File photo of Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya
| Photo Credit: PTI

Mumbai:

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday urged the youngsters of the country to use cycles as a commuting option whenever possible to remain healthy and promote a better environment.

Mandaviya led Fit India Movement’s flagship programme, Sundays on Cycle, here this morning with an aim to create awareness among the masses to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle through cycling, while also promoting a solution for pollution.

“I urge everyone, especially younger people, to use cycles to commute whenever possible. This will not only make them healthy; it will improve the overall health of our environment,” he said.

The ride was flagged off from the Gateway of India with more than 500 cyclists constituting wellness experts, various cycle clubs and individual fitness enthusiasts joining from across the country.

Besides riding for good health, the message of this week’s Sundays on Cycle was #FightObesity.

The cycling event was also held simultaneously at the Dhyanchand National Stadium in New Delhi with over 170 riders including Shivani Pawar, bronze medallist at 2024 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship and 2025 National Games gold medallist, joining along among others.

The Sundays on Cycle initiative was started on December 17 last year and has already been hosted in over 3500 locations across India. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday revealed that the number of women in India’s labour force has doubled in the past seven years, and they are now working more hours than men in some sectors. He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies for reshaping women’s roles in the workforce.

The Union Minister described this shift as a ‘silent revolution’ in India’s labour force, led by the nation’s women.

A government press release quoting him stated, “India’s workforce is now witnessing what no one expected… Women are leading the charge, taking on greater responsibilities and breaking barriers like never before!”

Mr Mandaviya noted that recent data shows a major increase in women’s labor force participation in India.

“Indian women are stepping out, taking charge, and doing it in a way no one saw coming. We should talk about this more,” he added.

He credited Prime Minister Modi’s initiatives for placing women at the forefront of this movement.

“Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India, Skill India – these aren’t token policies, but tectonic policy shifts in how we see women as drivers of India’s growth,” he proclaimed.

BJP leader Smriti Irani also highlighted the demanding hours women are putting in, especially in high-demand fields such as professional, scientific, and technical activities. She pointed out that Indian women are now working more hours per week than their counterparts in many other countries. “Women are no longer the silent workforce; in fact, they are working more hours than ever, some even over 55 hours a week, in professional, scientific, and technical fields! Indian women are working themselves to the bone, putting in more hours than men across sectors,” Ms Irani said.

Ms Irani brought to focus the need for businesses, industries, society, and women themselves to acknowledge the sacrifices women are making.

“Prime Minister Modi has set the stage, but now it’s time for everyone to embrace the sacrifices women are making and ensure that this silent revolution becomes impossible to ignore,” she said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

As the summer season approaches, the Ministry of Health has taken proactive steps to ensure public safety amidst rising temperatures and potential heatwaves. In a recent announcement on X, formerly Twitter, the Ministry has outlined a few measures discussed during a review meeting led by Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, aimed at tackling heat-related illnesses and implementing a comprehensive action plan.

The Health Ministry wrote on X, “Union Health Minister, Dr. @mansukhmandviya, held a review meeting today with stakeholders to assess their preparedness in tackling heat-related illnesses stemming from heat waves, and to discuss the action plan for the upcoming summer season. @DrBharatippawar, MoS (Health), Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health) @NITIAayog, Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary (Health), along with other dignitaries were also present during the meeting.”

Union Health Minister, Dr. @mansukhmandviya, held a review meeting today with stakeholders to assess their preparedness in tackling heat-related illnesses stemming from heat waves, and to discuss the action plan for the upcoming summer season.@DrBharatippawar, MoS (Health), Dr.… pic.twitter.com/BZjRNHRGpJ

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 3, 2024

“Continuous efforts towards generating awareness for people for better management of heatwaves is necessary as effective address leads to effective management,” said Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said in the meeting. “Timely, advance and wide awareness among the people on the preventive measures will hugely support in reducing the severe impact of such heat waves,” he pointed out.

Guidelines by the Ministry of Health

Dos

Don’ts

• Avoid going out 12 pm to 4 pm

• Avoid activity in the sun

• Avoid cooking from 2 pm to 4 pm

• Don’t leave kids and pets unattended inside a vehicle

• Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, sigh sugary drinks and fizzy drinks

• Don’t walk barefoot

This comes after earlier precautions listed by the Health Ministry to beat the heat.

Stay cool, stay safe, and beat those scorching rays with these essential tips. Remember, a little precaution goes a long way in keeping heat-related illnesses at bay.
.
.
.#BeatTheHeat#MyHealthMyRightpic.twitter.com/c8TTJEAMio

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 3, 2024

• Monitor the health of elderly or sick people living alone on a daily basis

• Keep your home cool, use curtains, shutters or sunshades and open windows at night

• Try to remain on lower floors during the day

• Use fan and damp clothes to cool down the body

Taking time off from a busy poll schedule, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was seen playing cricket with locals at a multipurpose ground in Gujarat’s Porbandar.

Mr Mandaviya, 51, is set to contest his first Lok Sabha election from Porbandar.

Known as “Green MP” for cycling to Parliament, the Minister, dressed in a black T-shirt, was seen bowling, batting and also fielding in the outfield.

At one point, the ball zooms past the Minister’s head as he leaps to catch it of his own bowling, shows the video. Scores of cows are resting around the boundary wall.

#WATCH | Union Health Minister and BJP leader Mansukh Mandaviya plays cricket with locals in Porbandar, Gujarat.

(Source: Manshukh Mandaviya’s Office) pic.twitter.com/gdfTorBABr

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2024

A left arm bowler and batsman, the Minister, who also holds the Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio, went up to every player and shook hands with them after the game.

Mansukh Mandaviya created history by becoming the youngest MLA in Gujarat in 2002. In 2012, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat. In 2016, he assumed the role of Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways, Shipping, and Chemicals and Fertilisers. He was re-elected to Rajya Sabha in 2018.

Mr Mandaviya, also a veterinary doctor, was given the health portfolio in the middle of 2021 when the nation was battling the Covid crisis.

Actively associated with the BJP since his youth, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya will be fighting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time after being a Rajya Sabha member for two terms.

He has been fielded from Porbandar in Gujarat, according to the BJP’s first list of candidates released on Saturday.

Known as “Green MP” for his penchant for cycling to Parliament, Mansukh Mandaviya, 51, has been steadily rising through the party ranks. He currently heads the ministries of health and chemicals and fertilizers.

He was entrusted with the most important health portfolio in the middle of 2021 when the nation was battling the COVID-19 crisis. He replaced Harsh Vardhan, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers as part of a reshuffle.

Simultaneously, Mansukh Mandaviya was given the charge of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. He replaced D V Sadananda Gowda, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers in the cabinet reshuffle.

He was holding the independent charge of the Shipping Ministry and was MoS for the Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry then.

Born in a farmer’s family in a small village Hanol in Palitana taluka of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat, Mansukh Mandaviya has been actively involved in politics since his youth when he joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He soon became a state executive committee member of the ABVP’s Gujarat unit.

Mansukh Mandaviya had become the youngest member of the Gujarat legislative assembly in 2002. He was appointed as the secretary of BJP Gujarat in 2013 and the general secretary the next year.

Later, in 2014, he was appointed as the Gujarat state in-charge of BJP’s high-tech and mega membership drive campaign which saw over 1 crore people joining the saffron party in the state.

Mansukh Mandaviya got his first big break in administration when the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi appointed him as chairman of Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited.

A veterinary doctor, Mansukh Mandaviya is a political science postgraduate from Bhavnagar University. He also holds a doctorate Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the Gujarat Institute of Development and Research, Ahmedabad.

Mansukh Mandaviya has been an important face in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre since 2016. He was first inducted in the cabinet as MoS for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilisers on July 5, 2016.

On May 30, 2019, he was again sworn in as MoS for Chemicals and Fertilisers with an independent charge of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

He was first elected in Rajya Sabha in 2012 and re-elected in 2018.

As the health minister, he oversaw the implementation of the world’s largest Covid vaccination programme in the country, which led to over 220 crore doses being administered.

Mansukh Mandaviya’s team is also instrumental in rolling out the flagship Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to make health services accessible.

One of the major highlights during his tenure has been the launch of Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan aimed at eliminating the disease five years ahead of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) target of 2030.

The program provides community support under which tuberculosis patients are adopted and cared for by an individual, elected representatives or institutions.

