“The formidable support of my parents has been my greatest asset throughout my preparation. My family stood behind me rock solid”, says Areeba Saghir who have successfully qualified UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023 with AIR 253.
“My father, Mr Mohd Saghir Husain, a writer by profession, has created the most lasting impact on me. He remains my ideal. My mother, Mrs Firdaus Saghir, has given me the strongest motivation. My brother, Zuhair bin Saghir, a senior IAS officer, has been a constant source of inspiration and motivation. He is currently a senior civil servant in UP. My sisters, Dr Vardah Saghir and Ms Fizza Saghir, were my pillars and cushion during my preparation. My friends and well wishers formed my never-failing support system”, says Areeba .
After completing schooling from Father Agnel School in New Delhi, she pursued engineering in Computer Science from Galgotias College of Engineering & Technology in Greater Noida. Her interest in coding & programming brought her into the field of website designing & development.
In 2018, she cracked UPPSC and since then, she has been working as a State Tax Officer in the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Areeba with father Saghir Hussain
“The community from which I come has a very poor workforce participation. Education, I believe should give you wings, make you feel liberated. And for that we got to turn your mirrors into windows. Women, across religions and castes should come out of their comfort zones, struggle, strive and achieve the best. Parents should provide quality education to their children, especially daughters, for if you educate a boy, you educate an individual but if you educate a girl, you educate an entire generation”, suggests Areeba .
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. As eminent Urdu poet, Fani Badayuni says, “Maujun ki siyaasat se mayoos na ho ‘Fani’, Girdaab ki har teh mein saahil nazar aata hai.”
Oil and LNG prices are likely to shoot up in India if Iran block Strait of Hormuz, through which countries like India import crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE, according to market watchers
Crude oil prices have hovered around USD 90 per barrel since the Iran and Israel conflict has escalated over the last few days. Iran first launched drone and rocket attacks on Israel, which retaliated by firing a missile.
Motilal Oswal Financial Services in a statemnt said while de-escalation efforts will likely control the crisis, oil and LNG prices will spike in case Iran completely or partially blocks the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage between Oman and Iran. It is about 40 km wide at the narrowest point, with 2 km of navigable channels for incoming and outgoing ships. It is the key route through which crude oil is exported by Saudi Arabia (6.3 million barrels per day), the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq (3.3 million bpd) and Iran (1.3 million bpd).
India, which is more than 85 per cent dependent on overseas suppliers to meet its crude oil needs, imports oil from Saudi, Iraq and UAE as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar through the Strait of Hormuz.
Telangana State government will rejoin the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) scheme in the interests of farmers and to save them from losses caused by natural calamities. In a release, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that there has been no crop insurance scheme in Telangana, ever since the BRS government opted out of the scheme in 2020.
It said that farmers have been subject to huge losses due to crop damage on account of heavy rains, floods, and hailstorms. It added that there is no scope to claim compensation considering that the crop insurance scheme does not exist in Telangana.
The release further stated that the Chief Minister has decided to maintain cordial relations with the BJP-led government at the Centre to protect the interests of the State. The Chief Minister held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and PMFBY CEO and Joint Secretary in Union Agriculture Ministry Ritesh Chauhan in Hyderabad Friday.
They discussed the farmer insurance scheme from 2016 till its withdrawal in 2020. Now that the State has decided to rejoin the PMFBY scheme, farmers will get crop insurance from the next crop season. Mr Reddy reiterated that the State government intended to strengthen the agriculture sector and pursue farmer-centric welfare policies.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a financial penalty of eighty lakh rupees on Air India Limited for violation of regulations about Flight Duty Time Limitations, FDTL and Fatigue Management System, FMS of the flight crew. DGCA conducted a spot audit of Air India Limited in January this year to verify the regulatory compliance by the operator in respect for FDTL and FMS regulations. During the audit, the evidences were collected and fleet-wise random reports were analyzed.
DGCA said in a release that the analysis of reports and evidences revealed that Air India Limited operated flights with both flight crew aged above 60 years flying together in a few instances, which is a violation of Aircraft Rules. The operator was also found deficient in providing adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before and after ultra-long range, ULR flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew, which violates the extant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements pertaining to FDTL. A show cause notice was issued to Air India Limited on 1st March for submitting a response to the observed violations. The operator submitted its response to the show cause notice which was not found satisfactory.
