Companies Act - Coal beneficiation cannot per se be excluded from ambit of manufacturing process to justify quashing of criminal complaint at preliminary stage: HC (See 'Legal Desk') MISC - RBI, possessing superior expertise in financial administration over cooperative authorities, has independent power to supersede board of a cooperative bank under the Banking Regulation Act - Principles of natural justice do not apply to Section 36AAA of Banking Regulation Act 1949: HC (See 'Legal Desk') IPR - Patent offices cannot rely on mere hypotheses or hindsight to dismiss technical advancement: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Youth Unrest & CJP Agitation: Key Learnings (See CORP EINSICHT) 'Corporate Mitra Scheme' Awareness Webinar Successfully Organized by IICA Shillong (See 'Corp Brief') Rajya Sabha organises Orientation Programme for newly elected Members (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Service of insolvency petition on corporate debtor's registered email address available in MCA records constitutes valid service, if accompanied by attempts at service at registered office and publication in accordance with NCLT Rules: NCLAT (See 'Legal Desk') Coast Guard rescues 170 Persons in Flood Relief Operations across Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Prior or parallel proceedings under SARFAESI and before DRT do not bar Section 95 insolvency application: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Public Advisory: Beware of Fraudulent Air Suvidha 2.0 Websites (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Liquidation application allowed where corporate debtor is not a going concern, has prima facie nil asset value & where requirements of Section 33 of IBC 2016 are met: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Committee discusses consumer-centric framework for parallel distribution licensing (See 'Corp Brief') NHA convenes BRICS Dialogue on strengthening Continuum of Care Through Digital Health (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Storing copyrighted literary works solely for training LLM constitutes 'Fair Dealing' u/s 52(1)(a) of Copyright Act: HC (See 'Legal Desk') PM Ekta Malls and PMFME Scheme strengthen Market Access for ODOP Products (See 'Corp Brief') AP Postal Circle Emerges as Nation's Best Performer in Q1 (See 'Corp Brief') PM Vishwakarma Scheme rolls out in West Bengal (See 'Corp Brief') NHAI extends 'Clean Toilet Picture Challenge' till 30th June 2027 (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Statutory timelines for entering national phase and requesting examination under Patents Act are rigid, mandatory, and cannot be extended: HC (See 'Legal Desk') NICDC organises Cross-Learning Site Visit to AURIC Smart City (See 'Corp Brief') IPC and CSIR-CIMAP renew collaboration to advance Medicinal Plant Research (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - ED can validly attach specific commercial units equivalent to value of diverted crime proceeds regardless of whether entity was named in predicate FIR: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves acquisition of 100% equity share capital of NCR Atleos Corporation (See 'Corp Brief') Chouhan to provide relief to Totapuri mango farmers of AP, TN and Karnataka (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - In passing off action, plaintiff must prove not only similar name but actual misrepresentation and strong likelihood of consumer confusion: HC (See 'Legal Desk') 3.75 Lakh Students and Researchers Benefited Under INSPIRE Programme: MoS (See 'Corp Brief') NHAI strengthens Framework for Engaging Professionals in Highway Consultancy (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Passing off action can be seamlessly expanded into infringement action if they share common factual foundation: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Expanded BRICS represents Opportunity to shape the Future of Global Health (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Disputes involving 'rights in rem' that affect overarching corporate structure and public interest, cannot be settled in private arbitration: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk')

India, ADB sign USD 300 mn loan to improve primary healthcare in India

Published: Nov 24, 2021

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, NOV 24, 2021: THE Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a USD 300 million loan to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas of 13 states that will benefit over 256 million urban dwellers including 51 million from slum areas.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, signed for the Government of India the agreement for Strengthening Comprehensive Primary Health Care and pandemic preparedness in Urban Areas Program while Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, signed for ADB.

After signing the loan agreement, Mr Mishra said that the programme supports the Government of India's key health initiatives - Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) and Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PM-ASBY) - which has been renamed as Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) - by expanding availability and access to quality primary health care services particularly for vulnerable populations in urban areas.

Ayushman Bharat programme, launched in 2018, aims to improve access to comprehensive primary health care as a key strategy to achieve universal health coverage in India. With the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that put additional pressure on the country's health system, the government launched PM-ASBY later renamed as PM-ABHIM in October 2021 to adopt a long-term approach to system strengthening to prepare for future pandemics and other emergencies.

"Ensuring equitable access to non-COVID-19 primary health care is critical amid challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic to India's health system," said Konishi. "The programme complements the government's efforts to bridge the health care gaps by strengthening institutional capacity, operation, and management of urban health and wellness centers at the central, state, and municipal levels."

The programme will be implemented in urban areas across 13 states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal. Beside the pandemic response, interventions through the program promote increased utilization of urban HWCs with provision of comprehensive primary health care packages including non-communicable diseases and community outreach services such as awareness raising activities on health care options, particularly for women. Delivery and health information systems for primary health care will be upgraded through digital tools, quality assurance mechanisms, and engagement and partnership with the private sector.

The programme is supported by a USD 2 million technical assistance grant from ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to provide support for programme implementation and coordination, capacity building, innovation, knowledge sharing and application of scalable best practices across the healthcare system.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES