Gujarat to expand cochlear implant care and upgrade community health centres, Minister tells Assembly

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Gandhinagar, Feb 28 (IANS) Gujarat will expand access to advanced hearing restoration for children and upgrade community health infrastructure under time-bound plans, Health Minister Praful Pansheriya told the state Assembly on Saturday.

Replying to questions on the treatment of congenital deafness, the minister described cochlear implant therapy as “a blessing for congenitally deaf children” and said the facility is available in eight hospitals across the state.

“These include Civil Hospital, Asarwa and G.M.E.R.S., Sola in Ahmedabad; Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar; G.G. Hospital, Jamnagar; P.D.U. Civil Hospital, Rajkot; New Civil Hospital, Surat; S.S.G. Hospital, Vadodara; and Sir Takhatsinhji Hospital, Bhavnagar,” he said.

He said Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital provides comprehensive services for children with congenital deafness, including hearing assessment, blood and radiological tests, evaluation of mental development, cochlear implant surgery and post-operative auditory verbal therapy.

“If a six-year-old child is unable to speak or hear, the child should be taken to the nearest Civil Hospital, where proper treatment can help develop hearing and speaking abilities,” he told the House.

The minister said the scheme is aimed at ensuring that expensive treatment is provided free of cost to children from poor and middle-class families.

“The entire cost of the surgery and implant is borne by the state government,” he said.

For replacement of the speech processor after surgery, the government pays 90 per cent of the total cost for families with an annual income of up to Rs 4 lakh, with parents contributing the remaining 10 per cent.

In a separate reply, Minister Pansheriya said the state has resolved to upgrade Community Health Centres from the existing 27-staff pattern to a 40-staff pattern to ensure modern treatment closer to people’s homes.

“As part of the plan, in-principle approval has been granted to strengthen Dhanera Community Health Centre with five additional specialists — a paediatrician, gynaecologist, physician, general surgeon and anaesthesiologist — along with extra paramedical and support staff,” he said.

He said the Dhanera centre currently provides indoor and outdoor services, including maternity and laboratory facilities, and would be equipped with additional specialists in accordance with prescribed standards as part of efforts to upgrade it towards sub-district hospital status.

Responding to questions on cancer care in Banaskantha district, the minister said patients with serious conditions are referred to Ahmedabad for super-specialist treatment.

He also informed the Assembly that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is launching a nationwide drive today (Saturday) to provide free vaccination to girls aged 14 to 15 years to prevent cervical cancer, with the Gujarat campaign being launched from Ahmedabad by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, covering eligible girls across the state.

–IANS

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According to Agriculture Deputy Director Devaraj Kashyap, diseases like early blight, root rot, and fruit rot are being reported widely in affected areas.

Speaking to IANS, Kashyap said that the Agriculture Department has begun assessing the damage caused to crops due to heavy rainfall, and reports are being sent to the Revenue Department for further action.

He urged farmers to take advantage of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to protect themselves against natural calamities.

“For essential crops like tomatoes, farmers can pay just Rs 800 per bigha as a premium and receive compensation in case of loss due to weather or disease. This amount is quite nominal,” he said.

To mitigate further damage, the Agriculture Deputy Director emphasised several preventive measures. He advised farmers to ensure proper drainage in the fields to avoid water stagnation, facilitate adequate sunlight exposure for the crops, and treat seeds with fungicides before sowing.

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Kashyap reassured the farming community that the Agriculture Department is fully committed to providing every possible support.

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Rajasthan: Around 54 lakh beneficiaries surrender food security benefits; Grain ATMs to come up in 3 dists

Jaipur, Jan 21 (IANS) Grain ATMs will be set up in Jaipur, Bharatpur and Bikaner, allowing beneficiaries to automatically receive their ration using ration cards, eliminating the need to visit fair price shops, Rajasthan Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara said on Wednesday.

He further said that Rajasthan’s ‘Give Up’ campaign has emerged as a landmark initiative in strengthening food security, with more than 54 lakh affluent individuals voluntarily giving up their entitlements, paving the way for the inclusion of nearly 73 lakh eligible beneficiaries.

Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, the minister described the campaign as a reflection of the public’s spirit of sacrifice and social responsibility under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

Godara said that since its launch on November 1, 2024, more than 54.36 lakh affluent and ineligible individuals have voluntarily surrendered their food security benefits. As a result, food security coverage has been extended to around 73 lakh eligible beneficiaries across the state.

He said the campaign will conclude on February 28, after which action will be taken as per rules against ineligible beneficiaries who fail to opt out voluntarily.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ensuring saturation under the food security scheme, so that no eligible person is left out, has guided the campaign. Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the state government relaunched the Food Security Portal on January 26 last year, facilitating large-scale inclusion of eligible beneficiaries.

Godara explained that Rajasthan has a ceiling of 4.46 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Due to saturation, there was no scope earlier to include new beneficiaries. However, voluntary relinquishment under the Give Up campaign and the failure of nearly 27 lakh NFSA beneficiaries to complete e-KYC created vacancies for about 81 lakh eligible persons, accounting for 18.6 per cent of the current NFSA beneficiaries.

He added that the campaign was appreciated by Union Home Minister Shah during the recently held 32nd Northern Zonal Council meeting.

Jaipur district recorded the highest number of new inclusions, with 3.17 lakh eligible beneficiaries added to the food security list. Barmer and Sikar followed with 3.07 lakh and 3.04 lakh beneficiaries, respectively, he added.

The minister said the state currently has 4.35 crore beneficiaries, leaving around 11 lakh vacancies under the NFSA. Applications are being accepted continuously, with only 90,000 applications currently pending, making Rajasthan the only state with such availability.

To ensure transparency, departmental officers conduct eight days of field surveys every month, supported by a three-tier verification system. District Collectors have been empowered to approve eligible cases.

–IANS

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Manipur MLAs discuss political situation in crisis-struck state with Assam CM

Guwahati/Imphal, April 4 (IANS) In a significant development, seven MLAs of different political parties and a BJP leader from Manipur met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Friday, sources said.

Both Manipur legislators and Sarma, who is also the convenor of the BJP led North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the Northeast unit of the NDA, did not disclose the issues discussed in the meeting.

Sources asserted that the current political situation was discussed in the meeting and the Manipur leaders requested Sarma to be involved in the situation for its early resolution.

The MLAs reportedly requested the Assam Chief Minister to persuade the Kuki community leaders in Assam to help restore peace and normalcy in Manipur.

Sarma, one of the most prominent leaders of the BJP in the northeastern region, has of late remained silent on the Manipur development, though he initially participated in various meetings relating to the crisis-hit state.

The Manipur MLAs who on Friday held a meeting with the Assam Chief Minister are senior BJP MLAs L. Susindro Meitei and K Govindas Singh, both former ministers, BJP MLAs Shyamkumar Singh, Kh Ibomcha Singh, two National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs Shanti Singh and M. Rameshwar Singh, Janata Dal (United) MLA Abdul Nasir.

State unit BJP general secretary K. Sarat Singh was also one of the leaders who met Assam CM Sarma.

Some of the MLAs were in Guwahati to attend a festival of the tribal Thadou community.

JD-U is an ally of BJP in Manipur. In November 2024, the NPP withdrew its support from then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh-led government, claiming that the state government has failed to tackle the ethnic violence in the state.

The NPP is headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.

The NEDA, a constituent of major regional parties in the northeastern states, has been playing a significant political role in the BJP’s expansion in the region.

President’s Rule was promulgated in Manipur on February 13, four days after Biren Singh, who was heading a BJP-led government for the second term, resigned on February 9, following ethnic violence for over 23 months.

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