Harsh Vardhan advocates for making science people-centric

Minister for Science and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan today said the approach of science has to be people-centric and the comman man should not remain deprieved of its benefits.
"Common people should not remain deprived of the benefits of science," Vardhan said while launching the Department of Biotechnology, DBT, under Government of India funded Twinning Network Program on Chemical Ecology of North East Region with Bangalore-based scientists here.
Stressing on the intellectual acumen of young minds of the region, the Union minister said their coming together would produce dramatic results in meeting objectives of organic farming which is the need of the hour.

He also underlined the need for fostering better coordination and support among science professionals.
Twinning Network Program on Chemical Ecology is a new collaborative and interdisciplinary programme in Chemical Ecology between institutions in the NER and partners in Bangalore.
This platform aims to provide a strong stimulus to ongoing research in the NER, while building enduring research and training links with partner institutions in Bangalore.

Vardhan, who was in the state as part of his two-day maiden visit, last evening inaugurated DBT funded Biotech Infrastructure Facility at ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun at Jharnapani, Medziphema under Dimapur district.
In his address at ICAR, Vardhan said it had been his long cherished dream to visit Nagaland which finally came true.

Lauding the research and allied activities of ICAR-NRC on
Mithun, Vardhan said he tasted the Mithun rasgulla (rasgulla made from mithun milk) for the first time and felt like he was savouring the best sweet in his life.
Vardhan assured that he would promptly look into the request of ICAR-NRC for setting up of rasgulla manufacturing unit and discuss the matter with Nagaland Governor and Chief Minister.
Vardhan paid a visit to the DBT Healthcare Laboratory and Research Centre at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima and Naga Model Village before leaving for New Delhi from Dimapur later today.
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for World

Health Organisation's South-East Asia Regional Office in New Delhi, asserts "We need to ensure that our efforts and investment over the years to eradicate polio do not go waste. Globally, polio transmission is at its lowest ever levels. However, the risk of importation of the polio virus into all polio-free areas persists."
Interestingly the survey also reflects the dichotomy of the country.
"Over-nutrition continues to be a health issue for adults. At least 3 in 10 women are overweight or obese in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu," the survey reports.
When air pollution both indoor and outdoor has been dominating the headlines, the survey finds that "only 18 per cent of households in Bihar use of clean cooking fuel, which reduces the risk of respiratory illness and pollution".

The 13 states covered in the NFHS-4 survey include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, the two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. Rest of states will be covered in phases and finally about 570,000 households will be surveyed.
Among the other gains the health ministry reports that after the last round of National Family Health Survey in 2005-06, infant mortality has declined in all first phase States/Union Territories for which trend data are available.
All 15 States/Union Territories have rates below 51 deaths per 1,000 live births, although there is considerable variation among the States/Union Territories.

Infant mortality rates range from a low of 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live births in Madhya Pradesh. Better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth contributes to reduction of maternal deaths and improved child survival.
There is huge unmet challenge in health stares India as the country aspires to become a developed country at the earliest.