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Philanthropist Raju Manju creates history by collecting 4.30 crore rupees for cow service

The India Saga Saga |

Raju Manju who is known for his philanthropic act of service for needy people and cows recently created history by collecting 4.30 crore rupees for cow service in a single night during the Bhajan Sandhya in his area. He lives in Jambheshwar Nagar in Lohawat, Darasal Jodhpur district, and works day and night tending to the needs of the underprivileged and caring for cows. Raju Manju was also leading the way even during the dreadful Corona transition era, from cow service to the delivery of ration goods at the houses of hundreds of people in his neighbourhood, he helped everyone. He has also planted more than 1000 plants till now.

 

The contributions made by Raju Manju don’t stop here. Some members of the Meghwal community in their area once experienced tragedy. He, therefore, stepped up in response to their plight and constructed a permanent home for them. Additionally, he organised ration supplies for their families. Raju Manju claims that he continues to provide as much cow service as he can from his own side and steps up to assist those in need because of the inspiration of his Guru Maharaj and Lord Jambheshwar. He finds ultimate happiness in assisting people and serving them as much as he can.

 

The villagers still remember Raju Manju’s contribution to the second wave of Corona infection. Jhoomarram S/O Khamuram ji Meghwal, whose wife’s name is Dhapu Devi, sons are named Sunil and Deepak, and daughters are named Poonam and Payal, all of whom live in Meghwal’s Dhani Jambheshwar Nagar Lohawat. His two brothers passed away in Corona. There was only one individual Raju Manju, who instead of constructing his own home with the money he had saved up over a four-year period, built a home, a bathroom, and a water tank for this family in need.

 

It is the cumulative efforts of people like Raju Manju that help in making this world a better place. They not only uplift society but also imprint a strong impact on people’s minds. Similarly, it is Raju Manju’s wonderful work that he continued to inspire others to assist the ordinary man in addition to engaging himself. According to him, serving cows was the best service he had ever done. He has worked for the mother cow before because of this and will always be doing this.

 

How Capture a Trip is Tackling problems of Indian Travellers

The India Saga Saga |

The travel industry in India is at its boom. After severe suffering in the years 2020-2021 due to the pandemic, the sector is again rejuvenating. Interestingly, while the number of foreign travellers hasn’t yet recovered, the percentage of Indians travelling in India has shot up in numbers manifold. Due to the frustration of being locked up in their homes for two years, Indians are now travelling with full enthusiasm. Experts are calling this phenomenon, ‘revenge travel’, and the Indian travel industry is surely benefiting from it. As the travel industry is on the uprise, and now Indian tourists consist a huge proportion of it, the problems of this sector have also become shaped according to Indian mentality and attitude. While many companies are still finding it difficult to understand the spending behaviour of Indian tourists and the problems associated with it, a Faridabad-based travel company, Capture a Trip has it all figured out and has modelled its business catering to young Indian travellers.

 

Two of the major problems of Indians while travelling are budget and safety. Indians are very smart spenders and want value for every penny they spend. To tackle this issue, Capture a Trip has established an extensive chain of vendors in all the popular as well off-beat locations of India. This helps them find hidden hotel stays and transport facilities that might not be as popular but provide quality services. This helps them cut their costs and provide packages at lower prices, hence fighting the limited budget of these travellers with their top-notch ground operations. Apart from this when it comes to safety, Capture a Trip provides a trained ‘Trip Leader’ to its travellers on every trip whose job is to ensure the smooth functioning of trips, completion of the itineraries and make trips enjoyable for the travellers. These Trip Leaders play a crucial role in building trust between the company and travellers since we Indians tend to put a lot of value on human relationships and help in communicating the safety of their trip to travellers. This helps Capture a Trip to make packages of off-beat locations and handle the fear of travellers exploring these locations. In fact, earnings from off-beat locations constitute a huge portion of the earnings of Capture a Trip.

 

Other than tackling these problems with the two biggest weapons of Capture a Trip, the company also focuses on building a community of travellers rather than acting just as an entity making profits. This huge shift in the approach of perception has allowed Capture a Trip to act as someone who brings like-minded young travellers together and gives them a space to express themselves. This community promotes values like respecting women, making travel safe for females, accepting solo travellers with open arms and choosing ways of responsible travelling. It is commendable that in just 6 years a company is restructuring the travel industry and marking its own territory in the Indian travel sector. It will be more exciting to see what more heights Capture a Trip is yet to touch.

