Latest news with #NationalAccreditationBoardforTestingandCalibrationLaboratories
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
No formalin in fish samples since 2019: Rane
Panaji: All samples of fish tested at check posts and at the wholesale fish market in Margao since 2019 tested negative for formalin, health minister Vishwajit Rane said. Since 2019, as many as 33,805 samples of fish at Polem, 33,989 samples at Patradevi, and 1.3 lakh samples at the Margao wholesale fish market tested negative for formalin, he said. The directorate of food and drugs administration (FDA) has also been conducting regular tests of fish samples through its advanced laboratory as well as through third-party laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the minister said. 'From March to June this year, samples from both North and South Goa were tested. None contained added formaldehyde,' Rane said. Since 2019, state govt has partnered with the Quality Council of India to conduct 24x7 fish quality checks at Polem, Patradevi, and the Margao wholesale fish market, Rane said and added that safe and healthy food remains the FDA's top priority. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
UPEIDA starts process to get environmental compliance reports every 6 months
The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has introduced a system to prepare environmental compliance reports every six months by laboratories accredited under the Environmental Protection Act and certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The accredited labs will not only monitor environmental parameters, but also prepare reports in the prescribed format and upload them online to ensure transparency and promote sustainable industrial development. The initiative has been implemented for projects under the Defence Industrial Corridor and the Industrial Manufacturing and Logistics Cluster (IMLC). According to UPEIDA, the process will soon begin at sites that have received environmental clearances. The move will ensure adherence to environmental norms, while also boosting investor confidence in the state's commitment to responsible development. UPEIDA has received environmental clearance in the districts of Aligarh, Kanpur Nagar, Lucknow, Chitrakoot, and Jhansi, where land acquisition and development work for the Defence Industrial Corridor is currently underway. From now on, environmental parameters in these areas will be regularly monitored. Every six months, the accredited labs will conduct sampling, field inspections, and collect inputs from officials concerned to prepare detailed compliance reports. The report will contain details of the status of major environmental components such as air, water, noise and soil. The reports will also be submitted online to the authorities responsible for environmental clearance, including the State Level Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the Union Ministry of Environment. Meanwhile, the environmental clearance for Agra and Unnao is in its final stages. Once approved, development work will begin as well in these districts, it is learnt. The government said the system adopted by UPEIDA is set to become a model for industries being developed under the Industrial Corridor across the state. This step will play a key role in positioning the state as an environmentally responsible industrial hub, while simultaneously boosting employment, investment, and economic activity, it added.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HP to set benchmark in safe drinking water and sanitation: CM
Shimla: Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said his govt would ensure that there was no compromise with the health of the people and they get the foremost basic facilities. My govt, during the last two and a half years, has made sure to provide every household with sewerage and sanitation facilities to realise the dream of 'Clean and Green Himachal', said Sukhu. Our govt decided to start the 'Mukhya Mantri Swachh Jal Shodhan Yojana' with an initial budget of Rs 80 crore. The initiative will deploy advanced technologies like ozonation (wastewater treatment), ultraviolet (UV) filtration, reverse osmosis (RO), and nano-filtration to purify water for both domestic and commercial use. This will significantly reduce waterborne diseases and enhance the quality of life, he said. Additionally, drinking water treatment plants will be established in Jawalamukhi, Jaswan, Pragpur, and Dehra of Kangra district during the next financial year at a cost of Rs 43 crore, said the CM. To monitor water quality in real-time, sensor-based systems are being installed in 291 schemes across 10 districts. The govt also plans to set up one state-level and 14 district-level NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories)-accredited water testing laboratories, said Sukhu, adding that till now, 71 water testing laboratories had been set up in the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Similarly, under the 'Rural Drinking Water Upgrade Project', a provision has been made to provide an uninterrupted water supply to as many as 20,663 households in the rural areas. Funded by New Development Bank (NDB), the total project cost amounts to Rs 745 crore with a state share of Rs 148 crore, the CM informed. Similarly, under the rural drinking water up-grade and livelihood project, over Rs 1,062 crore is being invested to install 79,282 functional household tap connections in 2,471 settlements across 10 districts. Nearly 43% of this work has been completed, he added. MSID:: 121850777 413 | Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Human cost of poor-quality testing in India
