Category: Health

Rs. 20 crore from Mineral Fund spent on roads, water projects

The Hindu | May 11, 2021

The East Godavari District Committee on District Mineral Fund (DMF) on Monday accepted a proposal to allocate funds for the seven rural water supply works and repairs of the Tuni-Kattipudi road, during a virtual meeting headed by Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy.

Joint Collector (Revenue) G. Lakshmisha and Sub-Collectors at Amalapuram and Rajamahendravaram and Project Officers at Rampachodavaram and Chintoor participated in the meeting.

“A total of Rs. 20 crore fund from the Rs. 32.89 crore District Mineral Fund has been spent on various developmental works including roads, water and health in the areas where the mining activities have been permitted,” said Mr. Muralidhar.

The government collects fund from the mining companies and agencies engaged in the mining of various mineral resources in the district. The committee has allocated Rs. 2.64 crore for the seven rural water supply projects at Rajanagaram Assembly segment. Officials have been directed to speed up the proposed works.

BJP seeks white paper on Covid management expenditure

The New Indian Express | May 11, 2021
The objective of creating separate funds for DMF and OMBADC is to bring in transformation in the lives of the people affected by intensive mining activities.

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the ruling BJD has urged the Centre to release the second instalment of the untied grants of 15th Finance Commission for 2021-22 to rural local bodies (RLBs), the BJP on Monday demanded a white paper from the State government on expenditure made on management of second wave of Covid-19.

Claiming that Odisha government’s coffers are empty, State BJP vice president Bhrugu Baxipatra said the expenditure so far made for Covid management in the State was borne out of the funds available under Central grants and assistance, National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Trust fund, Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation (OMBADC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“Let the State government make its budgetary provision for Covid management for the current fiscal, expenditure so far made and the sources of funding to fight the pandemic public,” Baxipatra said. The BJP has been asking the State government to give a detailed account of expenditure made to fight the pandemic in 2020-21. The government tried its best to reply to several questions put forward by BJP legislators in the budget session of the Assembly.

The objective of creating separate funds for DMF and OMBADC is to bring in transformation in the lives of the people affected by intensive mining activities. Since there are huge deposits in the two specially designed funds, the State government is misutilising the funds to gain chip political mileage, said the BJP leader.

The State government had no problem on financial front last year. “It splurged money like anything without seeking any Central assistance. Sarpanchs were given the powers of district Collector. We fail to understand why the same government has taken a U-turn when the Covid situation across the State is worsening and people are crying for immediate medical assistance,” he said.

There is no dearth of funds for handling COVID-19, says Minister Anand Singh

The Hindu | May 11, 2021

Ballari district administration to use funds available under District Mineral Foundation to expand health infrastructure

Pointing to the funds available under District Mineral Foundation (DMF) lying with the district administration in Ballari, Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf and district in-charge B.S. Anand Singh has said that there is no dearth of funds for tackling COVID-19.

The administration had, a few weeks ago, resolved to use funds under the DMF, which has accumulated from the contributions of mining companies and are originally meant for taking up development and rehabilitation activities in mining-affected areas, for COVID-19 containment activities, including the expansion of healthcare facilities in the district.
“The district has a large sum of DMF funds and there is no need for the district administration to seek money from the government for handling COVID-19. We will use these funds to take up extensive pandemic containment activities. Saving people’s lives is our first priority. We will positively take suggestions from all people’s representatives for controlling the pandemic and incorporate them in our plans,” Mr. Singh said.

He was addressing a review meeting at a conference hall on PDAA Football Grounds in Ballari on Monday.
Anticipating a third wave of the pandemic, Mr. Singh said that the administration is already making all preparations to face the situation by expanding medical infrastructure not just at the district headquarters but also in the taluk centres.
“We have decided to provide each one of the taluk hospitals with 10 ventilators and 10 dura cylinders. As many as 40 ventilators sent by the State government have already reached Ballari. We are in the process of expanding and upgrading the existing medical facilities by increasing bed capacity, appointing additional health staff, including doctors and nurses, and procuring other required equipment. In addition to 109 ambulances working in the district, we have planned to purchase more ambulances. We will shortly establish VRDL laboratories at Hosapete and Huvina Hadagali. Oxygen plants would be set up in the taluk hospitals. The funds under DMF would be used for the purpose,” Mr. Singh said.
The establishment of a temporary hospital with 1,000 beds with oxygen, including 40 Intensive Care Unit beds, Mr. Singh added, is being taken up at Toranagal with assistance from JSW Steel.

“Work has been put on the fast track. A public notice has been issued expressing interest in recruiting the required staff — doctors, staff nurses, laboratory technicians and others. The hospital is expected to be functional shortly,” Mr. Singh said.
Referring to the increased number of COVID-19 deaths in the district as compared to other districts, Deputy Commissioner Pavan Kumar Malapat told the meeting that patients with respiratory problems being rushed to hospitals in an advanced stage is the major reason for the increasing deaths. On vaccination, the officer said that of the 6,01,191 people in the 45-59 age group, 3,22,879 have taken the first dose and 31,573 have taken the second dose. Of the targeted 1,74,345 people aged above 60, 1,37,546 have taken the first dose and 33,733 have taken the second dose, Mr. Malapati added.
Social Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu, Lok Sabha member Karadi Sanganna and others were present.