कांग्रेस ने नेहरू मेमोरियल म्यूजियम का नाम बदलने पर आपत्ति जताई है
AMN
केंद्र सरकार ने दिल्ली में स्थित नेहरू मेमोरियल म्यूजियम का नाम बदल दिया है. अब इसका नया नाम पीएम म्यूजियम एंड सोसायटी रखा गया है. कांग्रेस ने नेहरू मेमोरियल म्यूजियम का नाम बदलने पर आपत्ति जताई है
नेहरू मेमोरियल म्यूजियम एंड लाइब्रेरी सोसाइटी- (एनएमएमएल) का नाम बदलकर प्रधानमंत्री संग्रहालय और लाइब्रेरी सोसाइटी कर दिया गया है। रक्षामंत्री राजनाथ सिंह की अध्यक्षता में एनएमएमएल सोसायटी की एक बैठक के दौरान नाम बदलने का यह निर्णय लिया गया। वर्तमान में राजनाथ सिंह इस एनएमएमएल सोसाइटी के उपाध्यक्ष है।
अपने संबोधन में श्री सिंह ने नाम में परिवर्तन के प्रस्ताव का स्वागत किया क्योंकि अपने नए रूप में यह संस्था जवाहरलाल नेहरू से लेकर नरेंद्र मोदी तक सभी प्रधानमंत्रियों के योगदान और उनके सामने आने वाली विभिन्न चुनौतियों को प्रदर्शित करती है।
प्रधानमंत्रियों को एक संस्था के रूप में बताते हुए और विभिन्न प्रधानमंत्रियों की यात्रा की तुलना एक इंद्रधनुष के विभिन्न रंगों से करते हुए श्री सिंह ने इस बात पर जोर दिया कि एक इंद्रधनुष को सुंदर बनाने के लिए उसके सभी रंगों का आनुपातिक रूप से प्रतिनिधित्व किया जाना चाहिए। एनएमएमएल कार्यकारी परिषद के अध्यक्ष नृपेंद्र मिश्रा ने इस बात पर जोर देकर नाम में बदलाव की आवश्यकता बताई कि प्रधानमंत्री संग्रहालय लोकतंत्र के प्रति देश की गहरी प्रतिबद्धता को व्यक्त करता है।
प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने वर्ष 2016 में तीन मूर्ति परिसर, नई दिल्ली में भारत के सभी प्रधानमंत्रियों को समर्पित इस संग्रहालय को स्थापित करने का विचार रखा था। एनएमएमएल की कार्यकारी परिषद ने तीन मूर्ति एस्टेट में संग्रहालय के निर्माण को मंजूरी दी थी।
New Delhi, 2nd May : To give a big boost to Hockey in the Union Territory , Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council has installed three new Astro Turfs in the valley and three more are under construction and will be made operational in a couple of months.
Hockey is no longer confined to the urban centers but is becoming popular in whole of the Union Territory asserted Hockey Jammu and Kashmir general secretary Supinder Deep Singh Bakshi, “First of all, we are focusing on the development of hockey infrastructure. Nowadays, it is played on Astroturf instead of natural turf (grass) and given the fact that there was only one Astroturf in Jammu and Kashmir, hockey in the UT suffered a great deal. However, last year the Sports Council decided to set up more AstroTurf’s in different districts ,” .
“Recently, three new AstroTurf’s were laid down – one in Pulwama and two in Srinagar and youngsters have already started practising on them. Moreover, 2-3 AstroTurf’s are under construction and will be made operational in a couple of months,” he informed
In the recent past, Hockey J&K has successfully conducted numerous tournaments across age categories in different districts despite facing challenges like extreme weather conditions and high-security situations in the UT.
Senior and Junior Tournaments (men) were held in Jammu in March and April respectively “Notably, these local tournaments align with Hockey India’s visionary program – ‘Hockey India ka Abhiyan Har Ghar Ho Hockey Ki Pehchan’ which was unveiled recently to promote the sport in regions where the sport is not so popular. The initiative also focuses on scouting and nurturing young talents.
“It’s a great initiative by Hockey India and to serve the purpose of the same, we have decided to provide hockey coaches to schools and other institutions that are located in remote areas of J&K to impart training and skills to students and revive the sport at such places.” Bakshi said
Further talking about developing hockey at the grass root level every level , Bakshi said, “We recently conducted some good tournaments across age groups . They witnessed the participation of around 150-200 players. Moreover, training camps are being held regularly in Jammu, while in Kashmir, tournaments and training camps will commence shortly with summer fast approaching in the region.”
“We also organise hockey events in other districts like Kathua, Poonch, etc. We have so far witnessed participation of 600-700 players across tournaments and training camps which took place in various districts . We are also actively looking for sponsors who can help us cover the remaining districts where hockey is yet to take off.”
Meanwhile, Bakshi revealed that Hockey J&K will organise a Senior Tournament (Men) at KK Hakku Hockey Stadium in Jammu in the first week of May and it will be sponsored by J&K Sports Council. Moreover, hockey equipment including sticks, balls, and other essential items which were recently provided by Hockey India to its State Member Units, will be distributed among players on the inaugural or final day of the tournament, which will see the participation of eight teams.
Bakshi highlighted how the sport is helping those youngsters who come from troubled regions and are vulnerable to violence. “Hockey is playing an instrumental role in putting the youngsters of J&K on the right track. Anyone who plays hockey has his/her mind fully dedicated towards the sport and does not get distracted by irrelevant things. To date, we haven’t heard of any hockey player from the UT involved in any kind of unlawful activity,” .
“Also, to make sure that hockey gains popularity in the maximum regions of J&K and to encourage young kids to take up the sport, we post advertisements in newspapers, social media, and put-up hoardings at various locations days before conducting any local tournament.
” We have observed that more and more youngsters are now enrolling themselves in hockey training camps and parents are also pushing their children to take up the sport. We also meet senior officials from the J&K Government every now and again to discuss the possibility of creating departmental hockey teams of various organisations which will generate employment opportunities for players,” he added.
New Delhi, 19 April : Top goal scorer and third-highest overall at the Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup, Mumtaz Khan, has been selected for the on going senior national Coaching Camp, at SAI, Bengaluru.
The 20-year-old forward was part of the Indian team which won Silver medal in the Youth Olympics in 2018 and due to hard work, she has risen through the ranks in recent years .Owing to her impressive performance in the tournament, Mumtaz was also named in the senior squad for Hero FIH Hockey 5s Lausanne in which she scored five goals.
However, her journey so far has been anything but easy as she has faced many hurdles in her career. Mumtaz’s list of challenges includes two ACL injuries in 2019 and 2022.
Talking about her rough phase and how she tackled it, Mumtaz said, “It was a big setback for me as I suffered an injury for the first time in my career and it turned out to be an ACL tear. I was very anxious while recovering from the injury and used to think if I’ll be able to walk again or not. If it’s the end of my career?”
“I was very irritated and used to cry a lot during that rough period, but I still managed to complete my rehab in 6-7 months. I motivated myself to get back on the field as soon as possible and play as I used to before I got injured,” she added
She also expressed her gratitude to her team members, coaches and support staff for helping her get back on her feet when she was struggling. “I was a junior team player when I got injured. So, I didn’t have any job back then nor was I financially stable. However, Hockey India supported me in every possible way during that time and even put me in rehab with the senior team. There used to be a physio, a trainer and members of medical staff to take care of me and assure me that I will be fit again to play. Moreover, senior players used to check in on me and provide moral support during rehab. Hence, I am really grateful to Hockey India for extending a helping hand when I needed it the most,”
Notably, Mumtaz Khan was named FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year in 2021 and she also won Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2022. Speaking on the same, she said, “Given the fact that I was on the verge of giving up on hockey after getting injured, it was no less than a dream for me to win the two prestigious awards. Also, I received the FIH Women’s Rising Star of Year award “
وزیراعظم نریندر مودی اور آسٹریلیا کے وزیراعظم اینتھنی ایلبانیز نے آج نئی دلّی کے حیدرآباد ہاﺅس میں دوطرفہ بات چیت کی۔ دونوں رہنماﺅں نے دونوں ملکوں کے درمیان جامع دفاعی شراکت داری کو فروغ دینے کیلئے مختلف معاملات پر بات چیت کی۔ دونوں رہنماﺅں نے تجارت، سرمایہ کاری، دفاع، تعلیم اور قابل تجدید توانائی کے معاملات پر بھی بات چیت کی۔اس سے پہلے وزیر خارجہ ڈاکٹر ایس جے شنکر نے ، آسٹریلیا کے وزیراعظم اینتھنی ایلبانیز سے ملاقات کی تھی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ جناب ایلبانیز کا دورہ اور دونوں ملکوں کے درمیان سالانہ سربراہ میٹنگ سے ان کے درمیان تعلقات میں اضافہ ہوگا۔ بھارت اور آسٹریلیا کے درمیان تعلقات گرمجوشی اور دوستی پر مبنی ہیں۔ دونوں ملکوں کے درمیان اہم شراکت داری میں 2020 میں جامع اہم شراکت داری کی شکل میں اضافہ ہوا تھا۔ پچھلے سال دونوں ملکوں نے ”اقتصادی تعاون اور تجارتی سمجھوتہ“ نام کے ایک آزاد تجارتی معاہدے پر دستخط کئے تھے۔ دونوں ملکوں کے درمیان دو طرفہ تعلقات کی، 2021-22 میں تقریباً 27 ارب ڈالر کی مالیت تھی اور امید ہے کہ یہ 2035 تک 45 سے 50 ارب ڈالر سے زیادہ ہو جائے گی۔
Despite an alarming TB burden among the older people, programmatic response to address it is far from optimal, said Dr Vijay Kumar Arora, Chairperson of TB Association of India, who is also the Chairperson of Southeast Asia region of the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union).
One in four persons globally who had developed active TB disease in 2021 was over 55 years of age as per the latest WHO Global TB Report (around 2.7 million people). But over a million of these older people were missed by TB services (or not notified to the national TB programmes if they ever received any kind of care or not).
