The Union Health Ministry will organise Block Level Health Melas at more than one lakh Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres across the country from today. This is being organised in collaboration with all states, Union Territories and key ministries such as Women and Child Development, Information and Broadcasting, Panchayati Raj, Ayush and Education. 

In an exclusive interview to AIR News, Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said that the Block Level Health Melas are part of week-long celebrations under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to create awareness about Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres and telemedicine and teleconsultations.

Iconic Week Celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of Ministry of Panchayati Raj concluded on Sunday. The Ministry organized a series of National Conferences as part of Iconic Week celebrations during 11th to 17th April. During seven days conference,  more than five thousand participants brought the experience and shared learnings by Panchayats from different States and UTs.

On the 7th day of celebration of Iconic Week today, the Ministry organized the National Level Conference on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Sunil Kumar emphasised on the infrastructure that were developed in the recent days. He stated that infrastructure plays an important role in the development of society and eradication of poverty. Mr. Kumar said, roads were constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and high-speed internet connectivity provided in Gram Panchayats.

Army Commanders’ Conference will begin today in New Delhi. Army Commanders’ Conference is an apex-level biannual event that is held in April and October every year. The conference is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.

During the five-day conference, the senior leadership of the Indian Army will review the operational situation along the active borders, assess threats in the entire spectrum of conflict and undertake analysis of capability voids to further focus on capability development and operational preparedness plans. 

Discussions on aspects relating to infrastructure development in border areas, modernisation through indigenisation, induction of Niche tech and assessment on any impact of the Russia - Ukraine war are also scheduled.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has deeply condoled the sad demise of Prafulla Kar, one of the finest singers and musicians of Odisha. In a message, the Minister has described his passing away as the end of an era in Odia music. He said, his sheer dedication to music and his immortal songs will be long cherished by the people. A Padma Shri Award winner, Shri Kar was a classical & playback singer. Born in Puri in Odisha in February 1939, he went on to become a singer of repute and a household name in Odisha.

The Niti Aayog is planning to launch a National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) in May to provide government data in a user-friendly format, to promote data-driven decision making and research, officials of the think-tank said on Friday.

Conceived in 2020, the platform aims to standardise data across government sources and provide flexible analytics that make it easy for users to analyse information using multiple datasets, they said.

Anna Roy, a senior adviser at NITI Aayog, said, “We will launch the portal in May. It will help policymakers, academics, researchers etc to easily analyse data without having to process it. The portal will have 200 datasets from more than 46 ministries at the time of the launch and we will add new datasets up to the village level in the future.” Currently, government data is not standardised, making it difficult for policymakers, researchers, etc. to analyse.

Civil Aviation Ministry flagship Regional Connectivity Scheme -  'Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik', UDAN has been selected for Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2020 under the category Innovation (General) - Central. The government has initiated this award to acknowledge, recognize and reward extraordinary and innovative work done by Districts and Organizations of State and Government.

The Ministry said, UDAN scheme emphasises on Good Governance, Qualitative achievements, and last mile connectivity rather than only on achievement of quantitative targets. The award consists of a trophy, scroll and an incentive of ten lakh rupees. The Ministry of Civil Aviation will receive the award at Civil Service Day function on 21st of April.

Govt had enhanced authorised share capital of the three public sector general insurance companies to enable capital infusion of ₹5,000 crore
The government’s decision to infuse capital in the three state-owned general insurers is credit positive, Moody’s Investors Service said on Friday.

“The Finance Ministry’s decision to inject ₹5,000 crore ($ 655 million) additional capital in the state-owned National Insurance Co, Oriental Insurance Co and United India Insurance Co is credit positive because their capital had been significantly depleted after several loss-making underwriting years,” said Mohammed Ali Londe, Vice-President, Financial Institutions Group, Moody’s Investors Service.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the people of Himachal Pradesh on the 75th establishment day of the State. He noted the happy coincidence of the establishment day that comes in the 75th Year of the country's Independence. In his address on the occasion of Himachal Day, Mr Modi reiterated the commitment to take the nectar of development to every inhabitant of the state during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Recalling the challenges of the hilly state at the time of its formation in 1948, the Prime Minister complimented the people for converting challenges into opportunities. He praised the state’s achievements in horticulture, power surplus, literacy rate, rural road connectivity, tap water and electricity to every household. He also underlined the efforts to build on these achievements in the last 7-8 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the people on the birth anniversary of Lord Hanuman. In a tweet, Mr. Modi said, Lord Hanuman is a symbol of strength, courage and restraint. He prayed that everyone's life always be filled with strength, intelligence and knowledge by the grace of Pawanputra.

Government will launch e-Sanjeevani Tele-consultation facility at one lakh centers today on the occasion of 4th anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness. In a tweet, Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, now the common citizens will also be able to take advice from the big doctors of the country.

He said, government is strengthening primary healthcare network with Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre. More than one lakh 17 thousand Health and Wellness Centre have been operationalized in the country so far.