Good governance initiatives

 

Abolition of affidavits and adoption of self certification

 

DARPG endeavours to simplify administrative procedures and make governance citizen-centric. In this context, the central Ministries/Departments and States/UTs have been requested to review the existing requirement of documents attested by Gazetted officers or affidavits in various forms in a phased manner, wherever feasible. This is to be replaced by self-certification.

 

As a result of constant efforts by the Department, 24 State Governments/UTs and 41 Central Ministries/Departments have reportedly taken appropriate action already.

 

 

The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and United Nations Development Programme joint collaborative project “Strengthening Public Administration and Governance”:

 

(i)         The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme is implementing the joint collaborative project “Strengthening Public Administration and Governance” for the period 2013-2017 under Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP).    The Project aims to address the following development challenges or gaps:

 

(a)    The changing environment, rising aspirations of the people, to seek greater accountability and improved efficiency and effectiveness and changing role of the Government necessitate administrative reforms in India, in tune with the rapid development of the country.  There is also a need for associated simplification of rules and procedures, business process re-engineering and change management.

 

(b)   While Indian states and district governments have come up with innovative solutions and have implemented best practices in public service delivery and public administration, including through the use of ICT and e-governance, these experiences have not been documented in a systematic manner. As a result, states don’t benefit and learn from such experiences of other states.

 

(c)    Currently, there are hardly any analytical studies that attempt to highlight factors responsible for poor service delivery that impinge on development and social indicators for the marginalized people. Similarly, there is no documentation or analysis as to why some best practices that were rewarded or recognized a few years back have disappeared, or have degenerated without making any permanent impact on administrative productivity.

 

(ii)        The Project conceives the following strategies for addressing the above mentioned challenges / gaps described in the Project document:

 

·         Changes in attitudes and access to decision making through awareness raising, brokering, convening.

·         Changes in policies, plans, budgets and legislation through support to national assessment, planning, budgeting, policy making.

·         Changes in the lives of individuals and communities through implementation for inclusive development.

 

(iii)       The specific strategies to be adopted to achieve the targets are as below:

 

·         Carrying out cross-sectoral studies on the desired goals in government programmes with a view to improve outcomes and to suggest measures that would improve the targets in such programmes, especially in UN-focussed.

·         Evidence-based national and International best practices are available to GOI and State Governments for strengthening public administration and governance.

·         Adaptation and replication of best practices within states and in other states.

·         Demonstrating innovative e-governance and m-governance initiatives that enhance efficiency in public administration and management.

 

(iv)       The possible improvements in the capacities of institutions, individuals and systems that will occur as a result of this Project are:

 

·         Improve capabilities of institutions and individuals responsible for public administration and governance

·         Deeper understanding of administrators on factors that contribute to success or failure of service delivery under government programmes

·         Increased cooperation in the area of Public Administration globally including the South-South Context.

 

(v)        As part of this on-going Project, an “International Symposium on Excellence in Public Service / Public Administration” was successfully conducted in New Delhi during 7-9 October, 2014.  The major objectives of the International Symposium were (i)  to foster spirit of excellence in Public Administration;  (ii) to acknowledge, disseminate and learn from the innovative practices and extraordinary achievements in improving public administration and governance. Around 23 countries participated and made presentations on Award winning best practices in international public administration reforms and best practices in governance, including e-governance and m-governance.

            Around 200 Indians have also participated in the same.

 

(vi)       A Case Study Workshop was also organised from 21^st to 23^rd August, 2014 followed by concluding session on 31^st October & 1^st November, 2014.  The objective of the Workshop on Case Studies was to build capacity in developing / teaching case studies and develop case studies of international standard on some of the award winning best practices in India, to facilitate its replication. An eminent expert in Public Policy and Government at Georgetown University, Prof. R. Kent Weaver, had been engaged for this purpose.  Five cases have been developed in the Case Study Workshop.

 

(vii)      The Annual Work Plan, 2015 is under finalization.

 

Public Grievances

 

            The front end of PG portal for lodging grievances by citizen has been improved by providing more options to the petitioner who can now upfront select whether it is public or pensioners grievances. Grievances relating to subject matter handled by Directorate of Public Grievances can be directly lodged to them by the petitioner on the pgportal. The petitioner in case he or she is not aware of the authority to whom it should be forwarded can now select NOT KNOWN (earlier it was in dropdown) upfront and by default it would come to DARPG.