In India, one in five people who was estimated to have active TB disease in 2021 was over 55 years of age as per the WHO Global TB Report 2022 (over 619,000 people). One third of these older persons could not get access to TB services (or were not notified to the government-run National TB Elimination Programme).
“The population of the elderly persons in India has increased exponentially from 77 million at the beginning of the last century to around 100 million now, forming 9% of the total population of the country. At the same time the number of elderly persons suffering from TB has also remained alarmingly high,” said Dr VK Arora.
TB rate in those above 55 years of age is almost double than others
“The prevalence of TB is 16% among the elderly in India. In fact, the TB rate in those above 55 years of age is 588 per 100,000 population, as compared to the national average of 316 per 100000 population of all ages. There is also a large number of elderly TB patients who remain undiagnosed. Such a high rate of TB necessitates concentrated efforts to control the condition effectively. Increased life expectancy, changes in the demographic profile and atypical presentation of the clinical features of TB pose many challenges in the management of TB in the elderly,” said Dr VK Arora.
TB diagnostic challenges among the elderly
“Elderly persons with TB form a vulnerable group showing high mortality. The diagnosis poses difficulties as they exhibit many atypical features, and symptoms are often similar to other age-related diseases. Many elderly patients present with nonspecific symptoms and the condition is missed for a long period of time, causing delay in correct diagnosis,” said Dr Surya Kant, Professor in Department of Respiratory Medicine, King George’s Medical University, who was also the Scientific Chair of 77th National Conference of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (NATCON) held in Agra, India.
TB treatment challenges among the elderly
The treatment of elderly patients with TB is similar to that given to younger patients. However, adverse reactions, such as hepatotoxicity, are more common in the elderly. “Drug interactions are more frequent in them. It has been seen that 63% of the elderly patients exhibit poor tolerance to anti-TB drugs, as compared to 54% in younger patients,” added Dr VK Arora, who is among the Guest Editors of a special issue of Indian Journal of Tuberculosis which is dedicated on the theme of TB and the elderly.
Financial issues often become a hindrance in continuing treatment. Many are not able to take care of themselves. This results in poor adherence to treatment and failure to complete the prescribed course. Loss to follow-up is also quite high. So the response to treatment is also less and there is an increased rate of treatment failure with advancing age.
“The susceptibility of elderly to TB is increased due to the presence of co-morbid conditions, such as type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and malignancy. A strong connection has been established between diabetes and TB among the elderly,” said Dr Arora.
“Moreover, immunity declines with old age. As immunity wanes, many cases appear to have links to the reactivation of lesions that had remained dormant over many years. The susceptibility to the disease is also increased in the background of malnutrition, chronic alcoholism, pollution, unhygienic living conditions and smoking. Also, drug-resistant TB strains put great hurdles to achieve successful treatment outcomes,” he added.
Pneumonia, invasive pneumococcal disease and other lung diseases
Community acquired pneumonia in winters and invasive pneumococcal disease in un-immunised people pose a challenge. Opportunistic bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections in the elderly are not only difficult to diagnose but also difficult to treat. Further, there are many potential interactions between anti-TB drugs and other additional medications used by the elderly for the management of co-existing diseases.
According to a study, an all-inclusive management that includes geriatricians and infectious disease specialists, is required in these vulnerable patients, said Dr Arora. Health systems equipped with integrated services will have to address the challenge of an ageing population. Early screening and initiation of treatment along with nutritional management are essential to tackle TB in the elderly. Partnerships between organizations are essential for better management of cases.
Dr VK Arora said that “India is progressing towards delivering on the promise to end TB in the next 45 months (by 2025). It is evident that every person with TB needs to be reached with a full spectrum of TB services, including TB prevention, diagnostics, treatment, care and support. We cannot leave behind the elderly – or other TB vulnerable groups.”
Giving due importance to TB prevention, active case finding and adhering to treatment among the elderly will go a long way to exert positive influence for proper management of TB in the elderly to #endTB. CNS
(Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Services)
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya has said the Remdesivir drug has been moved from Prohibited to Restricted Category of Exports on 14th June last.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha today, he said this step has been taken following the low demand and increased supply.
The Minister said the demand supply position for Tocilizumab has stabilized considerably and some states are not placing orders with the company marketing Tocilizumab as per quantities allocated by the Centre.
Mr. Mandaviya said that Remdesivir is manufactured in India whereas Tocilizumab is available in India through imports only.
He said due to collective efforts of seven domestic manufacturers of Remdesivir and grant of expeditious approvals by Drug Controller General of India, the licensed manufacturing sites of Remdesivir increased from 22 in mid-April this year to 62 at present.
He said the domestic production capacity of Remdesivir increased from 38 lakh vials per month in mid- April this year to 122 lakh vials per month now.
