National AYUSH Mission (NAM)

About

• Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has launched National AYUSH Mission (NAM) during 12th Plan for implementing through States/UTs.
• The basic objective of NAM is to promote AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services, strengthening of educational systems, facilitate the enforcement of quality  control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs and sustainable availability of ASU & H raw materials.
• It envisages flexibility of implementation of the programmes which will lead to substantial participation of the State Governments/UT.
• The NAM contemplates establishment of a National Mission as well as corresponding Missions in the State level.
• NAM is likely to improve significantly the Department’s outreach in terms of planning, supervision and monitoring of the schemes.

Objectives

1. To provide cost effective AYUSH Services, with a universal access through upgrading AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs).
2. To strengthen institutional capacity at the state level through upgrading AYUSH educational institutions, State Govt. ASU&H Pharmacies, Drug Testing Laboratories and ASU & H enforcement mechanism.
3. Support cultivation of medicinal plants by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) so as to provide sustained supply of quality raw materials and support certification mechanism for quality standards, Good  agricultural/Collection/Storage Practices.
4. Support setting up of clusters through convergence of cultivation, warehousing, value addition and marketing and development of infrastructure for entrepreneurs.

Mandatory Components

1. 1. AYUSH Services
   2. AYUSH Educational Institutions
   3. Quality Control of ASU &H Drugs
   4. Medicinal Plants

Other components

Out of the total State envelop available, 20% funds will be earmarked for flexible funds which can be spent on any of the items given below with the stipulation that not more than 5% of the envelop is spent on any of the components:

1. 1. AYUSH Wellness Centres including Yoga & Naturopathy*
   2. Tele-medicine
   3. Sports Medicine through AYUSH
   4. Innovations in AYUSH including Public Private Partnership
   5. Interest subsidy component for Private AYUSH educational Institutions
   6. Reimbursement of Testing charges
   7. IEC activities
   8. Research & Development in areas related to Medicinal Plants
   1. Voluntary certification scheme: Project based.
   10. Market Promotion, Market intelligence & buy back interventions
   11. Crop Insurance for Medicinal Plants

MoU for collaboration in LPG services

About

CSC SPV and OMCs have agreed to facilitate their distributors to avail the following services through Common Services Centers:

• • • Booking new LPG connection (Ujjwala & General category)
    • Booking of LPG refills (14.2 Kg cylinders)
    • Supply & distribution of LPG cylinders (storage up to 100 Kgs,) through CSCs.

Common Services Centre will help beneficiaries to provide the above OMCs service near to their home, accessing through Digital Seva Portal.

Benefits to Citizens

Following benefits will accrue to the citizens through this partnership:

• Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and CSC SPV agreed to provide the benefits of Ujjawla connection,refilling of new connection and other services through CSCs for last mile access at their doorstep.

• Beneficiary can visit the nearby CSCs across India to get the services of OMCs.
• CSCs will help a beneficiary in booking a new gas connection request, refilling request and delivery of Gas Cylinder.
• CSCs will help beneficiary to scan/upload her KYC documents for verification of his/her identity for new booking connection.
• Beneficiaries can collect the Gas Cylinder from their nearby Common Services Centres.
• CSCs will also provide requisite information about the scheme and promote it among citizens so that maximum number of beneficiaries can avail the benefit.
• Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas is appointing 1 Ujjawala Didi for every 5 villages whose prime responsibility is to support and give service to Ujjawala Beneficiaries.
• CSCs has supported in conducting session in 100 LPG Panchayats where one hour training and demo given to Ujjawala beneficiaries on safety mode of using gas cylinders and on Refill option.

About Common Service Centre

• Common Services Centers (CSCs) are astrategic corner stone of the Digital India programme.
• CSCs are envisaged as assisted front end ICT (Information and Communication Technology) enabled centres for delivery of various G2C (Government to Citizen) and other B2C (Business to Citizen) services to the citizens.
• CSC Centre is operated by an operator named as Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE).
• VLE has basic level of computing infrastructure at his/her CSC centre and is capable of delivering various services to citizens.
• CSCs today are prescribed as one of the service delivery points in rural India.They are positioned as change agents, promoting rural entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and livelihoods.
• They focus towards the digital development, catalyzing rural entrepreneurs & social inclusion.CSC Centres are present across India and equitably spread geographically.
• As on date, 3.15 lakh CSCs are functional, out of which 2.10 lakhs are at Gram Panchayat level across 36 States/ UTs. Out of 3.15 lakh, 60,000 common services centreare run by women VLEs who are working extremely well in delivery of services. There are 350+ services available under Digital India Platform.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)

About

• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries and affect more than one billion people, costing developing economies billions of dollars every year.
• They mainly affect populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock.

