PM- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM)

Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) added 30 bedded additional wards under the Emergency Covid Response Package under PM-ABHIM scheme.

• The Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana’ (PMASBY) scheme was renamed as PM- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and was announced on 1st February, 2021.
• The objective of the scheme is to fill critical gaps in health infrastructure, surveillance and health research.
• The scheme focusses on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary.
• PM-ABHIM is the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country which focuses on the primary, secondary and tertiary care services, since 2005.
• Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The Centrally Sponsored Components include:
  • Support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States.
  • Establishing 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres in all the States.
  • 3382 Block Public Health Units in 11 High Focus states. Support for other States/UTs under
  • 15th Finance Commission Health Sector Grants and NHM.
  • Setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs in all districts.
  • Establishing Critical Care Hospital Blocks in all districts with population more than 5 lakhs
• The Central Sector Components include:
  • 12 Central Institutions as training and mentoring sites with 150 bedded Critical Care Hospital Blocks
  • Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 5 New Regional NCDCs and 20 metropolitan health surveillance units
  • Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs
  • Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, that is at 32 Airports, 11 Seaports and 7 land crossings
  • Setting up of 15 Health Emergency Operation Centres and 2 container based mobilehospitals
  • Setting up of a national institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region and 9 Bio-Safety Level III laboratories.
• Under the scheme, there is a provision for setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHLs) in all 730 districts across the country.

Camptothecin (CPT)

Recently the IIT Madras researchers have metabolically engineered the plant cells of Nothapodytes nimmoniana to increase the production of Camptothecin, which is used to treat cancer.

• Camptothecin (CPT) is an important anti-cancer drug lead molecule for high-value drugs like Topotecan and Irinotecan.
• It is a molecule procured from nature and then (in a) one-step derivative it is produced as drug.
• Camptothecin is majorly produced in Southeast Asian region, with the plant being largely found only in China and India.
• It is the 3rd most in-demand alkaloid which is commercially extracted in India.
• Nathapodytes nimmoniana – It is a medicinal plant that is a major source of the anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT).
• In India, the plant is a native of Western Ghats.
• It requires nearly 1,000 tonnes of plant material to extract 1 tonne of CPT.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the plant as in the past decade alone there has been a 20% decline in the plant’s population.

Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary

Recently a greater one-horned rhinoceros has returned to central Assam’s Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary after 40 years.

• Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary is also called as Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary that lies on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
• It is located in the central part of Assam.
• It is surrounded by many key Protected Areas that include:
  • Kaziranga National Park to the east,
  • Orang National park and Pobitora Wildlife sanctuaries to the west,
  • Pakke-Nameri NPs to the north and
  • The Forests of Karbi Anglong to the south.
• Laokhowa-Burachapor is characterized by grasslands, woodlands and numerous wetlands.
• It is home to the great Indian-one horned rhinoceros, elephants, royal Bengal tigers and Asiatic water buffaloes.
• Phawngpui (Blue Mountain) National Park – Mizoram.
• Shiroi National Park – Manipur.
• Namdapha National Park – Arunachal Pradesh.

Kapdaganda shawl, Lanjia Saura Painting and Koraput Kala Jeera Rice

In the recent times 7 products from Odisha have bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in recognition of their exclusivity to the state.

• The 7 products from Odisha that have bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag recently include:
  1. Kapdaganda shawl
  2. Lanjia Saura Painting
  3. Koraput Kala Jeera Rice
  4. Similipal Kai chutney
  5. Nayagarh Kanteimundi Brinjal
  6. Odisha Khajuri Guda
  7. Dhenkanal Magji
• Kapdaganda shawl – It is woven and embroidered by the women of the Dongria Kondh tribe.
• Dongria Kondh tribe is a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) in the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha’s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.
• The Kapdaganda shawl reflects the rich tribal heritage of the Dongria Kondhs.
• The shawl is worn by both men and women and the Dongrias gift it to their family members as a token of love and affection.
• Lanjia Saura Painting – It is one of the oldest tribal art forms, is also known as Idital.
• The art form belongs to the Lanjia Saura community, a PVTG largely residing in the Rayagada district.
• The artworks are famous for their beauty, aesthetics, ritualistic association and iconography.
• Koraput Kala Jeera Rice – It is black-coloured rice variety which is also known as the ‘Prince of Rice’ and is famous for its aroma, taste, texture and nutritional value.
• Tribal farmers of the Koraput region have preserved the rice variety for around 1,000 years.
• As the rice grains resemble cumin seeds, it is also called Kala Jeera.
• Consumption of the rice variety helps in increasing haemoglobin levels and improves metabolism in the body.
• Similipal Kai chutney – The chutney is made with red weaver ants is a traditional delicacy of the tribals in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
• The ants are found in the forests of Mayurbhanj, including in the Similipal forests, the Asia’s second-largest biosphere.
• The chutney is rich in medicinal and nutritional value and is believed to be a good source of nutrients like protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, potassium and so on.
• They believe that its consumption helps boost immunity and prevents diseases.
• Nayagarh Kanteimundi Brinjal - Is known for its prickly thorns on the stems and the whole plant.
• It is famous for its unique taste and relatively short quick cooking time. The plants are resistant to major insects and can be grown with minimal pesticide.
• Odisha Khajuri Guda – Odisha’s “Khajuri Guda” or jaggery is a natural sweetener extracted from date palm trees and has its origin in the Gajapati district.
• Traditionally, the jaggery is prepared in a trapezoidal form called ‘Patali Gur’ and is organic by nature. It is dark brown and has a unique taste.
• Dhenkanal Magji – Is a type of sweet made from cheese from buffalo milk, with distinct characteristics in terms of appearance, taste, flavour, shape and size.
• It also has unique nutritional values that distinguish it from other cheese-based sweets.

Elasmobranchs

In recent times the Elasmobranch meat (meat of sharks and rays) has found favour among new demographic categories such as foreign tourists and Indian middle and upper classes that could lead to more unsustainable fishing of shark species.

• Elasmobranchs are a subclass of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, skates and sawfish.
• Cartilaginous fish, also known as chondrichthyans, are a group of fish with skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
• Consumption was historically limited to the poorer sections of society, including coastal and tribal people.
• But demand for fresh, salted, and dried elasmobranch meat has increased since the 1960s and 1970s in South Asia and globally.
• Defining features of Elasmobranchs include:
  • A skeleton made of cartilage and no swim bladders,
  • Five to seven pairs of gills opening individually to the exterior
  • Rigid dorsal fins,
  • Rough skin made up of small dermal denticles,
  • The upper jaw is not fused to the skull and they have several rows of teeth, which are continually replaced.
• Shark Specialist Group (SSG) – Was established by the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1991.
• It was established in response to growing awareness and concern of the severe impact of fisheries on shark, ray and chimaera populations around the world.
• India – Sharks and rays have been consumed for centuries by communities living on India’s long coastline as well as tribal groups.
• Goa had the highest percentage of ‘elasmobranch’ (shark and ray) meat selling restaurants (35.8%), followed by Tamil Nadu (34.6%) and Maharashtra (4.6%).
• Goa and Tamil Nadu together accounted for 70% of all restaurants serving shark meat in India.
• India has banned the live-finning of sharks and also the export of fins of all shark and ray species. Ten species are completely protected from any fishing and trade.
• But fishing of sharks and rays is continuing, driven in part by legal local meat consumption, “which is likely increasing in the context of declines in teleost fish catch.
• The local consumption of shark meat in India may threaten small-bodied sharks as well as juvenile individuals of large-bodied species.
• Over a third of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction globally and overfishing driven by human consumption is a key threat to over 95% of these threatened species.