Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) on Thursday said it has inked a pact with RajCOMP Info Services to promote energy efficiency and enhance public service delivery in Rajasthan. Under this partnership, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd will offer UJALA products and services on RISL's e-Mitra portal.

This collaboration aims to leverage the extensive e-Mitra network to promote energy efficiency and enhance public service delivery throughout the state, EESL said in a statement.

According to the statement, EESL, a joint venture of public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Power, and RajCOMP Info Services Ltd (RISL), an entity under the Department of Information Technology & Communications (DOIT&C), Government of Rajasthan, have signed an agreement.

The Government has formulated a scheme to provide cashless treatment to victims of road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicle and initiated implementation on a pilot basis in Chandigarh and Assam, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said under the scheme, the eligible victims are administered health benefit packages relating to trauma and polytrauma care at empanelled hospitals under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPM-JAY), up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh for a maximum period of seven days from the date of accident.

"The ministry has formulated a scheme and initiated implementation on a pilot basis in Chandigarh and Assam to provide cashless treatment to victims of road accidents caused by use of motor vehicle, on any category of road, in collaboration with National Health Authority (NHA)," the road transport and highways minister said.

Two indigenous healthcare technologies developed under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)-funded project Nanoelectronics Network for Research and Applications (NNetRA) were transferred to industry on Wednesday.

The transfer took place at an event hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on July 31.

The technology named "DNA Aptamer for Prostate Cancer Detection" has been transferred to Dr Swapnil Sinha, HUMMSA Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, India.

This "DNA Aptamer for Prostate Cancer Detection" technology is developed by Prof Prashant Mishra and team from IIT Delhi and is capable of binding to the specific oncogenes and could be useful as theranostics for prostate cancer. Meanwhile, the other technology "Photonic Chip based Spectrometric Biosensor" for pathogen detection has been transferred to Mr. Nitin Zaveri, UNINO Healthcare Private Limited, Mumbai, India.

Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, has included 16 additional commodities under Price Monitoring from 1st August, 2024, said Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, while launching the Version 4.0 Price Monitoring System (PMS) Mobile App here today. Already 22 commodities were being covered under monitoring of daily prices. Now, price of total 38 commodities will be monitored.

The Department has been monitoring the daily prices from 550 centres across 34 States/UTs. The price data monitored by the Department provides advance inputs for policy decision for the Government, RBI and analysts regarding the CPI inflation. The 38 commodities constitutes close to 31% of the total CPI weights as against 26.5% of CPI weights captured by the 22 commodities. The newly added 16 items included are Bajra, Jowar, Ragi, Suji (wheat), Maida (wheat), Besan, Ghee, Butter, Brinjal, Egg, Black Pepper, Coriander, Cummin seed, Red chillies, Turmeric powder and Banana.

Food aggregator Zomato is launching a new app, District, to expand its services beyond its core food delivery and quick commerce business. The new platform aims to consolidate various ‘going-out’ services such as dining, movies, sports ticketing, live performances, shopping, and staycations, creating a one-stop destination for customers.

In a communication to shareholders following Zomato’s first-quarter results, CEO Deepinder Goyal outlined the potential for significant growth with this new venture. He emphasized that Zomato and Blinkit are currently serving customers’ needs at home, but there is a large opportunity to expand into the going-out market. Goyal highlighted the profitability of Zomato’s dining-out business, which is operating at a run rate of over $500 million in annualised Gross Order Value (GOV).

RBL Bank has announced integration of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on RuPay Credit Cards it sells. The offering combines multiple payment capabilities into a single card.

RBL Bank said the new RuPay Credit Cards will allow users to make "seamless and secure" UPI payments, while facilitating hassle-free travel through the NCMC feature. This integration provides customers with flexibility in managing their transactions, whether for daily expenses or during travel.

"This milestone not only revolutionises transaction management but also sets a new benchmark for the digital payments industry. Our customers can now experience the ultimate flexibility and ease of making payments, be it for daily expenses or during travel, all consolidated in one card," said Bikram Yadav, business head – credit cards, at RBL Bank.

The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India and the World Health Organization signed a Donor Agreement during a signing ceremony organized at WHO Headquarters in Geneva on 31st July, 2024. This agreement, which outlines the financial terms for implementing the activities of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat was signed by H.E Mr. Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Geneva and Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage and Life Course on behalf of Ministry of Ayush and WHO respectively.

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of Ayush, joined the event virtually. The event was moderated by Dr. Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i. of WHO GTMC and vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Razia Pendse, Chef de Cabinet, representing the Director-General of WHO.

Through this collaboration, the Government of the Republic of India will donate US$ 85 million over a period of 10 years (2022-2032) to support the operations of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. The Donor agreement recognizes the establishment of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre as a key knowledge hub for evidence-based Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) aiming to advance the health and well-being of people and the planet.

In a pioneering move, Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Thekkady has installed a wind turbine to generate power for real-time monitoring cameras and Wi-Fi connectivity within its forests.

The PTR East Division comprises 17 forest sections where mobile network connectivity is currently unavailable. Until now, these sections have relied on solar power for wireless communication andforoperations at the forest section offices. However, the foggy climate and heavy rain often impede efficiency of these solar panels.

Elaborating on the project, Siby K.E., Thekkady range officer said, “We have already installed real-time monitoring cameras throughout the forests to track animal movements and transmit data to Thekkady. A 1-kilowatt wind turbine has been installed at Mangaladevi, a location with strong winds. This turbine charges batteries that power the cameras.”

India and 13 other Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) partners have launched three new supply chain bodies under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement on Supply Chain Resilience.

The virtual meetings, held on Tuesday, marked the start of the Supply Chain Council (SCC), Crisis Response Network (CRN), and Labor Rights Advisory Board (LRAB), representing a significant step toward strengthening regional supply chains.

These meetings saw the 14 IPEF partners reaffirm their commitment to enhancing the resilience and competitiveness of critical supply chains.

The IPEF Supply Chain Resilience Agreement, signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and other IPEF ministers in November 2023 in Washington, D.C., aims to make supply chains more robust and well-integrated. The Agreement, which came into force in February 2024, is intended to support the economic development of the Indo-Pacific region.

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer that claims more than a million lives every year. The early signs of lung cancer include chest pain, cough accompanied by blood, wheezing, shortness of breath and weight loss. One of the predominant causes of lung cancer is tobacco consumption.

Exposure to pollution comes as a close second. In India, lung cancer is very common due to the harmful lifestyle habits, and exposure to polluted air. Every year, World Lung Cancer Day is observed to raise awareness and explore ways to combat it. As we gear up to observe the important day, here are a few things that we must keep in mind.