 

“e-Office” Mission Mode Project

(i)         INTRODUCTION

            The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DAR&PG) has been entrusted the role to promote e-Governance activities in consonance with the overall national objectivities and priorities. This task mainly involves conceptualization and overall coordination for governance related issues in collaboration with Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITy) for technical expertise.                                   

            DARPG has prepared and circulated reports to all Central Government Ministries on Change Management for eGovernance projects and Business Process Re-engineering for eGovernance projects.

            DAR&PG has formulated a generic document on Business Process Reengineering named GPAF as envisaged in National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and 11th report of 2nd ARC. Government Process Architecting Framework (GPAF) provides a detailed systematic guide for conducting Business Process Reengineering in Central Government Organizations and optimize delivery of services.   

            DAR&PG had also issued Government of India Guidelines for Government Websites (GIGW) in 2009. In line with new developments,  DAR&PG is updating the same.

            NeGP (since merged with Digital India Programme) was approved by Cabinet in May 2006. E-Office is one of the Mission Mode Project (MMP) under Central Government category of NeGP jointly formulated by DEITY and DARPG. , DAR&PG is the Line Department (Nodal Department)  for  e-office Mission Mode Project(MMP). NIC is the technology partner.

         ‘e-Office’ aims at creating an office environment that minimizes the use of paper documents and files, and by streamlining office workflow helps reduce process delays.  Its main objectives are:

• To improve efficiency, consistency and effectiveness of government responses
• To reduce turnaround time and to meet the demands of the citizens charter
• To provide for effective resource management to improve the quality of administration
• To establish transparency and accountability
• To provide cost effective e-storage facility
• To make office environment friendly and eco-friendly

 

(ii)           e-Office product developed by NIC presently consists of the following:

• File Management System(eFile) - Automates the processing of files and receipts.
• Knowledge Management System (KMS) - Acts as a centralized repository of various documents such as acts, policies and guidelines.
• Leave Management System (eLeave) - Automates the leave application and approval process.
• Tour Management System (eTour) - Automates employee tour programmes. 
• Personnel Information System (PIS) - Manages employee records.
• Collaboration and Messaging Services (CAMS) & ndash for internal collaboration & messaging. 

             DAR&PG has prepared the Master e-Governance Training Plan (MeTP), which has been implemented in NeGP implementing Ministries/ Departments in 2013-14. Master e-Governance Training Plan (MeTP) intends to build the capacity of central government employees for implementing e-Governance projects. Major proficiency tracks covered are Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), Project Management, Change Management, etc. Training of     Group-1(SO/Asst and equiv), Group-2(US/DS/Director and equiv) and Group-3(JS and equiv) levels are  being conducted by National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) and NIC.

             Digitization of records has been undertaken on priority and more than 700 files have been digitized in DARPG.

            DARPG has already implemented e-Office programme. The Department has switched over to e-Leave, e-GPF application, File Tracking System(FTS) and Knowledge Management System(KMS).

Empowerment of the Disabled persons

New schemes

“Pre-Matric Scholarship and Post-Matric Scholarship for Students with  Disabilities (SwD)” was launched. Under the Pre-Matric Scholarship, 46,000 students studying in class IX and X will be awarded scholarship every year (@ Rs.10000/- per SwD p.a.). Under the Post-Matric Scholarship 16,650 disabled students studying in class XI, XII onwards will be provided scholarship annually (@Rs.15000/- per SwD p.a.).

National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for SwDs at a total outlay of Rs.10.00   crores benefitting 60 students per annum @ Rs.13.00 lakh per annum to enable SwD to pursue higher education at the level of Masters Degree or Ph.D abroad has been implemented from the current financial year 2014-15. Applications have been invited.

Under the “Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for Students with disabilities”, applications have been invited for the year 2014-15. Selection is being done by University Grants Commission. UGC is in the process of selecting 300 candidates for the fellowship.

Flagship scheme of the Department

 Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) and ADIP, the Department has introduced a centralized on-line application system developed by NIC on the website www.ngograntsje.gov.in in the month of July 2014.

