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27 Apr

Covaxin gets DCGI approval for 6-12 age group, Corbevax for 5-12 year olds

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday gave emergency use authorisation of two anti-coronavirus vaccines in children aged between 5 years and 12 years old.

While Biological E’s ‘Corbevax’ has been approved for the age group of 5 to 12 years, Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ has been approved for the age group of 6 to 12 years.

DCGI also approved emergency use authorization for ZyCoV-D vaccine for children above the age of 12 years.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 188.19 Cr (1,88,19,40,971) as per the updated data of the Health Ministry, till 7 am on Wednesday.

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 2.75 Cr (2,75,34,619) adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for the age group 18-59 years also started from 10th April, 2022 onwards. 5,17,547 precaution doses have been administered in age group 18-59 years so far.

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26 Apr

‘Afghanistan was thrown under the bus by the world’: Jaishankar replies to Europe

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday countered criticism of India’s position on Ukraine, saying that how an entire civil society was thrown under the bus by the world in Afghanistan.

Responding to a question from Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt at the Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar reiterated that India’s position has been very clear regarding conflict in Ukraine.

“I think where the conflict in Ukraine is concerned, we have a very clear position that has been articulated. A position which emphasises the urgent cessation of fighting, which urges a return to diplomacy and dialogue which stresses the need for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” said Jaishankar.

He further stated that Asia face its own sets of challenges which often have an impact on the rules-based order.

“You spoke about Ukraine, I remember less than a year ago what happened in Afghanistan, where an entire civil society was thrown under the bus by the world or we in Asia face our own sets of challenges which often have an impact on the rules-based order,” said Jaishankar.

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26 Apr

Netflix partners with I&B Ministry to launch ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniyan’

As part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday launched ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya’, a short video series created in collaboration with OTT platform, Netflix.

Minister Anurag Singh Thakur while addressing the audience and media said that the Ministry of I&B has been a vital part of Amrit Mahotsav celebrations with various initiatives. The idea of Azadi is intertwined with women’s emancipation in India and the Minister remarked that the term Azadi or freedom holds a wider connotation for women who have to fight stereotypes and taboos in the society as well.

Speaking on the collaboration Thakur said “this initiative aims to bring out inspiring stories of Indians and these stories shall motivate and empower more people to achieve their goals”.

He added that this was a long term partnership where different themes and diverse stories will be highlighted.

“Netflix will be producing twenty five videos on themes including women empowerment, environment and sustainable development and other days of significance. Netflix will produce two-minute short films for the Ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on Doordarshan network”, Thakur elaborated.

Thakur elaborated on the multiple dimensions of this partnership and said Netflix and Ministry will continue to organize training workshops and master classes to encourage film makers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

“Netflix and ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, music production among others and will be organized on ground and virtually”, he announced.

The Minister stated that the partnership between the Ministry and Netflix was only a beginning and will not be limited to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Speaking on the occasion Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix, said that India was one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world and India was remarkably well placed in times of internet entertainment.

“Netflix is excited to be part of a time when stories from India are being exported to the world and the best Indian stories are being discovered and loved on a global stage”, she said.

Bela Bajaria also said that “Netflix is proud to partner with MIB to celebrate and acknowledge the evolution of India over past 75 years by celebrating its beautiful art, culture and storytelling”.

She further added that it was “in pursuance of this partnership Netflix has created a series of short videos based on real life stories aimed to celebrate achievement of people from all corners of India”.

Speaking about the first set of videos in the series, Bajaria said that these stories are of incredible women who have fought against the odds to achieve their dreams. Netflix’s commitment to India is strong and growing and Netflix will continue to find the country’s finest stories and share them across the globe, she remarked.

The Ministry and Netflix have collaborated to produce the first set of videos featuring seven Women Change makers from across the country who share their experiences in breaking the glass ceiling.

 

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26 Apr

Flipkart Signs MoU With West Bengal Govt To Train And Support Local Artisans, Weavers

Flipkart, on Tuesday, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Government of West Bengal to train and support local artisans, weavers, and handicraft makers to leverage the e-commerce platform to scale their local products nationally.

The MoU is signed between with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T) Department of Bengal and Flipkart.

Flipkart Samarth programme will empower artisans/weavers in West Bengal with the ecosystem support required to grow and benefit from the e-commerce platform access. Under this partnership, the Samarth program will provide time-bound incubation support and training benefits to underserved communities.

Commenting on the partnership, Rajesh Pandey, IAS, Principal Secretary, MSME & Textiles Department, Government of West Bengal, said, “We are focused on deepening our commitment towards MSMEs in the state and helping their growth. This partnership with the Government of West Bengal and Flipkart will greatly enhance the growth and development of artisans, weavers, small businesses and MSMEs by providing access to opportunities that ecommerce enables. These efforts will also be instrumental in driving the commercial and social development in the state by creating inclusive growth.”

Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, “As a homegrown company, we are passionate about our sellers’ growth, building an inclusive e-commerce ecosystem and constantly innovate to find new ways to uplift and empower all sections of society, especially MSMEs. Flipkart’s partnership with the Govt of West Bengal will be instrumental in driving the economic growth of weavers, artisans and small businesses with Flipkart’s national market access. We have partnered with the government to continue supporting the state and India’s inclusive growth vision and create shared-value in the country.”

