As told to Parliament (July 26, 2024): Karnataka dengue caseload till June more than double that of 2023
Karnataka reported 5,976 dengue cases this year through June 30, 2024, compared to 2,260 cases during the same period in 2023, shared Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for family and welfare, with the Lok Sabha June 26, 2024. His statement was based on the information received from the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Several parts of India report Zika infection
The Centre is aware of the rapid spread of Zika virus in certain regions of the country, said Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for health and family welfare, to the Lok Sabha.
The first instance of the Zika virus in India was reported in Gujarat in 2017, she said. Since then, sporadic outbreaks have been recorded in various parts of the country, such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, the minister added.
Amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala
Diagnostic testing done on five children in Kerala with acute encephalitis and cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) has revealed the presence of motile amoeba, Patel told the Lok Sabha.
Out of the five, three cases had microbiological features of Vermamoeba vermiformis and one case was confirmed as Naeglaria fowleri on PCR testing, she noted.
PLI schemes for pharma sector
Drugs for treatment of many rare diseases, including Ducheme Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Osteogenesis Imperfecta, are quite expensive. The cost of these medicines varies from a few lakhs to Rs 16 crore, she said.
In order to make the country's pharmaceuticals sector 'atmanirbhar' (self-reliant), the Department of Pharmaceuticals is implementing the production-linked incentive scheme for pharmaceuticals with a total financial outlay of Rs 15,000 crore and tenure up to FY 2027-28, Patel added.
Himachal's health scheme continues with thousands of beneficiaries
As many as 860,000 patients have benefitted from the Mukhya Mantri Himachal Health Care Scheme (HIMCARE) of the Government of Himachal Pradesh, said Patel.
The scheme was launched in 2019 for residents not covered under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) for state government medical reimbursement policy, she highlighted, adding that the scheme has not been discontinued.
Over a million deaths due to tobacco use in India
More than 1.3 million people died in India due to tobacco use, Patel told the Lok Sabha. She was citing the estimates given in the second round of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey report, 2016-17.
Subsidy to electric vehicle manufacturers under FAME scheme
In the second phase of the FAME-India scheme, electric vehicle manufacturers aren't given incentives directly, said Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Union Minister of State for heavy industries, in the Rajya Sabha. Instead, consumers receive incentives as a direct discount on the purchase price of hybrid and electric vehicles to encourage wider adoption, he noted.
These incentives are subsequently reimbursed to the original equipment manufacturers by the Government of India, the minister stressed.
Development of environment friendly fuel for railway operations
A pilot project to retrofit Hydrogen Fuel cells on Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) rakes for traction has also been initiated, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, to the Rajya Sabha. Additionally, 26 Diesel Power Cars of DEMU rakes have been converted to CNG-based propulsion systems, he added.
The Indian Railways Organization for Alternate Fuel was established to look for alternative fuels for Indian Railways, the minister noted. It has encouraged the use of blended bio-diesel and the partial replacement of diesel with CNG and LNG for traction purposes.
Dependence of farmers on groundwater
The Total Annual Ground Water Recharge was 449 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) in 2023, while the Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource was 407 BCM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said in the Rajya Sabha. He was reading from the 2023 groundwarer assessment report.
The Total Annual Ground Water Extraction for the country in 2023 was estimated to be 241 BCM, he noted. The agriculture sector was the largest user of groundwater, consuming 87 per cent of the total Annual Groundwater Extraction, which amounts to 209.74 BCM, the minister noted.
The Central Ground Water Board, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (water resources) and the state ground water departments have been jointly evaluating the nation's Dynamic Ground Water Resources, Chouhan shared.
Nearly 80% of Jharkhand's sown area rainfed
In Jharkhand, out of the 1.38 million hectares of net sown area, 1.10 million hectares, or 79.7 percent, are unirrigated or rain-fed, Chouhan told the Rajya Sabha.
This is much higher than the national figure: Out of the 141.01 million hectares of net sown area in the country, around 63.09 million hectares, or 44.7 per cent, are unirrigated or rain-fed, the minister added.