Health

Statement 1 is correct. Ayushman Bharat comprises of two inter-related components:
-Health and Wellness Centres: Government has announced the creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) by transforming the existing Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres.
-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY): It aims at providing a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crores poor and vulnerable families.
Statement 2 is correct. Government has notified the COVID- 19 testing and treatment coverage under the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana- PMJAY.

J. Satyanarayana, Former Chairman, UIDAI later chaired the National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) Committee.
The National Digital Health Blueprint was prepared by a Health Ministry panel headed by J. Satyanarayana with an objective to create a framework for the national health stack proposed in 2018 by the NITI Aayog. The final report was submitted in October 2019 to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
National Health Stack (NHS) by NITI Aayog has defined clear timelines, targets and the resources required for this digital convergence of healthcare programmes in India. NDHB aims to help in providing a common platform for integration of existing applications in health domain and data which has existed in silos, either in public health facilities, or, in private healthcare facilities, in India.

Proposed by NITI Aayog, National Health Stack (NHS) is to be the digital infrastructure built with the aim of making the health insurance system more transparent and robust, while factoring in the uniqueness of India’s health sector, and the political realities of federalism.
The National Digital Health Blueprint was prepared by a Health Ministry panel headed by J. Satyanarayana with an objective to create a framework for the national health stack proposed in 2018 by the NITI Aayog.
The five key components of the National Health Stack are—
-National Health Electronic Registries: to create a single source of truth for and manage master health data of the nation;
-A Coverage and Claims platform: building blocks to support large health protection schemes, enable horizontal and vertical expansion of Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission by states and robust fraud detection;
-A Federated Personal Health Records (PHR) Framework: to solve twin challenges of access to their own health data by patients and availability of health data for medical research, critical for advancing our understanding of human health;

National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) aims to liberate citizens from the challenges of finding the right doctors, seeking appointment with them, payment of consultation fee, making several rounds of hospitals for prescription sheets
Statement 1 is correct. Every person in the country will get a digital health ID which is basically a digital format of all his/her health records which will be linked to the registry of doctors and health facilities across the country.
The platform has been planned to improve efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of health service delivery. The health ID will be in the form of a mobile application of website.
Statement 2 is incorrect. National Health Authority (NHA) will design, build, roll-out and implement the NDHM. The scheme would first be tested in the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

Statement 1 is correct. Each Health ID will be linked to a health data consent manager (such as NDHM) which will be used to seek the patient’s consent and allow for seamless flow of health information from the Personal Health Records module.
Health ID will be unique to every person and they have the option to link all their health records to this ID. One can also choose to create multiple IDs as modules for storing different segments although it is preferred and recommended that Health ID.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The process of generation of Health ID has voluntary usage of AADHAAR. This shall require a notification under Section 4 of AADHAAR Act. In addition, all Government financed health benefit schemes that require mandatory use of Aadhaar will have to notify under Section 7 of AADHAAR Act.
One can create your health account using basic demographic details along-with digitally authenticable Mobile Number or Email ID.
# The National Health Authority has released the Draft Health Data Management Policy of the National Digital Health Mission to provide adequate guidance and to set out a framework for the secure processing of personal and sensitive personal data of individuals who are a part of the national digital health ecosystem.

Statement 1 is correct. The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.
National Health Authority (NHA), the autonomous body under the Government of India, has been authorized to implement the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM). The implementation of NHDM is to be done through the State governments as health is the state subject.
The NHA is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship public health assurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB-PMJAY) at the national level.
Statement 2 is incorrect. One can create a Health ID for their child below 18 years through the same process as for adults, i.e. using basic details, Mobile No. or Aadhaar.

Both statements are correct.
The Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) initiated a decentralized, state based Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) in the country with the assistance of the World Bank in the year 2004.
Specifically, the project aims:
-To establish a decentralized state-based system of surveillance for communicable and non-communicable diseases, so that timely and effective public health actions can be initiated in response to health challenges in the country at the state and national level.
Programme Components:
-Integration and decentralization of surveillance activities through establishment of surveillance units at Centre, State and District level.
-Human Resource Development: Training of State Surveillance Officers, District Surveillance Officers, Rapid Response Team and other Medical and Paramedical staff on principles of disease surveillance.
-Use of Information Communication Technology for collection, collation, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data.
-Strengthening of public health laboratories.
-Inter sectoral Co-ordination for zoonotic diseases.

