Busting Myths of Vaccination

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Busting Myths of Vaccination

CoWIN has been developed as a single platform to manage various aspects of vaccinations across the country

Beneficiaries not getting vaccinated in confirmed slots can be traced to improper planning by DIOs
States/UTs have been advised that they should publish vaccination slots based on the availability of vaccine

CoWIN has now provided the feature for rescheduling of vaccination sessions

Posted On: 31 MAY 2021 9:36PM by PIB Delhi

Government of India has been supporting the efforts of States and UTs towards vaccinating all people aged 18 years and above with priority being given to the Healthcare and Frontline Workers. CoWIN has been developed as a platform to manage vaccinations across the country.

There have been some media reports suggesting that even a successful booking on the CoWIN platform for a vaccination slot does not assure one of a Covid-19 vaccine jab. These reports are baseless and incorrect, not supported by full information on the matter.

Co-WIN platform facilitates registration (in both online & on-site modes), scheduling of appointments, vaccination & certification of beneficiary during COVID-19 vaccination process.

Availability of slots on Co-WIN Portal is based on the vaccination schedule published by District Immunization Officer (DIO)/Session site in-charge which in turn depends upon availability of vaccines.  States/UTs have been advised that they should publish vaccination slots based on the availability of vaccines. The Union Government has also instructed all States/UTs to give preference to beneficiaries with online appointments than to on-site registrations.

It was noticed that in some cases the DIOs were publishing a session and then in case vaccines were in short supply, the DIOs used to cancel such sessions or return the beneficiaries. This definitely caused inconvenience to such beneficiaries who booked their appointments for such vaccination centres/ sessions. To remove this problem, CoWIN has now provided the feature for rescheduling of vaccination sessions so that the DIO does not have to cancel the sessions. Provision has also been made that pre-booked appointments for a session, also get rescheduled when a session is rescheduled. In such cases now the beneficiary shall not have taken a fresh appointment. The beneficiaries shall also receive an SMS informing them about rescheduling of their session. The system still provides the option of rescheduling/ cancellation of an appointment to the beneficiaries.

 

Photo News on retirement of staff members on 31st May, 2021 in Odisha Circle

BHUBANESWAR DIVISION

 POSTAL STORES DEPOT

CUTTACK SOUTH DIVISION

DHENKANAL DIVISION

ROURKELA  DIVISION

PURI DIVISION

CUTTACK NORTH DIVISION

NFPE Odisha wishes all the retired staff members a peaceful, healthy, happy and safe post retirement life. 

May Lord Jagannath bless all.

Family Pension Rules simplified in view of the COVID pandemic

 Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

Family Pension Rules simplified in view of the COVID pandemic: Dr Jitendra Singh

Posted On: 31 MAY 2021 7:08PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh informed here today that the Family Pension Rules have been simplified in view of the COVID pandemic.

Giving a brief about the important reforms undertaken by the Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare (DoP&PW) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a provision was recently made for the Provisional Family Pension to be sanctioned immediately on receipt of claim for Family Pension and Death Certificate from the eligible family member without waiting for other formalities or procedural requirements to be completed. This provision, he said, is applicable in case of death happening during the pandemic, either because of COVID or because of non-COVID cause.

 

In accordance with Rules 80 (A) of the CCS (Pension) Rule 1972, on death of the government servant during service, Provisional Family Pension could be sanctioned to the eligible member of the family, only after the Family Pension case has been forwarded to the Pay and Accounts Office. However, in view of the ongoing pandemic, instructions were issued that Provisional Family Pension may be sanctioned immediately on receipt of a claim for Family Pension and Death Certificate from the eligible family member, without waiting for forwarding of the Family Pension case to Pay and Accounts Office.

Similarly, the Minister informed that in view of the COVID pandemic another important reform announced recently provides that payment of Provisional Pension may be extended up to a period of one year from the date of retirement with the concurrence of PAO and after the approval by the Head of the Department.