During the severe second wave of Covid-19, Mansukh Mandaviya as Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers played a major role in ramping up the supply of oxygen and medicines.

Under his leadership the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers set up over 10,600 Jan Aushadhi stores which provide over 850 kinds of medicines at affordable rates under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana.

During his tenure, the ministry in 2022 launched an ambitious scheme of converting over 3.3 lakh retail shops of fertilisers into Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a span of just nine years, the number of MBBS seats in Nagaland has increased from 64,000 to 1.6 lakh while that of the post-graduation seats has doubled, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday as he inaugurated the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) in Kohima, the first medical college in the northeastern state.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said it was a historic day for the people of Nagaland as a long-cherished dream of theirs was fulfilled.

Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted that the NIMSR is not just a medical college, but also a research institute.

“It will not only fulfil the purpose of imparting medical education, but will also address the health issues of the Naga people,” he said.

Highlighting the Centre’s commitment towards improving medical education in the northeastern state, Mandaviya said, “In a span of just nine years, the (number of) MBBS seats in Nagaland has increased from 64,000 to 1.6 lakh. Similarly, PG seats have also doubled in the last nine years.” In a word of encouragement for the students and other stakeholders, the Union health minister said they should not limit their scope of research within the national borders. “We must encash on opportunities abroad as well,” he said.

Mr Mandaviya informed that the Centre has started foreign language courses in many medical education institutes, so that students can have an edge in getting jobs abroad.

He said strengthening medical, nursing and pharmacy education in the country is an endeavour of the BJP-led Centre for the holistic development and expansion of the country’s health sector.

“The aim is to ensure that each citizen of India is able to get access to affordable and accessible healthcare across the country,” the minister said. He also highlighted the expansion of the “jan aushadhi kendras” all over the country to improve access to quality and affordable medicines for all.

NIMSR, Kohima is affiliated to the Nagaland University. It received the letter of permission for the admission of 100 MBBS students from academic year 2023-2024 from the National Medical Commission (NMC) in April, paving the way to start the first medical college in Nagaland after 60 years of statehood, realising the long-cherished dream of the people of the northeastern state, the health ministry said in a statement.

It said 85 MBBS students from Nagaland and six from the all-India seats got admitted to the NIMSR and have joined the MBBS classes after their induction programme on September 1.

“This is a historic day for the people of Nagaland as we inaugurated the first medical college in the state,” Neiphiu Rio said. Highlighting that it was a long-cherished dream of the people of Nagaland to have a medical college in their state, the chief minister thanked the Union government for steadfastly taking up the project.

Chief Minister Rio also said the NIMSR would help the state strengthen its secondary and tertiary healthcare and hoped that it would become a centre of excellence in the future.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

 Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said of the 90 medicines for cancer, India gives out 42 at the cheapest rates.

He was speaking at the inauguration of “Sanjeevani: United Against Cancer”, a joint initiative of the Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation, News18 Network and Tata Trusts.

“We are increasing (the number of) cancer hospitals and tertiary care facilities. Our approach towards the health sector is holistic. We have increased (the number of) MBBS and post-graduate medical seats and colleges, and created medical educational resources. The Ayushman Bharat health infrastructure mission is working towards it. We launched the pharma policy on Tuesday. We are the pharmacy of the world in generic medicines,” Mr Mandaviya said.

Health can never be a political subject nor commercial, he said, adding that it is “seva” (service) for India.

“With time, the pattern of diseases changes. It is important to have a holistic approach towards the sector. Health can never be a political subject. We merged health with development from 2014. Not as a token, but a total gesture. Instead of just opening dispensaries, we focused on making health services accessible to all,” the minister said.

The country belongs to all its citizens and the responsibility for its well-being lies with each individual, he said, adding, “It was this shared responsibility and collective effort that enabled the nation to effectively combat the challenges posed by COVID-19.” The primary goal of “Sanjeevani” is to promote awareness, foster discussions about the silent cancer epidemic and address the common fears associated with the disease, he noted.

“The Sanjeevani initiative will lead to discussions and deliberations. Send a note on it to us, so we can track the suggestions coming from people. The (Narendra) Modi government believes in stakeholder consultation. Public partnership is integral to India’s health model. Share your ideas with us, so we can fight the diseases,” the minister said.