All of the above form part of the National Health Mission.
The National Health Mission (NHM) encompasses its two Sub-Missions, The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
It envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to people’s needs. Within the broad national parameters and priorities, states would have the flexibility to plan and implement state specific action plans
The main programmatic components of NHM are: Health System Strengthening, Reproductive-Maternal- Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A), Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases and Infrastructure Maintenance

Statement 1 is correct. The Health Facility Registry (HFR) is a comprehensive repository of health facilities of the country across different systems of medicine.
It includes both public and private health facilities including hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories and imaging centers, pharmacies, etc. It is one of the fundamental modules of the “National Digital Health Mission” and is a key building block needed to support the unified digital health ecosystem of the country.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Registration of health facilities to the NDHM portal is not mandatory; it is optional and completely voluntary. However, to avail various benefits arising out of registration, it is highly recommended. Registration will enable health facilities to get connected to India’s digital health ecosystem and gain access to a host of digital services through the NDHM platform.

The National list of essential medicines is one of the key instruments in
balanced healthcare delivery system of a country which inter alia includes accessible,
affordable quality medicine at all the primary, secondary, tertiary levels of healthcare.
•The first National List of Essential Medicines of India was prepared and
released in 1996.
•The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), prepared by Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, is a list of medicines considered essential and high
priority for India’s health needs.
•DPCOs are issued by the Government, in exercise of the powers conferred under
section 3 of the ECA to ensure that the medicines listed under NELM are available
at a reasonable price to the general public.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was constituted vide Government of India Resolution dated 29th August, 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers as an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs and to ensure availability and accessibility of medicines at affordable prices.
Functions of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority:
• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
• To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority.
• To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps;
• To collect/maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc. for bulk drugs and formulations;
• To undertake and/or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/pharmaceuticals;
• To recruit/appoint the officers and other staff members of the Authority, as per rules and procedures laid down by the Government;
• To render advice to the Central Government on changes/revisions in the drug policy;
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to the drug pricing.

the Union Cabinet finalized the make-up of the new National Health Authority (NHA).
• It will now directly oversee the government-funded flagship health insurance scheme-the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)—which is a part of the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat umbrella policy for healthcare
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• It replaces the earlier National Health Agency. This new body will now oversee the PM-JAY instead of the Ministry of Health.
• The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare will chair the NHA’s governing board, while other members include the NITI Aayog’s CEO and the NHA CEO.
• The Ministry of Health will no longer be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day affairs of the NHA.
• Instead, the NHA will now decide on setting the bar for premium amounts, and purchasing healthcare from the private sector without favouring any one entity or depleting the public exchequer, among others
• The NHA will also oversee the process of developing a robust information technology platform for the public sector, and working alongside the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority.
• The NHA board will meet once in three months. Although the health body hasn’t received any statutory backing yet, it will continue to enjoy autonomy in how it runs day-to-day operation working out of the department of health research’s office in the ministry.
• “No new funds have been approved. The existing budget that was approved earlier by the Cabinet for The National Health Agency, including costs related to IT, human resources, infrastructure and operational costs would be utilised by the proposed National Health Authority”.

The State List lists subjects under which the legislature of a state may make laws. Public order, police, public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries, betting and gambling are some of the subjects that come under the state.

The 14th edition of National Health Profile and its e-book (digital version) has been released by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI).
• CBHI has been publishing (annually) the National Health Profile since 2005 and its digital version since 2015.
• Life expectancy in India has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 68.7 years in 2012-16, as per the National Health Profile 2019.
• For the same period, the life expectancy for females is 70.2 years and 67.4 years for males.

India’s MMR has declined from 130 per 1 lakh live births in 2014-2016 to 122 per 1 lakh live births in 2015-2017 as per the recently released Sample Registration System (SRS) 2015-2017 bulletin for MMR. A decline of 8 points (6.2%) has been observed.
• The bulletin categorizes the country into three groups: Empowered Action Group (EAG), Southern States and other states.
• The following states are comes under EAG are Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Rajasthan.

The Bhilwara COVID-19 containment “model” refers to the steps taken by the administration in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district to contain the disease, after it emerged as a hotspot for coronavirus positive cases.
• The measures taken by the Rajasthan government include imposing a curfew in the district which also barred essential services, extensive screening and house-to-house surveys to check for possible cases, and detailed contact tracing of each positive case so as to create a dossier on everybody they met ever since they got infected.
• The Bhilwara model (in Rajasthan) has become a successful example for the world to emulate in tackling the Covid-19 crisis because of the efforts of local bureaucracy.

•This earmarks the importance of the role of civil services in containing the spread of disease at community level.

