Govt move to Curb Infant, Maternal Mortality Rate
Bhubaneswar: With a mission of reducing neonatal, infant and maternal mortality in hand, the State Government has adopted a special strategy with focus on high risk areas and population. As many as 68 blocks in 15 high risk districts have been identified with directed interventions for curbing IMR, NMR and MMR. A number of steps like community care services access to quality skilled birth attendance, alternative referral transport system, zero out of pocket expenditure and strengthening of critical care units is being carried out in these areas, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here on Friday. Inaugurating the World Neonataology Conference, the CM asserted the Government’s commitment to reduce mortality rates among women and infants. “We have a target to reduce the maternal mortality rate from 122 to 117, infant mortality from 51 to 30 and neonatal deaths from 37 to 23,” he said. He underlined that the programmes will be effective only if doctors and healthcare workers work with dedication, sincerity and responsibility. Every one should take up this job as a personal mission in life, he said. Among others, Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Chairman of National Neonatalogy Forum Dr Ajay Gambhir and Health Secretary Arati Ahuja were present.
Young Climate Activist Meets Mauritius Prez
Bhubaneswar: Arya Vedant, a young climate change activist of the City, met President of Mauritius Ameenah Firdous Gurib-Fakim at Delhi recently during a meet and discussed issues of global warming leading to a fall in oxygen levels on Earth. A Standard IX student of DPS Kalinga, Cuttack, Arya observed that Earth’s oxygen levels could dramatically fall by several degrees due to a change in oceanic temperature which may result in mass mortality of animals and humans. The President of Mauritius expressed concern over climate change due to global warming which she said has been the focus of attention of science and politics for over two decades. She told Arya that Chennai floods were due to climate change and the Earth should not be allowed to heat up further. A student representative of International Summit on Global Warming and Climate Change, Arya was recently felicitated by Prime Minister of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth and Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli during the Indo-African Convention, Mumbai and World Summit on Environment and Global Warming at Kathmandu respectively.
Cong Gheraoes BMC over NFSA List
Bhubaneswar: Congress gheraoed all panchayat and civic body offices across the State protesting the alleged large scale irregularities in distribution of digital ration cards under National Food Security Act (NFSA). Top party leaders including president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan, former OPCC president Sarat Patnaik and former minister Sarat Rout along with hundreds of real beneficiaries excluded from the list gheraoed the office of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Office (BMC) here. “Over 70,000 poor families in different districts, who deserve to be covered under NFSA, have been deprived of ration cards. On the other hand, rich families, who are not eligible have got ration cards,” Harichandan told mediapersons here. The Congress in the memorandum submitted to Governor SC Jamir demanded that all left-out persons should be included in the list of beneficiaries.