Category: LIFESTYLE

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (IANS) The doctors’ OP (outpatient) boycott at government medical colleges entered its fifth day on Friday, as the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) continues to press for the settlement of long-pending demands.

The government has implemented a “duty roster system” to track attendance, with doctors required to report for both OP duties and operation theatre (OT)schedules.

Attendance of those participating in the strike will be recorded under this system.

The strike, called to demand the clearance of salary arrears, creation of new posts, and other service-related issues, has disrupted routine hospital services.

On Thursday, KGMCTA staged a sit-in protest in front of the Secretariat.

Despite the government maintaining a firm stance, the association has declared it will continue the strike until its demands are fully addressed.

Emergency surgeries are being conducted, but many previously scheduled operations have been postponed.

Initially, postgraduate (PG) students had announced a work stoppage in solidarity with senior doctors, though they later withdrew the decision.

Following decisive discussions with Health Department officials, the postgraduate doctors’ organisation decided to withdraw from the strike.

The government assured that the key demands raised by doctors would be met.

The talks primarily focused on increasing stipends, clearing long-standing arrears, and implementing the revised rates immediately.

The department secretary confirmed that a formal order addressing stipend arrears and revised pay scales would be issued without delay.

Officials also assured that measures would be taken to reduce doctors’ workload and that the hospital security arrangements would be strengthened.

The strike highlights the growing concerns among medical professionals regarding work conditions, compensation, and support structures in government hospitals.

While routine healthcare services have been impacted, emergency care continues uninterrupted.

Authorities have reiterated that the dialogue with doctors remains ongoing and that the government is committed to resolving long-pending issues, ensuring both staff welfare and uninterrupted patient care.

With PG doctors withdrawing from the protest, focus now shifts to the senior doctors’ demands and the government’s next steps to address systemic issues within state-run medical institutions.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) AI is not about replacing clinicians; it is about giving time back to them, time to think, time to connect and time to care, according to industry leaders.

Roy Jakobs, CEO, Philips, positioned healthcare as the sector where AI could have the greatest human impact.

Highlighting how AI is already easing pressure on overburdened systems at the AI Impact Summit here, he said that “When we look back a decade from now, AI in healthcare will not be remembered for what was optimised on a screen, but for the billions of lives it helped improve.”

Alexander Wang, Chief AI Officer, Meta, highlighted AI’s growing integration into everyday life and India’s central role in shaping its trajectory.

Emphasising the company’s vision for “personal superintelligence,” he said, “Our vision is personal superintelligence, AI that knows you, your goals, your interests, and helps you with whatever you’re focused on doing”.

“It serves you, whoever you are, wherever you are.” Underscoring the importance of responsible deployment, he added, “Given how intimately your personal AI will know you, people aren’t going to hire us for the job if we’re not doing it responsibly. Trust, transparency and governance must move as fast as the models themselves,” said Wang.

According to Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO, Kyndryl, “The innovation is real. The challenge is readiness. AI today is not yet industrialised, infrastructure, data, operations and people must be prepared to support it at scale.”

Stressing trust and governance, he added, “The future of AI will not be decided in research labs or boardrooms. It will be decided by how reliably and responsibly it is embedded into the systems society depends on every day.”

Olivier Blum, Global CEO, Schneider Electric, underscored the deep interlinkages between AI and the global energy transition.

“AI means more compute, and more compute means more energy. We cannot underestimate the pressure this will put on global energy systems,” he noted. At the same time, he pointed to AI’s transformative potential for efficiency.

—IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) A digital repository, namely India’s AI Impact Startups has been released at the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’, that profiles 110 startups and non‑profits deploying artificial intelligence for population‑scale social and economic impact, the government said on Thursday.

The repository, published by IndiaAI and Kalpa Impact, marked the first structured mapping of India’s AI‑for‑impact ecosystem and will serve as reference for policymakers seeking integration‑ready AI capabilities, for investors identifying ventures with technical maturity and scalability, according to an official statement.

The repository documents how Indian founders are building solutions that are local in design and global in relevance and thus serve as a map for the global development community looking at replicable models from the Global South.

The repository spans sectors including healthcare, agriculture, education, climate, financial inclusion, urban mobility and public service delivery, the statement from Ministry of Electronics and IT said.

