US-India Bilateral Cooperation on Public Health and Research

WASHINGTON: The United States and India continue to expand public health and biomedical research and programming, building upon more than fifty years of bilateral cooperation in the health sector.  A number of recent developments highlight the positive momentum in health-related collaboration:

U.S.-India Health Initiative:  Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius travelled to India in January 2012 to meet with Minister of Health and Family Welfare Azad to strengthen collaboration on health systems, biomedical research, and food and drug safety.  The Secretary’s visit supported the growing U.S.-India Health Initiative that was launched in 2010 to provide an organizing structure for bilateral discussions between the United States and India on health collaboration and program implementation.  The Health Initiative consists of four high-level working groups: Maternal and Child Health; Infectious Diseases; Non-communicable Diseases; and Strengthening Health Systems and Services.

Polio Eradication:  During her recent visit, HHS Secretary Sebelius recognized India’s tremendous achievement in its elimination of polio.  India in January marked one year since its last-recorded polio case.  Since 1999, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided direct technical support and more than $114 million to India for polio eradication and other activities, with USAID providing an additional $77.5 million since 1996.

Global Disease Detection (GDD) Program:  The United States and India are working to strengthen detection and response to emerging disease threats through the Global Disease Detection India Center (GDDIC), which was launched within the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi in 2010.  The GDDIC’s activities include establishing an India Epidemic Intelligence Service program, supporting emerging disease surveillance and outbreak response, pandemic influenza preparedness and response, laboratory systems and biosafety, health communications, and zoonotic disease investigation and control.  President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh first announced plans to establish the GDDIC as a regional center in 2009.  Other GDD regional centers are located in Kenya, Thailand, Guatemala, Egypt, China, and South Africa.  GDD also has regional centers under development in Bangladesh, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.

Stanford-India Biodesign (SIB) Initiative:  Established in 2007 between Stanford University, the Indian Government’s Department of Biotechnology, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, this partnership seeks to build a cadre of biomedical technology innovators, who will build India’s emerging medical technology sector in academia and industry while training subsequent fellows and students.  The SIB initiative includes a two-year fellowship program and the creation of related training centers in India to promote academic excellence.

Medical Research:  The United States and India are working to promote bilateral innovation and discovery in biomedical and behavioral research.  The United States and India support productive bilateral research collaborations in areas considered a priority for both sides, including maternal and child health, neuroscience, HIV/AIDS, and eye disease.  The collaboration in vaccine research known as the “Vaccine Action Program” will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012.  New areas of collaborative research are being considered between the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Government of India in the area of stem cell and regenerative medicine research.

Diabetes Research:  On June 12 Secretary Sebelius and Minister Azad signed a Joint Statement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India on collaboration on diabetes research.  Recognizing the important benefits in reduction and prevention of diabetes, the Joint Statement initiates a research relationship between the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Indian Council of Medical Research to better understand the mechanisms underlying diabetes, and to identify innovative approaches for the prevention and treatment of the disease.

Disease Management: The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program collaborates with the National AIDS Control Organization on preventing new infections, and increasing access to care, support, and treatment services for persons living with HIV/AIDS.  In addition to strategic information, lab strengthening and health systems strengthening, this year, the United States and India are poised to announce an  HIV/AIDS Partnership: Impact through Prevention, Private Sector and Evidence-Based Programming, a project that builds upon existing HIV/AIDS prevention collaboration in the private sector while also engaging the private sector to support innovations that enable national and state-level institutions to respond more effectively to HIV/AIDS throughout the prevention-to-care continuum.

Child Survival Call to Action:  The United States and India are proud to co-convene the Call to Action June 14-15 in Washington, D.C., which will serve to launch the global movement A Promise to Keep.  Through better accountability and targeted investments in effective, life-saving interventions for children over the next two decades, A Promise to Keep will reenergize the global movement to end preventable child deaths.  Minister of Health and Family Welfare Azad will join Secretary Clinton and other global leaders at the Call to Action and demonstrate India’s commitment to leadership on this global priority, extending toward ambitious targets in 2035.  

+2 admission: First cut-off mark list published

BHUBANESWAR: The first collegewise cut-off mark list for the students applied for +2 courses under the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) in e-admission process for the current year was published on Thursday, the CHSE official sources said. To get the cut-off mark list, students can log on to the Higher Education Department website www.dheorissa.in.  

According to the Cut-off-Mark (First Selection) list, BJB junior college’s cut-off mark for Arts 60.17 per cent, Science 91.20 per cent and Commerce 77.90 per cent. Similarly, Cuttack Ravenshaw (Junior) College’s cut-off mark for Arts 60.50 per cent, Science 91.17 per cent, Commerce 77.17 per cent, Bhubaneswar Rama Devi Women's (Junior) College-Arts 50.83 per cent, Science 83.17 per cent, Commerce 60 per cent, Baleswar Fakir Mohan (Junior) College-Arts 60 per cent, Science 84.50 per cent, Commerce 57.50 per cent, Sambalpur Gangadhar Meher (Junior) College-Arts 44.83 per cent, Science 78 per cent, Commerce 60.67 per cent and Brahmapur Khallikote (Junior) College-Arts 47.25 per cent, Science 86.33 per cent, Commerce 69.83 per cent respectively.