Reskilling is The New Hiring: Here’s Why

The India Saga Saga |

Skills gaps will increase as in-demand skills change in the next five years.  

 

77% of all employees will need significant reskilling and upskilling by 2026 to bridge this gap.  

 

The world is experiencing a talent crisis. 

 

By 2030, approximately 1 billion jobs, or about a third of all jobs worldwide, are predicted to see severe digital disruption. 

 

The signs of a looming skills disruption have been quite evident for a while now. 

 

Technology innovations, evolving workforce models, and a dynamic corporate environment have disrupted the nature of work. 

 

With continuous advances in AI and automation, HR leaders are staring at a markedly different talent ecosystem in ten years. The scale & frequency of these disruptions will only increase with time, resulting in the extinction of some job roles and the development of new positions that need an understanding of new technologies. 

 

All these factors make Reskilling an unavoidable option for businesses seeking to develop a future-ready workforce. 

 

A meta-analysis by Draup reveals that: 

 

  • Reskilling reduces hiring costs by up to 50% per employee.
  • Over 60% of Learning and Development teams cite upskilling and reskilling as their top priority. 
  • Internal reskilling increase employee satisfaction rates by over 80%.

 

Reskilling and its Benefits Over New Hire 

 

Reskilling existing staff via training rather than replacing them has considerable benefits for businesses across the board. Some of these are mentioned below: 

 

  1. Reduces Cost To The Company

A company can save money by providing additional training to people who are already familiar with its goals, operations, and customers rather than spending money on hiring new employees. They can also cut costs connected with hiring new employees via reskilling. 

 

Cost savings can be maximized in: 

 

  • Recruitment: Which includes posting to employment sites, employing recruiters, and screening procedures 
  • Background checks: Most businesses do at least one sort of background check to determine who they are hiring. Reskilling internal talent helps cut these expenses. 
  • Onboarding: Reskilling reduces onboarding expenses such as IT configuration and orientation processes. 

 

By reskilling existing workers, businesses can avoid incurring these additional costs while still acquiring the necessary expertise for sustained development and success. 

 

  1. Minimizes Employee Turnover 

 

Losing an employee can cost a company 1.5-2 times the employee’s salary. When a company helps its employees learn new skills they are more likely to stay with the company. They retain the best employees, boost team morale, and increases the quality of the talent pool, which keeps the company competitive.  

 

  1. Improves Employee Satisfaction  

 

Employees that feel appreciated and happy with their job are more engaged in the company. They tend to perform better, which increases client happiness. These employees then deliver superior customer service and pay attention to detail. Their training keeps them up-to-date with industry trends and solutions, allowing them to make more informed suggestions to customers.  

 

  1. Reduces Training Expenses 

 

Reskilling an existing employee is 23% cheaper than fresh hiring.  

 

On-the-job training, in-house L&D processes, and other reskilling strategies help reduce training expenses during hiring downturns and even prevent skills gaps from creeping in during hiring freezes. Many companies provide in-house training that does not add any additional costs. With lower expenditures for training, seminars, tutorials, guest speakers, etc., the company can shift its focus as well as its budget to other important areas. 

 

  1. Builds Resilience Against Future Disruptions 

 

To build strategies for reskilling and upskilling, organizations must evaluate their existing situation. This helps them find skill gaps and pinpoint improvement opportunities. This evaluation enables companies to establish resilience against potential disruptions and help plan for the future. This kind of foresight may keep you ahead of your competitors in the future. 

 

Draup – An AI-Driven Reskilling Tool 

 

Implementing reskilling effectively throughout a business is a daunting challenge for people management teams. There needs to be more understanding throughout the ecosystem on how to map individuals to their appropriate positions, identify disrupted roles, and transition employees from these disrupted roles as quickly as feasible. 

 

Draup delivers its talent customers unique role-level and skill-level insights not available on any other platform. This helps talent strategy teams build strategic location and role-wise workforce plans. 

 

Draup’s powerful AI engine, applied to a database of over 750 million profiles, helps HR leaders find & hire the right skills and implement cost-optimized AI-driven reskilling initiatives to transform their global workforces and become future-ready. 