The analysis reveals an ecosystem both experimenting and consolidating, with voice AI and vernacular interfaces emerging as primary channels for reaching underserved populations and a growing cohort of builders investing in Made-in-India foundation models, the statement said.

“India’s AI Impact Startups is a practical resource that gives stakeholders a structured overview of initiatives aligned with public objectives. For policymakers, it highlights capabilities ready for integration with existing digital public infrastructure,” said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Director General, NIC, and CEO, IndiaAI Mission.

For industry and investors, the repository showcases ventures with technical maturity, scalability, and long‑term potential. Together, it serves as a unified reference to support informed engagement and adoption, he added.

“India’s AI ecosystem is maturing rapidly, and this repository captures a critical moment where Indian startups are moving from promising pilots to deployed, scaled solutions that serve millions,” said Mohammed Y. Safirulla K, IAS, IndiaAI Mission.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) India and France on Wednesday inaugurated the Indo French Centre for AI in Health (IF-CAIH) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

In a landmark step towards strengthening Indo-French cooperation in healthcare and emerging technologies, Union Health Minister JP Nadda, and French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the centre, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,

The centre is aimed at advancing AI-driven research, medical education and clinical innovation to address complex healthcare challenges.

Macron underscored the need for India and France to build sovereign AI capacity and talent, ensuring that AI development serves humanity without overdependence on a few global powers.

He highlighted the transformative potential of ethical AI adoption across sectors, particularly in healthcare, to enhance productivity and accelerate scientific discovery.

Emphasising responsible governance, Macron called for safeguards to protect children, greater transparency in algorithms to address bias and democratic risks and the preservation of linguistic diversity in AI systems – an area where India and France share a common vision.

The IF-CAIH has been established pursuant to a Joint Memorandum of Understanding signed between AIIMS New Delhi, Sorbonne University and Paris Brain Institute.

The initiative also draws academic collaboration from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and leading French institutions, promoting interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence, brain health and global healthcare systems.

The initiative builds upon ongoing institutional cooperation between India and France in priority areas such as Digital Health, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Human Resources for Health and the responsible use of health data.

“India and France are committed to developing the computing capacity and talent necessary to build our own trusted AI systems, as we cannot rely solely on technologies created and managed elsewhere,” said Macron.

The government reiterates its commitment to deepening healthcare cooperation with France, leveraging innovation, shared democratic values, and collective expertise to build resilient health systems and deliver better health outcomes for people in India and across the globe.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Achieving the ambitious goal of 6 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ would require connecting at least 10 crore women to the various financial inclusion initiatives of the Ministry of Rural Development, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.

He instructed officials to work in close coordination with state governments and prepare a concrete, time-bound action plan to ensure the successful attainment of the target.

In the meeting, the minister sought a detailed briefing from senior officials of the Ministry on the latest progress of the scheme.

Chouhan directed officials to formulate a special, focused strategy and work on a war footing to achieve the revised target of creating 6 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’.

He emphasised that financial inclusion is the backbone of women’s empowerment and sustainable livelihoods in rural India.

Bringing more women into the formal financial system through bank linkages, credit access, insurance coverage and financial literacy is essential to transform Self-Help Group (SHG) members into economically independent and self-reliant individuals, the minister highlighted.

Highlighting the importance of continuous engagement with states, Chouhan stressed that sustained dialogue and coordination with state governments would strengthen the implementation of DAY–NRLM.

He said that such an approach would help extend the benefits of the scheme to a larger number of Self-Help Groups and ‘Lakhpati Didis’, enabling them to derive maximum advantage from various livelihood and empowerment initiatives.

It was highlighted during the meeting that the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission operates through four major components.

These include institutional building and capacity development, social inclusion and social development, financial inclusion, and livelihood promotion. Together, these components aim to create robust community institutions, enhance skills, promote inclusive growth, and strengthen income-generating opportunities for rural households.

In addition, around 5 crore individuals have been connected with financial literacy initiatives, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to manage finances, savings, credit and investments more effectively.

The mission has also played a major role in expanding social security coverage, with nearly 7 crore people receiving insurance benefits under various social security schemes.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) When India speaks of AI in healthcare, it is not limited to sophisticated algorithms or the promise of precision alone, but is measured by the extent to which technology touches lives and addresses health inequities across the country, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, said on Tuesday.

