It is a global health partnership launched in 2005 to accelerate efforts to reduce child and maternal mortality, improve adolescent, child, newborn and maternal health.
It is an alliance of academic & research institutions, health care professionals, NGOs, global financing mechanisms and the private sector.
India has recently hosted the forum this year.
It is co-hosted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Partnership of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).
The previous chapters were held in Johannesburg, South Africa (2014), New Delhi, India (2010) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2007).
This is the second time India is hosting the Partners’ Forum.
Union Health Minister has inaugurated the “Marketplace” at the Forum which is showcasing some of India’s best practices and innovations in reproductive maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCH+A).
Ensure Portal
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has recently launched a portal “Ensure” to connect with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
It is developed by NABARD and operated under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries.
The National Livestock Mission consists of a component called Entrepreneurship Development and Employment Generation (EDEG).
Under this component, subsidy payment for activities related to poultry, small ruminants, pigs etc. through DBT goes directly to the beneficiary’s account.
Ensure online portal was launched to make the DBT better, simpler and transparent.
Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle
Indian Navy has recently inducted deep submergence rescue vehicle which will be operational from April, 2019.
Currently India operates conventional submarines of the Sindhughosh, Shishumar, Kalvari classes as well as nuclear powered submarines.
The traditional methods of search and rescue by these conventional submarines during an eventuality exposes them to high degree of risk.
To overcome this gap, India has acquired a 3rd generation, advanced submarine rescue system considering of a Non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) and its associated equipment.
It is capable of undertaking rescue from a disabled submarine up to 650 metres depth.
The DSRV, operated by a crew of three, can rescue 14 personnel from a disabled submarine at a time.
The vehicles are developed by Scotland-based JFD.
With this, India joins a select league of navies with the sovereign capability to search, locate and rescue crew from a disabled submarine.
North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme
Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) was created by the government for the development of North-Eastern states.
Accumulations under this fund are made by union ministries which failed to spend 10% of their budget allocation for the development of north eastern region.
The funds under NLCPR are utilized by Ministry of Development of north east region (DoNER).
NLCPR scheme has been restructured as North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).
It is fully funded by Central Government.
One of the objectives of NESIDS is creation of infrastructure in the areas of primary and secondary sectors of education and health.
Heliosphere, Heliopause and Interstellar Space
The sun creates heliosphere by sending a constant flow of particles and a magnetic field out into space at over 670,000 miles per hour. This stream is called the ‘solar wind.’
Heliopause marks the end of a region created by our sun that is called the heliosphere.
It is the boundary between our Solar System and the interstellar medium.
It is the place where the sun’s constant flow of material and magnetic field stop affecting its surroundings.
Interstellar Space is the part of space that exists between stars with cold particles around it.
Inside the heliosphere, the solar particles are hot but less concentrated. Outside of the bubble, they are very much colder but more concentrated.
Once an object arrive in interstellar space, there would be an increase of “cold” particles around it.
Voyager 2
Voyager 2 is the space probe launched by NASA in 1977 to study the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
It has recently passed an incredible milestone in its journey to explore the solar system by entering interstellar space (exited the heliosphere).
Initially the two spacecraft (Voyager 1 and 2) were intended to last for 5 years and provide close-up studies of Jupiter and Saturn.
However, as the mission continued and evolved, Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM), a mission extension was launched to allow the spacecrafts to investigate the heliosphere and the interstellar medium.
Voyager 2 carries a working instrument that will provide the first-ever observations of Heliopause.
The twin voyager probes (Voyager 1 and 2) are the NASA’s longest running missions.
Voyager probes are the first spacecraft to date that humans have sent to this boundary, called the heliopause.