Comprehending fundamentals of cryptocurrency, UnityMeta Token overtakes the marketplace

The India Saga Saga |

A cryptocurrency is a form of virtual money designed as a means of exchange. It resembles actual money quite closely, with the anomaly of using encryption rather than having a concrete form. Cryptocurrency is a coded string of transmission that represents a division of exchange. Blockchains are coequal networks that act as fast transaction logs while keeping trailing and organising digital collectibles by buying, selling, and transferring them. They can function as digital money and an accounting method by using encryption technology. Since no central bank or body controls how cryptocurrencies operate, additional units can only be introduced if specific requirements have been satisfied. In line with this, UnityMeta Token is one such emerging cryptocurrency of today.

 

UnityMeta Token is developing the latest and top-notch technology on the most steadfast blockchain, BSC (Binance Smart Chain). The goal of the UnityMeta Token’s creation is to make it the most practical DeFi token. The idea of token burning will continuously burn tokens from the supply. 0.1% of the tokens will burn each time someone buys, sells, swaps, rents, or transfers UnityMeta Tokens. Owing to this, the token’s supply will slowly decline with time. It will act as a driving force to raise the price and develop into an asset for owners. “Smart contacts built for both novice and expert users, with real-time crypto solutions and revenue schemes. Developers and resources from outside the team will also be a part of the ecosystem. This is a futuristic approach that we at UnityMeta Token are progressively hoping for,” according to UnityMeta Token’s founder and owner.

 

Although it uses a different blockchain, UnityMeta Token (or UMT) was developed using the same fundamental technical framework as the original. Since its start in November 2022, UnityMeta Token (UMT), one of the most major cryptocurrency projects, has been releasing NFT-based and gaming tokens. The project has a 99,000 token cap and an internal solid technical team that includes a number of crypto experts and technical analysts. UnityMeta Token is already listed on more than 40 rate-tracking websites, including Nomics, Coinhunt, Dexscreener, Apespace, Coincodex, Coinsniper, cointoplist, and numerous others.

 

Due to its low supply and burnable token (0.1% of the token is burned with each transaction), UnityMeta Token is the best in the crypto sphere. Using Pancakeswap, users can even purchase UMT (Decentralised Exchange). The 90% supply of UnityMeta Token is secured in a DxSale (Locker) for 9 Years, or till 2031. The UMT costs $10 and was released on November 20, 2022. It is a completely decentralized project that uses Binance Blockchain technology. In addition to 10,000 NFTs, UnityMeta Token intends to provide its users with a gaming platform in 2023.

 

By 2030, according to futurists, cryptocurrencies will account for 25% of all national currencies, which means that a sizable portion of the global population will begin to trust cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. It will continue to be volatile, which means prices will fluctuate like they have been doing over the previous few years, and it will be more and more tolerated by businesses and customers. The source-to-source payment system authorizes anyone to transmit and accept money from anywhere. In the real world, cryptocurrency transactions are recorded digitally in an online database that allows for identifying particular transactions rather than being carried around and exchanged as actual money. The advantages of cryptocurrencies include faster and less expensive financial transactions and decentralized networks that never crash. UnityMeta Token is a platform that instigates such processes for people and prepares them for the upcoming future of Web 3.0.

These latest Holiday Arrivals at PowerSutra would make you go out and flaunt the beautiful you

The India Saga Saga |

“When a woman smiles, then her dressing should smile too,” said the famous Madeleine Vionnet, describing the world of fashion in a refined way. It is well known that elegance is not about being noticed but about being remembered. Being beautiful is one thing but being stylish is another; when those two are coupled, you get grace. We are aware that wearing what admires your body and skin is hard to find. Hopping from website to website, store to store, and we still get nowhere? Take a hint, and switch to PowerSutra, a classy women’s clothing brand that has revived how we view fashion today. The store has so much to offer the ladies. It begins and ends with style.  

 

The most important party season fashion trends, including sequins, scarlet, and sheer, have been selected by PowerSutra, along with instructions on how to wear them. Come here for Christmas and New Year’s shopping if you still need help finding the proper clothing. PowerSutra has the perfect clothes for you no matter where you are going. Consider glitter, glitz, and glam. Now is the perfect opportunity to wear that all-party dress you’ve had your eye on for a few months. For the fall season collection, the brand has some glistening party wear like Satin Stretch A-line Party Dress – Wine, Satin Spaghetti Dress – Black, Velvet Evening Dress for Women – Royal Blue, Dupioni Piping Details Party Dress – Silver Grey, and Shimmery Halter Neck Stretch Party Dress – Black

 

To interpret the reality of fashion, Clothes are a language that can be modeled. PowerSutra has every luscious dress you can imagine. It has excellent fabric quality, texture, and patterns to suit you well. Anyone can buy fashion, but style is what you’re born with. Adhering to this thought, PowerSutra has come up with a brand-new Holiday Arrival collection that can create a whirr in your closet.  High and Low Fit n Flare Dress, Notched Lapel Light Weight Stretch Jacket – White, Solid Tweed Over Coat – Teal Blue, V neck crepe top, and many more are the new holiday wear that the brand has launched. 

 

You always need to decide whether to dress up or keep it casual for a party at a friend’s place. Choose an outfit that is both modern and livable. PowerSutra suggests a stunning assortment of outfits from which one might select while dancing away the minutes of 2022. While many describe their aesthetic dressing as “modern futurism balanced with timeless simplicity,” one must select a dress for your annual event while being traditional. Opt for structured dresses in vivid colors if you genuinely want to stand out. PowerSutra has some great outfits that have gained popularity thanks to their party-ready dresses and Blazers. The brand has achieved an exceptional industry standing this fall season and shows no signs of slowing down. PowerSutra anticipates being one of the brands on A-listers billboard this season as it is already a favorite among the fashion set. 

 

Fashion is a global industry that invests in foreseeing what we wear and how we want to seem to others. But fashion is more than merely an ambition. It is also a cultural and societal sensation powered by a craving for wonder. PowerSutra is trying to make a difference in this shrink. The New Look that PowerSutra is instigating is still referred to as the representation of fashion as a seasonal change and the “newest thing.” It also shows how some degree of modification is required for clothing to become fashionable. The materiality of clothing and the sensation of wearing it both contribute to what we know about fashion, but PowerSutra’s fashion representation teaches us much more.

 

Continue Reading on The India Saga.

Pradip Jentibhai Bhakhar’s Path to a Successful Political Career

The India Saga Saga |

Pradip Jentibhai Bhakhar born on 08-07-1994 in balapur, Gujarat is a young upcoming leader. He is from Deri Pipariya Bagasara District Amreli ,Gujarat. He is active in politics from his college days and since then is having great impact on people around him.

He is an active member of BJP from his college time and now has great connections among the national party. He is the BJP President from Taluka Bagsara. He stood in the Panchayat elections taluka bagasara in 2020 but sadly lost from 1 vote. But this didn’t let him stop his passion for helping people and doing something for his neighbourhood. He againg fought the Panchayat elections in 2022 and this time won with a huge margin.

Currently he holds the post of Sarpanch of Deri Pipaliya as well as Head of Sarpanchs Bagsara region,Gujarat. Recently he worked closely with MLA J.V. KAKDIYA representing Dhari Vidhansabha in his election campaign and made him win the elections by a huga margin. He has done a lot of work for the betterment of people of Amreli region which is the reason of unconditional love he recieves from them.

He is the head of all Panchayats and he is also the Vice President of Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti Prerit Hindudharm Sena Amreli,Gujarat. He has achieved all this at an young age of 27 years and hopes to make it to big level so that he can do something for the betterment of his people and country.

 

Other than his political career he is also a successful businessman. He has been in the elevator business industry from last 6 years and he also runs Schools and Saree and kurti factory. All this is possible because of the support he is getting from his family and friends.

India needs such political leaders who are ready to devote themselves for the service of people without seeing the benefits. It is because of such leaders like Pradip that India is still such a influential country.

American Pistachios and its Health Benefits

The India Saga Saga |

India is a fast-growing market for American pistachios as consumers here find out more about the health benefits of regularly consuming these delectable nuts.

 

The Indian office of American Pistachios Growers (APG), organized a knowledge session to talk about the nutritive properties in pistachios on December 14, 2022 in New Delhi that was attended by leading lifestyle influencers.

 

The session especially focused on a recent study conducted by Cornell University and published in the journal Nutrients that found that pistachios have a high antioxidant capacity. In fact, the antioxidant capacity of pistachios rivals that of popular antioxidant-containing foods, including blueberries, pomegranates, cherries and red wine. The researchers used the two different methods to measure the antioxidant potential of pistachios – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Cellular Antioxidant Activity (CAA) – and found that pistachios have very high level of antioxidant activities.

