Latest news with #UnionMinistryofSocialJusticeandEmpowerment
NDTV
5 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Passerby Jumps In To Save 3 Workers Trapped In Septic Tank, All 4 Killed
New Delhi: Three workers and a passerby who jumped in to help them have died of suffocation after inhaling toxic gases in a septic tank in Odisha. The tragedy occurred when sanitation workers were removing the central slab of a newly constructed septic tank, measuring about 10×10 feet, at Padalguda village in Nandahandi block of Nabarangpur district on Tuesday. Local residents said two of the workers began to suffocate soon after they entered the septic tank. A third worker rushed in to try and rescue them, but he began asphyxiating too. Hearing their screams, a passerby jumped in to try and save them. Fire department personnel arrived after they were alerted and pulled all four people out of the tank. The three workers were declared dead on reaching the Nabarangpur District Headquarters Hospital while the passerby was admitted to the intensive care unit, but could not be saved. Local residents said the workers did not have safety equipment or oxygen support and entered the tank without any protection. A police official said, "We have begun an investigation. Forensic tests and the post-mortem reports will reveal the exact cause of the death and the nature of the gases they inhaled." The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment data, in a nationwide exercise, has identified 79,700 sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs), showing India's continued dependence on this form of hazardous manual labour. The exercise is part of the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) programme, which is aimed at mechanising all sewer-related works to prevent injuries and deaths. The NAMASTE programme was launched in 2023-24, replacing the Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers. In a written reply in Parliament in 2023, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale had said 453 people had died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in five years, since 2018.
Hans India
31-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Four AI missions launched for differently-abled to ensure ease of services
Bengaluru: The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Friday launched four major digital and technology missions to aid persons with disabilities in receiving government and societal services in the areas of education, healthcare, livelihood, and everyday life. It is being implemented in collaboration with the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), according to an official statement. The four missions -- Mission AI Accessibility, Implementation of AI in Assistive Technology and Tools for Empowering People with Disabilities, National Disability Support AI Chat Bot, and Unified Benefits Interface (UBI), modelled on the widespread and popular UPI financial technological tool, were launched here by Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, DEPwD at the national conference on AI for Empowering Persons with Disabilities. 'India now has one billion digital Aadhaar IDs. The digi-locker, which can have all physical documents in digital form in just one device, and the UPI (Unified Payments Interface), which has made financial transactions easy. According to him, differently-abled students will receive scholarships in their accounts in 24 hours from now on and people with health problems can interact with a chatbot to clarify and seek medical and health advisory services from home itself.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Union government to launch fresh round of a nationwide survey to examine patterns of substance use
The Union government has started planning a fresh round of a nationwide survey to establish the extent and pattern of substance use, officials told The Hindu. This will expand on the 'National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India 2017-18', which was a first-of-its-kind study on estimating illicit drug use in the country. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is currently in the process of finalising the formalities for it and the design for the survey is being readied, the official added. They said that the fresh round of the survey is likely to have a sample size that is 'three to four times' that of the one conducted in 2017-18 and that this round will try to gather patterns of substance use at the district-level. The 2017-18 survey on substance use had two components which were put together for the entire exercise. The first entailed a household survey, under which over 4.7 lakh people in about 2 lakh households across the country were sampled. This was followed by a respondent-driven survey (RDS), which specifically surveyed over 72,000 people with drug dependence, to account for the possible under-reporting of illicit drug use in the household survey. Atul Ambekar of the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, which led the exercise, explained that this method involved picking 20 people with drug dependence in each district. Each of the respondents is then asked to refer three other drug-dependent persons and the chain is continued till a satisfying sample size is achieved. The 2017-18 survey, which was the first time under-reporting was accounted for with the RDS method, had concluded that alcohol was the most used substance, with over 15 crore people estimated to be using it, of which around 30 lakh were estimated to be minors (between 10-17 years of age). This was followed by cannabis, opioids, sedatives, inhalants, cocaine, amphetamine type stimulants, and hallucinogens respectively, according to data from the survey presented in Parliament by the government. It is 'critical' to have data on substance use that goes beyond State-level to the districts so that interventions can be designed accordingly, an official said. The official added that from the health perspective, the fresh round will also be important to provide an understanding of how patterns of use are changing. Key meetings with stakeholders and representatives of State governments are likely to be scheduled in the coming months, the source added. While the previous survey had clubbed multiple similar substances under the same heading – such as cannabis (including ganja, bhang, and charas) or opioids (including heroin, poppy, and pharmaceuticals – experts have opined that it would also be important to see 'granular' data about which pharmaceuticals are being used and abused. Before the 2017-18 national survey, the last time a study was conducted on substance use was in 2004. But the methodology of this survey had become problematic as it had surveyed only men, its sampling had allowed for only national-level assessments, and it had relied only on household survey data. A comparison of data from the 2004 and 2017-18 surveys tabled in Parliament by the Social Justice Ministry showed that in the time between the two surveys the prevalence of use of alcohol and cannabis had gone down, but that prevalence of use of opiates and opioids had increased from 0.7% to 2.1% in the population.
India Today
11-05-2025
- India Today
Indore becomes India's first beggar-free city, says District Magistrate
Indore has become the nation's first beggar-free city, officials announced on Thursday. One year ago, there were roughly 5,000 beggars roaming the streets of the city before the administration launched a campaign, they said."Indore is now the nation's first beggar-free city," said Ashish Singh, district magistrate, in a press briefing as reported by PTI. Beggars in the city were rehabilitated by engaging them in jobs, while children who had been begging were admitted to schools, he campaign that we initiated for the eradication of begging has itself turned into a model. "It has been identified by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and also a World Bank team," Singh further said. Indore is amongst the 10 cities where the Union Ministry initiated a pilot project to eradicate and Child Development Department district program officer Ramnivas Budholia said the anti-begging campaign was initiated in February were approximately 5,000 beggars in the city, including 500 children, he added."In the first phase, we conducted an awareness campaign. Then the beggars were rehabilitated. "We also identified many beggars who used to travel from Rajasthan to Indore to beg," said giving money to beggars, or purchasing something from them has been prohibited in the city, and three FIRs have been lodged for contraventions till now, he who provides information about begging is rewarded with Rs 1,000, and several people have received the reward so far, said another official.(With PTI inputs)Trending Reel
NDTV
08-05-2025
- NDTV
Indore Has Become India's First Beggar-Free City, Says District Magistrate
Indore: Indore has become the country's first beggar-free city, officials said on Thursday. There were about 5,000 beggars on the city streets a year ago before the administration launched a campaign, they said. "Indore has become the country's first beggar-free city," district magistrate Ashish Singh told reporters Beggars in the city were rehabilitated by helping them find employment while children involved in begging were enrolled in schools, he said. "The campaign we launched for the elimination of begging has itself become a model. It has been recognised by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and also a World Bank team," Singh added. Indore is one of the 10 cities where the Union ministry has started a pilot project to eliminate begging. District program officer of the Women and Child Development Department, Ramnivas Budholia, said the campaign against begging was launched in February 2024. There were about 5,000 beggars in the city, including 500 children, he said. "In the first phase, we ran an awareness campaign. Then the beggars were rehabilitated. We also found many beggars who used to come to Indore from Rajasthan to beg," said Budholia. Begging as well as giving money to beggars or buying anything from them has been banned in the city, and so far three FIRs have been registered for violations, he said. A reward of Rs 1,000 is given to anyone providing information about begging, and many people have claimed the reward so far, said another official.