The revised ADIP Scheme has been operationalised. The salient features of the schemes are- Enhancement of cost ceiling; revised from Rs.6000/- to Rs.10000/- for single disability and from Rs.8000/- to Rs.12000/- for SwDs; Enhancement of income eligibility ceiling for 100% concession from Rs.6500/- per month to Rs, 15000/- per month and for a 50% concession from Rs.15000/- to Rs.20000/- per month.

Under the Scheme of Assistance to Disabled persons for purchase / fitting of aids & appliances (ADIP), the Department has introduced a centralized on-line application system developed by NIC on the website www.ngograntsje.gov.in in the month of July 2014.  Revised ADIP Scheme contains a provision to provide Cochlear Implant to 500 children per year, with a ceiling of  Rs. 6.00 lakh per unit to be borne by the  Government. The Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment has announced the commencement of First Cochlear Implant by AYJNIHH, Mumbai on International Day for the Persons with Disability on 3rd December 2014.

The Department in collaboration with TIFAC, an autonomous body of the Dept of Science & Technology, has launched a dedicated web portal for meeting the accessible needs relating to aids & appliances for persons with disabilities. The web portal was launched by the President of India on International Day for the Persons with Disability on 3^rd December 2014.   Swavlamban Composite camps – 200 Composite 'ABILITY- SWAWLAMBAN'.  Camps are being organized all over the Country.

The first batch of "motorized tricycles" has been distributed to 20 beneficiaries on 25.09.2014 at Shajapur, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

 

The Prime Minister of India and the Union Minister of SJ&E felicitated the  winners of Blind Cricket World Cup and   announced a cash Award of Rs. two Lakhs to  each player of the winning Team  representing India.

The Ministry is establishing Centres for Disabilities Sports to develop and encourage disabled sports persons.

A new “Scheme on Awareness Generations and Publicity” has been launched in the current financial year 2014-15 for creating enabling environment for social inclusion of the  PwDs in all fields of life by promoting awareness, encouraging volunteer action, financially supporting national/international events and accomplishments, etc. for the realization of the aspirations of PwDs.

Future Plans and New Initiatives on Good Governance:

"Accessible India campaign (Sugamya  Bharat Abhiyan)" is proposed to be  launched for the empowerment of persons  with disabilities through universal  accessibility for creating an enabling  environment for the PwDs to live an  independent life with dignity and equal  opportunity.

In order to facilitate PwDs, process of   equipping them with Universal ID has been  initiated and the detailed project report  (DPR) has been prepared. These will be smart cards containing information  regarding the disabilities etc. and will be  valid across the country.

A “Job portal for the PwDs” for facilitating employment of PwDs is being developed for the sector through National  Handicapped Finance Development  Corporation (NHFDC). This will aggregate  various jobs availability for PwDs in  Government/PSUs and private sector and  facilitate placement and employment of unemployed, skilled and semi-skilled PwDs. 

A toll-free “Help Desk/Help Centre” is  being developed by the Department  through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) for dissemination of information  relating to PwDs, tracking and handling of grievances, facilitating the aspirations and needs of PwDs such as skilling/  employment, etc.

The Department in collaboration with  Ministry of Skill and Entrepreneurship Development and National Skill  Development Council (NSDC) is preparing a comprehensive Strategy and Action Plan  for upscaling the skilling needs of the PwDs and their placement/employment with active involvement of various stakeholders  and different Departments mandated with skilling and employment generation.

An exclusive “National Level Mega Fair” for exhibition and sale of various products/goods being manufactured by PwDs and their organizations from all over the country will be organized in Delhi to provide enhanced exposure and market linkage/access for their products.

The Department is formulating  a scheme of “Scholarship for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities” for Post Graduate Degree/Diploma in specified premier Institutions of Excellence in India

Scheme for “Free Coaching for Students  with Disabilities” for competitive  Examinations in Government Jobs or for Admission in Professional and Technical Courses” is also being formulated.

First ever National Para –games are  scheduled to be organized in New Delhi in  association with the Paralympic Committee  of India, in the month of March 2015.

Skill development for 15000 PwDs has  been targeted under vocational training to  be conducted by NHFDC and National Institutes.

