Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Organ Donation Policy; directs for imbibing learnings from International Standards.

Issue:

• Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the status of organ donations and transplants with senior officers of the Health Ministry.
• The number of total organ transplants in the country has substantially increased from less than 5000 in 2013 to more than 15000 in 2022.
• More organs per deceased donor are being utilized due to better coordination through the network of Organ & Tissues Transplant Organizations at the National (NOTTO), Regional (ROTTO) and State levels (SOTTO).

About Network of Organ & Tissues Transplant Organizations at the National (NOTTO)

• NOTTO is the National level organization that works under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, located in Safdarjung Hospital New Delhi.
• It has the following two divisions:

1. “National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network”
2. “National Biomaterial Centre” or the National Tissue Bank – conducts the activities for procurement, storage and fulfil distribution of biomaterials.

• NOTTO, through its network, works as the apex centre for:
  • The registry of Organs and Tissues Donation and Transplantation in the country, and
  • All India activities of coordination and networking for procurement and distribution of Organs and Tissues.

Important steps taken by NOTTO recently:

• NOTTO is working on a Transplant Manual as a step-by-step guide for implementing the Organ Donation and Transplantation Program in Hospitals and a Standard Course for the training of Transplant Coordinators.
• Four verticals for coordination, IEC, Training and HR/accounts have been created in the NOTTO for better programme implementation.
• The Government of India has granted Special Casual Leaves of up to 42 days to Central Govt. Employees donate an organ to another human being as a welfare measure in the public interest.
• The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is imbibing learnings from international best practices for further policy reforms towards the country’s augmentation of organ donation and transplantation.

Domestic Coal Production has increased by almost 23 % during the Last Five Years.

Issue:

• India’s coal production has increased significantly to 893.08 MT in FY 2022-23 from 728.72 MT in FY 2018-19, showing a growth of about 22.6%.
• The Ministry aims to enhance domestic coal production to reduce dependence on coal imports.

Coal Ministry Action Plan 2023 -24 Targets 1012 Million Tonne Coal Production.

Coal Analytics:

Action Plan for FY 2023-24 to achieve Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the coal sector:

• The target of 1012 MT coal production in FY 2023-24
• Outsourcing of Mines for increased production and efficiency
• Coking Coal Strategy for the Availability of coking coal in India
• Empanelment of third-party sampling agencies for quality coal supply.

Private Investment:

• CAPEX target of Rs 21030 Crores in FY 2023-24
• Assets Monetization plan target of Rs. 50,118.61 Crores
• Allocation of 25 coal mines for commercial mining in FY 2023-24

Infrastructure Projects:

• Monitoring new railway line projects critical for coal evacuation
• Coal Logistics Policy/Plan for Effective and environmental-friendly Transport of Coal

Safety in Mines:

• Commitment to safety standards and priority to safety in Coal Mines, including disaster management and safety drills.
  

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The smart gel-based sheet can form a 3D Printed Conduit helping non-invasive nerve repair.

Topic: GS3 – Science and technology.

Issue:

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a smart gel-based sheet using 3D printing technology to self-roll into a tube to form a nerve conduit during surgery.
• The innovation aims to help reduce the complexity of surgeries and aid the rapid healing of nerve injuries.
• The bilayered gel sheet was created from two gels that were 3D printed in pre-defined patterns. It could be programmed to generate tubes of desired dimensions that could be predicted by computational modelling.
• The gel sheets were then coated with thin nanometer-scale fibres to enable the body’s cells to adhere to the gel sheet.