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Union Minister for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, officially launched the "Srjanam" biomedical waste conversion rig at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Monday, marking a significant milestone in the management of biomedical waste.
Srjanam is a waste management system developed by CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram. "It offers a cost effective, greener alternative to existing technologies for biomedical waste disposal, including incineration," read a statement by the union minister's office. The fully automated system dissects and nullifies all hazardous biomedical wastes like blood, urine, and sputum, as well as laboratory disposables, without the use of costliest and energy-intensive incinerators, making the disposal of waste easy and economical. "One of Srjanam's unique features is its ability to impart a pleasant fragrance to otherwise foul-smelling toxic waste, making its handling and disposal safer and more manageable," statement added. The waste system has a capacity of 400-kg-per-day, with the statement reading, "the initial phases can currently accommodate up to 10 kg/day of degradable medical waste. The technology was successfully validated for its antimicrobial acts and non-toxic nature and would be ready for implementation soon with the go-ahead from the concerned authorities." The union minister also emphasised the role of innovation in addressing environmental issues "This development marks a key milestone towards sustainable waste management in healthcare. Srjanam promises a low-cost solution that is scalable and could be adopted by healthcare institutions across the country," he said. The director of CSIR-NIIST also highlighted the efficient solution to biomedical waste management. "Hence it provides the potential for a very safe, efficient solution to biomedical waste management," said Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR-NIIST. "Safe and efficient management reduces the risk to healthcare workers and the chances of spreading infectious diseases," he added Dr VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog also expressed his excitement about the initiative. "The Srjanam technology is a huge leap towards allowing safe and sustainable management of biomedical waste. It tends to lessen the environmental burden significantly while increasing safety for health workers and citizens," he said. The Director of AIIMs, Dr M Srinivas also added, "It speaks volumes about the scientific collaborative strength in addressing the problem of biomedical waste disposal. It also shows the commitment of AIIMS, New Delhi in adopting things that are beneficial for both healthcare and the environment." With Srjanam, public health and environmental protection can become achievable realities by getting rid of the issues related to the management of demos for illegal biomedical waste dumping across states. (ANI)
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