A new interactive, informative and  disability friendly dedicated website of the Department is being developed and will be launched in the current financial year.    

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

 

According to Census 2011, India has 55 million potential workers between the ages of 15 and 35 years in rural areas. At the same time, the world is expected to face a shortage of 57 million workers by 2020. This presents a historic opportunity for India to transform its demographic surplus into a demographic dividend. The Ministry of Rural Development implements DDU-GKY to drive this national agenda for inclusive growth, by developing skills and productive capacity of the rural youth from poor families.

 

There are several challenges preventing India’s rural poor from competing in the modern market, such as the lack of formal education and marketable skills. DDU-GKY bridges this gap by funding training projects benchmarked to global standards, with an emphasis on placement, retention, career progression and foreign placement.

 

Features of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

 

·         Enable Poor and Marginalized to Access Benefits

Demand led skill training at no cost to the rural poor

 

·         Inclusive Program Design

Mandatory coverage of socially disadvantaged groups (SC/ST 50%; Minority 15%; Women 33%)

 

·         Shifting Emphasis from Training to Career Progression

Pioneers in providing incentives for job retention, career progression and foreign placements

 

·         Greater Support for Placed Candidates

Post-placement support, migration support and alumni network

 

·         Proactive Approach to Build Placement Partnerships

Guaranteed Placement for at least 75% trained candidates

 

·         Enhancing the Capacity of Implementation Partners

Nurturing new training service providers and developing their skills

·         Regional Focus

Greater emphasis on projects for poor rural youth in Jammu and Kashmir (HIMAYAT),

the North-East region and 27 Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) districts (ROSHINI)

·         Standards-led Delivery

All program activities are subject to Standard Operating Procedures that are not open to interpretation by local inspectors. All inspections are supported by geo-tagged, time stamped videos/photographs

 

Implementation Model

 

DDU-GKY follows a 3-tier implementation model.  The DDU-GKY National Unit at MoRD functions as the policy-making, technical support and facilitation agency.  The DDU-GKY State Missions provide implementation support; and the Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) implement the programme through skilling and placement projects.

 

Project Funding Support

 

DDU-GKY provides funding support for placement linked skilling projects that address the market demand with funding support ranging from Rs. 25,696 to over Rs. 1 lakh per person, depending on the duration of the project and whether the project is residential or non-residential.  DDU-GKY funds projects with training duration from 576 hours (3 months) to 2304 hours (12 months).

Funding components include support for training costs, boarding and lodging (residential programmes), transportation costs, post-placement support costs, career progression and retention support costs.

 In funding projects, priority is given to PIAs offering:

 

•     Foreign Placement

•  Captive Employment: Those PIAs or organizations that take up skill training to meet internal ongoing HR needs

• Industry Internships: Support for internships with co-funding from industry

•  Champion Employers:  PIAs who can assure skill training and placement for a minimum of 10,000 DDU-GKY trainees in a span of 2 years  

•  Educational Institution of High Repute: Institutes with a minimum National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of 3.5 or Community Colleges with University Grants Commission (UGC)/ All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) funding   willing to take up DDU-GKY projects

 

 

Training Requirements

 

DDU-GKY funds a variety of skill training  programs  covering over 250 trades  across a range of sectors  such as Retail, Hospitality , Health, Construction, Automotive, Leather, Electrical, Plumbing, Gems and Jewelry, to name a few.  The only mandate is that skill training should be demand based and lead to placement of at least 75% of the trainees.

 

The trade specific skills are required to follow the curriculum and norms prescribed by specified national agencies: the National Council for Vocational Training and Sector Skills Councils.

 

In addition to the trade specific skills, training must be provided in employability and soft skills, functional English and functional Informational technology literacy so that the training can build cross cutting essential skills.

 

Training Quality Assurance

 

Through the National Policy on Skill Development, 2009, India recognized the need for the development of a national qualification framework that would transcend both general education and vocational education and training.  Accordingly, GOI has notified the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) in order to develop nationally standardized, and internationally comparable qualification mechanism for skill training programs which can also provide for interoperability with the mainstream education system.

 

In line with NSQF, DDU-GKY mandates independent third party assessment and certification by assessment bodies empanelled by the NCVT or SSCs.

