Siddaramaiah flags off 262 new ambulances under Arogya Kavacha - 108 scheme
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday flagged off 262 new modern, life-saving ambulances here to be inducted into the Arogya Kavacha-108 programme, under which people in need of emergency medical services vehicles can book these vehicles free of charge.
The Arogya Kavacha - 108 ambulance programme is run by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department. At an event marking the occasion on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha here, Siddaramaiah said it is the government's goal to ensure that quality healthcare services are made available at all government hospitals.
The Chief Minister called upon doctors to treat poor people who come in "old and dirty clothes" with humanity.
"They must get good health care without discrimination," he said.
"The government is committed to providing quality healthcare to the people of the state. The 108 emergency ambulances have been provided to the health service so that no one loses their life without getting treatment.
"More than 840 ambulances are required in the state. Four ambulances are functioning in each taluk and are providing emergency health services to hundreds of people every day," he said.
The chief minister stressed the importance of primary emergency treatment in saving lives.
"Every district should have MRI scanning facility. Due to the high cost of services in private diagnostic centres, the poor are facing a lot of hardship. Thousands of people are applying for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for this reason alone," Siddaramaiah said.
"Therefore, an environment is being created in the state where quality treatment is available in government hospitals. When good service is possible at Jayadeva Hospital, it is possible to provide the same quality service in other places," he stressed.
Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICR) is an autonomous healthcare institute run by the state government, known for providing quality medical care at affordable cost to all sections of society.
Stating that the government is working hard in that direction, he suggested that Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao focus more on North Karnataka, where more such services are needed.
According to officials, the 108-Arogya Kavacha - Emergency Ambulance Service was started in 2008-09 with 150 Ambulances. By 2014-15, based on the then population, the ambulance fleet size was increased to 710, out of which 555 were Basic Life Support (BLS) and 155 were Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances.
Presently, 484 Basic Life Support and 231 Advanced Life Support ambulances are operational in Karnataka, out of which 262 ambulances (105 ALS and 157 BLS) are being replaced in the existing fleet.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