Some Neglected Tropical Diseases are:

• Dengue: A mosquito-borne infection causing flu-like illness that may develop into severe dengue and cause lethal complications.
• Rabies: A preventable viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of infected dogs that is invariably fatal once symptoms develop.
• Trachoma: A chlamydial infection transmitted through direct contact with infectious eye or nasal discharge, or through indirect contact with unsafe living conditions and hygiene practices, which left untreated causes irreversible corneal opacities and blindness.
• Buruli ulcer: A debilitating mycobacterial skin infection causing severe destruction of the skin, bone and soft tissue.
• Yaws: A chronic bacterial infection affecting mainly the skin and bone.
• Leprosy: A complex disease caused by infection mainly of the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes.
• Chagas disease: A life-threatening illness transmitted to humans through contact with vector insects (triatomine bugs), ingestion of contaminated food, infected blood transfusions, congenital transmission, organ transplantation or laboratory accidents.
• Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness): A parasitic infection spread by the bites of tsetse flies that is almost 100% fatal without prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent the parasites invading the central nervous system.
• Leishmaniases: Disease transmitted through the bites of infected female sandflies that in its most severe (visceral) form attacks the internal organs and in its most prevalent (cutaneous) form causes face ulcers, disfiguring scars and disability.
• Taeniasis and neurocysticercosis: An infection caused by adult tapeworms in human intestines; cysticercosis results when humans ingest tapeworm eggs that develop as larvae in tissues.
• Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease): A nematode infection transmitted exclusively by drinking-water contaminated with parasite-infected water fleas.
• Echinococcosis: Infection caused by the larval stages of tapeworms forming pathogenic cysts in humans and transmitted when ingesting eggs most commonly shed in faeces of dogs and wild animals.
• Foodborne trematodiases: Infection acquired by consuming fish, vegetables and crustaceans contaminated with larval parasites; clonorchiasis, opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis are the main diseases.
• Lymphatic filariasis: Infection transmitted by mosquitoes causing abnormal enlargement of limbs and genitals from adult worms inhabiting and reproducing in the lymphatic system.
• Soil-transmitted helminthiases: Nematode infections transmitted through soil contaminated by human faeces causing anaemia, vitamin A deficiency, stunted growth, malnutrition, intestinal obstruction and impaired development.

India & NTD:

• While some of these NTD maladies might be new, leprosy, kala-azar and filariasis are better known in India and being focused for disposal sooner rather than later.
• A sickness is considered ‘eliminated’ when the predominance rate is less than 1 case for every 10,000-populace estimate.
• The Indian government has set itself the target of eliminating kala-azar and filariasis by 2017, and leprosy by 2018.
• With such ambitious targets, sustained research must remain an integral component of disease elimination programs.

Steps taken by the Government Regarding Tropical Diseases in the Country

• The main tropical diseases in India include Dengue, Trachoma, Leprosy, Lymphatic Filariasis, Soil-transmitted Helminthiases, Rabies and Kala-azar. 
• The prevalence of these tropical diseases depends on climatic conditions, socio-economic conditions, in appropriate health seeking behaviour, migration of population as well as emerging drug and insecticide resistance.
• As per the First WHO Report on neglected tropical diseases 2010, these diseases have significant impact on the productivity of individuals, households, communities and nations.
• Health is a State subject.  However, Government of India supplements the efforts of State Governments.

The following national programmes in relation to tropical diseases are being implemented:

1. 1. National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP): for control of Dengue and elimination of Kala-azar and Lymphatic Filariasis.
   2. National Leprosy Eradication Programme: India has achieved the elimination of leprosy at national level in December 2005.  Focus is now to achieve elimination of leprosy at district level.
   3. National Programme for Control of Blindness: services are provided for the control of Trachoma.
   4. School Health Programme: services are provided for the prevention of Soil-transmitted Helminthiases.

Besides, Indian Council of Medical Research promotes research in different tropical diseases through its extramural and intramural research through its disease specific institutes which involves molecular and genetic study on the pathogens and vector, development of new diagnostics and interventions. Yaws has been successfully eradicated from India