PM said a nation’s progress and its human development are linked to science and technology. He added that China’s emergence as the second biggest global economy is in parallel to its rise to the second place in science and technology activities. PM said, that a discussion on science and human development, cannot be divorced from the questions of political decisions; social choices; and of equity, ethics and access. He said human development has been the larger purpose and the driving force of India’s scientific pursuits, and science has helped shape modern India. PM appreciated Indian scientists for rising to the occasion “whenever the world shut its door on us.” He said that when the world sought our collaboration, they reached out with the openness that is inherent in our society. He also lauded Indian scientists for putting Mangalyaan in the Mars orbit in the first attempt, and saving thousands of lives through their accurate prediction of Cyclone Hudhud.  PM said that when he speaks of ease of doing business in India, he also wants to pay equal attention to the ease of doing research and development in India. He said funding proposals must not take too long to clear, and scientific departments must have flexibility of funding decisions based on the uncertainties inherent in research activities. He also called for clear regulatory policies for research and development in areas like biotechnology, nanoscience, agriculture and clinical research.

PM said each government department should have an officer focusing on science and technology relating to its area of work; and, allocate a percentage of its budget for such activities. “We have to place the university system at the cutting edge of the research and development activities in the country,” he added. He said universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation and cumbersome procedures.PM called upon Indian industry to step up investments in science and technology in its own interest. He said India’s own pharmaceutical industry has carved out a place for itself in the world, because it invests significantly in research.He welcomed the initiatives of Department of Science and Technology for involving thousands of children and youth in science and technology. PM said India must “restore the pride and prestige of science and scientists in our nation; revive the romance for science in society; rekindle the love for it in our children; and, encourage our scientists – to dream, imagine and explore.”

Minister said as a founder member of the International Oceanographic Congress (IOC), India has always been actively associated with the major endeavors of IOC such as Global and Regional Ocean Observing and Capacity Building programs. He said some of the active areas of cooperation are as under:

• India had played a pivotal role in establishing a Regional Alliance in the Indian Ocean (GOOS-IOGOOS) as a part of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The Secretariat of IOGOOS is currently located at the Earth System Science Organization ESSO-Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (ESSO-INCOIS) Hyderabad.

• The oceanographic Data Centre located at ESSO-INCOIS, Hyderabad, has been recognized as Regional Argo Data Centre as well as Responsible National Oceanographic Data Centre (RNODC) of International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of IOC. India also serves as a regional node for the Northern Indian Ocean Biogeographic Information System (IndOBIS).

• Indian National Tsunami Warning System has also been recognized as Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP) for the Indian Ocean.

• In response to ‘The Ocean Call’ from Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)/UNESCO in June 2010 to its Member States for contributions towards the IOC’s efforts on capacity building, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India decided to establish an International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITC Ocean) at the Earth System Science Organisation-Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (ESSO-INCOIS), Hyderabad. Subsequent to singing an MOU between IOC and ESSO-INCOIS on 4thCentre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOO) at Hyderabad, India. ITC Ocean started functioning formally by conducting a two week training course on ‘Fundamentals of Ocean Climate Modeling at Global and Regional Scales’ together with CLIVAR and International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy during 5-14 August 2013. Thirty participants drawn from the Indian Ocean rim countries attended that training course taught by the faculty participated from India, USA, Australia and Italy. Subsequently, ITCO ocean conducted another four training courses, covering different aspects of operational oceanography, for the trainees from Africa and Indian Ocean rim countries.

• India has also taken responsibility for coordination of activities relating to Celebration for articles for “Indian Ocean Bubble-2” has been issued along with a newsletter to now precipitate ideas for the successful execution of IIOE-2. International and national organizing committees have been setup for celebration of IIOE-2

“Call it whatever—Ayurvedic medicines or herbal medicines or traditional medicines –the global market is estimated at about $100 billion today. India’s share in this is negligible because quality standards are not maintained to international specifications. The government has decided to address this lacuna,” he said.The institutionalisation of a regulatory authority backed up by central and state laboratories would ensure for traditional and indigenous medicine pride of place in mainstream healthcare, the Health Minister said.

An ENT surgeon himself, Dr Harsh Vardhan pointed out that his respect for Ayurveda does not sprint from emotions but scientific understanding. He said, “In this age no single stream of medicine is supreme. This is the age of holistic medicine and I wish to give India an edge in this.”

With the world’s disease burden in non-communicable diseases growing, there is a new mindset in favour of holistic treatment. Also, with the explosion of information on the Internet people are getting aware of Ayurveda’s approach of treating each human body as unique, the Health Minister stated.