 

Scale and Impact

 

DDU-GKY is applicable to the entire country.  The scheme is being implemented currently in 33 States/UTs across 610 districts partnering currently with over 202 PIAs covering more than 250 trades across 50+ sectors.  So far, from the year 2004-05 till 30th November 2014, a total of 10.94 lakh candidates have been trained and a total of 8.51 lakh candidates have been given placement.

NATIONAL DE WORMING DAY 10 FEB

      

National De-worming Day is observed on 10th February 2015.In this connection union ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched the National De-worming initiative at Jaipur, on 9^th Feb. 2015.

De-worming 

It is administering an antihelmintic drug to a human or animal to rid them of parasites, such as roundworm, hookworms, flukes and tapeworm. Mass deworming campaigns of school children have been used both as a preventive as well as a treatment method for helminthiasis which includes soil transmitted helminthiasis in children. Children can be treated by administering for example Mebendazole and Albendazole. The cost is relatively low. One tablet of Albendazole rids the child of parasitic worms which live in the child’s intestines and eat the nutrients the child needs for healthy mental and physical development. This tablet is safe for both infected and non-infected children and has a pleasant flavor.

Helminths

They are a group of parasites commonly referred to as worms and include schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths. Such infections are among the most common infections in developing countries.While mild infections often go unnoticed, more severe worm infections can lead to abdominal pain, listlessness, iron-deficiency anemia, malnutrition, stunting, and wasting.. Infections can also cause cognitive impairment as well as tissue damage that may require corrective surgery

WHO recommendations

To reduce the worm burden, WHO recommends periodic drug treatment (De-worming) of all school-age children living in endemic areas. WHO is of the view that treating children for worms—which affect an estimated 600 million school-aged children worldwide—improves school attendance, health, and long-run productivity. Oral de-worming drugs are extremely effective at killing most varieties of worms with a single dose, at negligible cost.

So, de-worming treatment is not only highly effective and inexpensive, it is easy to administer through public schools and brings benefits to children years after treatment. With hundreds of millions of children still at risk of worm infection worldwide, providing free school-based de-worming treatment is an easy policy “win” for health, education, and development.

Government Initiatives

School Health program under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), provides for De-worming as per national guidelines on bi-annually supervised schedule. In the state of Bihar world’s largest school-based de-worming initiative was taken up earlier and also the Delhi government had conducted such campaigns. According to WHO estimates, nearly 24 crore children in the age group of 1-14 years are at risk of intestinal parasitic worm infestation.

The new De-worming Initiative of the Health Ministry aims to de-worm all pre-school and school-age children (enrolled and non-enrolled) between the ages of 1-19 years. In the first phase about 14 crore children across eleven States/UT of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Tripura will be covered; while nearly 10 crore will be targeted in the second phase. In the first phase staring from the National De-worming Day on 10th February 2015, Albendazole tablets will be given to all targeted children; half tablet to 1-2 years children and one full tablet for 2-19 years. The children who are left out will be covered by a mop-up round to be carried out till 14th February 2015.

Union Health Minister has emphasized the need to target intestinal parasitic worms among the children to achieve status of being ‘Worm-free’ in India, after getting the ‘Polio-free’ status,. He has appealed to all MPs, MLAs, and local public representatives in addition to school teachers, ASHAs and Anganwadi workers for converging and supporting the Government in its mission to achieve Worm Free India.

This initiative needs to be coupled with improved sanitation, hygiene, and availability of safe drinking water for reducing worm load with active partnership and participation of the other ministries such as M/o Women and Child Development, M/O Human Resources Development, M/o Panchayati Raj and M/o Water and Sanitation. The deworming initiative is expected to help in achieving the aim of ‘Swachh Bharat’ as envisioned by the Prime Minister. 

This small, time tested initiative can have multiplier effect on various sectors like health, education, development at negligible cost.

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Agriculture in general is location and agro-climatic zone specific.  Technologies used in other countries are quite often required to be tailored to the needs, for sometimes, even new developments are needed. The Institutes and Centres of All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRP) on “Farm Implements & Machinery” are putting concerted efforts to increase the level of mechanization in the country. A new consortia research platform on “Farm Mechanization and Precision Farming” has been initiated in 12^th Plan to fast-track level of mechanization.

