Produced by Unit for Science Dissemination, CSIR, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 1 Utilise CCMB labs for COVID-19 testing: KCR to PM CSIR -CCMB 20 March, 2020 Bringing the existence of CCMB laboratories to the notice of the PM, KCR said the facility can be utilised to conduct tests on blood samples of a large numer of patients and from any place in the country Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to utilise the laboratory facilities at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad for coronavirus tests. Bringing the existence of CCMB laboratories to the notice of the Prime Minister, Chandrashekhar Rao said the facility can be utilised to conduct tests on blood samples of a large numer of patients and from any place in the country. He pointed out that CCMB, which was under the Union government‘s control, was into life sciences research. If CCMB is given the opportunity to conduct tests for Coronavirus, a thousand samples can be tested at one go at the Institute, he said. Chandrashekhar Rao, participating in the video-conference of all Chief Minister with the Prime Minister, explained to the latter about the measures taken by the State government to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. He also offered some suggestions to Modi on the measures that need to be taken, and it was in this context that he spoke about the CCMB labs. The Chief Minister said that in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, where passenger traffic from foreign countries was high, there was a need to check them thoroughly. He wanted more focus on these cities and called for appropriate measures to be taken in this regard. Since the chances of the virus spreading are more Produced by Unit for Science Dissemination, CSIR, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 2 with the entry of passengers from abroad, international flights should be cancelled for some time in the country, the Chief Minister suggested. Since a large number of people in the country travel by trains, tests should be conducted at railway stations too, Chandrashekhar Rao told the Prime Minister, and suggested high levels of sanitation in railway coaches and at railway stations. The Chief Minister said all measures have been taken in Telangana State to prevent people from gathering in large numbers. Festivals like Sri Ram Navami, Jagne Ki Raat and celebrations connected with them have been cancelled, he said, and assured the Prime Minister that the State government will work with the Centre to stop spread of coronavirus in the country. Published in: Telanganatoday Produced by Unit for Science Dissemination, CSIR, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 3 Indian Musicians unite for a “We Are The World” Like Project on World Water Day CSIR -NEERI 20 March, 2020 (Eds: Disclaimer: The following content is a press release. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) A National Water Movement finds its calling Music is such a powerful social glue that it seems to bring us all closer to each other as one community. So whenever there has been a crisis in the world, musicians have always stepped in to resonate their voice and catapult it into a movement. One of the biggest moments in history has been the creation of the ―We Are the World‖ project, where artists came together to unite to raise funds for the famine in Africa. Back home, India, the second-most populous country in the world, is staring at a severe water crisis as it nears ‗Day Zero‘ conditions when the taps run dry. Predictions of water tables being affected as early as 2020-2030 have been prominent stories within the nation. As a social enterprise, IdeaHive Media Pvt Ltd felt it was time to build a project that snowballs into a national citizens movement, with a vision to bring citizens across all sections of society to unite for reversing the effects of the crisis. And to support this cause, what could be more apt than getting the support of musicians to create a movement within the country and talk the language of water through the platform of music. IdeaHive Media‘s flagship project Paani Ka Teeka has designed an integrated project, which will work at multiple levels of advocacy and impact at the grassroots level. It is aimed to bring support to 1000+ water-stressed villages of India as one of its major impact mechanisms, besides working on bringing a behavioral change across the nation. Paani Ka Teeka has partnered with Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) as its knowledge partner, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and Emergy Enviro (A SINE IIT Bombay Company) as its Advisory and Technical partners who will work closely to make this project into a national movement. Ayiye Hum Sub Saath Milkar, Iss Desh Ko Paani Ka Teeka Lagayein !! with a patriotic line, as its signature line…Paani Ka Teeka is probably the answer Produced by Unit for Science Dissemination, CSIR, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 4 to India‘s ―We are the World‖ Moment. Paani ka Teeka has the support of the legends of Advertising and Music - Piyush Pandey and Louiz Banks who are reuniting after the iconic ‗Mile Sur‘ anthem and have garnered the support of music industry leaders like Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, Vishal Dadlani, Harshdeep Kaur, Neha Bhasin, Pankaj Udhas, Salim Merchant, Sivamani, Mame Khan, Rakesh Chaurasia, among others to join hands with the campaign for water consciousness. ―It‘s a blessing to be able to get the support of industry leaders and domain experts who have believed in our vision with Paani ka Teeka. The objective of the campaign is to make this project a citizens‘ movement and work towards a water-secure India,‖ said Dilip Moorkoth, Founder Paani Ka Teeka and the Director of IdeaHive Media Pvt Ltd. ―Music has the capacity to bridge cultures and create a momentum. If you look back in time, artists have always risen to the times and needs of the nation. It gives me utmost pleasure to come together along with my music industry friends and to team up yet again with Piyush Pandey. The vision created by IdeaHive for the Paani Ka Teeka project is definitely a great roadmap to a national water movement" said veteran musician Louiz Banks. Ad Guru Piyush Pandey said: "Water is critical for life and I''m very happy to collaborate with ''Paani Ka Teeka'' and Louiz Banks to make a small contribution and spread awareness in India about the necessity of saving water. I am honoured to be part of this journey." ―A ‗We Are The World‘-like story for India is a great idea for building a national water movement. I am glad to be a part of Paani ka Teeka‘s vision, as the entertainment industry joins hands to be the voice for the most precious thing in the world today – Water‖ said Salim Merchant. ―Over the last few years we all have started witnessing changes in the weather pattern. During such challenging times, it is our responsibility to stand up for the cause of water conservation. Paani Ka Teeka is a step in the right direction and I‘m happy to work closely with Paani Ka Teeka and spread the message of a need to secure this precious gift of nature‖ said Shaan. ―I‘m happy to be part of Paani Ka Teeka‘s vision for a national water campaign, I am positive that the energies of the music industry and the domain experts together will go a long way in building this into a Water Positive India‖ said Vishal Dadlani ―We need to start planning not only for us, but for the future generations as well and music is just the right medium to Produced by Unit for Science Dissemination, CSIR, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi 5 connect us all as a nation to work towards a common goal. I‘m very excited to be associated with Paani Ka Teeka‘s vision, and together, and I‘m positive that we have set on the right track with this national movement.‖ said Shreya Ghoshal ―Music has always connected generations towards a cause. Water needs the attention of us all. I extend my full support to the campaign, and having seen the plans, I‘m more than happy to be part of this historic project. I sincerely hope our joint efforts are able to bring a huge impact to the cause‖ said Pankaj Udhas About us: Paani Ka Teeka - Founder: IdeaHive Media Pvt. Ltd. IdeaHive Media Pvt. Ltd. is a social enterprise, created with a vision of building initiatives that enable a better community around us. IdeaHive specialize in the creation and management of Social Impact Projects across varied subjects that matter to the nation and our people. Their key focus is to best utilize integrated marketing and consumer engagement mediums to create awareness, facilitate behavioural changes, give voice to pertinent issues that affect society and through the support of domain experts, bring impact on ground. Paani Ka Teeka - Knowledge Partners, Advisory & Technical Partners WOTR: (Paani Ka Teeka – Knowledge Partner)Establishedin 1993, the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) is a non-profit that engages at the intersection of practice, knowledge and policy across scales and in collaboration with stakeholders from across sectors. Headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, the WOTR group has worked and supported work in over 4,800 villages across 8 Indian states, namely, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.