The report “Healthy States, Progressive India”.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The report has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical
assistance from the World Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare.

Statement 2 is correct: It ranks states and Union territories innovatively on their
year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall
performance with respect to each other.

Both statements are correct.
eSanjeevani is Government of India’s flagship telemedicine technology developed by Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing (Mohali).
‘eSanjeevani’, is a web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution. It extends the reach of
specialized healthcare services to masses in both rural areas and isolated communities.
As per PIB [August release] eSanjeevani has been implemented so far by 23 States and other
States are in the process of rolling it out.
The top five States which have been utilizing the e-health services being offered through this
platform are Tamil Nadu (56,346 consultations), Uttar Pradesh (33,325), Andhra Pradesh
(29,400), Himachal Pradesh (26,535) and Kerala (21,433).

The basic objective of the National Programme for the Health Care for the
Elderly (NPHCE) is to provide separate, specialized and comprehensive health care to the
senior citizens at various level of State health care delivery system including outreach
services.
Main Strategies:
– Preventive and promotive care: Services such as regular physical exercise, balanced
diet, vegetarianism, stress management, avoidance of smoking or tobacco products and
prevention of fall, etc. are provided by expanding access to health practices through
domiciliary visits by trained health workers.
– Management of Illness: Dedicated outdoor and indoor patients’ services will be developed
at PHCs, CHCs, District Hospitals and Regional Geriatric Centres.
– Health Man Power Development for Geriatric Services: In service training will be
imparted to the health manpower using standard training modules prepared with the help
of medical colleges and regional institutions.
The post graduate courses in geriatric medicine will be introduced in Regional Geriatric
Centres for which additional teaching and supportive faculties are provided to these
institutions.
# The UN theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 (1 October) was “Pandemics:
Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”

Both statements are correct.
The Ministry of AYUSH has initiated steps to set up a nationwide digital platform called
“AYUSH GRID” which aims to bring onboard all AYUSH facilities including hospitals and
laboratories and to promote traditional systems of healthcare.
The AYUSH Grid project was initiated by the Ministry in 2018 for creating a comprehensive
IT backbone for the entire sector.
The most significant among the different initiatives implemented so far in the project is the
AYUSH Health Management Information System (AHMIS).
Another success of Ayush Grid is the development and implementation of the Ayush
Sanjivani mobile app and the Yoga locator mobile app, to meet the urgent demands of
the concerned Divisions of the Ministry.
Further, a customized IT course for Ayush Professionals was developed in collaboration
with C-DAC, Pune.
The components of Ayush Grid initiative will cover all the verticals of the Ayush Sector,
like Health Services, Education, Ayush Research, Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored
Schemes, Training Programmes, Citizen Centric Services, Drug Licencing Portal, and Media
Outreach.

Statement 1 is correct. The AYUSH products are regulated under the Drugs

and Cosmetics Act, 1940 by the Drugs Controller General of India through the State

Governments.

Statement 2 is correct. The National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda

and Yoga for the management of Covid-19 has been released recently as per the Report &

Recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Committee.

The AYUSH Ministry has also setup an Interdisciplinary Committee for Integration of

Ayurveda and Yoga Interventions in the ‘National Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19,

which was chaired by Dr V M Katoch, former Director General ICMR and group of experts.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is the

most comprehensive worldwide observational epidemiological study to date. It is led by the

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington,

Seattle (USA).

# The study is done in close collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Statement 2 is correct. As per the report the top five risk factors for death in India in

2019 were air pollution (contributing to an estimated 1.67 million deaths), high blood

pressure (1.47 million), tobacco use (1.23 million), poor diet (1.18 million), and high blood

sugar (1.12 million).

The leading non-communicable cause of death in India in 2019 was ischemic heart disease

with 1.52 million deaths, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (8,98,000),

stroke (6,99,000), diabetes (2,73,000) and cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases

(2,70,000).

The leading risk factor for total health loss in India in 2019 was child and maternal

malnutrition while the second leading risk factor was air pollution.

Statement 1 is correct. The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN)

is an innovative technological solution aimed at strengthening immunization supply chain

systems across the country. This is being implemented under National Health Mission

(NHM) by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Statement 2 is correct. eVIN aims to provide real-time information on vaccine stocks and

flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country.

# The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system is being enhanced to address the

needs for distribution and tracking of COVID-19 vaccine, whenever it becomes available

WHO has published a global TB report every year since 1997. The main aim

of the report is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic,

and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, at global, regional

and country levels.