Ramesh, a 32-year-old construction worker, first visited his local clinic when he was having persistent cough and it refused to go away. For over two months, he had been suffering from coughing, recurring fever, and unexplained weight loss. The classic symptoms that should have raised red flags for tuberculosis (TB). But due to limited infrastructure and inadequate diagnostic support, his condition was misread as simple bronchitis. The technician, lacking proper training and resources, failed to spot early signs of TB. The doctor, relying on this flawed report, prescribed a general course of antibiotics and sent Ramesh home. Two more painful months passed. Ramesh's condition worsened. His cough began producing blood, and severe fatigue left him unable to work. This story reflects a deeper systemic failure of our country. Low-quality diagnostic services, often driven by under-resourced facilities, lack of quality checks, and poor training, lead to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, worsening health, and higher health care costs. In situations like Ramesh's, the need is not for centralised, high-end laboratories but for accessible, quality-assured diagnostics at the point of care, especially for conditions like respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STDs), and chronic diseases like diabetes and kidney dysfunction. Many of these tests do not require the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation. What's crucial is to ensure standardised quality control for every batch of diagnostics and robust supply chains so that tests are accurate, affordable, and always available where they are needed most. Most of the syndrome-based approaches such as fever, STDs where the diagnostic should be available at a point of care with a quality check. The cervical cancer diagnostics should be provided with appropriate quality checks, the same is with glucose levels, HB levels as well as basic diagnostics for lipids, kidney, liver tests. Point-of-care diagnostics for respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal diseases must be made widely available, given the high mortality associated with these conditions. Just like medicines, every batch of diagnostic kits should undergo stringent quality checks and be supported by robust supply chain and storage systems. Currently, many government hospitals and public health facilities function without NABL accreditation. This underscores the need to build a parallel grassroots-level accreditation system, modeled along the lines of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), but adapted to rural realities. Such a system would ensure minimum quality benchmarks, especially for programme-related diagnostics and should be integrated into national health schemes including those under the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. The lack of structured quality control has allowed an influx of unreliable diagnostic tools in both public and private sectors. Each diagnostic batch, like medicines, must undergo quality verification before deployment. This is especially critical for widespread conditions like cervical cancer, glucose imbalance, anaemia (Hb levels), and liver/kidney dysfunction, where inaccurate results can lead to incorrect treatment or no treatment at all. To ensure sustained quality, regular training and upskilling of lab technicians must be mandated. Training should focus not only on basic test operations but also on ethical diagnostic practices, quality assurance, storage standards, and the correct use of surveillance tools, which should never be substituted for clinical diagnostics. According to the National Health Profile 2023, only 12% of primary health centers (PHCs) have diagnostic labs and many of those do not meet even basic standards. The result is a massive diagnostic gap in rural India, pushing patients toward unregulated, low-quality private labs. The consequences are severe: delayed or missed diagnoses, prolonged disease burden, high out-of-pocket costs, and ultimately, preventable deaths. While decentralised diagnostics are essential, India must also invest in national reference labs to support complex testing and surveillance. Establishing 50 NABL-accredited reference labs, each serving approximately 25 million people, would ensure comprehensive national coverage. These hubs should be equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted digital microscopy, real-time PCR machines, and cloud-based data systems for seamless health care integration. Public-private partnerships can be leveraged to train lab personnel at these reference centers, ensuring they are equipped with both theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills. Curriculum should emphasise AI tools, quality protocols, and patient-centric diagnostic delivery. Diagnostics are not just support tools; they are central to effective healthcare delivery. Without timely, accurate testing, even the best clinical decisions can fail. As India aspires toward Universal Health Coverage and a $ 5 trillion economy, strengthening diagnostic services, particularly at the last mile, is not optional. It's an urgent public health imperative. This article is authored NK Ganguly, former director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Padma Shri awardee scientist Dr Subbanna Ayyappan found dead in Karnataka's Mandya, suicide suspected
Padma Shri awardee and esteemed agriculture and fisheries scientist Dr Subbanna Ayyappan, who had been missing for a few days, was found dead in the Srirangapatna taluk of Karnataka's Mandya district Saturday evening. Dr Ayyappan, who lived with his wife in Visvesvaraya Nagar, Mysuru, had been reported missing since May 7. His family members filed a missing person complaint at the Vidyaranyapuram Police Station. The police said they were alerted by a resident who spotted a body floating near the Cauvery River. When the police arrived at the spot, they identified the deceased as Dr Ayyappan, and also found his two-wheeler near the riverbank. The police said the initial investigations suggest Dr Ayyappan, 69, may have died allegedly by suicide around three days ago, adding they are continuing their probe to confirm the cause of death. The body has been moved to K R Hospital in Mysuru for a postmortem examination. Srinidhi, Dr Ayyappan's relative and a practising advocate, said he often visited the Ramakrishna and Sai Ashrams for meditation and spiritual reflection. Born on December 10, 1955, in Chamarajanagar district's Yalandur, Dr Ayyappan had a distinguished academic journey, completing his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Fisheries Science from Mangaluru, followed by a PhD from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. He held several top positions nationally and was instrumental in promoting India's Blue Revolution, significantly boosting aquaculture development. In 2022, the government recognised his contributions by awarding him the Padma Shri. At the time of his passing, he served as the chairperson of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
