there will be total 100 seats per session and further details may be accessed at the program portal.
25-Mar-2022: Ayurvedic medicines in tribal areas
The Ministry of Ayush has established Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), New Delhi as an Autonomous Organization. It is an apex body in India for undertaking, coordinating, formulating, developing and promoting research on scientific lines in Ayurvedic sciences. The activities are carried out through its 30 Institutes/Centers/Units located all over India and also through collaborative studies with various Universities, hospitals and Institutes.
For the welfare of the tribal people, CCRAS is conducting a “Tribal Health Care Research Programme (THCRP)” under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) through 14 CCRAS Institutes in identified ST Dominant Villages/Areas of 14 States (Annex) by providing health care services. Beside this, Council is documenting Local Health Traditions prevalent in the tribal areas. Activities carried out under this programme are:
- To study the living conditions of tribal people
- To collect information related to health statistics
- Study of dietetic habits
- Nature and frequency of prevalent diseases etc.
- Documentation of use of common medicinal plants in the area
- Provision of incidental medical aid at their door steps
- Propagation of knowledge about Ayurvedic concept of Pathyapathya including hygiene habits, dietary practice through behavior change counseling (BCC) for prevention of diseases and health promotion by Providing IEC material.
- Documentation of demographic profile & Collect information on folk medicines/ traditional practices prevalent in the area.
- Prevention of disease by adopting healthy way of living & clean environment
The Ministry has developed a Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of International Co-operation in AYUSH (IC Scheme) under which Ministry of Ayush provides support to Indian Ayush Manufacturers/ Ayush Service providers to give boost to export of AYUSH products & services; facilitate International promotion, development and recognition of AYUSH system of medicine; foster interaction of stakeholders and market development of AYUSH at international level; promote academics and research through establishment of AYUSH Academic Chairs in foreign countries and holding training workshop/symposiums for promoting and strengthening awareness and interest about AYUSH Systems of Medicine at international level.
Ministry of Ayush has taken following steps towards promoting export of Ayurvedic medicines:
- Ministry has signed 25 country to country MoUs for Cooperation in field of Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy with foreign nations.
- 32 MoUs have been signed with international institutes for undertaking Collaborative Research / Academic collaboration.
- 14 MoUs have been signed with international institutes for setting up of Ayush Academic Chairs in foreign nations.
- Ministry of Ayush has provided support for establishment of 38 Ayush Information Cells in 34 foreign nations.
- The “Ayush Export Promotion Council” has been registered under section 8(4) of the Companies Act 2013 on 04.01.2022 under the Ministry of Ayush in support of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to tackle the obstacles for registration of AYUSH products abroad, undertaking of market studies and research activities abroad
- Ministry of Ayush provides scholarship to foreign nationals under AYUSH Fellowship scheme.
- MoUs have been signed with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSH&TM), UK and Frankfurter Innovationszentrum Biotechnologie GmbH (FIZ), Frankfurt Germany for clinical research studies on mitigation of COVID-19 through Ayurveda.
- Ministry of Ayush issued advisories on protecting people from COVID and staying healthy in English as well as in 08 other foreign languages.
- Ministry of Ayush provides AYUSH Educational Training to regulators of foreign nations.
6-Feb-2018: CCRAS developed and commercialized Ayurvedic Drugs
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH is actively involved in scientific process of drug development adopting prevalent guidelines such as Good Clinical Practices Guidelines for ASU drugs (GCP-ASU), Ministry of AYUSH and National ethical guidelines for Bio-Medical Research (ICMR), WHO guidelines for traditional medicines etc. as per requirement and as feasible through its peripheral institutes. Council through its drug development program is undertaking development of new formulations/drugs taking leads from Ayurvedic literature through a systematic process of drug development. viz standardization, preclinical safety & clinical study as per requirement.
CCRAS has developed and commercialized the following two drugs:
- AYUSH 82 An Anti-Diabetic Ayurvedic Formulation.
- AYUSH SG An Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis preparation.
CCRAS has also undertaken the development of the following coded formulations which are at different phases of drug development:-
- AYUSH Manas for Mental retardation/cognitive deficit
- AYUSH QOL 2C for improving Quality of Life of Cancer patients
- AYUSH Rasayan A & B in geriatric health
- AYUSH C1 Oil for wound healing
- AYUSH PJ-7 for Dengue fever
- AYUSH M-3 for Migraine
- AYUSH SL for Filariasis
- AYUSH A for Bronchial Asthma
- AYUSH D for Type II Diabetes Mellitus
- Carctol S for Cancer
- AYUSH K1 for Chronic Kidney Diseases
30-Aug-2022: ICAT Signs MoU with the NorthCap University for Emerging Technologies
International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Northcap University (NCU), Gurugram, to enhance the Industry-Academia partnership for conducting joint short term and mid-term courses and research in the field of EV and related emerging technology area as per Industry Requirements. The MoU was signed by Mrs. Pamela Tikku, Officiating Director, ICAT, and Prof Nupur Prakash, Vice-Chancellor, NCU, in the presence of other senior officials from both organizations.
Speaking on the occasion Mrs. Pamela Tikku stated that we look forward to a long-term relationship for skill development required for the industry by collaboration in the emerging field of electric mobility and also look forward for the skilling up-gradation of ICAT resources.
In his address, Prof. Nupur Prakash said, “The summation of the expertise of ICAT in the field of automotive technology along with superior content development proficiency of NCU will result in flexible course packages for interested candidates, thus enabling them to be prepared across multiple fields available in the automotive sector in India.”
International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), located in Manesar since 1996, is a division of NATRiP (NAB) Implementation Society (NATIS) under Ministry of Heavy Industries.
It is one of the independent Testing Agencies under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India for Testing and Certification of Automobiles and their critical safety components.
The NorthCap University (NCU) was established in 1996 in Gurugram. NCU is National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) ‘A’ accredited university. The University is ranked among the top 100 in the Engineering category under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
The institute has also been rewarded as the Best Performing University among the Top 30 Universities and Deemed Universities Category in India in the Atal Ranking of Institutions in Innovation Achievement 2021 (ARIIA). The University offers a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in disciplines such as engineering, management, applied sciences, and law. NCU is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Bar Council of India (BCI). The University is a Member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), UK.
In addition to being a Member of the American Society for Quality (I) Pvt Ltd, NCU is accredited by Accreditation Services for International Colleges (ASIC), UK, in the category of ‘Premier’ Universities, with ‘Commendable’ Grades.
1-Apr-2022: International Centre for Automotive Technology generates Rs. 175.90 crore revenue in FY 2020-21
The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) has been established as a full-fledged testing and homologation centre within the Northern automotive hub under National Automotive Testing and R&D infrastructure Project (NATRIP). It is one of the authorized testing centers under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) and is rendering services like certification/homologation, Design & Engineering, R&D, consultancy and Test & Validation etc. to the automotive sector. It is also providing testing services for LED lamps, UPS systems, electronic appliances, generator sets, medical equipments etc. to non-automotive private sector. The revenue generated by ICAT was Rs. 175.90 crore (net of GST) in FY 2020-21.