Brutal heatwave: Death toll climbs to 143, actual numbers could be high
New Delhi (PTI): The prolonged heatwave sweeping large parts of the country has claimed more lives, with 143 recorded deaths and 41,789 people suffering from suspected heatstroke between March 1 and June 20 this year, Health ministry sources said on Friday.
However, the heatwave toll is expected to be higher than this as the data compiled under the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) does not have updated submissions from states.
Several health facilities are also yet to upload data on number of heatwave casualties.
According to the official data, on June 20 itself there have been 14 confirmed deaths due to heatstroke and nine deaths due to suspected heatstroke, taking the death toll in the March-June period to 143 from 114.
Uttar Pradesh is the worst-affected, having reported 35 deaths followed by Delhi (21) and Bihar and Rajasthan (17 each), according to the data.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Thursday asked officials to visit Central hospitals till the heatwave conditions persist to see if separate arrangements have been made for affected patients and also to assess the number of deaths due to heatstroke over the last few days.
Swathes of northern and eastern India have been in the grip of a prolonged
heatwave, increasing heat stroke casualties and prompting the Centre to issue advisory to hospitals to set up special units to cater to such patients.
Nadda on Wednesday directed that special heatwave units to be set up in all central government hospitals to cater to those falling ill due to the heat.
He also asked officials to ensure all hospitals are prepared for providing the best healthcare to the affected as he reviewed the situation across the country and preparedness of hospitals to deal with it.
Under the directions of the Union Health Minister, an advisory for State Health Department on 'Heat Wave Season 2024' has been issued by the health ministry.
"The country may observe above normal seasonal maximum temperatures in-line with the observed trend of summertime temperatures. To reduce health impacts of extreme heat, health departments must ensure preparedness and timely response," the ministry said.
The advisory asked state nodal officers under the National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) to start submitting daily the data on heatstroke cases and deaths and total deaths from March 1 besides reporting under Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance.
It called for maintenance of digital line list of heatstroke cases and deaths (suspected/confirmed) at health facility/hospital level in given formats and undertaking They have been asked to ensure dissemination of National Action Plan on Heat Related Illnesses (HRI) to all districts and strengthening of health systems preparedness for HRI.
It stressed on dissemination of early warning of heatwaves issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and said forecast for the next four days should be disseminated to health facilities and vulnerable populations.
The advisory also directed for health facility preparedness for prevention and management of severe HRI and procurement and supply of adequate quantities of ORS packs, essential medicines, IV fluids, ice packs, and equipments to support management of volume depletion and electrolyte imbalance etc.
It also called for ensuring availability of sufficient drinking water at all health facilities, general cooling appliances in waiting and patient treatment area and their functioning and stressed that cases with suspected heatstroke should be rapidly assessed and actively cooled using standard treatment protocols.
"Coordinate with electricity distribution company/corporation for uninterrupted electricity supply to hospitals for constant functioning of cooling appliances. Adopt measures to reduce indoor heat and energy conservation in health facilities like cool roof/green roof, window shading, rainwater harvesting, solarization etc. Provide shade outside the health facilities in heat-prone regions," the advisory added.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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