National team striker Bala Devi, who recently became the first Indian woman to score a goal in Europe, idolizes legendary boxer MC Mary Kom.

Bala said she had met her biggest source of inspiration during the Asian Games in 2014 and termed record six-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist a friendly person. “Mary Kom is a big source of inspiration for me. She came from such humble beginnings and through her hard work, she broke so many records. Even after becoming a mother, she continues to break records and win laurels for the country,” Bala told AIFF TV.

“We interacted at the Asian Games in 2014 and watched her train. She is a very friendly person and also supported us during our games,” she added.
Earlier this year, the attacker signed for Scottish side Rangers Women FC and credited the ‘international exposure’ provided by the federation as a key factor as Indian football moves forward together.

“I have represented India a lot. In my mind, I always wanted to play at the international level and after the AIFF gave us so many international exposure tours, I gained a lot of experience of playing against European teams and I realized that I can play and compete with them,” opined Bala.
“Then, I started seeking out teams and eventually chose to sign for Rangers as they are one of the best clubs in the world. I heard a lot about them and they also have a blue jersey like the Indian team,” she added.

Bala made her debut for Rangers FC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League in February, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
With the competition having resumed since October, the mercurial forward created history as she scored her first competitive goal for the club on Sunday in a win against Motherwell.

“Ever since I gave my trials at this club, I wanted to inspire every Indian player back home. I have always stayed positive and have wanted to be an inspiration for all the girls and young players in India who want to play internationally. It is something that has always been on my mind and I take it into account every time I step on to the pitch,” she said.

Subsequently, the striker was named as a nominee for the AFC International Player of the Week alongside star names such as Iran’s Sardar Azmoun, Korea Republic’s Son Heung-min, and Japanese icon Saki Kumagai.

“After the goal, a lot of people wished me, and many were talking and writing about it, which made me feel very proud,” Bala said.
“After that, I was nominated for the AFC Player of the Week, and seeing my name on the list alongside such icons made me happy. I just want everyone to continue supporting us so we can keep achieving bigger things for the country in the future,” she signed off.

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Subhash Gurjar swears by his illustrious experience and says nothing can be achieved without discipline.

Most of us dream about creating a better world for everyone. Some succeed and some fail. Here is a success story of a visionary from a small town, Karauli in Rajasthan.

Subhash Gurjar has become an inspiration to many. Son of Army personnel, Late Shri Bharat Singh, he got into Army school where he got exposure to learning different cultures of India. The school had students from every state and the Ministry of defence managed the school. So, discipline, time management and love for the country was the prime focus. His inspiration was his family, he admired his father and followed his footsteps. Being the eldest in the family gave him a sense of responsibility and self-dependency. Academically, he was a smart student since the beginning, he started taking tuitions when he was in class 11^th.

In his early age, he understood the value of discipline and while studying for his graduation in Commerce college of Jaipur, he started an Institution called “Success Commerce Horizon”. He had as much as 80 students in the first year of opening and it became a successful business for him while he was pursuing his graduation.

After completing an MBA in Finance and Marketing, he was inducted into ICICI Bank as Unit Manager. But his passion for the acquiring and imparting education gave him the way back in the industry. Subhash Gurjar got an offer from Shekhawati Education City where he took up the role as Director Administration. After working in an educational group for a long period, he understood the value of technology and moved to Ascent Technology Consulting as Vice President Products and Operations. A Company that deals with the fintech industry through financial control and business continuity.

“I have learnt through my experience that hard work may be the key to success but discipline is the pathway to that door. I have seen that in my family and I see that in my team,” said Subhash Gurjar.

His growth and exposure to various industries made Subhash Gurjar aware of the gap between industry expectations and available skill sets of manpower. He envisions filling that gap and creating a better world for both ‘the industry and humanity’. His aspirations for creating a financial ecosystem for MSMEs and small business houses that covers all the aspects of the financial world which include compliances, consultancy and products.

While sharing his future plans “ There is something unique on the way and my team is working hard on the same. It will be launched in the new financial year. At this point, we can only share that this idea will make life easy for businesses for their day-to-day operations and compliances. Stay safe and healthy in this pandemic time.” 

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Adoption of face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic became commonplace

Washington –

While wearing a face mask is an extremely essential measure to not only protect the wearer from expelling particles that might carry SARS-CoV-2, some people, though, still refuse to wear a mask. So, scientists researched the protectiveness of various kinds of consumer-grade and modified masks, assuming the wearer was exposed to the novel coronavirus, like when we interact with an unmasked infected person.

