Highlights
- The transparent masks being made by NIEPVD use biodegradable plastic
- Without transparent masks, communication is difficult for deaf and elders
- Traditional masks block faces and prevent lip reading
New Delhi: In February, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its earlier stages, a group of children in a colony in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun were being given a talk on how to keep themselves safe from the virus. A few minutes into the lecture, the two experts donning face masks noticed some children staring at them in a state of confusion. On being asked, they said that they couldn’t understand anything since the mouths of the speakers were covered and they were unable to lip read or decipher the facial expressions. This was an eye-opener for Professor Nachiketa Rout, one of the two experts, who then decided to make the kind of mask which can address the needs of people with hearing impairment amidst COVID-19 outbreak.
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While talking to NDTV, Professor Rout, an audiologist and Director of the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), Dehradun said,
Regular masks make it impossible to lip read or understand visual cues, posing a limitation for hearing impaired people. Now the time is such that we all need to wear masks in our daily lives. This is how our new reality is going to be. But we must not forget that those people who have any kind of hearing difficulties, be it the deaf or the senior citizens with fading hearing and even those little children who have learning disabilities like sensory auditory processing disorder, are all dependent on lip reading. Transparent masks provide a solution to such a situation.
According to Professor Rout, NIEPVD, an institute under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), has made 800 see-trough masks till now out of which 250 have been distributed to Dehradun Police and the rest to the children, staff members and their families on campus.
Professor Rout further said that post COVID-19, daily activities have become difficult for everyone, but people with hearing impairments are facing the even worse situation. All essential items providers, policemen, doctors, bank staff and others have their face covered which becomes a barrier for people with hearing difficulties while communicating with these people. He said,
If all essential items/service providers wear see-through masks, it will become easier for people with difficulty in hearing to deal with them.
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NIEPVD has established a committee for implementing safety and preventive measures on campus to fight against COVID-19. A few members of this committee are dedicated towards the transparent mask initiative. Professor Rout said,
We have tailors here who found out the right kind of cotton material to be used in manufacturing masks that are effective against coronavirus. We prepared the prototypes and got those tested by doctors. The only limitation was that while speak fog develops on the plastic but this can be easily prevented by applying a thin film of any body lotion on it.
He also highlighted that the transparent plastic sheet used in making masks is biodegradable as it is made from the sugarcane fibre. He said,
The entire Uttrakhand-Uttar Pradesh belt is sugarcane belt and here at many places, the sugarcane fibre is used to make biodegradable plastic called bio-polypropylene. So we thought why not use it while making the mask. It is more eco-friendly and can be cleaned easily.
Professor Rout also added once the mass scale productions start in the campus, the cost of the special transparent mask will be Rs. 35. The cost of a normal mask is usually around Rs. 20.
Transparent masks are also important for security reasons, he said. Explaining further, Professor Rout said,
There is a bank in our campus and when wearing masks became mandatory in our campus, the manager of the bank told me that it can be hazardous for security as the bank CCTV cameras will not be able to capture the face of the miscreant, in case of the breach of security. We have provided them with some transparent masks and the manager has also asked all its customers to enter the bank wearing only transparent face masks.
Professor Rout shared that the institution has presented a proposal to the MoSJE for scaling up the production and to take up mask making a skill development activity in NIEPVD.
NDTV reached out to an official at MoSJE who said,
Transparent masks can surely address the needs of the hearing-impaired community. Considering this, the ministry is working towards it and apart from NIEPVD, two other institutions of Ministry are also in the process of producing transparent masks.
The Tamil Nadu State Commissionerate for the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities has also recently launched transparent face masks for persons with hearing impairments. According to an official, a total of 81,000 masks are to be distributed to nearly 13,500 persons with disabilities, as well as their parents, other close family members, caregivers, classmates and teachers as part of a pilot project.
According to the Population Census- 2011, there are 26.7 lakh men and 23.9 lakh women in India who suffer from some degree of hearing impairment. Experts assert that transparent masks can help them have barrier-free communication while keeping themselves safe.
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World
India
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 22,28,471 8,744 | 98,859 346 | 20,77,112 9,068 | 52,500 22 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,78,739 1,412 | 39,532 1,630 | 10,34,895 3,030 | 4,312 12 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,55,451 436 | 6,834 47 | 9,36,250 478 | 12,367 5 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,90,766 74 | 1,009 11 | 8,82,581 61 | 7,176 2 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,55,677 556 | 4,018 21 | 8,39,138 532 | 12,521 3 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,41,340 239 | 1,730 73 | 6,28,686 309 | 10,924 3 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,04,380 101 | 1,634 13 | 5,94,008 113 | 8,738 1 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,76,838 215 | 3,155 8 | 5,63,403 221 | 10,280 2 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,37,803 59 | 718 29 | 3,35,168 88 | 1,917 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,21,711 179 | 1,883 128 | 3,17,039 51 | 2,789 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,14,640 320 | 2,919 99 | 3,07,862 220 | 3,859 1 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 3,00,153 142 | 1,769 38 | 2,96,740 178 | 1,644 2 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,73,941 555 | 3,212 72 | 2,66,313 482 | 4,416 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,72,751 231 | 2,083 52 | 2,67,610 177 | 3,058 2 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,65,070 427 | 3,638 32 | 2,57,560 394 | 3,872 1 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,779 21 | 290 23 | 2,60,942 43 | 1,547 1 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,682 14 | 1,624 3 | 2,14,964 17 | 1,094 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,89,620 1,229 | 8,020 523 | 1,75,659 692 | 5,941 14 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,27,114 70 | 871 21 | 1,24,280 90 | 1,963 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,20,312 53 | 472 9 | 1,18,747 44 | 1,093 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,480 58 | 662 30 | 95,123 28 | 1,695 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 59,197 79 | 617 3 | 57,580 73 | 1,000 3 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 55,463 54 | 632 56 | 54,032 110 | 799 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,882 14 | 171 5 | 39,041 19 | 670 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,424 | 30 0 | 33,003 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,296 5 | 29 1 | 28,894 4 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 22,397 79 | 725 15 | 21,316 63 | 356 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,839 | 3 0 | 16,780 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,973 1 | 12 1 | 13,813 2 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,217 | 19 1 | 12,107 1 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,833 2 | 44 0 | 9,659 2 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,174 | 50 0 | 5,989 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,026 2 | 7 0 | 4,957 2 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,432 4 | 10 2 | 4,412 2 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,421 5 | 17 5 | 3,402 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 494 8 | 164 6 | 329 2 | 1 |