Decks cleared for O2 plant at Daltonganj hosp

the Pioneer | May 10, 2021

Decks have been cleared for the setting up of an oxygen plant in the premises of the Medinirai medical college hospital in Daltonganj.

Sources said work order for this has been given to the successful lowest bidder that competed for this plant here.

DC Shashi Ranjan said the plant is worth around Rs 90 lakh and the district mineral foundation trust is bearing this expense. The upcoming plant is for 50 beds, said sources. However, pipeline supply of oxygen can sustain hundred beds.

Sources said the agency which has taken up work here has done a similar job in Dumka.

Expressing hope, the DC said by the end of this month oxygen will be locally managed affair. Civil surgeon Anil Kumar Srivastav said the situation in the Covid wards is easing gradually.

Srivastav said CCTV cameras are being installed in the Covid wards for a better and effective monitoring of the covid patients.

He said some technicians mended some prosaic glitches in the seven ventilators following which the number of functional ventilators in Daltonganj will be 10 now, asserted the civil surgeon.

Srivastava said the SDO Sadar has issued a list of 10 medical shops that are to remain 24×7 open for the benefit of the common people.

Srivastav said he believes these medical stores will live up-to their reputation.

Sources said the staff on duty today had a complaint of eggs not being served to them.

Srivastava said he has directed the caterer who supplies breakfast lunch and supper here to add eggs to the menu preferably in the breakfast which includes one fruit and it is usually banana.

Asked if he tasted the breakfast today to which Srivastav said he did and liked it.

Sources said Palamu MP VD Ram has asked the DC to make available data of the medical work force up-to the peripheral level besides count of beds oxygen linked beds ventilators oxygen cylinders as a video conferencing of the MP is due with the chief minister Hemant Soren on May 10.

The civil surgeon said he has directed the district programme manager to ready the data on the utmost priority.

Ballari financially self-sufficient for handling COVID-19: Anand Singh

The Hindu | May 10, 2021

He says it will make use of funds from District Mineral Foundation

Pointing to the huge cash reserves of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) lying with the district administration in Ballari, Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf Anand Singh, who is also the district in-charge Minister, said that there was no dearth of funds for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The administration had, a few weeks ago, resolved to use the DMF funds, which was accumulated from the contributions of the mining companies and originally meant for taking up development and rehabilitation activities in mining-affected areas, for COVID-19 containment activities including the expansion of healthcare facilities in the district.

“The district has a large amount of DMF funds and there is no need for the district administration to seek money from the government for handling the pandemic. We will use the DMF funds to take up extensive pandemic containment activities. Saving people’s lives is our first priority. We will positively take the suggestions from all the people’s representatives for controlling the pandemic and incorporate them in our plans,” Mr. Singh said.

He was addressing a review meeting held at a conference hall of the PDAA Football Grounds in Ballari on Monday.

Anticipating the third wave of the pandemic, Mr. Singh said that the administration was already making all the preparations to face the situation by expanding the medical infrastructure not just at the district headquarters but at the taluk centres.

“We have decided to provide each taluk hospital with 10 ventilators and 10 dura cylinders. As many as 40 ventilators sent by the State government have already reached Ballari. We are in the process of expanding and upgrading the existing medical facilities by increasing the bed capacities, appointing additional health staff including doctors and nurses and equipment. In addition to 109 ambulances working in the district, we have planned to purchase more ambulances. We will shortly establish VRDL laboratories at Hosapete and Huvina Hadagali. Oxygen plants would be set up at each taluk hospital. The DMF funds would be used for the purpose,” Mr. Singh said.

The establishment of a temporary hospital with 1000 oxygenated beds, including 40 Intensive Care Unit beds, Mr. Singh added, is being taken up at Toranagal with the assistance of JSW Steel.

“The work is on a fast track. A public notice has been issued expressing interest in recruiting the required staff – expert doctors, staff nurses, lab technicians and others. The hospital is expected to be functional shortly.”

Referring to the increased number of COVID-19 deaths in the district as compared to other districts, Deputy Commissioner Pavan Kumar Malapat told the meeting that the patients with respiratory problems being rushed to the hospitals at an advanced stage was the major reason for the increased deaths. On the vaccination progress, the officer said that of the 6,01,191 people in the 45-59 year age group, 3,22,879 had taken the first dose and 31,573 had taken the second dose. Of the targeted 1,74,345 people above 60 years, 1,37,546 had taken the first dose and 33,733 had taken the second dose.

Social Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu, Lok Sabha member Karadi Sanganna and others were present.

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