430 flights operated under Lifeline Udan

430 flights have been operated under Lifeline Udan by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF and private carriers. 252 of these flights have been operated by Air India and Alliance Air. Cargo transported till date is around 795.86 tons.  Aerial distance covered by Lifeline Udan flights till date is over 4,21,790 km. ‘Lifeline Udan’ flights are being operated by MoCA to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support India’s war against COVID-19.

Helicopter services including Pawan Hans Ltd have been operating in J&K, Ladakh, Islands and North East region transporting critical medical cargo and patients. Pawan Hans, till 2 May 2020, have carried 2.27 tons of cargo covering a distance of 7,729 kms.  Special focus has been on the North East Region, island territories and the hill states. Air India and IAF collaborated primarily for J&K, Ladakh, North-East and other island regions.

Domestic Cargo Operators SpiceJet, Blue Dart, Indigo and Vistara are operating cargo flights on a commercial basis. Spicejet operated 760 cargo flights during 24 March to 2 May 2020 covering a distance of 13,09,310 kms and carrying 5,519 tons of cargo. Out of these, 279 were international cargo flights. Blue Dart operated 253 cargo flights covering a distance of 2,76,768 kms and carrying 4,364 tons of cargo during 25 March to 2 May 2020. Out of these, 12 were international cargo flights. Indigo has operated 87 cargo flights during 3 April to 2 May 2020 covering a distance of 1,43,604 kms and carrying around 423 tons of cargo and including 32 international flights.  This also includes medical supplies carried free of cost for the government. Vistara has operated 20 cargo flights during 19 April to 2 May 2020 covering 28,590 km and carrying around 139 tons of cargo.

A cargo air-bridge was established with East Asia for transportation of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and Covid-19 relief material. 899 tons of medical cargo was brought in by Air India from East Asia.

In addition to the above, Blue Dart has uplifted around 114 tons of medical supplies from Guangzhou and Shanghai starting 14 April upto 2 May 2020. Spicejet has also uplifted 204 tons of medical supplies from Shanghai and Guangzhou upto 2 May 2020 and 16 tons medical supplies from Hong Kong and Singapore upto 2 May 2020.

During COVID-19 lockdown Janaushadhi Kendras achieved a record sales turnover of 52 crore rupees in April 2020

In spite of problems in procurement & logistics due to COVID-19 lockdown, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras –PMBJAK, achieved a record sales turnover of Rs 52 crore (US$ 7.38 million) in the month of April 2020 compared to Rs 42 crore (US$ 5.96 million) in March 2020. It was Rs 17 crore (US$ 2.41 million) in April 2019

As the entire country is facing a big challenge due to COVID-19 Pandemic, demand for medicines and medical equipment are very high and to cater this demand Janaushadhi Kendras delivered a record Rs 52 crore (US$ 7.38 million) worth of affordable and quality medicines to the public during April 2020. This led to total savings of approximately 300 crore rupees of common citizens as Janaushadhi Kendra's medicines are cheaper by 50 to 90 percent of the average market price.

@pmbjpbppi is committed to ensure uninterrupted availability of medicines to people of the country. In spite of lockdown and problems in procurement & logistics, Janaushadhi has achieved an appreciable sales turnover of Rs 52 Cr (US$ 7.38 million) in April 2020 as compared to Rs 42 Cr (US$ 5.96 million) in March 2020 pic.twitter.com/t7sHryXyUd

— Sadananda Gowda (@DVSadanandGowda) May 1, 2020

— Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) May 3, 2020

Union minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, Shri DV Sadananda Gowda and MoS Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has congratulated  the Janaushadhi store operators for achieving a record sales turnover  and  for working  nonstop, tirelessly in the odd circumstances when the country needed it most.

Shri Gowda has ensured that his ministry through Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is committed to ensure uninterrupted availability of affordable medicines to people of the country.

In its Fight against COVID-19 Government of India is revolutionizing the face of healthcare system through notable schemes like PMBJP that have been providing over 900 quality generic-medecines and 154 surgical equipments & consumable at affordable prices for every citizen of the nation.

Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI)  CEO Sachin Kumar Singh has said   BPPL developed  ‘Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App’ to help  people in a big way to locate their nearest Jan aushadhi Kendras and availability of  affordable generic medicine with its price. Over 325000 people are using this App. They can avail a host of user-friendly options like direction guided through Google Map for location of the Janaushadhi Kendra, search Janaushadhi generic medicines, analyse product comparison of Generic and Branded medicine in form of MRP & overall Savings, etc. with the help of this App. This App is available on both Android & I-phone  platforms

Presently, more than 6300 PMJAKs are functioning across the nation covering 726 districts of the country. In the lockdown period PMBJP is also generating awareness through informational posts on their social media platforms to help people protect themselves from Coronavirus.

China flirts with digital currency in four urban centres amid Covid

China in a significant move has launched a trial of digital yuan in four urban centres of the country for specific services even as the world grapples with containment of Covid.

The major cities of Shenzhen, Suzhou and Chengdu, as well as the Xiong’an New Area, will witness use of digital currency for some services, according to state-run Xinhau.

The three cities have a overall population of more than 38 million people. The Xiong’an New Area is a district and economic zone being developed near Beijing. There is no reaction yet from the international community.

According to local news reports the currency will be used to subsidise transport in Suzhou, while in Xiong’an the trial primarily focuses on food and retail.

According state-run China Daily, a statement by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said that the digital currency – known as the e-RMB – “will not be issued in large amounts” for public use in the short term, and that the digital currency in circulation would “not lead to an inflation surge”.

The PBOC, the country’s central bank, will be the sole issuer of the digital yuan, initially offering the digital money
 to commercial banks and other operators. An official told the China Daily that the public would be able to convert money in their bank accounts to the digital version and make deposits via electronic wallets.

Mantra Capital invests in yoga firm SARVA

Mantra Capital has made an investment of an undisclosed amount in SARVA, a yoga and wellness company. The fund will be utilised by the firm to improve its digital footprint.

This round of funding included contribution from the Patni Family and the existing investor, Fireside Ventures.

This is the first strategic investment by Mantra Capital, an early-stage, cross-border venture capital fund focused on investing in tech for human good. The firm was founded by former T-Hub CEO, Mr Jay Krishnan, Mr Srikanth Chintalapati, and Mr Kevin Jacobs early this year.

Earlier, SARVA had raised funds from celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Malaika Arora, Aishwaryaa R Dhanush and Shahid Kapoor.

“During these times, people are constantly trying to find activities that help in redirecting their stress. And what better than yoga, a practice that can help you remain healthy and active, both mentally and physically,” Mr Sarvesh Shashi, Co-founder, SARVA, said.

“While our digital product was under way and ready to be launched, the heightened investor interest and the current situation fast-tracked it. We are in the process of raising more capital to enhance our digital offering,” he said.

SNBNCBS develops Nanomedicine to alter oxidative stress for better immune power to treat viral infections including COVID-19

Scientists at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata (SNBNCBS) have developed a safe and cost-effective nanomedicine that promises treatment of a number of diseases by altering oxidative stress in the body. The research may provide a ray of hope in India’s fight against COVID-19, as the nanomedicine can decrease or increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) in our body, depending on the situation and cure the disease.

The ability of this research for controlled enhancement of ROS in mammals raises hopes of a new potential for the application of nanomedicine in controlling virus infections, including COVID-19. Animal trial for the Reduction & Oxidation processes (Redox) healing of several diseases is completed, and now the institute is looking for sponsors to start clinical trials on humans.

The medicine combines nanoparticles extracted from manganese salt with citrus extract, like from lemon. A crucial combination of manganese and citrate employing tricks of nanotechnology produces the nanomedicine. The artificially made nanomedicine was found to be important to maintain a balance of reduction and oxidation processes (Redox) in our body’s tissues. Redox reactions in cells add or remove oxygen and are essential for many processes such as generating energy in cells. The redox reactions can also create products harmful to cells called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can instantly oxidize lipids (fat), proteins, and nucleic acids, accelerating the ageing process. However, it has to be noted that our immune cells naturally produce ROS or generate oxidative stress to kill viruses or bacteria and infected cells in our body. Thus, controlled increase of ROS or oxidative stress aids our immune cells to perform their natural functions more efficiently.