Most people who developed TB in 2019 were in the WHO regions of South-East Asia (44%),

Africa (25%) and the Western Pacific (18%). Eight countries accounted for two thirds of the

global total: India (26%), Indonesia (8.5%), China (8.4%), the Philippines (6.0%), Pakistan

(5.7%), Nigeria (4.4%), Bangladesh (3.6%) and South Africa (3.6%).

Worldwide in 2019, close to half a million people developed rifampicin-resistant TB (RRTB),

of which 78% had multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The three countries with the

largest share of the global burden were India (27%), China (14%) and the Russian

Federation (8%). Globally in 2019, 3.3% of new TB cases and 17.7% of previously treated

cases had MDR/RR-TB.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Ayushman Sahakar scheme aims to assist

cooperatives play an important role in creation of healthcare infrastructure in the country.

Ayushman Sahakar specifically covers establishment, modernization, expansion, repairs,

renovation of hospital and healthcare and education infrastructure encompassing:

Statement 2 is correct. It will be implemented/funded by the NCDC. Any Cooperative

Society with suitable provision in its byelaws to undertake healthcare related activities

would be able to access the NCDC fund. NCDC assistance will flow either through the State

Governments/ UT Administrations or directly to the eligible cooperatives.

The CuRED or CSIR Ushered Repurposed Drugs online platform has been launched recently; it gives comprehensive information about the numerous COVID-19 clinical trials that CSIR is engaged in partnership with Industry, other government departments and ministries.

It provides information about the drugs, diagnostics and devices including the current stage of the trials, partnering institutions and their role in the trials and other details.

CSIR is exploring multiple combination clinical trials of anti-virals with host-directed therapies for the potential treatment of COVID-19.

Five clinical trials involving Withaniasomnifera, Tinosporacordifolia + Piper longum (in combination), Glycyrrhizaglabra, Tinosporacordifolia & Adhatodavasica (individually and in combination) and AYUSH-64 formulation are undergoing safety and efficacy trials. A key clinical trial of CSIR is the Sepsivac (Mw) against COVID -19 in partnership with Cadila.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Anemia Mukt Bharat is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF.

Statement 2 is correct. Haryana State has topped the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Index among 29 states in the country.

Anemia is a condition in which body lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body’s tissues.

# Anemia is a key health concern for young girls and boys across the country. But it is something that has a simple, workable solution – Blue, Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets once a week and deworming tablets every six months.

Statement 1 is correct. National Health Stack (NHS) as proposed by NITI
Aayog in its strategy paper in 2018 is digital infrastructure built with the aim of making the
health insurance system more transparent and robust, while factoring in the uniqueness of
India’s health sector, and the political realities of federalism
Statement 2 is correct. The key components of the National Health Stack are:
-National Health Electronic Registries: to create a single source of truth for and manage
master health data of the nation;
-A Coverage and Claims platform: building blocks to support large health protection
schemes, enable horizontal and vertical expansion of Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission
by states and robust fraud detection;
-A Federated Personal Health Records (PHR) Framework: to solve twin challenges of
access to their own health data by patients and availability of health data for medical
research, critical for advancing our understanding of human health;
-A National Health Analytics Platform: to bring a holistic view combining information on
multiple health initiatives and feed into smart policy making, for instance, through
improved predictive analytics;
-Other horizontal Components: including, and not restricted to, unique Digital Health ID,
Health Data Dictionaries and Supply Chain Management for Drugs, payment gateways etc.
shared across all health programs.

Statement 1 is correct. ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’
aims to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through dedicated
outlets called ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra’.
These provide generic medicines at much lesser price. The potency of these medicines is
same as compared to expensive branded medicines available in the open market.
Statement 2 is incorrect. BPPI (Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India), under the
administrative control of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals&
Fertilizers is the implementation agency for the PMBJP.
# Generic drugs are marketed under a non-proprietary or approved name rather than a
proprietary or brand name. Generic drugs are equally effective and inexpensive compared to
their branded counterparts.

Both statements are correct.
The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan
or National Nutrition Mission, is Government of India’s flagship programme to improve
nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
For implementation of POSHAN Abhiyaan the four-point strategy/pillars of the mission are:
-Inter-sectoral convergence for better service delivery
-Use of technology (ICT) for real time growth monitoring and tracking of women and
children
-Intensified health and nutrition services for the first 1000 days
-Jan Andolan
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry for POSHAN
Abhiyaan. The programme through the targets strives to reduce the level of stunting, undernutrition,
anemia and low birth weight babies. It will create synergy, ensure better
monitoring, issue alerts for timely action, and encourage States/UTs to perform, guide and
supervise the line Ministries and States/UTs to achieve the targeted goals.
The 3rd Rashtriya Poshan Maah is being celebrated during the month of September 2020.