 

Generally, most health professionals recommend antioxidants from food sources to help protect healthy cells from free radical damage in the body.

 

Pistachios are one of the very few foods high in antioxidants that are also a complete protein. This makes them perfect for people who want a more plant-based diet. Research conducted and published in 2020 had shown that California grown pistachios are a complete protein; which means that they contain all 9 essential amino acids that your body needs. These types of complete proteins are only found from animal sources. Vegetarians need to balance this with supplements. Pistachios are a natural source.

 

Pistachios are also low in calories when compared to other nuts. One serving of pistachios (49 nuts) is only 160 calories making them a great anytime guilt free snack.

 

Speaking on the occasion Ms. Pooja Makhija, renowned Nutritionist, Functional & Lifestyle Practitioner and Eminent Writer commented “Foods that are rich in antioxidants help protect healthy cells from free radical damage, and proteins are like the building blocks that help with muscle regeneration and repair. It is amazing that pistachios have both these powers. Since they are shelf stable and easily portable, a handful of American pistachios should be consumed daily by all.”

 

In addition, they also have beneficial fats, fibre and other important nutrients that our body needs every day, Ms. Makhija added.

 

Speaking on the India market Mr. Sumit Saran, In-Country Marketing Representative of American Pistachios Growers remarked. “We have seen tremendous demand for American pistachios, as people are getting more aware. They are great as a snack or as an ingredient. American pistachios are available on all major e-commerce platforms or with major dry fruit retailers. All consumers have to do is search for California pistachios.

 

American Pistachio Growers is a non-profit trade association representing more than 865 growers, member processors and industry stakeholders in California, Arizona and New Mexico. More details and a compendium of the global research can be found at www.AmericanPistachios.in     

 

 

 

Golden Agers organises trip to Bharatpur for MAMCOS batch of 1968

The India Saga Saga |

Recently, Golden Agers (a brand of MicroNet infocom and logistics Pvt Ltd) which is famous for providing group travel solutions for senior citizens organised a trip for 23 Senior Citizen doctors at the age of 72 years who completed their medical degrees from Maulana Azad Medical College Delhi in the year 1968. The MAMCOS (Maulana Azad Medical College Old Student) specially asked for Golden Agers to conduct their whole tour. The batch of 1968 met for a get-together on their golden jubilee and went to Bharatpur, Rajasthan for the celebration.

 

The stay was for two nights and three days, the transfer was from Delhi to Bharatpur and then back to Delhi. The founder of the company Nidhi Mehra herself overlooked the happening of the trip and ensured that everything was perfect. From luxury buses to fun activities to proper meals, everything was planned in accordance with the convenience of senior citizens. The trip also included sightseeing at various places like the bird sanctuary, lakes, palaces, etc. The first day of the event commenced with a cake cutting and was followed by fun activities, games and a lavish dinner.

 

Also Read about the upcoming Winners of Tomorrow’s India Awards 2023 (WTI Awards 2023) by Clicking Here.

 

While talking about the tour and the company, the founder Nidhi Mehra says, “Travel is an activity that makes the spark alive and everyone deserves to explore new places. Exploring new locations, having new experiences, and meeting new people are all made possible through travel. One can run into other travellers when they venture out. They can engage with them and connect with them to establish new friends. Sharing experiences with others and hearing about their adventures is always enjoyable. However, due to their age, senior citizens require extra care and we at Golden agers are here to give the same. After all these years of hard work they deserve to rest and to provide them tension free- comfortable travel, we work day and night. Seeing them happy is what gives us immense happiness and the same is what happened on this recent trip to Bharatpur. We ultimately aim on continuing to do the same and make our services even better.”

 

Golden Agers has worked for prestigious travel companies, for more than 20 years and has a wealth of first-hand travel knowledge to share. This portal is unique due to the incorporation of aspects including elderly-friendly relaxing itineraries, tour captains for help, and like-minded same-age co-travellers. since the team has always believed that age should not be taken into account when planning a trip. Travelling, in the opinion of Golden Agers, is one of life’s most rewarding experiences and is best for one’s mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. Owing to the same Golden Agers has been creating a stride in the industry and in the near future, they plan on expanding their horizons even further.

