Indigenous Mobile Hospital (BHISHM) Deployed in Ayodhya (GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- Two Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube-BHISHM, revolutionary mobile hospitals equipped with cutting-edge technology, have been deployed in Ayodhya to bolster medical readiness and response capabilities during the upcoming 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.
- This cube is a part of the broader initiative named “Project BHISHM” – Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri, is tailored to treat up to 200 casualties, emphasizing rapid response and comprehensive care.
Salient features:
- The Aid Cube is equipped with several innovative tools designed to enhance disaster response and medical support during emergencies.
- It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to facilitate effective coordination, real-time monitoring, and efficient management of medical services in the field.
- The whole unit contains 72 easily transportable components that can be conveniently carried by hand, cycle, or even drone, providing unmatched flexibility.
- In the face of mass casualty incidents (MCIs), where requirements range from basic aid to advanced medical and surgical care, the Aid Cube stands out with its ability to be deployed within an astonishing 12 minutes.
- This swift deployment capability is crucial, as it effectively bridges the crucial time gap from primary care to definitive care, potentially saving numerous lives in the golden hour of emergencies.
Potential:
- These cubes are robust, waterproof, and light, designed for various configurations, making them ideal for diverse emergency scenarios. From airdrops to ground transportation, the cube can be rapidly deployed anywhere, ensuring immediate response capability.
- Advanced medical equipment, RFID-tagged for efficient repacking and redeployment, is a key feature of the Cube.
- The state-of-the-art BHISHM software system integrated into a provided tablet allows operators to locate items quickly, monitor their usage and expiry, and ensure readiness for subsequent deployments.
Wetland ‘nature tourism’ gets a fillip
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The Union government has embarked on a mission to promote tourism at ecologically sensitive wetlands, better known as Ramsar sites, such as the Chilika lake in Odisha and Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Haryana. The focus of the initiative would be to shift these fragile wetlands from high-value tourism to nature tourism by directly supporting conservation action and letting local communities and economies take the lead.
Ramsar site:
- A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under an environmental treaty signed in February 1971 at Ramsar, Iran under the auspices of UNESCO. .
- As of now, 16 Ramsar sites have been identified under the initiative and five of them have been taken up as a pilot project for skill development of the facilitators, tourism service providers, and stakeholders in and around these sites.
- These five wetlands are Sultanpur National Park (Haryana), Bhitarkanika Mangroves (Odisha), Chilika lake (Odisha), Sirpur (Madhya Pradesh) and Yashwant Sagar (Madhya Pradesh).
Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme:
- The initiative to develop these sites has been taken by the Union Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme, 2023.
- The Amrit Dharohar initiative, part of the 2023-24 Budget announcement, was launched in June 2023 to promote unique conservation values of Ramsar sites in the country while generating employment opportunities and supporting local livelihoods.
Livelihood opportunities:
- The scheme is being implemented in convergence with various Union government Ministries and agencies, State wetland authorities, and a network of formal and informal institutions and individuals.
- The aim is to enhance livelihood opportunities for local communities through harnessing the nature-tourism potential of such sites.
- The Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change are training facilitators, tourism service providers, stakeholders for strengthening of nature tourism at Ramsar sites in association with the State Tourism Department.
Training programme:
- As part of the mission, a total of 30 participants have been trained for 15 days under the Alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP) at Sultanpur (Haryana), Yashwant Sagar and Sirpur (Madhya Pradesh).
- At Bhitarkanika and Chilika in Odisha, two training programmes of 15 days each, the ALP and Paryatan Navik Certificate (boatman certification for tourism) will soon be completed.
- A total of 60 participants (30 for each course) are being trained at these sites.