The ‘Health in India’ report recently published by the National Statistical
Organisation (NSO) is based on the 75th round of the National Sample Survey (July
2017-June 2018) on household social consumption related to health.
Statement 1 is correct. Almost 94 percent of the children in India are vaccinated by BCG
vaccine injected in a single dose shortly after birth, which protects against a childhood
attack of tuberculosis.
Statement 2 is incorrect. As per the report, only 59.2% of children under five years are
fully immunised across the country. This contradicts the Centre’s Health Management
Information System portal data, which claimed that full immunisation coverage for 2017-18
stood at 86.7%.
Full immunisation means:
The BCG vaccine; the measles vaccine; the oral polio vaccine (OPV) whose first dose is
given at birth, followed by two more doses at intervals of four weeks; and the
DPT/pentavalent vaccine, which is meant to protect a child from diphtheria, pertussis or
whooping cough, tetanus, Hepatitis B, and meningitis and pneumonia caused by
hemophilus influenza type B.
Booster doses for OPV and DPT are also given between 16 and 24 months.

Statement 1 is incorrect. In India, the National Cancer Registry Programme
(NCRP) under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with its network of cancer registries was started in December 1981 with the coordinating center at Bengaluru.
Presently it is operated by the ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and
Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru.
Statement 2 is correct. As per the report Tobacco related cancers are estimated to
constitute 27% of all cancers in India.

Statement 1 is correct. The Institute of Teaching and Research in
Ayurveda Bill 2020 has been passed by Rajya Sabha recently. The Bill was earlier passed
in Lok Sabha on 19th March, 2020.
This paves the way to establish a state-of-the-art Ayurvedic institution called the Institute
of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) at Jamnagar, Gujarat, and to confer the
status of Institution of National Importance (INI) to it.
ITRA will be the first institution with INI status in the AYUSH Sector, and this will enable
the institution to be independent and innovative in the matter deciding course content and
pedagogy.
Statement 2 is correct. The objective of the Institute will be to: (i) develop patterns of
teaching in medical education in Ayurveda and pharmacy, (ii) bring together educational
facilities for training of personnel in all branches of Ayurveda, (iii) attain self-sufficiency in
postgraduate education to meet the need for specialists and medical teachers in Ayurveda,
and (iv) make an in-depth study and research in the field of Ayurveda.

Statement 1 is correct. The National Medical Commission (NMC), in place of
the Medical Council of India (MCI), as the country’s apex regulator of medical education
and profession has come into existence
Statement 2 is incorrect. As per the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the Central
Government shall appoint the Chairperson, part-time Members based on the
recommendation of a Search Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Under the Act, states will establish their respective State Medical Councils within three
years. These Councils will have a role similar to the NMC, at the state level.

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been passed by the
parliament amending the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The Bill amends the Act to include
protections for healthcare personnel combatting epidemic diseases and expands the
powers of the central government to prevent the spread of such diseases.
Statement 1 is correct. The Bill specifies that no person can: commit or abet the
commission of an act of violence against healthcare service personnel, or abet or cause
damage or loss to any property during an epidemic. Contravention of this provision is
punishable with imprisonment between three months and five years, and a fine between Rs
50,000 and two lakh rupees.
Statement 2 is correct. The Act specifies that the central government may regulate the
inspection of any ship or vessel leaving or arriving at any port, and the detention of any
person intending to travel from the port, during an outbreak.
The amendment bill expands the above powers of the central government to any bus,
train, goods vehicle, ship, vessel, or aircraft leaving or arriving at any land port, port, or
aerodrome.

Under the Drug and Cosmetics Act, the regulation of manufacture, sale and distribution of Drugs is primarily the concern of the State authorities while the Central Authorities are responsible for approval of New Drugs, Clinical Trials in the country, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs, coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organisations and providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Drug Controller General of India is responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of Drugs such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine and Sera

A new digital platform for COVID 19 Vaccination Delivery called ‘CO-WIN’ is being used as institutional mechanisms at the level of States, Districts and Blocks that will inspect and supervise the entire process of vaccination.

This user friendly mobile app for recording vaccine data is working as a beneficiary management platform having various modules. In the process of forming database of Healthcare Workers, which is in an advanced stage across all States/UTs, data is presently being uploaded on the Co-WIN platform.

