Govt to work on developing Indian mobile phone brand: Ashwini Vaishnaw
New Delhi, Feb 21: The government is working on developing an Indian mobile phone brand based on learning from the success of large scale mobile manufacturing in the country, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
While speaking at the Indus App store launch event by PhonePe, Vaishnaw said the government is likely to approve 2-3 semiconductor plants very soon.
"We will work on developing our own Indian handset brand. We will work on creating the entire handset ecosystem in the country. Our initial success of having large scale mobile manufacturing has given us very good learning.
"It has given the industry a lot of confidence. It has given the impetus to the ecosystem partners to come to India. That will be the journey in the next five years," Vaishnaw said.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a very clear roadmap for development of the semiconductor ecosystem in the country over a period of 20 years.
"We started our India semiconductor mission and we have already had first very good success. The Micron plant is already under construction.
"Within a very short time frame we will see at least 2 more approvals or may be three more approvals. In that sense, we are moving from the design ecosystem to fab and (Assembly, Test, and Packaging) ATMP ecosystem," Vaishnaw said.
The minister said that the government is looking to have at least three or four good, high volume fabrication plants, create a niche and take leadership in at least one product category within the next five years.
The minister on Wednesday launched an indigenously developed app store -- Indus Appstore, which has been acquired by PhonePe.
Indus Appstore has over 2 lakh mobile apps and games, across 45 categories. Users will be able to discover these apps conveniently in 12 Indian languages. The apps on the support can be accessed in 12 Indian languages.
PhonePe, CEO and Founder, Sameer Nigam said the company is in discussion with mobile phone makers to pre-load it on the handset.
Unlike Google's Playstore or Apple's App store, the apps will not be required to pay commission on their earnings to Indus Appstore, Nigam said.
Also there will be no app listing fee until April 1, 2025 for developers.
"Anything that is allowed to operate under law of the land, will be allowed to be uploaded on the Indus Appstore. If we remove any app, then we will share the reason for removal of the app," Nigam said.
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Centre launches national childhood diabetes screening, treatment framework
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Health Ministry on Sunday released a guidance document providing a framework for screening, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of childhood diabetes.
According to the ministry, the document, for the first time, establishes a structured and standardised national framework, positioning India among a select group of countries that have integrated childhood diabetes care into the public health system.
The "Guidance Document on Diabetes Mellitus in Children" was released at the National Summit on Best Practices in Public Healthcare Service Delivery, concluded on May 1-2.
According to a statement by the ministry, the framework aims to ensure universal screening of all children from birth to 18 years through community and school-based platforms for early identification of diabetes.
Suspected cases will undergo immediate blood glucose testing and be referred to district-level health facilities for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment, it said.
A key feature of the initiative is the provision of a comprehensive free-of-cost care package at public health facilities, including screening, diagnostic services, lifelong insulin therapy, glucometers, test strips and regular follow-up care.
The initiative seeks to reduce the financial burden on families and ensure uninterrupted treatment for children diagnosed with diabetes.
The document also lays down an integrated continuum of care linking community-level screening with district hospital-based management and advanced care at medical colleges to ensure seamless follow-up and treatment.
To strengthen early detection, the guidance promotes the "4Ts" awareness framework -- Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner -- to help parents, teachers and caregivers recognise early warning signs of type 1 Diabetes.
Besides clinical protocols, the document focuses on family and caregiver empowerment through structured training on insulin administration, blood glucose monitoring, emergency response and daily disease management.
The statement stated the initiative is expected to reduce mortality through early detection, prevent complications and improve the quality of life of affected children while strengthening the public health system's capacity to manage non-communicable diseases among children.