As per the Rule 64 of CCS (Pension), 1972, Provisional Pension is normally sanctioned for a period of six months in cases whether a government servant is likely to retire before finalization of his pension. However, in view of the COVID pandemic, instructions were issued for grant of Provisional Family Pension in accordance to Rule 64 where there is a delay in submission of papers.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the wake of the pandemic, the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare has been, from time to time, very sensitively responding to each of the issues concerned with Pensioners and elder citizens. Reforms are also being undertaken accordingly, he added.

Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – April, 2021

 Ministry of Labour & Employment

Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – April, 2021

Posted On: 31 MAY 2021 3:36PM by PIB Delhi

Key Points

 

1. All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) for April, 2021 increased to 120.1 points compared to 119.6 points for March, 2021.

 

2. The increase observed in index is mainly due to items like Arhar Dal, Masur Dal, Fish Fresh, Goat Meat, Poultry Chicken, Eggs-Hen, Edible Oils, Apple, Banana, Grapes, Leechi, Orange, Papaya, Tea Leaf, Tea Hot-drink, Barber/Beautician Charges, Flowers/Flower Garlands, Doctor’s Fee, Rail Fare, Servicing Charges of Motor Cycle, Cable Charges, etc. which experienced an increase in prices.

 

3. Inflation for April, 2021 went down to 5.14 per cent compared to 5.64 per cent of previous month. Food inflation also declined to 4.78 per cent from 5.36 per cent in the previous month.

            The All-India CPI-IW for April, 2021 increased by 0.5 points and stood at 120.1 (one hundred twenty and point one). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 0.42 per cent with respect to previous month compared to an increase of 0.92 per cent recorded between corresponding months a year ago.

            The maximum upward pressure in current index came from Food & Beverages group contributing 0.43 percentage points to the total change. At item level, Arhar Dal, Masur Dal, Fish Fresh, Goat Meat, Poultry Chicken, Eggs-Hen, Edible Oils, Apple, Banana, Grapes, Leechi, Orange, Papaya, Tea Leaf, Tea Hot-drink, Barber/Beautician Charges, Flowers/Flower Garlands, Doctor’s Fee, Rail Fare, Servicing Charges of Motor Cycle, Cable Charges, etc. are responsible for the rise in index. However, this increase was largely checked by Rice, Onion, Bitter Gourd, Drum Stick, Lady Finger, Parval, Cooking Gas, Petrol, etc. putting downward pressure on the index.

            At centre level, Jabalpur recorded maximum increase of 3.6 points followed by Raipur and Bhavnagar with 3.2 and 3.1 points respectively. Among others, 6 centres observed an increase between 2 to 2.9 points, 11 centres between 1 to 1.9 points and 49 centres between 0 to 0.9 points. On the contrary, Coonoor recorded a maximum decrease of 2.3 points. Among others, 3 centres observed a decline between 1 to 1.9 points and remaining 15 centres between 0 to 0.9 points.

Year-on-year inflation for the month stood at 5.14 per cent compared to 5.64 per cent for the previous month and 5.45 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year. Similarly, Food inflation stood at 4.78 per cent against 5.36 per cent of the previous month and 6.56 per cent during the corresponding month a year ago.

 

 

 

Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (Food and General)

All-India Group-wise CPI-IW for March and April, 2021

Sr. No.	Groups	March, 2021	April, 2021
I	Food & Beverages	118.0	119.1
II	Pan, Supari, Tobacco & Intoxicants	136.5	137.3
III	Clothing & Footwear	118.7	119.0
IV	Housing	115.2	115.2
V	Fuel & Light	149.2	148.7
VI	Miscellaneous	118.1	118.3
	General Index	119.6	120.1

 

 

CPI-IW: Groups Indices

The next issue of CPI-IW for the month of May, 2021 will be released on Wednesday 30th June, 2021. The same will also be available on the office website www.labourbureaunew.gov.in.

Speaking about the latest index, Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment Shri Santosh Gangwar said  “the rise in index will result into increased wages of working class population by way of increase in dearness allowance payable to them.”

Further he added that “Decline in inflation during April, 2021 is a sign of respite for consumers which is mainly due to lower retail prices of vegetables.”

