All that was discussed in the House through the day
As many as 177,695 cases of dengue and 237 cases of Zika virus were reported as on December 5, 2021 across India, Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, told the Lok Sabha December 10, 2021.
Cases of Zika virus infection have been reported from four states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Delhi — in 2021. UP has reported the maximum cases.
A total of 8,627 samples were tested, of which 152 were found positive. The positivity rate amounted to 1.7 per cent, Mandaviya said.
Spread of scrub typhus in Odisha
A total of 497 cases of scrub typhus were reported from various districts of Odisha in 2021.
Nowarangpur in Koraput district reported 43 cases in 2021, Bharati Pravin Pawar, minister of state in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told the Lok Sabha.
The Government of India is aware of the occurrence of the scrub typhus disease in Odisha, Pawar added.
Endosulfan victims of Kasargod
The Kerala government said it has provided various benefits such as financial assistance, free ration, treatment, pension, educational scholarship, bank loan write-offs etc, to the Endosulfan-affected victims and their children in Kerala’s Kasargod district, Pawar told the Lok Sabha.
Medical camps have been organised in Endosulfan-affected areas with the assistance of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawar said.
New Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India
At least 18 cases of AY.4.2 have been detected in India, as of December 3, 2021. Of these, 10 are from Gujarat, four from Tamil Nadu, two from Assam, and one each from Maharashtra and Telangana, Pawar told the Lok Sabha.
Such mutated variants of the virus are likely to evolve as SARS-CoV-2 evolves over time, he added.
Antimicrobial resistance
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a National Programme on Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) coordinated by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Pawar told the Lok Sabha.
The containment strategies under the surveillance of AMR in fungal pathogens include strengthening infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities and support the containment of AMR in fungal pathogens.
The Indian Council of Medical Research collects and monitors data on the trends and patterns of antimicrobial resistance of clinically important fungi, Pawar added.
Increase in tuberculosis deaths due to COVID-19 pandemic
A total of 1.8 million TB cases were notified under the programme in 2020 (January-December), which was 25 per cent less than the total cases notified in 2019 (2.4 million).
In 2021, despite a larger second wave of COVID-19, the programme notified 1.7 million cases of TB till October, 2021, which is 18 per cent higher compared to 2020 (January-October), Pawar said.
The deaths due to TB reported under the programme remained static in 2020 at around 4 per cent, similar to the pre-COVID times, he added.
RAJYA SABHA
Petrol stations have alternative charging mechanisms for EVS
As many as 1,198 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at oil marketing companies (OMC) retail outlets in the country, according to the information from the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
These include 76 EV charging stations in Maharashtra, as of November 30, 2021, Krishan Pal Gurjar, minister of state for heavy industries, told the Rajya Sabha.
Setting up of charging stations for electric vehicles
The Union Ministry of Heavy Industries supported 520 charging stations / infrastructure under the phase-I of FAME India Scheme. Out of 520 charging stations, 452 have been installed, as of December 3, 2021. Under phase-II of FAME-India Scheme, Rs 1,000 crore is allocated for the development of charging infrastructure, Gurjar said.
He added that the ministry also sanctioned 2,877 electric vehicle charging stations in 68 cities across 25 states / Union territories and 1,576 charging stations across nine expressways and 16 highways under the scheme.
Women farmers in India
About 11.72 per cent of the total operated area in the country was operated by female operational holders, Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, told the Rajya Sabha. This was according to the information collected in Agriculture Census 2015-16.
The number of female operational holders in India was 20,439, according to the Agriculture Census 2015-16. Andhra Pradesh has the highest female operational holders at 2,565, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar, Tomar added.
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