He acknowledged the crucial role played by the country’s 10 lakh “ASHA behen”, each serving a population of 1,000, and highlighted their role in collecting vital healthcare information through family visits.

Mr Mandaviya discussed the government’s approach to cancer care, emphasising health and wellness screenings at district-level hospitals and fee waivers for impoverished patients. He noted that cancer medicines are available at non-profit prices due to India’s fixed trade margin, with a focus on making healthcare more affordable and accessible.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Nipah virus spreads much slower than Covid and unlike Covid, it spreads through a vector, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told NDTV today. A treatment protocol is there and once the tests are done and the disease is identified, the treatment can progress fast, he added.

Five cases of Nipah virus have surfaced in Kerala. Two people have died and the other three, including a nine-year-old boy, are undergoing treatment. The boy is critical and on ventilator support.

Asked about the new disease triggering fresh panic in view of the pandemic the world went through four years ago, the minister told NDTV in an exclusive interview: “I’d like to assure that Covid taught us many things including our weaknesses and has led to better surveillance systems.”

The government, he said, has set up such a system now that information of any outbreak — even from a remote village — can reach the Central command system immediately. “We can conduct surveillance at a remote village and gather information,” he said.

Part of the reason is the district laboratories the government is setting up at every district, he said. The government has spent Rs 100 crore in each district setting up labs for testing which will be done for free.  

“We are setting up this system across the country, so the Centre is informed immediately… genome sequencing is done and the information comes to the command centre,” he said.

Speaking of the current outbreak, he said, “Today at a village in Kozhikode there is the Nipah virus outbreak. It came into out notice immediately, and we took action immediately. Our teams went, the SOP was implemented and the state and Centre took action. We will do whatever needed to ensure there are no new cases,” he added.

“I’d like to assure the country that the Narendra Modi government is taking care of the country’s health sector in a very thorough and careful manner,” he added.

The virus, spread through vectors like bats and pigs, causes fever, respiratory distress, headaches, and vomiting, There is no vaccine to prevent or cure the infection. The treatment involves supportive care.

The Kerala government has declared seven villages in Kozhikode district — Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara — have been declared containment zones. Essential items are being delivered to those in isolation.  

The state has formed 19 core committees to coordinate the measures to contain the spread of the virus.

New Delhi:

A campaign to ensure optimum delivery of health schemes to every intended beneficiary, including those in the last mile, will be launched by the President on September 13, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.

Though the “Ayushman Bhava” campaign will be launched on September 13, it will be introduced during the ‘Seva Pakhwada’ starting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17, he said.

Several activities have been planned to enhance healthcare accessibility and awareness during the pakhwada that will end on October 2, Mr Mandaviya stated.

“Following the vision of ‘Antyodaya‘, saturation of health services in every village is very important to achieve the target of health for all,” the minister said.

Ayushman Bhava is an umbrella campaign comprising Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0 which is aimed at creation and distribution of Ayushman cards to all remaining eligible beneficiaries; Ayushman Mela as part of which weekly health melas will be held at the level of AB-HWCs and Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Ayushman Sabha, a village/ward level sabha to be held to enhance awareness about various health care schemes and services.

“With the successful implementation of all the above initiatives, the campaign will eventually ensure gram/nagar panchayat to attain the status of ‘Ayushman Gram Panchayat’ or ‘Ayushman Ward’ with saturation of selected health indicators,” stated Mr Mandaviya.

Mr Mandaviya said during this programme, camps will be set up and 60,000 people will be given Ayushman Bharat cards.

An online organ donation pledge registry will be initiated during the ‘Sewa Pakhwada’ to register the pledges of willing citizens all over the country.

A 24×7 toll free helpline number — 1800114770 — is functional for providing any guidance related to the pledging process or information on organ donation, according to a letter written by Mr Mandaviya to all cabinet ministers and chief ministers.

During the ‘Seva Pakhwada’, all blood banks will organise at least one blood donation camp to ensure smooth availability of blood and its components in the future. Cleanliness drives at all public health facilities at primary, secondary and tertiary health care levels will be held with the support of gram panchayat members and others.

Mr Mandaviya said last year on the Prime Minister’s birthday, the government worked on the issue of tuberculosis.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)