13 June 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

June 13th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Aarogyapath
2. Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020

1. Aarogyapath

• It is a web-based solution for the healthcare supply chain that provides real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies.
• AarogyaPath would serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers.

Significance

• This integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goods can be helpful to customers in tackling a number of routinely experienced issues.
  • These issues include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify good quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardized products at reasonable prices within desired timelines, lack of awareness about the latest product launches, etc.
• It also helps manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wide network of customers efficiently, overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centres like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, hospitals, etc.
  • It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products.
  • Over time, analytics from this platform is expected to generate early signals to manufacturers on overcapacity as well as on looming shortages.
  • This would help to reduce wastage of resources due to inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing, generate awareness about the demand for new technologies.

2. Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020

Context

• The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (Office of PSA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have started a consultative process for the formulation of a new National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders.
• The fifth S&T policy of the country is being formulated at a crucial juncture when India and the world are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details

The STIP 2020 formulation process is organised into 4 highly interlinked tracks, which will reach out to a large number of stakeholders for consultation in the policy formulation.

• Track I involves an extensive public and expert consultation process through Science Policy Forum – a dedicated platform for soliciting inputs from larger public and expert pool during and after the policy drafting process.
• Track II comprises experts-driven thematic consultations to feed evidence-informed recommendations into the policy drafting process.
  • Twenty-one (21) focused thematic groups have been constituted for this purpose.
• Track III involves consultations with Ministries and States.
  • For track III, nodal officers are being nominated in states and in ministries, departments and agencies of the Government of India for extensive intra-state and intra-department consultation.
• Track IV constitutes apex level multi-stakeholder consultation.
  • For track IV, consultation with industry bodies, global partners and inter-ministerial and inter-state consultations represented at the highest levels are being carried out.

June 13th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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