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26 Apr

India creates world record by waving 78,220 tricolors simultaneously

On 23 April 2022, India entered the Guinness Book of World Records by waving 78,220 tricolor flags simultaneously at the “Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav” programme at  Duler Ground in Jagdishpur, Bhojpur, Bihar.

Ministry of Culture said that the occasion was a tribute to the glorious victory of the then King of Jagdishpur, Veer Kunwar Singh, who is considered one of the ‘heroes’ of the freedom struggle of 1857.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The attempt was witnessed by representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records and attendees were asked to wear bands for the physical identification. The complete event is documented in video form.

In his address, the Union Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned that in 2047, India should lead globally and this can be our true tribute to all brave freedom fighters like Veer Kunwar Singh.

Babu Veer Kunwar Singh emerged as a prominent leader of the Indian freedom struggle of 1857, who even at the age of about 80, fought bravely against the British colonial rule. He belonged to the Ujjayini dynasty of the Parmar Rajputs of Jagdishpur, a part of present-day Bhojpur district, Bihar, India.

At the age of 80, he led a selected band of armed soldiers against troops under the command of the British East India Company. He was the significant‘hero’ of the freedom struggle in Bihar against British colonial rule. He is popularly known as Veer Kunwar Singh.

 

 

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26 Apr

India 3rd largest military spender in the world after US & China

India’s military expenditure in 2021 is the third highest in the world at $76.6 billion, according to the data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday. India is behind the United States and China but ahead of the United Kingdom and Russia.

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.

Globally the military expenditure increased by 0.7 per cent, to $2,113 billion.

“Total global military expenditure increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2113 billion. The five largest spenders in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia, together accounting for 62 per cent of expenditure,” according to the data by SIPRI.

SIPRI said that India’s military expenditure was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012.

“In a push to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms,” said SIPRI.

According to the data by SIPRA, US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 per cent from 2020.

China, the world’s second largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7 per cent compared with 2020.

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26 Apr

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44 billion

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man has now officially bought the online platform Twitter for approximately $44 billion.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk.

Talking about the future of Twitter Musk said, “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

Twitter will now become a private company owned by Musk and shareholders will receive $54.2 for each Twitter share they own.

“Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important,” Parag Agrawal said in a tweet after the takeover.

 

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25 Apr

Deaflympics 2021: Anurag Thakur sends off Team India’s contingent of 65-athletes

On Monday, India’s Deaflympics 2021 contingent received a rousing send-off ahead of embarking for the Games, starting May 1. Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Nisith Pramanik and other dignitaries graced the occasion.

A total of 65 athletes will be participating at the Games in Caxias Du Sul, Brazil, making it the largest and the youngest contingent ever from India to participate in the Deaflympics. They will participate in a total of 11 sports disciplines: Athletics, Badminton, Judo, Golf, Karate, Shooting, Swimming, Tennis, Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Wrestling. The Games are scheduled from May 1 to May 15.

Showering the contingent with the best of wishes, Anurag Thakur mentioned, “On behalf of everyone in the country, I not only give the best of wishes to all of you but also want to say that you have already shown your mettle by getting selected to represent India for the Games. Since this is the biggest contingent, I also believe we will also get the highest number of medals from Brazil. India will be the next big sporting powerhouse, be it in Olympics, Paralympics or Deaflympics. India will not stop. This century is ours and we will keep on unfurling India’s flag on all sporting arena.”

India had sent a delegation of 46 participants in the last Deaflympics in Turkey in 2017, bagging a total of 5 medals, which included 1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.

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25 Apr

I&B Ministry Blocks 16 Youtube News Channels For Spreading Disinformation

On Monday, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issued directions for blocking sixteen YouTube-based news channels and one Facebook account by utilizing the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021.

According to a statement, the blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and ten India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore.

The channels were used to spread fake news over social media on matters related to national security, India’s foreign relations, communal harmony in the country, and public order. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting stated that the content published by some of the India based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and incited hatred among the members of various religious communities. Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony, and disturb public order.

Multiple India based YouTube channels were observed to publish unverified news and videos having the potential to create panic among various sections of the society.

Examples include false claims related to announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to COVID-19 thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities, etc.

YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s foreign relations in the light of situation in Ukraine, etc. The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, and India’s friendly relations with foreign States.

 

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25 Apr

BJP Leader Dilip Ghosh Suggests There Is A Possibility That Anubrata Mandal Can Be Assassinated

As Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal continues to avoid facing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) BJP leader Dilip Ghosh started a new controversy.

Mandal has avoided summons from the CBI on various cases, like cattle & coal smuggling and post-poll violence in West Bengal. Reacting to this Dilip Ghosh told reporters that custody will be comparatively safer for Anubrata Mandal. Ghosh said that Anubrata Mandal is privy to all the information regarding the scams of Trinamool Congress and if he continues to stay outside, he might be poisoned.

Ghosh further said that it is better that Anubrata Mandal faces CBI as he cannot avoid the CBI for long.

Anubrata Mondal did not appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had summoned him at 2:30 pm on Sunday in connection with the West Bengal post-poll violence case.

The TMC leader was also asked to appear before the CBI summoned him on Sunday for questioning in connection into a cattle smuggling case in West Bengal.

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