Shortage of Trained Nurses and Midwives

There is a shortage of trained nurses and midwives in the country. As per Planning Commission’s National Taskforce Report there would be a gap of 9.55 lakhs nurses by 2012 of which 2 to 3 lakhs would be in the Government facilities alone.  The nurse-patient ratio varies from state to state, district to district and institution to institution.  Further, the ratio varies to meet the needs of different units and shifts according to acuity of care, size and location.

The number of nursing diploma schools, nursing degree schools and nursing colleges in the country indicating the number of seats therein, State/Union Territory-wise is as below-

		DIPLOMA INSTITUTES as on 31st October, 2013		DEGREE INSTITUTES as on 31stOctober, 2013
Name of State/UT		No. of Schools/Instt.	No. of Seats	No. of Schools/Instt.	No. of Seats
Andaman & Nicobar		1	20	0	0
Andhra Pradesh		267	11679	231	11961
Arunachal Pradesh		3	70	0	0
Assam		26	698	8	420
Bihar		15	676	3	120
Chandigarh		0	0	2	95
Chattisgarh		43	1545	66	2990
Dadra & Nagar Haveli		1	20	1	40
Delhi		25	930	13	715
Goa		2	70	3	180
Gujarat		103	4160	47	2140
Haryana		68	2780	30	1365
Himachal Pradesh		35	1350	15	660
Jammu & Kashmir		14	585	5	260
Jharkhand		23	825	6	270
Karnataka		559	25896	344	18773
Kerala		231	7210	129	7000
Madhya Pradesh		293	11445	128	6200
Maharashtra		215	6569	96	4315
Manipur		14	440	6	240
Meghalaya		7	195	2	90
Mizoram		5	140	2	65
Nagaland		3	90	1	40
Orissa		62	2480	15	740
Pondicherry		6	200	14	955
Punjab		216	10423	95	4560
Rajasthan		182	8570	140	6156
Sikkim		2	80	2	160
Tamilnadu		212	6305	171	9650
Tripura		5	230	4	180
Uttar Pradesh		219	10070	54	2540
Uttaranchal		18	620	10	480
West Bengal		65	2543	18	915
TOTAL		2940	118914	1661	84275

A number of steps are proposed by Government to open more such educational institutions to impart nursing training across the country. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Strengthening/upgradation of Nursing Services the Government has released funds for opening of Auxillary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) Institutes in various states. Opening of Institutes under the said scheme depends on proposals received from the States as per the scheme guidelines.

This was stated by Sh Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today.

Tourist Visa-on-Arrival Scheme

The Ministry of Tourism had conducted “A Study on Tourist Visa on Arrival Scheme” through Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) in 2011. The key findings of the study are given below:

1.            A majority of tourists availing Visa on Arrival (VoA) visit India for purposes of holidaying.

2.            Independent tourists are using VoA.

3.            The immigration officials provided timely and dependable service, were willing to help and clear doubts and were well informed.

4.            VoA significantly influences the decision to travel to India.

5.            A majority of the immigration officials view that VoA scheme is a step in right direction of promoting inbound tourism to India.

6.            Immigration personnel supported extension of VoA to other airports.

The port-wise Visa on Arrival for the last three years and the current year along with the growth rate is given below:

Port	2010	2011	2012	Jan-Oct, 2013
Chennai	1211	1948	2273	2210
Delhi	3493	7340	9596	8829
Kolkata	334	657	939	1099
Mumbai	1511	2816	3276	3286
Bangalore				174
Hyderabad				68
Kochi				75
Trivandrum				29
Total	6549	12761	16084	15770
Growth over previous year (in %)		94.9	26.0	28.5

           

            The Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) facility was initially available to citizens of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore in 2010.  This was extended to citizens of Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar in 2011.  Presently, it is not proposed to extend the Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility to more countries.  As regards Airports, the said facility was extended to four more airports viz. Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi w.e.f. 15.08.2013.

            The provisions relating to two months gap between two visits of a foreign national to India on a Tourist Visa and Tourist Visa on Arrival has been reviewed by the Government. It has been decided to lift the restriction of two-month gap on re-entry of foreign nationals coming to India on Tourist Visa and Tourist Visa on Arrival.  However, this relaxation does not include nationals of Afghanistan, Maldives, China, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, foreigners of Pakistan origins and Stateless persons.

            The benefits that accrue when VoA is implemented by any country are as follows:

i.          Reduction in planning time for the international tourist intending to travel to an overseas destination.

ii.         Attract repeat visitors.

iii.        Enhance the image of the country as being “tourist friendly”.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Tourism (I/C) Shri K. Chiranjeevi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. 

Solar Heater and Lamp

Ministry is providing central financial assistance (CFA) upto 30% of the Benchmark cost of the equipment in Solar Water Heating systems and Solar Photo Voltaic systems such as solar lanterns, home lights, street lights and stand alone PV power plants.

This CFA is same for entire country, except for special category states, UT islands and International Border districts, where CFA is upto 60% for Solar Water Heating systems and upto 90% for Solar Photo Voltaic systems for Government organizations in certain categories.

            Ministry is conducting workshops, award distribution functions and releasing information to various stakeholders and in public domain to create the awareness among the people, which inter alia include:

Ø       National Workshop on Solar Water Heating Systems in New Delhi

Ø       Regional Workshops for Industrial / Hospital / Institutions sectors at Pune, New Delhi, Dehradun, Mysore, Bhilwara, Guntur, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Jammu, and Chennai

Ø       Solar Water Heater Users’ Handbook and SWH Trainers Manual

Ø       Advertisements in electronic and print media and Organizing Exhibitions

Ø       National helpline & Toll free no 18002334477

This information was given by the Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah in a written reply in the LokSabha. 

UPA Government has Enacted Various People Friendly Laws

UPA Government has Enacted Various People Friendly Laws
Manish Tewari Distributes Grants of Rs. 70 lakh for Various Development Works

Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Sh. Manish Tewari has said that the UPA Government at the Centre has enacted various people friendly laws for the benefit of all sections of the society including the farmers. Addressing a large gathering at village Lohara of Ludhiana district today, he said now it is for the states to pass on the benefit of central laws to the people without any discrimination. Sh. Tewari asserted that development must be uniform and indiscriminate. He said that it is unfortunate that the states were presenting various welfare schemes like food Security Act, Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojna and other similar schemes as their own.

Sh. Manish Tewari distributed cheques of grant of Rs. 70 lakh from his MP’s Local Area Development Fund to the different village for the various development works and also lays foundation stones of various projects. Tewari said that his purpose was to properly distribute the money from his MPLAD fund across the constituency.

The grant were distributed for constructing streets, health centre , Dharmshala, cremation grounds and mobile water tankers to the various village of Dakha and Ludhiana south assembly segment . Present on the occasion includes former MLA Jassi Khangura , DCCU President Pawan Dewan and Ashok Prashar Pappi.

State Level Consultative Workshop on “Empowerment of Panchayats”

A State Level Consultative Workshop with the Elected Representatives of 3 tier Panchayati Raj Institutions on “Empowerment of Panchayats” was organised jointly by Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Govt. of India and State Institute for Rural Development (SIRD), Panchayati Raj Department, Govt. of Odisha. on 02.12.2013 at, Bhubaneswar.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss ways in which the Panchayati Raj Institutions can be strengthened from the perspective of responsible, responsive, accountable, transparent, effective and efficient local governance system.

The main focus of the workshop was to find out the key issues such as Gram Sabha ,its quoram, participation of women and people from disadvantaged groups, special Gram Sabha etc, devolution of powers, PESA Act and Forest Right Act, Panchayati elections, SFC and pin-pointing on key deficiencies for preparation of a future course of action towards empowerment of Panchayats.

More than sixty Elected Representatives of PRIs ranging from ward members of Gram Panchayats to Presidents of Zilla Parishads from all over the state participated in the workshop.

The Particpants deleberated on the various issues pertaining to PRIs like – Gram Sabha, Palli Sabha, Role of PRI in Poverty Alleviation Programmes, Provision of need for Local Area Development Grant at PRI level, Role of PRIs in the implementation of various programmes, effective implementation of Forest Rights Act and PESA Act, provisioning of an ideal infrastructure at GP and PS level like rest place for visitors, toilet facilities, livelihood opportunities, plan for mainstreaming the gender in development, reducing Child Sex Ratio, their trafficking, social audit etc .

PM's media statement after the All Party meeting ahead of the Parliament session

It is a short session of Parliament and it should be everybody’s efforts to make the best and optimal use of a limited time which is available to the two Houses of Parliament. On behalf of the government, we will do everything in our power to ensure that both the Houses run smoothly and in this matter we seek the cooperation of all segments of the two Houses.

Question on Telangana.

Our Government is committed to the formation of Telangana and it will be our effort to make full use of the due process of law to ensure that Telangana does come about.