Minister to inaugurate 2-day Interactive forum to mark World Homoeopathy Day 2026 (See 'Corp Brief') MoS asks private sector to accelerate its participation in R&D activities (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Controller of Patent would decide whether differences, viewed in knowledge of alleged invention, constitute steps which would have been obvious to ordinary person skilled in art and rule out hindsight approach: HC (See 'Legal Desk') 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' Vision guides National Review Conference in Varanasi (See 'Corp Brief') Department of Higher Education organises interactive session on Indian Knowledge Systems (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Generic disclosure does not, by itself, defeat novelty of specific disclosure; Prior art that teaches away from claimed invention cannot serve as foundation for anticipation: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana completes 11 Years of empowering Small and Micro Entrepreneurs (See 'Corp Brief') International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations being held in Bengaluru (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Prior user of trademark has superior rights over subsequent user who holds registration for same or similar mark: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Sirsa to review status of saline water Aquaculture cluster notified under PMMSY (See 'Corp Brief') TRAI releases paper on Satellite Communication Network Authorisation (See 'Corp Brief') Union Minister of Power to embark on 4-Day Visit to Bhutan (See 'Corp Brief') Benami Act - If no loan was repaid in actual, and just funds have been rotated among same group of parties, thereby establishing benami transaction, provisional attachment is justified: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') CCI nod for acquisition of shares by Coastal Cedar Investments in Fleur Hotels (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves acquisition of equity of KNR SPVs by Indus Infra Trust (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves acquisition by Citrus Investment LLC of shares in Hitachi Construction Machinery (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays acquisition of equity shares of Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd. by Indriya Ltd. (See 'Corp Brief') Company Law - Sourcing pre-condition deposit unlawfully from corporate funds in direct violation of Sec 185, or executing settlement agreements without effectuating actual refunds or delivering legally valid & habitable possession, is illegal: SC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves acquisition of equity in Nabha Power by Torrent Power Ltd. (See 'Corp Brief') Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attains First Criticality (See 'Corp Brief') Policy for Transit Oriented Development for providing affordable housing in Delhi (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Initiating proceedings under PMLA for continuing possession or use of proceeds of crime acquired prior to enactment of PMLA does not violate Article 20(1) of Constitution: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Ministry of Mines notifies Amendment in Rules for Faster Operationalisation of Mines (See 'Corp Brief') Govt to curb Distress Sale in APT Crops; Value Addition to boost Farmers' Income (See 'Corp Brief') Navi Mumbai turning Textile Waste into Opportunity for People (See 'Corp Brief') TRAI releases Paper on 'Formulation of Regulatory Framework for ALTD Services (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Minor alteration to well-established trademark, such as changing single letter, does not render new mark dissimilar, especially when it remains phonetically and visually close to original: HC (See 'Legal Desk') GeM achieves Rs 18.4 Lakh Crore GMV, Emerges as Key Digital Public Procurement Platform (See 'Corp Brief') Benami Act - Burden of proof of benami transaction rests strictly upon person asserting it, and reliance solely on uncorroborated statements of third parties recorded in unrelated Income Tax proceedings, is insufficient: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') Union Minister to inaugurate NCVET Capacity Building (See 'Corp Brief') FEMA - Continuing adjudication u/s 16 of FEMA despite competent authority's refusal to confirm seizure u/s 37A of FEMA, is contrary to law: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Minister calls for stronger research-industry linkages to scale food innovation sector (See 'Corp Brief') A&C Act - Doctrine of 'transnational issue estoppel' applies to enforcement proceedings u/s 48 of Arbitration Act, barring enforcement court from undertaking merits-based review: SC (See 'Legal Desk') MoS backs scaling up indigenous Insulin production amid global supply concerns (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Mere existence of document, despite it containing arbitration clause, would not qualify as arbitration agreement, unless it is signed by parties seeking to invoke clause as also party against whom enforcement is sought: HC (See 'Legal Desk') New Sainik School reflects Centre's Vision for Nation-Building through Education (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Agreement to sell being unregistered and unstamped as per Registration Act, Transfer of Property Act, and Indian Stamps Act, cannot be enforced: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Supreme Court Clears Path For Single Insolvency Proceedings Against Linked Group Companies (See CORP EINSICHT)

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.

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