All that was discussed in the House through the day
Glacier blast in Uttrakhand
An avalanche occurred in the upper catchment of Rishiganga river, a tributary of Alaknanda river in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand February 7, 2021, which led to sudden rise in the water level of Rishiganga River, Nityanand Rai, Minister Of State in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said in the Lok Sabha July 21.
As many as 80 people died and 204 were reported missing in the disaster, according to information provided by the Uttarakhand government.
Due to flash floods on account of rising water level in the river Rishiganga, a small hydroelectric project of 13.2 megawatt (MW) was washed away and a 520 MW under construction hydroelectric power project in the downstream at Tapovan was affected, the minister added.
Increasing man-days under MGNREGA
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) is a demand-driven programme and no target is made for the total number of person-days generated in a financial year, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Rural Development said in the Lok Sabha.
This was in response to a question seeking details for the total number of person-days to be generated in 2021-22 with the amount allocated to MGNREGA.
Jyoti added the ‘agreed to’ labour budget for financial year 2021-22 is 278.32 person-days. The Union ministry does periodic revision of the ‘agreed to’ labour budget of states / Union territories in consultation with states / UTs as per their demand and performance so as to provide work in time to every wage seeker on demand for work.
As of 16 July, 2021, a total of 120.49 crore person-days have been generated, he said.
Electric vehicles under FAME India scheme
A total of 0.3 million electric vehicles amounting to demand incentive of about Rs 600 crore have been incentivised as on July 9, 2021 since the implementation of FAME India Scheme (Phase-I & Phase-II) on April 1, 2015, Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Heavy Industries told the Lok Sabha.
Further, 862 electric buses amounting to demand incentive of about Rs 492 crore have been deployed as of June 30, 2021. Phase-II of FAME is being implemented for five years with effect from April 1, 2019 with a total budgetary support of Rs 10,000 crore, Gurjar added.
Rise in cancer cases
The estimated incidences of cancer cases in India in 2021 so far was 1,426,447, according to the data presented in Rajya Sabha by Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In 2020, total estimated incidence of cancer cases in India was 1,392,179.
The incidence of cancer cases in Uttar Pradesh was the highest, the data showed.
Deaths of healthcare workers due to COVID-19
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare does not maintain occupation-wise data on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and deaths, Bharati Pravin Pawar said in the Rajya Sabha July 20, 2021.
As on July 15, a total of 921 doctors and healthcare workers have been paid insurance claim of Rs 50 lakh each under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, the insurance scheme for health workers fighting COVID-19 scheme, Pawar added.
Deaths due to mucormycosis
Mucormycosis was not a notifiable disease till May 2021, when the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare requested states to declare mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 to get an objective assessment in the community, Bharati Pravin Pawar said.
He added the central government has taken several measures to control the epidemic.
According to the data presented in Rajya Sabha, total number of deaths due to the disease is 4,332 so far.
Steps taken to motivate women for vaccination
As on July 16, 46 per cent of the total doses were administered to women, almost equal to the estimated proportion of women in the country’s population (48 per cent).
In the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination drive, pregnant and lactating women were ineligible for vaccination, Pawar said.
Pawar added that on the basis of review of available scientific evidence and consensus of stakeholders, the health ministry approved vaccination of lactating women on May 19 and of pregnant women on July 2.
Estimation of monsoon
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has updated the long range forecast issued for 2021 southwest monsoon season (June to September) rainfall over the entire country June 1, 2021.
The updated forecast indicates below average rainfall over some areas of north, east and neighbouring northeast parts of the country and western parts of the south peninsula, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (independent charge) of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences said in the Rajya Sabha.
This weakening phase of the monsoon was caused by the unfavourable phases of the Madden Julian Oscillation, an intrusion of dry and warm westerlies over northwest India from desert regions and above normal convective activity over equatorial Indian Ocean, Singh added.
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