 

Research and Development achievements made on “Farm Mechanization and Precision Farming” during the past five years.

·         An android app (version 1.02) and an online web app has been developed to estimate top dressing dose of nitrogen fertilizer based on normalized difference index (NDVI) values obtained through green seeker sensor for rice and wheat crop.

·         Electromagnetic radiation profiles of mango have been studied to determine the most convenient methods of non-destructive defect detection. The information has been synthesized in the form of software for use in the non-destructive quality determination of mangoes.

·         Anthropometric data on Indian agricultural workers have been taken and relationships developed for design of appropriate tools for reduced drudgery in man-machine system and gender specific situations.

·         Rainfall patterns for Madhya Pradesh have been combined with soil characteristics to determine the rain harvesting options for different locations in the State.

·         Soil tool interactions have been studied in fully instrumented soil bins to study the tool wear and power requirements for efficient tool design.

·         Soyabean and its products have been characterized for their nutrition and consumption safety.

·         Cashew shells have been studied for their biochemical composition and combustion behavior with a view to design efficient energy generation system.

·         Vibrations transmitted from prime movers to operators have been characterized with a view to determine the methods of reducing vibration stresses on operators.

·         Physiology of fruits and vegetables under modified atmospheric conditions has been studied for selecting/designing suitable packaging systems.

·         Imaging techniques are being studied for precision application of inputs.

·         Animals physiology has been studied for enhancing the output of draught animals in agricultural operations.

·         Development of decision support software for tractor/machinery selection, design of irrigation system, etc.

 

            The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has taken initiative to adopt sophisticated farm equipment developed in other countries, to evaluate them under Indian conditions and to commercialize them by local manufactures for popularization under Indian conditions.

 

List of Practices/Equipment being propagated for modern farm equipment at par with advanced countries:

1. Laser guided land leveler
2. Pneumatic planters
3. Riding type rice transplanters
4. Sugarcane harvester
5. Multi-purpose hydraulic platform (developed by CIAE)
6. Automatic Litchi peeler
7. Cryogenic spice grinding system
8. Pomegranatae Aril extractor
9. Mechanized system for popping and decortications of Makhana seeds
10. Automatic Custard Apple pulper
11. Autoclavable microencapsulator

 

As has been informed in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 17^th March 2015 by Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Mohanbhai Kundaria, for the advancement of Agriculture, Government uses Information Technology through Centrally sponsored scheme

(i)                 National eGovernance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A)

(ii)               Central Sector Scheme – Strengthening/Promoting Agricultural Informatics Systems.

 

Under both these Schemes, the funds are released to the State Governments or its designated Implementing agency for implementation of the Schemes. The schemes aim to effect computerization upto the Block level for dissemination of agriculture related information to the farming community through various ICT enabled delivery channels including SMSs, IVRs, Internet Kiosks, and Farmer’s Portal.

 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has instituted a number of awards for various stakeholders like individual scientists/institutions/State Agriculture Universities (SAUs)/Krishi Vikas Kendras (KVKs)/farmers etc. for their outstanding achievements.

 

 

ROTAVAC

*Dr. H. R. Keshavamurthy

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured Rotavirus vaccine: 'Rotavac’, . This indigenously developed vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. 

Each year, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus results up to 10 lakh hospitalizations and kills nearly 80 thousand children under the age of 5 years. Besides causing emotional stress to the affected families, it also pushes many Indian families below the poverty line and also imposes significant economic burden on the country.

        What is Rotavirus infection?

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrheal (gastro enteritis) disease in infants and young children globally. Children under five years of age, especially those between 6 months and two years are most vulnerable to this disease. Rotaviruses are estimated to be responsible for approximately 5, 27,000 deaths each year, with more than 85% of these deaths occurring in low-income countries in Africa and Asia, and over two million are hospitalized each year with pronounced dehydration.

Among 43 countries participating in the Global Surveillance Network for rotavirus in 2009, 36% of hospitalizations for diarrhea among children aged below 5 years were caused by rotavirus infection. Rotavirus affects populations in all socio-economic groups and is equally prevalent in industrialized and developing countries. So differences in sanitation practices or water supply are not likely to affect the incidence of the infection.

