Union Cabinet Approves Setting up of 157 Government Nursing Colleges
The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of 157 nursing colleges at a cost of Rs. 1,570 crore in co-location with the medical colleges set up in the country since 2014.
The step would add around 15,700 new nursing graduate seats every year. It would also ensure quality, affordable and equitable nursing education in the country, particularly in under-served districts, states and Union territories.
Of the total 157 colleges, 27 will be set up in Uttar Pradesh, 23 in Rajasthan, 14 in Madhya Pradesh and 11 each in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Bihar will get 8 nursing colleges, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha 7 each, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Jharkhand 5 each, Karnataka and Uttarakhand 4 each, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh 3 each, and Haryana will get 1 nursing college.
India Signs Research MoU with UK
The UK and India signed an agreement to collaborate on science and innovation. A memorandum of understanding on research was signed between the two countries in the UK Parliament.
The objective of this agreement is to enable quicker, deeper collaboration on science between the two countries, with the aim of helping economic growth, creating skilled jobs and improving lives in the UK, India, and worldwide. Through this agreement, the two countries hope to minimise red tape standing in the way of major collaborations.
This agreement will also bring in new joint research schemes aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, from climate change and pandemic preparedness through AI and machine learning.
Apr 28, 2023
IIT Bombay Secures Second Place in 'Solar Decathlon' Build Challenge in US
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay's SHUNYA (Sustainable Housing for Urbanizing Nation by its Young Aspirants) team secured second place in Solar Decathlon Build Challenge in the United States for their innovative zero-energy house designed to address air quality challenges in Mumbai's hot and humid climate.
SHUNYA is a student-driven technical team of IIT Bombay working to build a sustainable future. It was the only team representing India in this competition out of 32 teams from across the world.
The team includes more than 50 students with engineering, architectural, and management backgrounds from more than 16 departments of IIT Bombay.
PM Modi inaugurates 'NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute in Silvassa.
The foundation stone of NAMO Medical Education and Research Institute was also laid by the Prime Minister himself in January 2019.
it will transform healthcare services for the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The state-of-the-art medical college includes the latest research centres, a 24×7 central library equipped with access to national and international journals, specialised medical staff, medical labs, smart lecture halls, research labs, an anatomy museum, a clubhouse, sports facilities as well as residences for students and faculty members.
Maharashtra Government & British Council Ink MoU for Internationalisation of Higher Education
Department of Higher and Technical Education, Maharashtra and British Council collaborated for Internationalisation of Higher Education in the state. The aim of this collaboration is to enhance curriculum, train faculty and develop leadership skills, support mobility and enhance skills of students.
The MoU was signed by Vikas Chandra Rastogi, IAS, Principal Secretary Higher Education and Rashi Jain, Director West India, British Council in the presence of Chandrakant Patil, Minister of Higher and Technical Education and Alison Barrett MBE, Director India, British Council.
The collaboration between the two organisations will strengthen educational and cultural exchange to promote the state's aspirations for knowledge and economic development.
Apr 27, 2023
Cabinet approves establishment of 157 new nursing colleges
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved establishment of 157 new nursing colleges "in co-location with the existing medical colleges" established since 2014.
The step will add approximately 15,700 nursing graduates every year and is aimed at addressing the geographical and rural-urban imbalances in the healthcare sector.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced the decision and said that the government plans to complete the project within the next two years and has laid out detailed timelines for every stage of planning as well as execution of the project.
A release issued by the Central government noted that the government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats in last few years. "There is an increase of around 71% in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 660 as of now. Further, the number of MBBS seats have almost doubled and postgraduate seats have more than doubled since 2013-14.
India intends to make healthcare affordable for whole world: PM Modi
"India's goal is to make healthcare accessible and affordable, not only for our citizens but for the whole world,following the inauguration the 6th Edition of One Earth One Health – Advantage Healthcare India 2023 meet.
He said that India's traditional healthcare systems held a lot of answers to stress and lifestyle diseases and called for an integrated, inclusive and institutional global response to healthcare challenges.
