Odisha gets first human milk bank
Bhubaneswar, Mar 10: Odisha on Wednesday got its first human milk bank at a government hospital here to cater to newborns whose mothers could not breastfeed them.
The facility as part of an initiative by the National Health Mission was inaugurated at the paediatric ward of the Capital Hospital.
Mothers' milk will be stored in the facility and supplied to hospitals across the state when the need arises, Capital Hospital Director Dr. Laxmidhar Sahu.
"Breast milk is an elixir for newborns. However, some mothers are unable to breastfeed their babies in the initial few weeks due to various reasons. In such situations, newborns suffer. This human milk bank will prove to be a boon in such cases," Sahu told PTI.
The authorities of the health facility would launch a campaign to encourage mothers to come forward for donating milk, he said.
This is the 32nd comprehensive lactation management centre in the country.
The state government was considering opening such facilities at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and the Capital Hospital here.
Capital Hospital Deputy Superintendent Dr. Dhananjay Das said at least two lactating mothers came forward for donating milk on the first day of operation of the facility.
"Our volunteers are motivating mothers for milk donation. It is very simple and does not require several tests as done in case of blood donation. Our responsibility is to preserve milk hygienically," he said.
The first human milk bank was established in 1989 at the Sion Hospital in Mumbai.
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Bengaluru: BBMP reports property tax arrears amounting to Rs. 474 crores
Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has reported significant property tax arrears amounting to ₹474 crore, owed by 2,64,228 property taxpayers across Bengaluru.
At the start of the financial year 2024, where 3,95,253 taxpayers were expected to pay a total of ₹738 crore. So far, only 1,31,034 taxpayers have fulfilled their obligations, contributing ₹273 crore, with ₹26.94 crore being collected from 26,862 taxpayers in the past week alone, said the civic body on Monday.
According to the BBMP, The Mahadevapura zone leads with the highest arrears, amounting to ₹116.03 crore, followed by the South zone, which owes ₹74.72 crore, and the East zone, where arrears stand at ₹69.89 crore. The Bommanahalli zone has ₹62.94 crore pending, while the West zone has ₹49.33 crore yet to be paid. RR Nagar and Yelahanka zones have arrears of ₹38.52 crore and ₹38.43 crore, respectively. The Dasarahalli zone has the least amount of pending payments, totaling ₹16.92 crore.
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Acting on the tax violations, the BBMP has taken strict action by locking 4,600 properties across the city. The East zone witnessed the highest number of properties being locked, with 1,317 properties sealed. The West zone follows with 1,034 properties, while Mahadevpura, Yelahanka, and RR Nagar zones saw 480, 416, and 400 properties locked, respectively. The South, Bommanahalli, and Dasarahalli zones also had a considerable number of properties sealed, with 470, 303, and 116 properties locked, respectively.