Director General of Labour Bureau Shri DPS Negi said that “the rise in Index during April, 2021 is in line with all other price indices compiled and released & Decline in inflation during the month has been observed across all retail price indices released by other Government agencies.”

 

    The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index is compiled for 88 centres and All-India and is released on the last working day of succeeding month.

Use, Disinfect & Reuse PPEs, Masks, thanks to Vajra Kavach

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Use, Disinfect & Reuse PPEs, Masks, thanks to Vajra Kavach

“PPE, N95 Masks will get Disinfected in a few Minutes, Viral Load Reduction by 99.999%”

“Environment-friendly solution, reduces biomedical waste generation”

Posted On: 31 MAY 2021 1:46PM by PIB Mumbai

A product aptly named Vajra Kavach removes the scourge of viral particles from equipment used by our Corona warriors. Yes, the disinfection system, developed by Mumbai-based startup Indra Water, removes any possible traces of the disease-causing SARS-Cov-2 virus from Personal Protective Equipment, N95 masks, coats, gloves and gowns. It thus enables reuse of PPEs and other materials used by healthcare workers. It thus protects not only them, but our environment too, by helping reduce biomedical waste generation. It is also making personal protective equipment more available, affordable, and accessible.

“Your Material will get Disinfected in a few Minutes”

What makes this even more useful is that the disinfection is done in just a few minutes. The system is being manufactured at Indra Water’s factory at Bhiwandi in Mumbai, from where it is delivered to hospitals.

Factory at Bhiwandi

Viral Load is reduced by One Lakh times

“Our system is able to achieve a 1,00,000-fold reduction in the number of microorganisms; in scientific terms, tests showed that we got 5 log (99.999%) reduction of viruses and bacteria”, informs a proud Abhijit VVR., one of the cofounders of Indra Water.  ‘Log reduction’ is a term used to signify the relative number of living microbes that are eliminated after a process such as disinfection.

The validation and testing of the system was done by the Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering at IIT Bombay. “Vajra Kavach went through a very long trial and testing process. It was tested with Escherichia virus MS2 (a single-stranded RNA virus and a well-known surrogate of human respiratory viruses such as influenza virus and coronavirus) and E.coli strain C3000. Full loads of the virus and bacteria samples were placed on a PPE. The PPE was then placed inside the Vajra Kavach. After the disinfection cycle time, the PPE was removed and the sample was rechecked to assess the growth rate and log reduction of the virus.” Abhijit informs that the system employs a multistage disinfection process consisting of advanced oxidation, corona discharge and UV-C light spectrum to inactivate the viruses, bacteria, and other microbial strains present on the PPE, achieving more than 99.999% efficiency.

The Idea of Vajra Kavach

Abhijit told PIB how the product took root from a simple yet powerful and frugal idea of reusing rather than disposing. “The idea of Vajra Kavach was conceived during the nation-wide lockdown in March 2020. We began to think about what exactly we could do to help the country fight the pandemic. We realized there was a huge demand for PPE Kits and N95 masks and the nation was struggling to provide our healthcare workers with the necessary medical requirements. That is when we came up with an idea – a simple disinfection process that enables our Corona Warriors to reuse their masks and PPEs.”

Vajra Kavach being launched by Ms. Pamela Satpathy, Commissioner of Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation, Govt. of Telangana in collaboration with ASCI (Administrative Staff College of India) at GWMC office in Warangal, Telangana.

From Idea to Implementation

To implement the idea, Indra Water modified its water purification technology and came up with the totally indigenous disinfection system, says Abhijit. “Every component used in the manufacturing of this disinfection system is made in India. Nothing is procured from outside.”

Indra Water was set up with the Department of Science & Technology’s NIDHI-PRAYAS grant (through Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay) for coming up with innovations in the water sector. Indra Water is one among the 51 startups which were funded and supported under Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH), an initiative by National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Healthcare Workers find it Very Useful, New Version on the Way

“Vajra Kavach’s UV disinfection of PPE is elegant, user friendly and convenient. The system is adequate for our 25-bed Covid Care Center. It will help us use fewer PPEs,” says Doctor Nisha Shah, Chief Medical Officer, IIT Bombay Hospital. Mumbai’s Cama Hospital, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, St. George Hospital are some other hospitals in Mumbai where Vajra Kavach disinfection system has been installed. A hospital in Warangal has also got one, says Abhijit. “Around 10 Vajra Kavach systems have already been installed in various hospitals in Mumbai. After talking to a lot of health care workers, we came to know that the system is being used by them to disinfect not only N95 masks and PPE kits, but also lab coats, masks, aprons, face shields, stationery material in the ICU, basic medical equipment, gears and other medical cloth materials as well.”