Ensure proper functioning condition of all toilets in the schools: Centre to States

The India Saga Saga |

Centre has asked the States and UTs to create hand washing facilities with the provision of soap, and train teachers to impart hygiene education to students in all the schools across the country. States/UTs have been asked to fast track the provision of stand-alone piped water supply solutions and simple, sustainable solar solutions

In a joint advisory issued by the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education; Ministry of Jal Shakti; NITI Aayog; Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, it is mentioned that the rejuvenation of basic infrastructure including improved sanitation facilities and provision of safe drinking water and maintaining the over all cleanliness in the Government schools has long been a priority of the Government. Some of the programmes being implemented in mission-mode like Swachh Bharat Mission- Grameen (SBM-G) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) are going a long way in improving the living standards ofthe people. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) has transformed rural India by manifesting into a Jan Andolan for sanitation. Under Phase -ll of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), the focus is on Open Defecation Free (ODF) sustainability and solid and liquid waste management. Following the saturation approach, the objective, is to ensure that no one is left behind from access to improved   including the Schools.

It is further mentioned that under ODF Plus, it is also to be ensured that all schools in villages have arrangements for management of bio-degradable waste and grey water. It is important to ensure that all the toilets in the schools are in proper functioning condition. However, some of them may require retrofitting from single pit to twin pits. This may be done as part of the on-going campaign of retrofitting from single pit to twin pits.

The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Report 2021-22 suggests some gaps in toilets and hand washing facilities. Centre has asked states that all these gaps need to be filled by following the saturation approach. Further, hand washing facilities with the provision of soap may be created in all the schools. It is also essential that hygiene education is imparted to the children on all aspects of hygiene. For this purpose, at least one teacher in each school must be trained in hygiene education who in turn should train the children through interesting activities and community projects that emphasize hygiene behaviour. A chapter on Swachhta has been included in supplementary material at primary level developed by NCERT to inculcate good hygiene practices in the schools.

The advisory also mentioned that under Jal Jeevan Mission, making provision of safe tap water supply in schools, anganwadi centres, Ashram Shalas is a top priority of the Government for ensuring good health and wellbeing of our children. This critical intervention was launched in a campaign mode on 2nd October, 2020, aimed at bringing focus on the public health dimension of young children by assured supply of safe drinking water, especially in time of pandemic. So far, as per UDISE+ 2021-22 data, out of around 10.22 lakh Government schools, functional drinking water facility has been provided in 9.83 lakh [96% approx.) government schools.

The advisory mentioned that flexibility has been given to the State/UTs to provide stand-alone piped water supply solutions instead of waiting for the completion of the village water supply infrastructure for the Schools and simple sustainable solar solutions may also be provided.

Centre asked States to fast-track these projects in view of the importance of safe water for the overall health and well-being of our children.

Any requirement of funds for repair or construction of toilets, hand washing facilities or drinking water may be met from funds being released under 15th Finance commission, State Finance Commission, MGNREGS, District Mineral funds and any other sources, following the extant guidelines of these schemes/sources.

 

COVID is not over yet. I also urge people to take COVID vaccination: Dr Mansukh Mandaviya

The India Saga Saga |

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today chaired a high-level meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in India and preparedness of public health system for surveillance, containment and management of COVID-19 in view of the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in some countries along with Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, senior officials and public health experts were present.

The Union Health Minister was briefed on the global COVID19 situation and the domestic scenario. Underlining the challenge posed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in some countries across the world such as China, Japan, South Korea, France and United States, Union Health Minister noted the importance of being prepared and remaining alert against new and emerging strains of COVID-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season. Underlying and reiterating that COVID is not over yet, he directed the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen surveillance. He urged people to follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour and get vaccinated against COVID.

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya directed for strengthening the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country. This would facilitate undertaking of appropriate public health measures. States/UTs have been requested to send samples of all COVID-19 positive cases to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any.

In a presentation, the Union Health Minister was briefed that India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases with average daily cases falling to 158 in the week ending 19th Dec, 2022. However, a consistent rise in global daily average cases has been reported since last 6 weeks, with 5.9 lakh daily average cases reported in week ending 19th Dec, 2022. A new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant has been found to be behind a wider surge of COVID infections in China.

Union Health Ministry has already issued “Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in context of COVID-19” in June 2022 which calls for early detection, isolation, testing and timely management of suspected and confirmed cases to detect and contain outbreaks of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Union Health Minister directed officials for ensuring effective implementation of the same.