Speaking in a session during the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’ at Bharat Mandapam here, she highlighted the transformative role of AI in advancing public health outcomes and strengthening India’s healthcare delivery systems.

Patel said that “AI for India, as our Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisions, is not merely Artificial Intelligence but All-Inclusive Intelligence.”

As India advances towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, health forms one of the most critical pillars of development.

India’s vast and diverse population, the rural–urban divide, and the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases present unique challenges.

In such a context, she underscored, technology — particularly AI — becomes an indispensable enabler.

“AI has been integrated across the entire continuum of healthcare—from disease surveillance and prevention to diagnosis and treatment,” said the minister.

The Media Disease Surveillance System, an AI-enabled tool that monitors disease trends in as many as 13 languages, generates real-time alerts, and strengthens outbreak preparedness.

This system, she said, showcases the power of AI in augmenting India’s disease control efforts and enhancing surveillance capacity.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched AI-based tools for genomic surveillance, capable of predicting potential zoonotic outbreaks even before transmission from animals to humans occurs. Such predictive capabilities, she emphasized, represent a paradigm shift in preventive public health.

The minister also highlighted the deployment of AI-enabled handheld X-ray machines and Computer-Aided Detection tools for tuberculosis (CA-TB), which have brought advanced diagnostics closer to communities.

These innovations have contributed to approximately 16 percent additional case detection in TB. Furthermore, AI-based tools predicting adverse TB treatment outcomes have helped achieve a 27 percent decline in negative treatment results, strengthening India’s fight against tuberculosis.

The government has actively worked towards building a strong AI ecosystem in healthcare, including the establishment of three Centres of Excellence for AI at AIIMS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, and AIIMS Rishikesh to integrate world-class AI expertise into public healthcare delivery.

Artificial Intelligence is poised to become a transformative force in public health, provided it is deployed responsibly, ethically, and at scale, said experts at the session.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, on Tuesday underscored the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India’s healthcare sector, asserting that technology must serve as a force multiplier to promote inclusivity and health equity.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in the national Capital, Patel said the true strength of AI lies in its ability to bridge health inequities and support India’s governance model.

“The real measure of the power of AI lies in the extent to which it is able to touch and address health inequities. That’s the governance model we follow, in which AI becomes an enabler and a force multiplier, and it is able to take us closer to the goals of inclusivity and health equity,” she said.

Emphasising the government’s long-term vision, the Union Minister said India is moving ahead with the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, with health as a central pillar of that vision.

“Marching ahead with a big vision of building a developed nation by 2047. And when we envision a developed India, health becomes an extremely important pillar. India has unique challenges, our vast and diverse population, the rural-urban divide, and also the dual burden of non-communicable as well as communicable diseases. So when we look at these unique challenges, it becomes extremely important that we make use of technologies,” Patel said.

She added that India’s approach goes beyond mere adoption of technology and represents a strategic response to structural healthcare challenges.

“We have had comprehensive technological integration in our national healthcare framework, which we don’t see only as adoption of technology but a strategic response to the unique challenges that we have. Today, we have integrated AI across the entire health sector, from disease surveillance to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. It is everywhere, and it shows the power of AI in bringing about transformation,” she noted.

Citing examples, Patel highlighted the use of AI-driven tools such as the Media Disease Surveillance System.

“One popular example of AI tools we have used is the Media Disease Surveillance System. It helps monitor digital news in as many as 13 languages, generates disease alerts, and helps us manage real-time data. It showcases the power of AI in augmenting our efforts towards disease control and enhances our surveillance capacity,” she said.

The Minister reiterated that leveraging AI responsibly will be key to strengthening India’s public health infrastructure and ensuring equitable healthcare delivery across the country.

–IANS

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Kochi, Feb 16 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Monday modified its earlier interim order in the Suraj Lama case, directing that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter be headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) instead of a Commissioner of Police.

In its interim order dated February 11, a division bench had directed that the SIT be led by the Commissioner of Police or an officer of equivalent rank.

However, on a request made by the government pleader, the bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and M.B. Snehalatha revised the directive, stating that the SIT shall now be headed by a DIG.

The court has asked the SIT to continue its investigation to document the complete sequence of events from the time Lama arrived in India until his death.

Lama, an Indian citizen deported from Kuwait, went missing after landing in Kochi. Subsequently, a body recovered from Kalamassery was confirmed through forensic examination to be that of Lama.

The case had drawn judicial scrutiny after it emerged that, despite being in a visibly vulnerable condition, reportedly with possible cognitive and other impairments, he was cleared by immigration and airport security authorities and permitted to leave the airport without assistance.

The court had expressed concern over the administrative handling of deportees, questioning whether any standard protocol existed to deal with individuals in such circumstances.

Despite the identification of Lama’s body, the Bench declined to close the habeas corpus petition during the previous hearing.

It directed the SIT to continue its probe into the events following Lama’s arrival in India, observing that the possibility of murder could not be ruled out at this stage.

With the modification in leadership structure, the court has retained close oversight of the investigation, underscoring the need for a comprehensive and accountable inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Lama’s disappearance and death.

–IANS

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Seoul, Feb 15 (IANS) The cremation rate in South Korea continues to be on a steady rise, data showed on Sunday, prompting concerns over potential shortages of cremation facilities, especially in densely populated major cities, such as Seoul, amid the rapid aging of the population.

The national cremation rate came to 94 percent in 2024, up from 92.9 percent a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK) and the welfare ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.

The figure has been on a constant increase over the past decades, rising from 33.5 percent in 2000 to 67.5 percent in 2010 and further to 89.9 percent in 2020.

The supply of cremation facilities, however, has failed to keep pace with growing demand, with shortages particularly severe in Seoul and other major cities.

The share of cremations conducted within three days of death fell from 86.2 percent in 2019 to 73.6 percent in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, standing at 75.5 percent in 2025.

The rate in Seoul and Busan stood at 69.6 percent and 67.1 percent, respectively, last year, both below the national average.

Experts say additional cremation facilities are needed, given rapid population aging and prevailing funeral practices.

South Korea officially became a super-aged society last year, with more than 20 percent of its population aged 65 and older. The government projects the annual number of deaths to rise from 310,000 in 2020 to 700,000 in 2070.

“Privately led, small-scale cremation facilities could be a solution, particularly the introduction of small cremation units at hospital funeral halls,” the BOK said in a recent report, noting that hospital infrastructure is already widely distributed across regions.

“Modern technology allows cremation facilities to operate in an environmentally friendly manner,” it added. “There is a need to boldly overhaul relevant laws and regulations.”

—IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh on Sunday praised the consortium-driven innovation model pioneered by IIT Madras Research Park, saying it has enabled immediate and appropriate commercialisation of technology and is now being adopted by several other academic institutions and universities across the country.

The Minister, who holds independent charge of the Science and Technology and Earth Sciences ministries and also serves in the Prime Minister’s Office, made the remarks during his visit to the Immersive Technology and Entrepreneurship Labs (ITEL) Foundation and other advanced research facilities at Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

“This model is now being keenly picked up by other academic institutions and universities as well,” he said.

During the visit, Dr. Singh reviewed ongoing projects in areas such as urban mobility, space technology, medical devices and brain research.

“The consortium approach, where industry partners are involved from the early stages of research and development, ensures that innovations are aligned with real-world needs,” Dr Singh stated.

“This integrated model allows research outcomes to be translated more quickly into practical and market-ready solutions,” he added.

The ITEL Foundation, established in July 2024 as a not-for-profit Section 8 company and recognised by the Department of Science and Technology, aims to position India as a global technology leader.

It brings together academic institutions, industry leaders and investors to jointly develop deep-tech innovations and transfer them directly to the commercial sector.

One of the key demonstrations during the visit was the HASHTIC mobility initiative, which aims to tackle traffic congestion in Indian cities.

The project proposes AI-enabled small electric vehicles running on elevated tracks above existing roads, with the goal of reducing a 15-kilometre commute to around 20 minutes.

Dr. Singh also reviewed the work of Agnikul Cosmos, a private space startup incubated within the IIT Madras ecosystem.

The company develops launch vehicles for flexible, on-demand satellite launches and successfully conducted its first mission in May 2024 with support from Indian Space Research Organisation and IN-SPACe.

The startup is now preparing for a commercial mission of its reusable rocket later this year — reflecting the growing role of private players in India’s space sector.

–IANS

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