He regretted that India had “missed the bus” in terms of capitalizing on her headstart in the traditional medicines sector. “It is a pity that China has captured such a huge share of the world market whereas India’s presence is non-existent. We are determined to develop Brand India through Ayurveda.”

Dr Harsh Vardhan said that with the launch of the National AYUSH Mission, the government will focus in detail on building up a brand value for Ayurvedic drugs manufactured in the country.

The new thrust on preserving and promoting AYUSH, as articulated by the Prime Minister, is expected to lead to a huge boom in the traditional medicine sector, the Minister said. The employment potential will be manifold as the scope for upstream and downstream expansion is considerable. The government is confident that a combination of incentives and regulation would help make up for the lost time, the Minister added.

Accordingly, the Minister has made provision for financial support to be provided to traditional drugs manufacturing companies to enhance their quality lines and help them meet global standards. Drug testing laboratories will be set up at the state level in due course and regulatory arrangements are also proposed there.

The Arogya Expo, the first to be organised by the government, is set to become the largest industrial fair involving stakeholders in the AYUSH sector. Trade associations from all over the world are expected to attend. The event offers opportunities for B2B interface. Facilities for medical check-up to the public have also been opened.

Dr Harsh Vardhan said that special attention has been given to showcase the small sector manufacturers. Traditional doctors and vaidhyas, especially from the north-east, have been attracted to showcase their expertise.

Mr Nilanjan Sanyal, Secretary, AYUSH, Dr P.M. Varier, Trustee, Kotakkal Arya Vaidhya Sala, Mr Anand Burman, Chairman, Dabur group, Mr Anurag Sharma, Managing Director, Baidyanath Pharma, Mr S. Saji Kumar, Managing Director, Dharithri Pharma, Dr G.Krishnan, MP, Dr Mrinalini, Special Secretary (AYUSH) of Delhi Government, and Dr Vijay Bhatkar, President, Vijnana Bharati, were also present on the occasion.

Lifestyles are also a focus. In this area, tobacco and alcohol consumption are named, as are the merits of sanitation, public and personal hygiene, the importance of organ donation, the promotion of blood donation and awareness of health care of the elderly. He stressed, “I would request all the States to observe these days because I feel that with time these will become points of rally for NGOs, doctors and those who have experienced but survived these diseases and conditions to provide a platform which would go on to motivating people on ways to avoid them.” Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “If necessary you could insert a clause on mandatory prescribing of rational drugs into the contract of new doctors joining the health service.”

Dr Harsh Vardhan advised some of the States to improve their absorptive capabilities by initiating modern management techniques. The Prime Minister has stressed that the raison deter of the National Democratic Alliance government is the poorest Indian. The aam admi should not be deprived of his dues by systemic inefficiencies, he stressed. Alongside, the Centre is releasing Rs 170 crore for upgrading several existing old hospitals like Medical College Calcutta and Agra Medical College into AIIMS-comparable super-speciality health care institutions. Plans are also being implemented to add college wings to district hospitals with a view to enhancing manpower availability and creating new medical colleges. The present doctor-population ratio (1:1700) is not desirable, the Minister said. Dr Harsh Vardhan also said that laboratories are being set up in the states with a view to decentralising food and drug testing. This, it is hoped, will speed up approvals in a transparent manner. The Indian Council of Medical Research has also embarked on a scheme of setting up research facilities in the rural areas of many states, particularly in the north-eastern region.
The Minister sat through the day-long consultation along with key officials and advisers including Mr Lov Verma, Union Health Secretary, and Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services. He stressed the need to institutionalise this dialogue as sharing of experiences is an essential part of consensus building.

The question is that we have to address the issue of Child’s  vision right at the start but how will one comes to know that Child has such issues In case if child  consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close, Losing his place while reading or using a finger to guide his eyes when reading ,Squinting or tilting the head to see better , Frequent eye rubbing, Sensitivity to light and/or excessive tearing, Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better ,Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as reading or homework, or distance vision, such as participating in sports or other recreational activities ,Complaining of headaches or tired eyes, Avoiding using a computer  because it “hurts his eyes”. These are a few of the basic symptoms which as a parent if monitors should address appointment with an optometrist or ophthalmologist  if your child exhibits any of these signs.  A visit with the doctor may reveal that your child has myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopic  (farsightedness) or Astigmatism  These common refractive errors are easily corrected with eyeglasses or contacts .