Statement 1 is correct. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID- 19 (NEGVAC) has also been formed in last August to aid and provide guidance on i) prioritization of population groups, ii) procurement and inventory management, iii) vaccine selection, and iv) vaccine delivery and tracking mechanism.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The NEGVAC is chaired by Dr. V.K.Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog and co-chaired by the Health Secretary.

The Vaccine Task Force, which was constituted by the Union Government in April, 2020, is co-chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Member (Health), NITI Aayog. With technical experts and representatives of relevant ministries as its members, it provides guidance for focused research on Corona vaccines and other related Science and Technology Issues.

The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID- 19 (NEGVAC) has also been formed in last August to aid and provide guidance on i) prioritization of population groups, ii) procurement and inventory management, iii) vaccine selection, and iv) vaccine delivery and tracking mechanism. The NEGVAC is chaired by Dr. V.K.Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog and co-chaired by the Health Secretary.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Indian Nursing Council is an Autonomous Body under the Government of India; Ministry of Health & Family Welfare was constituted by the Central Government under section 3(1) of the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947 of parliament in order to establish a uniform standard of training for nurses, Midwives and health visitors.

Similar to the National Medical Commission, the draft National Nursing and Midwifery Commission BiIl, 2020 calls for providing regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals.

Statement 2 is correct. Concurrent List Entry 25: Education, including technical education, medical education and universities, subject to the provisions of entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I; vocational and technical training of labour.

Entry 26: Legal, medical and other professions.

NITI Aayog recently released a white paper Vision 2035 – Public Health Surveillance in India. The white paper lays out India’s vision for public health surveillance through the integration of the three-tiered public health system into Ayushman Bharat.

It also spells out the need for expanded referral networks and enhanced laboratory capacity. The building blocks for this vision are an interdependent federated system of governance between the Centre and states.

Both statements are correct.

The eSanjeevani is Government of India’s flagship telemedicine technology developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (Mohali).

eSanjeevani is a platform independent, browser-based application facilitating both doctor-to-doctor and patient-to-doctor tele-consultations. It is being deployed nationally for the Miinistry of Health & Family Welfare at 155,000 Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Scheme of Government of India.

World Health Organisation’s Global Health Estimates (GHE) provide the latest available data on death and disability globally, by region and country, and by age, sex and cause. The latest updates include global, regional and country trends from 2000 to 2019 inclusive.

–Life expectancy has increased by more than 6 years between 2000 and 2019 – from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.4 years in 2019.

–Noncommunicable diseases make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death.This is an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000.

–Ischaemic heart disease, Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lower respiratory infections, Neonatal conditions, Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers, Alzheimer disease, Diarrheal diseases, Diabetes mellitus and Kidney diseases are the top ten causes of death globally.

Statement 1 is correct. COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system is a digitalised platform to be used to effectively roll out and scale up the mechanism for COVID Vaccine Distribution System, nationally in India.

Statement 2 is incorrect. It has been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) along with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has announced the launching of “CoWIN”, a Grand Challenge for strengthening the COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system.

Ministry of AYUSH has released its year end review for 2020 [PIB].

Statement 1 is correct. The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Act, 2020 confers the status of Institute of National Importance to the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) at Jamnagar by conglomerating four institutes at Gujarat Ayurved University, campus Jamnagar.

Statement 2 is correct. The Government has suitably amended the Allocation of Business Rules and inter-alia included the business of formulation of policy for development and propagation of Sowa-Rigpa under the ambit of Ministry of AYUSH.

The National Research Institute of Sowa-Rigpa was upgraded to “National Institute of Sowa Rigpa” in Leh, UT of Ladakh with the approval of Cabinet on 20th November, 2019.

In partnership with Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), The Lancet has published global health estimates from the GBD study since 2010. In December 2018, the World Health Organisation and the IHME announced a formal partnership to collaborate to produce a single set of global health estimates to strengthen the validity of the GBD.

Statement 1 is correct. 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019, 17.8% of the total deaths in the country, the majority of which were from outdoor particulate air pollution (0·98 million) and household air pollution (0·61 million).

Household air pollution is decreasing in India resulting in 64% reduction in the death rate attributable to it from 1990 to 2019, whereas the death rate from outdoor particulate air pollution has increased during this period by 115%.

Statement 2 is correct. Lost output from premature deaths and morbidity attributable to air pollution accounted for economic losses of US$28·8 billion and $8·0 billion, respectively, in India in 2019. This total loss of $36·8 billion was 1·36% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP).