India News
US dollar 250 million mission launched to boost biopharma sector
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By SunderarajanPadmanabhan
The Government today launched a USD 250 million mission to give a major boost to the biopharmaceutical sector in the country as an industry-academia collaborative programme.
The main focus of the mission is to almost double India’s share in the global bio-pharmaceutical sector from the current level of a mere three percent to a more decent five percent over the next five years.
Launching the mission, Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan expressed confidence that it would help develop more affordable and effective indigenous vaccines , drugs and other therapeutics for various diseases from cancer to dengue.
The mission envisages the setting up of an inter-ministerial steering committee to oversee its implementation and a technical advisory board consisting of national and international experts to ensure that right measures are taken, he added.
India had been an active player in the pharmaceutical industry and has contributed globally towards making life saving drugs and low cost pharmaceutical products accessible and affordable to those in need. India has been a forerunner in developing a range of medical products including rotavirus vaccine, heart valve prosthesis and insulin.
However, despite all the advances in the pharmaceutical sector, India still lagged behind its counterparts in the developed countries by 10 to 15 years. It faces stiff competition from China, and Korea in particular. According to the Global Innovation Index, India ranked at 81 out of 140, way below China, which ranked at 29 and South Korea at 14.
The problems arise mainly due to disconnected centres of excellence, not enough focus on translational research and unfocussed funding. The sector is in need of consolidated efforts to promote product discovery, translational research and early stage manufacturing in the country, the whole value chain.
The new mission seeks to address these gaps and make India a hub for design and development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products and solutions. Under the mission, steps are to be taken to accelerate the translation of research concepts into viable products, support clinical validation, enable development of sustainable networks for collaboration between industry and the academia and generate attractive entrepreneurial ecosystems, among other things.
The mission will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). It has been launched in collaboration with World Bank. The global institution is providing a loan of US dollars 125 million. – India Science Wire[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Watch: Crocodile comes out of open drain in Hyderabad
The local people informed the city police about the incident. The police further alerted the forest department. The crocodile was spotted at a place where a bridge is being constructed over the drain. Large number of people gathered around to catch a glimpse of the reptile.
A baby crocodile emerged from an overflowing Nala in Chintal basti, Hyderabad during heavy rainfall that took place in the city on Wednesday. The incident has triggered panioc among the local people in the area. People were shocked when the young crocodile came out the drain which was overflowing due to the heavy rainfall in the city.
The local people informed the city police about the incident. The police further alerted the forest department. The crocodile was spotted at a place where a bridge is being constructed over the drain. Large number of people gathered around to catch a glimpse of the reptile. The crocodile had been washed ashore in the flood water. The forest department took the help of the Disaster response force (DRF) to catch the crocodile.
The reptile was shifted to Nehru zoological park in the city. In a similar incident, a seven feet large crocodile had come into Raigadh’s Mangaon after heavy rains on July 22nd 2023. Some locals saw the giant reptile roaming freely on the road in front of Madgaon Kacheri road, Mangaon murthi complex. The locals informed the forest department,. They started an operation to rescue the animal. The operation took five hours and the crocodile was caught. The reptile was shifted to a safe habitat.
A huge crowd of people gathered around to watch the crocodile.In another scary incident a crocodile was seen crossing the Commerce college main road on July 20th 2023 in Kota Rajasthan. The vehicles and pedestrians stopped in their tracks.
Jairam Pandey, deputy conservator of Forest Kota confirmed his staff had informed about the reptile but the crocodile disappeared into the drains. A video shows a three and ahalf feet crocodile crossing the commerce college near Sabji Mandi. Since the city of Kota is situated on the bank of Chambal river, which has a gharial sanctuary crocodiles occasionally enter nearby areas
India News
Rahul Gandhi visits Delhi’s Kirti Nagar furniture market, interacts with carpenters
During the visit, the Congress leader interacted with the carpenters at work and heard their problems
In yet another surprise visit in the national capital, Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Asia’s largest furniture market in Kirti Nagar. During the visit, the Congress leader interacted with the carpenters at work and heard their problems associated with their daily lives. He also tried his hand at building some furniture items.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Rahul Gandhi wrote that today, he went to Asia’s largest furniture market located in Kirti Nagar, Delhi and met his carpenter brothers. He expressed that apart from being hard workers, they are also amazing artists and experts at carving strength and beauty. He added that they talked a lot and he got to know a little about their skills and also tried to learn a little.
Congress too took to social media platform, X and noted that people’s leader Rahul Gandhi met the carpenters and listened to their problems and tried to know and understand their skills closely. The party also shared a few pictures of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the market in Kirti Nagar. Congress underlined that Bharat Jodo Yatra continues.
As far as reports are concerned, this was Rahul Gandhi’s third such reaching-out exercise in Delhi in the recent past. Earlier, he met fruit and vegetable vendors in Azadpur Mandi in August after a video of a tearful vendor struggling with inflation went viral.
Recently, he also met railway porters at Anand Vihar Railway station and interacted with them to know their concerns. His visit followed a month after the porters of the railway station expressed their desire to meet him. During the course of interaction, Rahul Gandhi assured the porters that he will put forth the issues of porters and auto drivers in front of the central government.
During the last few months, Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has met people from various frontiers including students, farmers, bike mechanics etc.
India News
Anant Chaturdashi 2023: 2450 idols immersed by 3pm across Mumbai during Ganesh festival
The festival started with Ganesh Chaturthi on September 19 and concluded on the Anant Chaturdashi on Thursday. Mumbai’s Lalbaug area is famous for celebrating the festival with much grandeur.
During the drum beats and chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya various Ganesh Mandals in Mumbai on Thursday started the process of immersion of the Ganesh idols, concluding the 10 day Ganesh festival. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official by 3pm a total of 2452 idols had been immersed, which included 25 of Goddess Gauri, 116 public idols and 2311 household ones.
He said 919 of the 2452 idols were immersed in artificial ponds set up by the civic body. The 919 idols consisted of 12 of goddess Gauri, nine public idols and 898 household idols. Huge crowd of devotees gathered at various places in the city to catch a glimpse of their favourite diety. Decked up idols of Lord Ganesh in various forms and sizes were taken out of Pandals for their final journey accompanies by prayers, dance and music.
The festival started with Ganesh Chaturthi on September 19 and concluded on the Anant Chaturdashi on Thursday. Mumbai’s Lalbaug area is famous for celebrating the festival with much grandeur. The procession of the idols Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya mandals started with the chants of Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya and Ganpati Bappa Morya.
The Lal Baugcha Raja idol that attracts maximum number of devotees started at around 11.30 am. A large number of people were waiting on sides of the road for the final darshan of the idol. Thousands of devotees gathered on the streets of Lalbaug to bid farewell to their favourite diety and witness the vibrant procession of people with the sprinkling of gulal, dance and music.
There was a large gathering of devotees at Lalbaug’s Shroff building to witness the showering of flowers on the Ganesh idols. A large crowd was seen gathered near the main road which lead to Girgaon in South Mumbai.