 

Abhijit informs that they are now coming up with a second version – compact and more user-friendly. “Since the PPE Kit is big in size, we had to provide enough room for it in the system. However, we are planning to make the system compact.”

Indra Water is a 20-member startup whose core area is treatment and disinfection of wastewater discharged from apartments, industry, factories, etc. The firm can be contacted at contact@indrawater.com.

Sri Suvendu Ku. Swain posted as PMG, Odisha Circle by temporary downgradation of the post of Chief PMG vice Col. Jaleswar Kanhar transferred and Sri Sanjiv Ranjan posted as PMG, Berhmpur Region

 CLICK HERE

Curtailed Working / Office Hours of Post Offices in Odisha Circle extended up to 16.06.2021

NFPE Odisha requests Circle administration to extend the restricted Working / Office Hours till 17th June, 2021

Very Sad and Shocking News - Com. SAR Mazgaonkar, Ex All India Working President of AIPEU, Gr C, CHQ expired

 Com. S A R Mazgaonkar, Ex All India Working President of All India Postal Employees Union, Gr C CHQ expired  in a hospital at Mumbai today on  29th May 2021 due to Covid19. 

This deadly monster has snatched away a very matured, seasoned and knowledgeable trade union leader of our time. He was a man of very sweet behaviour and friendly to all.  After his retirement also he was guiding CHQ and Circle Union of Maharashtra. 

On behalf of NFPE, Odisha and AIPEU, Gr-C, Odisha Circle, we convey our heartfelt  condolences to the bereaved family members and Comrades of Maharashtra Circle.

May the departed soul rest in peace.

MHA urges all Administrators of UTs / Chief Secretaries of States to extend containment measures for COVID-19 issued vide MoHFW letter dated 25.04.2021 up to 30th June, 2021

DoPT is advising all the government employees above the age of 18 years to get vaccinated at the earliest.

 Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh asks all 18 plus government employees to get vaccinated at the earliest

Posted On: 29 MAY 2021 6:02PM by PIB Delhi

Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) is advising all the government employees above the age of 18 years to get vaccinated at the earliest.

This was stated here today by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, while briefing about the measures taken in the light of the second wave of COVID 19 pandemic.

As per the instructions issued by the Establishment Division of DoPT, Dr Jitendra Singh said, since the Government has decided to include the population of age of 18 and above in the inoculation programme to contain the COVID-19, all employees of the group are advised to get vaccinated. Further, in the light of the increase in the number of COVID positive cases, the Secretaries/HoDs were delegated the powers to regulate the attendance of the employees at all levels, keeping in view the functional requirements and number of positive cases in their respective departments.

 

 

The measures taken in the department in the light of the second wave, said Dr Jitendra Singh, include strict follow-up on the DoPT advisories on preventive steps to be taken to contain the spread of COVID 19. This includes regular sanitisation/disinfection of all the office rooms, areas and surfaces, as well as corridors of the department.

Dr Jitendra Singh further informed that provision of Glass Partition has been made for work-stations and plastic sheet partitions have been put in place to separate the driver’s seats in official cars. A whatsapp group (We care) has also been created for regular counselling and providing necessary assistance to the employees of the department, who were found to be COVID positive, he added.

In order to facilitate the vaccination drive, Dr Jitendra Singh said, vaccination camps are also being organised in the North Block in association with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Meanwhile, the Minister said that extensive use of webinars and video conferencing tools is being made to carry out work in an uninterrupted manner. He said, it is heartening to note that all the files in the DoPT are being cleared on time and sometimes the urgent files are also cleared in the late hours.