Rotavirus

 The name Rotavirus comes from the characteristic wheel-like appearance of the virus when viewed by electron microscope (the name rotavirus is derived from the Latin word Rota, meaning "wheel”). Rota viral diarrhea is an infection of the stomach and bowel. It spreads when infected children do not maintain proper personal hygiene. Virus spreads by contact or airborne route. Most cases of gastroenteritis in children are mild and usually pass within 3-5 days without the need for treatment. However, young children, particularly those under two years of age, are at risk of dehydration. So it is very important that they drink plenty of fluids. In severe cases of gastroenteritis, where there has been significant fluid loss, hospital treatment may be required so that fluid can be replaced through drips.

   The first rotavirus infection tends to be the most severe because the body builds up immunity (resistance) to the virus afterwards. This is why these types of infections are extremely rare in adults. It is estimated that every child will have at least one rotavirus infection before the age of five. Most infections occur among children aged between three months and three years old.

Indian Scenario

In India, nationally representative data on the incidence of severe rota virus disease is lacking. However, studies have revealed that on an average 34% of all diarrheal hospitalizations are due to rota virus infection and the proportion of severe rota viral infection has not decreased in the last few years, similar to the global trend indicating that improved sanitation and use of anti-biotics have not been effective on rota virus. The prevalence of Rota virus in new born is high in India to the extent of 73%, but these infections are normally a- symptomatic and the likelihood of acquiring infection increases with the length of stay in the hospital.

While some studies in India have found no association between rotavirus infection and time of year, most have observed an increase in rotavirus-associated diarrhea during the winter months, October to February, throughout the country. The observed proportion of rotavirus cases occurring in the cooler season has ranged from 59% to 72%.

Treatment & Prevention

No specific treatment exists for rotavirus gastroenteritis, and repeat infections are common in children. Since 2006, vaccines are available for rotavirus infection. Prior to the availability of a vaccine, almost all children became infected with rotavirus by their third birthday. Repeat infections with different viral strains were possible. After several infections with different strains of the virus, children acquire immunity to rotavirus. Adults sometimes get infected, but the resulting illness is usually mild.

Vaccination

Use of vaccine should be part of a comprehensive diarrhoeal disease control strategy including, among other interventions, improvements of hygiene and sanitation, administration of oral rehydration solution and overall improved case management.

The new vaccine ROTAVAC has been developed under an innovative public-private partnership model. It involved partnership between the Ministry of Science and Technology, the institutions of the US Government, various government institutions and NGOs in India, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Funding by Government of India supported basic research in educational and scientific institutions in India. This was also supplemented by the support of U.S. Government institutions like the National Institute of Health. The Gates Foundation and Bharat Biotech India Limited contributed towards product development and testing. The successful launch of the first indigenously developed and produced vaccine today was the result of an extraordinary effort spread over the last 25 years. .

The Bharat Biotech India Limited that was involved in the development and production of the vaccine was selected in 1997-1998 by the India-U.S. Vaccine Action Programme and the standard government procedures. The company has given undertaking to keep the cost of the vaccine at US$ 1 per dose. This is the third such vaccine available globally against Rotavirus and, at the current prices, the cheapest and cost effective in terms of disability adjusted life year that satisfy the WHO/ UNICEF criteria for a cost- effective  intervention.

 ROTAVAC is an oral vaccine and is administered to infants in a three-dose course at the ages of 6, 10, and 14 weeks. It is given alongside routine immunizations in the UIP vaccines recommended at these ages.. Improving the overall performance of the immunization system is critical to the success of any vaccine introduction.

ROTAVAC represents the successful research and development of a novel vaccine from the developing world with global standards. The Prime Minister lauded this initiative as an example of India's capabilities for high-end research and development; manufacture of sophisticated pharmaceutical products in India; and, effective Public-Private-Partnership model for finding affordable solutions to societal challenges.

He hoped that the development of the rotavirus vaccine would inspire higher levels of research, development and manufacturing activities in India, not just in medical science, but also in other advanced areas of science and technology. On the launch occasion Prime Minister felt that solutions found in India would have great relevance to the rest of the world, especially the developing world.

 * Dr. H. R. Keshavamurthy is Director (M&C), Press Information Bureau, Kolkata.