Enhancement of oxidative stress by nanomedicine in animal tissue is also commendable and finds application in curing diseases, including neonatal jaundice. Recently the institute has shown that the added oxidative stress upon administration of the nanomedicine can break down bilirubin (the toxic molecule causing jaundice), providing a cure for hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice). In a trial on mice, the nanomedicine was found safe and swift, precisely bringing down bilirubin levels within two and a half hours. This ability of controlled enhancement of oxidative stress (ROS) in mammals paves new potential for the application of nanomedicine in controlling virus infection, including COVID-19. Recently, local administration of hydrogen peroxide, which is in a class of ROS, is recommended to be a way of surviving COVID-19. The excess ROS was achieved by applying the hydrogen peroxide chemical in respiratory track through a nebulizer is advised in order to inactivate COVID-19 by breaking down the viral structure. As a direct application of hydrogen peroxide create several complications, including direct oxidation of normal body cells, replacement of the chemical by the nanomedicine would be beneficial.

These findings have been published in international journals. In October last year, a comprehensive review entitled “Role of Nanomedicine in Redox Mediated Healing at Molecular Level” of all the development has been published in the journal Bimolecular concepts. The concept got immediate attention of international experts in the field and referred as “a new front in redox medicine, the emerging field of ROS-based nanomedicine, involving nanomaterials with ROS-regulating properties, holds promise for optimized therapeutic efficacies” in a recent Nature journal in March in this year. The efficacy of the developed nanomedicine in balancing oxidative stress (ROS) in mice was tested recently by injecting Lead (Pb) ions to create higher oxidative stress (ROS) and liver damage. It was found that the nanomedicine reduces oxidative stress of the mammal due to lead-exposure and also helps to remove the toxic ions from the liver (popularly known as chelation therapy in medicine) reversing the damage of the organ. Recently, ChemMedChem has highlighted this work on the front cover.

AYURAKSHA-Corona Se Jung - Delhi Police Ke Sang launched by All India Institute of Ayurveda

The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), under Ministry of AYUSH and Delhi Police organised AYURAKSHA programme for Delhi Police personal at New Delhi today. The joint programme titled AYURAKSHA “Corona Se Jung- Delhi Police Ke Sang” aims to fight against corona through simple and time-tested Ayurveda immunity boosting measures.

These measures are as per the advisory issued by the Ministry of AYUSH. The recommended formulations like Chyawanaprasha (Amla as main content), Anu Taila and SanshamaniVati (prepared from Guduchi) have simple herbs which are time tested and scientifically proven for enhancing the immunity.

On this occasion, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, highlighted the role of Giloy as Vayasthapana (Anti-aging herb). He mentioned that the Ministry is working for AYUSH medicines to be given as add-on therapy for COVID 19 positive cases. He also appreciated the efforts of Delhi Police as frontline warriors.

Delhi Police Commissioner Shri S N Shrivastava appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of AYUSH & AIIA toward health promotion for Delhi Police. He highlighted immune boosting effect of simple Ayurveda herbs which are time tested and scientific. He mentioned that the joint venture of AIIA and Delhi Police is biggest ever first of its kind and will be successful and role model for others.

Delhi Police has come forward with a proposal for maintaining the health of front line COVID warriors like Delhi police personal through Ayurveda immunity boosting measures. The proposal would be implemented in a phase wise manner. The distribution will take place for nearly 80000 personal of Delhi police across 15 districts of NCT Delhi. All India Institute of Ayurveda has nominated 3 main coordinators under the Director of Institute. 15 nodal officers of AIIA have been identified for 15 districts of Delhi State who will be working in close coordination with 15 Nodal officers from Delhi Police.

1. Phase I: All quarantined police officers and officials
2. Phase II: Police officials/officers deputed in containment zones
3. Phase III: Police officials/officers deputed in quarantine zones
4. Phase IV: All policemen working as front-line workers in field.