 The UNC School of Medicine scientists, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, led the study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

 The research shows that some masks were as much as 79 per cent effective at blocking particles that could carry the virus. These were masks made of two layers of woven nylon and fit snug against the wearer’s face. Unmodified medical procedure masks with ear loops – also known as surgical masks – offered 38.5 per cent filtration efficacy, but when the ear loops were tied in a specific way to tighten the fit, the efficacy improved to 60.3 per cent. And when a layer of nylon was added, these masks offered 80 per cent effectiveness.

 “While modifications to surgical masks can enhance the filtering capabilities and reduce inhalation of airborne particles by improving the fit of the mask, we demonstrated that the fitted filtration efficiencies of many consumer-grade masks were nearly equivalent to or better than surgical masks,” said co-first author Phillip Clapp, PhD, an inhalation toxicologist and assistant professor of paediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine.

 Co-first author Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, director of infection prevention at the UNC Medical Center, added, “Limiting the amount of virus is important because the more viral particles we’re exposed to, the more likely it is we will get sick and potentially severely ill.”

 As the adoption of face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic became commonplace, there was a rapid expansion in the public use of commercial, home-made, and improvised masks which vary considerably in design, material, and construction. There have been a number of innovative “hacks,” devices, and mask enhancements that claim to improve the performance characteristics of conventional masks – typically surgical or procedure masks. Despite their widespread dissemination and use during the pandemic, there have been few evaluations of the efficiency of these face coverings or mask enhancements at filtering airborne particles.

 In this study, the researchers used a recently described methodological approach based on the OSHA Fit Test to determine the fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of a variety of consumer-grade and improvised facemasks, as well as several popular modifications of medical procedure masks. Seven consumer-grade masks and five medical procedure mask modifications were fitted on an adult male, and FFE measurements were collected during a series of repeated movements of the torso, head, and facial muscles as outlined by the OSHA Quantitative Fit Testing Protocol.

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Universal Health Coverage has come to be known of Importance, especially this year with the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic

Health care is a fundamental requirement for every human being irrespective of caste, creed, status, etc. Each person has basic needs to stay healthy like proper food, shelter, water, etc. Apart from these, appropriate healthcare facilities is a requirement that not everyone has easy access to. For the welfare of the citizens, every country should have a strong health care infrastructure in place.

Significance and Background

On 12th December 2012, the United Nations endorsed a historic resolution. The UN unanimously urged countries to accelerate their progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The idea was to make quality healthcare available to everyone, everywhere. In 2017, the United Nations officially designated this day as International Universal Health Coverage Day. 

This day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the need for strong and resilient health systems. There are still many people in the world waiting for healthcare to reach them. Each year there are new stories raised by the UN Advocates regarding the limited healthcare coverage in various areas of the world. 

The theme for 2020Like each year, 2020 also has a theme for this day, which is ‘Protech Everyone’. This year has been an eye-opener for the World as the need for quality healthcare facilities was realized. 2020 has been a reckoning year for the health systems around the globe. This pandemic has sparked the sheer urgency for health systems and universal health coverage.

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Opener Rohit Sharma has been declared fit by the physios at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) following his hamstring during the Indian Premier League.

The batsman Rohit Sharma had reached the NCA in Bengaluru on November 19 and was set to undergo a fitness test on Friday. In the developments said the batsman is fit for the rigors of international cricket. “He has passed the fitness test and the future course of action will be decided by the BCCI and the selection committee,” the source said.

The BCCI had informed of the decision to add Rohit Sharma to the squad for the Test series against Australia after initially excluding him from the tour due to the hamstring injury.

“The BCCI Medical Team has been monitoring Rohit Sharma’s fitness and has briefed All-India Senior Selection Committee on the same. In consultation with Sharma, it has been decided to rest him for the ODIs and T20Is in Australia to regain full fitness and he has been included in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” the BCCI said in a release on November 9.

While the Indian players who were part of the IPL final on November 10 moved into the bubble for the national team that very night in Dubai, Rohit had flown back to India and later headed to the NCA to complete his rehabilitation.

Speaking to the media on November 26, India skipper Virat Kohli had said the confusion over Rohit’s injury status is something that should have been avoided and there should have been clarity on the whole matter.

“Well, before we had the selection meeting in Dubai, we got a mail two days before which said that Rohit is unavailable for selection because of the injury he picked up during the IPL. It mentioned a two-week rest and rehab period, and it said that the pros and cons of the injury were explained to Rohit and he understood that.

It was the information we got by mail but after that, he played in the IPL. We all thought that he would be on the flight to Australia which he wasn’t and we had no information whatsoever on the reason behind him not flying to Australia,” Kohli had said.

“After that, the only information we have received on mail is that he is at NCA and he will be further assessed on December 11. So from the time the selection meeting happened and the IPL ended and now when this mail came about his assessment, there has been lack of clarity, we have been playing the waiting game on this issue and this is not ideal at all,” he added.

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