India Pavilion At Global Education & Training Exhibition Inaugurated At Dubai
The 'Study in India Pavilion' at the Global Education & Training Exhibition (GETEX) in Dubai has been inaugurated by the Consul General of India in Dubai, Dr. Aman Puri.
Organized by the Services Export Promotion Council with the support of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, the India Pavilion at GETEX 2023 is being held from 26-28 April 2023 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE. The pavilion, spanning over 200 sqm, features more than 30 universities and edtech stakeholders of Indian higher education.
Apr 26, 2023
Govt to organise 2-day global Conference on Digital Health in New Delhi
The Government will organise a two-day global Conference on Digital Health – Taking Universal Health Coverage to the last citizen in New Delhi . The Union Health Ministry said, leveraging India's presidency of the G20, India and the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office will organise the Conference. The conclave will bring together global leaders and health development partners, health policymakers, digital health innovators and influencers, academia, and other stakeholders. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will chair the two-day Global conference.
The conference will address the issues to accelerate the implementation of connected digital health initiatives. It will also focus on unlocking the potential of delivering and sharing digital health solutions in an ethical, safe, secure, reliable, equitable, and sustainable way. The Conference will also focus on finding ways to invest, develop and share digital technologies following principles of transparency, accessibility, privacy, and confidentiality. The Ministry said this will also help in establishing strategic enablers and technology enablers required for implementing digital health at population scale.
IIT Madras to Launch 'Out of Box Thinking' Mathematics Course
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras will launch 'out of the box thinking' Mathematics course in level 3 and 4. These courses are free of cost and are being offered in the online mode only under IIT-M Pravartak Technologies Foundation.
For these, the final exam will be conducted at the examination centres and will be proctored. The course is available in India, as well as foreign countries. The students who take the examination will also be provided a grade certificate by Pravartak.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an Institute of National Importance. IIT Madras has 16 academic departments and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in BTech, MBA, MTech and PhD.
Apr 25, 2023
NCERT Removes Darwin's Evolution Theory from Science Textbook
More than 1,800 scientists, teachers, educators, and science enthusiasts from across India signed an open letter to NCERT condemning the removal of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution from the science textbooks for Classes 9 and 10.
The Breakthrough Science Society released a press statement that includes the letter titled 'An Appeal Against Exclusion of Evolution from Curriculum,' which is signed by representatives of notable scientific institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and Indian Institute of Technology.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the government body mandated to advise the central and state governments on school education, had carried out a syllabus rationalisation exercise to reduce the burden on students after the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, chapter 9 of the science textbook, 'Heredity and Evolution,' was replaced by 'Heredity.' However, the scientific community believes that the removal of Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a 'travesty of education,' and students will be handicapped in their thought processes without exposure to this fundamental scientific discovery.
Japan's Health Ministry approves country's first abortion pill
In a significant boost to reproductive rights, Japan's Health Ministry has approved the country's first abortion pill. While abortion pills are widely available in many countries across the globe, the medication was not approved by Japan's Health Ministry. The approval came from the Health Ministry's Pharmaceutical Board after it approved the MeFeego Pack abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical Linepharma.
Japan's Health Ministry had first said in January this year to review the drug and had asked the public to submit their opinions through an online portal. The board's recommendation will now go to the Health Minister for final approval.
India's first indigenous pneumonia vaccine by SII launched
The first indigenous vaccine against pneumonia, developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), was launched by Union health minister Harsh Vardhan . The vaccine would be sold under the name 'Pneumosil' and would be available either as a single dose in a vial and pre-filled syringe or as multidose in vials at affordable prices, the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) said in a statement.
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would be used to treat pneumonia in children and has been developed by SII in collaboration with other partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the statement said. Vardhan said that the vaccine has been developed during the Covid-19 pandemic time and is also in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat program (self-reliant India) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) launched a Cybersecurity Skilling Programme in collaboration with its cybersecurity Technology and Innovation Hub, C3iHub.
The programme is taught in Hindi, and is an eight weeks (6 hours per week) long and includes live sessions, online assignments, and hands-on exercises. The prerequisite of this programme are basics of computer networks, operating system (Linux / Windows). Bash script and Python is optional.
Upon completion of the programme, students will receive a certificate from C3iHub, which will add value to their professional profile.