The All India Institute of Ayurveda has also planned for identifying police officials/officers with co morbid conditions like Diabetes, Stress, Hypertension etc. who are more susceptible to this pandemic. These officials/officers will be provided additional support and care. A proper health record would be maintained in a digital format for all the officers/officials taking these medicines. For this a specially designed questionnaire and Digital Arogya Sanjivani developed by Ministry of AYUSH would be used.

For distribution of medicines, special Kits are to be prepared which will contain the formulations, method of use and advisory issued by Ministry of AYUSH in Hindi and English. The medicines would be procured from government pharmacy (IMPCL) under Ministry of AYUSH.

It has also been planned to set up a Kiosk in every Delhi police district headquarters wherein the complete diet and lifestyle related information as well as usefulness of Ayurvedic formulations in boosting the immunity would be explained by consultants of All India Institute of Ayurveda initially for 15 days.

Promotion of health and prevention of diseases by a healthy daily regimen of lifestyle and immune boosters is the core objective of Ayurveda.

Shri Gadkari launches Bank of Schemes, Ideas, Innovation & Research Portal on MSMEs

Union Minister of Road transport & Highways and MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari today launched Bank of Schemes, Ideas, Innovation and Research portal (http://ideas.msme.gov.in/) on MSMEs through Video Conference from Nagpur in the presence of Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, MoS for MSME along with Secretary MSME Dr Arun Kumar Panda and DC, MSME Shri Ram Mohan Mishra and others senior officers. The Portal gives access to all Schemes of Union, State and UT Governments. It has the provision for uploading Ideas, Innovations & Research in the sector. The portal has unique features of not only crowd sourcing of Ideas, but also evaluation and rating the ideas by crowd sourcing. It can also facilitate inflow of venture capital, foreign collaboration etc.

Speaking about the importance of the portal, Shri Gadkari said that this portal will prove to be of great transformational significance to the MSMEs in particular and the economy in general. This is a very good beginning, Shri Gadkari added. He also suggested that category-wise classification and analysis of information and the achievements which may be published so that others learn/take lessons from successful experiences. Shri Gadkari advised that the portal should be handled by quality professionals to keep it updated on sustained basis. He stressed upin the need for conversion of knowledge into wealth. Shri Gadkari also said that there is a need for greater work on Research, Technology, Innovation which can bring down cost and improve quality.

Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, MoS for MSME said, this portal will help the MSMEs in a big way through information sharing. He also said that this will help in the research activities like those in rural tribal knowledge, skills will get a chance for spreading their knowledge. Similarly, it can assist the farmers in planning, production, storage and marketing of their produce.

Users who have idea, innovation or Research with him/her can share it on this platform which will be reviewed by the concerned Officer and publish them for public view. Registered users can rate these ideas (Crowd sourcing) and venture capitalist can connect with user having idea, innovation and research.

The online forms for Idea, innovation and research can be easily filled in 5-6 Minutes. Person can choose Areas (Credit/Finance, Human Capital Development, Technology, Infrastructure, Marketing, Policy, etc)

Person can indicate his Sector (Rural Technology Innovation, Waste-to-Wealth, Agro-Processing, Manufacturing, Services, Khadi, Coir, etc)

The portal has the facility to indicate the stage of Idea (Concept, Prototype or Commercialized) to make more user friendly. Papers and photo related to Idea and Video and Social Media links can also be uploaded.

The portal will benefit the potential entrepreneurs as One stop compendium of Ideas, innovation and research ready for commercialization. The Rating of Ideas can be seen publicly which will help in decision making. Venture capitalists can interact with Person and MSME having Idea or innovation. Similarly, options are available for adding Banks, Government Labs, Incubators, Accelerators, Foreign collaboration in future.

Over 325000 people are using "Janaushadhi Sugam" Mobile App to access Janaushadhi kendras

Amid nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 crisis Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App is helping people in a big way to locate their nearest Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendra (PMJAK) and availability of affordable generic medicine with its price.

