PIB Summary- 18th February, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

eSanjeevani

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has hailed the landmark of 10 crore tele-consultations on eSanjeevani app. 

What is E-Sanjeevani?

• Ministry eevani AB-HWC) in the hub and spoke model and patient to doctor (eSanjeevani OPD).
• E-Sanjeevani OPD (out-patient department) is a telemedicine variant for the public to seek health services remotely; it was rolled out on 13th of April 2020 during the first lockdown in the country.
• e-Sanjeevani OPD is a Govt of India flagship telemedicine platform developed by the Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), Mohali under the aegis of MoHFW, Govt of India.
•  It provides free consultations to any Indian citizen.
• However, with covid cases surging, the demand for doctors is up while the supply has reduced due to doctors being pulled out for covid ward duties. 
• It enables virtual meetings between the patients and doctors & specialists from geographically dispersed locations, through video conferencing that occurs in real-time.
• At the end of these remote consultations, eSanjeevani generates electronic prescriptions which can be used for sourcing medicines.
• Andhra Pradesh was the first state to roll out eSanjeevani AB-HWC services in November 2019.

Benefits of telemedicine

• Transportation: Patients can avoid spending gas money or wasting time in traffic with video consultations.
• No missing work: Today, individuals can schedule a consultation during a work break or even after work hours.
• Childcare/Eldercare Challenges: Those who struggle to find care options can use telemedicine solutions.

Yakshagana

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has expressed deep grief over the demise of noted Yakshagana playback singer, Shri Balipa Narayana Bhagawatha.

About Yakshagana

• Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that originated in Karnataka.
• It is a temple art form that portrays mythological stories and Puranas.
• The performances involve elaborate headgear, facial make-up, and vibrant costumes and ornaments.
• The language used is primarily Kannada, but it is also performed in Malayalam and Tulu (a dialect of South Karnataka).
• The performances are accompanied by percussion instruments like chenda, maddalam, jagatta or chengila (cymbals), and chakratala or elathalam (small cymbals).
• The most popular episodes depicted in Yakshagana are from the Mahabharata, such as Draupadi swayamvar and Subhadra vivah, as well as from the Ramayana, such as Rajyabhishek and Lav-Kush yuddh.