Like +3 admission process, +2 students could not get intimation cards. They can get the information from website, e-mail, mobile or college notice board, the officials added.

For 3, 13,224 seats available in 1,334 colleges in the State, 4, 07,000 students had applied. The selected students in the first list can join in their respective colleges within August 7 to 13. The students have to take admission after publication of first list of joining in the colleges; otherwise they will be eliminated from the entire admission process, CHSE officials said.

To inform the students about admission and online process, 410 Student Academic Management System (SAMS) resource centre across the State. Even the students can get information about their colleges.

Bangladeshi infiltrators responsible for Assam riot: ABVP

BHUBANESWAR: Members of the State unit of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have staged demonstration at the Master Canteen led by its Bhubaneswar zone secretary Prakash Sahu demanding stringent action against the Bangladeshi infiltrators who were responsible for the Assam riot. The situation occurred due to vote bank politics and the Central and the Assam Government’s inaction, said the ABVP members.

Considering the Bangladeshi infiltrators as their vote banks, the Central and the Assam Government help in different fields which prompt them to do anti-national works, the ABVP members said. The Government should take stringent action against the infiltrators and drive out from the country soon, they added.

Following the demonstration, the ABVP members handed over a memorandum to the President of India through the Additional District Magistrate here.            

+2 admission: First cut-off mark list to come today

BHUBANESWAR: The first cut-off mark list of the students applied for +2 courses under the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) in e-admission process for the current year will be published on Thursday, the CHSE officials said. Like +3 admission process, +2 students could not get intimation cards. They can get the information from website, e-mail, mobile or college notice board, the officials added.

For 3, 13,224 seats available in 1,334 colleges in the State, 4, 07,000 students had applied. The selected students in the first list can join in their respective colleges within August 7 to 13. The students have to take admission after publication of first list of joining in the colleges; otherwise they will be eliminated from the entire admission process, CHSE officials said.

To inform the students about admission and online process, 410 Student Academic Management System (SAMS) resource centre across the State. Even the students can get information about their colleges. 

 

Illegal minor mineral transport in Ganjam, 26 vehicles seized

BRAHMAPUR: Following the set up of a district-level enforcement committee on Tuesday by the Ganjam District Administration to check illegal works done by the law breakers, the enforcement squad of revenue department has started their work from their first day to check the illegal works of the minor mineral mafias in the district.    

On Wednesday, all three Sub-Collectors and 23 Tehsildars of the district make massive raid on the illegal transportation of minor minerals like sand, stones and granites. The enforcement squad seized 26 vehicles among them 24 tractors, one truck and one JCB machine during the raid.

Maximum seven tractors were seized from Sanakhemundi tehsil area. An amount of Rs 2.5 lakh penalty collected from the illegal transporters with a caution to not repeat the illegal work further. According to the district officials, the fine along with legal prosecution will be imposed on such kind of illegal transporters of minor minerals.

It may be noted that on Tuesday a district-level enforcement committee was formed under the supervision of district Collector Dr Krishan Kumar to check the illegal activities in the district. All departments of the district administration will make their own squad and to give weekly report to the district authority regarding their enforcement activity, officials said.

   

SP urges Rawat for package to renovate irrigation in State

BHUBANESWAR: The Samajwadi Party Odisha State Committee has urged Union Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat for a special package for the State of around Rs 3 thousand crore to renovate the lift points, drinking water projects as interim help. The party has not only written about the severe drought in 16 districts where more than 50 percent crops were lost in the last khariff season but also stated about the deficient rain of the current year which affected the agriculture work of 11 districts.

The party also said the plight of the farmers was multiplied due to artificial scarcity of seeds and fertilizer which is available in black market at higher prices. Besides, the party mentioned about distress sale of paddy in the State.

The party in its memorandum urged the Minister to take early measures to check farmer suicide and migration like problems in the State. They suggested that all 11 drought-prone districts of Odisha to be included in the Central contingency plan district of the Government of India. Free supply of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides to farmers for Ravi season and exemption of bank loans, they demanded.

Sri Sri University begins its academic session

CUTTACK: The Sri Sri University (SSU) held the installation ceremony of its Charter batch MBA students of General Management, Entrepreneurship and Agri-Business at the campus of its Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) on Tuesday. As many as 75 students were admitted for the MBA streams through the installation ceremony held in its campus at Bidyadharpur on the banks of the Kathjodi River near the Millennium city in the presence of

Noted soil scientist and Dean Emeritus of California State University, Sacramento, USA, Dr Braja Mohan Das interacted with the students on the occasion. During the ceremony, Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed the students from Bangalore through Skype. Among others, Utkal University Vice Chancellor Dr Prasant Kumar Sahu, CA and Public Speaker AK Sabat, SSU president Dr AL Rao, SSU Vice Chancellor Dr KC Mishra and students of the university were present.     

With the installation of the Faculty of Management Studies, the university has proposed to launch courses in different fields. During the academic year the university has submitted plans to State Government and regulators to start the departments such as Sri Sri Natya Academy, Yoga and Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Faculty for Governance Studies and Ved Vigyan Mahavidyalaya. It is already running an institution aptly known as Vidya (CSTC) in collaboration with L&T under their corporate social responsibility mission to train underprivileged and unemployed youth to obtain gainful employment in various trades and vocations.