Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
It aims to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
Kendras have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, for co-coordinating procurement, supply and marketing of generic drugs through PMBJK.
Earlier, only medicines manufactured by Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSU) were being supplied to Kendra. Later medicines which the CPSU’s not able to supply are being made from private manufacturers.
Air Quality Index
In its recent report, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) pointed out that Delhi has not seen a “poor” air quality in July month.
The classifications of air quality are part of a 6 grade, colour coded Air Quality Index (AQI).
It is used by CPCB to rate air quality in the country.
The AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb)
There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
Based on the measured ambient concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health impact, a sub-index is calculated for each of these pollutants.
Endangered Languages
The linguistic survey by People's Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI) was launched in 2010 in order to update existing knowledge about the languages spoken in India.
The World’s largest linguistic survey has identified 780 languages in India.
In a recent study about world’s endangered languages, 4,000 of the world's 6,000 languages face a potential threat of extinction, out of which 10 per cent is spoken in India.
In other words, 400 Indian languages out of our total 780 languages may get extinct.
Most of the endangered languages which are on the verge of disappearance are the coastal languages.
The reason is that livelihood in coastal areas is no longer safe and they started migrating inward.
Few other languages are thriving mainly because educated people in these communities have started using these languages for writing.
Those languages include Gondi (spoken in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra), Bheli (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat), Kotbarak (Tripura), Mizo, Garo and Khasi.
SAMVAD
SAMVAD is a Global Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness.
The second edition of "Samvad” Conference is being organised in Yangon, Myanmar.
The first edition of this unique conference was hosted by Vivekananda Kendra, New Delhi in September 2015.
The conference represents various religions and traditions across the world.