Over 325000 people are using Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App to avail the host of benefits provided by it. In order to make use of digital technology for easing the life of consumers, this mobile application for Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)  has been developed by Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) under Department of Pharmaceuticals , Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers,Government of India, for facilitating the general public by providing a digital platform at the tip of their fingers, by the virtue of which they can avail a host of user-friendly options like locate nearby Janaushadhi kendra, direction guided through Google Map for location of the Janaushadhi kendra, search Janaushadhi generic medicines, analyze product comparison of Generic and Branded medicine in form of MRP & overall Savings, etc.

Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App is available on both Android & I-phone platforms. It can be downloaded free of cost by the user from Google Play Store and Apple Store.

In its Fight against COVID-19 Government of India is revolutionizing the face of healthcare system through notable schemes like PMBJP that have been providing over 900 quality generic-medecines and 154 surgical equipments & consumable at affordable prices for every citizen of the nation.

Presently, more than 6300 PMJAKs are functioning across the nation covering 726 districts of the country. In the lockdown period PMBJP is also generating awareness through informational posts on their social media platforms to help people protect themselves from Coronavirus.

India installed 7.3 GW of solar power in CY 2019

In the calendar year 2019, India installed 7.3 GW of solar power across the country, establishing its position as the third-largest solar market in the world.

According to a study by Mercom Communications India, a subsidiary of global clean energy communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital Group, India also had a robust pipeline of utility-scale projects under development of 23.7 GW at the end of 2019, with another 31.5 GW of tenders pending auction.

“The solar market leaders have changed in almost every category compared with last year. With a tough year ahead, we expect strong, resilient, and innovative companies continue to do well,” said Mr Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

The report added that the top 10 large-scale project developers account for 68 per cent market share in 2019. During 2019, ReNew Power was the top utility-scale developer, while Azure Power owns the largest project pipeline.

In India, there are about 29 large-scale solar developers with a project pipeline of 100 MW or more.

In 2019, large-scale solar installations accounted for 85 per cent with 6.2 GW. Additionally, solar accounted for 41 per cent of new power capacity additions in 2019 behind coal which accounted for 44 per cent.

There was delay in lot of projects in companies offering engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) due to delays caused by general elections, land and evacuation issues among others. In 2019, Mahindra Susten was the top EPC player for utility-scale solar installations, followed by L&T.

The largest cumulative rooftop portfolio is by Tata Power Solar, followed by CleanMax Solar. At the end of 2019, the top 10 rooftop solar installers represented 34 per cent of the total rooftop solar market share. In 2019, the rooftop solar market growth came down by 33 per cent compared with CY 2018.

The solar inverter market was led by Huawei in 2019, followed by Sungrow.

Other top string inverter suppliers included Growatt, Solis Inverters, and Delta Power Solutions.

Trina Solar was the leading module supplier to India in terms of cumulative shipments at the end of December 2019, while Waaree Energies, Adani, and Risen Energy held the top spot in CY 2019. In 2019, the top 10 module suppliers accounted for over 62 per cent of the market.

The top supplier of solar mounting structures in 2019 was Ganges Internationale, followed by Purshotam Profiles and Strolar. The top supplier of solar trackers was Scorpius Trackers in 2019.

Fintech startup NIRA closes US$ 2.1 million pre-series A funding round

NIRA, Fintech startup, which provides small ticket loans to blue and grey collared workers through its mobile app and website, has closed US$ 2.1 million in pre-series A funding from existing and new angel investors in UK, Europe, and India.

These funds will be utilised in hiring new talent, developing its product and technology further and scaling up its lending volumes.

“We’re delighted to move to the next phase of our journey with this new raise. While we did get offers for funding from a couple of VCs, we decided to stick to our existing investors and take more time to find the right long-term partners" said Mr Rohit Sen, chief executive and co-founder of NIRA.

“In the last 12 months, we’ve found a good product-market fit, so now we want to build on this strong foundation to scale our business."

The startup was founded in 2018 by former Goldman Sachs executives Mr Rohit Sen and Ms Nupur Gupta. The Bengaluru-based firm has thousands of customers in over 100 cities across the country. The company presently offers loans of up to Rs 1 lakh (US$ 1,418.64) for up to a year through its app-based credit line.