Archives February 2026

Gurugram, Feb 26: Doctors at Manipal Hospital, Gurugram, successfully treated a 28-year-old woman who suffered from major burns along with inhalation injury caused by a LPG cylinder leak at her home. The nursing college teacher residing in Panipat was brought to the emergency after receiving initial first aid at a local hospital. Given the extent of burns and the involvement of the respiratory tract, she was referred to Manipal Hospital Gurugram for advanced care.            

Globally, burn injuries remain a major public health challenge with thousands of deaths and fatal injuries reported every year. According to the World Health Organization, in India, an estimated 2.1 million burn injuries occur each year, resulting in around 25,000 deaths. Addressing this burden requires structured burn management, sustained multidisciplinary support, and continuity of care, as major burns demand long-term physical and psychological care. Responding to these specialised needs, Manipal Hospital continues to manage complex cases and provide comprehensive treatment to the patient. After a month-long intensive care and rehabilitation program, she was discharged in stable condition. 

Dr. Asheesh Dhingra, Consultant – Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Gurugram, said, “Severe burn injuries are among the most complex medical emergencies, requiring immediate intervention and a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. In this case, the patient’s recovery journey involved early stabilisation, infection control, and continuous monitoring. What truly made the difference was the patient’s extraordinary resilience and determination. That strength of spirit, combined with timely medical care, played an important role in helping her reclaim her life. We need to understand that burn injuries are medical emergencies, and seeking immediate attention can significantly improve survival and recovery outcomes.” 

This case highlights Manipal Hospital Gurugram’s strength in managing severe burn injuries through timely intervention, specialised care, and sustained rehabilitation support.

New Delhi, Feb 26: realme, the most popular smartphone brand among Indian youth, is all set to expand its Narzo lineup with the launch of the all-new realme Narzo Power 5G on 5th March, 2026 on Amazon.in, realme.com and offline stores. Designed for users who are on the hunt for unmatched endurance and powerful everyday performance, the realme Narzo Power 5G is built to deliver power that lasts longer and performs stronger.

At the heart of the device lies the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra 5G chipset, built on an advanced 4nm process and clocked up to 2.6GHz, ensuring seamless multitasking, smooth gaming and efficient power management. Paired with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, the device promises fast app launches and a fluid user experience.

Setting a new benchmark in battery innovation, the realme Narzo Power 5G packs a massive 10,001mAh battery, delivering extended usage that can comfortably last up to two days. It supports 80W Ultra Charge, enabling rapid top-ups, along with 27W wired reverse charging, allowing the device to double up as a power bank when needed.

On the imaging front, the smartphone features a 50MP Sony IMX882 OIS primary camera, complemented by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 16MP front camera, enabling sharp, stable and vibrant captures across lighting conditions. With support for 4K video recording and advanced AI imaging features, the realme Narzo Power 5G ensures users can capture every moment with clarity.

The device also boasts a 6.8-inch AMOLED curved display with up to 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, 1.07 billion colors, and peak brightness up to 6500 nits, delivering an immersive and ultra-smooth viewing experience. With IP66/IP68/IP69 ratings for durability and realme UI 7.0 based on Android 16, the realme Narzo Power 5G brings together endurance, performance and innovation in one powerful package. The realme Narzo Power 5G will be available for purchase on realme.com and Amazon.in. Stay tuned for more details as we gear up for the official unveiling on 5th March, 2026.

Odisha’s 2026–27 state budget has placed renewed emphasis on cultural preservation, with major announcements centered on heritage conservation, museum development and digitization initiatives. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, while presenting the budget in the state Assembly, proposed the establishment of a world-class Shree Jagannath Museum and Library in Puri, reinforcing the government’s stated priority of preserving and propagating Jagannath culture.

A World-Class Museum in Puri

• The proposed museum in Puri will complement the historic Shree Jagannath Temple, one of India’s most revered 12th-century shrines. With an allocation of ₹1,000 crore for initiatives linked to Jagannath culture, the project aims to:
• Create a global-standard museum and research library
• Digitally connect devotees through the ‘Samarpan’ digital hundi platform
• Restore the spiritual and architectural heritage of the Gundicha Temple
• Undertake conservation work at Emar Mutt, Pramod Udyan and Raghunandan Library
• Prepare a detailed inventory of the Ratna Bhandar ornaments

This initiative signals a broader shift toward integrating heritage conservation with tourism development and digital accessibility.

Condition of Odisha’s Existing Museums

Odisha houses several state-managed museums that preserve its rich maritime, tribal, artistic and archaeological heritage. However, many institutions face infrastructural and modernization challenges.

1. Odisha State Museum, Bhubaneswar

The Odisha State Museum holds valuable collections of palm-leaf manuscripts, sculptures, inscriptions, coins and folk art. While it remains a key cultural institution, sections of the museum require upgraded galleries, improved lighting, climate control systems and digital cataloguing facilities. The budget allocation of ₹10 crore for maintenance of galleries is a step toward modernization.

2. Odisha State Maritime Museum, Cuttack

Located at Jobra in Cuttack, the Odisha State Maritime Museum highlights Odisha’s ancient maritime trade links across Southeast Asia. Recent maintenance activities, including work on its aquarium facility, indicate ongoing infrastructural needs. Although operational, the museum requires technological upgrades, interactive displays and enhanced visitor services to meet contemporary standards.

3. District and Thematic Museums

Several district-level and thematic museums across Odisha face common issues:

• Limited funding for upkeep
• Shortage of trained museum professionals
• Lack of digitization of collections
• Minimal public engagement and outreach programs

Central Scheme for Museum Development: Objectives and Scope

The broader national scheme for museum development aligns closely with Odisha’s current initiatives. The scheme aims to provide financial assistance for:

Objectives

• Setting up new museums at regional, state and district levels
• Strengthening and modernizing existing museums
• Digitizing art objects and creating online catalogues
• Capacity building and training of museum professionals

Scope

Financial assistance covers museums managed by Central and State Governments, societies, autonomous bodies and trusts. The scope includes:

• Museums with collections of antiquities, numismatics, paintings, ethnology, textiles and crafts
• Online Virtual Museums
• Theme-based museums
• Virtual Experiential Museums (VEM)
• Projects of National Importance

Monitoring Mechanism

Museums receiving assistance must report annual visitor footfall for five years after project completion. A Project Monitoring Committee under the Ministry periodically reviews progress to ensure effective implementation.

Steps Toward New Museums in Odisha

The proposal for a Shree Jagannath Museum reflects a strategic cultural vision. Discussions around new museums in Odisha increasingly focus on:

1. Digitization and Virtual Access
2. Creating online archives and virtual walkthroughs to attract global audiences.
3. Experiential and Theme-Based Museums
4. Developing immersive storytelling spaces around Jagannath culture, maritime history and tribal heritage.
5. Capacity Building
6. Training curators, conservators and archivists in modern museum management practices.
7. Public-Private Partnerships
8. Involving trusts, academic institutions and autonomous bodies to strengthen governance and funding.
9. Tourism Integration
10. Linking museums with pilgrimage and heritage circuits to boost visitor engagement and revenue.

The Way Forward

Odisha stands at a critical juncture in cultural infrastructure development. While existing museums preserve invaluable heritage, many require modernization to remain relevant and engaging. The proposed Jagannath Museum in Puri could serve as a benchmark for future museum projects in the state—combining tradition, technology and tourism.

If effectively implemented, the new initiatives may transform Odisha into a leading cultural hub, where heritage preservation coexists with digital innovation and global outreach.

Chandigarh, Feb 26: As consumer preferences evolve, everyday beverages are increasingly being chosen with purpose. Functional teas, in particular, are gaining relevance as part of simple daily routines that support balanced lifestyles, without requiring drastic changes. Green tea has emerged as a familiar base in this shift, valued for its natural antioxidants and light, refreshing profile. Its versatility makes it easy to consume across the day, whether during work hours or as part of an evening routine, reinforcing consistency rather than intensity. Tetley Green Tea Slim Care builds on this growing trend by combining premium green tea with added L Carnitine, designed to help reduce body fat when combined with a balanced diet and regular physical activity.

 Available in Lemon and Honey and Ginger, Mint and Lemon flavoured variants, Tetley Green Tea Slim Care supports routine building through familiar flavours and easy consumption. Positioned as an everyday addition rather than aquicksolution, itreflects how functional teas are becoming anaturalpartof modern daily choices.

New Delhi, Feb 26: Clove Dental, India’s largest dental clinic network, has launched 48 new clinics in a single day as it marks 15 years of operations, the largest single-day expansion by any dental network in the country. The milestone takes the company’s footprint to 715 clinics across 26 cities, supported by over 1,700 dentists, 1,100 dental assistants, and more than 500 professionals supporting its clinical infrastructure.

The expansion reflects the steady rise of organised dentistry in India, a sector historically dominated by fragmented single-clinic practices. Over the past 15 years, Clove Dental has treated more than 3.5 million patients across the full spectrum of dental care—from preventive cleanings and routine caries management to complex full-mouth rehabilitation involving multiple implants and fixed dentures, emerging as a leader across dental specialties, including orthodontics, Invisalign, Whistle Aligners, and braces.

From the outset, Clove Dental has focused on standardizing clinical treatment protocols as well as operational sterilization and hygiene practices to ensure consistency across clinics. These standards are reinforced through unannounced biweekly audits conducted throughout the network.

The company has institutionalized a structured peer-review mechanism that enables dentists to discuss optimal treatment protocols through a proprietary dental application, ensuring that every patient benefits not only from a single clinician’s expertise, but from the collective knowledge of over 1,700 dentists across the network.

Clove Dental has also deployed an integrated practice management system that fully digitises diagnosis, X-rays, treatment planning, and billing. AI-supported decision frameworks within its proprietary cloud platform help enhance treatment planning, improve clinical consistency, and reduce variability.

Standardised pricing and uniform treatment protocols across all clinics further ensure that patients receive the same level of care, transparency, and value—irrespective of location.

Clove Dental’s growth has been anchored in a deep and continuously evolving understanding of the Indian dental patient. Ongoing patient insights have consistently highlighted the importance of ethical, high-quality treatment plans, stringent clinical hygiene standards, and transparent pricing.

Over time, this patient-centric approach has done more than build trust, it has helped reshape expectations and set new benchmarks for organised dentistry. Clove Dental translated these insights into a standardised clinic model supported by disciplined recruitment and operating processes, enabling rapid expansion while maintaining consistent quality. By combining deep patient understanding with strong governance and scalable technology, Clove Dental has not only expanded its footprint but also contributed to raising the standard of organised dental care across India.

Mr. Louis Shakinovsky, Group Chairman, Global Dental Services, said,

“We founded Clove Dental with the clear vision of transforming the dental landscape in India by setting consistently high clinical standards. Our goal has always been to make the Clove standard synonymous with the gold standard in dentistry. The continued trust and validation from patients has enabled this growth, and launching 48 clinics in a single day—taking us to 715 clinics—reflects the strength of the foundation our teams have built together.”

Mr. Amarinder Singh, Founder & CEO, Clove Dental, said,

“To organise an unorganised sector, scale must be built on systems. For the past 15 years, we have focused on creating repeatable processes supported by strong checks and balances—clinical audits, case reviews, technology oversight, structured recruitment, and governance controls. That foundation allows us to expand with both speed and discipline. Even at 715 clinics, we believe we are still at the beginning of a much larger journey.”

Lt Gen (Retd.) Dr. Vimal Arora, Chief Clinical Officer, Clove Dental, said, 

“Delivering clinical excellence across a distributed healthcare network requires rigorous control over standards. Every Clove Dental clinic is company-owned and company-managed, enabling consistency in care delivery. We employ specialists across all dental disciplines, and over 75% of our dentists hold MDS degrees. In addition, every doctor undergoes internal validation and accreditation upon joining Clove Dental to ensure the highest level of clinical excellence. This disciplined approach has enabled us to maintain quality while growing at scale.”

Clove Dental continues to invest in advanced diagnostic technologies, AI-enabled sterilisation tracking systems, digital treatment planning tools, and centralised clinical oversight to maintain uniform standards nationwide. The addition of these clinics enhances accessibility to high-quality oral healthcare across North, West, and South India, supporting the company’s long-term vision of building scalable, technology-driven dental infrastructure.

Guwahati, Feb 26 : SBI General Insurance, one of India’s leading general insurance companies, has announced its participation in the ‘Meri Policy Mere Haath’ campaign under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for the Rabi 2025–26 season. Scheduled to be held from 15th February to 15th March 2026, the initiative aims to deliver crop insurance policies directly to farmers’ doorsteps while strengthening awareness about crop insurance benefits, risk protection, and key aspects of the PMFBY scheme, including coverage, enrolment, and claim procedures.

The ‘Meri Policy Mere Haath’ campaign is designed to make crop insurance more transparent, accessible, and farmer-friendly, ensuring that beneficiaries not only receive their policy documents but also clearly understand their entitlements. As part of the campaign, SBI General Insurance will conduct extensive on-ground outreach programmes across villages and Gram Panchayats to engage farmers at the grassroots level.

The Company will organise a series of Fasal Bima Pathshalas, women-focused awareness workshops, and structured farmer education programmes across seven states — Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. These sessions will focus on explaining policy features, crop coverage, claim intimation processes, and grievance redressal mechanisms. In addition to physical outreach, SBI General Insurance will also leverage digital and social media platforms to amplify the campaign’s reach, promote participation, and spread awareness about the importance of crop insurance among farming communities.

Speaking of the event, Mr. Naveen Chandra Jha, MD and CEO of SBI General Insurance, said

“At SBI General Insurance, we believe farmers are the backbone of our nation and economy, and it is our responsibility to stand by them. The ‘Meri Policy Mere Haath’ campaign, which we participate annually, reflects our continued commitment to empowering farmers through timely policy distribution, improved accessibility, and awareness of crop insurance benefits. By reaching farmers at their doorsteps and engaging directly at the Gram Panchayat level, we aim to work closely with stakeholders, build trust in the PMFBY scheme, and support the farming community in managing agricultural risks more effectively.”

Through initiatives like this, SBI General Insurance continues to strengthen its engagement with India’s farming community, ensuring that insurance reaches every farmer efficiently and effectively. By combining on-ground outreach, educational programmes, and digital initiatives, the company reinforces its commitment to supporting agricultural resilience, financial security, and sustainable growth across rural India.